I come from Vietnam, and there we learn only through textbooks. During my undergraduate, I did not have opportunities to discuss what was happening in the real world nor interact with industry experts. I wished that I could do so in MBA and, yayyy, finally, I made it! Taking Fall Current Topic Classes through the A.C. Nielsen Center was truly an eye-opening experience. There are so many reasons for my statement but read on and I will walk you through the three most outstanding points to me.
Unique teaching method
We have no textbook in the class. It is totally about discussions: Listen, ask questions and get answers. I love that because I am neither a book worm nor an avid reader. I love to learn from people’s experiences, which are more intuitive and easier for me to absorb. Also, we have homework in the class. No calculation work, no EXCEL sheets and no complicated submission documents. What we are required is a reflection post after class every week. In order to finish the post, we reflect on ourselves by connecting our past experiences with our experiences in the class. It turns out an effective method as we can remember more and can apply the knowledge in the future.
Diverse knowledge
Kristin’s class is designed for us to learn from diverse people. We learn from brilliant second year students when they shared about their internship experiences at big companies such as P&G, SC Johnson, Dell and Danone. We also learn from amazing guest speakers from a variety of industries such as Microsoft in tech, Tyson in food, and USAA in the insurance industry. We even learn from peers in their reflection posts. What we learn is also diverse: not only about updated techniques and methodologies in marketing research but also about interpersonal skills, such as how to tell a good story with data or how to convince stakeholders and make them buy into our vision. We step out of the class with knowledge, skills and, more importantly, self-confidence. I couldn’t ask for more!
Networking opportunities
Networking opportunities are the biggest asset of the class. We can connect with guest speakers on Linkedin or via Email after class, and the guest speakers are super friendly and willing to help us young market researchers. Priya Mathur is a good example. She is currently Senior Market Research Manager at Microsoft. I met her through the class when she presented her nine years of experience at Microsoft. After the class, I sent her a thank-you note and unbelievably, we had another two-hour one-on-one meeting to discuss marketing research in the tech industry and how to succeed in the industry. She told me that she is willing to give me advice whenever I have next steps in my career. Again, I couldn’t ask for more! I am really a lucky person to be in the class and get such great opportunities like that!
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