Student Life at BU School of Management

Tips for putting together your best B-school application

2012-01-26T14:24:00.000-05:00

Post By:
Meg Meyer
MBA/MPH Candidate, 2012

Check out the School of Management website. There is a lot of information about requirements, the current class profile, and how to visit us on the Graduate Admissions page.

Come visit BU in person. There is no better way to get a feel for the School of Management than to come see for yourself. You can visit a class, have coffee with a current student, and/or attend an Information Session to get a better idea of the programs.

Watch videos on our youtube channel. These kinds of videos will give you a good idea about what life as an MBA is like, what professors are doing, and what the different specialties are that we offer.

Figure out what kind of job and life you want on the other side of your MBA. The admissions team wants to know that a BU MBA will benefit you and help you move your career where you want it to go. If you can convince them that an MBA at BU is the missing link between where you are now and your dream job, it will greatly strengthen your application. Don’t be worried if you’re a career switcher, just explain your reasoning.

Make your essays BU-specific. After you have learned what the program offers, be sure to make your personal statement and other essays BU-specific. It’s really tempting to use the same essays for multiple schools but more often than not, the admission committee can tell if you’re forcing it!

Proof read. (enouigh said)

Think of your application holistically (because that is what the admissions team does). Everyone has strengths and weaknesses in different areas but the many parts of the application give you a chance to create a well-rounded picture of yourself. We do not have set minimum admission requirements, but we do have target ranges that we look for in certain areas of the application, including GMAT score, undergraduate grade point average, and quality and number of years of full-time work experience. The best way to assess the competitiveness of your application is to compare yourself to our class profile. Strengths in some areas may compensate for weaknesses in other areas and if there are any parts of your work or academic history that you thing need explaining, feel free to do so! For example, if your undergrad GPA is lower than you would have hoped for but you really picked it up during your last few semesters, you might want to explain what happened in an optional essay.

Give your recommenders plenty of time. It never looks good to rush someone that you are wanting a recommendation out of. It’s also a nice idea to thank them formally after. As an idea, I sent my recommenders BU mugs as a small thank you gift!

Practice for your interview and come prepared. If you get asked in for an interview, try to think of answers to questions you might get and practice what you might say. Be sure to bring a copy of your resume as well and be comfortable explaining everything on it. Good luck!

Meg is a second year MBA/MPH student studying Global Health Management. She is also the President of the new Global Health and Development Association. You may find her running around Boston with a backpack on or challenging people to dance-offs.

What will you make of your time at BU's School of Management?

2012-01-23T13:02:00.000-05:00

Post By:
Felipe Spinel MBA Candidate, 2012

Two years go by in the blink of an eye and here I am, done with my third semester and feeling a sudden desire for the program to last much longer. While trying to compile a list of the things that have made this one of the most exciting times of my life I came across the following:

World. Meeting people from all over the world was inspiring and eye-opening. The cultural differences were initially a puzzle and, later on, a source of amusement. For this reason, my wife and I decided that our summer internship was going to be a three-month “expedition” through Asia. Our trip took us to amazing places like the base camp of Mount Everest, the colored cities, palaces and forts in India’s Rajasthan, the crowded streets of Mumbai, paradise beaches in Cambodia, the Mekong River in southern Laos, the ancient temples of Angkor and the chaotic, sizzling cities of Vietnam.

Friends. Not only have the academic qualities of my classmates permanently raised the bar in class but also their diverse background and personal qualities have created strong, long-lasting friendships. The Cohorts have made it feel like a family.

Learning. Most of the best professors in my entire life I have met while at BU. Their styles vary incredibly but each one of them has special characteristics that make them outstanding. Whether it was their rigorousness, kindness, counseling, experience or simply fun and innovative teaching style, their unique ways definitely made my classes so much more enjoyable.

Boston. Finally, besides being one of the most innovative cities in the world, Beantown is essentially a huge campus. It is the Amazon jungle of knowledge, a bubbling pot where curiosity, ideas and science meet business and opportunities. I have had the chance to spend time on amazing things like setting up an electric car competition with fellow students from MIT, participate in (and win) BU’s Smart Lighting challenge, attend talks of several heads of state, speak to several CEO’s and intern for one of the most exciting Cleantech startups in the country. Networking events are non-stop, entrepreneurship is in the air, and serendipitous connections have happened to me in pubs, coffee shops or random parties at friend’s places.

Electric Car Competition

Mass Challenge Dinner with the Governor

BU has offered me all the elements to write my own story, what will YOU make out of your time at BU’s School of Management?

Felipe Spinel is a second year MBA student concentrating in strategy and business analysis. He has worked for companies in the IT and Oil&Gas industries and is passionate for the outdoors, mountain biking, entrepreneurship and the environment.

Alternative housing: have you considered living on a boat?

2012-01-18T12:00:00.001-05:00

Post By:
Carl Palme
MS-MBA Candidate, 2012

Life on a boat is fantastic! You get to live next to the ocean (literally) and are rocked to sleep every night. There is a great community in the marina and Charlestown is a great town. Even if you live on a small sailboat, the marina has showers, bathrooms, a mailroom, washers, dryers, grills, and even a covered pool for the winter months. The following is a satellite picture of the marina, and the map shows the distance (only three miles) from the marina to the Boston University Graduate School of Management.

There are several ways of getting to BU from the marina. On a nice day you can walk or take a bike, and on other days you can ride the subway. The closest “T” station is North Station on the Green Line. During the summer, life on a boat is a breeze. You come home to friendly people, and the smell of a sizzling grill. During the fall, the excitement winds down a little, but the Boston Bruins start the season and are just 10 minutes away. Here is a picture of me holding a faux Stanley Cup with the marina and the TD Garden behind me.
During the fall, the summer boats pack up and leave, and only the live-aboards stick around. There are approximately 100 of us that live on boats yearlong. The fall is beautiful in Charlestown. The leaves start changing colors, the days are shorter, and the breeze that you get from the ocean is always refreshing. Also, the sunsets are amazing as you can see from this picture. As the winter approaches, people start winterizing their boats. This includes shrink-wrapping it, adding antifreeze, and tying your boat well so you can brave the Nor’easter storms. The shrink-wrap is placed over the boat for several reasons. For starters, it keeps the snow off the surface of the boats. It also creates additional space on the top deck. And lastly, it creates a sort of Green House effect where the sun shines in during the day and the heat is trapped inside the shrink-wrap so your boat is nice and warm for the evening.
The winter isn’t so bad. Contrary to what people think, it is actually warmer than the mainland. The friendly staff at the marina keeps the snow and ice off the docks and your neighbors will invite you for a winter warmer. This picture shows what the marina looks like during the winter. All of the boats look like tents from the shrink-wrapping. As spring approaches, people like me tend to get overly eager and remove the shrink-wrap way too soon. I usually set up the grill on the top deck and start grilling during the first weeks of March. Finally, the warm months return and life is beautiful once again. It is definitely an interesting life, and one worth having and talking about. There are many housing alternatives in Boston, but few so interesting. The MBA Experience is so much fun, and I never thought I could make it even more interesting until I jumped on the opportunity of living on a boat.

Carl Palme is a 2^nd Year MS-MBA with experience in Entrepreneurship, Operations, Marketing, and Boat Living. Most recently, he has been sighted sporting a mustache for Movember.
Follow @carlpalme on Twitter.

The Cohort Cup

2012-01-12T11:37:00.004-05:00

Post By:
Akshay Shah
MS-MBA Candidate, 2012

With all the time students spend on classwork, it can be easy to forget that you're allowed to have a little fun, too. Between classes and the Integrated Project, there's the Cohort Cup to help you meet your friends, meet new people, and unwind. The Cohort Cup is a competition between the cohorts, started by Dean Nolan in the mid-2000s. We hold various events throughout the year, such as:

- Cheers with Professors, where you can meet your professors outside the classroom at Cornwall's -- the local bar for BU MBA students
- Karaoke night
- Trivia night
- Basketball and soccer tournaments
- Pumpkin carving contest and Halloween party
- March madness brackets
- Art show
- Talent contest

Each event is an opportunity for you to meet your fellow classmates and earn points based on attendance and performance (if applicable). The first objective is to get people out and mingling, letting people get to know each other outside the context of school. The second objective is that by having events that require preparation, such as the sporting events or talent, people who normally wouldn't work together can do so towards a common goal. It is before and during these events that clubs form, relationships are forged, and memories are made. Though it can get pretty competitive at times (we are, after all, MBA students), I've found that attending Cohort Cup events is a great way to get to know your classmates both within your cohort and outside it. It helps that we provide free drinks and appetizers at some of the events. As if the camaraderie, drinks, food, and competition weren't enough, the winning cohort gets a huge party thrown for them at the end of the year to celebrate, with food, drinks, and T-shirts commemorating the win!

Of course, the Cohort Cup events aren't the only social events for you to enjoy. The various student clubs hold Thirsty Thursdays at nearby bars, if you're looking for a little more variety. The Graduate Student Council also holds formal galas at the end of each semester. You're also free to organize something with your new-found friends, as well. And finally, you can always stop by Cornwall's. There are usually a few MBAs hanging out there at any time, "practicing" for the next event.

Akshay Shah is a 2nd year MS-MBA concentrating in Strategy & Business Analysis. He is on the Cohort Cup Committee, on the Graduate Student Council, and an Admissions Ambassador. Follow @aushah on Twitter.

Beautiful Boston

2012-01-06T09:30:00.010-05:00

Photography By:

Manuel Zapata

MS-MBA Candidate, 2013

As winter settles upon us in Boston, here are some photos of this beautiful city to remind us of warmer times...

Manuel Zapata is a 2^nd year MS-MBA with experience in Product Development, Operations and Business Development. He leads the Energy Club at BU, and is interested to continue his professional career in cleantech. You can link to Manuel through LinkedIn here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mczapata

Happy Holidays

2011-12-16T10:41:00.009-05:00

Post By:
Taylor Marge
MSMF Candidate, 2013

There is a cold chill in the air and Christmas music can be heard all around. This means one thing, finals of course. As the semester comes to an end the Math Finance students are all busy preparing for finals and wishing the second year students good luck as they venture out into the working world. Although our professors keep us busy with assignments school isn’t the only thing on our mind. As the semester comes to a close the time to look for internships is upon us. This can seem like a daunting challenge but luckily we do not have to take it on alone. The Feld Career Center has been helping us all semester with our resumes, cover letters and focusing our internship search criteria. Now they are offering information sessions on how to research potential employers and search for companies in which we are interested. Boston University has many resources to help us in our search from databases with company information such as size, location and type of employment to feedback from alumni who have worked in the industry before. The resources offered at the School of Management are invaluable to us, especially since many of my classmates do not have full time work experience any information related to the company or the industry. The Feld Career Center in conjunction with the Pardee Library (The School of Management’s library) does a great job teaching us how to utilize all of these resources.

In addition to our hard work this semester we have also taken some time to enjoy ourselves. Most recently the MSMF program sponsored a holiday party for all of its students and professors. It was a wonderful opportunity to chat with classmates and professors in a relaxed setting. We were also joined by Dean Ken Freeman who wished the second year students luck as they begin their careers after graduating from the MSMF program. The holiday party was a much appreciated celebration after a hard semester of work. A special thanks to the Graduate Programs Office for organizing our holiday party.

Happy Holidays!

Taylor Marge is a first year Math Finance student with a background in engineering. He excels at summarizing articles for co-workers and remembering inconsequential information.

A Hungry First Year MBA

2011-12-15T13:03:00.006-05:00

Ryan (far right) enjoying a bite with classmates during pre-term

Post by:
Ryan Sosin
MBA Candidate, 2013

My name is Ryan Sosin and I am a hungry first-year MBA student.

Boston may not be the culinary center of the world, but food is definitely at the center of my BU MBA experience. Going to school a stones throw from Kenmore Square, a short walk to Fenway and easy T rides to downtown, Brookline and Allston provides plenty of options to eat.

You will hear during your MBA, no matter where you go, that networking is just as important as your classes. This is very true, but people often mistake social events as the study guide and not a good meal with good friends. Food gives you the brilliance to turn around your selected Integrated Project product the night before the mid-term deliverables are due; it sustains you during the two days you spend in close quarters with three other people for PharmaSim (a 3-day marketing simulation) and most importantly, it is the ultimate networking activity.

During pre-term, people travel in packs while the smaller social groups are still shaking out. One day, about 25 of us piled into the Kenmore Square Qdoba at the same time to chow down on burritos. While we talked about where we were from and what we think of Boston, Qdoba turned into a five-star restaurant/mess hall. We had pushed all the tables together and the staff was bringing us chips and dip. It was a classy affair!

There is also an event called “Thirsty Thursday” just about every week throughout the year. Most of them are at the unofficial BU Graduate School of Management (GSM) bar, Cornwall's. A short walk from class, Cornwall's is the site of many debriefings after exams, presentations or data cases. While many choose to use their free drink ticket to get a pint first, the smart kids are chowing down on the free nachos and cheese sticks before others get to them.

My classmates and I have dumped an untold fortune into the coffers of Breadwinners and Starbucks, a café and coffee shop located on the second floor of the School of Management building, during our first months at BU. There is something very comforting about getting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from Peggy before frantically trying to wrap your head around free cash flows in the graduate student lounge.

By the time you reach Thanksgiving, the bonds with your classmates have grown fairly strong. Those who did not travel home for the American holiday held a potluck dinner with food from all over the world. They watched football, ate oysters and played cards with a giant deck that could double as plywood.

Ryan Sosin is a 1^st Year MBA with experience in collegiate athletics and a life-long dream of being an astronaut. You can find him ordering a PB&J sandwich at Breadwinners.
Follow @thefosh on Twitter.

Health Sector Case Competition

2011-12-12T12:54:00.005-05:00

Post By:
Katy Perkins
MBA, class of 2013

Pictured from left to right: Mike Schildkraut, Director of Strategic Marketing; Rhonda Rickey, Director of Global Alliance Management; BU MBA students Katy Perkins; Ritika Mahal; Sara Meinke; and Jin Chon, Senior Director of Global CNS and Strategic Product Planning

As a team, we were very excited to represent BU at the BAHM Case Competition! We had a great experience, resulting in third place.

BAHM is the Business School Alliance for Health Management. There are ten participating schools:

· Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business

· Boston University School of Management

· Duke University Fuqua School of Business

· Harvard Business School

· Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management

· University of California – Berkeley

· University of Colorado – Denver

· University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business

· Vanderbilt University Owen School of Business

This was the second year the ten schools came together for a case competition. This year Duke’s Fuqua School of Business was the hosting school.

The corporate sponsor for the case was Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and the topic was Alzheimer’s disease and brain health. We were given ten days to design a launch strategy for a novel biomarker assay for the risk assessment of Alzheimer’s disease, paired with a preventative drug therapy, which is about to enter Phase III trials. We spent considerable time assessing the strategic and competitive landscape, pricing issues, current patient and disease management, reimbursement and the role of insurance organizations, and put together all our recommendations on how to successfully deliver this risk assessment and drug therapy to market. Our strategy involved building physician relationships, particularly with primary care physicians and neurologists, using direct-to-consumer marketing and providing patient and caregiver education. We also did extensive analysis to forecast results of the launch.

Our team had to present late in the day, but we felt very good about it. We gave a twenty minute presentation followed by fifteen minutes of questions. The judges asked insightful questions and seemed genuinely interested in our ideas. At the awards reception, we were recognized as the third place winners. Wharton got first place and Duke got second place. We were very excited and proud to return to BU, having placed in the 2011 BAHM Case Competition. We look forward to BU doing even better next year!

Katy Perkins is a 2nd year MS-MBA studying Information Systems and Health Sector Management. She is the President of the Health Services Management Association and is interested in a career in process improvement in healthcare delivery.

A Day in the Life of a BU MBA

2011-12-08T12:29:00.009-05:00

Post By:
Nishant Sharma
MBA, 2013
Nishant and his Integrated Project Team working on marketing their product, Mello Yello

6:25 AM – Alarm clock kicks me out of the bed and I grab my laptop. A good night sleep was a must before the long day ahead; it happens to be one of the busiest days of the first semester with interim presentations for the Integrated Project scheduled for tomorrow

6:30 AM – Log into team room booking system to grab a room. With presentation material submission due tonight there is a great rush to grab rooms with LCD projectors. Inform my team mates about the successful capture of a team room in the first email of the morning

7:00 AM – Register for my elective course for the spring semester. With more than 50 options for a single elective spot, the process to select one was hard over the past week.

7:30-8:30 AM – Work on my part of the presentation and create a script that I will practice later in the day with my team. Integrated project is the best part of first semester for me. It is an opportunity to put into practice all my learnings from the coursework. It is also tough as hundreds of hours of work have to be condensed into fifteen slides.

9:00 AM – Take the ‘T’ to school and discuss the progress of the presentation with my roommate

9:30- 10:30 AM – Meet with my team in the team room I reserved to integrate the individual sets of presentations and also make some tweaks

10:30 – 11:00 AM - Work on my individual portion of the presentation

11:30 – 12:30 PM – Catch my classmates in the graduate lounge and discuss the financial news and integrated project over the lunch

12:30 – 2:00 PM – Final lecture of the semester for Statistics. It was an awesome class and professor Shwartz was really awesome at engaging students even for what is supposed to be a theoretical class. I’ll miss all the candy experiments which we did as part of class learning. We fill out the evaluation forms for the course and the professor

2:30 – 3:30 PM – Spend some time in the graduate computer lab working on the financial part of the project and catching up on the news for the day.

4:00 – 5:00 PM – Attend Dean Freeman’s session on his vision for the school. He is a great leader and the school is destined for great growth under his inspired vision of academic and career services

5:00 -6:00 PM – Attend a case interview workshop organized by the consulting club

7:00 PM – Team gathers at the George Sherman Union (GSU) building to work further on the Integrated Project. The GSU is a great benefit of being part of a big private university…you can get out of routine locales and yet work efficiently

8:00 – 11:00 PM – Work on finalizing our presentation and practice at the Photonics building. With such a big campus, there is never a lack of good places to do academic stuff. Enjoy pizza for dinner with the team

11:30 PM – Team finalizes the presentation and completes the online submission. I head back home by hopping on the ‘T’

12:30 AM – Catch up with the news back in India and crash into the bed.

Nishant Sharma is a 1st Year MS-MBA with experience in Information Technology and developing sustainable practices. Most recently he was spotted participating in Karaoke with his cohort. Follow @tweet_nishant on Twitter

The BU Veterans Association

2011-12-05T10:52:00.009-05:00

Post By:

Steve Khanoyan
MBA, 2013

Earlier this year, I separated from the Navy after leading two divisions during two combat deployments, intelligence operations, a Presidential protection detail, and a humanitarian mission after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The transition back to the civilian world was abrupt and hasn’t always been easy. I was lucky to discover that I had other combat veterans in the School of Management community and at the beginning of the year, we decided that BU was missing an organization to unite veterans across the university.

The BU Veterans Association was formed by four of us (I am currently the Vice President) with the goal of speaking up for veterans’ issues on campus, providing mentorship for new students who may just be coming back from a deployment, creating a unique alumni network, and just get together for a drink from time to time.

We were surprised how much support we received from BU including the Dean of Students, Provost, and individual schools on campus. Though the four of us that now serve as the club’s executive board are all MBA students, the organization is open to all veterans at BU and we’re proud to have over 80 members in just a few months.

As we continue to grow, we’re planning on hosting some great events during the upcoming months - including a benefit for a local veterans’ shelter. Our organization is working with the University registrar to be in touch with incoming veterans to the University so that no veteran is ever alone at BU. As a founding member, I am proud to know that in 2013, this veterans’ organization will be my lasting legacy at BU.

Steve Khanoyan is a 1^st year MS-MBA who most recently served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy. Steve also earned his undergraduate degree from BU in 2007. Following graduation, he hopes to work in operations for a major airline.

There's Always Something to Do at BU!

2011-11-30T14:39:00.001-05:00

Post By:

Shiyanbade Animashaun

MBA, 2013

I describe myself as shy and most people refuse to believe me. Still, I pause a bit when meeting new people and the thought of meeting all my future classmates was a big daunting back in August when I walking to my first BU MBA Meetup.

I headed to Cornwall's, the unofficial, official BU MBA pub, and took a few deep breaths before stepping in to realize I had nothing to worry about. In what seemed like a sea of people, there was the chattering of new friendships being made and I joined right in to shake hands and introduce myself.

I found people connected to one of my hometowns, Indiana, and some of my hobbies. There was none of the anxiety I anticipated and the other students seemed as interested in my background as I was in their varied experiences and outlook on life.

Since then, I have gone through the Pre-Semester week and soared through the air with my classmates help, attended other school sponsored and student led meetups and strolled around picturesque Newburyport. I’ve experienced Water Fire in Rhode Island; witnessed my first Head of the Charles regatta; attended school sponsored events with industry leaders and went on a boat cruise! I played my first ultimate Frisbee match in the rain and mud, expressed disappointment over lost Cohort cup points and cheered for my Cohort during the Halloween Costume contest and Basketball tournament.

As the end of first semester draws near, I look back happily on the past few months of growing friendships and great conversations. I know my next semester can only be better. Though we all work hard, we try to play hard too. There always seems to be an event going on and I'm doing my best to get as much out of my experience at Boston University as I can.

Movember

2011-11-21T11:40:00.017-05:00

Post By:
Shawn Hay
MBA, 2012

Mid-way through November of my second year and I am back at full beard. My friends are calling it a cop-out, but I think it is clever. The issue: not wanting to give up the hard work I have put in to growing my mustache for #MOVEMBER, while still saving face (get it?) during my interviews. So using my problem solving skills from my MBA classes, I thought ahead and grew my beard stealthy with a few days head start on the mustache! Thus, come interview day the beard and stache blended, and I am back to the same old Shawn armed with my interview matrix (thank you career center), a top-notch set of newly polished management skills, and a secret mustache.

So here is the debate. Should you claim victory and confidence in your (un)manly new facial hair and boldly show those recruiters that you are indeed a strong individual who can support a good cause (aka a typical BU MBA), or do you play it safe and lose the ‘stache?

So far my peers seem to be a split vote, and depending on the type of interview, the desire for the company, and the boldness (aka, hair-growing talent) of the candidate, the winner is “keeping the stashe” by a hair (yeah, I just went there). I cannot proceed in this blog without giving mention to two of my peers (at least!) who have confidently walked in, brochure in hand, and pitched the successful campaign that Movember has brought to prostate cancer awareness (www.movember.com), and then absolutely crushed the interview. Hats off to Humberto and Carl, and whoever else has successfully done it!

As the 2nd annual BU MBA Movember rolls on, this year has been even more ‘stache-tastic than last. Previously, we raised nearly $2,500 with our BU group alone, and with the 1st year’s dedication I am positive we will surpass that record.

Bottom line: This is a great cause, the interviewers don’t seem to mind as long as you address the ‘stache, and it is a great bonding experience between the first and second years!

I hope this tradition continues long after I am gone, and when I am in a position to hire a BU alumni, your chances will be drastically improved if you are rockin’ the ‘stache.

How to Use Technology to your MBA Advantage

2011-11-14T12:09:00.032-05:00

Post By:
Carl Palme
MS-MBA, 2012

I remember when I was getting a degree in engineering I had to carry at least four textbooks, a graphing calculator, three notebooks, and a slew of pencils and pens with me at all times. My bag weighed a ton and I could never fit it in a locker. I guess it was a way to get some additional exercise!

When I decided to come back to school, I didn’t want to carry a bag that big anymore, so I opted to buy an iPad. It is definitely one of the best investments I have made. I can carry all of my textbooks, all of my notes, my agenda, and a calculator in just 1.33 lbs. So here is a list of things that I use to keep everything organized:

Dropbox – This is the most important app that I carry with me. It keeps all of my documents synced with my computer at home, my team files up to date, and I can view my files everywhere.

Reminders – As you start your MBA experience, you will soon realize that you need a very good planner with you. Reminders will help with homework assignments, team projects, or grocery shopping. The best thing about it is that you can program it to remind you when you get to a specific place. Like “remind me to sleep when I get home.”

Evernote – This is a great app for taking notes, recording classes, and taking pictures of things written in the blackboard. It also syncs automatically so you can view your notes everywhere there is an internet connection and a computer.

GoodReader – In business school you will read a LOT of cases. GoodReader allows you to keep your cases organized, highlight, and gives you a summary of your highlights and notes right before you start a class.

eTextbooks – This is a great find because it allows you to rent textbooks for a semester, and at half the price. I have found most of the required textbooks with this app.

Mail – You will be bombarded with mail in school. You need this.

Kindle – Again, good for textbooks and leisurely reading.

Flipboard – Since time is limited, Flipboard allows me to keep a summary of all of the outside world in a beautiful format.

Merlin – Awesome project management app.

Biximo – I am a member of the Bike Sharing program in Boston (Hubway) and Biximo is the app I use to learn whether there are going to be bikes available in my neighborhood or not. It’s pretty cool!

Anyway, the list can go on and on, but these are some of my favorite apps and have definitely helped me keep organized in school. It is also a good effort on going paper-less!

Next Time
Housing alternatives: have you considered a boat?

Current Events Through the Lens of an MBA

2011-11-14T11:45:00.009-05:00

Post by:
Manoj Prakash
MBA Candidate, 2012 I am a second year student in the dual degree MS.MBA Program. In my free time, I like to read newspapers and blogs, especially related to business and technology. Before I joined this program last year, current events were stories that were fun to read and talk about with friends over coffee. But I am one year into school and current events have had such an interesting impact on my life as an MBA student that my perspective while reading news has been transformed.

In one of the first semester course projects, my team and I worked hard to come up with a set of strategic recommendation for eBay's struggling China operations. Just two days before we were to submit and present our recommendation, I found a news story in which EBay announced its changed strategy for China. I immediately realized what this news meant for us. My team went back to the drawing board and re-worked our assignment in the last two days!

During the spring semester, we chose to focus on Nokia for our strategy project. Nokia is a leader in mobile phones but has struggled in the smartphone market. At the same time, they have a good mix of products and great international reach so we thought they would be a good candidate for a strategy project. We started our work right away, researching every analyst report, news article, announcement, and opinion available on Nokia. A few weeks into this project, I found Nokia in the headlines everywhere - they had formed an alliance with Microsoft! This alliance effectively changed the rules of the game for us mid-course and we changed our approach for Nokia, again.

During my time at BU’s School of Management I have been directly impacted by current events. But experiences such as these have trained me to evaluate news and events from a different lens and I have become a much more active participant in understanding business trends.

At SMG, we take reading and interpreting news to a new level. You can even take a look at this blog that my classmates and I are currently working on to analyze different industry sectors and decipher interesting news about the disruptive impact of technology.

Winning the NAAMBA Global Case Competition

2011-11-10T14:05:00.009-05:00

Post by:
Roman Sverdlov
MBA Candidate, 2012

First things first, I must introduce the team – Sabrina, Sid and myself, Roman. All proud members of Cohort B!

The NAAMBA competition wasn’t our first case competition together, we had experienced the joy of one previously. That competition, which did not go nearly as well, was a great learning experience. So when an opportunity presented itself again, we decided it’d be fun to give it another shot.

The first deliverable of the competition, a three page executive summary, was due in mid-July. We submitted, then anxiously waited three weeks to find out if we’d been accepted. Finally, the good news came at the beginning of August. Out of sixteen teams that entered, our team was one of four chosen to present at the finals during the NAAMBA conference. Which also meant a sponsored trip to NYC! Our three competitors were USC, Purdue and Syracuse.

For the final presentation, the deliverable was a marketing plan positioning Singapore as an ideal career destination for Asian young professionals living in the US. We would be given fifteen minutes to present, followed by a Q&A session. It was an exciting prompt, and interesting to analyze how a country in this economy was looking to attract more talent.

Miraculously, we didn’t procrastinate. A lot of our free hours in August were dedicated to research and developing our arguments (though in truth, none of us really had very many free hours). The time devoted to this exponentially grew through the month of September all the way up until the morning of our presentation on 9/9.

At the competition, we were fortunately scheduled to present last. The set up of the competition was interesting in that all teams were present for each presentation, and could ask questions during the Q&A session. The first three teams presented and we thought they all did a great job.

Finally it was our turn. Our presentation was different from the others. We had a unique style and our recommendations differed. We were happy with the presentation and felt that we had a chance at winning. We had lunch at the conference, and then just spent time relaxing. All of us were exhausted.

That night, we attended the gala reception, where we would find out the winning team. The reception was great - we enjoyed the speeches, performances and our delicious dinners. We spoke to some of the judges who raved about life and work in Singapore. Then it was time for the judges to announce the winner. We sat nervously, as the key judge spoke about the competition. And finally he announced the winner…Boston University!

To hear BU announced as the winning team was a bit surreal. All of the work had paid off. They brought us on stage to accept our award. Sid even gave a brief thank you speech (calm and collected, sounded like it was his 100th one!). After the reception, many BU alums, parents, and past employees who were in attendance congratulated us on the victory. They were proud to have a BU team win. It felt like a victory for the whole BU community.

I must admit it was a lot of work but the experience of the competition was amazing. For winning, we received a free trip to Singapore where we’ll meet with executives around the country to learn more about the business environment there. For Sabrina and I, it’ll be our first time anywhere in Asia.

After it all, I definitely recommend doing at least one case competition! It truly was a memorable experience which was made really special by my fun, hard-working and compassionate teammates, Sid and Sabrina.

So if you have any questions, please ask. We’re all happy to help!

2011 Reaching Out LGBT MBA Conference

2011-11-07T10:50:00.012-05:00

Post By:
Scott Kanach
MBA Candidate, 2012

This year, several members of Cohort Q, the Graduate School of Management’s LGBT student organization, were fortunate enough to travel down to Dallas for the Reaching Out MBA Conference. The conference, otherwise known as ROMBA, is an annual event for LGBT graduate business students and features guest speakers, workshops, panel discussion, and most importantly a career exposition.

My thoughts prior to registering were that there wouldn’t be many companies attending, it would be unorganized, and possibly a waste of time and money. With regards to the career fair, I assumed there would be maybe one or two recruiters per company being swarmed by hundreds of MBA students. I started talking to people who had attended in the past, and did a little digging on the ROMBA website, and I realized my assumptions were completely off. There were likely 1,000 – 1,500 students, over 100 companies, and over 500 recruiters. There was not a single recruiter who was not 100% approachable during the career fair or at any point in time over the weekend

The event was also extremely well organized, from meals to workshops to speakers. Some of the individuals we heard from were Fort Worth Councilman Joel Burns, from the YouTube viral video, Howard Bragman, the Founder of Fifteen Minutes, and Joe Solmonese, the President of the Human Rights Campaign. In addition to this, the recruiters and employees from some of the top companies were featured as panelists throughout the many workshops offered.

Next year, the conference is in Boston and we can’t stress enough what an opportunity this is for the LGBT GSM community. Not to mention, it is a complete blast of a weekend. If this blog post wasn’t enough to get you involved next year, below are some quotes right from some of the students who attended. Lastly, feel free to reach out to any of us with any questions!

“The Reaching Out MBA conference was fantastic. I am SO happy I went. The speakers were great and I was able to make some good connections with recruiters as well as other students. Next year the conference is in Boston and I would DEFINITELY encourage both first and second year students to go. The companies were top tier (Google, Amazon, Apple, eBay, etc) and I don't think I waited more than 5 minutes to talk to anyone. It was definitely a good experience.” -Cassie Kern, MS-MBA Candidate 2012

"The conference was an opportunity for me to talk with companies I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to speak with through BU. They simply do not recruit here. However, they attend the conferences specifically looking to hire and will often interview on the spot. I was fortunate enough to land several interviews with my top choice companies, an opportunity I wouldn't have had otherwise. The conference is also rather small in comparison to the other diversity events. I was able to walk up to any recruiter at any point in the conference and start up a conversation... let that be during meals, career development sessions, recruiting events, or even just at the hotel bar or in the elevator. This opportunity alone made the price of attendance worth it."

Advice for first years:
"There are a lot of internships at this event. Do not think this event is only for second years looking for fulltime, because it's not. I wish I had known about this during my first year." -Scott Kanach, MBA Candidate 2012

“This was my first time going and was very glad I did. Virtually every company was approachable. I walked away with a few interviews, great contacts, and hopefully a new friend or two. Besides line dancing (this was Dallas after all) the highlight of my trip was spending a few hours at the McKinsey office consulting for a local non-profit. As the President of Cohort Q (GSM's LGBT organization) I was definitely excited that such a large percentage of the "out" students chose to attend. I will make sure that next year's leadership knows how important this conference is.” -Jonathan Stone, MS-MBA Candidate 2012

From China to Boston-An International MBA Student Perspective

2011-10-31T15:21:00.009-04:00

Post by:
Kira Sargatzke
International MBA 2012

Hello everyone! I am very excited, because this is my first blog. My name is Kira and I am part of the One-Year International MBA Program here at Boston University. Now autumn has finally arrived in Boston and with it, a lot of work (midterms, group projects, etc.). It’s almost like our summer semester in China. As you may know, the IMBA program starts with a three month summer term in China.

Beginning on May 1^st, we spent our first month in Beijing before moving to Shanghai for June and July. Since I had never been in China before, both cities were fascinating in their own way. Beijing is so rich in culture, that it is definitely a must-see on every China trip. If it is the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Art District or the Chinese Wall, everything was worth seeing it.

Shanghai, on the other hand, is totally different. It is the commercial center of China, sort of like New York is the commercial center of the US, and very modern. If it’s the different cultural districts, the amazing restaurants, the nightlife or the shopping areas, Shanghai has a lot to offer to enjoy your stay there.

But besides all these nice leisure activities, the classes kept us very busy. All classes in China are core classes of the IMBA program which means they are required for graduation. While classes in Beijing already required a lot of work, the part in Shanghai was even more challenging. Classes are taught as intensives, which made it a little easier, because you just have to focus on one class at a time. However, at the same time, we worked on our integrated project concerning a business start-up in China which increased the workload a bit more.

Nevertheless, the three months in China just flew by and now we are all in Boston. Starting with the pre-term in mid-August, classes are now already half way done. However, after having studied and lived with all of my 26 IMBA classmates for three months in Beijing and Shanghai, Boston is very different. Now we have different classes, live in different areas of Boston and probably also have different worries than in China. But with all the activities offered by BU (student clubs, cohort cup, cheers with professors) I am really enjoying my time here in Boston. Since graduation is in May, time to explore BU and Boston is very limited. So, we better get started now!

A First Year MBA's Reflection on Approaching the Midpoint of Fall 2011

2011-10-24T11:48:00.008-04:00

Post By:

Dana Connolly (center in photo)
MBA Candidate, 2013

If someone were to have asked me a year ago what I expected out of my first eight weeks as a full-time MBA student, I can say without a doubt that whatever answer I would’ve given would only cover a miniscule fraction of what has actually transpired since I came to BU for pre-term on August 22nd. In this relatively short period of time, I’ve already had my first group presentation, Integrated Project is well under way, and I’ve had to tackle a few exams (and not-so-fortunately, there are a few more tests coming up in the very near future). I’ve attended my first Career Fair, participated in informational interviews, and connected with 2nd year students about their summer internships. I’ve had fantastic conversations over drinks – with both classmates and professors, I’ve had the chance to attend a conference and a number of panels, and I have gotten an opportunity to achieve a leadership position in a student organization. Although so much has already happened, I’m almost completely bewildered when I try to justify the speed at which this time has passed. Was it really only 3 months ago that I was still employed and the fall semester seemed so far off in the future?!

Another aspect of the life of an MBA student that I definitely underestimated is the speed of and extent to which my life has plunged into what I like to call “manageable chaos”. To be fair, my experience may not be typical of colleagues, who could have potentially acclimated to the lifestyle of a full-time student instead of a working professional more rapidly and less awkwardly. For example, I have not gone food shopping in over a month, and instead I rely on whatever food I can find in SMG, delivery, and candy as my primary forms of sustenance. I also did not think that I would have to adapt to sleeping an average of 4 ½ hours per night quite this early in the game. Nevertheless, the stress of coursework and career development and my personal care becoming more reminiscent of that of an 18-year old are tremendously small prices for me to pay for the extraordinary benefits the full time MBA has rendered so far on both an academic and, I would argue more importantly, a personal level. Every opportunity that has been presented to spend time with classmates, explore Boston, or broaden my horizons in terms of potential career paths has been too good to pass up, and such experiences make convenience-store turkey sandwiches quite a bit easier to swallow.

Summer in Chi-town

2011-10-17T17:04:00.005-04:00

Post by:
Shawn Hay
MBA Candidate, 2012

I have never written a blog before, so here goes nothing! It is great to be back in Boston, especially back at SMG. I am finally in student mode again, and in the zone for job searching and prepping for those dreaded cold calls from professors!

This summer was an eye opening experience, not only for my personal growth, but also for my business confidence. I spent the summer working my internship at AT&T in Chicago, Illinois. I was a part of their Leadership Development Program, and was specifically assigned to work in their Core Installation and Maintenance department (CIM). Going in to the program I expected to spend the summer learning about all the adjacent departments that CIM worked with, networking with executives, and generally learning the feel and structure of the company. Although all of these things happened, I also got a chance to really flex my newly acquired business skills in a real life scenario!

My project was a process flow/data analysis focused assignment where I examined the best way for managers to tackle performance metrics of technicians. Basically, I needed to find a quick and easy way for managers to see where areas of improvement were, and standardize it across the hundreds of garages throughout the Illinois area. I was so thankful I had taken stats, operations, and organizational behavior! Walking in to the project, I could see that the problem was so disorganized that the company did not really know where to start. My managers were pleasantly surprised by how quickly I could absorb the data and use it to tell the story of where the problem was. Little did they know that that was a standard problem we faced repeatedly in our stats class (Thanks Prof. Pekoz!). The rest of the project was using basic DMAIC problem solving practices to set up a solution to the problem, which was also easy after taking Operations, and applying concepts from OB to get the technicians and managers to understand how they could benefit from my proposed method. All of this was really great because this was my first stab at a consulting type of job, and I was really nervous about my ability to handle consulting type projects. But, I was beyond prepared for this project thanks to BU! My confidence in my analytic skills was soaring by the end of the summer, giving me just the extra I needed to proceed in finding myself a full-time job.

Although this is a business school blog, it is perfectly acceptable to have fun during your internship too so let’s talk about it! I loved being in Chicago (for the summer, I think the winters would kill me. I am a southern Californian!).

The leadership program held a few events, including a rooftop bleacher day for the Cubs game! Wrigley is an amazing stadium and the atmosphere is something everyone should experience!

Outside of that, I got to explore Chicago, the suburbs, and a little of Wisconsin for the 4th of July weekend! Another great perk of being in Chicago for the Summer is Lollapalooza (a huge 3 day music festival). This was right in the middle of downtown Chicago at Grant Park. I have never seen so many people in one place before!

Another first I got to check off my list was working in a high rise building. Our cafeteria was on the 30th floor! That was so fun for me!

The biggest things I am going to miss about being in Chicago are the beach scene (which is surprisingly awesome!) and Ian’s pizza! Go to Ian’s pizza…I am not going to tell you anything about it, just go!

Math Finance 10 Year Celebration!

2011-10-12T11:23:00.003-04:00

Post by,

Taylor Marge

MSMF Candidate 2013

The leaves are beginning to change color - a subtle reminder that the semester is flying by. Not only has this semester gone by in a blink of an eye, but the MSMF program is quietly aging as well. This weekend the MSMF program celebrated its tenth anniversary in grand fashion. The celebration included three keynote speakers, Harry Markopolos of “Chasing Bernie Madoff,” David Ye, Chief Risk Officer for State Street Global Markets, and Mark Kritzman, President and Chief Investment Officer of Windham Capital Management. The celebration also included an alumni career panel featuring graduates from the program. The celebration was open to all current students in the School of Management as well as all BU alumni. The day was a great opportunity for me and my classmates to speak with previous graduates of the program; learn from their varied experiences; and hear inspiring advice regarding the program and their career paths.

The first speaker was Harry Markopolos, an Independent Financial Fraud Investigator and Bernie Madoff whistleblower. Harry worked in industry for some time before being victimized by financial fraud. After witnessing many instances of financial fraud, he decided to take action and put a stop to as much fraud as he could. Harry is now a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and handles many large scale fraud cases. The biggest case, the Bernie Madoff case, took 8 ½ years. The details of the case can be read in No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller by Harry Markopolos.

The second speaker was David Ye, the Chief Risk Officer for State Street Global Markets. He started his career in mathematics. He received his PhD from Duke University in 1991 and he began teaching. One day he received a call from a local bank requesting his assistance. After they described the problem, he realized the intricacy of finance and that he was very interested in applying his knowledge in mathematics to finance. David has worked primarily as a Risk Officer throughout his career and lectured about the importance of risk management and the utility of understanding the market.

The final speaker was Mark Kritzman, President and Chief Investment Officer of Windham Capital Management. Mark’s lecture was on measuring systemic risk, a topic which has grown more and more important since the financial crisis of 2008. In short, Mark would use the results of his analysis to determine an optimized ratio of stocks to bonds in a portfolio.

The 10 year anniversary celebration was an important milestone for the MSMF program and we had a great time celebrating with alumni and our wonderful presenters! Here’s to the next ten years.

A Summer Internship Abroad

2011-10-03T12:13:00.016-04:00

Post by:

Meg Meyer

MBA/MPH Global Health Candidate, 2012 Council

As a dual degree MBA/MPH student with a concentration in Global Health, I knew that I wanted my internship in the summer after my first year to be working for an international company outside of the United States. I was also hoping to get work experience in Sub-Saharan Africa after having several brief prior experiences in Kenya. I was thrilled when BU alumni Paul Chen and several professors at the School of Management and the School of Public Health contacted me last spring about the potential opportunity to work in Ghana with Vestergaard Frandsen, a Swiss-based company that operates under a unique humanitarian entrepreneurship business model.

Vestergaard Frandsen (VF) has turned corporate social responsibility into their core business. They are most well-known for their long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets which help prevent malaria. However, the work I completed for them over the summer involved the LifeStraw, a water filtration device designed to prevent diarrhea which results from drinking contaminated water. It’s not always popular to talk about, but diarrhea is the number 2 cause of death in developing countries such as Ghana, especially for children under 5. In fact, diarrhea kills more children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined! Fortunately, filtering water with a high membrane filter such as the LifeStraw in the house immediately before consumption can reduce diarrhea by up to 63%.

Living in Ghana was an adventure in itself. I was fortunate enough to travel and work with two other Boston University students for this internship and was definitely grateful that we could explore Accra together. Additionally, Kristen McCormack, faculty director of the Public and Non-Profit program at SMG and recent alumna Sayaka Koseki were with us in Accra for the first week of our internship to make sure we got off to a good start. I’m definitely excited about the relationship that BU has formed with VF and I look forward to seeing what kind of collaborations we can work on in the future. Stay tuned for details about a symposium that we’re planning in January where we will highlight some of our work.

The BU Team with co-workers from Vestergaard Frandsen’s Accra office:

Here is a picture of us after taking a dance class:

The LifeStraw water filter being used in a rural school that we visited:

And we’re off!!!

2011-09-26T13:59:00.002-04:00

Post by:

Carl Palme
MS-MBA Candidate, 2012
President, Graduate Student Council

The rest of the graduate student body is back in the School of Management and things seem to be in full swing. We have had class for two weeks, and already so much has happened. For starters, we are getting to meet all the new students, who are great! A team of second years has already won a global case competition. And, we have gone on a boat cruise with 300 other students and significant others.

As president of the Graduate Student Body Council, I could not be happier. It is the priority of the student council to maximize the student experience and so far we have done just that. Over the summer we were busy organizing the boat cruise, revamping our newsletter, and working with club presidents on helping them get the year started. We also launched a new website!!!

The council is elected in the spring by the graduate student body, and has representation from many of the programs such as Public Nonprofit, Health Sector Management, and MS-MBA. The Graduate Student Council also represents the students and works as a liaison between the student body, the University and the community. Click here to meet the current council members!

Next Time: How to use technology to your MBA advantage.

Welcome from a Math Finance Student

2011-09-21T13:47:00.002-04:00

Post from:

Taylor Marge
MSMF candidate 2013

I’m excited to be writing my first blog post. My name is Taylor Marge. I am a first year student in the Mathematical Finance program at Boston University. I am from Rhode Island and went to the University of Rhode Island as an undergraduate. My hometown is only about an hour south of Boston. Living so close I have been to the city many times although since moving here I have become much more acclimated to traveling around the city. Growing up in the area I am a longtime fan of all Boston sports. It’s nice to see many of my classmates joining me in rooting for Boston.

The program started just a few weeks ago and already the work is picking up. Although I have spent many hours solving homework problems I have also had time to explore the city and the university as well. Outside of the classroom our class has spent a lot of time together in both formal and informal events. The Graduate Programs Office started the semester with an orientation which included an introduction to the program, an introduction to Bloomberg and a manners workshop which taught business etiquette. The orientation also included at trip down to the Boston waterfront where we were all able to socialize and get to know each other. Since then many of us have gone out together on our own. In addition to exploring the city my classmates have gotten together to do many activities ranging from studying to playing soccer and going to the gym.

In addition to the rigor of the program an advantage of the Math Finance program at Boston University is the Feld Career Center. We have received both group and one on one advising on topics such as networking, resume writing and writing a cover letter. The Feld Career Center offers the Math Finance program a dedicated advisor to prepare us to find an internship and subsequently a career.

I am looking forward to getting to know math, finance, my classmates and the city better in the coming months. Hopefully this will culminate in both an internship and an interesting and fun career.

Wish me luck!

Taylor

Making The Most of Your First Semester

2011-09-03T01:31:00.002-04:00

Hey class of 2013, you’re finally here! Pre-term is flying by and next week the second years will join you at SMG. You have your calendar for the semester and opportunities and assignments are multiplying at exponential rates. So here is a little unsolicited advice.

1. Remember What’s Most Important

You will have to juggle academic, career, and social responsibilities, so take some time over the long weekend to remind yourself of the reasons you decided to get an MBA. Use these goals to help you choose which opportunities to take advantage of and which ones to turn down.

Do not let the quest for the best grades shape your semester or you might miss out on key networking opportunities and memorable life experiences.

Have fun. You are going to work really hard, but you are also going to become close friends with the amazing people in your cohort. If you realize that you have spent two weeks in the library, it is time to take a break and explore Boston with friends, or do an informational interview at one of your target companies.

2. Take Advantage of Resources at SMG

One of SMG’s greatest assets is the personalized attention that you can receive. So after you choose a career community, go visit the faculty director and ask him/her to introduce you people who are working at your target companies.

Also network with your classmates and with second years . . . we can not wait to meet you.

You all know this by now, but we have one of the most approachable Deans ever. So introduce yourself.

In short, settle in and make yourself at home!

Post by:

Anya Thomas
MBA & PNP candidate 2012

Optimizing The Summer Before Your MBA

2011-06-29T09:54:00.004-04:00

Are you wondering how to best prepare for your first year of B-School? Are there things you can be doing before you start the program?

Rising second year student, Anya Thomas shares here tips:

Find housing and move in by the beginning of August (don’t wait until September 1^st, your classes start before then and you’ll be stressed if you’re still moving)

If you can . . . take a few weeks off of work and use the time to move to Boston, rest, travel, spend time with family. Basically get refreshed and be ready to give 100% when the semester begins.
Do informational interviews. You’ll get more training for this during Pre-term, but take advantage of contacts you’ll be leaving behind in NYC, San Francisco, Lima, Beijing etc. Use the fact that you’re a student to put people at ease and to learn about roles, functions, and industries that you were always curious about.
While you do not need to spend a lot of time preparing for specific subjects, you can get a head start or review key principles by reading some of the following books:

FINANCE: Corporate Finance (Plus MyFinanceLab Student Access Card Package (2nd Edition)
By Jonathan Berk, Peter DeMarz
STATISTICS: The Manager's Guide to Statistics
by Erol A Pekoz
ECONOMICS: Managerial Economics
by Susan Samuelson
D. The Accounting Primer will be sent to you. Try and check this over before school starts.

**(note the professors will not post the updated reading list until August, so you may want to check these out from a library or just wait until the exact edition is posted

4). Connect with your future classmates through facebook, BU clubs/organizations you plan to join, contacts you made at Open House. Also, there are several 2^nd year students who are in Boston over the summer and they would love to meet you.

5) Make a list of companies that you are most interested in learning about or working for and search your LinkedIn network to see if people in your social sphere work for these companies.

6) When you get to Boston, visit the gardens in Boston Common, go on a Duck Tour, eat Italian food in the North End, or Clam Chowder at one of Boston’s famous seafood restaurants. Get to know your new city.

I hope that gives you some good ideas. All of us here at BU look forward to welcoming all the incoming students to campus in the coming months!!

Publish Post

image from http://www.wpclipart.com/people/moving.jpg

My Take on the First Year of the MBA Program

2011-06-09T11:40:00.007-04:00

Post by:

Ivan Busulwa: MBA, MPH 2012
Health Sector Management & International Health
MBA Council

One of those late nights in the grad lounge.
(L-R: Juan Machado, Sergio Floris, Roman Sverdlov, Ivan Busulwa)

First Semester

Now that I’m done, I’d like to share with you my assessment of the first year of BU’s MBA program. I have come to realize that the program is as much about time management as anything else. There are lots of on-campus & off-campus activities, optional courses to take elsewhere, keynote speakers to listen to, and extracurricular events like the cohort cup to participate in. Oft-time, I wish I could be in two places at once!

Despite all the class work that will be thrown at you especially during the 1^st semester, I strongly encourage you to participate in the extracurricular events, get involved with the clubs, and get to know the second year students and mentors that will be assigned to you. I found these quite helpful since they usually went out of their way to listen to students’ issues and guide 1^st years on how best to navigate the hurdle that is the first semester I. My only regret is that I didn’t get involved with as many clubs as much as I’d have liked to.

And did I mention there’s a lot to see in Boston? Fellow students from the area gave me a useful list of places I should visit before I ever think about leaving the city. There’s the Quincy market, the Aquarium, Fenway Park (which you’ll get to see a part of during orientation), all the pubs along Comm. Ave, and inevitably, a Red Sox game. Being the fair weather fan that I am, I’ll probably go to one of their games before the close of the year.

Cohort B after the finals. Goodbye first year… Enter second year!

Second Semester

I felt the 2^nd semester went way better than the first one, especially since I got an internship early. This allowed me to focus on lots of other things without having to worry about where I was going to be in the summer. Besides the internship, there was a lot more to be happy about. The winter blossomed into a beautiful spring and the class work got more manageable. I also felt I got to spend more time with friends and to participate in events like the cohort cup. I decided to wrap up the year with a trip to New York City. I haven’t been to many places yet but I can certainly say NYC ranks up there as one of the grandest I’ve visited (after Boston). And the best part is that it’s only a $15 bus ride away and 4 hours from school. At such prices, I’m considering making the trip down there a weekly ritual.Although I had been forewarned, only now do I notice that MBA hours move faster than the real time. I just watched the 2^nd years graduate and I still can't believe I'm less than one year away from joining them.

Overall, at the expense of sounding cliché, I feel the biggest value one gets from the MBA is the ‘experience’ with other students. Just sharing classes and spending time with various people from different backgrounds and having diverse personalities & perspectives, is one of the MBA's greatest values – and it's difficult to attach a price to that. There's definitely the in-class knowledge from the professors but I don’t think that even comes close.

In fact, at the close of the semester, I felt somewhat sad since we weren’t going to be seeing much of each other during the 2^nd year as we’ll no longer have the same classes in the same cohorts. Despite all the hard work though, I can confidently say that this has been one of the finest nine months I've ‘experienced’!

Some Cohort B members after the MBA talent show. Still don’t understand how we didn’t win the cup! (L-R: Kerri Carlson, Ivan Busulwa, Assad the Assassin, Siddharth Garg, Akshay Bhargava, Rachel Dacwag)

Graduation!

2011-06-01T11:05:00.008-04:00

Some pictures from the Graduate School of Management Commencement.

Walking in!

Blogger Michelle He walking to receive her diploma.

Blogger Lauren Abrahams posing with Deepa Krishna after receiving their diplomas.

Excited Graduates

Bloggers Ajay Mehta and Louise Davies

Celebrating as official MBAs

Als0 - check out this video of Katie Couric, the all-school graduation speaker:

Watch this video on YouTube

Or read about the all school ceremony here: http://www.bu.edu/today/node/13002

And a nice slide show:

Watch this video on YouTube