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NOVEMBER 2000 MBA JOURNAL: B-SCHOOL REVIEW Renee Rhoten: Reflections on the Overall MBA Experience
A couple of weeks ago, I attended the wedding of Janell Lofton, one of my classmates, which gave me the opportunity to see more of my UMBS classmates. It was then that we asked one another: "Do you miss school?" Some said "no," feeling it had been too stressful. (For stress, if you ask me, nothing is as bad as the pressure of Corporate America). Others said they missed their friends. Indeed, the mere presence of seven women who traveled from different parts of the country, coming together to celebrate the union of one of our graduate school friends, is a testament to the relationships formed over a short period of time. As I look back over the last two years, I realize the great opportunities UMBS provided to me. I have learned from professors considered to be tops in their fields, such as Alan Afuah, C.K. Prahalad, and Tom Kinnear, to name a few. I have come to better understand the cultural challenges one faces while working in other countries. And I appreciate the challenges multinational companies face while doing business in Third World countries. It's one thing to read about it, or discuss it among your peers. To be able to speak from hands-on experience provides you with a completely different outlook, and UMBS opened the door to hands-on business experience. Yes, technology has empowered companies with the ability to think and act globally. But that technology will not replace the one-on-one interaction and the exposure to the cultural nuances one sees when living in a country not your own. Still, there are things I would have done differently. And UMBS is not a perfect place, by any means. While the university is making strides, it does have some room to grow in the use of technology in the classrooms as well as providing facilities conducive for the team-based environment in which we work. Currently, there simply are not enough study rooms for team meetings. Couple that with the needs of recruiting companies during interview season and the result is a capacity constraint problem. In retrospect, there were also classes that were a waste of my time (like the Excel class) and others that will prove invaluable (such as my finance class). But hey, you live and you learn, right? I recently returned from Ghana, where I worked for two and one-half months at the African Business Development Corps program. You may recall that last summer I spent eight weeks in South Africa working for AT Kearney with the same program. The African Business Development Corps partners with companies primarily in Southern Africa to provide internship opportunities to UMBS MBA students. Because I had such a wonderful experience in South Africa, I asked to participate in the program this summer. Brent Chrite, the Director of the program, gave me -- along with six other MBAs -- the opportunity to provide consulting services to two companies in Ghana. My project dealt with SSB Bank, once a government-controlled Ghanaian bank that was privatized and was now facing stiff competition from multi-national companies entering the market. The bank was experiencing a high level of congestion in its banking halls. Our team, comprised of three MBA students, focused on determining the overriding factor causing the congestion and sought ways to improve the process to reduce it. It was a wonderful experience, which allowed me the opportunity to not only develop professionally, but to grow personally. During our time in Ghana, we visited the slave dungeons (some call them castles) where the slave trade was conducted. It was a moving experience to say the least -- one I will always remember. I am currently enjoying the time off from both school and work. Although I am looking forward to starting work at AT Kearney as a consultant in the General Practice group in September, at times I do wish I had one more year at Michigan. There are still a few classes I wish I had the chance take, such as C.K. Prahalad's New Economy class, or more classes on marketing. E-commerce classes were just kicking off: I had the opportunity to take a few, and I wish I could have taken a few more. Besides, unless I decide to pursue a Ph.D., there will be no other time when I will be able to act like a college kid all over again -- attending football games, partying during the week, interviewing (not!), and pondering skipping class. Those are times I will surely miss. But most of all, and this is cliche, I will miss my friends. There were some wonderful bonds established that I am sure will last a lifetime. Well, that wraps it up for now. I am preparing myself for life back in the stressful world of Corporate America. Next stop AT Kearney, working on great projects in the e-commerce space or something equally exciting. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.  Renee Rhoten  | | [an error occurred while processing this directive] Learn about your online education options |
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