A world of opportunities with the NUS MBA

The NUS MBA provides an energising forum for growth and discovery that will prepare you for leadership roles in today’s competitive global marketplace. Travelling all the way from Canada to join the NUS MBA programme, Alumnus Sean Bellamy McNulty (Class of 2017) shares his experience.

As with anything in life, what you get out of The NUS MBA depends on what you put into it. Within just the first year into the programme, what I’ve gotten out of The NUS MBA greatly surpassed any expectations I had. Different endeavors will yield different ROIs for the time you commit to them, and there are few that will offer better results and opportunities than pursuing an MBA at NUS with vigour.

First and foremost, there is the career ROI. We all look to get many things from an MBA, with the top priority being advancing our career so that we can make a bigger impact within our organisations, community and ultimately, the world, in our short time here on earth. I went into the programme with a background as an FX trader seeking to stay in the same line of work but move into more complex products such as NDFs (non-deliverable forwards) or derivatives based out of Southeast Asia.

Through the networking events hosted by the NUS Business School’s BIZCareers (CSO), my classmates and I had access to all of the global banks. Together with the NUS MBA brand that’s widely respected in the Finance industry in the region especially, this ensured I made it through the first cuts in the interview process. I was able to secure an internship as an FX Options Trading Intern over the summer at J.P Morgan, which eventually helped me convert this opportunity into a full-time role and accomplish my “career ROI” criteria.

Secondly, there is the educational component. The profs are great and classes interesting and informative. What stood out to me during this time was the opportunities outside the classroom. I competed in a number of case competitions ranging from investment banking pitches to startups to consulting. Through these challenges, they further enhanced my ability to work with a team under pressure and compete against the best and brightest. These case competitions also involve visiting other universities, such as Bangkok for the Asia Venture Capital Competition, creating opportunities for more learning, networking and cross cultural exchanges.

In addition to case competitions, there are the many overseas study trips and exchanges where I participated in five in total. They could be a blog post each, so I’ll just list them for simplicity. I’ve done short one to two-week learning journeys to Myanmar, Israel and South Korea and will be participating in semester long exchanges at New York University in Manhattan (in 2016) and London Business School in the UK (in 2017).

Besides, there were also conferences I took part in, including travelling to The 2016 and 2017 MBA World Summits held in Miami and Berlin, the 2016 Graduate Business Conference in St Gallen, Switzerland, the 2017 WHU Campus for Finance Conference in Koblenz, Germany and the 2017 World Business Dialogue Conference in Cologne, Germany. All of these conferences and exchanges were made possible through the National University of Singapore and were an invaluable part of my MBA education.

One key highlight was a desert race across China with the National University of Singapore team. It took place in upper Mongolia and was a fantastic cross-cultural experience, as well as a test of teamwork, stamina and willpower.

I’ve been able to accomplish my MBA ROI following one simple principle – Say yes! If classmates approach you to join their case competition team, say yes. If you have an opportunity to get involved in student council, say yes (I was eventually elected Student Council President). When you receive an email from The NUS MBA with an exchange opportunity, say yes. When a classmate approaches you about participating in a 70km desert race, say yes.

Although the time commitments may seem daunting at first, with team work and dedication you can accomplish much more than you realise. And if you choose to do an MBA at NUS, everything you put into will generate opportunities ROIs in life many times more.

For more information on the NUS MBA programme, please visit mba.nus.edu.sg.