Musings of my First Semester of Carlson PT MBA

Thursday, February 12, 2015

I can’t believe my first semester of my Part-Time MBA at Carlson is complete! I feel like the semester was over in the blink of an eye. While I am relieved that finals are over, I already feel that the Carlson experience has influenced my life for the better, and I am looking forward to future classes and future semesters.

During my first semester, there were a number of things that surprised me. I knew that the University of Minnesota is a top academic institution in the nation, but I was blown away by the caliber of students that I formed groups with and worked with on a daily basis. There were students from all different backgrounds, different fields, and different passions. But we were all brought together by our desire to further our business knowledge, and be successful in a prestigious program. The level of thought, strategy, and competitiveness that I experienced was on par with the top-notch education that was advertised as I applied to the program.

The relationships that I built my first semester have been awesome. Those same intelligent students who were regularly contributing in class, and enhancing my classroom experience were assigned to work on group projects with me. Being able to think through real-world problems and solve strategic business cases together brought us closer, and we forged friendships that will last throughout the MBA program.

With my second semester starting in a few short days, I look forward to diving into business topics that I can apply to my career right now, meeting new classmates, and enhancing my skills as a business professional. The opportunity to complete my MBA at a top-tier school like the Carlson School of Management through the part-time program has been everything I could have hoped for and more.

Carlson Atrium