The importance of friendship to an MBA

Today, on my way back from my trip to Glendalough, Wicklow on a rainy day, I feel that I love my MBA friends, my room in Proby House and my flatmates more than ever before. And I want to say my thank you to all people around me who make my time meaningful and invaluable in every single moment.

My special thank to Rikke who has been organizing everything for us since we arrived here in Dublin in August, to my classmates who comes here to share and learn for whatever reasons, my Group 6 who helps me to get things done together, and Linda who encourages and motivates me to study and shares with me all the ups and downs within my days, to my friends who accompany me on the way to the park, to Tesco every week and to teach me how to play rugby.

You can see the special and unique door-to-door services in our apartment. It is through this special route that a lot of ideas and information are exchanged. And more important, it keeps my own balance sheet balanced. Together we cook, we discuss about our assignments, debate and apply our theory back in our countries and listen to each other.

Our Group – Team 6 consists of one American, one Vietnamese, three Irish guys, one vet, one mobile engineer, one banker, one entrepreneurial leader and one from the law practice industry. Together we scan through the financial statements, tackle the Operations and Supply Chain and develop it during the week and weekend, debate about the competive strategy class’s case study, enjoy the Ben and Jerry’s Caramel Chew Chew ice cream and discuss about their compensation strategy, analyse the Information System Strategy and commit to our group tasks. After 5 weeks of study, among the bulk of knowledge thrown on us, what we remember most is through class discussions with each member’s unique point of view and contribution.

And I just want to speak loudly to myself and my friends that “Together We Win”.

– Huong Le, FT MBA 2011/2012 and IDEAS Scholarship recipient