BUSINESS AD VANTAGE
Want to give your career a major boost? Then the IMAGE/Smurfit MBA scholarship could be for you. Read on to find out how you can win a scholarship for an MBA at UCD Smurfit School worth up to €34,500.
For the last 14 years IMAGE Media has been proud to partner with UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School to offer one female candidate a 100% scholarship to join the full-time MBA or part-time Executive MBA in August 2021.
For more than 20 years the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School MBA Programme holds the prestigious triple accreditation from EQUIS (The EFMD Quality Improvement System), AMBA (the Association of MBAs) and AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). The Executive MBA programme is currently ranked 62nd by the Financial Times and 57th by the Economist. While the full-time MBA programme has been highly ranked globally for more than ten years, most recently climbing to No.67 in The Economist Full-time MBA Ranking.
September 2021 will also mark the first intake of the new flexible Modular Executive MBA programme, delivered over two years and typically requiring only two days attendance on campus each month. You can find more details on the website at smurfitschool.ie/mba.
On Wednesday evening April 21 UCD Smurfit School will host a special “Women on the MBA” event. The event will feature current female MBA students and alumni who will share their experiences of undertaking the Smurfit MBA.
Full event details and registration are available on the website at smurfitschool.ie/events.
MEET Caitlin McBride, current IMAGE Smurfit Scholar
Tell us a little bit about your background? Pre-MBA, my professional background was in journalism, working at The Herald and as Deputy Editor of VIP Magazine. I have spent the last seven years at Independent News & Media, most recently as Executive Editor of Independent.ie, Ireland’s biggest news website.
My proudest professional achievement is my book ‘The Day That Changed My Life’, which profiled 31 Irish women on the moments which changed their lives. That process really inspired me to take a leap of faith in my own life and for me, that meant leaving behind the familiar surrounds of the newsroom and ultimately, doing an MBA.
Why did you apply for the IMAGE/Smurfit MBA Scholarship? Being frank, money was a prohibitive factor for me pursuing a full-time MBA and being named the Image MBA scholar has transformed my MBA experience. The generosity it affords has allowed me to focus my efforts on academia, repositioning my personal brand and being selective about the work I choose while studying. It has given me a sense of financial freedom, something I hope all women experience at some stage in their lives.
How do you balance other life commitments and study? I find being hyper-organised is the best way for me to get through all my work efficiently. I identify short, medium and long-term goals and plan for them with military precision. When I interviewed Orla Barry, a now-retired Paralympic medallist in my book, I asked her about how she ‘does it all’. She responded, ‘I just get on with it’. It was the most powerful phrase I’ve heard in my adult life.
Why would you recommend for other women to apply? My confidence had taken some knocks in the lead up to my MBA journey. I would encourage other women to please fight through that inner battle of confidence because the worst thing that can happen is you are told no. I often say to myself, ‘Think like a man’. If a man would put himself forward – as he should – why shouldn’t we?
What particular advantages does this programme have to offer? I ultimately chose UCD Smurfit School for its vast alumni network. It’s about maximising your time as a student and repositioning yourself in the workplace afterwards. I’m an active member of the Gender Equality in the MBA (GEMBA) club and MBA clubs are a great opportunity to learn about new areas from those most passionate about it.
What’s next for you? In the short term, I’d like to move into a strategic position post-graduation as I have been lucky enough to design the blueprint for communication strategies with successful results. In the medium term, I will continue up-skilling my business acumen. In the long-term, I hope to be running a company. I don’t believe in setting limits on my aspirations and I don’t believe that ambition is a dirty word. Most importantly, throughout all those aspects of my life, I will continue to advocate for women in all areas of their lives, but in particular work on building support networks to allow women to continue work.
How would you describe the experience/Smurfit Business School community? First, I have to say that it is as difficult as everyone says. That’s part of the joy in it though; overcoming a challenge, pushing yourself outside your comfort zone and learning both the hard and soft skills required for success in business – and life. My communication is more purposeful now; my confidence has grown exponentially and I’m grateful to have a year of self-exploration at this stage in my life and career.