Five Lessons Learned

For those who want to plan WhirlyBall excursions all day, three massive, unavoidable elephants also occupy the room: Sleep, Class, and Work

By Matt Schaar

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Matt Schaar
University of Michigan (Ross)
MBA Class of 2009

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Our Community Consulting team huddled around the phone, each of us staring blankly at the PowerPoint presentation we prepared for the nonprofit organization we had been assisting over the past 10 weeks. One team member rushed in at the last minute as she returned from a "Women in Consulting" forum she helped coordinate, while two other teammates wouldn't be available for the teleconference because of recruiting events on campus. I had another meeting scheduled immediately after our presentation, and the conference room (actually, a lecture hall we received permission to use) was booked solid for the rest of the day. Did I mention that I was running on about four hours of sleep?

One of the greatest strengths of the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, the cornerstone of its approach to the MBA curriculum, is the opportunity to apply classroom and industry experience to myriad real-world problems; the Community Consulting Club is one example. Full-time and evening MBA and BBA students are grouped with local nonprofit organizations to address a medium-scale project. If that's not your cup of tea, there's always the Southern Club, where you solve a social problem by, uh, hosting a pig roast in the atrium. The opportunities at Ross outside the classroom run the gamut, which may also serve as the school's greatest weakness—particularly for those who clearly have an aversion to uttering the phrase "No, I can't." I'm a card-carrying member of that organization!

On that note, I'll share my First-Semester Lesson Learned #1: Just say no, bro (or sis).

It's very, very difficult for any first-year student to plan ahead for 14 minutes, let alone a full semester. Although I had hoped my phone would have some sort of alarm that sounds when I reach critical mass, it appears AT&T (T) hasn't found a large enough subscriber base interested in that feature. The holiday break couldn't have come at a better time for all of us, as I reckon that others feel pretty swamped as well: the Executive Lobby at Ross during finals reminded me of some kind of zombie film.

Easing the Burden

Whatever stress and anxiety that results from this crazy experiment, however, provides an opportunity to advise prospective students on how best to prepare for the experience. I've been fortunate enough to serve alongside my classmates in a student ambassador role while also trolling the BusinessWeek.com message boards. I was so grateful for the extensive amount of help I received from current second-year MBAs during my application process, so the least I can do is make the experience a little less tense for someone going through the same grueling process I encountered only a year ago.

Alas, for some of us overcommitted folks who wish we could just run around and plan WhirlyBall excursions all day, three massive, smelly, unavoidable elephants also occupy the room: Sleep, class, and work. We actually pay quite a bit of money to go to class (really!), and companies like students who go to said classes and learn something. Each task requests—nay, demands—your full effort, and it turns into a messy situation when you're expected to give 100% to a dozen different activities. (If anyone has found a way to exert 1200% effort, please let me know.)