See you in Seattle!

This past October, I participated in a three-day career trek hosted by the Graduate Business Career Center at Carlson. Students were given the option to travel to Seattle, San Francisco, or Nashville to attend site visits to successful and influential companies in the area. The career center also facilitated networking opportunities with professionals throughout the city. The trip was extremely valuable in that it allowed many of us to learn more about companies in another region of the United States and gain diverse perspectives from successful business professionals in our industry or function of interest. 

In order to support this career exploration, Carlson added a brief break in between terms in which students could feel free to travel or pursue opportunities locally. This thoughtful addition to our curriculum removed the possibility of students having to make tradeoffs between the short-term and long-term goals of the MBA program. While many programs claim to focus heavily on both academic learning and professional development in their core curriculum, Carlson goes above and beyond by not only delivering on this promise but also by supporting and encouraging it.

Beyond the core purpose of the trip, I was also able to spend time networking with my fellow students. It was very interesting to learn more about their backgrounds and get to know each of them on a more personal level. These relationships have continued to grow throughout the semester, and I am lucky to call many of these people my close friends now. 

Being in a program that has allowed me to grow professionally and academically while building important friendships has been very important to me. I can attest – it is actually possible to succeed in and enjoy your first semester in an MBA program!