Three MBA students from different countries were brought together with one mission – to make the MBA cohort’s voice heard.

In the first weeks of the Cambridge MBA programme, we were elected by our classmates as Academic Student Representatives (by region) to manage students’ academic and MBA programme-related concerns. The experience itself exceeded our expectations.

When we started the journey, we realised that communication is a priority and we established a system to optimize communication channels between the MBA cohort, student representatives and the MBA programme team. We were focused on gathering, consolidating and relaying feedback to both the cohort and the MBA programme team. We exchanged students’ concerns and queries in our bi-weekly meetings and discussed potential solutions to address the feedback with the Programme team.

One of the most enjoyable and fulfilling experiences for us as representatives was the termly meetings with all the faculty members and Professors to discuss students’ reviews and ratings of taught courses candidly. The conversations in these sessions gave us insight into the work and thought they put into their courses and teaching methods and allowed us to see the considerable effort put in to listen and adopt feedback in a concerted attempt to improve the programme for future MBAs and ourselves.

Not only did we gain insight into the academic side of the programme, but we got the opportunity to gain first-hand exposure to the operational aspects of a business school. We met with the operations team of Cambridge Judge Business School once a term. In these meetings, we sought solutions to improve the facilities at the school in order to make the Business School a better place for the MBA cohort.

Ultimately, we worked in unity to bridge the gap in understanding and communication between the students and the Business School. In representing our cohort, we formed stronger bonds with our peers.  We emboldened and encouraged the cohort to express their concerns, and we became allies of the programme team, who we guided in managing communication and change. We navigated complex and often challenging situations and found ways to listen to different perspectives and engage empathetically with multiple parties to build solutions that we believed would best satisfy all those concerned.

Those seeking to scale their leadership and communication skills who are passionate about empowering voices and excited at the prospect of helping people, will derive the most benefit from this experience.

Being a student representative has been a very important part of our Cambridge MBA journey.  We believe it is an excellent way to get to know your MBA classmates, build an effective team and strong friendships, and importantly it presents an opportunity to develop your personal charm.

Wishing our classmates all the best for the future,

Nikita, Karina and Joe

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