Choosing Aston University for an MBA
Darrel Shaw's decision to pursue an MBA at Aston University was guided by meticulous selection criteria. "Since it was a big decision for me to join an MBA, I was extremely careful in the selection criteria for my course", Darrel explained. Aston University met all his expectations, including course relevance, learning opportunities and exposure, further solidified by the Aston Business School's triple accreditation and high ranking MBA programmes.
Darrel's experience at Aston University was transformative both academically and personally. He categorised his journey into two distinct areas: academic and personal. "Academically, I got the required learning and exposure to enhance my business acumen, leadership, and interpersonal skills", he shared. On a personal level, the friendships he forged were a significant highlight.
"I made friends for life. We used to have fights and arguments, but then we used to make up. That’s what true friendship is all about."
How the MBA helped Darrel's career
After graduating, Darrel rejoined his previous organisation, aiming to apply his MBA learnings to provide value-added solutions for their clients. He attributes a significant part of his success to his mentors at Aston Business School. "I am blessed to have Kirit Vaidya as my mentor and James Longmore as my coach. They both have been my guiding angels in my MBA journey", Darrel noted.
Hands-on experience with live projects
Throughout his MBA, Darrel worked on various live projects, which he found particularly rewarding. "I have had an opportunity to work on one project per term", he said. These included consulting projects for SAGA Plc and Virgin Money, where he and his group provided strategic recommendations and pathways for business improvement. Notably, his project on servitisation in the software field (SaaS) received high praise.
"Our consulting projects not only scored the highest scores in the batch, but also the Virgin Money project work was submitted by Kirit Vaidya for AMBA certification."
In the final term, Darrel's project involved creating an integrated platform for 13 legacy standalone software applications, earning him and his group a higher distinction. "The project was highly appreciated by both the evaluators as it was one of the longest projects done so far (April to October 2022)", Darrel remarked.
Encouragement for prospective MBA students
To anyone considering an MBA at Aston University, Darrel offers enthusiastic encouragement.
"I would surely recommend Aston University for obvious reasons, especially the kind of experience I have had in the past 22 months."
He also emphasises the strategic location of the University in the city centre and the strong support network provided by the Aston Alumni and Aston for Life programmes. "Life is a journey, enjoy the learning," Darrel concluded, appreciating the continuous connection and support from the alumni community.
In sum, Darrel's journey at Aston University was marked by significant academic achievements, deep personal connections and valuable real-world experience, making his MBA experience extremely enriching and impactful.
