“We all first met Mr. Daniel and Engr. Ines in December of last year as both told us the story of the unique MBA program forged with the partnership of Victoria University Switzerland and Gates in the Philippines.  We listened with interest but were apprehensive at first.  Why not? We were the first cohort of the program.

There was a lot of risk. But the good name of Victoria University and its long standing tradition of academic excellence and the hard work, professionalism and sincerity of Mr. Daniel and Engr. Ines paved the way for the first cohort.

And we were not disappointed. Our professors were top caliber professionals and well respected in each of their industries and in the academe. We went through three terms of lectures, voluminous readings, group presentations, online and offline chats, endless assignments,  listened to experts from different industries in a specially designed lecture series, visited a couple of companies for our plant immersions—all meant to prepare for us for our industrial project paper.

Thank you Gates Professional Schools and its faculty for making our MBA dream come true!"

"In this journey, many lessons truly did come.  For these (lessons), I must, first of all, extend warm commendation to VU’s Philippine partner, Mr. Daniel Ongchoco and his GATES Professional Schools team, who ensured that their students were mentored only by those with not only the highest academic credentials, but also with long years of diverse professional and practical experience.

These laudable men and women—our professors—were unstinting with their time, their efforts, and their generosity of spirit, to share with us—their students—the vast knowledge and experience they have gained through decades of dedicated work and study.  But even more importantly, through their careful guidance and, shall I dare say—“tough love”—they challenged each of us to do more, perform better, strive harder, than we ever thought we could.

It is therefore not surprising that the Philippine campus of VU, though relatively new—I, myself, being from its third cohort only—has produced outstanding graduates from its very beginning.  To them all, therefore, I and my co-graduates from VU’s Philippine campus, owe a sincere debt of gratitude."

“Having worked for the National Housing Authority for the past 13 years, getting an MBA had always been a dream of mine. I had already been searching abroad for potential MBA programs only to come across expensive costs and requirements that would have me leave my work for at least a year.

The stars were aligned when I ended up receiving a fax message inviting me to the orientation for the VU MBA program. After going to the orientation and consulting a few friends, I knew that I couldn’t miss this opportunity to add to my credentials, improve my skill set, and even gain an international diploma from the Victoria University of Switzerland. In fact, my enthusiasm drove me to bring along 2 other colleagues whom I had worked with in the past.

Since then, the 10-month transformation was something my coworkers noticed. My opinions were suddenly getting more weight, and the strategies I would propose were now more structured and detailed. This MBA degree is another tool I can use to help me continue towards achieving my goals and dreams in life.”

“Being able to finish the course in less than a year is a big thing for me. This program that Gates offers is for people like me. For working people like us, we want to have money left to send our children to good schools, so the cost of Gates was very reasonable.

It broadened my knowledge of things in life. You start your day. You have to plan things on a monthly, daily basis. Now I understand. After the course, I understood that this is the way it is done. Now in my work, I’m more involved in the planning of my office. I now can contribute and make some inputs based on the knowledge I gathered from my VU MBA classes.”

“To our professors, Prof. Leoncio Cubillas, Prof. Anlex Basillo, Prof. Enrico Ticzon, Prof. Engr. Antonio Rivera, Prof. Regina Galang Reyes, Prof. Rolando Ramon Diaz, Prof. Ernesto Tomas, Prof. Ines M. Basaen and Prof. Perla Soleta—who all untiringly gave their time to teach us with passion.  I can say that truly this is your craft. I will also miss the staff of Gates Professional Schools.  You were a great help. Thank you for assisting us and treating us with thorough care and respect.”

“Kudos to our professors for painstakingly inculcating precious gems of wisdom to us. While it might have been hard for us professionals to become students once more, the same could be said of these intelligent individuals who also sacrificed time and effort to become teachers once more. With your selfless mentorship these past few months, we hope to do justice to your teachings and make you proud.

Being a student again after so long has been both an exciting and difficult process for me. Learning new things and concepts foreign to my chosen profession is something I will be forever grateful to Gates Professional Schools for.  Without a doubt, the overall experience has been more than worth it. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks but we are all testament to another proverb: ‘You’re never too old to learn.”