MSBA Class of 2013
Deciding
to join the MSBA program has been one of the best decisions I have made. I stumbled across the program looking for
graduate assistant-ships and I knew of Catholic University only through my years
of running track in college. I decided
to look into the programs Catholic offered and found the MSBA program. My undergraduate degree is in Exercise
Science, and while I have an interest in how the body works, my true calling is
working with veterans and homeland security.
I worked for a few years in my degree field, but I was constantly
looking for ways to break into government.
My recent move to the DC area proved that it is all about who you know. With that said, the two most important skills
I have learned thus far in the program are networking and teamwork.
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| Tia and Prof Brach at first networking event |
Networking
is the first activity we engaged in coming to the program. We had a meet and greet with professors and
incoming classmates. It was uneasy and
awkward at first, especially for this introvert. The small class size was appealing and it was
less pressure. Many of us had not spoken
or communicated before this encounter, but we had a common goal, getting
through this program with a graduate degree.
This was the first real taste of what I was getting into this upcoming
year.
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| Learning to trust your teammates is essential to a successful business |
The
program has many guest speakers intertwined through the classes. This gives us the opportunity to talk with
industry workers in relevant fields we are learning. Business cards are given to us and we are
constantly revamping our resume and cover letter in our Career Development
class so we are ready to hand them out upon meeting these industry
professionals. Also, our Career
Development class teaches us networking essentials and how to sell ourselves to
prepare for unexpected encounters with professionals in prospective fields of
interest.
Finally,
the mentor program is the icing on the cake for networking. We are strategically assigned to mentors that
have similar backgrounds in fields we are interested. Our first encounter with our mentors was at
another meet and greet. Again, it was
awkward, stressful, and a lot of pressure to make a good impression of
ourselves and the program. I am the
biggest introvert in the class it seems and I adapted quickly. This leads me to
believe that anyone can and should participate in networking events or take
advantage of meeting new people. You
never know who you will meet and what doors might open for you or the person
you are talking to just with a simple conversation.
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| Tia and team at work on a case study |
Teamwork
is the other skill that is woven into each class we have in the MSBA program. I
was skeptical at first, thinking of prior group work in my undergraduate
program. My fear of having to rely on
others for my success is something I was not prepared to face. We started off our teamwork and bonding at a
ropes course in Maryland prior to the start of class (the day after our initial
meet and greet). This experience pushed
me so far outside of my comfort zone, but it was okay, because everyone else
was struggling with opening up to strangers.
More importantly, a few of our professors engaged in the activities with
us, the experience was life changing.
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| Tia awaits her first turn in front of an audience (she did fine!) |
Little
did we know that was just the first of many teamwork activities. Each class involves team projects, team
assignments, and group presentations.
Even our Quantitative Analysis and Financial Accounting classes have
group projects. Again, coming from an
introvert that dreads public speaking and has anxiety about relying on others,
I am overcoming these insecurities. I
cannot think of any better skill to focus on to prepare for the business world.
I
can go on about how I have benefited from the MSBA program thus far, but
focusing on these two skills I am developing is the most important to me. The content of the classes are relevant,
practical, and apply to each class we are taking. I learn so much in each class on business; it
is fascinating to see it all come together.
I am strong in academics, but lack on the social necessities. These two things alone are developing me into
a professional that I can see differences in already; I will be forever grateful
for this experience and opportunity.
Stewart McHie
Director, MS in Business Analysis
mchie@cua.edu
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