EU alumna Lubna Arab lives and works in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Lubna studied her MBA with a major in HR at EU’s online campus. She works as an HR specialist at Al-Futtaim, a progressive business group operating in the automotive, financial services, real estate and retail sectors. Headquartered in Dubai, Al-Futtaim employs over 42,000 people and operates in 29 countries through more than 200 companies.
We asked Lubna to tell us about her experience at EU.
Why did you choose to study at EU’s online campus?
I liked the programs offered at EU Business School. Studying online gave me the flexibility I was seeking in a learning experience.
What’s the biggest advantage for you of studying online?
We live a really busy life nowadays. Choosing to study online meant I could keep my career while taking my MBA at the same time. Online study is helpful for business professionals who do not want to quit their career, as well as for global students to access the education they are looking for.
Can you tell us about your favorite aspect of studying online with EU?
Well, I wanted to study business and HR from a global perspective. Having colleagues from many different countries around the globe was very interesting. From my international peers I learnt where you can have an impact on businesses in other countries and how human resources practices and rules change in different places and situations.
Also, there was diversity in students not only country-wise but career-wise too which meant we could exchange different and helpful thoughts and have engaging discussions. Sharing their career experience was very valuable.
What tips can you share about maintaining a good work-life balance when studying at home?
Time management is the key to success. I used to have a schedule of my webinars and I created weekly reminders so I wouldn’t forget a webinar when I had a busy day. Meeting deadlines also releases a lot of stress. If students manage their time well and stick to the deadlines, I believe they can still have nice weekends to enjoy and socialize.
What tips can you share about making the most of the benefits of studying online?
Studying online can be challenging. However, EU provided us with everything we needed regarding recorded webinars, class discussions, and online libraries. These tools can make studying so fun especially as you have access to a lot of information which could help you in your research or in your career.
Many on-campus students have recently had to transition to online working. We reached out to students and alumni from our Online Campus, who are online study experts, for tips and advice they could offer anyone new to the experience. They were delighted to share helpful suggestions from their own experiences about how to enjoy and make the most of studying remotely. For more suggestions from the EU community read how Maricel keeps motivated and find more stories on our blog.
