MBA

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Alright now, what is ‘fit’ and where on earth do I find it?

October 12, 2010 in Uncategorized by mdesai | Permalink

I’m researching schools and have ranking charts, student reviews and all the good stuff. So how do I measure fit, and how do I decide if I fit in with the school? Confusing right? I had even developed distaste for the word ‘self-assessment’. This was my state of mind as I was looking at potential schools to pursue management education – not to undermine the fact that this was going to be the next turning point in my professional and personal life.

Now step back for a second – what really is ‘fit’, and where in the world do I find it? Now, you may have an admissions consultant helping you out with your research and application process and they will tell you a few things about… uh…you? With all due respect for the profession, I’d rather make those decisions myself – Well, I know what I like – I seek advice when I need some and of course I’d love to help people out when they come to me, I’d rather have a close group of friends that I can regularly hang out with, grades to me are an outcome and what is more important is the learning process. Having said that, these simple things form the very basis of your ‘fit‘ with a particular school’s culture.

In case you didn’t see through it already, let me explain. My first criterion – I must seek advice and be able to give some, this meant that I was looking for my GPA/GMAT and experience to be near the average for that school and the faculty and staff be friendly and approachable. For a close-knit group of friends, I looked for a small class size and for the final one – the learning process, I made sure that the school had the finest faculty. With this ‘grading sheet’ I found my target school and decided to get the ‘real picture’ by visiting the campus not once, but thrice – during a student visit, called MBA for a day, for my admissions interview, and for a Visitation Weekend which gives full-blown insight into the school’s culture and capabilities!

Just to put things in perspective, and in case you’re still reading this, I can say that I have a real dollar figure that I can associate with this unusual concept called ‘fit’. Oh did your ears perk up just now? Well, I had a free ride from another school – a full two-year tuition, an assistantship with a stipend and would’ve been able to graduate debt free. But… I let that go! So you can do the math (hint: excess of $100K). And if you ask me if I regret it, I’d say – Absolutely not! Not even a bit!! The Smeal MBA Program has been exactly what I thought it’d be and being a part of the Smeal family is priceless…no seriously, I mean it!

Having said that, I do not advocate a defined 3-step process for determining the right fit with a school and I do not know if one exists. Although I will say that there is a fair amount of soul searching that needs to happen before you do find the right school. Just so that you know, it need not necessarily be crystal clear – there is a lot of gut instinct involved. Because when you do make the decision, you will know if it is the right one.  After all, it is you who will bear the consequences of this key decision – So would you rather have someone else make that decision for you?

-Moulik Desai
MBA Class of 2012


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Don’t Give Up!

July 27, 2010 in Uncategorized by MBA Association | Permalink

So here I am. I am a first year MBA student amidst the Executive Panel, the last hurdle to jump before the end of the first year, and I still do not have an internship. I have been working hard to find internships in my field, but my field is very specialized and narrow. I’m still waiting to hear from three possible companies. I know that others are in my exact same position but all I seem to focus on is those around me that have been able to acquire those dream internships. It’s a strange feeling because you’re happy to see your friends and colleagues succeeding but there is an eagerness to get your own plans in order by starting that ever important internship.

After a couple weeks go by I finally find that my last and most coveted internship possibility has fallen through. The worst part about it was that the last two possibilities appeared to dissipate mainly because of bad timing as opposed to lack of merit on my part. Needless to say, it was disappointing. However, even though the importance of the internship is well known and well deserved, it is not the only key to future success.

I knew that I had to keep working toward a quality experience. Therefore, I used my free time to recharge my batteries and find other opportunities. At this point I remembered I had spoken with a very nice person from the Penn State Performing Arts Center. I had previously hoped for an internship with them, but I did not know if any opportunities were possible. However, after using my spare time to contact the Performing Arts Center I was able to obtain a great opportunity as an intern. At the same time, a fellow Smeal 1st year knew I was still in State College and passed on an opportunity as a research assistant because he would be out of the area.

In the end, two great opportunities presented themselves because I stayed vigilant in my pursuit of my goals. Bottom line – Do not give up, great opportunities are always available.

~Brant Markley, MBA Class of 2011


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Spring Career Fair

March 7, 2008 in Career by Supply Chain Association | Permalink

The Center for Supply Chain Research (CSCR) sponsored the annual Spring Career Fair held on Feb 5th and 6th. More than 70 companies participated in the event, which was open to both graduate and undergraduate students. Due to the overwhelming response of participant companies, this was the first time that the Career Fair was held for two days. Recruiters from the top Supply-Chain companies in retail, pharmaceuticals, energy, healthcare, technology, logistics, aerospace and virtually every other sector held on-campus interviews. Some of the shortlisted candidates were invited by the companies to either interview at Penn State the following day or to visit their facilities for on-site interviews. Many Penn State alumni were also present as representatives of the visiting companies and shared their industry experiences with the current students. The Supply Chain Career Fair was a tremendous success in offering new career opportunities for supply chain practitioners and has continued to grow over the years.

Rohit Gurtu

MBA Class of 2009

Prior to Smeal, Rohit has worked for more than 15 years in the automotive industry. He has undertaken various roles in manufacturing, purchasing, and procurement with Maruti Suzuki, Honda Siel Cars, Delphi Automotive Systems, and Saud Bahwan Automotive, LLC.


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Supply Chain Coffee House

March 7, 2008 in Career, Uncategorized by Supply Chain Association | Permalink

“Let me guess, you didn’t tell them about your 15 minutes of fame with the P-Funk,” my wife asked me after I told her the good news. She was referring to an old Andy Warhol comment and my former employment as a musician in LA; I was telling her about the Career Fair we had on campus. Over 50 Supply Chain companies had come to the Business Building recruiting for internships, co-ops and full time jobs. Because of the large number of companies who attend, success comes from knowing what you want and which companies are offering it. I was looking for an internship. I had already scheduled an interview with Dell later in the week, but I wanted one for a different department there as well. I also wanted to talk with ExxonMobil – my Dad worked for them his whole career and so I knew what a great company they are. I went to the Coffee House we had Monday night before the 2-day career fair where several companies each gave a short presentation and then met with students. We rotated through companies every 30 minutes. I met with the ExxonMobil recruiters and I was able to schedule an interview. Two days later at the Career Fair in the atrium, I met with the recruiters for Dell and I was able to schedule the second interview I wanted so much. Recruiters look for so many different things from students that it’s hard to know what they want. The best approach is to talk with other students who have interned or worked there to find out what the company is like. You can also find a lot of information on the web about the operations, locations and cultures of all of the different companies. Alumni are always willing to help also – so don’t be afraid to cold call them and ask questions. Career Services gets you ready for these events so you can hand your resume to potential employers with confidence knowing that they will like what they see.

I spoke with the ExxonMobil recruiters at the Coffee House just after they told the group they would collect resumes, review them that night and then call the people they would like to interview. However, I had done enough research on the company that I knew what to say and how to write my resume so that they would want to interview me. I got to sign up for a slot right then. Dell was no different; I knew exactly how to approach them. What took me by surprise, though, was where the conversation went – I don’t know how, but we got onto the topic of my musician days in LA and the recruiter not only ended up knowing who the Parliament Funkadelic was, but he was also impressed that I had once done a gig with their drummer. Yes, my experiences before coming to Smeal range all over – but I never thought (and neither did my wife) that I would be using that one to sell myself to a company.

I don’t think it matters who you are or what your background is – Penn State has such a diverse group of students and a broad range of companies who recruit here that you will be able to make the most of what is offered and companies will show up looking for you. My wife has teased me for our entire marriage about how nobody knows who the P-Funk is and how playing a gig with their former drummer won’t ever be of benefit to my new career – now when she pokes fun at it, I remind her that it was instrumental (no pun intended) in landing a great internship.

-Sammie Markham

MBA Class of 2009

Sammie Markham is a 1st year Supply Chain student in the Smeal MBA Program. He has a background in facilities management and funk music.


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