‘No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life’.
MBA students selected to represent MIP at Financial Times MBA Quiz would definitely approve this quote from English poet and writer Samuel Johnson. While crossing the Thames via the Millennium Bridge, they enjoyed a breath-taking view embracing the Shard, the Globe Theatre, the Tower Bridge, “The Gherkin†and thought that London is always a great place to be.
March 21st, 2017 – In the early morning, Lucia, Tommaso, Barbara, Alessandro and Claudio flew from Milan to London to partake in the 4th edition of the FT MBA Quiz at Financial Times headquarter. Lucia and Tommaso are current full-time MBA candidates at MIP, while Barbara, Alessandro and Claudio belong to the part-time program. A stroll along the gusty Bankside served as an icebreaker and allowed team members to get to know each other. The atmosphere was thrilling and dense with expectations. “This is an incredible opportunity to network and challenge our knowledge against other MBA candidates, while providing our school with international visibility†was the comment from Lucia, Costa Rican, unanimously appointed as spokesperson of MIP’s expedition.
FT MBA Quiz was primarily aimed at helping Médecins Sans Frontières, to raise funds needed to provide emergency care to patients and to grow awareness of humanitarian crises. Eight business schools competed this year: it was the first time MIP joined the contest, the sole Italian school to participate.
Once at FT’s offices, each squad went through a quick shooting session and then some time was dedicated to brief talks over a glass of wine with peers from other schools. The event was hosted by Andrew Hill, FT management editor. Prior to starting the game, the floor was left to a representative of Médecins Sans Frontières reporting about the priceless effort that the Geneva-based medical aid charity has put in place for over 40 years since its foundation.
The quiz was made of seven rounds. From round one to six, teams were given 30 seconds to answer multiple choice questions. The two best teams accessed the final round consisting in a buzzer challenge with open questions. As Barbara confirmed, the game was designed to challenge all the aspects of students’ preparation: “We are very proud to represent MIP. Even though the level was very high, we got the opportunity to compare our experience and our competence with other European schools. We really enjoyed the opportunity to network with them and contribute to sustain MSFâ€. This year, Imperial College Business School, the winners of the three previous editions, gave up to Alliance Manchester Business School joint winner with University of St. Gallen.
Apart from the competitive side, the FT MBA Quiz proved to be a tremendous opportunity for candidates to broaden their international network and exchange opinions about their respective business schools. “I was delighted to hear international students consider Milan one of the most attractive and dynamic cities in the world when it comes to business, lifestyle and culture…Milan and Italy are regarded as highly-valued brands!†Claudio claimed. The networking efforts continued outside the FT’s offices as students from London-based schools led other participants to sip some well-deserved beer or apple cider.
MIP’s squad enjoyed dedicated media coverage thanks to Sergio, Head of Promotion at MIP and Davide who turned the highlights of this awesome experience into a great footage.
Nothing better than Alessandro’s quote can express the spirit of this terrific adventure in the City: “The most exciting side of MIP’s MBA is to feel part of a group made by young talented people and this was what happened during the FT MBA Quiz. I loved all the hours spent together before and during the event, we had the unique opportunity to share our passions for economics and to compete against world class business schools. Being in London together with friends pushed me to give my best all the time!â€
