For Here, All are One



Crowd outside of St. Ignatius to sign the banners



For those of you who have had a chance to visit BC’s campus and speak with a current student, you have probably heard that the sense of community you experience as a part of the BC family is a strong aspect of the program. I know I have even mentioned this in previous blogs, but the commitment of the BC community to its own has been overwhelming over the past few weeks.



As many of you know, two second years in the program, as well as a BC alum were injured in the Boston Marathon bombings. I truly believe that in dark times and tragic moments, the true colors of a community are shown. While that sentiment has been true for the greater Boston community as a whole,  it’s been unbelievable experiencing it as a member of the BC community.



Banners & Gift Baskets for Liza & Brittany



From banners signed by hundreds of undergraduates for graduate students they will never meet, to the organization of charity softball tournaments by members of the Law and Business Schools, to donations from faculty for a charity raffle the power of the BC community has not been something that is just spoken of, but has been put into action. Within the Carroll School, members of the various programs – MSA, MSF, Part-Time, Full-Time – along with the faculty have joined together to support our classmates. Whether through cards and words of support, donations, or even through supporting other classmates struggling to understand what has taken place, the sense of being a part of something bigger than yourself has been infused throughout the halls of Fulton Hall and all over the campus as a whole. The week after the bombing was a crazy time for First Year MBAs, with our massive final reports for our consulting projects due and my team was even in the process of preparing to make our final presentation to our client. My team recognized that I needed some extra support and rallied around me to make sure that everything we needed to do to prepare for our presentation was taken care of and ultimately, our presentation went off without a hitch. 

My post is titled, “For Here, All Are One,” which has been evident in every action I have experienced after April 16^th. We have come together as one – not as one class, or one program, or one school within the university – but as one entity representing the spirit and strength of the Boston College community as a whole. While the last few weeks have been challenging, I have never been more confident that my choice in coming to BC was one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

For the Quantitatively Challenged: Owning the Admissions Process & Transitioning into the Program

Over the past few weeks, I’ve met a number of prospective students who have expressed a common concern: I don’t have a formal business background, how is the transition to the MBA program going to be for me? As someone who majored in Foreign Affairs and worked in the nonprofit sector for 5 years in fundraising and event management, the nervousness around the application and then ultimately the transition to the MBA program is a feeling that I am very familiar with and am happy to share that the transition is in fact nothing to worry about! Whether you majored in art history or politics or French or have spent the last 5 years skiing the Alps, here are a few reasons to not stress about the application or the transition from life pre-MBA to your first year in the program:

• It’s all about how you tell your story. Often referred to as your elevator pitch, or “what you wrote in your essay,” it’s critical to know where you are in your career and professional life and how an MBA will help take you to the next level. When you prepare for your interview, Admissions teams are really looking for you to make the connection between your current career and how you think an MBA can further leverage that experience to take you to the next level in your career.
• Everyone has dealt with a management issue. I've talked to applicants who have stressed about their lack of "management experience." Admissions staff isn't looking for you to have directly managed a team or other employees (obviously if you have, make sure to share that!), but even if you have worked in a "softer skill" role, you've probably had to make strategic decisions that have impacted your organization. Or maybe you've been a part of a team where you've really struggled and had to overcome obstacles? Admissions staff are really looking for you to explain how you've used critical thinking to make decisions that ultimately show them that you have the potential to be a business leader and manager.
• People are looking at your GMAT quant score. Yes, the GMAT. We all hate it. That's a fact. However, if you have a non-business or quantitative background, you already know that you can't retake your college courses all over again. Maybe you even took an Econ class and didn't do well (or 2 like someone I know...yes, that's me)? Point is, the quant section of the GMAT is your time to show Admissions that you can in fact hang with your peers with quantitative backgrounds. Obviously, the verbal section shouldn't be ignored - but if you are worried about how to show your quantitative strenghs, the quant section of the GMAT provides the opportunity.

At this point, many of you might be thinking "Ok Siobhan, so I've already done all of this and have gotten accepted to BC and am still a little nervous about what to expect." That's fine! I felt the same way. If you have already mastered the GMAT and rocked your interview and have bought your BC sweatshirt in preparation for the fall - here are a few things that will hopefully calm your nerves about the fall:

• You will never be in a class where you are the only person who hasn't taken Statistics, Accounting, Finance or any quant class before. At BC, if you majored in a specific subject, you can waive out of that course, so often the "experts" are out of the course keeping the class more at the same level. Every course - from Marketing to Finance - is designed to be an intro level for MBAs. Even at other MBA programs, if you are not a "quant person" there are often seminars before the program starts to get you up to speed. At BC, there are sometimes people in your class who have experience with the subject, but luckily, given our culture of a strong community, these are the people you find to help you when you feel lost!
• Group projects are basically the workplace in the classroom - minus the boss. Group projects are collaborative and at BC, teams are formed of individuals with various backgrounds. You will never find yourself on a team with 4 other people who have been trading derivatives or working at a private equity firm. Plus, your teammmates who really are more comfortable with numbers are typically looking for you (yes, you - the English major) to help them with writing up reports and other less numbers oriented activities.
• Your professors want you to excel. At least at BC, your professors are smiling when you did well on that exam - and are upset when they see that you did not do well, especially when you tried your hardest. I have never seen faculty with such dedication to their students' achievement and they will make time to help you better understand how to create that statement of cash flows or identify the NPV on a potential investment. If you are worried about some of your quant classes, go and talk to your professors early on and stay in touch with them during the semester if you see yourself slipping behind or not understanding content. They really do want to make sure that you walk away from their class understanding how to leverage the skills they are teaching you in the classroom in your future career.

Networking for Success!

A major benefit of attending business school at a university with a network as large as BC’s is the access to various speakers and events on campus and in the greater Boston area. It’s easy to get caught up in your schoolwork and even the many social activities that a MBA program provides, but a huge part of the reason I returned to business school was to grow my network. The easiest place to start is by developing strong relationships with your classmates, along with faculty and staff at your university, but it’s also important to evaluate what other professional networking opportunities exist in your MBA program. A few unique networking aspects of BC’s program are:

·         Classroom Guest Speakers: Over the past 3 quarters, a number of our professors have invited alumni and other relevant guests within their network to speak to our classes. These speakers have ranged from the Vice President of Marketing at Hasbro to the CEO of Boston Duck Tours to the CEO of Naragansett Brewery, to many other individuals who are eager to share their experience on various topics with our classes. Our professors are also happy to make introductions between students and their contacts and it’s always great when you are able to make that personal connection and relate it to a classroom experience.

·         Manager’s Studio: A unique aspect of the BC MBA program, Manager’s Studio brings top executives to campus to share their personal and professional experiences with students. This year, I’ve attended three fantastic sessions that have provided me with great perspective on the skills I need to continue to develop during my time at BC in order to be a successful executive. Each session begins with an interview, followed by Q&A, and concludes with a reception that provides us with the opportunity to introduce ourselves and network with the executive.

·         CEO Club of Boston: The CEO Club of Boston hosts seven or eight luncheons a year, typically at a location in downtown Boston. Although space is limited, typically there is space for MBA students. This provides an intimate setting to learn about key issues affecting both business and the economy from a leader within their industry.

·         Boston College Events & Lecture Series: We are fortunate that Boston College has such an extensive network of centers and forums that are constantly putting on a variety of events and lecture series that are open to the university community as a whole. The Winston Center for Leadership & Ethics frequently offers lunch time lecture series or brown bag lunches with leaders on a specific topic. The speakers are sometimes alumni – but many times are notable leaders from the greater community eager to share their experience with the Boston College community.

·         Being in Boston!: Although this may seem obvious, the access to other conferences and lectures put on by other leading universities is priceless. Recently, I attended the Dynamic Women in Business Conference put on by Harvard Business School. Classmates of mine attended the Social Enterprise Conference that HBS hosted as well earlier this year and others attended an Entrepreneurship Conference hosted by Babson. I’ve heard of students attending tech conferences hosted by MIT and there are countless other events that fortunately, due to our location in such a rich academic city, we are able to leverage as frequently as we would like.

Back to Life, Back to Reality....

After returning to the second semester of business school Monday, this first week has felt like a month. Whether it’s the reality that another tough semester has begun or the major contrast to a month of relaxation and laziness, the return to BC’s campus – while for me was definitely needed to get back into a routine – was not necessarily a joyous occasion when on Monday morning we literally got down to business (no pun intended!). Between Boston’s cold weather, the hundreds of pages of reading that now need to be completed, and other projects beginning to pile up, it may be difficult to look ahead to the various academic and social activities that will make our second semester at the Carroll School even better than the first. Here is a preview of the second semester:

·         Carroll School of Management Winter Gala: Held every year, this is an event not to be missed! This year’s event will be held downtown at the InterContinental Hotel, overlooking the Fort Point Channel with views of the Boston Harbor and the city of Boston. Open to the entire graduate school, this is a great way to dress up for a night on the town, put on your dancing shoes, and let loose with your classmates – while making connections with some of the other students that the First Year Full-Time MBAs don’t necessarily get to see on a daily basis.

·         BC Consulting Project: A unique aspect of the Carroll School, the BC Consulting Project, allows us to apply the skills that we have learned over the course of the first semester. Our class has been split into new teams (20 total) and have been matched with a company, nonprofit, or government agency that has a real-world problem that they need solved. This is not a simulation – but an actual business problem for an actual organization that our team is expected to complete over the course of the semester. While this will be a very challenging and time consuming aspect of this semester, I know it will be an incredibly rewarding experience. The capstone of the project is the Diane Weiss Consulting Competition that takes place in May. All of the teams present their work to a panel of faculty and three teams are selected to move on to the final where they present to a panel of outside judges.  I look forward to seeing the hard work of my team, and all of my classmates’ hard work, come to fruition and see the impact we’ve made in these organizations throughout New England.

·         BC Business Days: Every spring semester, there are typically at least three events to welcome admitted students to Boston College’s campus. If you are an admitted student, I highly recommend taking the time to come visit BC’s campus and spend a day in Fulton Hall getting to know the program, faculty, staff and current students. For my class, it’s a great way to pay it forward and share our amazing experience at BC to date with the future class of 2015.

·         Tuck Winter Carnival: Held every year in Hanover, NH and hosted by Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, this is an amazing way to get out of town for the weekend, while networking with other MBA’s in New England. It’s a weekend complete with skiing, parties, networking, and enjoying some of New England’s best winter scenery!

As you can see, although this semester will be incredibly demanding, there are so many things to look forward to between now and the end of the year. Between the real world application of the business skills I’ve learned over the course of the year so far, plus a host of social activities to keep me sane, I plan to make the most of this semester and know that it will be even better than the last.