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JULY 2001 MBA JOURNAL: B-SCHOOL REVIEW Yi Lu: Reflections on the Overall MBA Experience "No matter who you ask in the Wharton class of 2001, you will get the same answer: 'Yes, I have learned a lot.' Although the MBA experience is not just about gaining academic knowledge, it is certainly the strongest component of all." Even now I can still vividly remember my tentative steps into the Steinberg-Dietrich Hall for my first class at Wharton during the pre-term two years ago. The uncertainty and expectation for the next two years marked my impression of Wharton during those initial months. The two-year struggle at business school has transformed me into a Wharton graduate, and a professionally more confident person. Wharton is not the end of a journey, it is a preparation for a long and treacherous one. I will never regret coming to Philadelphia because it is in this historic city that I solidified my career goals and came to know a few life-long friends. I suppose this is the gist of an MBA experience at a top business school. Academic takeaways No matter who you ask in the Wharton class of 2001, you will get the same answer: "Yes, I have learned a lot." Although the MBA experience is not just about gaining academic knowledge, it is certainly the strongest component of all. The learning process at Wharton is very intense during the first year. The core classes are short and competitive. Most of the first year students are very anxious about the school work, which translates into not-so-subtle peer pressure. I remember spending a lot of time studying during the first year just to keep up. The second year, however, was the best part of the Wharton MBA. The numerous options available in choosing electives dazzled me. In addition, the recruiting season was over by the end of November of last year for most of the students. That was a big relief for us as we spent almost half of our time recruiting during the first year. With jobs in hand, we had more reasons to relax and enjoy life. I took lots of finance and accounting classes during this past year, knowing that I would soon be applying some of the knowledge that I learned at school in the near future. In addition, I took a couple of management classes to learn about competitive industry analysis and negotiations. I was elated when I had the opportunity to take classes from some of the most talented professors at Wharton. One of my Wharton professors once said in a class, "It is not which class you should take here, but which professor you are taking it with." The professors make a big difference in what I have learned and my attitude toward learning it. While fully understanding that academics are not everything, I would say that they certainly provided me with the foundation for further improvements in my career. To that end, I have to thank Wharton once again for giving me so much more knowledge than I could have imagined just 18 months ago. Long Lasting Friendship Business school is one of the best times to form life-long relationships. Whether you are introverted or completely outgoing, there are many types of people at Wharton you can become friends with. And friendship is something that you can take with you for the rest of your life. I feel fortunate that I was able to have a few friends that I will definitely keep in touch with for years to come. Being in a business school, there is always the pressure of establishing networks and getting contacts. I don't disagree with the value of doing so, but I maintain that true friendship is more important. The Wharton network is always there, but friendship is something you have to invest a lot of time and energy on. I never went to any social gatherings at Wharton for the sole purpose of getting contacts. Having a network opens a door for you, whereas having a friendship makes you a stronger person. There were many nights when I felt lonely and down. I would pick up the phone and call up one of my friends. Hearing their usual jokes and complaints made me laugh and in turn soothed my heart. The feeling of being accepted among friends at Wharton is what I will never forget. Last Wednesday I saw my best friend off to the airport. We have spent the entire two years studying together from the first semester to the last, sharing frustrations about class assignments at two o'clock in the morning and joking about different people we met at Wharton parties. Now, the student life is over. It saddens me to suddenly realize how short the business school experience really is and to see my friends begin leaving me one by one. On the one hand, saying farewell to my friends makes me feel empty and melancholy. On the other hand, it gives me a sense of closure -- I have at last completed a hard-earned MBA degree. Would'ves and Should'ves If there is anything I would change about my Wharton experience, it would be to make myself less subject to the "herd mentality." There were many times in my first year when I felt that I was supposed to do something just because everybody else was doing it. It all sounds silly now, but back then it seemed to me that I could not afford to miss out on anything that other students were doing. A year of forcing myself to do things that I didn't necessarily like made me aware of my lost identity and personality. Therefore, during the second year I became much more relaxed about myself as to who I want to be and more importantly, who I am. In terms of academics, I wish I could have taken even more electives because I really didn't focus much on marketing and operations management. I had especially liked the operations management aspect within the core classes I'd taken. The onerous finance elective schedule made me finally give it up. I don't believe I am a well-rounded business person coming right out of Wharton, but I hope that I can start somewhere and gain further knowledge through work experience. In terms of friendship, although I would like to have had more friends during business school, I am also aware that friendship is not something you can force. Sheer quantity is meaningless after all. To Prospective MBAs No matter what you seek in life, a Wharton MBA will certainly provide the opportunities for you to discover it. Be it venture capital, high-tech, consulting, or investment banking, Wharton provides you with means to pursue them. Business school really changes everyone's life in a very dramatic way, especially for those who have worked a few years after receiving their undergraduate degrees. What I see in a Wharton MBA is not just a piece of paper/diploma, or an opportunity for a career change, but rather precious two years for us to reflect upon what is really important to us career-wise and life-wise, as well as to understand what we can realistically accomplish in life. It is critical to realize in our early days of career development and adulthood that it is essential to steer ourselves in the right direction, to associate ourselves with the right kind of people, be it mentors or friends, and to realize what really matters to us individually. To that end, school ranking is almost insignificant because it is never really quantifiable. What you can take away with you after two years ultimately determines the value of an MBA education as it will accompany you for the rest of your life. Wharton provided me with the environment to learn some technical knowledge and to learn about myself, it is dependent upon me to make the most out of the MBA degree. There is no doubt that many of us will be successful in our future endeavors. However, I would not forget how much I have matured during these excruciating two years. The biggest gift that Wharton has given me is to help me appreciate myself as an individual with my own aspirations. During the pre-term I had an accounting professor who gave me the best advice in business school by handing out the following poem. It is my hope that as you prepare for your MBA journey, each of you prospective MBAs can gain courage and wisdom from this quote and become a stronger, more confident, and successful person. Success  | | [an error occurred while processing this directive] Learn about your online education options |
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