Author: mbairishechoes

An ND MBA glossary, vol. 2

By: Nitesh Srivastava

The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. (Photo courtesy Nitesh Srivastava)

I recently put together a glossary of four common terms that people outside the Notre Dame MBA program may not know. Here are a few more words, phrases, and acronyms to round out the list: 

5. MBAA: The Notre Dame MBA Association, or MBAA for short, is the student government of the Notre Dame MBA program. Most students simply spell out the letters when they say this acronym aloud, although rumors exist of a rebranding that would see the term pronounced as a word, similarly to the title lyric in the 1997 Hanson hit MMMBop. 

6. Dual-degree student: A handful of undergraduates at Notre Dame are simultaneously obtaining their bachelor’s degrees in engineering and MBAs in a combined, five-year program. Obviously, these students are a bit younger than the average MBA student, so they don’t appreciate my 1990s pop culture references. Informal ways to describe these students include “five-year student,” but especially in a professional context, “dual-degree student” is preferred.  Continue reading “An ND MBA glossary, vol. 2”

An ND MBA’s thoughts on the flexibility of business school

By: Alex Prosperi

Alex and his classmates celebrate a successful end to Mod 2 with a Secret Santa gift exchange. (Photo courtesy Alex Prosperi)

Prior to coming back to academia, I worked at a communications agency. “Agency life” requires an always-on mentality where your client’s wishes – regardless of the task itself or timing – are priority. I’m grateful for the invaluable personal and professional lessons I gained working in PR, but there comes a time when you know you’re ready for the next adventure.

I took about four months off between work and school. And after spending a month backpacking and hanging out with kangaroos in Australia, I was eager to get started in the Notre Dame MBA program.

What I somewhat expected – but what I’m absolutely currently experiencing – is the level of freedom and opportunity that business school offers.  Continue reading “An ND MBA’s thoughts on the flexibility of business school”

Dispatches from Chile: What we took away from the trip

By: Elizabeth Sadler

Notre Dame MBAs during their 2016 mod abroad. (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Sadler)

I was bitten by the travel bug at a young age, and I was thrilled to learn that the Notre Dame MBA program offered a mod abroad as part of the curriculum. The mod abroad is a manifestation of the opportunities that small and agile MBA programs like Notre Dame afford its students.

To be honest, I didn’t do much research about Santiago, Chile, prior to arriving. Having Santiago has home base for two months was invaluable. The day after landing in-country, we were back at the airport on our first adventure to Argentina and Uruguay. During the course of the mod, we visited San Pedro de Atacama, Chile; Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina; Machu Picchu, Peru; and Montevideo, Uruguay.  Continue reading “Dispatches from Chile: What we took away from the trip”

The ABCs of the MBA world

By: Mike Weppler

The one-year MBA class of 2017 on the field in Notre Dame Stadium. (Photo courtesy Hannah Fronczak)

As the new year arrived, I was prompted to reflect on 2016, highlighted by my experience as a one-year Notre Dame MBA student. It has been intense and challenging, yet fun and rewarding. I have learned the ABCs of surviving and thriving in the MBA world, and I hope these lessons will help you to succeed in your Notre Dame MBA experience:

A for Academics: Wanting to take every course is natural. Unfortunately, that leaves little time for anything else. To focus, I asked these questions: What is most important to learn for my career? How do I supplement my strengths? How do I shore up my weaknesses? What will be an interesting experience to cement valuable skills in my mind?  Continue reading “The ABCs of the MBA world”