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Sanjeev Sridharan, Class of 2009
Posted Nov. 16, 2007
Whew! I am done with the first module!!
Financial Accounting, Managerial Economics, Statistics, Group Assignment and Meetings, Quizzes, Tests, Final Exams, Mock Interviews, Career Fairs, Career Conferences, Resume and Cover Letter Builders, Meet & Greet Sessions, Networking Sessions, Mentor Programs, Company Information Sessions, Career Workshops, Club Meetings, Business Leadership Seminars, Global Leadership Program, Happy Hours – No, this is not a random list of disjoint words, neither is it a list of sequential events, nor is it an exhaustive list of events that happen in a business school over 2 years. The above is a mere recollection of a few things that myself, as a 1st year Full-Time MBA student have been exposed to in the business school during the last 8 weeks. Reading the above haphazard list, one might doubt my claim of having been involved in such numerous activities over the span of just 8 weeks. Honestly, I myself cannot believe that I have been through all this in just under 2 months. Welcome to the crazy world of an MBA student, where you always seem to bite off more than what you can chew.
Being an international student and this being my first visit outside of India, the Cox school has exposed me to diversity at the international level. The experience over the past 2-3 months has heightened my awareness, understanding and appreciation of people from diverse backgrounds. The different life experiences (including customs, community mores, religious beliefs, ethnic background, and socio-economic levels) have made for a particularly interesting student life, and studying at Cox has challenged my understanding of different people.
To kickoff our MBA program, we had a one day international orientation session aimed at ensuring a smooth transition for international students into the Cox fold. The best was yet to come; we also had a 1 week general orientation for all students. I was impressed with the way it was planned and executed. It was an eclectic mix of social and networking events, academic seminars and fun events. We obtained a quick snapshot of our MBA life in that one week. One will be surprised to note that students and the MBA office were planning for this event from March. That’s the sort of planning that goes into organizing any event on campus – be it a company information session, career fair, meet and greet session or career workshops.
While in any other graduate program, academic coursework is of prime importance, in an MBA program, the thrust is on balancing the rigorous coursework with various other activities. While academics is quite important, equal emphasis is laid on networking, social life, club events, career goals and job search. Time management is the key to success in such a program. Career fairs before the finals and happy hours before quizzes are familiar patterns in a business school. While it is easy to be overawed with all the tasks that need to be accomplished at any point in time, I have found that immaculate planning and the realization that you are here for the diverse experience rather than just academic grades keeps students going.
Cox school being located in Dallas has a great advantage that business schools in most other places do not have. The school is well respected among business leaders and hence is closely knit with the business community in Dallas. Since the school is well-networked, many large companies especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area typically visit campus for information sessions, meet and greet sessions and recruiting. The good work done by our Cox alumni in some of these companies has also helped in attracting recruiters. I personally got some great insights into potential career paths and academic concentrations by attending career panels comprised of alumni who shared their experiences with us. Our network is not just limited to the alumni but also our classmates and executives who are involved in our highly recognized part-time and professional MBA programs. We also had an impressive list of companies that came on campus for our career fair and it was an eye opener for 1st year students like me who were still finding their feet within the MBA program. The career management center lays great emphasis on networking and this helps particularly if you are an international student as we have never been exposed to such events before. Career Advisors do their best to help students with their resumes, career paths, networking contacts and mock interviews. I was amazed by the career center’s attention to minute details such as dressing up for an interview, the ‘30 second elevator pitch’ and even the format of emails to be sent to networking contacts. The career management centre employs an impressive roster of professionals who have been in the job market for a long time and their recognition of recruiter requirements is impeccable. The aspect that has impressed me the most about the Cox school is the accessibility of the faculty, career management centre and the MBA office.
Coursework in any graduate program is expected to be challenging and the MBA program is no different. Cox school has a unique module system that divides a semester into 2 modules. A module typically consists of 7-8 weeks. We had 3 courses this module and it had all the ingredients of a tough semester as we had quizzes and homework assignments every week. The coursework was demanding but since we worked on assignments and quizzes every week, we were always in sync with the coursework. Most of the classes were interspersed with examples from the business world that made us understand the practical application of these academic concepts to real life situations. Working with our study groups on assignments ensured that everyone was on board as far as understanding of the concepts was concerned. One aspect of a top business school is that the competition is expected to be severe. However, group work ensured that we remained a highly competitive yet collaborative group.
As a parting note, I would like to mention that the module was challenging and it seemed it was easier to let go, but now that I am done, I can clearly look back and say that it was a wonderful experience. I eagerly look forward to the rest of the semester with the same enthusiasm.
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