Tag: mba



In my first weeks at the Olin Business School, I received an e-mail from Real Simple, one of the many daily updates I receive, alongside WSJ, the Skimm, and other e-mails that keep me up to-date on current events, news, and general happenings. The Real Simple quotes or sayings are more aspirational and generally make me feel better whereas the news updates aren’t always as cheerful. And, it’s surprising how often these quotes really apply to what is happening in my daily life, at least most of the time.

I was (and still am) neck-deep in my work projects, school assignments and reading, scheduling activities for my family, working on some house projects, and generally thinking “I am sooo tired.” And, there it was, the quote of the day:

“There’s a lot of good waiting for you on the other side of tired. Get yourself tired.”  Andre Agassi

OK, not an earth-shattering quote, but it made me stop, something I’m not doing often, and I laughed to myself about the truth of this statement. It made me realize again how badly I want my MBA and that goals we work toward are never easy. Anyone who has achieved a large goal knows that being tired comes with the territory, but the focus is the end goal, because the more tired you are, the better the success, whether that’s in tennis or other fitness achievement, or the next step in your career, like achieving an MBA.

So, that’s what I’m going to continue to do. I’m going to keep going. I’m going to get more tired. Because I want to look back and say I invested all of my time, focus, and sleep on something that would make me proud. I’ve only just begun, but I can’t wait to get to the other side.

Image: Eugene Wei, Agassi at US Open 2005, Flickr, Creative Commons




In the blink of an eye, my group was writing its final paper for Organizational Behavior – where does the time go?! Seven weeks ago, we were talking about this paper and accompanying video project like they would never happen and, before we knew it, we were submitting a five page write up to Professor Paese.

One of the questions that we had to answer was what we would recommend for other teams about to embark on their first project together. I figured some of you could learn from our mistakes experience.

  • Book rooms in advance – Olin is a great place for group meetings since the rooms are equipped with projection capabilities: throw your paper on the TV and everyone can edit together. However, there are only a few rooms to go around between undergrads, full time MBAs and PMBAs so, to prevent from getting kicked out of a room or not having anywhere to meet altogether, book in advance. (I’m looking at you, single person who kicked five people out of BH202)
  • Google Docs are the answer – Not everyone will be present at group meetings and sometimes, you’ll need to work on parts of a project individually and reconvene later. Google Docs are a great tool for everyone to edit the same document. Not only do you prevent multiple versions from flying around over email, you can see everyone’s work as you all edit the same, most current file.
  • Spend time with each other outside of group meetings – The PMBA program has a very convenient happy hour, appropriately named After Dark, that begins after class every Thursday. Take advantage of that and get to know your teammates and other PMBA classmates in a casual setting (#freebeer). You’ll actually begin to look forward to those group meetings once you think of your teammates as friends.

Couple these with some can-do attitude (plus a hundred other tips that I’m leaving out for brevity) and you’ll be set. Sure, you’ll learn the more highbrow advice (a.k.a. trust, communication, flexibility etc.) if you read Group 3’s final paper but true group wisdom will come from personal experience. There’s no better way to see what your group is made of than throwing yourself out of a figurative plane and trusting they packed the parachute correctly. I’m happy to report that Group 3 is alive and well. Onward to our next frontier!

Sidebar: Since this blog encourages participation, tell us in the comments your advice on working in groups. Any particular challenges you’ve faced? How do you manage to juggle everyone’s commitments?

Image: Group at table with Calisto 620, plantronicsgermany, FLickr Creative Commons




Olin Business School new building atrium

I had eagerly volunteered to be a student blogger last year, and had high hopes of being a [semi]regular contributor to the blog. Unfortunately, I never found (or made) the time to sit down and type out a few words…until today.

So, today, as a student-turned-alumnus, I want to talk about being grateful.

This past weekend, I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. Graduation day was a significant and memorable event…one that will forever be etched into my nostalgic, curious brain. And on that day, I found myself swept up by feelings of deep gratitude.

I. Am. Grateful. Grateful that my parents had made the trip to St. Louis to celebrate the big day. Grateful to my wife for her incredible encouragement and support over the past two years. Grateful for a remarkable and diverse collection of classmates, who have given me a lifetime of memories. Grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from gifted, insightful professors who challenged me and pushed me to succeed. Grateful for an administration that has my best interests in mind, and worked tirelessly to provide me with a meaningful experience. Grateful for a dean who leads with purpose, and who possesses a warmth that endears him to every Olin student. Grateful for the gift of stunning new business school buildings, which have sparked even more life into an already-vibrant Olin community.

I. Am. Grateful.

Ah, but this gratitude stretches far back, having settled in long before graduation day. I am grateful that in 2012, the fine folks of Olin Business School thought I might be a good fit for the MBA class of 2014, so they offered me a spot on the roster. I’m grateful that they provided me a scholarship that enabled me to say “yes” to that offer of admission. I’m grateful that from Day 1 of GO! Week, I felt like the people around here were invested in me. The Olin community has always made me feel like “they” believe in ME…that I am capable of great things, now and in the future. And if Olin has a brand, I would argue that its brand is the ability to instill belief in its students. This belief trickles down in nuanced ways – through conversations, emails, smiles, questions, and handshakes – and it has always found a way to find me. The impact of this institutional quality cannot be overstated. Over the past two years, whenever I found myself struggling, wavering in uncertainty, or stressed and stretched thin, I found strength in Olin’s belief in me.

For all of that, I am incredibly grateful. Thank you Olin Business School and thank you Washington University. I’m going to miss your beautiful pink granite buildings and the friendly faces that have made this school such a wonderful place to call home over the past two years. How lucky I am that Wash U will forever be part of my story. I promise to come back and visit.




School’s not out yet for Olin undergrads in a new course called Business & Government: Understanding and Influencing the Regulatory Environment.  While their classmates packed up for summer destinations, the pioneers in this class trekked to the nation’s capital for a weeklong immersion into the regulatory workings of Washington D.C.

The program is designed and delivered by Brookings Executive Education (BEE), a unique partnership between Olin and the Brookings Institution. Students in this inaugural course include undergrads, MBAs and PMBAs.

Students were greeted on Sunday by Trevor Corning, BEE program coordinator, and led on a lively tour of Washington. The group is lodged in the heart of the city, at DuPont Circle, a short walk to Brookings and other notable sights such as the White House.

The class got down to business early Monday morning with an overview by BEE’s Mary Ellen Joyce of a heuristic by which to understand the process and the role of a policy entrepreneur.

Former Oklahoma Governor and now President of the American Banker’s Association, Frank Keating, keynoted the program sharing his observations about the importance of government-business interaction.

Governor Keating was followed by John Hudak, a Brookings Fellow, who discussed the publicly underestimated power of the President and his Cabinet secretaries, providing insight into opportunities to engage with decisionmakers.

Following lunch, the vibrant Ilona Nichols (Public Policy Consultant; former House and Senate Staffer, and Congressional Research Service expert on legislative procedures), briefed the students on the legislative process, confirming notions that Congress is indeed a “sausage factory.”

Next up was a behind-the-scenes tour of the Capitol led by former Congressman Jack Buechner who represented the district surrounding St. Louis. Buechner brought the students onto the floor of the House, creating lasting memories for the group.

The day concluded with a visit to the Washington office of Monsanto where students learned about the business perspective of the policy process and the importance of active participation in policy conversations.

Then it was back to work. Monday evening, students met in their groups to start discussing their assignment to develop an advocacy plan. Students were assigned roles to play in the debate over a high-level nuclear waste repository. We’ll see at the end of the week if the nuclear industry will hold sway over the anti-nukes!




MBA students at Olin are in the thick of exam season right now but looking forward to the start of summer just days away.

Most of us have internships lined up for the next few months so it won’t be all fun and games. About 50 of us will be in St. Louis either working for corporations or getting involved with startups through local entrepreneurship organizations such as lab1500 (http://www.lab1500.com/).

Incoming first year full-time MBAs start classes in late July this year so if you’re in town early and looking for something fun to do, there are some great St. Louis ideas in this short film made by Anastasia Films.




Two first year MBA students, Katie Miller and Alex McDonnell, spent their Saturday morning planting seedlings for Missouri Forest ReLeaf. 

Forest ReLeaf is an organization that was founded 20 years ago in an effort to raise awareness of the need for trees within cities and to inspire local volunteers to plant more trees in their communities.

Katie and Alex pause for the camera while helping pot 2,000 seedlings on a recent Saturday.

On Saturday, Katie and Alex helped a volunteer group to plant over 2,000 seedlings in St. Louis!  It is great to see the commitment of our MBA students to the St. Louis community!

Katie Miller serves as the President of the Olin chapter of NetImpact.  NetImpact is an student organization that encourages and teaches business students the importance of  sustainability, corporate responsibility, and social entrepreneurship.

 

Click here to learn more about Missouri Forest ReLeaf or Olin NetImpact.