Professional Documents
Culture Documents
During his 16 years at the Anderson School, Professor Bill Cockrum has become known as
an entrepreneurial finance guru. His students have honored him with an "Outstanding
Teaching" Award eight times, but his reputation transcends the UCLA campus. A 1996
Business Week survey recognized him as the top entrepreneurial professor in the nation.
Cockrum also teaches business ethics and investment management at this top ten school.
Suck It Dry
The most common mistake made by first year students is not researching their school and
all of its opportunities before setting foot on campus. Students procrastinate in discovering
what the school offers. That doesn't only apply to coursework. A lot of things in school are
experiential -- activities where you can learn what it's like to be an entrepreneur, understand
what international companies want, or discover what it's like to be an investment banker. If
you want to execute a career change from working at a magazine in Boston to becoming an
analyst in New York City, you have to ask, "Is there a student club at my school that can
help me understand that?"
Promote Teamwork
We think it extremely important that students learn how to be good team members because
we believe that teams do better than individuals when solving problems. And you don't
have to be the team leader to have good results. I'd rather be on a team with you to study a
problem than do it alone, because I think two of us, with two heads, will do better than one.
But the teamwork at Anderson goes on in a way that discourages internal competitiveness
among the students and encourages support. For example, when a prospective employer
interviews at Anderson, our students will share the information gained from their interview
with classmates in order to get more jobs for UCLA. You will not find that culture at most
of the top ten schools.
First, you'll master basic analytical skills that will serve you well for the rest of your life.
Second, you'll gain the experience level of a 60-year-old person who has not been to a top
ten school. And third, you'll be exposed to the most current techniques.
But be forewarned, those techniques will be obsolete in less than a decade, so you'll have to
constantly reeducate yourself. All in all, you'll be a smarter individual upon graduation.
Though initially unimpressed with the celebrity and smog of Los Angeles, East Coast
native Jay Devivo says he has since learned to appreciate his adopted homeland. Since
migrating from Boston last year, Devivo has devoted much time and energy to Anderson's
Entrepreneurial Ventures Club, which works closely with area startups.
Networking is by far the most important aspect of business school. The classroom is a
distant second. If you want to be an investment banker or a consultant, you had better get a
4.0. GPA, but even those employers like to see that you are doing something outside of
school. For the people who don't want to go into either of those fields, networking is
paramount.
I'm involved with the Venture Developing Program, which places MBA students with a
team of entrepreneurs and allows them to work together over the summer. The MBA
students help flesh out strategic issues and a business plan with the goal of going after
venture capital or angel financing. This is really our last chance to try things without any
serious consequences.
At the end of the day, the most important thing you take away from business school is your
network.
This is why choosing the right business school is so important. You'll see these people
more than anyone else remotely associated with your life, so you had better like them.
Learn to Share
Before finals, students will send out study guides for the whole section. I've also seen
people say, "I have information about this employer, do you want it?" In terms of anything
academic, there is almost no competition.
In our core classes -- which comprise 90 percent of the first year - there is an enforced
curve and people are still willing to give you all they know. If everyone shares information,
the pool of information rises. At the end of the day, you want to actually learn something.
Whatever arbitrary grade some professor gives you really doesn't matter.
Embrace IM
You have to have a Palm Pilot. Maybe not specifically that brand, but you have to have
some kind of organizer. You're always scheduling to meet and do things with various other
people. I used to keep my appointments in a Day Runner, but it just gets too messy with
paper.
Anderson is a very wired school. We have T-1 ports in all the classrooms, so a laptop is a
necessity. During some classes, you sit in the back and Instant Message people all day. It's
also always good to have a cell phone, as well.
UCLA is ranked #1 for entrepreneurial studies. In order to find jobs and internships in that
area, you just have to be creative. That is where the UCLA Venture Development Program
comes in. There are plenty of groups in the L.A. area attract entrepreneurs and venture
capitalists. Internet things are happening in L.A. Startups don't normally recruit on campus,
but they do get in touch with our career center, and there is always email coming through
looking for potential recruits.
"Columbia is not just a network of people to know in various businesses and various
industries," says Vice Dean Safwan Masri. "It is really a group of friends that you will keep
for a lifetime. That is what students appreciate most."
I also advise students to make the most of Columbia University as a whole and to not limit
their studies to business classes alone. The MBA program enables them to take two or three
courses outside the business school; they can enroll in classes such as a law, media,
international affairs, or even film. A well-rounded education will be far more valuable than
one that was narrowly focused on just one specific field. Believe me, you'll gain the
expertise anyway once you're on the job.
Colin Johnson was drawn to Manhattan and Columbia University's Business School after
working as a project and assistance engineer at Delphi Automotive in Lockport, New York
for four years. Now concentrating on "learning from good professors," the Stanford
University graduate says he hopes to either launch his own high-tech company or begin a
career in finance. In the meantime, here are his words of wisdom for B-school novices...
Pack It In
An acquaintance once calculated that he spent about 55 hours a week outside of class on
academics. If you think about the break down, a typical schedule might include 55 on
studying, 15 on attending classes, 15 on the job search, 10 on club activities, 18 on
socializing, and another 55 for all that is left over like sleeping and personal hygiene. In a
week of 168 hours, 55 hours for "other" means eating, drinking, and sleeping squeezes into
fewer than 8 hours a day.
Only the career changers trying to get into banking or those interested in working at
McKinsey worry about grades more than the rest because they fear it will come up in their
interviews. The rest realize that when the curve is relative, it is not necessarily a measure of
absolute achievement. When you're in a group of super stars, even the last in the pack is
doing pretty well. I think this accounts for the strong esprit de corps.
Know Thyself
The pace in business school is too crazy to "find yourself" as some people could do in
undergraduate. Instead, take the time to consider, based on your past experience, what you
want from your next career. You may not be able to identify a specific job, career, or
company that will offer this, but it will allow you to better filter through all the different
temptations on campus. There is no way to go to all the presentations of all companies in all
industries and still maintain your academic standing. Fight the temptation to join the herd.
Because we are in Manhattan, we have a chance to regularly visit the firms located here in
which we are most interested. To be able to jump on a subway, travel 25 minutes, have an
informational interview with a contact or an alumni member, turn around and still make
your afternoon class is a huge advantage.
Before the business school experience begins, a heart-to-heart about the intensity of the first
year is critical. The partner will not likely understand, or even be able to imagine, the
demands that a typical first-year student experiences. The more space a partner can give,
the better. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Incorporate your partner as much as possible. Business school is intense, but it is also fun.
All social events are open to significant others, and we encourage bringing them. It is
sometimes difficult to include them in inside jokes or business lingo, but the harder we try,
the more successful the survival rates.
7:45 a.m. -- Realize that the fire alarm ringing in my dreams is not a fire alarm, but actually
the alarm clock.
7:50 a.m. -- Stumble out of bed in half stupor, and turn off alarm. "What day is it?
Wednesday? No, Thursday. Damn, 9 o'clock group meeting?"
8:50 a.m. -- Buy a cup of coffee at the Uris Deli in spill-proof mug.
9 a.m. -- Arrive at the library to meet my study group and put the final touches on a Finance
case before class. I'm the first one there. I log on to the network and check my email. 45
messages received since midnight. I start responding to messages as people trickle in.
9:15 a.m. -- All are present and accounted for. We work for 45 minutes in mad rush to
finish.
10 a.m. -- Swing past the printer to pick up our case write-up and dash to class.
10:05 a.m. -- Find a seat in class, plug my laptop into network and power up. Arrange
papers and answer a couple emails as the professor opens class discussion.
10:24 a.m. -- Break into cold sweat as the professor scans the room for someone on which
to cold call. Eyes scan across, and land on neighbor. Breath sigh of relief. Discussion
continues. Future cold calls bounce to other parts of the auditorium.
11:20 a.m. -- Class breaks. Scramble to catch classmates to arrange meeting later in the day
to brainstorm speakers for an upcoming conference to be hosted at the Business School. No
one seems to have a common time free. Arrange for 10 p.m. Monday night. Four out of five
isn't bad. Pull out PalmPilot and check to see what presentations are scheduled for today:
five corporate brown bag lunches, a speaker sponsored by the Columbia Entrepreneurship
Association on starting one's own vineyard, the Dean's Forum, a faculty presentation on
Social Responsibility in Business. Hmmm. Can't do it all. Weigh options.
11:35 a.m. -- Check in with one of the brown bags. Grab a boxed lunch. Decide it doesn't
look as appealing as the vineyard presentation. Change rooms and stand at the back behind
the last row of chairs. Listen for 15 minutes about grapes and oak barrels. Decide to catch
the Dean's Forum and slip out. On the way over meet a friend who persuades me to join her
in the presentation on Social Responsibility. Change course and squeeze into lecture hall.
Become enthralled with tales of Fair Trade artisan coops in West Africa.
12:45 p.m. -- Make way to accounting class. Congregate in the hall outside the door with
colleagues from cluster as we wait for the lunch presentation held in the classroom to let
out. Chat about homework assignments and the latest conquests day trading. Confirm that
most are planning to attend Happy Hour at 6 p.m.
12:55 p.m. - Find seat in class and boot up computer. Check email. 33 more emails. Answer
a couple. Class starts.
2:20 p.m. - Class lets out. Leave Uris Hall and walk down to the New Business/Law
Building across Amsterdam Avenue. Pull out cell phone to arrange an informational
interview for the following day at 10 a.m. in Midtown. Look for study group in the
breakout rooms of the new building. oon everyone convenes. Work on assignments until
munchies hit. Send one of the group down to Hamilton Deli next door for snacks and
Snapples. Check email. 25 more messages. Progress on the project proceeds slower than
expected. Discuss alternative meeting times. Two of the group have Friday internships in
the City and can't meet. Agree upon 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning in the same building. Have
got to get in early to capture the room with the best window. As I write the new plan into
my PalmPilot, realize that forgot about a presentation from the CFO of a major Media
Company that afternoon that I had wanted to see. Curse quietly to self.
6:19 p.m. - Leave to head back to Uris Hall for Happy Hour. Peak into Joe Miller's office,
the Director of Student Activities. Ask if he minds keeping a bag in his office. Persuade
him to join the group at Happy Hour. The highly publicized "Video Game Happy Hour"
features random mid-Eighties classics. The sponsoring bank was particularly generous. Get
a glass of wine from the server. Don't recognize her. Realize that she's not a B-School
student. The bartending staff has been hired from the outside. Getting kinda snazzy these
days? Bump into a couple of professors and numerous friends in other clusters who I don't
see during the week. Laugh. Cry. Let hair down.
9:12 p.m. - The first dancing begins. The energy grows and grows.
10:30 p.m. - The Happy Hour is finally brought to a close, and most of the crowd moves
out to a Post Happy Hour venue on the Upper West Side.
10:45 p.m. -- While sorely tempted to follow friends out for the night, I decide that the
informational interview the next morning calls for prudence. Go home. Check email. 36
more messages. Buckle down and start answering the day's messages. Despite best
intentions to go to sleep early, spend hours clearing out the email inbox.
Joel Huber colored outside the lines before joining the Fuqua faculty 21 years ago. After
completing his undergraduate degree at Princeton, Huber continued on to the Wharton
School for his MBA. Contrary to custom, he then began teaching high school mathematics
during the Vietnam War era. Ultimately, Huber returned to higher education with teaching
stints at Purdue and Columbia before moving south to Fuqua. "Business school has
changed so radically in 20 years," he says. "It's been very exciting to be part of that
change."
Now, students are learning to be very quick studies -- starting up and closing down in
record time. All our courses have pre-assignments because we have only basically seven
weeks to teach each course. We think this system is very similar to what happens in
business. When a project is over, it's over.
In some ways, the core curriculum at Fuqua is like boot camp. It's extremely hard, and very
fast. Students don't think they're going to make it, but they do. Once they learn to be
soldiers, we teach them how to be smart soldiers, and how to specialize their skills outside
the core. Once they learn to take orders, they can learn to give orders in the business world.
Adapt to Upheaval
At the beginning of the first year, students are assigned to a study team that Fuqua enforces
for two terms. After the second term, that team is dissolved and students are given a new
one.
We dissolve the teams because after the second term, teams tend to suffer one of two
problems. Some teams are dysfunctional and haven't conjured up a solution. The team from
hell either doesn't get along, or it has a free rider or an incompetent member. Sometimes
those teams are fixable, but often they're not. The other team fault is excessive efficiency --
and that's much more common. For example, a team with a good writer may rely on that
person to do all the writing, and the remainder of the team may find themselves unable to
speak knowledgeably about the paper they just turned in. If a student's name appears on
something, they should know it inside and out. Truthfully, we could care less how many
papers the teams produce, we just want them to learn.
As part of the admissions process, Fuqua gives students substantial advice about the areas
they need to develop before school begins. We also offer one-week computer and math
camps to help our students get up to speed. And for the 34 percent of our students who are
not US citizens, we offer a five-week intensive language course designed to get them up to
speed.
Do Everything in Moderation
The most common mistake among first-year students is demonstrating a lack of balance.
Some students spend 80 hours per week on courses, neglecting their job search and
personal life. Others spend almost all their time on the job search, and focus too much on
courses that develop short-term skills helpful in the first job. Too often, students fail to
realize the value of developing strategic and interpersonal skills that will not pay dividends
until five or ten years after business school. These skills include learning from and helping
other students, providing leadership for clubs and activities, and taking courses that develop
their skills as general managers.
Kulwadee Wangkeo believes in life without limits. Born in Bangkok and raised outside
New York City, she has devoted herself to breaking down the cultural barriers that stand
between domestic and international students at Fuqua. This fall, Wangkeo and one other
classmate are launching the International Student Involvement Committee, which aims to
better integrate foreign students into American culture and the business school lifestyle.
Wangkeo worked in commercial banking for several years before enrolling at Fuqua and
concentrating her studies on general management. This summer she interned at the Exxon
Corporation in Texas.
Although Fuqua is an international school, it's not enough to just have the numbers. Thirty
percent of our students may come from around the world, but that means nothing if those
people don't participate and join our community. So our student government started a
committee called International Student Involvement.
My philosophy is that you sometimes have to trick people into doing things. For that
reason, we are not organizing any boring seminars. Instead, we are planning social
activities and taking steps to facilitate interaction through international film nights, cooking
classes, and a venting session after term one. Fuqua's long-standing international buddy
program will also become an integral part of our committee's work.
Shake Hands With World Leaders
Grades are not the only important aspect of Fuqua. Students should concentrate on making
friends, and learning how to work them. That's one of the big bonuses of going to a school
like Fuqua: you get to meet the future business leaders of the world. Ten years from now,
you are not going to remember what grade you got in corporate finance, but you will still
value the friendships you made in business school.
Make It Yours
Fuqua is a very small school. A lot of second-year students mentor and tutor the first-year
students. A lot of the administrative processes are done by students as well. For example,
Career Fellows help the career office prepare students for their corporate interviews. And
all of our admission interviews are done by second-year students. That very close
involvement gives us the sense that this is our school, and we can change things if we want.
And that is one of the reasons we want to get international students involved, because we
don't want them to think this is just an American school. Along those lines, we try to make
sure that international students participate in the admissions process. We also now have one
student in the Career Fellows program who is devoted to just international students' issues.
He helps with VISA problems, contacting foreign alumni, etc.
We are making an effort to set ourselves apart, and we want to make this an international
school.
Constantly Reassess
Students come here to reassess themselves and change careers. Some of that is through
classes and some takes place through the career process and the job search experience.
Many second-year students are now returning from their summer internships to say, "Oh, I
would never want to go back there again!" There are big discoveries about self and career
all the way through business school.
There was some criticism last year. Because everything is so team orientated, you can't just
throw people together randomly. Some groups fail, and others work together wonderfully
and never, ever break up. We would like for the minds here to churn around a bit more. So
this year Fuqua has assigned a faculty advisor to each team to help manage problems,
spread around the work, and act as a resource.
A member of the class of 2000, Karl Schade came to HBS from the private equity field. His
working lifestyle was stressful: "I worked non-stop. I never saw my wife. I was destroying
myself physically and emotionally from work." For him, school has presented a unique
opportunity to diversify his talents, make friends, and rediscover the balance between
working and living.
Every person presents an opportunity to network later down the road. Let's say I'm doing a
deal in the telecommunications industry. I can call Martha, who knows about the industry,
because I sat next to her in my HBS class. If I'm looking for a CEO for a company I'm
going to buy, I could ask her if she knows of any good people.
Trust Yourself
You really need to arrive with confidence in your own abilities. Keep in mind: You've
gotten to that point for a reason, and you'll likely get beyond that point for the same
reasons.
Don't Overstudy
Twenty hours a week is roughly the time, you will have to study. Prior to exams that time
commitment may increase, of course. But don't exaggerate! In B-school you get the chance
to meet many different people. It's an opportunity to appreciate other aspects of your life
that you may not have explored in the professional world. You will miss a large part of this
experience if you study day-in and day-out. Besides, I think people who over-study tend to
panic on finals.
Do you want to be among the top five percent of the class? If so, you have to get the top
grade in almost all your classes. And that means you have to show very strong class
participation. You also need to write a fantastic final, which means you must have a good
grasp of the material and be very good at communicating in the written form.
Or do you want to just do fine? I personally didn't come to school to be the top academic
performer. I had done that all my life and didn't want to do it any longer. Making this
mental commitment is integral to the B-school experience.
In these two latter cases, I sent my material blindly. A few weeks later, I followed up with
phone calls. This process requires a lot of persistence, because often people are too busy to
call back. But if you persist, they will eventually respond.
Professor Anthony Paoni boasts a 28-year career in the computer industry. Just as
retirement began to loom on the horizon, he was offered at teaching position at Kellogg. He
took it, despite a gnawing sense of skepticism. Soon after, that skepticism turned into
enthusiasm: "It is so invigorating to be around these students," he says. "I've been telling
my wife day in and day out that this is probably the best job I've ever had. It's an incredibly
rewarding experience, and it definitely keeps you young."
Get Connected and Stay Connected
The most powerful resource you have is the social network. Find students with whom you
will be working. Utilize them while you're in school. And stay connected after you leave.
The following books might help interested students to prepare for classes in e-commerce:
• Unleashing the Killer App: Digital Strategies for Market Dominance by Larry
Downes, Chunka Mui, and Nicholas Negroponte
• Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy by Carl Shapiro and
Hal R. Varian
• Net Profit: How to Invest and Compete in the Real World of Internet Business by
Peter S. Cohan
• Net Gain: Expanding Markets Through Virtual Communities by John Hagel and
Arthur G. Armstrong
Learn to Surf
Spend some time learning to become an efficient researcher on the Internet. It's not that
difficult: Go to the portal of your choice, and take the tutorial, which can be found under
the help button. As simple as that sounds, most people miss the tutorial. It's a very useful
place where you can learn how to use the Internet effectively.
"Teaching is like lighting a spark," says Professor Mohanbir S. Sawhney. "When students
tell you that you changed their lives, that's possibly the most satisfying thing a teacher can
hear. You can put them on a career path that they may not have considered, which makes it
a pretty fine job."
Be Yourself
People who come to Kellogg are very smart. Most of them are individuals who are
accustomed to being at the top. But not everybody can be at the top here. It's very important
to not let that affect your self worth. Grades are not everything. Business school offers an
ability to grow on many different dimensions. You might not do as well in academics but
you might be a great student leader. So, be comfortable with where you stand and come to
terms with your abilities.
Student - Kellogg
Focus
Think about what you want to get out of school. Where do you want to take your career?
Two years is not much time, and there are a billion things you could do during business
school. But if you try to do all of them, you won't do them well. So, think about your goals
and then select the most suitable activities.
Prepare Wisely
For every hour of class time, you should expect to prepare two hours on your own. For
example, if you have four hours of class, you should expect to prepare eight hours a week
for that clas. The average total preparation time is approximately 32 hours. But there are
always ups and downs. Generally, the classes that require a lot of group work are more
time-consuming because you're trying to coordinate the teamwork.
After receiving his Ph.D. in operations research, Robert Freund followed a path less
traveled when he went to work for a consulting company. After three years, his longing for
academia grew too strong to ignore, and he joined the faculty at MIT. Since 1983 Freund
has been teaching management science ("Everyone's favorite subject," he says
sarcastically) at one of the nation's top schools.
MIT people are generally pretty happy and not very class-conscious. They're too busy
having a lot of fun to think about who they're being seen with or how they're dressing. It's
like we put a bunch of brains together and let them play.
Motivate Yourself
The biggest mistake people make is worrying about competition with their fellow students.
Students should set their own standards for performance because the best manager is
internally motivated, not externally motivated.
Carpe Diem
Students should regard business school as their last opportunity to be on a college campus,
to learn both in the classroom and from fellow students, and to make friends with some of
the brightest and most dynamic people in the world - Bright and dynamic -- that's exactly
what I think Sloan students are.
Diversify
Choose at least some of your elective courses in areas you might not naturally gravitate
toward. When you grow into your career, you're going to be a general manager and you'll
be expected to dabble in finance, marketing, and operations. You've got to look at the big
picture.
Phil Regnault has already left an impressive footprint on the MIT Sloan School of
Management. Last spring, Regnault and several partners in crime unveiled the school's first
annual E-Commerce Awards -- a Wow! Project that required countless hours and boundless
energy.
Aside from organizing this year's awards ceremony and heading the student senate,
Regnault -- who interned this summer for Sprint in Kansas City, Missouri -- continues to
pursue a career in the high tech industry.
Create Opportunities
Last year, I helped found a new club at Sloan called the Sloan ACT -- the Adventure
Challenge Team. We organize group sporting events, like mountain biking rides, mountain
climbing, canoe racing, and different outdoor events that bring people together.
Last January, we also organized a real course -- an academic course -- on winter resort
management. Don't laugh. About 30 people drove up to Killington, Vermont and
participated in case studies on ski resorts. People from the Killington Resort business office
spoke to us. It was a lot of fun.
A friend of mine came up with the idea. We proposed it to the program office and they
were surprisingly supportive. We got one of the more prominent professors on campus to
be our sponsor. He led group discussions a couple of nights prior to our field trip. We only
had room for 25 people, and 50 people signed up, so we had to hold a lottery to decide who
would go.
One of the great things about Sloan is that we have the whole month of January off. It's
called Independent Activities Period. During this time, you have the opportunity to take
wacky courses like the one we created. We thought there was a gaping hole in winter-resort
management, so we filled it up.
Another reason to keep up with reading is so that you can achieve something of a balance.
If you fall behind, once late September or October comes around, you'll only be focused on
academics and nothing else. If you don't get too stressed out by just keeping up with
academics, then it's really important to take part in as many social events as you possibly
can. The first month or two is really when most of the friendships are going to be forged, so
take part in everything. Go out of your way to be around the other students because these
are relationships you'll have for life.
Flex
The students who were successful both academically and personally during the first year
were people who demonstrated flexibility, and were able to adapt to a very different
environment. People have worked hard before, and they're going to work hard in business
school, too -- but it's a different kind of work, a different kind of schedule. You're going to
interact with people whom you may not normally interact with and you'll encounter many
different personalities. Anyone who's been admitted to B-school can survive it, as long as
he or she is not too rigid in their approach.
Be a Comrade
At Sloan we have a very high degree of camaraderie. It's really awesome. I could not have
designed a better atmosphere. People are competitive in their own right -- they're high
performers, and they're all smart people, but they're not cutthroat competitors vis-a-vis each
other. In fact, people are very eager to help each other. I've never been turned down for
help.
Grades are just not considered that important here. People want to perform well, but there
are no rankings or anything like that. I think basically 40 percent of the class will get As
and the rest will get Bs. Learning is more important than grades.
Ask Around
For me, the greatest surprise at school last year was the diversity of my fellow students, and
the wealth of information I could get from them. At first I didn't have a firm idea of what I
wanted to do after graduation, but I just talked to people and was able to find out what their
jobs were like, what their careers were like, and how they balanced those things with their
other interests.
To further narrow your focus on an industry or a job, I suggest the career development
office, the CDO. It's a great source for information on companies. You can get listings of
alumni at specific companies and arrange to meet with recruiters in the fall. For me, the
bulk of the real research was done after I decided which companies to interview with.
There's just so much information out on the Net, it's ridiculous. You couldn't possibly
absorb it all.
Gear Up
You're expected to have a computer with Microsoft Office, which we use to do our email.
You're expected to be online. Laptops are preferable, but they're definitely not necessary. In
addition, I have a cell phone and a PalmPilot. As my first year progressed, more and more
people were getting cell phones because they are very helpful during recruiting season.
They are useful when you're spending a lot of time at school and want people to be able to
get in touch with you.
One way to keep that passion alive is to remember that right now there's a revolution going
on in business with Internet technology. Now is the greatest time ever to be studying these
subjects and preparing yourself for that revolution.
In many ways, Sherrie Taguchi is the face of Stanford's Graduate School of Business. The
author of a regular column in the GSB corporate-relations newsletter, Taguchi offers
insight, advice, and thoughtful warnings to thousands of MBA students a year.
A survivor of Stanford's MBA program herself, Taguchi spent nine years working in the
human relations field with BankAmerica, Dole Packaged Food, and Mervyn's Department
Stores, where she concentrated on global recruitment, management development,
organizational change, and new product introductions. "I love the intellectual firepower at
Stanford," she says, "This is an environment that fosters collaboration and teamwork, risk-
taking and innovation."
In the non-curricular dimension, students have access to the MBA program administration,
student orientation committee members, and Stanford representatives who can answer pre-
term questions. Aside from our formal orientation, key groups such as the Career
Management Center, Management Communication Program, Student Affairs Office, and
Computing Services Department offer separate orientations to help the students understand
the resources and expertise available at school.
Just Do It
Be ready to work hard but have fun. Be open to encountering a diverse group of people,
experiences, and perspectives. Be willing to take responsibility for an incredible amount of
learning both inside and outside the classroom. Also, try to remember the bigger picture --
life beyond your MBA.
Just Don't Do It
Don't alienate staff, cohorts, and others by acting arrogant, being overly demanding, or
having an entitlement attitude. Don't neglect to follow up on what you say you will do with
or for recruiters or study groups, club team members, etc. Don't think you know it all and
have little to learn from the richness and diversity of your colleagues. Don't take lightly the
studying, academics, and learning. Don't hesitate to ask for help or share your feelings with
others. Don't overextend yourself with too many extracurricular and social activities early
on. Don't focus on summer jobs too early without exploring many possibilities.
Get Serious
My first piece of advice to MBA students coming into our program is to take it seriously.
The Stanford MBA program is a full-time job that will put demands on you. By design, the
Stanford MBA program is something of an intellectual overload, the same kind of
phenomenon you will face throughout the rest of your career.
As you begin to select elective classes, you will face a predictable dilemma about whether
to pursue electives that add to your strengths or shore up your weaknesses. Be adventurous
and serious. You need to take intellectual risks to make the most of this program.
Participate
Take advantage of the diversity of the school. Your classmates come from a wide range of
backgrounds and this intellectual and personal diversity is a defining characteristic of the
Stanford Business School. Class discussions are richer because of the experiences of the
people who participate. The contributions you and your classmates make are a valuable part
of the experience here.
An expert on higher education in the Midwest, Donald Martin has served as director of
admissions at two of his Illinois alma maters -- Northwestern University's Medill School of
Journalism and Wheaton College.
Martin came on board at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 1993 as
director of admissions and financial aid, and was named associate dean in 1998. He now
oversees each business school student's metamorphosis from recruit, to applicant, to first-
year student, to campus veteran, to alumnus.
Truly a wonder woman in the rude boys paradise, Corinne Martinez recently finished an
internship with the Microsoft Corporation in Washington state. Though not terribly far
away from her hometown of Winters, California, Martinez says she discovered a brand new
world among her fellow interns -- all bright MBA students at esteemed universities across
the world. This fall she will return to her editor responsibilities at the B-School's student
newspaper, and her studies in strategy and marketing.
Lighten Up
Be sure to find your sense of humor. You're going to need it. School can be a very serious
thing, especially at the University of Chicago, which has a very academically rigorous
program. Also, remember that the view from the balcony is very different from the view on
the dance floor. Try and spend time in both places. Perspective is very important.
Remember what's going on here in the great scheme of things. And then put yourself ten
years out and look back on it. You might make some different decisions.
Some people go to school because they want a new job at the end of it, so they are very
focused on only two things. First, they attend as many presentations as possible because
their objective is to learn about every potential employer. Secondly, they worry about their
grades because a GPA is very important in some professions.
However, some people are going to school to learn and to advance their career. The first job
they get is not a life or death situation. I would put myself in that category.
Manage Yourself
Don't assume someone will let you know that you need to do something. A lot of times,
students assume that because they're coming to this institution, the school will do whatever
it takes to make each individual educational process work. Even if your school is guiding
your educational process, you might not like what they're doing. Involve yourself.
Once classes start, the priority is time management because you are just bombarded with
course work, sometimes even pre-class assignments, which people usually don't do because
they think they are unnecessary. After the first week they realize they're behind. Also, every
student group is pitching you, setting up booths, and organizing events trying to get you to
join their group. The company presentations start for recruiting purposes, and there's an
event you could go to every lunch and every dinner every day of the week for probably
three weeks.
This is a different type of time management than you would encounter in a work setting,
where someone else is dictating your priorities. Once you get to school you need to decide
those things yourself. Is it a priority for me to go meet someone from the company doing a
presentation today? Or is it more important that I get my homework done?
You always compete against them from the standpoint of grades, particularly at Chicago
because, unlike some schools, we have a forced grade curve in every class during both
years. Someone is going to get a "C," so from that perspective you feel like you're
competing. But I've never felt like people were not sharing information in order to get a leg
up.
Allan Afuah has made the rounds of higher education. A graduate of MIT's MBA and
Ph.D. programs, he migrated to the Midwest in 1995, and hasn't looked back since. "I could
have gone anywhere after MIT," says Afuah, who has been a finalist twice for UMBS's
Student Award for Teaching Excellence. "I came here because I think it's a cool, globally
minded place."
You are now learning from some of the best brains in the world. Listen to your professors
because you are going to learn a lot from them, and that is going to save you time. And
saving time means survival around here.
Learn Co-opetition
People think competition is the name of the game. Of course, competition is very important
and we teach that here at business schools. But there is also something called "co-
opetition," which means cooperating and competing with people at the same time. When
you get to business school, you need to work very hard to practice that
Let's say that four of us meet to discuss a case and I already know 80 percent of the
material, and the other three people only know 20 percent in return. We meet, and I end up
giving them all the 80 percent of the material they need and I only get 20 percent from
them. Some people may say, "My God, I'm giving away everything. Why do they have to
rely so much on me?" Then they may decide that they don't want to participate because
they think the other people are too far behind.
Well, guess what happens? If you don't work with a team you are stuck with the 80 percent
that you already know. If you do participate, you are going to learn that 20 percent and
ultimately end up with 100 percent. All of you are all better off.
You may be very knowledgeable. You may have everything in your head. You may be
wonderful. But you have to somehow get it into people's heads that you are the one person
that they can depend on. You are the one person they should call on. There is no better time
to start building that brand than during an MBA program, because your classmates are the
ones who are going to go out and spread the word.
You must tell them, "Honey, it's going to be very hectic there, but there is a reason for it.
We are both investing a lot of money and time in our future." If you don't prepare them,
you may find your relationship going to pieces.
One way we do that is through a program called MAP -- Multi-Disciplinary Action Project.
Toward the end of their first year, students spend several months actively involved in
projects at different firms all over the U.S. They work in groups literally solving problems
at firms that require them to use the multi-disciplinary skills that we've taught them. The
firms love it. Our students love it.
Laura Cooke is mastering the art of balance at UMBS, where she is not only a student, team
member, and recruitee, but a wife as well. After finishing her first year of business school
in May, the Ohio native shipped off to Germany for a three-week course on international
business. From there it was on to Chicago for an internship at Kraft Foods. What comes
next? Another stimulating, exhausting year at UMBS.
Explain Yourself
It's absolutely wonderful to have an international perspective. My study section is about 40
percent international. Not only do they have a unique perspective to add to the team, but as
you are explaining American business customs to them, you are learning yourself. You're
forced to explain things we take for granted, so as you're explaining it, other team members
jump in and explain it, and you learn it a little bit more than you knew before.
Cut No Throats
The majority of our work is done in groups. That's actually one of the reasons why I chose
Michigan, because it represents what the real world is like. We're all Type A personalities,
we are all in business school because we want to get ahead and because we have lofty
goals, but when we come together in a team environment the competitiveness really leaves
and it becomes much more of a congenial teamwork attitude. It's cutthroat in the sense that
everyone wants to do well, not in the sense that everyone wants to push someone else down
to do it.
It's an amazing experience from a teamwork perspective and from a learning perspective. It
provides important exposure to the consulting world. It's a pure team dynamic experience
where you learn how to complete a project with nobody acting as supervisor. You elect a
team leader, but beyond that everybody is equal. Some team members are operationally
focused, marketing focused, finance focused. It's a varied learning experience.
Students who have worked in consulting before can apply for IMAP -- a global project in
one of 16 countries in Europe, South America, Central America.
It is a great network for spouses and significant others. They have social events almost once
a week, they have job fairs, they help each other locate different types of employment in
Ann Arbor.I have made lifelong friends here, and so has my husband. And if you ask me,
he got the better end of the deal! While we're in study groups all night, SOS has Monday
night football, Tuesday night movie events, Wednesday night bike rides, etc.
After graduating from Wharton a decade ago, Bob Alig says he had no inkling that he
would someday return as a faculty member -- in fact, the faculty member in charge of
seeking out and weeding out the best of the best for his alma mater. But today Alig is doing
just that as director of MBA admissions and financial aid.
"I have lived and breathed Wharton personally as well as professionally," he says. "In my
view, the real value of the education at Wharton is the opportunity to learn from your
fellow classmates with the support and guidance of an extraordinarily committed faculty
and administration."
I can tell from a student's background and attitude whether they've always been committed
to doing that. I see leadership in their undergraduate experiences. I see a history of getting
involved and making an impact. When I see clear enthusiasm for the same type of
contribution here at Wharton, I want that person here.
Immediately after students get their admittance package, they can log on to e-talk, which is
an electronic chat room where admitted students meet one another, find roommates, and
talk about course choices that they're making. Our second-year and our first-year students
log on and provide advice and mentoring for classmates as they post questions or notes.
Wharton's Welcome Weekend has now become a reunion event because all of these
admitted students have gotten to know each other electronically first. The come to
Welcome Weekend to meet each other face-to-face and become even closer.
[On Tuesday, September 7, the Wharton Admissions Office introduced an online system
that allows MBA candidates to schedule on- and off-campus interviews from anywhere in
the world. During its first eight days, the "Interview Schedule Module" served 13,000
potential students in 38 countries and 22 domestic cities. Bob Alig says 1,800 candidates
have registered for interviews in locations ranging from Bangkok to Barcelona to Boston.
In fact, 155 interview slots in Seoul, South Korea, were snatched up via the Web in record
time, and Alig says he couldn't be happier.]
SPIKE it
One thing that's extraordinarily important and really sets Wharton apart is the Intranet that
we've designed called SPIKE. It's become the lifeblood for our students. They use it to stay
in touch with each other, to interact with faculty, as a scheduling mechanism, and as a way
to constantly be aware of what's going on on campus.
It's really changed the culture of this place. You don't have to go to four or five different
sources to find out that we have nine student-run conferences every year, a constant stream
of speakers, and all kinds of extracurricular activities. Students literally log on and check
SPIKE 10 or 12 times a day.
Embrace Pre-Term
Many Wharton students arrive in early August for what we call pre-term, which is basically
the great leveler. We bring in students from all kinds of different academic and professional
backgrounds, and pre-term allows them to get up to speed before the start of the regular
academic term just after Labor Day.
If a student has never had accounting or statistics, they might take the introductory level
accounting or statistics class to get better prepared. In addition to the academic component,
this has become a really significant part of our culture -- the socialization is almost as
important as the academic preparation during pre-term. Classes don't officially start until
the Wednesday after Labor Day, but the vast majority of our students were here by the
second week of August.
Introduce Yourself
The single most important thing a student can do upon arrival is meet fellow students from
every possible background, perspective, and culture. Students at Wharton are not just
simply learning about accounting or statistics or micro-economics, they're learning about
the backgrounds and perspectives of all their classmates. That's where the real education
takes place.
We also have what's called the Field Application Project, which is the capstone course to
the first year and the core curriculum. The idea is for students to apply what they've learned
throughout the core curriculum in a setting of their choice. Students decide on a project
with their learning team members, and it might be helping Procter & Gamble with the roll-
out of a new product in Tokyo. Students sometimes travel and do a lot of field work. Other
projects are less field-intensive. But it's completely up to the students.
I get to learn about these applicants' backgrounds and experiences and gauge how they
could make Wharton stronger by being here. And I don't mean just by being students here,
but I think more importantly by being teachers here. That's what keeps me going.
Student - Wharton
Once a week, Christian Tate kisses his wife goodnight, dresses in three layers of long
underwear, and slips into the darkness for a midnight game of ice hockey. A member of the
illustrious Wharton Hockey Club, Tate says extracurricular activities help relieve stress and
form bonds between colleagues.
This summer, Tate interned at Sun Microsystems in Northern California, where he worked
on product marketing for network storage products. He says that experience has enhanced
his Wharton studies concerning strategic management and new product development.
Some first-year students also make the big mistake of coming in with a cowboy mentality.
They arrive with their guns shooting, trying to take of control of the situation before they
even realize what the situation is. Cowboys don't want to be team players; they don't want
to share information. That's an attitude that doesn't fly in our community. At Wharton,
we're all in it together. If anyone's having trouble, the whole class is there to help.
The second takeaway is to recognize the power of networking. Get to know the second-year
students, your professors, and your peers. These are connections that will be useful, not
only in the future, but also at the present.
The third, and maybe most important, would be to absorb the problem-solving framework
that Wharton teaches. Once you understand this framework, you can address any problem.
It's not like a magic elixir or a black box that you dump a few variables into and out comes
the solution; the framework is a way of thinking that helps you tackle any issue - it's a very
efficient and effective tool.