Bis research paper number 128 The wider benefits of international higher education in the uk

partly result from some inherent cultural shyness or reticence to mix with other 
nationalities.
Case study: I86 
Indian alumnus I86’s father had worked in the UK and several family members had 
studied here, so it was not entirely surprising that after 4 years working in finance and 
accounting, he studied for an MBA in Commerce in Cardiff. He found the course very 
practical, based on real-life economic and industrial scenarios, and employment-
orientated which included what is expected in the real industrial world, with many 
industrial visits to London. 
He deliberately did not undertake any part-time work in order to focus on his “one golden 
year of study” which he knew would change his life. What he did not expect was that the 
biggest impact on him personally turned out to be the interaction with a highly diverse 
and multicultural body of students: 
“The most important thing is [..] mixing with a lot of 
people of different culture, diversity, caste, creed, and religion… You get to know about 
the culture, to know about them, and then you learn so many things from them… 
Learning their way of life was an amazing experience for me.”
His overall experience was very positive and he says he recommends UK HE to others 
all the time. 
He returned to India and got a job with a multinational management consultancy – a 
dream job with good pay compared with his peers. He has since moved to other blue-
chip companies and recognises that his UK MBA has had a great impact in terms of 
steepening his pay progression. He feels he is now a different person – very focused and 
disciplined – with changed habits and a different day-to-day life. The change in the way 
he thinks has been profound – he has a different perspective and has acquired the ability 
to think strategically. He sees this quality in others who have had a UK education. 
Most of the students on his course were international (many from Asia and the Middle 
East) and he remains in social contact with many. He loves keeping up with news from 
the UK and closely follows the cricket. 
At work some of his main clients are in the UK and he was recently assigned to a large 
UK contract due to his UK experience and especially knowledge of the UK business 
world; this led to a major acquisition of a British firm. 
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The Wider Benefits of International Higher Education in the UK