2nd Year in Full Swing

Well I know it has been a while and I apologize to my die-hard blog followers. Since my last post I finished up my first year classes, spent my summer as a private banking summer associate at Credit Suisse, and started my fall classes. I am currently trying to meet all of my credits to satisfy my MBA/MSF requirements. To do this I am enrolled in five classes currently, four of which are finance-related. I am also working in admissions one day a week and searching for a full-time job come graduation. There is a lot going on right now and my second year is flying by.

Job interviews started last week and I have had two so far and one more this week. Balancing  my academic commitments with job interview preparation is a challenge at times. It can be easy to focus on the jobs and push off academics until "later." However, with mid-terms fast approaching next week, I am in full balancing act mode and conducting triage on my obligations daily.

I still find time to enjoy myself and relax. The flag football season is underway and as competitive as ever. We have a few more tailgates to look forward to as well as a few class parties. Now that I am on the "back nine" of my MBA, I need to make sure to take advantage of as many social events as I can.

Next post I will let you know how the job hunting is going.

The BC Network on the West Coast

Let me start this blog by stating that I am by no means a tech person. I enjoy the benefits that technology provides, but I have never given much consideration to the people behind the tech products and features we use every day. I heard about an elective called Tech Trek during my application process to BC and never really gave it much thought. However, after arriving on campus and hearing some second year MBAs touting this class as the highlight of their MBA experience, I knew that I had to sign up.

The course is taught by Professor John Gallaugher, who is one of the most passionate teachers I have had in my life. It includes a few classroom sessions and a field study out in Seattle, Palo Alto, and San Francisco, where we visit 20 companies over five days. Each student is assigned a company to cover and is responsible for briefing the rest of the class on the company’s latest products and news. I was assigned to cover Starbucks with an emphasis on their social media campaigns through various outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. I can honestly say that I had underestimated the power of social media until I took a deeper look into what Starbucks was doing. We received a fantastic session with Alex Wheeler, Starbucks’ head of digital strategy, and Brady Brewer, the VP of brand loyalty and the Starbucks card.

Other companies we visited include Facebook, Microsoft, Apple (we got to see Phil Schiller’s iPad 2 before the release), Google, EA Games, Cisco, Intel, Intuit, Yahoo, WePay, Adobe, Zynga, Social Text, Amazon, and Smule. We also met with Highland Capital Partners and Tallwood Venture Capital, two firms with a tremendous record of backing great companies. At times the trip felt like a forced march through Silicon Valley, but the excitement of experiencing these firms first hand was more than enough to keep us going. We battled a few hiccups along the journey, including a bus that broke down on our way to Apple, but the trip was a major success.

Although every company was impressive in its own way, my favorites were the two venture capital firms. As I was currently studying about the evolution of a company from inception to IPO in my Finance class, it was fascinating to hear the thoughts and experiences first hand from some of the major players in the venture business today.

I am sure you are wondering how a boutique MBA program like BC is able to connect at all of these great firms. The answer is the BC alumni network. BC has placed both undergraduate and graduate students in companies around the globe and most BC alumni are more than willing to share their experiences and give advice to fellow BC students. I experienced this network first hand and it is impressive. So to those who matriculate next fall to the MBA program on Chestnut Hill, I highly recommend you consider Tech Trek. It could be a trip that changes your MBA experience or your career aspirations.

The Gauntlet to Winter Break

                Since this is my first post, I figured that I would introduce myself. My name is Matt and I am a first year MBA/MSF candidate at the Carroll School of Management. I was a 2004 graduate of Holy Cross where I majored in Economics. I spent six years as a submarine officer in the US Navy prior to matriculating at Boston College. I intend on using my military experiences and my MBA/MSF degrees to enter into a career in finance.

                Having had a brief break from classes over the Thanksgiving weekend, I am looking forward to making it to the start of winter break on December 17^th. Although classes end in three short weeks, a lot of work stands between now and then. Multiple team projects, final papers, presentations, and exams will occupy most of my time, not to mention the summer internship quest.

                Life is not as bad as I may make it seem, however. We have a lot of fun social events to look forward to. This week’s Thirsty Thursday event is live band karaoke in Boston for the MBA program. Saturday marks the first annual BC Vets Club/GMA sponsored Beer Olympics fundraiser for Toys for Tots. The championship playoff game for the MBA flag football league is on Sunday morning.

                As you can see, life as an MBA student is all about finding the balance between work and play.