Registration Now Open: Forté Forum Event Series September 13 - October 5

Forté Forum: The MBA Value Proposition
9 cities across the US and London
6:00 – 9:00 pm
Thinking about an MBA? Don’t miss the premier MBA event for women! The Forté Foundation invites you to attend a Forté Forum event to learn, network, and discover what an MBA can do for your career. At the event you'll:

• Meet with admissions representatives from over 35 top business schools across the country
• Talk to GMAT test-preparation companies
• Learn from the experiences of MBA alumnae and current employees at prestigious companies

Pre-registration fee is $10; Onsite registration is $15.
Learn more and register at www.fortefoundation.org/forum.

Inside the MBA: perspectives from an NYU Stern MBA2 - vol. el fin

I've thought for awhile about what my final (business school blog) words would be. And now that the time is here to put thought to paper, I have a small confession to make - I'm drawing a blank. Well, not quite...I do have these five words stuck in my head: "What goes around, comes around..." And over the last two years, I certainly feel like I've made it all the way around!

In particular, I've really come full-circle with Forte Foundation and my business school experience. The Forte Forum was the first event I ever attended as a prospective student. The Forte Forum is when I first was able to envision myself as an MBA and particularly, when I could see myself as part of the Stern community. It was at this event that I first met one of the Admissions Directors from NYU Stern, who is now my manager since I am a Graduate Ambassador for Stern! It's largely because of this Admissions Director I met that I knew I wanted to actively share my positive Stern experience with prospective students, particularly with women. When I started at Stern, I was designated a Forte Fellow, which was a great honor to receive. Through my involvement with Stern Women In Business over the past two years, I've worked with Forte Foundation on several initiatives, most recently in developing the Career Lab at NYU. Even after graduation, I will be closely tied with Forte as I will be attending the Forte MBA Women's Conference in Chicago in June (hope to see many of you there!).

My experience with Forte and at Stern has taught me that the most meaningful relationships you can build are those where it's truly symbiotic. Or, to put it in business school terms, truly collaborative. One of my primary goals when I started at Stern was to build a strong network. Over the past two years, I have gotten to know a former CIA agent, a soon-to-be best-selling author, and just today, I found out one of my classmates was (intentionally) the last foreigner to leave India during the India/Pakistan Kashmir conflict(!) Getting to know my fellow Sternies has left me amazed, impressed and often, simply laughing. Now that I'm on the cusp of my graduation, I am feeling lots of different things at the same time - anxiety about finishing my classes, relief at completing my MBA, sadness to be leaving my friends and, more than anything, a sense of anticipation and hope. Simply put, I can not wait to see the amazing things that my classmates will achieve over the next few years and how our community will develop and leave its impact in the business (and other) world(s).

Over the next two weeks, I'll be finishing two final exams, enjoying Post-Term activities (fittingly, Stern has a two-week pre-graduation celebration that bookends Pre-Term, our two-week orientation), hosting my family, saying goodbye to some of my friends, and adjusting back to what I have jokingly referred to as "civilian" life. For those of you about to embark on this amazing MBA experience, I wish you all the best no matter where you are or what you choose to study. Business school is both the most challenging and most rewarding experience I have ever had. Even though there were some days when I was overwhelmed, there were so many more when I couldn't believe how incredibly lucky I was to be surrounded by such amazing and interesting people. I have enjoyed every opportunity to speak with all of you, whether you were just starting to consider your MBA, were actively applying to business school, or trying to decide where you were going to build your network. Thank you for letting me share part of my MBA experience with you and many well wishes as you begin yours!

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Inside the MBA: perspectives from an NYU Stern MBA2 - vol. 5

"To thine own self be true" - Polonius, Hamlet Act 1, scene 3.

How many times have we heard this phrase (or a version of this phrase that our parents adapted to conveniently fit a given situation) and rolled our eyes ever-so-slightly? No matter how tired and overplayed this phrase may seem, it is a classic for a reason. And this morning, my subconscious was paid a visit by our dear Bard of Avon. Nope, business schools have not started offering courses in English Literature. I was in my New Venture Financing class and the guest lecturer, David Rosenberg (CEO of Hycrete and graduate of Columbia Business School), was doling out some advice on some of the things he wishes he had learned in business school. Because I was sitting in a quantitative-focused Entrepreneurship class, I was fully expecting him to say he wishes he had mastered valuations or how to negotiate term sheets more effectively. But instead, the key thing David said he wishes he had learned was management - how to hire/fire people, how to motivate your teams, etc. Wait. You're telling me you wish you had spent more time focusing on the soft skills?! Isn't that exactly what I've been trying to avoid focusing on for the last two years?

As women, I think we often take for granted our inherent talent at the "soft skills". Particularly in a business-school environment, where quantitative skills are often heralded above others, it can be intimidating to proclaim that you prefer the management side over the analytical. Personally, however, not only have I always been more comfortable at the qualitative "soft skills", I've simply enjoyed them more. Granted, in order to become a great leader, one must exhibit a strong grasp of both management and analytical skills. However, most people will have tendencies and proclivities toward one over the other.

What the MBA experience has taught me (after somewhat of a much-needed roundabout...but hey, it's always nice to realize you were kinda right all along) is that it is your responsibility to not only determine what your core skills and interests are, but to cultivate and adhere to them even when it may seem like everyone else is doing something different. I'd encourage you to have the courage to do what it is you really want to do...not just what you think you (or others) think you SHOULD be doing. Pick the school that you really want to go to. Focus on the areas that are really of interest to you. Pursue what it is you'd really like to do, not what you think you should be doing.

Of course, saying that you'll do something is far easier than actually doing it. I've certainly wavered many times and had plenty of self-doubts! But there are a couple of things that have helped me maintain a bit of clarity through the business school haze. So, for your consideration...

1. This is one I've heard from the time I was a prospective. Find a mentor. Your mentor can be female or male, but should be someone who knows you well enough to understand you well and also someone who you trust enough to have your best interests in mind. I've been extremely lucky to have some amazing managers in my career and, to this day, I value the candid and honest advice I have received from them.

2. Without my support network, I simply would not have made it through my first semester. As you begin to think about your transition to being an MBA, think about the relationships and activities outside of business school you want to maintain and how you will do that. Business school, particularly first semester, is an extremely hectic time. You will have plenty of people to meet and things to do within business school, but just like it's important to build your network with your new classmates, it's also important to keep yourself surrounded by people who know you outside of the context of the MBA. This way, when you find yourself able to only think and speak words like upside/downside, risk and return, synergy, network effect, economies of scale/scope, yada yada yada...the people who know and love you can remind you that there is a great big world out there full of many interesting things.

3. Laugh. Often. This is one that, admittedly, I sometimes forget to do in my stressful moments. Too many things to-do to think about! I can't have a giggle now! But of all the memories I will take with me from business school, the best ones are those when I was sitting in a study room with my group, simply laughing our heads off about the April Fools' joke one of them fell for.

4. Go west, young woman. Or wherever else you want to go. I think I have learned as much, if not more, from the travel I've done while in business school. For example, I was recently on safari in Tanzania with 17 of my classmates and observing animals in their natural habitat was more enlightening on human relationships than anything I could have learned in a management course (see above note on management skills).

As the weather warms and the school year starts to wind down, I hope you are all excited thinking about your futures. A little less than 6 weeks remain in my MBA career, but I'll be back with one more post before graduation!

Inside the MBA: perspectives from an NYU Stern MBA2 - Vol. 4

One of my business school friends started a countdown to graduation on her Facebook status last week. 70 days until May 13, 2010 (eek!). This leaves 70 days, give or take, to cement everything I've learned over the last couple of years and to think about how I can apply those lessons over the course of my career.

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned the classes I'm taking during my last semester that I was really excited about. Well, that list has evolved slightly (that's the beauty of Drop/Add!) but I'm still just as excited because my courses this semester complement each other, and hopefully my skill set, really well. I'm currently studying New Venture Financing, Business Plan Practicum, Corporate Turnarounds, and Restructuring (to name a few). These are all courses that focus on how to take an unstable business - either because it's already failed or because it's not yet proven - and how to make it into a successful one. Through each of these classes, I'm learning to essentially strip through the bad or unpromising, and focus on the viable core or promising opportunity, and develop a strategy for how to make that piece thrive. Sounds fun, right?

Most of you are probably somewhere on the spectrum of either waiting to hear, deciding between business schools, or already preparing for matriculation. More than likely, you've put your essays (and the introspection and the self-analysis that's required) far behind you! But regardless of where you are in the waiting game, the type of self-analysis that goes into a business school application should be an ongoing process. In a way, your current situation can always be viewed as a sort of unsteady state that can be readjusted for even greater success with some modifications. What I've learned through my classes this semester is that what may appear to be steady state can also be opportunity for great success (or failure!) and that sometimes, all it takes is the smallest of catalysts to affect that change. To avoid failure, it helps to have clear insight of the situation and to be prepared to face whatever adverse conditions may come your way.

For those of you waiting for the next step, I'd encourage you to spend some time to keep doing a bit of that self analysis while you wait. Think about what value proposition you offer, why should consumers want your product, what is your viable core, and what you may need to restructure or reassess in order to be as successful as you can be. While it may seem like you just completed this exercise for your application essays, these are questions you should be asking throughout. Spend some time now talking to people whose jobs sound interesting to you and ask them how they got there. Take some time to read through the paper and read up on the companies that catch your eye and think about why they pique your interest. Business school is a rapid two-years and the more that you can do now to prepare for it, the better prepared you'll be and the more efficiently you can spend that valuable time (maybe even to have a little bit more fun!)

Inside the MBA: perspectives from an NYU Stern MBA2 - Vol. 3

My final semester of business school just started this week and I'm already having a hard time. But why? you may be asking. After all, it's the last semester! A large part of my current difficulty is due to my jet-lag. You see, I spent the better part of my winter break in Australia. One of the unique courses that Stern offers is DBi (Doing Business In), a mini-intensive study abroad course. Australia is one of the most popular offerings, but I had classmates studying all over the world, in India, Hong Kong and Singapore over the break.

This was actually my return trip to Australia because I had done a semester in Sydney in college, but I was excited about the prospect of traveling and studying with my Stern friends and classmates in Oz (as Aussies refer to it). Prior to the DBi, I spent two weeks traveling in other parts of Australia. Some highlights were celebrating New Years' Eve at Darling Harbor in Sydney with 20 of my Stern friends and sailing through the beautiful Whitsunday Islands on a 3-day trip with 20 other Sternies.

The DBi itself is actually a partnership with Melbourne Business School. In exchange for 8 MBS students spending a semester at Stern, 38 of us were there for two weeks, learning from various MBS faculty on everything from the Australian financial and legal systems, to how sport and wine are integral parts of Australian business and culture. The lectures on wine and sport were complemented by a trip to the Australian Open and a visit to a winery in the Yarra Valley...talk about experiential learning!

One of my favorite lectures was on innovation, which is something I'm already interested in, but was particularly interesting given the context of Australia's egalitarian culture. In the US (particularly as MBAs), we constantly strive to innovate, improve and excel above our competitors. In Australia, however, entrepreneurship and innovation are approached with the angle of what will benefit the greater good vs. individual success. For MBAs who are conditioned to constantly think about how to add and increase value, this seemed counter-intuitive in some ways.

But one of the areas where I think Australia surpasses the US in terms of innovation is sustainability. Full disclosure: I've never been one who has focused much energy (no pun intended) on natural resources and the environment; however, my interest in this area has been piqued recently, especially after living for a month in a part of the world where the ozone layer has been severely depleted. Hearing from the MBS professors and speaking with several Aussies who think about issues like sustainability on a daily basis, made me realize that there are large global issues that I haven't thought about much before but that I may need to pay more attention to ongoing. This, I think, is the value I gained from my experience in Australia - in addition to having fun with my Stern friends, I've also returned to New York with a new global perspective and new considerations for what I can do in my professional and personal life to contribute to global issues.

With this new perspective, I'm extremely excited about what the next two weeks hold. Stern Women in Business (SWIB) will be hosting its annual Conference on February 5th around the theme, "Adaptation: Creating Opportunity in a Changing Environment." As Co-President of SWIB, I am looking forward to the amazing keynote speakers we will hear from, including Andrea Jung of Avon and Terri Dial, both incredible women who have adapted throughout their careers with great success. Now that I think about it, I guess the time I'm having right now isn't so hard after all!

Inside the MBA: perspectives from an NYU Stern MBA2 - Vol. 2

Synergy (noun) - the idea that the value and performance of two companies combined will be greater than the sum of the separate individual parts. Catchphrase of Teddy Kay in the movie In Good Company. Abhorred buzzword by many MBAs, including myself. And it's also what happened to me this semester...

It's finals season at NYU Stern, which means projects, papers and exams galore. It's about synthesizing the knowledge one has gained over the last twelve weeks and demonstrating one's mastery of said knowledge by applying it to hypothetical or real situations. It's supposed to be the "ah-ha!" moment, if you will, when you realize the depths of what you have (or have not!) learned. For me, this finals season revealed my "ah-ha!" that I have become the dreaded cliche and have been learning synergistically. Doh. As much as I do not aspire to be an MBA stereotype or buzzword, this semester is when I started to realize the real value of the MBA, at least in the academic sense. A year ago, I was desperately attempting to make heads or tails of topics I had never comprehended before - finance, accounting, statistics. I was only mildly successful in that attempt, but I mustered through to Corporate Finance, where legendary Stern professor Aswath Damodoran helped me start to really comprehend. Then, this semester...it all started to "click". Eureka!

In my last post, I mentioned the classes I will be taking next semester. This time, I'd like to backtrack a bit and talk about some of the classes I've just wrapped up. I'm not sure if I just did an excellent job of choosing my schedule (hint: always find ways to pat yourself on the back) or if this is how business school is supposed to work, but my courses this term were diverse yet all complemented each other and I found that I was able to univerally apply concepts learned in individual classes. Synergy!

In particular, two of my favorite classes this semester were Managing Growing Companies (MGC) and Corporate Finance & Strategy for Entertainment, Media and Technology Companies (Corp Fin for EMT). Both of these courses are taught by clinical professors. At Stern, we are extremely fortunate to attract many working professionals who choose to spend their free time teaching us about what they do on a day-to-day basis. This means we get individuals who have been extraordinarily successful in their respective fields and have the passion to share their secrets with students. My MGC class is taught by Glenn Okun, who was a successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Corp Fin for EMT is taught by Tad Smith, who is currently President of Local Media for Cablevision. Both of these classes are case-based, so the discussion is meaningful, engaging and sometimes intense. Both Professors Okun and Smith use a version of the Socratic method and lead the discussion in such a way that you can't get away with a throwaway answer. Meaning, if you answer a question or offer a comment, you then have to explain your answer and your rationale through follow-up questions. This sometimes leads to nerves, sweaty palms and a slight ducking of the head so as to avoid being called on.

What both of these classes have taught me, however, is how to tie together all of the concepts I've been learning while thinking on my feet. Adding even further synergy, I often learn as much, if not more, from the insights my classmates have and offer. But what I've really learned and what these two classes have made me realize is that getting your MBA isn't about always having the right answer. Instead, it is about being unafraid to be incorrect (because nobody is right all of the time) and knowing you have the tools and skills necessary to get to the solution. So now, I can look the professor in the eye when he calls on me and answer with confidence, knowing that even if I'm wrong, there's still a solution in there.

I'll be on winter break for the next five weeks, so the next post will be slightly delayed, but I have good reason! I will be taking a class (we call them Doing Business In) in Australia over the winter break, so I will share with you tales from Down Under next time. 'till then...