As an alumnus of the Fudan IMBA Program, Egor Prokhin from Russia applied for the Yale Master of Advanced Management (MAM) Program and successfully got enrolled. After having graduated from Fudan, Egor returned to the classroom at Yale this September and embarked upon a new study journey.
Since 2009, Fudan MBA Program has been cooperating with top business schools around the world to provide dual-degree study opportunities for the students. Currently, the list of the partner schools includes MIT Sloan School of Management, Yale School of Management, and York University Schulich School of Business in Canada. Fudan MBA students, as well as alumni recently graduated like Egor can both benefit from these collaborations.
Was the application process complicated? Is Yale offering everything he was looking for? Let us have a look at what Egor wishes to share with us about his application experience and observations at Yale.
Why the second degree?
“I can say with confidence that my study in the Fudan IMBA Program really boosted my international career.” said Egor. After graduation from the Fudan IMBA Program, he has worked as management roles for several Fortune 500 companies in different regions, engaged in academia as a research fellow and visiting lecturer, and provided consultancy services for many Chinese and overseas companies on cross-border business development.
“Fudan MBA has largely improved my leadership skills and enhanced my global vision, which well prepared me not only for management level in the company, but also for developing my own business,”Egor expressed his gratitude for the experience. “From the diversified courses, I acquired the ability to analyze situations and provide advice for companies from various perspectives, including finance, project management, GTM strategy, international expansion, etc. One of The most valuable experience for me was iLab consulting project, which was a perfect opportunity to learn to work in an international team and to effectively delivery information to the decision makers. Besides all these, I had a unique opportunity to learn the Chinese language during my study at the Fudan IMBA program, which helps a lot when I’m working with Chinese companies and partners”.
Recently, seeing that so many enterprises are engaged in digitalization and sustainable development, Egor feels the necessity to gain more knowledge and skills in these fields so as to be better equipped for his future career development in the highly competitive environment, especially in the post-pandemic era. He decided to take advantage of the unique opportunity provided by his alma mater: to apply for the Yale MAM Program as an alumnus of the Fudan IMBA Program.
“The Yale MAM Program is a unique opportunity to go through a self-customized learning experience where I get to choose courses according to my preferences. And the most interesting thing is that I can even choose courses from other colleges, like from the law school or the school of global affairs! During the next nine months, I will be fully immersed in the learning process with top MBA graduates from all around the world,” Egor is extremely excited about the journey he has embarked upon.
How do you like your academic journey at Yale so far?
Egor felt quite overwhelmed by the many refreshing sights in and around his new campus. “Yale is located in the city of New Haven, just two hours away from the center of New York. Upon my arrival, I was immediately impressed by the atmosphere of the city as well as by the centuries-old history. There are a lot of famous places to visit, such as Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and Yale University Art Gallery. The Edward P. Evans Hall, the impressive building designed by Lord Norman Foster that serves as the home of the Yale School of Management, has all the necessary infrastructure for students and it’s really comfortable to study and hang around there with my classmates!”
Egor has acquired clear ideas on what he wants to learn here since months ago. For example, one-third of his courses will be focused on digitalization. “I’ve also decided to take an intensive programming course in which I will learn several programming languages in just one semester,” said Egor. Meanwhile, he has taken courses to enhance his skills in analyzing big data and making managerial decisions accordingly, as well as courses on global leadership and competitive strategy, so as to learn more about the strategies applied by Chinese and American companies.
“Studying at Yale has been quite intense,” Egor revealed. “We have group discussions, homework and conferences almost every day, so time management skill is essential here!”
What was the application process like? Any suggestion for future applicants?
Egor told us the application for the Yale MAM Program was very structured with clear requirements. He was required to submit his transcript, GMAT/GRE score, MBA entrance examination score, recommendation letter, application video, etc. before the deadline. Egor said the application was quite similar to his previous application for the Fudan IMBA Program, so the whole process ran quite smoothly for him. He suggests future Fudan MBA applicants to give more thought to the goal of their study in the MAM program.
