I wish I knew first year…
A few things I wish I knew before starting the MA/MBA. Offered humbly, with a perspective that I know is just one dot on the map.
Max out independent study units. Earn up to 4 EDUC units for independent reading with a favorite professor, a part-time internship in education, or even your summer GMIX.
Join the Education Club and Social Innovation Club. You’ll meet MBA1s, MBA2s, POLSers, and those two clubs are actually do something (sorry, Sustainable Business Club and other GSB clubs that exist in name only).
Don’t take EDUC classes, or GSB ones for that matter, just to get the units. There ARE enough good ones that you don’t need to do that. Talk to MBA2s and find hidden gems. (Side note: I took only 2 units cross-listed so those are not rarified gold — take the ones you want and ignore the others.)
AAP is hard. Without extracurriculars, it’s difficult to meet like-minded souls. Consider taking it into your own hands: start a discussion group or host a small group dinner on topics of education/inequality/etc. It’s a gift to yourself and others.
Auditing is amazing. Two of my best classes (Fiscal Policy and Making Social Ventures Happen), I audited. If you’re pressed for units or the time to write yet another 2000-word paper, consider the audit. I call it ¾ the learning for ½ the work of a normal course.
Meet with professors outside of class. This is the top thing I wish I had done more of. What rockstars we get to learn from; it is such a privilege to get to know them outside of class.
Split your summer. I spent 9 weeks consulting and 4 weeks working at African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg. I loved having the two halves of my MA/MBA represented in my summer, plus the time in education got me fired up about GSE classes for second year.
Take time off before summer internships. I seriously underestimated how tired I was after year 1. Take a few days to breathe before launching back into work.
Invest in regular events. Professor Dodson still waxes poetic about his Thursday night poker crew at GSB, who have stayed in touch for decades. Similarly, we created a social justice discussion group (dubbed the Unfits, since we all entered feeling unfit for b-school) and have kept it going for two years. I realize now that, while fleeting Coupa coffee chats have floated right out of my memory, and what sticks is where I have invested regular, ongoing time.
For MBA 1 spring- Touchy Feely + DeMarzo + a bunch of Ed classes is tough, but worth it. Much harder than I imagined (even after others warned me), but also the most I have ever learned in 10 weeks. And DeMarzo before my summer in consulting was clutch.
For MBA 2 fall and winter- Fellows + Start-up Garage + a bunch of Ed class is tough, but (probably) worth it. I didn’t fully realize how much Fellows and SUG lock up your schedule — 8 units x 2 quarters is a LOT. Once you stack on Ed classes, you have precious little room for other GSB courses. I learned much in both Fellows and SUG, but the tradeoff is real.
Alice’s Restaurant in Woodside has an amazing $7 breakfast buffet on Wednesdays — go there on your bicycle!
D.School classes get old. Take one or two maybe, then they start repeating themselves…
Take classes pass/fail. I forgot about this option my entire MBA1 year. As joint degrees, we can take even more pass/fail units than others, so take advantage of it. I wish I had pass/failed Touchy Feely and Fellows. In my view, those kind of classes just aren’t meant to be graded.
Call your mom. One of my goals at GSB was to prioritize family and friends beyond this bubble. Very grateful I did.
Your boyfriend is at least 10 units — and should be. For me, grad school was as much — if not more — about giving, gaining, and learning in my partnership than in the classroom, and my life is much richer for it.
Say yes. To spontaneity, improbable weekend adventures, across-the-street classes with no other GSBers, to GSTs, GMIXs, TALKs. And say no. When you just want quiet time in your room with a book.
Prioritize people. Before coming to GSB, I had heard it was all about building a network, and that people were the best part. “Ok, true,” I thought, “but maybe not as much for me who has worked in education for 8 years and doesn’t know jack about business. I actually need to learn something in class!” My big aha of year 2 is that I have already forgotten most content from year 1: accounting, finance, ops… it’s all quite fuzzy already. But I have crisp memories of bike rides and dinners and campfires with friends where we debated politics and pressure-tested career ideas and just starred at the stars. One of the best decisions I made MBA2 year was to drop a class and spend more time with people, who will be with me much longer than Black-Sholes.
You do you. There are so many different ways to do it right! Mine is just one perspective of course; thanks for reading and happy to chat more anytime. ~ckw