South Africa-born Sarah, 27, graduated with a Bachelors in Finance and Accounting from the University of Cape Town in 2007 and immediately joined KPMG as an accountant. She quickly moved up the ranks in the company and during her time there became qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
Before starting at Bath, Sarah was a Senior Associate working in the auditing practice of the firm and was based in New York City. When she was offered the opportunity to work in New York through a company transfer and she jumped at it! “Living in New York City had been a dream of mine. It was an offer I couldn’t say no to”, she says.
However, the distance from home and limited opportunities to explore business areas outside auditing had Sarah looking more closely at the idea of an MBA, especially in the UK. UK Schools were particularly attractive to Sarah because of the wealth of opportunities for career growth.
“I really wanted to work in the UK because it offers brilliant exposure that I can take back to South Africa. The opportunities in the UK are international as you can easily apply the skills you gain in other parts of the world. I was a bit scared about trying to build a career in the UK because of the tight work visa restrictions but it was a risk worth taking”, she says.
She continues, “I loved working in the US but the business hours were hectic and I didn’t get the opportunities to move away from auditing while keeping my finance and accounting background. America just wasn’t offering me the opportunity to be that flexible.”
Sarah got the idea of doing an MBA from one of KPMG’s clients, a CEO of a big company who was also an MBA. "He said the MBA was the best career decision he had ever made", says Sarah.
For her, coming into the UK as a student has been the best ways of getting to know the country. “I have access to the alumni and lecturers who have been helpful. One of my professors put me in touch with various private equity firms”, she says.
Some of the business schools Sarah considered include Cambridge, Oxford and Warwick but Bath won because of its location, faculty and value for money. “I couldn’t have asked for a nicer city to be in for an MBA. Its big enough for fun but also intimate enough to get to know”, she says.
Apart from the flaky weather, Sarah has loved living and studying in the UK. She enjoys being able to reach her family easily over the phone unlike having to work around the large time differences in the US. She can also catch a relatively inexpensive flight if she needs to go home for any reason, and she's even found a local shop stocking South African products!
The Bath MBA has helped Sarah fulfill her hopes at the start of the MBA. When we caught up with her she was taking a break in South Africa spending time with her family. She’s back to the UK on Saturday and she’s looking forward to writing a 20,000 to 30,000-word thesis on new pricing models within the legal industries.
Outside of her studies, Sarah likes to go running. She was also part of the team of students who helped Bath with the redesign of their website, contributing new ways to ensure that it appeals to international students.
The icing on the cake for Sarah is that she's landed a job in private equity. She recently accepted a job offer with a small private equity firm in Bristol but is currently waiting for her work authorization papers before the contract can be finalized.
Video with Sarah recently publsihed on the Bath MBA YouTube Channel:
{{video:embed url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp8VZfqMFOo" width="446"}}
Read more about the reasons people head to business school in the Why MBA section
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