Connecting with my cohort at Residential Week

Tosh Asaoka, Global Online MBA participant, reflects on his experience of Residential Week at our University of Warwick campus.

Why did you choose to study a Global Online MBA at Warwick Business School?

If I had to pick a single deciding factor for choosing Warwick Business School (WBS), it would be their commitment to improving the experience of online MBA students. I didn’t want to study in a programme that simply took the full-time programme curriculum online for their online MBA. I felt WBS really cared about the learning outcomes, cohort and faculty interactions, and the real-life implications for online MBA students.

What were your highlights?

My highlight at the Residential Week was connecting with my cohort outside of classrooms. The WBS Global Online MBA is made up of students from around the world and across different sectors. Getting to know them on a personal level has truly broadened my perspective and given me an appreciation of the diversity of the student body.

The programme offered occasions to network through lunch, dinner and social events, but it was also important for to me to be proactive and find extra time to get to know my cohort outside of these organised events. I wouldn’t have ever known some of the many interesting things that my peers are involved in through their work if it wasn’t for these extra efforts.

Do you have any advice for others on how to make the most of Residential Week?

My advice to make the most of Residential Week is to be open to others about your MBA experience. If you are struggling with the class materials, time management, deciding which course to take etc, it is likely that other members of your cohort are thinking the same or have gone through a similar experience as you are going through. Don’t be afraid of being judged and start sharing your experience. You will be surprised by how much people are willing to have genuine conversation about their own experiences too.