1st Year Almost Over!

It's hard to believe that my classmates and I are in the final stretch of our first year in the Jenkins MBA program at NC State. Four more weeks till exams are over! Then, a few short days of rest or travel before we begin our summer internships. Time has definitely flown by and it's hard to believe I'm halfway through my MBA already.

Looking back on my first year I have the benefit of hindsight and there are a few things I've realized. I see now that I shouldn't have been so stressed the first month of school. Yes it was hard. Yes, I wondered at times if I could handle the work load, but I realize now how quickly you adapt. It's so much easier to consume large amounts of knowledge each class period now and actually understand how to apply it. Note I said easier, definitely not easy!

Another thing I've realized is that I haven't taken full advantage of getting to know my professors. I am well aware of the benefit of building strong relations with classmates and how my network will be one of the most valuable things I gain in B-school. I'm only recently realizing the same could be said for my professors. They have a vast amount of academic knowledge and many have great industry experience as well. I plan on making it a priority next year to get to know my professors better and to seek out more interaction with them. They are always communicating a willingness to interact with us outside of class and I should take advantage of the offer.

For more ways to get the most out of your MBA experience, Poets and Quants has another good article you should check out here. 25 ideas to make the most of your MBA