method wrote:
Speaking of enthusiasm, McCombs is a school I'm super excited about. How's your first year been so far brothersharp? Anything cool you weren't expecting?
I think the most striking thing for me is the amount of student involvement in just every aspect of the school. Students organize and run, or at least heavily influence, just about everything at the school. For example, some second years felt the need for a selective, specialty organization on campus that would cater to MBA students interested in the interaction between operations, supply chains, and information management. They got support from some key faculty members in each discipline, got the Supply Chain Center of Excellence on board, and started a group called Sigma Fellows. They organized an application process, conducted interviews, and selected an inaugural class of 12 first-year students. Thus, Sigma Fellows was born just a few weeks ago as an official McCombs organization, and there's even an Operations Practicum course tailored specifically for them starting next semester. It all happened because some students saw the need, got support, and made it happen. I think that's pretty awesome, and it's the latest example of just how much you can do as a student here.
And of course, all of this is possible because the faculty and MBA program staff are really great. Everyone is very accessible, and people don't just stay in their offices. We see the MBA program director frequently walking around and talking to people. The Dean of the business school taught macroeconomics to 2 of our 4 cohorts, and the Dean of the MBA program taught my Accounting class for several weeks, filling in for our professor who was sick. He also has lunch with students on a regular basis to hear about how things are going, what we like, what we don't like, etc., and shares what his ideas are for going forward.
Another thing that really struck me was that there really aren't any people here who just go to class, work with their study teams, and then go home. Everyone is just tremendously involved in a dizzying array of activities outside of class, and it's pretty exciting. I always heard people spout the old adage, "50% of business school happens outside the classroom", but it wasn't until I started as a student that it really sank it. As first years, the core classes definitely keep us busy, but everyone takes on extra responsibilities anyway. It makes for a very busy, yet social and fun atmosphere at the school.
Another thing. Breakfast tacos. If you haven't had them before, I can promise that after the first two weeks of class at McCombs, you'll be a huge fan. It must be a Texas thing.