My name is Alexander Faught. I am a first year MBA, and this is my first Olin blog post. I would like to use this opportunity to write about my Mini-A session (Olin’s quarter system equivalent).
As break came to an end and I began preparing myself for round two of the spring semester, it was hard not to reflect on my time at Olin.
After successfully completing “the core” in the fall, I was able to explore many academic and professional interests through Olin’s plethora of course offerings, with classes ranging from effective communication to database marketing and entrepreneurship to industry analysis. Despite approaching these choices with an open mind, I inevitably gravitated toward a concentration in finance, as my course selection shows: advanced accounting, corporate finance, economics, and modeling made up the brunt of my workload.
MBA and SMP students on the Omaha, Nebraska trip to meet with Warren Buffett.
The six-week period was action packed both inside and outside of the classroom. Some of the highlights included:
– Participating in case discussions analyzing the accounting, economic, and financial principles behind various events involving Berkshire Hathaway, Brown-Forman, GE, Gillette, Marriott, and Nintendo (among others);
-Creating models and running simulations on airline reservations and pricing, option values, mortgage decisions, and optimal plant production;
-Attending a guest corporate finance lecture given by two Monsanto M&A experts, focusing on the practical application of valuation theory (specifically regarding industry discounted cash flow techniques);
-Visiting Berkshire Hathaway’s headquarters, touring some of its portfolio business, and meeting Warren Buffett on an Olin-sponsored trip to Omaha, NE (yes, I shook the Oracle’s hand!);
-Entering my first case competition, and valuing a private business through the ACG Cup; and
-Interviewing with several firms and finding the right match for this upcoming summer (interning in an investment research capacity).
Although it is hard to imagine a better session, I am sure the next six weeks will render many more noteworthy experiences…
Finance photo by Tax Credits on Flickr
