Antigonos Theodorakis, MSc International Shipping and Finance student discusses why he decided to study his Masters at the ICMA Centre, part of Henley Business School.
Why did you choose to study your Masters at the ICMA Centre?
First and foremost, the ICMA Centre has been ranked amongst UK’s top 10 Master Programmes (FT Masters in Finance ranking 2018). It combines the most important pillars for those who want to receive quality education and take their knowledge and skills a step further. Each separate course delivers accurate and up-to-date information to its students through a diverse faculty along with experienced professionals who are able to demonstrate to students how the actual industry looks like.
In addition, the Centre itself is equipped with dealing rooms providing Financial trading and Analysis software of the latest technology. Any individual can practice real time trading techniques and improve his/ her skills before engaging with the actual market. Moreover, the Centre has a solid, well-formed team of Career professionals. Their step by step guidance through the whole process of finding what suits you the best, to going out there and getting it, is unique!
Another important factor is that the ICMA Centre is located in the beautiful Whiteknights Campus in the town of Reading, only 30 minutes away from central London. Finally, the very successful Alumni community is of great importance. Networking plays a very important role in our professional as well as in our personal lives.
What has your experience been like settling in?
The transition from Greece to UK and in to the programme was really smooth! Everyone was friendly and at the same time demonstrated a professional approach. Programme Directors, lecturers, PhD students and every other person within the ICMA Centre is affable and willing to help. They all try their best being reachable and helpful in order for you to start adjusting to the new environment. Each process, from enrollment till module selection, was simple and straightforward. We found ourselves organized and ready to begin with the programme while we still had plenty of time to socialize and get to know each other.
The MSc International Shipping and Finance really does exceeds my expectations! We have already started to form a clear view of the Shipping industry and in addition, we have people visiting every week! All of them are top industry practitioners who share their insights with us while answering to a variety of questions. The best is yet to come though! We are going to be visiting top tier companies and organisations as a team. Finally there is a scheduled trip to Athens- Greece, where we will stay for 20 days and study side by side with MSc students from ALBA Graduate Business School. The networking opportunities are vast and I am very keen on meeting more people with the same interests and aspirations as mine.
Top tips for a student looking to study abroad?
“Forget everything and just do it!” It has so much to offer! New places, new people, new experiences, new hardships and achievements. All of the above will form an international personality! This, I believe, is what you need in order to make the next step and succeed.
Find out more about the Master’s in International Shipping and Finance programme here.