Tag: Wash U

One minute. That’s the time that it took me to register for classes this week. And while that might seem a little extreme and dramatic, it’s a necessary approach to getting into the classes I want. Anything more than a minute and you are most definitely wait-listed or never getting in all together.

How is that possible, one might ask? Well, there are a lot of students and limited seats. And when classes fill up in 45 seconds (yes, that happened), planning and constantly pressing refresh between 7:25 and 7:30 a.m. are the only way around that.

With that, let me give you some tips and tricks on how to win the bull race on registration morning:

• Create a schedule ahead of time: Again, this seems like a given but I know students that have waited until the morning of registration to really dig deep into the class offerings. They learned the hard way that waiting is a losing approach. So, don’t be a loser and spend time looking through the listing of classes, figuring out what days and times work for you, and making a schedule.
• Attend the advising sessions: I found this particularly helpful the first semester that I had to register since the program director (the infamous Jan Snow) not only has several class recommendations but can answer any questions you have related to graduation requirements. As an FYI, a PMBA student needs 54 credit hours to graduate.
• Use the registration worksheet: If you’re not using this, you’re doing registration wrong. To the point that I’ve included a screenshot below so that you know where to find the worksheet and what it looks like.
  

  Registration Worksheet. The answer to all your registration problems.

  What it does is allow you to bookmark classes while you’re working on the first bullet of this post (ha!) that will automatically populate in the registration tab the morning of registration. From there, all you do is go down the list and click “add course.” Boom! You register in a minute.

As a side note, I registered for my last semester this week and I couldn’t be happier. The first reason is to cross “Get an MBA” off my life to-do list. The second is to never have to stress about registration again.

Image: computer laptop keyboard HP Pavilion Entertainment PC, Carissa Rogers, Flickr Creative Commons

On the afternoon of September 22, the Atrium of Knight and Bauer Halls played host to a graduate school fair, where students interested in pursuing graduate degrees could meet with representatives from graduate programs across the Washington University campuses.

All seven of Washington University’s schools were represented at the fair, and students from Washington University and other local universities were in attendance. The graduate school fair is an annual event, held each fall in anticipation of the graduate school admissions season.

“The event is a great way for people looking at graduate school to explore what Washington University has to offer,” noted Megan Waite, a representative from the Olin Business School graduate admissions office.

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.

How do specialized master students spend their summer? Olin’s best and brightest put their minds to work on projects in the real world. A number of master of accounting and quantitative finance students are working in St. Louis this summer on special business projects for well-known companies and an educational institution you might recognize…

The Wells Fargo Advisors team.

Students are working in teams on projects with Wells Fargo, RGA, and the Washington University treasury department.  The students are tackling real and relevant business challenges using their specialized skill set.

Wash U Treasury team

It’s a win win situation. Students are gaining valuable real world experience and the companies are benefitting from their collective brainpower.