What to Expect from a QS Event According to Students

What to Expect from a QS Event According to Students

On Sunday 8th May, we attended the QS MBA World Tour in London; one of many QS events held around the world.

The QS World MBA Tour brings together some of the top business schools in the world, including: London Business School, Alliance-Manchester, IE Business School, Indian School of Business, Imperial Singapore Management University, ESADE, Cass Business School, IESE Business School, Warwick Business School and many more.

You can find out more about the different types of QS events

We spoke to several students who attended the event to find out a bit about what they wanted to get out of the day, and if the day lived up to their expectations…

Why should I go to these events?

Garreth Basson, an accounting graduate of Stellenbosch University and first-time QS event attendee, says that he found out about the event online when researching MBAs: “I’ve been looking at doing an MBA so I Googled to find out what events are happening in London while I’m here”.

Basson says he decided to go to the event once he saw that “some of the universities I’m interested in were attending the event”.

“I wanted to connect with some universities and try to understand a bit more about the programs,” says Suraj Khemlani, a University College London (UCL) graduate, who came to the event looking to find out a bit more about the types of MBAs available. Khemlani said that he hoped the event would help him decide whether he should pursue an MBA full-time or part-time.

Natalia Johnson, an international business management master’s graduate and owner of two businesses, has attended two QS events previously. She says, “by nature, when I come to an event like this, I like to gather information, then I process, analyze and compare it. Then I ask myself: do I agree or do I disagree?” She then uses this information to find out “what can [these universities] offer me?”.

Who are the events for?

University representatives at the QS MBA World Tour

There are so many QS events happening all around the world, so there should be something to suit you, no matter what stage of education you’re at. For students looking to pursue their undergraduate degree, there is the QS World University Tour and for graduates looking to start their postgraduate studies, there is the QS World Grad School Tour.

“As a general overview, it was very good for me” says Basson, who hopes to pursue an MBA in two to three years. He does, however, note that the talks may be “better as an introduction rather than if you’re looking for specific information.”

Khemlani, on the other hand, had a strong idea of what he wanted out of the event; “I came in with a bit of a preconceived mindset of the types of universities I wanted to speak to, but what’s been interesting is learning about some of the new programs that are now on offer”.

Depending on the QS event you attend, there will be a variety of talks available, as well as the chance to talk to a multitude of representatives from different schools from around the world.

“The sign-up registration was great, then I went to a few talks which I found very interesting,” says Khemlani, adding that he particularly enjoyed the job interviews skills talk by Jelena Radonjic.

Khemlani also attended a panel of MBA alumni, who discussed how relevant they think an MBA is in the real world. “I found that very insightful, because you’re dealing with people from different professional backgrounds,” he said.

While the talks were going on, there was also the opportunity to attend an open fair of university representatives. Alongside this, there was also the option to get a LinkedIn headshot taken by a professional photographer, which was extremely popular with attendees.

Is there anything that surprised you about the event?

“It was pretty much what I expected” says Basson. He explains that it was “nice to have the talk giving you interview skills, and you can do an assessment [reviewing your CV] before so that was something a bit different.”

What preparation should I do before the event?

QS suggests reading up on some of the schools who will be attending the event that you’re planning to attend, in order to prepare any questions that you may want to ask the university.

“If I was looking to do an MBA in the next year, I would’ve done more prep” says Basson, who came to the event with a general motive to find out more about the MBAs and the different schools.

“I would say sign up as quickly as you can if it’s something that you’re interested in doing,” says Khemlani, “but also take some time to do some reading and figure out if it’s right for you”.

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