Life as a Wisconsin MBA student: you’ll be challenged, you’ll be busy, you’ll meet a great network of peers and mentors. No two days have been the same since I started the program, but that’s part of the fun. For those of you considering pursuing an MBA at UW-Madison, I’ll try to provide a peek into everyday life as a business badger.
My semester was centered around seven core classes. I had 2-3 classes per day, all focused on general business topics. The same ~30 people were in each of my classes, which made it easy to get to know people in the program. There were quite a few group projects throughout the semester, so I also attended a few group meetings each week. I worked with the same five students on group projects across all classes. Each group member was pursuing a different specialization, so everyone approached problems differently and had unique strengths to bring to the team. I spent most of my time between classes and group meetings studying, hanging out in the Nielsen center, or attending student org meetings.
Recruiting was another big component of the first semester. I had the opportunity to talk to people from several different companies and industries about what “insights and analytics” means to them. Most of this occurred during the September/October months. Depending on the week, I usually attended 1-3 evening recruiting events and had interviews during the day throughout this time. It was an incredibly valuable experience to learn more from these companies about what they’re passionate about and what’s big in the insights and analytics space. I’m happy to say that I’ll be joining S.C. Johnson’s Consumer Insights and Business Analytics team this summer!
Outside of class and recruiting events, there are also plenty of social opportunities. Each week, there’s a Thursday After Professional Studies (TAPS) happy hour for MBA students. This event is a great way to get to know people within the program and discover new places around Madison. Additionally, UW hosts a Weikel speaker series, which is an evening event where students are invited to hear inspiring stories from business leaders. The Nielsen center also hosted game nights, happy hours, and dinners that helped foster a strong sense of community within the center. Overall, these events have helped to create some lifelong friendships and a community of people that I am excited to continue to get to know.
The life of a Wisconsin MBA student is challenging, busy, and rewarding. I look forward to finding out what the next three semesters bring!
Interested in finding out more about the life of a Wisconsin MBA student? Follow the A.C. Nielsen Center on Instagram and check out our Student Takeover Tuesdays!
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