The MBA Student Fall Retreat: How I Found Myself at Georgetown By Stepping Away From It
By the time our first semester fall break rolled around, I won’t lie: I was beaten down by every finance quiz, strategy assignment, and case reading that had come at us. Re-acquainting myself with fancy calculators and learning a new language (accounting) after many years in the nonprofit world gave new meaning to the number of things I could cram into a day. And to top it all off, my first-year class and I did this while trying to soak up every recruiting happy hour and Thursday evening Kegs.
I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what I was missing, but after just a couple of months of barreling forward on this fantastically colorful train that was business school, I was drained. That’s why, when an email announced the chance to take part in an MBA student retreat — a two-day respite from our lovely Hariri building where I spent all my waking hours — I jumped at the opportunity.
The retreat was organized by the program office and headed by Dean Kerry Pace, and I knew very little about the schedule when I signed up ($35 for a bus, a hotel room, and some quiet yoga? Yes, please!). I found that the two days of workshops were filled with reflection time and invaluable advice from brilliant minds long connected to Georgetown. For example: a private equity guru and presidential adviser who meditated with us in jeans and cowboy boots, and a storied leadership coach who led us through a yoga session.
I’ll be honest — at first, I was a little nervous that the retreat would have a religious focus. Georgetown is a Jesuit institution, and I chose to attend partly for its emphasis on cura personalis (caring for the whole person) and focus on service, which has been a guiding theme in my life. I was relieved to find that the tone was inclusive and respectful of the fact that students of all faiths participated.
We sat together in a room filled with giant beanbags and took a moment to breathe and reflect on what we had just accomplished over the past couple of months of business school. We thought through why Georgetown made it a priority to carve out this time together. We thought about why it was important to reflect on the values we had brought with us — and what we didn’t want to leave behind as we continued this journey.
Our lives after the MBA will certainly be transformed. We all enter this program hoping for greater responsibility, greater opportunity, and greater access to resources and influence. The question posed to all of us was this: as businesspeople from Georgetown, where we are urged to think about our whole selves and how we can be of service to others, what is the path that we consciously wish to walk? And which pieces of ourselves will we intentionally bring with us?
I had gotten a little more than yoga and a hotel room when I signed up for this retreat. Especially after running full steam ahead in a suit and heels, this time for reflection and connecting with my peers could not have been more necessary. When fall break was over, I may have gone back to running just as fast in those heels, but I did it with a clearer head and great pride that Georgetown was where I decided to spend two years. I knew I had joined a community that was aiming for something greater.
My Favorite Class: Environmentally Sustainable Operations & Business Models
If you love, or want to learn more, about how MBAs can drive environmentally-sustainable development, this is the course for you! Each week, we discuss a key sustainability issue by analyzing 1-2 cases in depth, such as furniture logging at IKEA or organic cotton clothing at Walmart. Each discussion topic is driven in a very lively manner by Professor Vishal Agrawal, who truly encourages students to challenge assumptions, raise controversy, look for signs of “greenwashing”, and find the hidden profits embedded in sustainable strategies.
Whether you’re new to the topic or experienced in the field, you’ll find yourself surrounded by like-minded MBAs from all sorts of functions, sectors, and industries; I guarantee that you’ll learn as much from them as from the course material. To practice our analytical MBA skills, we build up a portfolio of three individual essays and one group project over the course of six weeks. In the individual essays, we’re guided with a series of questions that require knowledge from our core MBA courses such as Finance, Operations, Marketing, and Analytical Problem Solving; for example, performing an NPV analysis for obtaining LEED building certification.
In the group project, we’re partnered with an external client on a corporate initiative or with Professor Vishal on an internal research topic. With over 15 projects to choose from, students have the opportunity to dive deep into a sustainability area they’re really passionate about, such as applications of blockchain in the fishing industry (in my particular case). Our last session together, ending on a real high note, is devoted to group project presentations where you’ll learn about various topics, meet some of the external clients, and perfect your sustainability pitching skills.
This course is a required elective in McDonough’s new Certificate in Sustainable Business, and rightly so. If this course sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to look into the certificate and save your seat in OPIM 571!
International Student Experience: Transitioning From My Home Country to D.C.
During my initial weeks at McDonough, I would often pause in astonishment as I realized that I was actually in an MBA program. Until a few years ago, I had never planned to attend a business school in the United States, so occasionally, I would be amazed that I’m really here.
As with many international students, I, too, was anxious about many aspects of my MBA experience, primarily revolving around transitioning into a new city in a new country, job recruiting, and classroom academics.
The social experience really stood out to me. I was surprised at how many events are taking place both formally and informally. Beyond the school-sponsored events, students took the initiative to organize activities amongst ourselves. These events definitely helped me transition to my new lifestyle as an MBA student and also allowed me to explore the amazing place that is Washington, D.C.
Secondly, the career opportunities and recruiting process have hugely exceeded my expectations. McDonough provides so much support throughout the process, both from the Career Center and from the professional clubs. I feel entirely guided in my recruiting journey, rather than left to fend for myself. Because of all the collective efforts and assistance, I am excitedly looking forward to my summer internship in another fantastic city – Seattle!
Further, the core classes in my first semester were more interesting and relevant than I’d anticipated, and I didn’t struggle with the courses as I had feared I would. The professors are really helpful, but beyond that, my classmates proved to be unbelievably supportive.
Lastly and most importantly, the community at McDonough is truly amazing. The whole community has proved to be collaborative, both in the classroom and in the recruiting process. One of the best takeaways of my first-year experience has been the many incredible people I have met at McDonough and the real friendships I have made here. Ultimately, I have realized that we have a lot in common even though we come from very different backgrounds, and we are all working together to achieve our goals, which is what makes the McDonough community so incredible. I can now say that the business school has been even better than I expected in all possible ways.
The Georgetoen McDonough School of Business prides itself on its community. While the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on MBAs across the globe, McDonough made preserving and enriching their community a priority.
Kerry Pace is an associate dean of the MBA program, responsible for the whole of the student experience. She has worked at the university since 1997, focusing on graduate students for her entire career.
“Our students quickly adapted to the virtual learning environment at the onset of the pandemic, yet they were missing the connections with one another,” said Pace. “Our MBA team sought out ways to create that sense of community and support in a virtual world.”
Pace felt the pandemic had escalated the need for mental health and well-being to a critical point, and the university’s overarching philosophy of cura personalis was the core value needed to help students cope.
Building a Stronger Network: MBA Student Creates a Platform to Connect Classmates
Building a community during your MBA program can give you lifelong benefits: after all, these are your peers and future coworkers. It is our human instinct to come together socially, but MBAs had to overcome even more obstacles during the global pandemic — finding themselves physically apart. Sherif Shabana (MBA’21) created HQHQ.ai, a student networking platform where MBAs can routinely be paired up and interact.
“The pandemic stole so much for the MBA experience and as amazing as the efforts were to overcome these obstacles, we saw the urgency to amplify the networking and mentorship experiences for students,” said Shabana.
This platform allows current students to be “on the market” for connections and professional relationships so they can pair up with colleagues for developing our networks at Georgetown McDonough.
100+ Alumni Put MBA Communications Skills to the Test during Executive Challenge
Business leaders are asked to flex their communications skills every day, whether it’s to ask a board to change the direction of an organization, add investors to a new business, or to manage a difficult labor relations situation. That’s why Georgetown McDonough MBA students are asked to do the same as part of their Leadership Communications final exam.
Opening Term. If you say those two words to any former or current student at McDonough, they’re likely to elicit a visceral reaction as memories of rapid-fire classes, beginning the challenge of career search, community service opportunities, social events, and even the occasional couple hours of sleep play across their minds. Opening Term is your introduction to the MBA program at McDonough and it foreshadows the rest of your experience here. You work hard and you play hard, all while meeting the rest of your incredible colleagues and setting yourself up for success over the coming years of your MBA. So, given the excitement of all that’s about to happen, how do you prepare for Opening Term and how can you ensure that you not only survive but thrive in the early steps of your MBA experience?
Keys to Preparation
Get your administrative onboarding duties handled before setting foot on campus. We all know those endless emails that come from HR when you join a new firm, filling you in on the minutiae that you need to do to become set up as a new employee. You’ll get similar emails from the MBA Program Office, and the best thing I did before Opening Term was taking care of all the administrative work. Simply put, once Opening Term begins, you won’t have the bandwidth to follow through on getting your picture for your GoCard or setting up your account in MyAccess, so do it early!
Do the Career Center prep work to the best of your ability. If you’re a career pivoter, this step provides a leg up during the fall recruiting season. If you’re a career advancer, the work allows you to reflect and clarify what you truly want from your MBA experience. Either way, respect the challenge that recruiting presents and set yourself up for success down the road.
Rest and relax before Opening Term begins. Catch up on sleep, read that book you’ve been eyeing, or go on that vacation prior to Opening Term. It’s an intense period, so coming in as loose as possible is the best approach.
Keys to Success
Stay up-to-date with your work and deliverables. Seemingly a no-brainer, but the temptation to let a reading slide here or there grows exponentially. As a re-introduction to academia, setting good habits now is ideal.
Don’t be afraid to ask for (and give) help. You’re surrounded by an incredibly talented set of colleagues and a world-class faculty. The MBA program, and business in general, rely on collaboration so use your team and other friends to help make the load of the MBA program lighter.
