The Hult MBA graduate was given access to multiple global markets through the program’s campus rotation scheme, as well as an MBA cohort made up of students from over 60 countries, she says. International exposure: check.
Hult’s campus rotation program gives students the opportunity to study in up to three global markets throughout their degree, which means students don't just learn about global business—they truly live it. Natasza had the choice of completing the first three modules of her MBA at any of the school’s home campuses—Boston, San Francisco, London, or Dubai. She chose to begin her studies in London.
Then, Natasza swapped London for Shanghai, one of Hult’s rotation centers—she could also have picked New York, or any of the other home campuses!
While on the campus rotation program, students can rest easy, knowing they will still be immersed in the Hult International Business School environment wherever they go. The stress of adapting to a new school is removed, and students can focus their attention on a cultural immersion that is vital in today’s world of interconnectivity.
“Roles that have international exposure require people who are very flexible and mobile, and who are able to fly to other countries,” Natasza continues. The modern professional also needs a mind-set whereby they can arrive in new surroundings and head straight to business meetings unfazed. Hult’s campus rotation program, Natasza explains, teaches you how to travel and work across cultures.
Natasza currently works for Indian company Infosys, and she says exposure to multiple markets is helping her excel in her role. “One of the main things I’d definitely suggest is to have that exposure,” she adds.
To be willing to put yourself out there, and travel seamlessly, made a real difference when Natasza joined Infosys—when she first joined the company she went on a two-month trip to India. She explains that those who hadn’t been exposed to international travel before struggled to adapt.
“Most of these people wanted to sit in the hotel and not go outside,” she recalls, “but I wanted to experience everything that India brings.”
Hult International Business School’s campus rotation program is also available to Master’s students. Like Natasza, Masters in International Business graduate Vanessa Rosenthal also chose London as her home campus—she picked Boston and San Francisco for her rotation.
With an entrepreneurial background—Vanessa worked for a startup in Germany before she enrolled at Hult—the appeal of Boston’s specialization in robotics and biotech, and San Francisco’s revered status as a startup hegemon was huge.
However, she says it was the networking opportunities on offer from exposure to multiple markets that really stood out. “I was in classes with Chinese, Indians, Scandinavians, and Germans—each campus had its own culture.”
In fact, in February, Vanessa visited a friend from Hult who runs four businesses in the Philippines. Together, they co-founded Gakus, a social startup that aims to tackle in-work poverty in rural areas of the Philippines. “I never thought about this before but because of the friends I found at Hult I have another perspective of the world,” she says.
Students also draw on the experience of the international faculty who teach across Hult’s six global campuses—professor of innovation and entrepreneurship, Mike Grandinetti, for example.
After making a connection on Mike’s disruptive innovation course in San Francisco, Vanessa was invited to an innovation workshop in Milan, with Italian multinational Pirelli.
In Boston, professor of marketing, Stephen Hurley, invited his connections from Schneider in to work with Vanessa and her classmates. “We worked with their product managers directly,” she says, “it was insane!” Vanessa adds that representatives from Spotify, Unilever, PwC, and Airbnb also visited campus.
Professor of leadership, Elizabeth Moore, rounded off Vanessa's international experience in London. She taught students how to work across borders, and how to manage and lead teams made up of people from a whole wealth of backgrounds.
All of this, Vanessa explains, encourages students to keep coming back to Hult International Business School for summer electives— graduates can return to any of Hult’s global campuses to take a free elective course.
“Once you have your degree,” Vanessa says, “every year you can join a summer elective. It’s part of lifelong learning at Hult.”
Now, she’s back in London in July to take a course on social innovation—Dubai and Shanghai, she notes, are next on her list.
