Heather Densmore: A Year of Learning and Bonding

What a Year It Has Been!

The people in the coffee shop are giving me funny looks as I sit here reflecting on my first year of business school. I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face as I think about the laughs and priceless memories of the past nine months. Like the time when my friend Sarah and I danced (and unfortunately sang) on stage with the beloved McCombs MBA band, Moral Suasion. Oh, and how about when my finance professor, Sandy Leeds, asked me why I was standing at the front of the class and I announced that someone had to teach finance that day.

Scott and Omar at the 70s-theme MBA Prom. Note that Omar is usually bald!

Now the employees at the coffee shop are noticing me. I guess my silent but visible chuckles must look rather strange. But I can't help it. Who wouldn't laugh at the thought of my highly professional MBA colleagues, Scott and Omar, dressed up as disco stars for the MBA Prom? Now this is what business school is all about.

The Amazing Bond

Yes, B-school is about the laughs and the priceless memories, but it's also much, much more. It's about the personal change and growth you experience while being surrounded by the biggest support group you will ever have. It's truly remarkable to see a group of strangers bond so tightly in such a short period of time.

Three very memorable experiences come to mind when I think about how close my class of 318 has become this year. When Brett had his appendix removed early in the fall semester and suffered a life-threatening infection, many of us checked up on him regularly and visited him at the hospital. Some students (a.k.a. friends) even helped tutor him to help get him up to speed on the classes he missed.

	Dale after his plane crash.

When Dale survived a plane crash just before the spring semester and spent several months in a neck brace and on crutches, his friends were there to drive him to and from school each day and to his many doctor appointments.

And when Omar, a cancer survivor in my class, asked his friends to support him in a cancer walk at school, many of us were there to cheer him on and walk beside him.

The New Me!

As if being surrounded by these exceptional friends and colleagues for nine months wasn't enough, I also went through the most significant change of my life during this time. Yes, I'm still a woman -- I'm not talking about that kind of change. Rather, I'm referring to significant personal growth and a dramatic change in my life's direction.

Exactly one year ago, in May, 2004, I was a management consultant traveling constantly between Dallas and San Francisco, a nomad with no real home, with a few friends in many different cities, and I was on a career path that didn't particularly excite me.

Now, in May, 2005, I own a two-bedroom condo in Austin, have more friends here than I can even begin to count, and am about to start an exciting internship where I will work on property valuations and acquisitions at INVESCO Real Estate, a major real estate investment management firm. My path is finally defined and I'm thrilled about a career in the commercial real estate industry.

TAKING CHARGE.  Not only has my B-school experience helped shape my career path, it has also provided me with the skills necessary to be successful in that career. Thanks to the excellent professors at McCombs, I now know how to analyze a financial statement, create a marketing plan, recognize and improve operational inefficiencies, identify weaknesses in a company's strategy, create a financial model to evaluate a real estate deal, and numerous other abilities critical in any kind of business.

Thanks to the many opportunities at McCombs, I have enhanced my leadership abilities by leading a student organization (Graduate Women in Business, or GWIB), working on the McCombs Admissions Committee (MAC), and recruiting panelists for the annual Women in Business Leadership Conference.

And, finally, thanks to the annual case competitions and the McCombs PLUS program, I have enhanced my public-speaking and networking skills which, perhaps, are the most important skills of all. And the best part of it all -- I'm only half-way done! I still have another year of school left to learn and experience even more.

There ARE Women in Business School!

The officers of the GWIB organization

Still in the coffee shop, I just opened a photo of the GWIB officers on my laptop. This quickly got the attention of a group of guys at the table next to me.

Yes folks, there are women in business school. We're few and far between, but we're there and growing in number. On average, women make up about 25% of all MBA students in the U.S. I have really enjoyed serving as an officer of GWIB this past year, and am proud to say that McCombs is making great strides toward increasing the number of women in B-school.

I don't notice the unequal ratio while I'm in my classes, but I believe that equality in the workplace will be affected greatly by our generation, and therefore I feel it's very important for schools to do everything they can to encourage women to become leaders in business. Go McCombs!

There IS Life Outside the U.S.!

I'm also grateful for the international exposure I have received this year. My trip to South America for Global PLUS (see my last journal) was phenomenal, and I learned a ton about life and business in Argentina and Chile.

	Me with my Danish roommate, Christina, at the Austin City Limits music festival.

In addition, I have had the great fortune of having international MBA exchange students as roommates this past year. In the fall semester, Christina from Denmark lived with me and we became close friends. My heritage being Danish, I'm planning a trip over there to visit her. By the way, I'm very proud to say that I got a Dane to wear a cowboy hat. Only in Texas!

My Kenyan roommate, Sonia, making a delicious Indian meal.

In the spring semester, Sonia from Kenya lived with me and I gained another terrific friend. I learned a great deal about Africa from her, and now I'm planning an African safari within the next few years.

My friends refer to my condo as the International Youth Hostel. I already have my roommate for next fall lined up. Meet April from Taiwan! She's currently attending the Rotterdam School of Business in the Netherlands and I'm really looking forward to meeting her in August. I wonder who I will live with during my last semester of school. An Australian or someone from South America would be nice. If I stay in school a third year perhaps I can get all the continents covered. Hmmmm...

Final Words of Wisdom

Well, I've finished my third cup of coffee and must now end this journal. I look forward to telling you about my internship experience in a few months. Until then, here are my thoughts and recommendations for approaching your first year of business school:

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Make the most of your time here in school. Meet as many people as you can. Take the time to learn about other people, and to learn FROM other people. Take the time to get to know your professors. Take the time to get to know yourself and to really figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. Have a nice day.