Reflections on my First Semester of Business School

The last week of classes?  ALREADY?!?!  I can’t believe how fast my first semester of business school has flown by!  It’s nice to take a break from studying for finals to reflect on the past few months at Southern Methodist University.  Since moving to Dallas and attending my very first class at SMU, I’ve discovered a new city, new environment and new lifestyle.

I can sum up my first semester in one word: opportunity!

Business school offers incredible opportunities through classes, clubs and networking events.

I’ve taken most of my core classes including Accounting, Economics and Marketing and am looking forward to taking a few electives in the spring.  There are ample amounts of classes to choose from based on your concentration and interests.

I’m an officer in the Women in Business Club and have also become a member of the Finance, Investments, Consulting and Strategy and Entrepreneurship Clubs.  These are only a few of the clubs available to SMU business students.

School is not all work and no play!  As an athlete, I quickly found the rec center on campus and joined several intramural teams.  Every week I looked forward to playing co-ed soccer on Wednesday nights and sand volleyball on Sunday afternoon. 

Networking is a word used a lot in business school and I saw it come to life this semester.  It’s so important to make connections with your classmates, alumni, professors and business professionals.  In addition to on-campus information sessions hosted by companies, I attended Happy Hour every Thursday.  A perk to having no Friday classes!

To fit it all in and take advantage of every waking moment I now drink coffee and live by my Outlook calendar!

December offers a break from classes but affords time to focus on applying for summer internships.  I’m also looking forward to a ski trip with a few of my classmates!

Liz Schaab, Forté Fellow
MBA 2014, SMU Cox School of Business