Current Student Blogs : MBA Archive

bb · 2013-12-18T11:22:50-08:00

Current Student Blogs "The best advice I have ever received was from my fellow applicants" - this is a quote I hear almost daily from GMAT Club members. This thread is bringing you the latest and greatest from the MBA blogosphere! This thread will be a collection of Currently Enrolled GMAT Club member blog posts brought directly from their blogs. You can pick up what they have found to be worthwhile and understand what bSchool life is really about! Here is a list of users/blogs that are currently participating (want to add your blog? You can do it here ) 1. Stevenfuqua - https://www.stevensma.com/ 2. etoubes - https://reachingthethirties.wordpress.com/ 3. Whiplasher - https://oxonian2013mba.wordpress.com/ - The Oxford Comma 4. NewCardinal - https://sloanlife.com/ - Sharing my journey through Stanford GSB 5. Defying Gravity https://defyinggravitymba.blogspot.com/ - moving from Applicant to the Current Student Blogs - HBS 6. uwengdori https://joshatrotman.wordpress.com/ - Study. Exercise. Food. Toronto. Friends. All about life at Rotman. 7. Domotron - https://domotron.wordpress.com/ 8. Hamm0 - https://hamm0.wordpress.com/ 9. Sarahrs - https://sarahmbajourney.wordpress.com/ 10. Timbob - https://timbob101.wordpress.com/ 11. gamalhot - https://gmalhotra.com/ 12. gmat4IMD - https://captainimd.tumblr.com/ - A blog by former Ship Captain and Current IMD Student 13. J2insead https://journey2insead.wordpress.com/ - A Nigerian's journey to the Business School for the World 14. mybjourney https://fromjeanstosuits.wordpress.com/ - My Journey through the MBA 15. Yudanashi https://blog.davidbbaker.com/ - My journey to Oxford's MBA Program at the Said Business School. 16. bschooladmit20 - https://medium.com/@Natasha_Malpani - MBA’18 @stanfordbiz, ex-investor @bigsocietycap. Exploring the future of #media entreprenuership. See Also.... MBA Applicant Blogs

uwengdori

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Schools: Rotman '16 (M)

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24 Sep 2015, 21:01

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FROM uwengdori - Current Student: Clubs Fair…once again from last year…except that I’m on the other side of a table

It was just about a year ago when I posted my excitement about attending the Rotman clubs fair and how I had no idea what each club was.

View my last year’s post here

and before realizing, I am now already a 2nd year and I am now where they were on the other side of the table!

2nd years had a welcome-back brunch and had chances to catch up.

There was a feeling of nostalgia when I was quietly walking inside the empty Desautels Hall. Sometimes there is so much excitement here and sometimes it’s quiet. So much time had been put into this by all the 2nd year students.

and all of a sudden, the hall is jam packed.

Some snacks we gave out as Rotman Health and Wellness club.

At least in the present, you might be thinking what the value of clubs is, but perhaps after a few years, maybe 5 or 10, or even 20, when you recollect your memories from MBA, it is my hope that you have something to take away from and can say that you were very busy, but learned a lot through clubs.

Join the club.

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25 Sep 2015, 09:01

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FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: The difference a year makes

On entering the second half of her MBA, Kristina Koch analyses how things change

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Yudanashi

Joined: 19 Feb 2015

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Concentration: Marketing, Technology

Schools: Said'16 (M) Stanford '17 (D) HBS '17 (D) Kellogg '17 (D) Duke '17 (WD)

GRE 1: Q159 V161

GPA: 3.49

WE:Sales (Advertising and PR)

Schools: Said'16 (M) Stanford '17 (D) HBS '17 (D) Kellogg '17 (D) Duke '17 (WD)

GRE 1: Q159 V161

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27 Sep 2015, 14:01

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FROM Yudanashi: MBA Launch begins – A Year of Opportunity (MT -2)

This week has been intense and honestly felt like a month. We have had many parties and pub nights, LONG lectures filled with all 340 of us; some terrible sessions and some astoundingly amazing ones including Sue … Sue Tonks and Simon Bucknell. Simon’s session on executive presence was by far my favorite and I gained a lot of lessons from his time with our class. The biggest lesson is that story-telling is a missed opportunity in business and that is one reason it is so successful.

When Simon told us this, it resonated with something a McKinsey partner told me at an event a couple of weeks ago in London. The partner said “Strategy is differentiation.” Think about that for a minute. Strategy is differentiation. Perfect strategy is doing something that your competitors in the space aren’t doing instead of merely copying their tactics. Strategy is about taking the opportunities that everyone else misses.

I firmly believe that this is a fundamental axiom of business, that being different from your competition gives you a strategic advantage and because of this I am starting to think about what differentiates us as a class from our competitors. What opportunities are in front of us that we could miss if we aren’t careful? As I spent the week thinking about our class in action each day and wondering what opportunities we have I realized our biggest one.

On Monday we were told that Derek Walker the director of our careers center is quitting. We will be without a careers director for some time and while there will be coverage from department leads, this is a potential set-back for many of us. For others it is a crisis. I

f DC has taught me anything useful it is to never waste a good crisis. I chose to see this “crisis” as an opportunity for us to define our class. We have a choice to either compete with our classmates for jobs or to support each other in getting the best job for us and for those in the class. I believe that just as storytelling is a missed opportunity in business, supporting each other’s ambition is a missed opportunity for MBA students. If we can support each other and put all competition aside we will end up a much strong class because of it, both now and long-term.

Let us not be like HBS, Wharton & LBS and draw our long-knives ready to cut down our competition for a limited number of SBS slots for key employers. This *may* help someone get the initial offer more than their classmates (no guarantee) but it does a disservice to them in the long-run. Instead Supportive Ambition, helping each other prepare for case interviews even if there is only 1 slot for SBS, is what can set us apart. Why? Not because I believe in some utopian existence, but because I believe it provides the most value, long term.

How? If you are short-term greedy and focus on getting yourself the top slot you might get it, but you miss an opportunity to build close relationships with your future peers in the industry. If you instead work with a group to prepare for the same role then the odds of you getting the role goes up (more applied practice) and there is always a possibility with these employers that they open up space beyond their target for each school.

Lets pretend for a moment that you help your classmates and don’t get the job. Would you rather that job go to someone you don’t know from LBS, someone you have have been competing against at SBS, or the buddy you spent 20 hours working on interview prep with? Which is best for the lifetime value of your network?

This strategy is also backed-up not just by hypothetical situations, but also by John Nash whom we should be discussing this year. His work on group dynamics and game theory prove that the best outcome for us is to do what is best for *both* ourselves and the class as a whole. If you don’t know who John Nash is or haven’t seen A Beautiful Mind then at least watch this short clip and realize that Supportive Ambition is an opportunity for all of us to finish this year in an astounding way. I hope that each of us continues the power of this first week and supports each other. I know that I am willing to talk with anyone looking at marketing roles as I craft my personal brand and story.

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28 Sep 2015, 10:02

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FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: First impressions of Durham

Exchanging Italy for the UK, Luca Sabia settles into his new home

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30 Sep 2015, 12:01

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FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: From Imperial to MIT Sloan

Michael Wieder reflects on his final project and his time at MIT Sloan

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ambitiousbusinessguy

Joined: 09 Jun 2015

Last visit: 05 Feb 2016

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Status:Accepted

Location: United States (IN)

Concentration: General Management, Healthcare

Schools: Harvard Business School - Class of 2017

GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V40 Verified score

GPA: 3.7

WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)

Schools: Harvard Business School - Class of 2017

GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V40 Verified score

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30 Sep 2015, 14:01

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FROM Ambitiousbusinessguy: Meeting a record-breaking group of classmates

It’s a statistic that has floated around since orientation and pre-term, but I think it bears repeating: the Kellogg class of 2017 has a record percentage of female students, and at 43% of an incoming class of 492, those students are poised to make a big impact. I had a chance to feel this impact quite viscerally when I walked into the Allen Center a few weeks ago for the first annual Women’s Welcome Event hosted by the Women’s Business Association (WBA).

https://kelloggmbastudents.wordpress.com/2015/09/29/meeting-a-record-breaking-group-of-classmates/

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01 Oct 2015, 05:02

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FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: Case studies & cocktails

I realised this evening that my life now epitomises b-school as captured in the title of Shuchart and Ryan’s business school survival book Case studies & Cocktails.
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02 Oct 2015, 05:01

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FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: Leaders vs soldiers

Stephen Morse says it is the choices one makes that distinguishes a leader from a follower

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02 Oct 2015, 11:01

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FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: The beginning of a great, shared journey

My inaugural two weeks of MBA life can be summed up in three words; exciting, challenging and fun.

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ambitiousbusinessguy

Joined: 09 Jun 2015

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Status:Accepted

Location: United States (IN)

Concentration: General Management, Healthcare

Schools: Harvard Business School - Class of 2017

GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V40 Verified score

GPA: 3.7

WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)

Schools: Harvard Business School - Class of 2017

GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V40 Verified score

Posts: 65

Kudos: 43

02 Oct 2015, 15:01

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FROM Ambitiousbusinessguy: KWEST 2015 #TBT

Last week, hundreds of first-year and second-year students traversed the globe as part of KWEST: Kellogg Worldwide Experience and Service Trip. Kyle Burr, one of the student-run KWEST executive committee members, wrote about the KWEST experience in the run up to this year’s trip.

As Kellogg’s first-year students continue their Complete Immersion in Management (CIM) week, take a look back at some of the photo highlights from their trips as part of Throwback Thursday.

https://kelloggmbastudents.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/kwest-2015-tbt/

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NandoParrado

Joined: 07 Jan 2014

Last visit: 15 May 2017

Posts: 109

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46

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Location: United Kingdom

Concentration: Technology, Leadership

Schools: HBS '17 (A) Stanford '17 (M)

GMAT 1: 740 Q49 V41 Verified score

GPA: 3.99

WE:Business Development (Media/Entertainment)

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Schools: HBS '17 (A) Stanford '17 (M)

GMAT 1: 740 Q49 V41 Verified score

Posts: 109

Kudos: 46

04 Oct 2015, 18:01

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FROM NandoParrado: Weeks 0-1-2

I am completing today my third week at the GSB, and time is already a very constrained resource. So I will post here a comprehensive update for the month of September, and I will aim for one update a month from … Continue reading →

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Yudanashi

Joined: 19 Feb 2015

Last visit: 25 Sep 2015

Posts: 113

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Concentration: Marketing, Technology

Schools: Said'16 (M) Stanford '17 (D) HBS '17 (D) Kellogg '17 (D) Duke '17 (WD)

GRE 1: Q159 V161

GPA: 3.49

WE:Sales (Advertising and PR)

Schools: Said'16 (M) Stanford '17 (D) HBS '17 (D) Kellogg '17 (D) Duke '17 (WD)

GRE 1: Q159 V161

Posts: 113

Kudos: 5

04 Oct 2015, 18:01

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FROM Yudanashi: Vulnerability – MBA Launch Week 2 (MT-1)

This week as an MBA was focused on setting the stage for our year here at the Oxford MBA. We started the week with GOTO (Global Opportunities & Threats at Oxford) a module designed to get us thinking about global scale challenges and how diversely we can start to define them let alone solve them. From the 60M displaced migrants globally, to the shortage and scarcity of water, to the impact of big data on privacy & cybersecurity. This module provides the context for our classes in the broader world and looks like it will be the highlight of our year.

We spent a day hearing from the careers department about various career paths that we can take from our MBA and I got some 1:1 time with a sector advisor to talk through my story and where in marketing I want to end up down the line. We started our lectures in Analytics (really just statistics), Business Finance, and the “Global Rules of the Game” which really was about building coalitions and working within the global legal frameworks of the EU, UN, and US governments, coalitions, and NGOs (I felt right at home).

Lastly this week (and the subject for today’s post) was our days spent looking beyond Money, Blue-chip firms, and Fame at what really drives us. What gets us out of bed in the morning. What our passion truly is and how in looking at our own diverse narratives we can find those things which motivate us. It also was a lesson in unconscious bias and the dangers that lurk there. In talking with our class it received mixed reviews, but for me it was the most powerful session we have had in the past two weeks. Coming from Google my manager and our leadership team focused a lot on similar aspects so much of this wasn’t new, as such it made me truly think about where I stood in the world and what motivated me each day.

Ultimately I came to terms with the fact that “I don’t know” what motivates me. And that that is okay. I’m still looking for my mission, my cause, my quixotic quest. I am definitely motivated by many things (I don’t think anyone who gets into the OxfordMBA program isn’t) but my true motivation eludes me. I spent this week getting to a space in which I am okay with that fact for now.

What is so phenomenal about our program are the people. I said this in an earlier post but after meeting so many of my classmates this is absolutely the truth. I say this because had it not been for a handful of my classmates I would have had a completely lousy week. But we have gotten to know each other well enough that I felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable with a handful, letting them know that I needed help.

It is an incredibly difficult thing to do, ask for help, but in doing so I was able to forge closer relationships with people whom I now know will always have my back. I made myself vulnerable to my classmates in a program known generally for its competitive nature. Instead of using my weakness against me classmates have helped me become stronger.

As I look at our class and the year ahead of us I hope personally to continue making myself real and vulnerable with each and every one of you. I hope that members of the class who are reading this know that I am happy to be a listening ear; a friend who will help in times of need; a part of your support here during our year abroad. In the coming weeks I want to talk more about opening up to others (hopefully with more examples from my own life), but in all reality it is late and I have an Analytics class in a few hours. More to come next week.

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05 Oct 2015, 10:01

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FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: High performance in the Highlands

A two-day trek allows Jess Webb to focus on her teamwork skills

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stevenfuqua

Joined: 24 Nov 2013

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Concentration: Healthcare

Schools: Duke '15 (M)

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05 Oct 2015, 19:00

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FROM From Bench to Board (Fuqua): How the Duke MBA Makes Leaders - Communication

I’ll start off with a quote from another blog post I’ve written: “not all great communicators are great leaders, but all great leaders are great communicators.” Being able to clearly articulate what’s on your mind is necessary for – in the most simple of words – getting people to agree to do things. But how does the Duke MBA prepare its future leaders for communication in the business world, and what is it looking for in its applicants?

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07 Oct 2015, 00:01

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FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: Initiation rituals

Bo Zhang finds himself wearing a neon headband and hippy jacket for two weeks

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08 Oct 2015, 10:01

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FROM Financial Times MBA Blog: On climate change

Environmental issues are top of Timo Marquez's MBA agenda

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ambitiousbusinessguy

Joined: 09 Jun 2015

Last visit: 05 Feb 2016

Posts: 65

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Status:Accepted

Location: United States (IN)

Concentration: General Management, Healthcare

Schools: Harvard Business School - Class of 2017

GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V40 Verified score

GPA: 3.7

WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)

Schools: Harvard Business School - Class of 2017

GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V40 Verified score

Posts: 65

Kudos: 43

08 Oct 2015, 14:01

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FROM Ambitiousbusinessguy: Kellogg welcomes the dynamic, diverse class of 2017

We are thrilled to welcome the Class of 2017 to campus today, and data from the incoming class of students indicates that Kellogg’s community is about to reach a new level of diversity and intellectual merit.

Within the Class of 2017, a record-breaking 43 percent of students are women — representing a 5 percent increase over last year (and a significant change from the 29% women when I was at Kellogg in 2003!). This class includes representation from more than 50 different citizenships and cultural backgrounds. At the same time, the average GMAT score of incoming students was 724, an all-time high. From all angles, this is a stellar class!

https://kelloggmbastudents.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/kellogg-welcomes-the-dynamic-diverse-class-of-2017/

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