As far as introductions go, my name’s Muniba (known by most as Mia), and as per my Twitter tagline (yep, straight into the social media like a true Marketer), I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage. No word of a lie. Born and brought up in Pakistan, I moved to the UK back in 2007 for my undergraduate degree in Business Management and Marketing at Cardiff University, followed by two years of the 9-5 in Copywriting and SEO at an internet marketing company, marketing and media campaigns for a tennis club as part of the Lawn Tennis Association, and most recently, I was working on property projects at the law giant Eversheds LLP in the renewable energy and equity release sector.
You’re probably wondering why I decided to do a Masters at Imperial, but need you ask? Imperial College London was one of the universities I grew up hearing legendary tales of, kind of like Hogwarts, the place only the cream of the crop made it to; so coming from a strong academic background, with the extra-curricular activities to back it up, I knew it was the next step for me. Receiving my offer of a place here was one of the greatest highlights of my year and I can’t tell you how proud it made my family too! A university with a pioneering foothold in research, and a continual reputation for excellence ranking it the top ten universities of the world, with the 7th best faculty at the Business School. That’s kind of a big deal!
The Strategic Marketing course in particular lured me as soon as I looked over the content it would cover – having had some practical experience of real-life marketing situations, and with the constant advances in digital media in particular, the course seemed relevant, and well-structured in keeping up with the pace of modern marketing. I find very few degrees have that edge, and a textbook approach doesn’t get you far, which is where Imperial has risen above the ranks and designed its course in an innovative fashion that caters to all aspects of the working world of marketing today. So much so, that we were asked to assume the role of company directors working under their CEO on our first day here; none of this I-teach-you-learn malarkey that hiders you from reaching your full potential. Oh, and the free iPads are worth a mention too. I don’t know how I’ll ever survive without one now, to be honest; Steve Jobs really did know his witchcraft!
I won’t forget to mention the social side of the course, because let’s face it, making new friends and exploring a new city are the best half of going to an international university. The Business School quite generously organized a drinks reception (not to mention the delightfully limitless finger food to go with it), which was a great opportunity for cross-programme interaction and a chance to meet the programme team at an informal level. The students union then organized the ‘Postgraduate Mingle’, details of which are rather blurry but that’s usually a sign of a good night, so we’ll leave it at that!
I hope you’ll stay with me for regular updates on the happenings on the MSc Strategic Marketing course and look forward to striking up a conversation with some of you as you’re always welcome to leave your comments and questions. Until the next post, toodle-pip!