Global learning experience

Brinda Manivannan, a student at the Southampton Management School shares her experience of pursusing her Master’s in International Management and her life at the University of Souathampton.

I  was born in Chennai, but I am a complete Mumbai girl at heart. I was always inclined towards computers and would spend hours at it learning about software and coding. A degree in software engineering from Rajarambapu Institute of Technology (RIT), Sangli and a two-year stint with the IT industry later; I knew that I wanted to pursue a Master’s degree, but not in engineering. As I got more involved with the project management side of the IT industry and began to take the technical lead on projects at work, I realised the need for a more formal training in management that would broaden the scope of my career.

After looking up many universities – in India and abroad – I decided on the University of Southampton because out of all the universities the Master’s programme offered by Southampton Management School interested me the most. It had a balanced mix of subjects such asMarketing, Strategic Management and Decision Making among others which suited my requirements. Used to a more theoretical approach to studies, I was happy to see that students would be assessed on both theory and practical learning equally.

The University of Southampton was my top choice also because of the facilities offered, but the prospects of living and studying in a new country among strangers frightened me. After almost a year here I feel those fears were unnecessary. Southampton welcomed me graciously and now this place is home.

They have a well-structured course, great minds as faculty, a beautiful campus, one of the biggest library collections in the UK and a vibrant social life. These were not the only reasons though. I was awarded the Southampton Management School Postgraduate Scholarship (South Asia) worth £5000 because of my grades. This scholarship gave me an opportunity to study alongside people from 50 or so nations, which made my international learning experience even more enriching.

As a part of our course modules, we have to run a company and compete against each other, making the highest net profits. My team came second in the challenge. It gave me the practical knowledge of how the industry works and cemented my dreams of getting into project management after the course.

In my leisure time, I write. I write poems, short stories or about anything interesting. I am a member of the debate club in university and though I’m not a debater, I never miss any event organised by the club. I enjoy travelling a lot. Being a huge travel enthusiast I like visiting places with a rich history whenever I can. England has many historically important places and Southampton is very well-connected to all of them, letting me explore all I want!