Full-time MBA Blog

A question I commonly receive is whether being organized into blocks (a group of 70 students that you take core classes with) is a good or bad thing. Frankly I had questions about this as well because I was worried it would limit my ability to meet everyone that I could during my first semester on campus. If business school is about building a network, then why stop me from building that network in the classroom until I am already 25% finished with school?

Those are the questions, but this is the reality: the block system is the best thing that happened to my network.

The most valuable relationships I have at Stern are those with my block. By spending the entire first semester together, I was able to build bonds that were strong and lasted well after we left the core classes to take more specialized electives. Because of the block system I now have friends in Finance, Consulting, Luxury, Technology, Healthcare, etc. that I can safely refer to as my “go-to” people in those fields.

I also developed an especially strong network within my study group. Here is a list with the sex, hometown, job pre-Stern, and job post-Stern of the six members of my study group:

· Male, Los Angeles, sales background, Brand Management at Unilever
· Female, Hawaii, accounting background, Investment Banking at Wells Fargo
· Male, London, accounting background, consulting at Deloitte
· Male, Jamaica, insurance background, Sales & Trading at JP Morgan
· Female, Japan, artist, internal consulting at Samsung
· Male, Peru, corporate finance, investment banking in Peru

If I hadn’t been placed in a study group with these people the odds are that I would not have developed the bonds that I did because none of them take marketing classes with me. We did all our group work together first semester and got along so well that we are still doing group projects together today. This past spring break, four of us decided to go to Costa Rica and rent a house for the week. It was an amazing experience and let me know them even better.

In summation, I went back to school to get a job and build a network. With the strong bonds I have built between my block and my study group I am confident that I am leaving with both.

So I’ve been back in the country for less than 48 hours. No, I’m not complaining. Rather, I’m still marveling over my trip to Milan, Cinque Terre, and Florence. Over Spring Break, I participated in Doing Business in Italy. It is course that takes you to Milan to focus on luxury retailing and branding. We studied at Bocconi, which is a business school in Milan where we were taught by industry leaders in fashion and luxury. We had the privilege of visiting a silk factory in Como, the Versace Headquarters, and meet with one of the leading fashion PR and events firms, Attila and Co. In addition to delicious food, we also conducted a field study in teams of 4 or 5 students. We visited stores across Milan including Dolce and Gabbana, Prada, Tod’s, Louis Vuitton, Zegna, Versace, Armani, and several multi-brand stores. It was fascinating to see the differences in store layout, service, and branding within each location. With a critical eye, I found I learned a tremendous amount by making basic comparisons and traveling throughout the gorgeous city. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in luxury, I would highly recommend you enroll in this course.

Aside from the academic aspects, I was fortunate enough to travel to Cinque Terre with three of my classmates before class began. We hiked through three of five small towns on the coast of Southern Italy. The views were gorgeous and the food was beyond fresh. Due to our activity, we had few issues justifying our multiple trips to gelato shops. My only concern now is how I can find such delicacies in New York! Following the course, I also visited Florence. Simply stated, the city took my breath away. It was the best food during the whole trip. Plus, there were several beautiful cathedrals and museums. We even visited the Gucci museum. Lastly, I shopped in Florence. Conveniently located near the designer outlets, my classmates and I did some serious damage. It was the first time I’d shopped in some time, but it was worth the wait. Not only are the brands amazing, but you can find incredible deals (relatively speaking). Needless to say, if you visit, save in advance.

All in all, this was an incredible Spring Break. Regardless of whether you have an interest in luxury or retail, I recommend visiting Italy sometime if you haven’t already done so.

“That was awesome.”

The clock struck noon and Investment Banking was done for the day. We had just spend 90 minutes walking through a series of powerpoint slides titled ‘Investment Grade Public and Private Debt’. Prior to business school just reading that title may have made my head explode. I had zero knowledge of finance and could not have told you the difference between Hedge Funds and Investment Banks. All I knew was that they worked a ton of hours and made a lot of money.

But here I was in my Investment Banking class with a couple of prospective students equally as oblivious to Finance as I had been before I came to NYU Stern. When the lecture was over I turned to one of them and asked her thoughts on the class:

“That was awesome.”

I would normally be skeptical because how could someone really be that enthusiastic about a topic so mundane. But here is the thing… it WAS awesome! The reason is very simple: the person teaching the class was Professor Charles Murphy. A former head of Investment Banking at Credit Suisse, Professor Murphy is funny, engaging, and an amazing teacher. I know he is a great teacher because throughout the first 6 weeks of class this semester I have gone from zero understanding of the financial services industry to a deep understanding of investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, asset management, and how they all work together.

The point of this post is not to pat myself on the back. It is also not to heap praise on Professor Murphy (even though I could spend 3000 words doing it without breaking a sweat). The real point I want to make is that we have phenomenal professors here at NYU Stern. I am a marketer who thought finance was beyond my level of comprehension. What I’ve found is that if you have great professors that you can learn anything.

I stand before the community now as a graduate who feels comfortable talking about finance. This is no small feat and I could not have done it without my professors leading the way. I had the pleasure of speaking with an NYU Board Member recently about NYU Stern. When I asked him why he thought we have had so much success he said “anywhere you go at the top MBA programs you will have great professors, but I think what we have at NYU is Seal Team 6.” They are the Navy’s top operational task force and are the best at what they do. I can’t think of a better comparison for our faculty here and am happy to say that I have grown significantly as a student learning from them.

Hi all,

I was asked to give a brief talk today on my favorite Stern professor — so thought I’d share what I have written here on the blog as well. Happy Spring! -Matt

Q: Who is your favorite Stern faculty member and/or what is your favorite course taken so far?

Hi My Name is MATT and I am going to talk today about my favorite Stern professor A MAN A MYTH A LEGEND–who has mastered the mystic art of CONTROLLING THE VOLUME OF HIS VOICE and MODULATING THE PACE of his delivery. Who can turn even the driest material into engaging, dynamic, and–frankly–wonderful lectures.

Professor William L. Silber. The Marcus Nadler Professor of Finance and Economics. White-haired Legend of the core MBA-required Foundations of Finance class. Internationally-recognized scholar of dynamism in securities markets. And First class oddball.

Odd indeed–but in the best possible way. Hilarious, off beat, RANDOMLY LOUD, and more than anything passionate about his specialization.

Finance scared me. I didn’t think I could do it. If the landscape of MBA is organized in a Braveheart style binary between the Poets and the Quants (Or quantitative-leaning students), I am most definitively a poet… I majored in English in college. I worked in media reviewing film script and pitches for six years. I had forgotten almost all the math that once rented tenuous apartment space in my brain. I was worried.

But the most valuable lesson Silber has taught me isn’t about Arbitrage, CAPM, or interest rates, but rather the fact that just because you haven’t been exposed to something…doesn’t mean it has to dominate you. (Like a less risky, more rewarding portfolio would dominate a lesser security as an investment.)

Professor Silber’s PASSION for finance comes through in his lectures–and they are the most engaging I’ve had so far here at Stern. They made me WANT to learn.

And now I’m ready to come out and say it–my deep dark secret — I LIKE FINANCE.

Silber got me here. And that’s why he is my favorite professor. But then again, Thursday is our Midterm. So, depending on how that goes, I’ll revisit this issue next week.

While I was applying to Stern I remember spending time thinking about how I could leave a lasting legacy at such an established institution. I didn’t realize it at the time, but all my ideas were miniscule compared to the actual impact I’d be able to have during my time here. Stern challenges us to think big about all facets of our experience here and to be bold in our contributions. Almost daily I see examples of how influential the voice of the student body is. Here are a few examples that have struck me.

Last semester, as a result of student voices, Stern enacted a Grade Non-Disclosure policy. This is a hot topic for many institutions and was for Stern students as well. In honoring our voices the student government held several town halls for us to share our opinions. This led to a student vote where a 2/3^rd majority voted in favor of GND. The policy was enacted immediately with the support of our administration.

Last week, I sat in on a presentation made by a group of fellow students that challenged Stern faculty and administrators to rethink the way the school delivers education. The students freely voiced both negative and positive critiques about key areas of the school and boldly proposed a new vision for the school, as well. Their audience included the Dean of Innovation and several administrators and professors who sit on the board of Stern’s Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. The board was eager to hear all of the insights presented and dug into a lively discussion about them. They embraced the ideas shared and developed next steps to explore some of them immediately.

In a couple of weeks, forty of us will spend Spring Break in Cuba as part of a new Business and Society course, Cuba: Sanctions, Reform, Opportunities. This course is a result of a petition made by students in Stern’s Association of Hispanic and Black Business Students.  We decided to request the course because, as a club, we appreciate Stern’s openness to business and cultural insights from a variety of different societies and feel there is much to be learned from the story of Cuba. We are excited to participate in the inaugural class, which became an official part of our course selection less than six months after we petitioned for it.

I have come to cherish Stern’s faculty and administrators who are committed to embracing the student voice. I am proud of the lasting legacy that our class continues to create and am excited to see what future class will bring to the school.

In my last semester at Stern, I want to make sure I take advantage of every possible opportunity to learn as much before I graduate. While I already have a job lined up post-graduation, I am definitely not slacking off – although when I am giving tours at 10 am on Fridays I sometimes wish I were less committed 🙂

I want to become involved with programs that I am interested in, that will allow me to give back to the community, and that will help me develop key skills. Two of my passions are running and women’s health/nutrition. Outside of Stern, I have been volunteering as an Assistant Coach with an amazing program called Girls on the Run (http://gotrnyc.org/). This season I will step up to Head Coach at a new school in Chelsea. Here at Stern, I am VP of Events for the new Stern Health and Fitness Club. I find and plan running events, such as races and half marathon training sessions. I plan to go into consulting after graduation and was looking at various project opportunities with the Luxury Retail Club and Entrepreneurs Exchange Club (EEX) Consulting Corps programs (https://nyustern.campusgroups.com/larc/consulting-corps/ and https://nyustern.campusgroups.com/eex/prospective-student-info/).

My worlds collided recently when I was selected as Project Lead for an EEX Project for the company VROU (http://vrouwomen.com/). Not only is VROU a health brand for women, but it is also a partner with Girls on the Run! I am very excited to be working with VROU founder, Kathryn Moos, and my team here at Stern to develop a complete marketing plan and social media strategy. VROU offers a zero-calorie healthy water for women with tons of multivitamins and nutrients. I wanted to work with VROU because our values and goals are aligned. VROU is committed to positively impacting the lives of young girls – hence the partnership with Girls on the Run. There are many ways to become involved with Girls on the Run: as a head or assistant coach, internships, running buddy for the 5K, or one-off volunteer opportunities at various events. My involvement in the program over the last few years has been incredibly rewarding. It’s amazing to see young girls ages 8-11 embrace the lessons, become more confident, and successfully run 3 miles!

I’m looking forward to strengthening the relationship between VROU and Girls on the Run this semester and helping both organizations be successful!

 *Please note: The opinions expressed here are solely my opinions and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Girls on the Run® International.

It is the second week back on campus after a 6 week break and all I can think about was what I did over our vacation. The great thing about being a student is that you have a winter break in the first place. While last year my entire break was consumed with preparing for internship interviews in January, this year I had the entire 6 weeks to myself.

I have had many people that I trust tell me about how incredible their vacations to Thailand were. After a long time of listening to them it was my turn to make the trip myself. I voiced my interest this fall and immediately 3 classmates said that they would travel with me. With 6 weeks to kill we decided to start in Thailand and then make our way to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. In total we would travel 23 days and get back to school the day before it starts.

I could go on about what we did in each city but I will focus on the highlights and what I learned on my trip.

• A speedboat tour of Phan Nga Bay in Thailand had me thinking “this is the most beautiful place I have ever been” multiple times
• Feeding and riding elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand made me so happy that I now use it as my “happy place” whenever I am having a bad day.
• Being in a cage with live tigers makes you appreciate the power of nature
• You can buy things in Vietnam for cheap… like reaaallllyyyyy cheap
• I will never forget seeing Angkor Wat temple at sunrise. It’s also mind blowing to realize something so grand was built 1000 years ago
• Hong Kong feels like NYC but cleaner and more crowded. I don’t know how that’s possible
• When I go to work as a brand manager I need to figure out how to secure ad space that brands have in Hong Kong. The side of a building (http://www.my-lifestyle-news.com/2013/04/ermenegildo-zegna-wrap-one-peking.html) or an entire subway station (http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/2011/04/the-hong-kong-125th-anniversary-time-tunnel.html) are options for enormous takeovers.

In conclusion I loved my trip. Even the ridiculous week of jetlag was worth it! Unfortunately playtime is over and I have to think about school once again… except for when I’m thinking about elephants.

I am still in shock that my last semester has arrived. How did I get here? There’s a part of me that wishes I could stay at Stern forever, but there’s also a part of me that’s eager to get out there and show the world all that I’ve learned. I recently had the sad, but exciting task of selecting my last classes. The great thing about being a second semester second year is that I received all of my choices! The downside is that there is still so much I would like to take. In the end, I chose Decision Models, Pricing Strategy, Retail Strategy, Managing Growing Companies, New Venture Finance, Luxury Marketing, and DBi Italy. That may seem like a lot, but fear not. It only totals up to 5.5 classes, so a slight, but worthwhile overload, thanks in part to the extra 3 credits Stern allots you. Ultimately, after sitting in on many classes and consulting my friends for insight on their experience in certain courses, I am pleased with my selection. I like the mix of hard and soft skills built into my schedule this semester. During the selection process, I also met with several professors and faculty members to gain their input. I tend to be indecisive, so I figured an extra opinion or two could never hurt. The Stern community has yet to fail.

This brings me to the difficult start I had to my semester. During the last week of January, second year students completed a mandatory course called Professional Responsibility. It is a week-long intensive that covers various topics surrounding ethics. Unfortunately, in the afternoon on the first day of class, I received notice that a friend of mine had passed away from cancer. As one of my fellow GA’s and several friends comforted me while I sobbed, I was assured by the professor that I could take the time I needed. My friends remained supportive and encouraging. I knew I could rely on them for any notes or information I may have missed while I attempted to pull myself together. I ultimately chose to stay for the remainder of the day rather than go home. The decision was simple. I knew that I was better off surrounded by my loving, caring classmates than alone in my apartment. My fellow Sternies never left my side that week. They dragged me to lunch when I didn’t want to eat. They sat with me in silence listening to my reflections. They brought me humor when I cried. They checked in on me morning, noon, and night. Even in the short two weeks that have followed, I have had the undivided support from my friends.

So much of our decision regarding where to attend business school centers on academics and careers. While these are some of the compelling reasons I chose Stern, I ask you to reconsider your priorities. Ultimately, my experience here has been defined more by the people than by the institution. I am touched by their regular generosity and kindness. Needless to say, I’m not sure my two years at Stern would be half of what they have been without the community. It is truly a place that picks you up when you fall down the hardest.