Qrius interviews an alumnus of?EU Business School?(EU) ? Mr. Vishwajit Shengde ? about the?notable features of the courses offered by EU Business School and their relevance in the globalised world.
Mr Vishwajit??Shengde is currently a student at EU Business School, Barcelona and is pursuing his MBA presently.
Qrius: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? Your background, where are you originally from? What is your educational background?
I was born and brought up in Mumbai, India. It might seem like I might be one of those city boys, but I grew up with a strong cultural family, I was exposed on both sides. After completing my schooling in Bombay Scottish School and my IGCSE in JIRS, Bangalore, I joined my family business. The business revolved around Shipping, handling, stevedoring work for private, government and foreign consignments alike. Handling goods from food products, steel, raw materials and chemicals. I had an inclination towards other sectors of the industry too. But though my knowledge was restricted towards a monotonous mind-set. I decided to go and pursue the same in finance institutions. Along with that I had started my programme at Russell Square International College doing my University of London – London School of Economics affiliated course. The exposure derived from there opened up new possibilities for me right after I derived my Bsc in Business. After which I was yet reluctant to join the family group but confidently took up a few departments under me. But the question still lingered. What more can be experienced at this stage. How would I be able to maximise and unearth certain qualities in my attitude which could help shape my future endeavours of having a start-up of my own. Next thing I know I found myself doing my MBA in Spain.
Qrius: How would you describe your experience of living in Spain? Is it what you expected? What were the cultural shocks you experienced, if any?
There are times when people hold certain expectations about a place or person before they have ever been or met them. I on the contrary, did not expect anything out of the way, I guess that’s why I have one of the fondest memories of my life out here. The key out here is not only expecting anything, I would have never had got to make all those memories if I hadn’t contributed and taken initiatives to communicate, discover and to get out of my comfort zone. That?s where the magic happens. I have travelled Spain and Europe during my time out here, and it’s absolutely stunning. There are certain moments when people through media are shown certain cultural, touristic, geographical places . But, one thing is for a fact is that it’s much more than that. From the surfing destinations in the Basque regions, to the beautiful coastline of Costa Brava and the countless vibrant cultural festivals of Sant Joan, Mallorca, La Tomatina, San Fermin, Carnaval de Sitges – and I was getting started. So yes, we could consider cultural shock as an understatement. ?
Qrius: You are currently pursuing an MBA from EU Business School in Barcelona. Is an MBA something that you had planned, or did it happen gradually?
Yes ! It wasn’t planned as such. I happened to realise as a progressed professionally that it was important for me to pursue something which would give me adequate exposure. It’s not like I couldn’t get enough exposure, Mumbai is biggest upcoming financial metropolitan on the eastern board. But the perspective had been constant for me, which pushed me to venture out and seek new angles.
Qrius: Would you kindly elaborate a bit on your specialisation? What it is, and how did you zero in on that?
My motive since I had started out by high school was to set out to introduce something that would change the market all together. Something that would stay in for the long haul, a self sustaining product with practical implications. After finishing out of college, I started realising it, slowly but surely. In the end I needed that extra mile to gain that coverage in my head. Being an entrepreneur was my goal since the beginning of my tenure at high school, and it became more evident that I had to turn my efforts in that direction. At that time, MBA in Entrepreneurship from EU Business school along with a second MBA from University of Roehampton in Business Administration, seemed like it was something which connected to me more. As I am in my last term right now, yes I would surely consider that it was the right one.
Qrius: How did you finalise upon going to EU Business School? What were the factors you considered?
While i was applying, I had a lot of friends studying abroad who i had consulted at the time. I pretty much decided late that I need to do an MBA. And my applications spanned across from Ireland, France, UK and Spain. But there was something about Spain which drove me into accepting my application, and mind you that I did get accepted in all the Universities I had applied for, but then I did start comparing four major factors, which in the end helped me in taking my final decision.
- The Degree ?
- Budget
- Future Potential
- Experience
These were the more or less the four pillars to my decision of choosing the University, and EU Business School checked all those boxes. It’s a good thing they have campuses all over Europe so that individuals like me can personalize their experience accordingly. Cause each city differs greatly, and there are no regrets here choosing Barcelona.
Qrius: You are currently a member of the student board at EU Business School. Could you please elaborate a bit on your role there?
I have just recently enrolled in this endeavour, I had been active in the student board in my previous University as the cultural and sports secretary and the final year the president. Little did I expect that the board would select me as the president for the MBA division too. My roles are not defined to the designation given to me, and so are not the roles of the other members. We communicate, obligate, execute everything together. There isn’t any leader here, but we work as a team to make sure, all the student activities and coordination between the administration and students is seamless. My job description stated my representation as a member of the board and school on events and festivals. Protecting the issues of students and leading the board through key issues and planning while setting executable milestones.
Qrius: Being a member on the student board as an international student, do you think it is more challenging adjusting to the cultural difference(s)? What role have peers and faculty at the university played in making that transition easier for you?
Everything seems challenging at first, but once you?re over the first step of not getting intimidated by it, time does the rest. It takes getting used to, and seeing it from a different perspective, making sure the roles are as fluid as possible, it’s only a matter of time till you actually settle in and start operating. There was cultural difference, but not something which I couldn’t get used to. In the international community and diversity as such it takes cooperation and understanding between each to break the first barrier to being able to use each other’s networks and find out how common mostly everyones tastes and interests are. With the support of my friends, all the students and the administration, a sense of responsibility had driven me. So it being challenging became a thing of the past.
Qrius: Following up, do you think that pursuing an MBA abroad adds something to the overall experience that doesn?t happen when pursuing it in India? What is your view on the ?MBA abroad v/s MBA in India? debate?
India is amazing for an MBA, with outstanding upcoming institutions and affiliations with international bodies are creating unique valuable studying experience. But then that’s the thing, you don’t go back to your newly rented room/apartment. You don’t meet and make plans for trips with your friends from halfway across the world. You don’t visit unique and unforgettable breathtaking places around Europe. You don?t experience a different culture every time you have conversation with a person next to you, who happen to be brought up and learnt things completely different from you. ?You would?nt get to see the international corporate standards and how the world operates with a different government, culture, people and their roles in organizations. The MBA and its content might differ in many ways depending on the teacher whose teaching it, and luckily my professors were one of a kind. The point is the the MBA experience depends on the magnitude of exposure which the MBA tends to offer. And I?v got what I asked for. ?
Qrius: Finally, what role do you think diversity on campus plays for a student pursuing a professional degree? Does it add to the learning experience?
Let’s look at it this way. How many times do you find a German, Indian, Romanian, American, Australian, Ukrainian, Russian, Belgian, Serbian and Finnish sitting at a table having dinner, drinks and time of their lives? Some might say a start of a very long joke. But everyone of them are so unique, special in their own way, but yet getting along so beautifully, and that’s one of the biggest take-aways, that everyone gets along, and in the end, everyone is not so different after all!. That’s something which is very commonly experienced in an environment like this. Making good friends, and experiencing even better memories. Yet again these are by-products. The key factor to take away out here are the networks you make in an international professional environment like this. I look at this in a way to have corporate access all across the world. This is one of the main reasons why it felt like it was a good decision to get my MBA done in an international environment, cause I get to sculpt my professional and personal life in a way which accurately suits my goals in life. And I don’t see the harm in ending up with close friends, professional skills, exploring Europe, making priceless memories and coming back home with a hell of a story!
This interview has been compiled in collaboration with?EU Business School(EU). Established in 1973, EU is a triple-accredited international business school with campuses in Barcelona, Munich, Geneva, Montreux and Online.
Featured Image Credits: Pexels
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