| As a professor of strategic management, I have had the good fortune to teach in the US, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. And, of course, I have had excellent graduate students in all these places, including here at EGP-UPBS. Yet what seems to me unique about the Magellan program is not just the quality and professionalism of the students—which is, by the way, very high—but the cohesiveness and camaraderie of the class itself. Even as an outsider, I can sense the closeness of these groups. While they push and challenge each other intellectually in class and in their group projects, at the same time, I never get the feeling it is a negative or unhealthy competition. Instead, there seems to be a deep sense of support: respect for each others’ strengths, celebration of each others’ accomplishments, and acceptance of each others’ weaknesses as opportunities for learning and development.
What is interesting is that I have observed this in different Magellan classes. This suggests some sort of systematic effect, though I could not say where it comes from. Perhaps it comes from the careful selection and orientation of new students, the small class size, or the excellent staff and administration. Or perhaps it is the great little restaurant/café in the lobby and the fact that everyone has lunch together. Whatever the source, there is definitely a feeling that one is part of the ‘Magellan family’. |
Aldónio Ferreira
| Working with the Magellan students has been an exceptional teaching and learning experience.
The stringent selection criteria ensures that only the best of the brightest students are admitted to the Programme and this translates into fantastic class experiences for students and teachers.
The group’s commitment and dynamics is typically excellent and the relatively small number of students enrolled in the Programme enables a high degree of class interaction, while still enabling a broad range of professional experiences and diversity of students. Teaching the Magellan students has been one of the most (if not the most) fulfilling and exciting teaching experiences of my career. |
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