For the second-year running, two Ashesi students were selected to join the Yale School of Management’s Pre-MBA Programme. The students, Sela Agbakpe ‘15 and Benedicta Amo Bempah ’16, spent two weeks learning business and leadership skills and being introduced to the benefits of an MBA degree.
Below, Sela and Benedicta write about their experience, and their key learnings. Learn about the Yale SOM Pre-MBA programme here.
Sela writes: When I realized I needed hands on business training and skills to scale up my non-profit organization, Adesua Ye, establish a second business venture and also pursue a global career, I knew the Yale School of Management’s Global Pre-MBA program was the perfect fit for me. Yale SOM's mission as a school and its concentration on non-profits, fits my career path remarkably well.
The Global Pre-MBA Program is a highly selective program consisting of some of the most diverse and smartest young people around the world. Benedicta and I were 2 of 59 professionals selected from 24 countries worldwide ( with a 5% acceptance rate). Goldman Sachs sponsored this year’s program.
It was a remarkable experience that made realise just how much more my classmates and I could achieve here in Ghana and Africa. My experience has also helped me better understand the relevance of an MBA for my career, and life, and my intention to engage the world through business and enterprise.
During the two-week program at Yale SOM in New Haven, I took compressed versions of MBA courses, including Sourcing and Managing Funds and Operations Management, and attended networking, leadership development, and test preparation sessions. I applied lessons learnt from the classroom during the Audubon Street Project, an exercise in which teams of students developed a hypothetical business plan for an enterprise that would have a positive social impact, based on a storefront near campus.
The Pre-MBA program has given me confidence and tools to strategically look back at my achievements and work towards achieving my future goals. Having international exposure and perspective really helps you compete on a global level. If I had to give my fellow students one piece of advice, it would be: visit the Office of Diversity and International Programmes, and make the best of all the opportunities it provides!
Benedicta writes: The students we met at Yale were just beyond imagination. It was a group full of diversity, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and many others. We were sure to emphasise a freethinking environment, explaining to each other: “we all don’t know what we are up to and we are here to get understanding.” Every single input was respected and enhanced with the vast number of MBA courses that were introduced to us.
We established great networks and highly regarded each other. There were sessions where we all shared our experiences, rigorously questioned the Yale MBA system and actively interacted with the distinguished lecturers.
The integrated curriculum of the Pre-MBA program was also remarkable. The courses, lecture styles and professors taught us about management, and the different ways students could run businesses. The real life case competition we worked on was intense, as we had to integrate two weeks worth of learning to pitch the perfect proposal.
Our case presentation won the first place by “people’s choice”, but the judges awarded us second place based on creativity, presentation, content, style and appeal to audience!
On my birthday, the pre-MBA students surprised me by organising a dinner and karaoke night and the event was well attended. It was phenomenal. I am constantly in touch with my new friends and we update each other on new opportunities everyday.
I learnt a lot from the Yale Pre-MBA and I encourage each and every student to take up this opportunity. A big “thank you” to Ashesi and all others who specifically manage such programs; it was just incredible!