Pia, MIM, Imperial College London, Jul 2020, Student of the Month

Meet Pia! With four years of extensive global leadership experience across law, business, and finance, Pia worked as a corporate lawyer when she pursued her master's and got accepted to the Imperial College London School. With widely complete experience in many fields, it has equipped her with a specialized skillset spanning the following areas: legal services, asset management, and corporate finance. She has also done a few courses, such as financial markets (Yale University), introduction to corporate finance (Columbia University), and rethinking international tax law (Leiden University). She did her high school diploma at Comunidad Educativa Lux Mundi and then completed her Bachelor of Law from Universidad Iberoamericana. Apart from her studies, she worked as a corporate paralegal in the corporate department (Russin, Vecchi & Heredia Bonetti · part-time) and later as an associate lawyer in the corporate and litigation department(full-time). So, how was her journey? What challenges did she face? How did she manage? We had a quick chat with her recently wherein we talked and discussed her admission and preparation. Let's learn about her journey below!

Could you please introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Pia Hernandez, and I am a lawyer. I decided to do a master’s in management (MIM) because I wanted to change my career and be a part of the business world, to start my own business one day. A MIM is a perfect opportunity to develop business skills and knowledge to pursue my dreams. I decided on Imperial because firstly, I like London, it is a fantastic place with a lot of cultures, a lot of things to do and one of the best universities in the world and for what I'm looking for, it will help a lot. It has an outstanding faculty that will help me give the best of myself. For these reasons, I decided to pursue a MIM program from Imperial College, London. 

Did you decide to do any other course except a MIM? Did you think about MBA?

Yes. I also decided on a master’s in finance which is an MBA. However, the problem with an MBA is that I didn't meet the years of experience because people need to have five years of work experience. Since I am a recent college graduate, I fit more in the MIM profile than an MBA. Since I want to run a business and need a general idea of how to do and manage a business, I chose a MIM instead of a master’s in finance, which focuses only on finance.

Is there any particular expectation that you have from the MIM at Imperial college?

Well, yes. The expectation from this course is to help me find the area to that I would like to dedicate myself. I don't know yet whether it is finance, strategy, or marketing, so I want to find the area I enjoy the most through the course.

Did you want to apply just in Europe, or did you consider schools in the US as well?

Yes. I also considered the US, but I thought that Imperial was a better option because of its reputation, the program's schedule, and curriculum, which I liked more.

Is there a particular piece of advice you would like to give?

Firstly, I think you need to choose a place you like as you will be spending a whole year or two there. Secondly, the curriculum is really important. It may be the school of your dream, but the curriculum may not suit you or your goals. Also, I'd advise prospective students to research the school for which they are applying. How is the alumni life there? What are the outcomes of doing that masters? Employment after the masters? Because these things are crucial? 

What timeline do you think one should consider when applying for a masters?

A year including the GMAT, the application process, and so forth, because someone like me, who doesn't have a business background, would find it harder to prepare and needs more time. It depends on your background, but I recommend that a year or more before you start to apply. 

Just be yourself and don't try to be like someone you are not because you need to demonstrate who you are, in the end. Explore as many options as you can because what is going to be for you will be for you! 

It was so good for The MBA Center team to be a part of her journey. Like her, you can also make your dream come true to illuminate your professional life ahead. Get in touch with us, believe in yourself, and get accepted to a top-tier university!

Pia Hernandez - Imperial College, MIM '2022