1. After you were admitted, looking back on the way you prepared
for the MBA in the spring and summer, is there anything you would change?
Anything you would have done more of or less of?
Since I was admitted in June, I did
not have the time to prepare myself for the program. However, if I had, I would
have start reading some finance related books as it is my concentration in the
program.
2. What's a typical day in the life of an MBA student in your
program?
I have been doing an internship since November, so I work part-time
normally in the morning. Then I go to the student lounge and study, and attend
the class. Between the classes we occasionally have group meetings.
3. Can you write a bit about a course that you would recommend
future students take?
We just finished taking most of the core classes, and all the
students have to take these classes. I have only taken two electives so far,
and I really enjoyed both of them: Investments and Advanced Communication.
4. Have you had the time to get involved in any extra-curricular
activities? If so, what ones and what are you doing in them?
Yes, I have been taking ballet classes on campus. In terms of
school related activities, I have been selected as a Student Ambassador and am
the VP of Finance in our Life Science Club.
5. What have your experiences been like in learning/project
teams?
The experience varies depending on the team. I have been very
lucky in that my teammates are co-operative and we are good friends outside the
class. But I was on one particular team where two of the other members did not
feel comfortable communicating in English. It was a relatively hard experience
because they struggled to explain what they wanted to say and hesitated to give
more in-depth details about some conclusions.
6. Can you share your plans for the summer?
I will continue my internship that I have been doing since last
November. At the same time, I might enroll in accounting or CFA classes.
7. Looking back, what has been most surprising to you about your
MBA life, compared to your original expectations before you enrolled?
The MBA life started off much tougher than I had
expected. Especially because I had to start my summer internship search from
the fall quarter, everyday passed by very quickly and there was not enough time
to do everything I wanted to do each day. Thus, time management and appropriate
prioritization are definitely the keys for going through the program
successfully. Needless to say, networking is very important, and so it is
highly effective to target what sort of professionals and communities you are
trying to get connected to right away.
Thanks for taking time out of the busy program to respond to my questions!
John Couke
