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Before Mi Mi Khaing began her MBA journey at Alliance Manchester Business School, she was a general practitioner at Lashio General Hospital in Myanmar. Khaing is passionate about technology to improve care efficiency and life expectancy. If that’s not impressive enough, she also had two start-ups in the hotel industry and successfully sold the company after a year of operation.

Wanting to combine her career in healthcare with business management, Khaing enrolled for an MBA. “I have an MBBS degree but wanted to get into the management side of health care to have a greater impact on public health,” she tells us. Below we talk to her about her experience at Alliance Manchester Business School and what it’s like to be an MBA student:

Why did you choose this course at Alliance Manchester Business School?

The MBA program at Alliance Manchester Business School is famous for its Manchester method – “Learning by Doing” – which means that we learn through practicality and real work. I am particularly drawn to this concept because it enables me to apply my learning points through consulting projects. As an MBA student, it is a great hands-on approach to work as a consultant solving real problems for companies in and outside the UK.

According to Khaing, their teachers do a very good job of facilitating lessons by encouraging students to bring in their previous experiences. Source: Mi Mi Khaing

Do you think it would have made a difference if you studied at a local institution?

Different programs offer different opportunities and learning experiences, so I would say this is definitely different. Studying at Alliance Manchester Business School opened up many career opportunities for me.

I am much more competitive in the international job market. For example, an MBA from a university in Manchester helped me get an internship at one of the top 10 UK healthcare startups during the pandemic.

Can you guide us through your professional experience as a doctor and your startups?

After completing my education in a dormitory and getting certified as a doctor, I discovered an opportunity in the hotel supply niche market. Since I’ve always wanted to start my own company, I took the chance. After a year of operation, I had built a team of six who supplied more than 50 hotels across Myanmar.

What was your most memorable class to date at Alliance Manchester Business School?

In the “Business Simulation” class we formed a team of six to simulate as a board member for a car company. During five intensive days we competed against three other teams, developed pricing strategies, marketing strategies and formed a personnel management team.

The unique thing about this course was that we faced a new problem every other day. For example, pressure from shareholders, union strikes and so on. All of this required a change in business strategies in order to adapt and transform quickly. As challenging as it was, it improved my resilience and my ability to deal with ambiguity.

How have your lecturers supported you in your studies so far?

The professor from the “Leadership and Management in a Global Environment” course is excellent. This course focuses on soft skills such as people management and leadership. Sometimes the subjects can be really abstract.

In addition to being a country with great academic resources, Britain is rich in culture as it includes people from different countries. Source: Mi Mi Khaing

However, the teacher facilitates the class very well by encouraging us to bring our past experiences out and think about what happened in the past. I also learned different problem-solving strategies and perspectives from my classmates.

What are the practical learning elements in your MBA program?

I actually apply my learning every day. The Alliance Manchester Business School’s MBA program integrates three consulting projects with lectures. This means that I have to work as a consultant for an organization during the lectures.

That way, I can use the concepts I learned from the lectures for the project I’m working on. If necessary, I can ask for support from both academic professors and MBA alumni who work in various industries.

What are your academic goals with your MBA?

Academically, I plan to gain financial and data analytics skills through this program. I can learn financial valuation and data analysis through lectures and apply these skills through consulting projects and internships in the real world. What I personally achieve more are soft skills such as leadership, team management, negotiation and, above all, a larger and stronger international network.

An international experience was essential for Khaing. Source: Mi Mi Khaing

What do you plan to do with this degree after graduation?

At the moment I have no plan to continue studying. After completing my MBA, I managed to get a full-time position at a strategy consultancy that will start shortly.

Finally, what advice do you have for international students who want to study abroad?

In addition to being a country with great academic resources, Britain is rich in culture as it includes people from different countries. Aside from first class learning, there are things to look forward to, making friends from different countries and building lifelong connections with them.

Additionally, there are many international student scholarships that can help reduce the financial burden. Do more research in your field of study, researching the schools, and reaching out to students who are currently studying at them to help them understand more. Then you can make an assessment of which university suits you best.