Sona Rostomyan
Sona Rostomyan is a an ESMT MBA graduate who was nominated as one of the 2012 Kofi Annan Fellows. Prior to joining ESMT as an MBA student, she started her career at one of the most rapidly growing banks in Armenia (Ameriabank CJSC) working first in the customer service department and then in the back office. She has more than 4 years experience in the banking industry (including customer transactions formalization, and account management). She enjoys solving mathematical puzzles, reading books and has a passion for photography.
Busy Last Months of the ESMT MBA Program
The ESMT MBA program is a one year MBA program starting in January and ending in December. The last three months of the program were special because in those months we had an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout the year to the real life projects and challenges. The highlights of those months were the development of a business plan, conducting a consulting project and writing a Master’s thesis.
Innovation is a Must
Innovation… Disruptive innovation… these are words that nowadays no organization can afford to ignore. We live in a world, where technology is changing rapidly, new and more advanced products and services are developed continuously. In module 4, we (MBA students of ESMT) we were given an opportunity to choose between technology track and sustainability track. Having chosen mostly technology related courses, I had a chance to participate in courses like “Technology strategy and product creation”, “Bringing technology to market” and “Managing technological innovation”.
My Reflections on the ESMT International Field Seminar in California
ESMT's MBA program is rich with all kinds of different activities that aim to foster learning and enhance experience. IFS (International Field Seminar) is one of the important and unique experiences I had during my MBA program at ESMT. Just a week ago I came back from California, where I and my classmates spent 10 days visiting 11 different companies in the heart of Silicon Valley and San Francisco. One may wonder what IFS is and what is so special about it.
Should You Do an MBA? Are You Ready To Stretch Yourself?
If you ask me “Should I do an MBA?”, I will reply with a question “Are you ready to stretch yourself?”.
Entering the second half of the ESMT MBA program
Already half a year has passed since the start of the MBA program at ESMT, and after a three-week summer vacation we are back to our studies. We used the vacation to relax and recover from the intensive program, but also to reflect on what we learnt so far and to plan our future career. Some students from our class used this opportunity to do internships in different companies and some other students did their first steps for establishing their own businesses.
Intopia Business Simulation – one of the highlights of the MBA program at ESMT
The last ten days were too busy. Something very interesting was happening at ESMT: the Intopia business simulation. 40 students were divided into ten groups, and each group had to form and run a company in the Intopia world. Each group received the same initial amount of funding and was free to choose the markets and the areas of the value chain for positioning its company. Each company was free to build its strategy, and the goal was to have a successful company in the long-term with the highest retained earnings.
Diversity: MBA Programs and Beyond
Why diversity matters
Why do many big organizations strive to have a greater diversity in the workplace? Why do many top business schools position themselves as being internationally diverse? Is this just a trend or a growing movement?
What Do MBAs Do? Part 2: Other MBA Activities
Continuing the theme about what MBA students do, I would like to say that besides case studies and business simulations, we engage also in other activities which help to develop our knowledge and skills. Here are some examples:
What Do MBAs Do? Part 1: Knowledge and Skills Development
Many people wonder what MBA students do. As an MBA student at ESMT, I will try to answer this question. More generally, I can say that we - MBAs:
- gain and develop our knowledge and skills
- network
- prepare for future challenges after graduation
- and, of course, also have fun.
How do we do all these things? Let me explain in more detail.
ESMT Kofi Annan Fellow Sona Rostomyan on IELTS for MBA Admissions
My IELTS Experience
If you want to have a quality international education, one of the most important things to consider is the language of your future study program. IELTS and TOEFL are known worldwide for being measures of the English language skills, and many universities use those test results as one of the basic criteria for admission into an MBA program.
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