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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Applicants (2016 Intake) Class of 2018!!
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19 Aug 2015, 09:00
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| FROM Fuqua Current Student Blogs: 3 Ways Fuqua Helped Me Transition from Science to Business |
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I started my career in science prior to attending the MBA program at Fuqua, working as a lab researcher at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. During that time, I dabbled in business through a startup I co-founded in my free time and loved it. I realized I wanted to move into a business function to make my impact in health care instead of continuing down the scientific route. At the same time, I saw the MBA as the best way to make the transition from science into business. Now, two years later and a graduate of the Duke MBA program, I’d like to share my personal experience on how Fuqua prepares “non-traditional” business school students like myself to become candidates for roles in the business world. Here are the top 3 ways the school facilitated my transition from science to business: 1. Exposure to the minds of business leaders When I was in science, I had very limited opportunities to engage with business leaders and role models. This is often the case for many folks who come from non-traditional backgrounds. The Duke MBA changed that for me. Through school-initiated programs such as the Distinguished Speakers Series and classroom and/or seminar speakers, to student-led opportunities such as conferences and company treks, students have abundant opportunities to directly engage with business leaders. Having role models and mentors in business is very important and helps not only to develop business thinking but also something called “executive presence”—essentially the perception that you are leadership material. Because of the Duke MBA program, I learned from business leaders directly—how they thought about problems, how they captured opportunities, and how they built their careers. Through my internship at Bristol-Meyers Squibb and other one-on-one mentorship programs at Fuqua, I was able to learn from business leaders directly. This aspect of the MBA program at Duke was one of the most valuable resources that aided my transition into business. 2. Highly experiential business training Duke Fuqua first year MBA students attend a company trek on the West Coast Business training at Fuqua is hands on, engaging and—most importantly—relevant. The core curriculum teaches students the fundamentals quickly in short, yet effective, six-week terms. After that, electives and experiential opportunities allow students to practice those newly acquired skills from the classroom. In my first year, I spent a considerable amount of time on my Program for Entrepreneurs (P4E) and Mentored Study project. For my P4E project I worked on founding a biotech startup, and for my Mentored Study project I helped with strategy for a mid-sized biotech firm. Combined with my summer internship at Bristol-Meyers Squibb—a Fortune 100 pharma company—The Duke MBA gave me the chance to experience the entire life cycle of a pharmaceutical company. Many of my classmates also took part in Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum (FCCP) and other amazing experiential opportunities offered by The Duke MBA. Students can pick their experiences based on their career goals, such as FCCP for consulting and others for private equity, venture capital, etc. The choices I made were instrumental in helping me transition into a general management position at Bristol-Meyers Squibb. Prior to business school, I had little experience working with people in business. This all changed once I joined my Consequential Leadership (C-Lead) team. I was able to work with and learn from a diverse team of professionals withing this small group—two American consultants, a Korean marketer, a Spanish engineer, and an Indian banker. These and many other team experiences helped me adjust to the global work environment in business today. 3. Health Sector Management and other industry tracks For students who know the industry they want to get into but have no contacts or experience in that space, Fuqua’s industry tracks are a godsend. Fuqua has concentrations and certificates that cover a wide range of topics. As I knew I wanted to enter health care, I took advantage of courses and industry events in Health Sector Management (HSM), general management and marketing. The HSM courses allowed me to expand my understanding of health care from R&D into other areas such as providers and insurers. This was critical in providing the foundation of knowledge for my summer internship in pharma. Industry events allowed me to begin building my network on the business side of health care and learn what was happening on the front lines of the industry. Almost half of my classmates in HSM were not coming from the health care space and Fuqua’s industry tracks are a great way for students to break into unfamiliar industries. The networking opportunities and industry knowledge provided are immensely helpful for recruiting for and during the internship. The industry tracks also send a clear signal to companies that Fuqua focuses on these areas which helps return more job opportunities to graduates. Because of the strength of the HSM program, there were abundant on-campus recruiting opportunities available, making networking with firms very effective. Final words Without Fuqua, it would’ve taken me a lot longer to transition from science into business. The two-year Duke MBA gave me the skills, network and experiential opportunities necessary to bridge the gap between the functions and industries. In my personal blog, From Bench to Board, I share more details on how The Duke MBA has helped me make this transition—feel free to check it out! The post 3 Ways Fuqua Helped Me Transition from Science to Business appeared first on Duke MBA Student Blog. |
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-BB
Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Applicants (2016 Intake) Class of 2018!!
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20 Aug 2015, 13:00
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| FROM Fuqua Current Student Blogs: Peace Corps Experience Benefits MBA Academics and Recruiting |
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One of the best realizations I’ve had during my Fuqua career is just how much my Peace Corps service has benefited me in my MBA studies and career recruiting. Although it may not seem like the obvious precursor to business school, I’ve found that being a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) has greatly enhanced my experience, specifically in the following ways: Gave me sensitivity towards being an international student One thing I love about Fuqua is that our current student body is made up of about 40 percent international students, which has been typical in recent years. Meeting so many international classmates made me think back to what it was like for me to move to Madagascar without knowing a soul and trying to learn the language and acclimate to the culture. Of course, I wasn’t doing all that on top of studying for an MBA, so my experience has given me a greater appreciation for how hard my international classmates work. One of the greatest compliments I’ve received was from an Asian classmate who thanked me for speaking English very clearly to him, because it made it much easier for him to understand. I remembered being in those exact same shoes and appreciating it greatly when people would recognize my situation and speak Malagasy more slowly to me. Imparted the ability to talk to anyone With fellow RPCV classmates and Mark Rampolla, RPCV/Fuqua alumnus and founder of ZICO coconut water, after his speech at the Fuqua Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club conference Something I experienced a lot in Madagascar was being thrust into social situations with people I’d never met. If you’re sitting next to a woman for 22 hours on an overnight bus ride, it’s a lot more pleasant for you both if you strike up a conversation. If you’re waiting for said bus to finally depart like it was supposed to have done an hour ago—and you don’t have a smartphone to stare at like we all seem to in more developed countries—you might as well joke around with the funny guy working at the bus office. I didn’t realize it until I came to Fuqua, but having so much practice with random conversations has helped me tremendously when it comes to recruiting and networking. When you find yourself in a ‘sip circle’ with recruiters at a corporate event, you’ll be much better off having something to say instead of staring into your wine glass. Added unique international context to my learning Part of the reason why I did Peace Corps is that I wanted to get real, on-the-ground international work experience that was more than what a traditional expat job might provide. I am so glad I made that decision, because it has dramatically broadened my worldview and expanded my understanding of the truly global nature of business today. My Peace Corps project was to implement a sustainability program for spice farmers who sold their cloves to Unilever. I realize now that this opportunity to see the very beginning of the supply chain is something that most people never get. Now, in classes like Emerging Markets Strategy or Supply Chain Management, I can talk knowledgeably about rural value chains and market access for smallholder farmers. Strengthened my skills overall and gave me lots of stories to talk about in interviews Holding a mosquito net while conducting a malaria education event in my town, along with a fellow volunteer and a local health worker Initially I found it challenging to translate my Madagascar work experiences for people who may not be familiar with Peace Corps. However, after receiving guidance from the Career Management Center and practicing with my career fellow and other second-year students, I have been able to show that many of the unique challenges I worked through in Madagascar will have direct application to my skills in the workplace. For example, an answer to the interview prompt “describe a situation where you’ve had to overcome an obstacle to achieve success,” could come from the time that I had to bike 56 km on muddy dirt roads to visit my project site, only to find out the farmer meeting had been cancelled. Or the time that the bus full of local girls heading to the summer camp we’d spent months organizing for them was blocked from leaving because the driver was demanding more money. They may not be examples from the corporate world, but they certainly demonstrate quick problem-solving and thinking on your feet. Now that I’m heading into my second year at Fuqua and have passed the one-year mark since finishing Peace Corps, I still find myself missing Madagascar every day, and I’m hoping to go back and visit for spring break 2016. However, I find myself amazingly fortunate to be studying at Duke, home of the world-famous Duke Lemur Center (DLC). The lemur center gives me a priceless bit of connection to my former island home, and I’ll be volunteering there as a tour guide starting in the fall. I’m also working with them to help create a social enterprise program with Fuqua students to support the DLC’s conservation work in Madagascar. This is just another way that I’m able to bridge my experience in the Peace Corps and my MBA studies at Fuqua. Both of them are life-changing, transformative, two-year adventures, and I couldn’t be more grateful for both of these opportunities. The post Peace Corps Experience Benefits MBA Academics and Recruiting appeared first on Duke MBA Student Blog. |
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it.
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Re: Calling all Duke (Fuqua) Applicants (2016 Intake) Class of 2018!!
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20 Aug 2015, 13:12
This is an amazing read, thanks for sharing your journey in the Social Entrepreneurship space and how that experience has impacted your journey at Fuqua.