Forté Foundation

Synergy (noun)- the idea that the value and performance of two companies combined will be greater than the sum of the separate individual parts. Catchphrase of Teddy Kay in the movie In Good Company. Abhorred buzzword by many MBAs, including myself. And it's also what happened to me this semester...

It's finals season at NYU Stern, which means projects, papers and exams galore. It's about synthesizing the knowledge one has gained over the last twelve weeks and demonstrating one's mastery of said knowledge by applying it to hypothetical or real situations. It's supposed to be the "ah-ha!" moment, if you will, when you realize the depths of what you have (or have not!) learned. For me, this finals season revealed my "ah-ha!" that I have become the dreaded cliche and have been learning synergistically. Doh. As much as I dread being an MBA stereotype or buzzword, this semester is when I started to realize the real value of the MBA, at least in the academic sense. A year ago, I was desperately attempting to make heads or tails of topics I had never comprehended before - finance, accounting, statistics. I was only mildly successful in that attempt, but I mustered through to Corporate Finance, where legendary Stern professor Aswath Damodoran helped me to start to really comprehend. Then, this semester...it all started to "click". Eureka!

In my last post, I mentioned the classes I will be taking next semester. This time, I'd like to backtrack a bit and talk about some of the classes I've just wrapped up. I'm not sure if I just did an excellent job of choosing my schedule (hint: always find ways to pat yourself on the back) or if this is how business school is supposed to work, but my courses this term were diverse yet all complemented each other and I found that I was able to univerally apply concepts learned in individual classes. Synergy! In particular, two of my favorite classes this semester were Managing Growing Companies (MGC) and Corporate Finance & Strategy for Entertainment, Media and Technology Companies (Corp Fin for EMT). Both of these courses are taught by clinical professors. At Stern, we are extremely fortunate to attract many working professionals who choose to spend their free time teaching us about what they do on a day-to-day basis. This means we get individuals who have been extraordinarily successful in their respective fields and have the passion to share their secrets with students. My MGC class is taught by Glenn Okun, who was a successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Corp Fin for EMT is taught by Tad Smith, who is currently President of Local Media for Cablevision. Both of these classes are case-based, so the discussion is meaningful, engaging and sometimes intense. Both Professors Okun and Smith use a version of the Socratic method and lead the discussion in such a way that you can't get away with a throwaway answer. Meaning, if you answer a question or offer a comment, you then have to explain your answer and your rationale through follow-up questions. This sometimes leads to nerves, sweaty palms and a slight ducking of the head so as to avoid being called on. What both of these classes have taught me, however, is how to tie together all of the concepts I've been learning while thinking on my feet. Adding even further synergy, I often learn as much, if not more, from the insights my classmates have and offer. But what I've really learned and what these two classes have made me realize is that getting your MBA isn't about always having the right answer. Instead, it is about being unafraid to be incorrect (because nobody is right all of the time) and knowing you have the tools and skills necessary to get to the solution. So now, I can look the professor in the eye when he calls on me and answer with confidence, knowing that even if I'm wrong, there's still a solution in there.

I'll be on winter break for the next five weeks, so the next post will be slightly delayed, but I have good reason! I will be taking a class (we call them Doing Business In) in Australia over the winter break, so I will share with you tales from Down Under next time. 'till then...

During lunch today, marketer and entrepreneur Seth Godin challenged me to be a genius and to lead with my ideas. Well, not me personally, but a room of 150+ Stern students including me. While I certainly don't purport to be a genius, hopefully, I can share some relevant and insightful ideas about the MBA experience.

As an MBA2, I'm now in the position of starting to reflect back on the past 1.5 years and think about the stops I've made along the way. And the one thing that I simply can't get over is how quickly it's all gone by. Apologies for being prematurely nostalgic, but I've just registered for my final semester of classes and already, I'm having a mild panic about all of the courses and professors I won't be able to take. I am, however, pretty pleased with the courses I will be taking in my last semester. At NYU Stern, we choose up to 3 specialization areas and mine are Marketing, Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Corporate Finance. In my last semester at Stern, I'll be taking Valuation, New Venture Financing, New Media in Marketing (I've heard this class is taught by an HBO executive, so I'm excited to get the practitioners' expertise!), Business Plan Practicum, Negotiations and Professional Responsibility. Because I have a background in advertising/marketing, I've tried to round out my skill set by taking classes that are a little past my comfort realm. Let's see how it goes for me with two finance electives next semester!

Last fall, as an MBA1, I dedicated a lot of my time to recruiting and luckily, I was able to land a summer internship in the interactive marketing group at American Express (AXPi). Thankfully, I had a wonderful summer and I know that I will be returning there after graduation. So, this fall, I can dedicate more time to clubs and other activities, like serving as Co-President of Stern Women in Business (SWIB) and as a Graduate Ambassador in Stern's Office of Admissions. These two worlds came together for me last Sunday when we hosted our annual Opening Doors for Women admissions event. I remember attending as a prospective student two years ago, so it was gratifying to be able to stand in front of the room and address 250+ prospective females on how SWIB aims to provide a diverse and collaborative network of opportunity for the women of Stern.

I also remember feeling very nervous and uncertain about the application process and what my next two years could potentially hold for me, so I'd like to offer a humble piece of advice for those of you who are currently in the process of applying to business school or thinking about it. The two years in business school go by so fast, faster than anything I have ever experienced before, and there are so many different opportunities to take advantage of. Some of you have already submitted your application in the first round, while others of you are working to polish your application for the second round. Regardless of whether you are now in waiting mode or are still actively trying to define why an MBA is important to you, I would recommend that you continue to search and explore, whether it's what your professional goals are or what your casual interests may be. Most business school applications ask you to define what your short and long term goals are - I thought I had a pretty good idea of both when I was a prospective and while I am actively pursuing my short term goal, I'm also thinking more about my long-term goals. I think the process of figuring out what you want to be when you grow up is an iterative one and should be approached with curiosity. Business school is the perfect opportunity to explore all facets that interest you, but because we are all mutli-faceted, it's a very fast process! As much as you can, take the time now to continue to explore what you want to get out of your MBA experience so that when the time comes, you will be best prepared to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible.

Whether you’re interested in a career in financial services as you pursue your MBA or are looking to make a career move in the near future, the Careers in Finance Office Hours webinar series will get you on the fast track and help you to gain valuable insight into this high-performance profession.

Learn about careers in finances with leading companies in this industry. Interact with firms, explore this industry, and learn what opportunities exist for you. Gain first-hand knowledge of how the current events on Wall Street translate to future opportunities.

Featured Companies and Schedule
Office Hours with Citi - November 11, 12-1 PM Eastern
Office Hours with Goldman, Sachs & Co. - November 17, 12-1 PM Eastern
Office Hours with Deutsche Bank - December 14, 12-1 PM Eastern

Each event is a one hour online webinar that will be broadcast via your computer with the use of headphones or speakers. You will be able to ask questions via an online chat function. Registration is required.