Last week’s orientation marked the official beginning of an exciting two years for The Wisconsin School of Business’ MBA Class of 2026. Like an undergraduate orientation, the week was spent getting to know our fellow students, going through policies and procedures, and occasionally getting lost looking for the next classroom. Unlike an undergraduate program, however, there was a heavy emphasis on the importance of networking – both during these two years and throughout our professional lives. Be it lectures from the career coaches, second-year student panelists detailing how they landed their internships, or casual conversations with fellow first-year, it was made clear that those that get the furthest in their careers know how to work a room.
The Risk Management & Insurance (RMI) specialization’s center day underscored the value of building genuine connections, especially for career switchers like me. Unlike the previous two days where we mingled with everyone, these eight hours were spent exclusively with folks in our respective specializations. The RMI group is small, with only three first year students and three second year students. Tightknit as the classes may be, the RMI program and UW-Madison have been leaders in the risk space for more than a century. My favorite fact that Director Jim Swanke shared is that through the university’s efforts, WI was the first state to enact workers compensation insurance in 1911. Being in a space that has had such a tremendous influence in the RMI field is an inspiring privilege.
Following Jim’s history lesson and Linda Barrett’s overview of the program, we had a networking session with RMI career coach Laura Berkan, who reiterated the importance of networking over these next several years. The three of us had two opportunities to put these lessons to use in the afternoon beginning with lunch with the second-year students. Over a lovely meal, each of us new students had an opportunity to ask the second-years about their summer internships, lives pre-MBA, and post-MBA career aspirations. The conversations were certainly insightful and furthered my curiosity in exploring internship opportunities within an insurance brokerage.
The second and perhaps most valuable opportunity was the alumni panel that featured five RMI alumni from various graduation years. What made the panel so insightful was that each alum had their own unique post-MBA experiences, which gave us an opportunity to ask a wide array of questions about different paths. The biggest takeaway for me was that it is alright – and to some degree recommended – to come into this program with an open mind! While some MBA candidates enter their program knowing exactly the role they want and where they want to work, others like me may have a more general sense and plan on using this program to narrow our focus. Not knowing for certain has felt like a deficit at times, so it was reassuring to be told that it is ok to not have it all figured out from day one by the people that have been here before. It is possible that I would’ve learned this on my own at some point; however, meaningful questions and lively dialogue with these individuals allowed me to arrive at this conclusion much faster.
The prospect of walking into a conference hall full of prospective employers, a boardroom with executives, or a social event with peers can be daunting. Orientation demonstrated that there is real value to be had from not only being there, but from being actively engaged with everyone you meet. And when approached genuinely, networking can offer learning opportunities that rival those of a classroom experience.