In our ‘10 Questions’ series, KBS caught up with Olcay Kılınçcı, an MSc International Business and Management graduate.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Olcay Kılınçcı from Turkey. I graduated from the International Business and Management Master’s Degree at Kent Business School in November 2018.
What attracted you to studying at Kent Business School and why?
I chose Kent Business School due to its worldwide reputation and the opportunities it could offer me. Kent Business School enabled me to receive a fantastic education from qualified tutors in a contemporary building.
Why did you decide to do a master’s degree?
I decided to study a master’s degree to have a fantastic career in my business life. The reason why I wanted to study the master’s degree was that I aimed to develop my entrepreneurship and management skills through world-class business education. Therefore, I chose Kent Business School to understand the international business environment, the needs range of sectors and have a broader perspective for Management.
What were the highlights of your course?
Since I studied MSc International Business Management, the course was highlighted management and entrepreneurship modules such as Strategy, Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, Corporate Responsibility and Globalisation. Our course also supplied us with the flexibility to develop in the areas that we want to use these skills in business life in the future. Thanks to these flexibilities, I chose my optional modules from Marketing such as Integrated Marketing Communications and Digital Marketing related management areas in the businesses. The innovative and excellent tutors enabled us to know learn about the global business environment and the latest technologies for the businesses.
What was the support for postgraduates like at Kent Business School?
Kent Business School has a great personalised support system to all postgraduates with well-designed infrastructure. All students developed their management and personal development skills thanks to tutorials, seminars, conferences and events organised by KBS. Postgraduates were encouraged to get some creative ideas to turn them have real businesses as an entrepreneur. ASPIRE located in KBS also supported postgraduates to become successful entrepreneurs with qualified mentors and investors.
How did studying at Kent Business School equip you with the skills you needed for the world of work?
KBS equipped me with management and entrepreneurship skills mostly. Moreover, I gained the knowledge about management of resources and operations, communication and information technologies in business life. In addition, I learned how to use these skills in a global business environment using innovation, creativity, sustainability and globalisation knowledge that I learned from the lecturers and mentors in KBS. The lecturers and all staff working at KBS provided us with information on how to publish high-quality research and articles.
Tell us about your business
When I was studying at the University of Kent (UoK), I represented the University in different areas on international platforms such as being a member of the KBS hackathon team in Eyefortravel 2018 London, Europe’s biggest meeting for commercial, digital and data decision-makers in the travel industry. Moreover, I represented the University in the USA with the best business idea selected by the Innovation Centre at the UoK, Codable. Codable was a recruitment site designed to help students, graduates and professionals find their ideal job within the IT sector. I represented the University in the Global Entrepreneur Challenge Competition – Virginia, USA. Thanks to these representations I was appointed to represent the UoK in Turkey, for which I needed to establish a consulting company in Turkey. After getting training from all schools at the UoK, I established a consulting company called, Myeducoach Study Abroad Company. As an agent, we are representing many Institutions all over the world with the many support of the University of Kent.
Myeducoach Study Abroad offers professional consultancy and guidance to Turkish students through every single step of their education abroad. The company provides its services in Izmir/TURKEY. We are the official representative of British Universities and many language schools. With the experienced counsellors, students can open the doors to studying in foreign countries. Myeducoach is looking to send Turkish students to Universities and language schools in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malta, Ireland and other European countries.
The programmes we offer range from academic programmes such as
- Foundation
- Undergraduate
- Postgraduate
- Doctorate
General English Programmes such as
- General English Courses
- Exam Preparation
- Certificate Programmes
- Summer Camps
- tailored programmes for the students.
Our company mission is to support students in their studies abroad by leading professional guidance and developing Turkey’s foreign relations in the education sector by increasing individual awareness of students.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
We should discover the opportunities around us and use our skills to benefit from these opportunities at the right time.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
I would say the biggest achievements in my career would be creating Myeducoach Study Abroad Company. To work with international and high-ranked institutions is the most important development and a great achievement in my life so far. Thanks to my time at the UoK I can use my management and entrepreneurship skills in my company. Therefore, my biggest educational achievement would be using all the skills gained through University to manage the company as an entrepreneur.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I see myself as being one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Turkey. I believe that as a company, we will be able to send many students to high-ranked institutions all over the world. In these five years, I aim to supply the best quality service in study abroad sector in Turkey.
If you would like to be featured in our ‘10 Questions’ series, please get in touch with a member of the Marketing team kbsmarketing@kent.ac.uk