Notes from my semester in the Business “block”

I just finished my first semester at the Mason School of Business in the core curriculum classes lovingly referred to as the “block”. It was a whirlwind; hard to believe that 12 weeks have flown by so swiftly. For those of you sophomores (or maybe freshmen) hoping to study business at the College, here’s some advice that I wish I had known:

On credits: In the block semester, you’re often advised not to take too many credit hours (there are a mandatory 11 credits in the core curriculum). I would take other classes. Find a way to knock out a GER, take a class pass/fail, or start learning Chinese. Get yourself a valid excuse to walk to old campus and enjoy the greenery and not get stuck in team meetings in the basement’s group rooms. It also helps with the IPS (next).

The “IPS”- Individual Program of Study: It is not a huge onus. It means you have to be an interesting person, even if you’re seemingly boring. Get yourself an internship, learn to speak a foreign language, play an instrument, and be a part of a club on campus. Go abroad if you can afford it. Be a real human being. [I know some fairly boring accounting majors, so this isn’t adamantly enforced if it’s not your style.]

SIM Week: The most beloved yet despised week of the semester. SIM (short for simulation) is a week long game where you get to run a fake business with your team. Luck of the draw, however, does not lie in the game. It lies in those random team assignments that administrators make before the semester even starts. You can have the worst team in the room and still win, if you know what you’re doing.

On teams: Learn your team members’ strengths and weaknesses and use them appropriately. Don’t dwell on their faults because you will be miserable. You might love your team and you might loathe them; but all of your grades are interdependent, so you’re in it together for the haul. Might as well make the best of it.

Finance: Regardless of who your professor is, do the reading and the problems. Really, do the problems. All of them.

Snacking: Take advantage of all the free food. The Business School loves to feed you. They love to feed alumni. They love to feed random corporate strangers. There are generally leftovers up for grabs. Boehly Café’s meal plan offerings are below par, so get a meal plan with lots of flex points (tip, the Spicy Pulley sandwich is delicious).

The Capitalism Castle: Miller is a beautiful building. You will hear all of your friends who are unfortunate government majors in Morton whine about the beauty of Miller Hall. It’s a pretty gorgeous place to come to class every day, not to mention super eco-friendly! Important note: You will struggle in other bathrooms on campus when the sinks are not automated; be ready to wildly wave your hand under the faucet before realizing you actually have to pull the handle.

Internships: Be prepared for your internship search. Regardless of how well you prepare, how many times you pit-stop at the Career Center, and how perfect your resume is, it is still very likely that you will suffer an emotional breakdown when someone mentions their internship at Google, IBM, or Deloitte. It may seem that nothing is more important than getting an internship – remember, you work from the time you graduate until you retire.

Best of luck with finals and Happy Holidays to you and yours!