The Dragon's Glen Experience

9 June 2016

I joined the Dragon’s Glen competition by Children 1st Charity because I wanted my master’s experience abroad to go beyond the classroom walls. I wanted to meet students from other programmes, to develop my entrepreneurial and interpersonal skills, and to be able to have a real-life and practical application of what I learned in my courses. The Dragon’s Glen experience did not disappoint me. To those who will be studying in the university next academic year, I encourage you to sign up for the competition if you’re willing to balance academics with extra-curricular activities just to have a more fulfilling experience abroad. In this post, I aim to help you make a decision on whether to join the competition or not by providing some pros and cons based on my experience.

Cons

Balancing Academia with the Competition

The first and most obvious con is that you need to balance academics with the competition. Taking a master’s degree is very intensive and demanding (and they were not exaggerating that during Fresher’s week. When your professors say it’s gonna be tough, believe them.) Before signing up, make sure you are willing to commit and devote a good amount of time while doing a lot of readings and essays for your courses. The competition lasts from September until March, which is also the last month of lectures.

Arguments

There will be arguments because of cultural differences and different perspectives. I presume you already know this but I just want to remind you that you need to be patient and open-minded.

Busy Weekends

Some weekends will be dedicated to events and activities for the competition and you need to be ready to miss some of your personal events with friends. Or at least be ready to plan your weekends (even weekdays) around the competition.

Being Uncomfortable

You’ll be doing things you don’t want to do or are uncomfortable with. To some people who love challenging themselves, this is not considered a con. However, you’ll be surprised that others may not see it the way you do due to cultural differences. In my experience, we still ended up doing them anyway even if it required a harsh push from one of our team members. So, be ready to be a sport and go out of your comfort zone.

Pros

Improve Your Skills

You will holistically improve your soft and technical skills. The most important skills I feel I was able to improve on are my entrepreneurial, interpersonal, problem solving and leadership skills. To be honest, these are skills you won’t really be able to develop when doing group coursework because they’re in the academic context. On the other hand, the competition is more real-life and practical.

Cultural Experiences

You will meet people from different cultural backgrounds and you will learn a lot from them. Although there were misunderstandings due to cultural differences, it still was worth going through the quarrels because I’ve personally learned a lot from my team mates. The experience of working in a diverse team is very valuable to employers as this shows that you can be more open-minded, flexible, patient and understanding. It was really a challenge to align everybody’s expectations and goals without offending each other. This experience has taught me to communicate effectively and to make compromises when needed.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

This is a good opportunity to go out of your comfort zone, to challenge yourself, and to practice what you learn in class. What makes this opportunity different from coursework projects is the fact that you’re on your own in paving your direction. With courseworks, it feels like it is a job to do in order to comply with the university and graduate with a master’s degree. But with Dragon’s Glen, there’s no pressure to comply with rules or standards. You can do anything as long as you’re able to raise funds. It’s up to you and your team mates to pressure and motivate yourself and each other in achieving the team’s goals.

New People

You will meet people outside of your programme. I’m not just talking about my team mates. This includes organisations and people whom you decide to contact and have partnerships with. It was interesting to learn about other courses and organisations and what they do instead of just always talking about Marketing with my classmates. I believe it opened my mind and eyes to the other realities of life. Moreover, special mention to Rona and Neil of the Student Development Team– the coolest and nicest people you need to meet — who have been a big part of our Dragon’s Glen experience (and my professional development). Because of the people I met, I can say that my experience abroad has been more fulfilling.

Interview Examples

You will have a practical experience that you can confidently talk about during job interviews.

Something Worthy

There will be something worthy to look forward to everyday or every week other than your studies. This one is obvious but you will learn to appreciate this in the early days of the academic year. Settling down in Edinburgh, adjusting to the UK academic system, and finding friends whom you can hang out with can be very overwhelming and exhausting at the beginning. However, I found comfort in knowing that I had something to look forward to and be busy with because of Dragon’s Glen. I had an instant group of potential friends, an excuse to be busy (when there was no one stable enough yet that I can drag along with me), and a limitless venue to practice my entrepreneurial and marketing skills. I was inspired to do my best not just in academics but also in the competition because of the many opportunities it offered.

Charity Work

Most importantly, you contribute to a good cause! All the funds you will raise will go to Children 1st Charity. Whether you’re truly passionate about advocacies or not, you can give yourself a pat on the back for making a good contribution to society. You can proudly tell yourself, “It turns out that this year has been a fulfilling and productive year. I’ve not only earned myself a master’s degree but I’ve also devoted time and energy for a good cause!”

If I could go back in time to Fresher’s Week and re-encounter Rona and Neil with the sign-up sheets, I would definitely do it again. I hope this post will inspire you to take part of the opportunity to improve one’s skills and contribute to society. My year in Edinburgh has been intense and demanding but I do not regret anything. The experience has contributed a lot in making me the better person I am today. It was worth it!

Karen Vera is a MSc Marketing and Business Analysis student who recently participated in the Dragon's Glen experience at the University of Edinburgh Business School.