Launch(ing) Toward an MBA
Beginning your MBA can be filled with awkward hellos and questions of uncertainty. However, my transition to ASU couldn’t have been smoother thanks to Launch at the W. P. Carey School. For four days, my new Online MBA classmates and I were completely submerged in the ASU culture, which provides the foundation for success as we pursue our MBA together.
Launch takes place in Tempe, and it’s a comprehensive orientation that offers students a number of benefits that will help us throughout our journey. From a program standpoint, it allowed us to meet the support staff, become comfortable with the technology, and most importantly meet out professors. We also sat through a lecture by instructors that outlined what was expected of us as W. P. Carey MBA students.
From a personal standpoint, I wanted to be given the opportunity that goes hand-in-hand with pursuing your MBA: Networking. With social outings and team-building activities, we were able to establish networking channels and build connections from the very start. Through highly engaging and innovative processes, we were given the chance to meet each student on a professional and personal level. Take my group for example: We have five members from five states (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, and Texas) with five diverse backgrounds (government contractor, account manager, doctor, financial analyst, religious professor).
Launch came to fruition with a highly competitive case presentation on the final day. The fun and games were put aside as each of the 14 teams presented a case to a panel of alumni judges. This was the final step in forming a team bond that will guide us for two years. For the first time as a team, we were faced with disagreements that required mature problem solving in order to present a solid case. Even though there could only be one winner, from everything I witnessed, everyone did a phenomenal job.
If you are considering applying for the program and are concerned about the entrance standards in regards to the GMAT and essays, those should be the least of your concerns. The toughest part of the process thus far has been the Marshmallow Competition. This is a team event that requires the groups to make a tower of sticks with a marshmallow at the top. Sounds simple enough right? Just know that at the conclusion of the competition you will be told a group of 3rd graders could have better completed the task. It was intended to bring the teams closer together, and that was certainly accomplished.
As Launch adjourned and we began turning our attention to our first class, I was confident in the W. P. Carey Online MBA and myself, closer with my classmates, and felt like a Sun Devil.
Launch takes place in Tempe, and it’s a comprehensive orientation that offers students a number of benefits that will help us throughout our journey. From a program standpoint, it allowed us to meet the support staff, become comfortable with the technology, and most importantly meet out professors. We also sat through a lecture by instructors that outlined what was expected of us as W. P. Carey MBA students.
From a personal standpoint, I wanted to be given the opportunity that goes hand-in-hand with pursuing your MBA: Networking. With social outings and team-building activities, we were able to establish networking channels and build connections from the very start. Through highly engaging and innovative processes, we were given the chance to meet each student on a professional and personal level. Take my group for example: We have five members from five states (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Arizona, California, and Texas) with five diverse backgrounds (government contractor, account manager, doctor, financial analyst, religious professor).
Launch came to fruition with a highly competitive case presentation on the final day. The fun and games were put aside as each of the 14 teams presented a case to a panel of alumni judges. This was the final step in forming a team bond that will guide us for two years. For the first time as a team, we were faced with disagreements that required mature problem solving in order to present a solid case. Even though there could only be one winner, from everything I witnessed, everyone did a phenomenal job.
If you are considering applying for the program and are concerned about the entrance standards in regards to the GMAT and essays, those should be the least of your concerns. The toughest part of the process thus far has been the Marshmallow Competition. This is a team event that requires the groups to make a tower of sticks with a marshmallow at the top. Sounds simple enough right? Just know that at the conclusion of the competition you will be told a group of 3rd graders could have better completed the task. It was intended to bring the teams closer together, and that was certainly accomplished.
As Launch adjourned and we began turning our attention to our first class, I was confident in the W. P. Carey Online MBA and myself, closer with my classmates, and felt like a Sun Devil.
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