Aspiring MBA students from 22 different countries are on IESE’s Barcelona campus this week for the Next Steps Seminar, July 7-11. Led by IESE professors, the seminar forms part of IESE’s Young Talent Program (YTP), which gives students the chance to secure pre-admission to IESE’s MBA program, after working two years in a relevant field.
For the first time this year, the seminar included participants from the school’s Summer School program – bringing two talented groups together to form a pool of 72 students from almost two dozen countries.
A friend prompted Alberto Mantiñan to apply for the Young Talent Program, which he wasn´t aware existed, he said.
"I have kind of always known that I wanted to get my MBA here and I knew that at some point in my career I would apply to the program," said Mantiñan of Spain, who is currently working in New York.
"The YTP sounded great to me because it gives me certainty – I can focus on my career knowing that I will have a spot on the program," he said.
Case method sparks deeper learning
The case method has been an eye-opening experience, the participants said, requiring them to exercise their listening and communication skills, while being respectful of the opinions of people who reflect diverse nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
"If you do an MBA, it is to eventually advance your careerin order to be a manager and prepare for that position. And what you will be doing in that role is making decisions. So it (the case method) gives you good practice and you can see all the complexities that exist," said Next Steps participant Jean-Paul Destarac, who has dual Guatemalan-US nationality and attended Southern Methodist University in the US.
"You’re always actively thinking, so you remember what you learn much better than if you are just listening to a professor," said IESE Summer School participant Marc de la Barrera Bardalet of Spain, who is currently studying for a degree in Civil and Industrial Engineering at the same time.
IESE’s faculty and classroom experience stand out
Vanessa Camacho of New York City, who is Colombian-American and a Summer School participant, noted the high caliber of the IESE faculty members leading the seminar.
"The résumés of these teachers are just absolutely inspiring and so striking," she said. "They are highly qualified and have all gone to institutions like Stanford and Harvard."
The unique classroom atmosphere, which combines academic rigor with collaborative participation, has been a highlight of the experience, said Summer School participant Inegbenoise Okoigun, who is from Nigeria but lives in London.
"The feeling you get when everyone’s seated is that it’s taken very seriously, but at the same time you feel like you can express yourself," he said.