London calling: How Marlon Warrach surpasses himself in his Master's programme at the LSE
At the renowned LSE, UW/H graduate Marlon Warrach is expanding his accounting skills and discovering new opportunities for his future appointment.
Intensive. Challenging. Demanding. Unforgettable. If Marlon Warrach had to summarise his year at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), these would be keywords that should not be missing. The 26-year-old completed his Master's degree in "Accounting, Organisations and Institutions" at the world-renowned university - and further deepened the knowledge he acquired in his Management Bachelor's degree at Witten/Herdecke University. He tested his limits and managed an extremely high workload with enormous quality demands in a very short space of time. "I've never experienced anything like it," he says, "but it was good to feel so challenged." He was also impressed by the fact that his degree programme brought him together with almost 50 students from all over the world - from Asia, Europe, Africa and America. "Of course, it's an absolute highlight to have made friends who live all over the world."
A holistic perspective on accounting
His Master's degree: specialised. The content: characterised by different approaches and a holistic perspective - from the history to the functioning of advanced accounting procedures and their effects. In all courses, the focus was not only on the private sector, but also on non-profit organisations and the public sector in order to illustrate the many facets.
Behind the four to five hours of lectures a day, the enormous amount of preparation and follow-up work remains hidden: working on case studies, reading papers, going through sets of slides - from one day to the next. Writing a thesis - within two months. In addition to ongoing courses and exams. If you haven't learnt time management by then, you can do it now. "We immersed ourselves very deeply in the subjects, but that's exactly why I chose LSE," says Marlon. He also applied to business schools for the Master's programme, but quickly realised that the academic part would not be enough for him there. "LSE manages the balancing act really well: deep theory on the one hand. On the other hand, it still managed to switch back to practice time and again."
The campus is in the centre of London, accessible to everyone. A small neighbourhood of its own, within walking distance of Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and the London Eye. Due to the demands of his studies, Marlon wasn't able to fully enjoy life in the city, but the odd visit to the theatre or meeting up with fellow students in beautiful places was still a must.
Seminar awakens his interest in management consulting
Whether students can cope with the heavy workload is tested as early as the application stage. Marlon spent three months preparing for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), a globally standardised test to check suitability for Master's degree programmes at business management faculties. At least 650 out of 800 points are required to be able to apply to the LSE. A letter of motivation, a language test and two letters of recommendation from professors were also required. In the end, he was accepted, which encouraged him on his path.
When Marlon came to Witten in 2018, he was just 18. "The small groups and the atmosphere in Witten won me over straight away," he recalls. "I felt like I was in good hands here." He also liked the way the content was taught. "In management, we didn't just focus on the business, values were also taken into account: How else could you think about an issue? What does responsible entrepreneurship look like?"
A seminar sparked his interest in management consultancy to such an extent that he would like to enter this field after graduating from LSE. "The lecturer also gave me good guidance at the time on what steps I could take to gain a foothold in this field. That guided my path for a very long time." Although LSE was already on his radar at the time, the discussions with the professor further strengthened his resolve.
Commitment is part of his everyday life
At the same time, Marlon emphasises the freedom and flexibility of studying in Witten, especially when he looks at his tightly scheduled Master's degree. "We had the space to develop, set ourselves goals and achieve them. In my case, for example, I did a year of internships during my Bachelor's programme. Or that I was able to take time for the application phase at the LSE. I have very positive memories of that."
Alongside his studies in Witten, Marlon was involved in the oikos initiative, which aims to raise awareness of environmental issues. He was also active in VIA, the largest student consultancy in NRW, including as Chairman of the Board. During this time, he acquired eight new partner companies and founded his own sustainability brand, VIA Sustainability. As a member of the Dortmund Marketing Club, he also visited local medium-sized companies at their sites: he gained insights into production and internal processes and received exciting information on marketing-related topics in specialist presentations.
Marlon also wanted to get involved at the LSE and became a student representative for his degree programme and later for the department as a whole. He summarised the opportunities for improvement that he saw in a presentation that he gave to the department management. This included new course content, new practice partners and events. And a concept for how these changes and the unique approach of the degree programme could be communicated via the website and social media. "I thought it was very cool at the university that we could initiate things that weren't part of an initiative and be heard," he says. The department management included many of his ideas in their agenda. "Especially when it came to teaching, our ideas were implemented very quickly: Then there was an additional seminar on a particular topic or more practice materials. I was very impressed by the speed and it encouraged me in my commitment."
Next step: Starting work and doctoral studies
The final exam phase at the LSE is currently underway. After that, Marlon still has some time in London and wants to explore the city before returning to Germany for the application phase. Alongside a job in consulting, he would like to do a doctorate. Part-time, to utilise synergies. Marlon: "Especially in consulting, where there are huge amounts of data, you're bound to recognise a practically relevant topic that hasn't been researched so much yet." He enjoys delving deeper here, discovering new fields - and contributing to society in different ways.