5 favorite business school experiences
Building a bridge with my Core team during Onboarding
Graduation is here, and my classmates and I are preparing to leave GBS and begin the next phase of our careers. As we close out our time as students, I thought it would be fun to reflect back on five of my favorite experiences at Goizueta.
- Onboarding (where it all began!)
The first two weeks of school (which are known as Onboarding at Goizueta) were an amazing start to my MBA journey. I met my classmates, got to know my Core team, and experienced my first taste of MBA coursework. The highlight of Onboarding was our overnight retreat to Lake Lanier, where we took part in team-building activities before enjoying an evening together with our entire class.
- Traveling
During my time at Goizueta, I’ve had the opportunity to visit South Africa, Mozambique, Haiti and Chile. Our spring semester is structured with a three-week hiatus in the middle so that students can travel for mid-semester modules and spring break. I’m very grateful that the semester is built this way because it made it possible for me to travel to four new countries (and two new continents!) that I had never seen before.
GBS students on safari in South Africa
- IMPACT360 Client Project
I’ve talked about this before in some of my previous blogs, but working with a real client during the first year of my MBA program through the IMPACT360 course was an invaluable experience for me. As a career switcher, it gave me the opportunity to get hands-on practice with problem-solving and project management prior to my summer internship.
- Leadership Coaching Fellows Program
In the LCF program, second-year and one-year students act as coaches for first-year Core teams during the fall semester. We also work with executive coaches (who are generally professors or experienced professionals) to improve our coaching skills. I found that coaching a team was one of the most rewarding experiences I had as a student. Through the LCF program, I was able to learn about my own strengths and weaknesses as a coach while helping a Core team work more effectively together.
- Spending Time with my Classmates
I’ve made too many amazing memories with my classmates to recount them all here, but one thing is for sure — my time at GBS would not have been nearly as valuable without my class of 2018 peers. They have challenged me, supported me, and made me a better student over the past two years. From midnight study sessions during the Core to beach week (an annual tradition for the graduating class), I’m grateful for every moment that I had with them.
Celebrating the end of our MBA program at Beach Week
Although I’m graduating this May, I know that my time as a member of the GBS community is far from over. Because of the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met during the past two years, I’m committed to remaining connected to Goizueta as an alumna. I’ll always be a member of the Emory network, and the bonds I’ve formed with my classmates will last for life.
