MBA Student Profile: Laura Childs, Cranfield

The failure of her previous company prompted Laura Childs to apply for her MBA program at Cranfield School of Management in her home country, the UK. As she explains to TopMBA.com, she overcame the lack of cultural diversity she otherwise would have gained by studying abroad through Cranfield's "broad student profile."

1. Why did you decide to attend Cranfield School of Management?

I chose Cranfield School of Management because of the outstanding reputation and the wide range of electives on offer. I was mainly looking for a business school I could commute to from where I live in the UK. My choice was also influenced through the reputation of the school, thus I chose Cranfield because it was well known and attracted students with a real variety of backgrounds and experiences.      

2. What research did you undertake in selecting your school?

I used rankings as my initial research into the school. From this I began to talk to friends, family and colleagues to get an overall impression of the best schools in the UK. I ruled some out by geography or the fact they did not offer a one-year course, then I concentrated on the others in a qualitative manner. The impression I got when I handed in my application to Cranfield and when I came for interview was the most important and final deciding factor.

3. What are the benefits of studying inside your home country?

Two of the most important benefits of studying in the UK were the language and stability. Going to a business school in a different country would mean having to deal with the language barriers. I have found so far that the year is stressful enough without having to adapt to language and cultural changes also. The course at Cranfield has a mixture of international students, and the broad student profile means that I will not graduate from here with a narrow UK vision.

4. How are you financing your studies?

I used some of my savings and also had to take out a student loan. My overdraft at this point was very useful. I am trying to finance my way through my studies in any way possible, one of which was applying for a Feeshare (alumni) scholarship. I was interviewed for the scholarship but did not get it. Cranfield School of Management has established Feeshare, which offers three part-scholarships for its MBA programs (worth approximately £11,500, half the cost of the full-time MBA tuition fees).     

5. What are your career objectives after your MBA? What were you doing before your MBA?

Before I began the MBA I worked in advertising and communications corporate events, exhibitions and corporate videos. My last role was as a director of a small business doing the above and the failure of that business prompted me to do the MBA. Afterwards I was still not sure whether to go for another small business, or join the corporate world. All I know is that I want to practise the broad general management skills I have learned in the real world.