It seems like October literally FLEW by. Our first seven weeks included Strategic Analysis, Managing People and Organizations, Accounting, Statistics and Management Practice 1, which is similar to a mini-consulting/design thinking project. With the exception of MP1 which goes until December, all of those classes have ended- I can't believe it!
We celebrated the end of the first seven weeks at an appropriately named party: "The Seven Week Party!" The GMA (Graduate Management Association) sponsored a celebration at GameOn, a local sports bar. It was an opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments with students, partners and professors. There was a raffle (unfortunately, I didn't win) which included prizes all donated from the academic faculty.
I am one of the Student Ambassadors to the MBA program. In addition to this blog, I also host individuals who come to visit BC as perspective students. They have the opportunity to sit in on a class, ask questions and get a feel for the program. Last week a student apprehensively told me that he had no business experience and didn't know how he'd survive the program. Having just finished the first seven weeks, I was in a perfect place to offer some encouragement. As you may know, I spent the last five years working clinically in a hospital. And although in preparation, I did take some "business-minded" classes over the year prior to my matriculation- in essence, I had NO business experience prior to my arrival. I was as nervous (if not more so) than the perspective student sitting beside me. But it was easy for me to tell him- seven weeks ago, accounting was a foreign language- literally- a foreign language. SWOT Analysis, PEST Analysis- these terms meant nothing. The P Value? The F Test? Uncommon terms. But today, seven weeks later, I'm a different student. I've been exposed to topics I'd never studied before and found success in the classroom- all with no business experience. My teammates (go Team 4!) worked together to ensure that we all understood. My professors took the extra time I needed in their office to ensure I was on the right track.
Everyone comes to class nervous about something. For me (and for this perspective student) it was my lack of business experience. I'm here to tell you- with dedication, some serious time management, hard work and a supportive team- you're going to be just fine!
