Yves Frissen
Here at MaastrichtMBA, we love our alumni and enjoy staying in touch. We recently spoke with alumnus Yves Frissen; we recalled his time at MaastrichtMBA’s On-Campus MBA and discussed his current life.
FAST FACTS
- Name: Yves Frissen
- Started: September 2016
- Graduated: September 2019
- Nationality: Dutch
- Company: Maastricht UMC+
- Function: Staff Advisor Imaging and Laboratories
HI YVES, WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DO AN MBA?
To expand my knowledge and to increase the general level of my degree I looked into master education programs. In the search for an interesting master I found that a specialisation excluded too many options and I discovered the I was really looking for a Master that would both expand my horizon and provide substantial depth.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE THE ON-CAMPUS TRACK AT MAASTRICHTMBA?
Looking at different MBA-programs, MaastrichtMBA stood out because of the modular approach ant the Problem Based Learning method made it both compatible with my fulltime job and interactive which suits me as a person. In addition, the emphasis on personal leadership appealed to me as it closely related challenges I was facing at the time.
HOW HAVE YOU PROFITED?
I grew as a person. I am now better able to fully understand different perspectives and engage more openly. Furthermore, MaastrichtMBA has left me with a wonderful group of people that I can now call my network and some even my friends. These people are not homogeneous in background or vision, but all share the same drive to develop themselves.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING AN MBA AT MAASTRICHTMBA?
Do it!
WHAT SHOULD APPLICANTS THINK ABOUT WHEN DECIDING TO DO AN MBA?
Rationalizing this decision too much will inevitably lead to doubt. True: nobody has time for an MBA. True: it takes dedication, hard work and a considerable investment of time. However I find that these factors all contribute to the process. Meeting like-minded people, overcoming hurdles and reaching the end are experiences I would not have missed for the world.
HOW DO EMPLOYERS BENEFIT FROM EMPLOYEES WITH AN MBA DEGREE?
The modular structure made it possibly for me to plan around big events at work (or personal life) minimising the negative impact on daily operations. Furthermore, it enabled me as a student to bring what I had learned to work directly after the first module rather than later on in the process. A week of MaastrichtMBA education is like living inside a bubble, away from day to day activity and people. This, for me, meant that I arrived a work the Monday after totally recharged, filled with new ideas and perspectives ready to go.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST ENJOYABLE PART OF MAASTRICHTMBA’S ON-CAMPUS TRACK?
As said, all educational weeks are like bubbles and I liked that a lot. The bubble that took me all the way to Cape Town South Africa probably stood out the most. Total emergence in a completely different culture and way of life enabled me to experience that different perspectives matter. Concepts that are held to be universally true in western business simply do not fly in Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town where we did projects helping local entrepreneurs.