What made you take the programme? Why Choose Strathclyde?
I had seen and heard a lot of good things about the Business School: how it placed well in rankings, how it had won awards, and how positively Strathclyde alumni talked about it. These factors all played a big part in getting me interested in studying at Strathclyde.
However, what really sold me on Strathclyde was the practical way they approach teaching. As Strathclyde puts it, they are “the place of useful learning”. Numerous industry connections, as well as the way they focus on developing real practical working skills through things like the Management Development Programme, and interactions with local businesses made the course seem very focussed on providing an education that goes beyond just theory.
What has been your experience of the classes?
The classes at Strathclyde cover a frankly astounding amount of content in a level of detail that never ceases to amaze me. There was a massive range of subjects that I was able to study: from marketing, to accounting, to management. This provided me with a truly holistic view of business that allowed me to not only better understand each subject but also build up a body of transferable skills that I could apply in projects working with real businesses.
All the classes felt like they had a purpose to them. For example in management, learning about “McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y” or “Taylor’s Scientific Management Theory” would then be applied to real life scenarios and case studies to look at the practical implications of applying the theories. Learning about business exit strategies in a class about entrepreneurship was applied to a project working directly with real business owners looking to sell/exit their business. The classes covered so much, and what made it all possible was the lecturers and tutors that helped me along the way.
All of the teaching staff were not only extremely knowledgeable about their subjects but also very experienced with many having worked in industry allowing them to provide insight into how the skills we were developing would be utilised in a work setting. Furthermore, the staff were always willing to answer questions and provide additional resources or support if I was struggling, which made the learning experience much more manageable and enjoyable.
Where do you see the course in fitting into your longer aspirations for study/career in the future?
Graduating into a post-COVID-19 economy has really made me appreciate the range of skills I’ve developed at Strathclyde. While I had originally planned on looking to apply for graduate schemes and start working as soon as I had completed my degree, studying at Strathclyde made me recognise that I have the potential to pursue further education, and potentially a career in academia. I am currently looking to study at Master’s level and continue developing the skills and knowledge that four years at Strathclyde have given me.
Is there anything you would especially recommend about the course/classes?
I highly recommend the practical elements of business teaching, classes that allow you to get involved with real scenarios and apply the knowledge and skills you have built. One example that stands out in my mind is my experiences in “Venture Management, Strategy and Growth”. As part of the class, I was able to work with an international tech firm based in Glasgow on a project focussing on international growth.
During my time working with them I was pushed to use everything I had learned at Strathclyde, leveraging hard skills to allow my group to utilise quantitative research to analyse the financial practicalities of expansion, and soft skills to gain access to interviews with relevant sources, which included a lecturer at MIT and a manager at an American Tech firm with over $1 Billion Dollars in annual revenue.
What advice would you give to prospective students?
The biggest piece of advice I would give to prospective students is to be open to new things. While studying at Strathclyde some of the best experiences I had were the ones I never expected I would end up doing. There are so many opportunities to get involved academically or with clubs and societies that you would be really missing out if you just stayed in your comfort zone.
