Lim Jia Qi

Experience

Tell us what your greatest academic, professional or personal awards/achievements have been.

My greatest achievements thus far have been exceeding (and even doubling!) my sales target during my internship in my first year. As I’ve always believed in working hard and challenging my own personal limits, this internship opportunity gave me a platform to continuously challenge myself. Through this experience, I became more confident and determined to work hard for my future.

Why did you decide to study your Summer School course and why specifically did you choose to study with Imperial College Business School?

I decided to study Entrepreneurship as I wanted to expose myself to the startups located in London, as well as to find out more about London’s business culture. The topics covered in the course were exactly what I was looking for. I specifically chose to study at Imperial College Business School because of its well-known and prestigious reputation; being a top 10 university in the UK made Imperial my first choice for where I wanted to study.

Programme

What makes your Summer School unique?

I would say the friends I have made! They have played an important role in shaping my entire Summer School experience. Even though we were from different backgrounds and cultures, all of them were extremely friendly and welcoming. The laughter and memories created in class will hold a very special place in my heart.

What aspects of the course did you most enjoy?

Group work! As completing a group project was part of the grading component in my course, most of the afternoon sessions were assigned to discuss our business ideas. I really enjoyed this part of the course as I was able to hear different opinions and perspectives from classmates who are from all different parts of the world. The group project also gave me the opportunity to get to know some of them better, understand their backgrounds and forge a deeper level of friendship.

What was the most challenging part of the course? 

I think the most challenging part was the high intensity of the course during the last week. We had presentations and exams on consecutive days, finalising the presentation slides and practicing our presentation.

People

Imperial places a large emphasis on group work, what inspires you the most about working in this type of environment?

Working in this type of environment enabled me to listen actively to my peers and understand the different cultures in the world. I’ve also learned how to compromise with others, as well as to be culturally sensitive when working with people from different backgrounds. Most importantly, working in a group towards a common goal reminds you that you are not alone in your academic journey!

How would you describe your Summer School class?

Friendly, welcoming and fun! Everyone was very open to making friends and even forging long-lasting relationships. All in all, I really enjoyed my Summer School experience with my class.

What parts of the social programme did you most enjoy?

The boat party was the most enjoyable. Cruising along the River Thames was one of the most amazing nights I’ve had in London. Furthermore, the chill and fun environment also made it super easy to interact and make new friends with people from different courses on the Summer School programme.

Opportunities

What has been the greatest opportunity during your summer at Imperial that you don’t think you would get anywhere else?

The greatest opportunity was the overall experience - including the friends I have made from different cultural backgrounds and professionalism the curriculum was taught by my lecturer. This is a unique experience that I received at Imperial that I would not get to experience it elsewhere.

What are your future career goals and how do you think your time at Imperial will help/has helped?

As I’m not sure of where I want my career path to take me, the time I spent at Imperial encouraged me to think about entrepreneurship. Having studied on the Entrepreneurship course, I learned the basics involved in starting up your own enterprise and the important things to look out for when doing so.

Group projects also serve as hands-on experience of how to design a business, which increased my confidence in being an entrepreneur.

Location

Whereabouts did you stay in London and why did you choose to stay there?

I stayed in one of the rooms at Prince’s Gardens. I chose to stay there because it is super convenient when going to (especially for morning classes) the Business School.

What can a weekend in London look like for a Summer School student?

Usually, there will be plenty of events on that Imperial has kindly organised for Summer School students to sign up for. My friends and I would usually spend the weekends going out for meals together at famous London restaurants or going shopping on Oxford Street.

Tips

What advice would you give someone who was thinking about applying for the Summer School?

Although coming to London alone for Summer School might seem daunting at first, I promise you that you will not regret your time at Imperial! Furthermore, learning about entrepreneurship and working together with friends from different cultural backgrounds has indeed broadened my horizons.

Share with us a handy hint or trick that made settling into Summer School that much easier! 

Always smile and take the initiative to start conversations with others! Also, be open-minded when making friends from around the globe and be culturally sensitive.