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Stephen Haines, Class of 2008
Posted February 6, 2007
Some people say that getting an MBA is all about having new leadership experiences and learning new ideas. For me, writing an MBA blog is one of these new experiences. Over the course of the next year, I am going to write a short blog over the life and times of an SMU MBA student. Some of the writing will be quirky, and some will hopefully be funny, but most will just try to give you some insights about my experiences in the SMU MBA program.
A little background on myself: I grew up on a ranch in Lindale, Texas. While I will always call Texas my home, I have also lived in Jamaica, Washington DC, and New Jersey. These experiences have enabled me to say bluntly that Texas is the greatest place on earth. If you have spent much time here, my guess is that you'll agree.
After completing my undergraduate degree, I did a post-graduate assistantship in the White House, where I worked on the President's Advance Team. That was my crash course in time management and living on 4 hours of sleep. I also worked for Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan Chase, where my investment banking teams managed money for wealthy individuals and institutions. Investment banking is a great experience, but studying to get an MBA has offered me a chance to fortify my accounting skills and also do significant amounts of networking!
My first semester at SMU was a blur. SMU uses the module system, which means my classmates and I went through entire textbooks at a mind-numbing speed (each module = 8 weeks). I took my first seven classes with a 45-person section, and we did a large amount of the work in my six-person study group. The small class sizes and study groups were a huge help in pushing me through the harder classes. Having a semester under my belt also makes me feel a little more prepared since returning from the Christmas break.
The most significant part of beginning the second semester is searching for that dream summer internship. I have primarily viewed my MBA as a springboard towards getting a better job. This semester I also plan to spend a significant amount of time networking for future jobs. My job search has been aided by a variety of major companies that are headquartered in Dallas. I have had interviews with Frito Lay, Exxon Mobil, and several others. Having these companies within ten minutes of campus is a huge plus.
In three weeks, I will travel to New York City for my office visit to JP Morgan. I will keep you posted on where I land this summer, hopefully with more details about the search process and the different experiences.
Finally, you can't talk about the start of the new quarter without mentioning all the social activities happening around campus. Every Thursday night, the MBA program has a happy hour. This Thursday we are hitting up the SMU dive bar and all round fun place - 'The Loon.' The Dallas bar scene is an experience to be seen, and 'The Loon' has never disappointed me. There will probably be 70-80 of us out tonight. Next weekend a group of students from the business school and law school are hosting a Mardi Gras party. Considering there are already 670 people on the evite, I am thinking there will be a good amount of grad students who find their way out Saturday night. I'll write more after the event, but I promise you won't be bored in Dallas or at SMU.
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