{"id":2463,"date":"2016-04-25T21:12:23","date_gmt":"2016-04-25T21:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/?p=2463"},"modified":"2016-04-26T15:01:26","modified_gmt":"2016-04-26T15:01:26","slug":"going-abroad-willy-barnet-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/2016\/04\/going-abroad-willy-barnet-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Going abroad: Willy Barnett in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"goingabroad\"<\/p>\n

Linda Nasr<\/strong> interviewed for our series “Going abroad”\u00a0Willy Barnett<\/strong>, a young US researcher who\u00a0pursues\u00a0an PhD in the United Kingdom.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Linda: Tell us about yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n

Willy:<\/em> I am a 4th year PhD student in Marketing at Alliance Manchester Business School (Alliance MBS), University of Manchester, UK. I am from Atlanta, Georgia, USA and hold a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Georgia State University.\u00a0 In my professional career, I have most of my working experience in higher education, working as a student diversity staff member at Georgia Tech.\u00a0 I have also worked in several customer service related positions in the industries of telecommunications, healthcare, and airline transportation.<\/p>\n

My research interests lie at the intersections service marketing, technology, and design. I am particularly interested in studying the transformative outcomes that result from service delivery, as well as, the design and use of technology interfaces within service contexts.\u00a0 My proposed research involves examining how older adults create value through interactions with socially assistive robots.\u00a0 My favorite hobbies are traveling, photography, and running.<\/p>\n

The long and winding journey to Manchester started in 2009 with a trip that would ultimately change my life.\u00a0 Toward the end of my MBA program at Georgia State, I had the opportunity to participate in a 2-week study abroad course in South America.\u00a0 As with so many of my friends, and even more Americans in general, I was a \u2018late bloomer\u2019 when it came to international travel.\u00a0 I obtained my first passport only 3 years earlier after my 30th birthday, and even then I had only used it once two years prior.\u00a0 The purpose of the trip was to study Argentinean and Brazilian business practices and culture.\u00a0 It was the most amazing trip I had ever taken!\u00a0 However, because of the duration, I felt I only received a tiny glimpse of life outside of the US.\u00a0 This led my curiosity to become an obsession overnight, and upon returning home, I made it my mission to see more of the world, but this time for much longer than two weeks.<\/p>\n

Upon completing the MBA program, my strategy was to target job opportunities that had some form of international travel.\u00a0 After several attempts, I finally received an offer from an international pharmaceutical marketing research firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.\u00a0 The job was a major sacrifice in terms of pay and weather, but it allowed me to visit many parts of Europe and even China.\u00a0 However, there was no passion for pharmaceutical research, and although I was able to travel, I spent most of my trips working.\u00a0 So once again, I went on a mission for a better opportunity.\u00a0 After realizing that I really liked the research aspect of my job, along with the fun I had working in higher education, I made the decision to pursue a PhD with the goal of one day becoming a professor.\u00a0 I applied to programs both in the US and abroad, with, of course, the hopes of being accepted to the latter.\u00a0 Ultimately, I ended up being accepted to three universities in the UK with funding offers from two of them.\u00a0 I accepted the offer from the University of Manchester because I was familiar with the city through my job (it was the location of the corporate HQ) and the business school had a great reputation.<\/p>\n

Linda: <\/strong><\/em>Was it difficult to apply to a UK university?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Willy:<\/em> From the very beginning of considering Alliance MBS, I noticed a huge difference in application process.\u00a0 Whereas all of the American schools I considered required an application consisting of a GMAT score, Recommendations, Statement of Purpose, and CV, Alliance MBS (and many UK universities) required a 3500 word research proposal, CV, and recommendations.\u00a0 The GMAT was optional.\u00a0 The research proposal presented an obstacle for me as I had no idea what it was!\u00a0 I had to enlist help from a good friend who attended a UK University to guide me.\u00a0 The proposal was so difficult and time consuming that I ultimately quit my job in order to complete it.\u00a0 Of course this did not make my dad and friends happy, all of whom thought that I was an idiot (at times I did as well), but I wanted to give myself the best shot at getting accepted.<\/p>\n

Once the application was submitted, I ran into another major obstacle that was different from American PhD programs: the requirement of a master\u2019s degree.\u00a0 Unlike the American schools I considered, Alliance MBS required that all applicants not only possess a master\u2019s degree, but also one that was thesis based.\u00a0 Needless to say my MBA was not thesis based so my application was immediately rejected.\u00a0 When I received the news, I was at a loss.\u00a0 I felt this was the end of the journey.\u00a0 Luckily, I was able to appeal my case and argue that most US MBA programs are not thesis based and therefore should not be the reason that an applicant with a GREAT proposal is denied.\u00a0 Ultimately, the rejection was overturned and I was able to proceed with application process.<\/p>\n

The takeaway here is that the research proposal and thesis based requirement are in place because unlike American PhD programs where the first two years are spent training and exploring potential topics, Alliance MBS and other UK universities expect you to \u2018hit the ground running\u2019 with research.\u00a0 You come in with an approved topic and a plan for action.\u00a0 Granted, many of my colleagues\u2019 research approaches have changed since year 1, however, their topics have not wavered too far from the original.\u00a0 This pre-selected topic requirement allows students to have a focused idea about research and typically allows them to graduate sooner than their American counterparts…often in 3 years!<\/p>\n

Linda: <\/strong>What do the people you\u2019ve met abroad want to know the most about you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once I finally started the program a recurring question was constantly asked of me:\u00a0 \u201cWhy did you chose to study in here\u2026?\u201d.\u00a0 The compelling part of this question was that most people were really interested in the typical follow up question: \u201c…instead of America?\u201d\u00a0 This was even more perplexing because when it came to other international students studying in the UK, I never heard the same question asked in comparison to their home countries.\u00a0 I quickly understood that this specific question came from the perception of superiority of American PhD programs.\u00a0 In fact, during my application process, a good friend and professor in Marketing at an American university advised me against going abroad if I ever wanted to return to the US and get a job at a US university.\u00a0 So I completely understood why I was being asked this question (over and over again).\u00a0 Fortunately for me, my choice to attend a UK university was based on my desire for an international experience rather than where I would end up working.\u00a0 As of yet I am not sure if this perception\/advice will hold true as I still have several months before graduation.\u00a0 However, I can say that the experience has been worth the potential sacrifice!<\/p>\n

Linda: <\/strong>What would you say is the main difference between US and UK PhD programs or students?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Willy:\u00a0<\/em>As you can see the differences in the US and UK systems become prevalent from the very start of the application process.\u00a0 But what about during the PhD?\u00a0 Referring back to the advice I received from my good friend: \u201cIf you leave you will never be able to come back\u201d.\u00a0 Now I don\u2019t want you to think that I have terrible friends, but an explanation did accompany that advice derived from her experience with interviewing international candidates.\u00a0 She explained to me that the problem lies in understanding how other international PhD programs relate to the US system.\u00a0 Her thoughts were that many of the US applicants are better equipped for job interviews (both in the US and globally) because they have top-level publications (from US journals), references from well-known academics (who publish in said journals), and of course, degrees from familiar US institutions with similar academic program structures.\u00a0 Often this isn\u2019t the case for students applying from universities outside of the US.\u00a0 If the international university isn\u2019t similar to the US system (e.g. London Business School), or is not high on the rankings and reputation list (e.g. Oxford and Cambridge University), it may be difficult for graduates from other universities to compete in the US job market.<\/p>\n

So what are some of the differences?\u00a0 I believe the main difference involves the length of the respective PhD programs and its relationship to publications during the PhD, which profoundly impacts career options.\u00a0 With regards to Alliance MBS, and some other UK universities, the programs are designed to last 3 years from start to finish.\u00a0 I have witnessed people graduate in in as little as 2.5 years and as late as 5.\u00a0 But I would say the average is between 3 and 4 years, with considerable pressure on not going over 4.\u00a0 Clearly this is not the case in the US system which probably is closer to 5 years.\u00a0 The gap in graduation times are likely a result of the extensive research training required in the first two years of a US program, coupled with UK students entering their program with research topic in hand.\u00a0 Since many UK PhD students have thesis based master degrees, it is expected that they already have a strong research foundation.\u00a0 Unfortunately, starting early on your own dissertation and graduating sooner, leaves fewer publishing opportunities during the PhD, especially with similar academic duties such as teaching.\u00a0 Thus, it may be true that US students have more (and better) publications when they go into the job market, but it does not mean that UK students could not have reached those same levels given an additional year or two.\u00a0 This is a \u2018publish or perish\u2019 industry, and it\u2019s easy to justify hiring someone who has published vs. someone who hasn\u2019t, but I feel that a closer look at the overall PhD experience and career potential of job candidates, should be the main concern when interviewing.<\/p>\n

Linda: <\/strong>What would you say is the main similarity between US and UK PhD programs or students?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"willy3\"Willy:\u00a0<\/em>I recently attended a doctoral consortium at a major US conference and had the opportunity to meet several of my US peers in marketing.\u00a0 Although I was from an international university and the only person doing a qualitative PhD (somehow no one was surprised by this :-), I found that there weren\u2019t many differences in our research-based experiences, as well as in life in general.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that being an American had a lot to do with my perceptions, however the one thing that is for certain, is that during a PhD, no matter where its done, LIFE HAPPENS<\/strong>!\u00a0 From my experience of working with engineering doctoral students to the brief time knowing my new marketing peers, I realize that at some point during our 3, 4, or 5 years, we will all experience a major life event.\u00a0 Whether it is a heartbreak, wedding proposal, first child, family death, or buying a new home, something very important will happen.\u00a0 And it is how we manage these life-changing events, and what type of support we receive from our respective universities, that will determine the outcome of our remaining PhD experience.<\/p>\n

\"10447622_736314226415745_5733739129712113011_nMy particular life event came during my 2nd year in the program.\u00a0 It was then that I reunited with my mother after over 30 years.\u00a0 Until then, I didn\u2019t know her; I only knew of her and had several pictures of the two of us.\u00a0 When we finally met in person, we met in her home country and my birthplace, South Korea.\u00a0 It was the most surreal and heartfelt experience I ever had in my life, and I really owe a lot to my supervisor and department for empathizing with me and allowing me to address this life event.\u00a0 When I approached my supervisor with taking some time off to meet my mother and my family, she was extremely supportive and didn\u2019t hesitate to help me make arrangements with the business school.\u00a0 I have met several doctoral students from universities around the world, and I truly believe that they would have received similar support from their faculty and administration as I have.\u00a0 Outside of career and research goals, I feel this type of support is one similarity that is overlooked when comparing some US and UK universities.<\/p>\n

Linda: <\/strong>What has been the best part about studying at a UK University? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Willy:\u00a0<\/em>Travel…My passion, My Motivation!<\/em> One of the major benefits of pursuing a PhD abroad is not only to experience a new country, but also a new region of the world.\u00a0 Perhaps one of the best things about studying in England is its proximity to the rest of Europe.\u00a0 During my time here, the Manchester Airport has served as my personal \u201claunch pad\u201d to explore parts of the world I had only experienced in history books.\u00a0 What was once a 2-3 hour flight to New York, Houston, or Miami has now become a flight to Paris, Barcelona, and Amsterdam!\u00a0 All of a sudden family visits to Chicago have become weekend trips to Rome.\u00a0 The drive to my dad\u2019s from Atlanta to Augusta has now become a drive to London or Edinburgh!<\/p>\n

\"10447622_736314226415745_5733739129712113011_n_1\"A major contributor to my travels is without a doubt the flexibility and independence of the PhD program, as well as the UK government and university public holidays.\u00a0 Without a doubt there are considerably more public holidays in the UK as compared to the US, as well as more time during university breaks.\u00a0 As UK PhD students already come in with a research plan, and there are fewer formal training courses as in the US, students are essentially PhD entrepreneurs.\u00a0 They can set work hours and plan what work gets done and when.\u00a0 The only requirement is that they continuously make progress towards their PhD as guided by their research proposal.\u00a0 This includes satisfactory reviews from supervisors and internal examiners (twice a year).\u00a0 Now this doesn\u2019t mean students can go on 6-month holidays, twice a year, but it does mean that they can enhance their overall experience and be creative with their workspaces and locations.\u00a0 One of the hottest employment topics today is \u201cDigital Nomads\u201d.\u00a0 These are people who use technology (laptops and high speed wifi) to work remotely and independent of geographic boundaries.\u00a0 From meeting US PhD students, I feel that another thing we all have in common is that there is ALWAYS work to be done, regardless of weekends or holidays.\u00a0 In many ways, I think that the research independence of the UK system allows me to be an \u2018academic digital nomad\u2019.\u00a0 Many of my supervisor meetings are conducted on Skype and of course, my laptop never leaves my side.\u00a0 So things like reading and writing up can literally be done anywhere.\u00a0 During my time here, I have written parts of my PhD in over 15 countries on 4 different continents.\u00a0 This is by far something I never thought I\u2019d experience during my PhD.<\/p>\n

Linda: <\/strong>What has been your biggest challenge during your PhD?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Willy:\u00a0<\/em>The PhD process is a tough journey, which challenges you both mentally and physically.\u00a0 I believe this applies to most PhD\u2019s around the world.\u00a0 However, when you include the additional component of studying outside of your home country then this journey can quickly become a lonely one, challenging you socially as well.\u00a0 By choosing to study in another country, I unknowingly subjected myself to a \u201cdual culture shock\u201d: the shock of the new country and of the new academic system.\u00a0 My initial thought was that adjusting to both would be relatively easy since (1) it was my dream to live in another country, and (2) I felt I had a strong comfort of higher education having completed my MBA and worked at Georgia Tech for 7+ years.\u00a0 Well to say that I was wrong would be an understatement!\u00a0 Even now, in my 4th year, I am still adjusting.\u00a0 Culturally, I have been able to adjust to the easy things like the word differences (e.g. \u2018the boot\u2019 vs. \u2018the trunk\u2019), the flow of traffic, and counting money.\u00a0 However, socially is where I still struggle.\u00a0 I come from Atlanta, Georgia, a home of \u2018Southern Hospitality\u2019.\u00a0 I am used to saying hello to random strangers as they walk by, and even more importantly, I am used to them saying hello back!\u00a0 Unfortunately, that was a social norm that I immediately had to let go of here.<\/p>\n

Academically, as previously mentioned, everyone starts the PhD program with a research proposal.\u00a0 This can be great because you can quickly progress to data collection and before you know you are writing up and defending your thesis in less than 4 years.\u00a0 However, the downside is that by coming in with a research path, many students dive into their research silos and barely come up for air.\u00a0 Unlike the American system, there aren\u2019t two years of semester long courses which allow peers to develop social bonds.\u00a0 Nor are there PhD labs where all the PhD students work, sometimes collaboratively, in the same place.\u00a0 For myself, this type of independent environment made it difficult to find social footing.\u00a0 However, as mentioned, an independent environment does have its advantages.\u00a0 Plus, growing up an only child and attending a \u2018sink or swim\u2019 university like Georgia Tech has provided me with some support for many of these social challenges.<\/p>\n

Linda: <\/strong>What will you remember most about your PhD experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Willy:\u00a0<\/em>I believe that the emphasis on critical thinking has impacted my life tremendously.\u00a0 From the very beginning of my PhD program I was taught to be critical about everything! After all, this is one of the characteristics of true academic.\u00a0 Critical thought is not new to me, however.\u00a0 It was the driving factor of wanting to experience global cultures.\u00a0 Trying to understand social issues and behaviors from various perspectives is something that not only interests me, but also makes me a better person.\u00a0 My experience at Alliance MBS has basically refined my critical thinking and given me more defined and structured ways of using it.\u00a0 It has transcended to all facets of my life.\u00a0 In my social life, it has enhanced communications with my friends and colleagues.\u00a0 Through my research it has helped me better understand the issues and plight of marginalized or stigmatized populations.\u00a0 But perhaps, most importantly, critical thinking has transformed my curiosity of studying and living abroad from something that was just novel and fun to something that is much more purposeful and fulfilling.<\/p>\n

Linda: <\/strong>What are your future plans?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Willy:\u00a0<\/em>I think the obvious answer here is to find a faculty position at the University of XYZ.\u00a0 But looking beyond the position, I would like to continue working in the area of transformative service research and technology.\u00a0 I believe that robotics and artificial intelligence are the future of service technology and I would like to be a pioneer in researching the consumer and societal implications that will follow. The design of services is another interest of mine.\u00a0 If robots and AI are the future service technologies, then the design of these technologies will be of utmost importance.\u00a0 Service design is a major interest among service researchers and I feel that there is a need for more work on how to translate service research into service design, particularly with transformational outcomes.\u00a0 Finally, one of my biggest passions within the realm of higher education involves diversity issues.\u00a0 I have spent many years mentoring underrepresented students and helping them deal with social and academic issues related to diversity.\u00a0 I would like to continue this work at whatever university I end up at.<\/p>\n

\"willy4_1\"Willy Barnett<\/em>
\nPhD student in Marketing<\/em>
\nAlliance Manchester Business School<\/em>
\nUniversity of Manchester, UK<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Nasr interviewed for our series “Going abroad”\u00a0Willy Barnett, a young US researcher who\u00a0pursues\u00a0an PhD in the United Kingdom.\u00a0 Linda: Tell us about yourself Willy: I am a 4th year PhD student in Marketing at Alliance Manchester Business School (Alliance MBS), University of Manchester, UK. I am from Atlanta, Georgia, USA and hold a BSc […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,10,8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2463"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2551,"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463\/revisions\/2551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.servsig.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}