A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to be a part of Darden's Perspectives campaign, an ad campaign featuring members of the Darden community talking about their experiences here at school (http://www.darden.virginia.edu/html/standard.aspx?menu_id=182&id=16954). I readily agreed and the piece I submitted is below. Since its submission, the ad's been tweaked and edited, but I thought I'd post the original here. It explains why I came to Darden and, for those newly admitted prospective students out there, it offers a taste of the kinds of changes you can expect next year.
In my mind, there are numbers people and there are words people. I arrived at Darden firmly established as a words person. An English major by education and a writer by trade, I loved nothing better than a beautifully crafted sentence. But a beautifully crafted spreadsheet? Not really my thing.
In the halls of Darden, however, they make no such distinctions. We’re all first-years. And, whether you come from consulting, banking or -- like me -- left field, you’re expected to leverage and un-leverage betas, draw up balance sheets and model risk.
A novice in the arts of Microsoft Excel, I often found it challenging to meet this expectation. During my first semester, I spent hours upon hours highlighting cases, flipping through textbooks and running Monte Carlo simulations. At times, it was exhausting. But really, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I arrived at business school determined to stretch myself. I knew I’d be attending one of the most rigorous MBA programs in the world, but knew, too, that it was just this type of program that could transform a words person like me into the business leader I wanted to become. Within Darden’s student led discussions and case method curriculum, I’d learn not only the fundamentals of finance, but how to make, analyze and communicate complex business decisions.
As I go through my own transformation here in Charlottesville, businesses across the globe are also in flux. Faced with a down economy, they face mounting pressure to cut costs, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Perhaps now more than ever, these companies need leaders willing to take risks and innovate.
Darden is a training ground for such leaders.
Each day, I’m forced to deal with the unexpected; to run the numbers, to make the recommendations, but also to react. And, as I think to my future, and my plans to return to a media industry in tumult, I can’t imagine better preparation. Here at Darden, the days are long and the work is hard, but there is nothing like the confidence that comes with meeting high expectations.
So far it hasn’t been enough to change me into a numbers person, but I have to admit, I can craft some beautiful spreadsheets.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Congrats on being chosen for the Darden Perspectives campaign. That's great. And great piece!! Let me know when it runs!
Congrats on being chosen for the campaign... and this is a really really well written post/piece.
With Darden being as busy as it is, we're often unable to sit back and appreciate how far we've come in just a few months... but we have and we continue to cover more distance with each passing day and that's what's so amazing about this place!
PS. I've always wanted to be a journalist... someday I hope to become a columnist. And although numbers are cool, I've always found words are much cooler :)
Angela, you got it all: you do craft beautiful sentences and now you craft spreadsheets, as well. I, on the other hand, am still working on my English...
If only you were an MBA at the University of Michigan, I would love to take you to dinner. It's interesting that Facebook listed a link to your blog in the advertisements section. I've been living with four MBA students and I wish you luck.
Post a Comment