July 2008 Information Session

Three third-year students - Mohit, Kalid, and I, participated in today's Information Session to provide student perspectives, and to address questions for perspective students.

All EWMBA information sessions staff at least one student guest speaker to share the following personal points of view:
- Why you chose Haas
- How you manage your work/life/school balance
- Benefits of the program, your personal ROI

For today's session, I shared the following:
"Why did I choose Haas - At the time I decided to take my career to the next level with an MBA degree, I was with Genentech, which in year 2005 was the best company to work for. I needed a program that is rigorous yet flexible so I did not have to give up my income, tenure, and internal opportunities that my company might have to offer. Secondly, considering the vast amount of time, energy, and financial capital associated with obtaining a MBA, I would either go to the best program available or don't go at all. With these two criteria, it was a no-brainer for me to go with the Haas EWMBA program.

How do I manage work/life/balance - First year was intense, I spent 25-30 hours per week in average, in additional to lecture hours. You ought to prioritize your life, might have to halt your hobbies or vacation for a while. You also need to be very creative in finding bit and piece of time and utilize them well. Plan your days well and pick teams which you can work with efficiently and effectively. Form carpools and take public transportation with classmates so you can discuss cases during commute, do homework at lunch hours. However every second you spent would be worth it, given the vast amount of experience, knowledge, and skill set you will develop.

Benefit of the program and my personal return of investment - In my opinion, the benefit of the program are three-folds: 1. it drastically expanded my horizon and offered me a set of business tools, which allowed me to speak the same languages as my senior executives; 2. it offers me an extensive professional and personal network. Remember, the moment you are accepted into the Haas family, you have immediate access to 240 talented, passionate, and supportive leaders and future leaders, and will build a strong and ever lasting bond with them; 3. It harnessed my potential and helped me see what I am capable of. Many opportunities now have been opened to me because of the Hass EWMBA program."

I welcome all of you who are interested in the Haas EWMBA program, to attend at least one information session. And stay after the session to speak to our current students. You will not be disappointed with the information they have to share.

To access a list of future EWMBA Information Session, please follow the link: https://ssl.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/eventsew/