What I Learned from My EMBA Program at NUS

Originally from the Philippines, Ronald Benjamin C. Roa decided to apply to the Asia-Pacific EMBA program at the National University of Singapore nearly five years ago.

“I was enticed, first and foremost, by the university’s impeccable reputation as the number one university in Asia,” he says.

“I discovered the Asia-Pacific EMBA program would allow me to continue my work in the Philippines while travelling to different countries to fulfil my intensive EMBA program over a period of a year and a half.

“The program offered an exciting yet challenging opportunity for me.”

“In fact, the management committee were in agreement that the intensive academic learning, global business network and prestige of an EMBA from NUS would make the program invaluable for my career development and personal growth.”

The high quality of education available at NUS, as Ronald discovered, goes beyond just what he learned from his professors. Other students within his cohort proved to be an invaluable source of information.

He says: “I discovered the true value of peer-to-peer learning, which was rather unexpected as I was expecting to learn mostly from our professors. I now consider some of my peers to be my closest friends, whom I have learned so much from as they are experts in various industries.

“Their varying backgrounds and perspectives provided our class with an incredible source of knowledge, experience and diversity. Depending on the topic of each class, we had experts in specific fields who were generous enough to offer us their support and explain their experience in their own specializations.

“Another unexpected perk of the program was the life-long learning program offered by the NUS business school, whereby alumni can come back and participate in new classes or take the same classes as a refresher, for no additional cost. This provides alumni with a life-long opportunity to continue learning which, for me, is one of the best perks offered by the university.”

If Ronald’s story has you interested about studying an EMBA, either at NUS or elsewhere, he offers this advice for the admissions process: “It’s always best to be honest with the admissions committee with regard to your academic background, work experience and expectations. Find a school that you feel reflects your values and aspirations.

“You must be prepared to take on the intensive workload provided by the school despite any personal or professional obligations. In doing so, you can make the most out of your journey towards your EMBA degree.”

The National University of Singapore has been ranked in the QS Global EMBA Rankings 2019. Find out more about how it performed, as well as other top EMBA schools, by clicking here.

This article was originally published in April 2018 and was updated in April 2019 to reflect the new EMBA ranking release.