Reflection

This week began with the infamous "Registration Scramble." Those unfamiliar with the process, this is when students sign into Banner 60 seconds or less prior to your assigned registration time to sign up for classes in the upcoming semester. At this point, you already have the course numbers memorized as if you are in a competition to be in the Guinness Book of World Records.  As quickly as possible, you enter in all course numbers and press “enter”.  You merely hold your breath hoping/praying/ whishing that you will not see the infamous RED error message. Well luckily, for me everything went smooth as ice.

Once I caught my breath, I started reflecting on my last semester and half in the MBA program.  I can’t believe how fast time flies.  I must say from a professional standpoint, I am grateful to move to Charlotte, NC. In conjunction with UNC Charlotte, Charlotte has numerous opportunities for graduate students and young business professionals to network with other individuals in similar interest or positions.

Due to my determined pursuit of my graduate career goals, I feel that I am more focused. My focus not only includes my particular area of interest but also how I strategically network within Charlotte's business community. It is to the point now where I feel like networking is second nature to me. I am always eager to attend new events. Now I will admit this was not the case a year ago. I feel like at the beginning of the program, my transformation began.  It is as if I was standing in front of "What Not to Wear's " infamous 360 mirror and reflecting on my business image in August. This pure reflection began the OVERHAUL process of MY BRAND.

The Belk College of Business's faculty and program guides students indirectly and directly to achieve their career goals. Whether it is providing contacts in a particular field or suggesting reading materials, the BCOB truly positions their students to be successful and well rounded in their program.

Hope everyone has a great remainder of their week.

Business Etiquette

Two weeks ago, a friend of mine recommended Tim Gunn's Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work to read over my week-long spring break. I am familiar with Tim Gunn due to his appearance on several talk shows but have never watched Project Runway. So I was curious to read his point of view from someone with an excess of 20 years in the fashion industry.  

Tim Gunn’s “tell all” book was a quick read.  The premise of the book was basic etiquette and when to say "No."   It is amazing that the basic rules our parents instilled in us as children are the foundation of behavior in society.  Yet many business men and women do not follow the rules of etiquette.

One of the two attributes I loved throughout the book was Gunn’s personal experiences. The Project Runway mentor illustrates his golden rules by recounting numerous interactions with his colleagues at Parsons as well as famous designers. While reading about his past situations and how he handled situations, I was reminded of my past business experiences. I will admit that I even questioned some of my reactions of various situations in my mind when I was reading. (I thought to myself: What would Tim say??)

The second attribute that I believe goes unrecognized at times is one's behavior when traveling abroad. I believe at times some individuals overlook the fact that the world DOES NOT revolve around the United States. (Have you ever had a moment where you wanted to hide under the table because a colleague acts like the stereotypical American tourist? I have!!!) For me this is perfect timing given my study abroad trip to Malaysia for real estate.  Long story short it reminded me that I have less than 2 months to make sure that I am up to speed on the "Dos" and "Don'ts" of Malay culture.

Long story short, I would recommend this book because it just reminds individuals that basic manners = success. Side Note: I believe that you develop a more open and broader view of life when you read biographies or nonfictions about topics outside your expertise.   

 The Belk College of Business truly reinforces etiquette as well. The Professional Development Program capitalizes on this point at the culmination of the students' first semester. Savannah Shaw, founder and owner of Savannah Shaw Professional & Personal Development, leads this annual event for the BCOB PDP program.  Shaw discusses not only table settings but also basic manners for business events.  It is a simple two hour event that reminds students what is appropriate at business lunches/dinners function when the ultimate goal is to complete a deal and enhance relationships. I am happy to know that I will be able to participate in this particular even next Fall and looking forward to reinforcing my skills. Yet another reason why I am happy I chose UNC Charlotte's MBA program.

Until next week, have a great weekend.

March Madness

It is that time of year again. The Super Bowl of Division I NCAA Men's Basketball. Millions of people complete multiple brackets and enter pools to guess this years' champions. Some individuals base their brackets on "expert" picks while others choose random teams based on who they favor more.


I must admit that I am a member of the millions who will be glued to the TV, ESPN.com, and other media sources to make sure my bracket is not "useless" after the second round. But what makes this year's games even more exciting is the fact that the Queen City will host the beginning rounds. (Queen City aka Charlotte).  Another event that reinforces my decision to move to the Charlotte area. Charlotte is truly an innovated, energetic, and lively city. Just two weeks ago, the CIAA renewed its contract to host its annual tournament in Charlotte.  Let's not also forget the fact that we will host the 2012 Democratic Convention.

Charlotte is truly on the map and making great strides to brand itself among its competitors on the East Coast.

Now let the games begin! Have a great weekend. 

The Infamous Internship Search (By Sports MBA Student Megan Vincent)

I am currently in a full-time internship in Virginia, so I am very excited that I can still contribute to UNC Charlotte from a few hours away. As an MBA candidate, internships are crucial -- not only do they give you experience, but also a “foot-in-the-door” to the industry and/or company that you want to work for in the future. With that said, I’m sure it would be helpful to talk about how I went about successfully finding an internship. 

For one, I applied tirelessly. At one point, I put aside an entire weekend to hunt and apply for internships. I applied for anything that seemed remotely like what I was interested in (sports, marketing, public relations, communications, etc.).

Secondly, I applied for internships that frankly were not available online. If there was an area of the United States I had family/friends (and therefore housing), I emailed sports professionals in the area. Luckily, many minor league teams and small-scale sports businesses have their employees’ emails somewhere on their website. Usually, I just found a marketer or community relations director and sent them an email directed toward their team and profession, along with a copy of my resume. To my surprise, this approach attracted quite a bit of feedback given the fact that these individuals never met me prior to my email. These targeted individuals directed my resume to the correct person, answered questions, and even offered to meet with me if I was in the area.

Lastly, I met with Robin Boswell, our MBA Career Advisor and head of the Professional Development Program (in which I was enrolled), once if not twice a week. Whether it was discussing my resume, interview techniques, or the best way to search for internships, it seemed there was always a way for her to help. It was also useful just to receive feedback and assurance from her that I would find an internship and I was applying for things that would eventually help my career. She also passed along pertinent internship information to me and helped me find people to connect with.

In the end, I was only offered about three or four interviews; it isn’t a lot, but it’s enough. The Ted Constant Convocation Center called me back the day after my interview and offered me an internship. From my research, I knew it was a good opportunity with a fairly large company (Global Spectrum, Comcast-Spectacor); I also knew they hired interns in the past. I accepted the internship and it has fared extremely well for me. I realized that I enjoy the entertainment side of marketing as much as, if not more than, the sports side. Hopefully this will lead into a career and job for me, but only time will tell.

I hope this was helpful and good luck to you all in your internship and job searches!

An International Perspective (By Mathematical Finance Student Kitty Huang)

As an international student coming from Asia, I really appreciate I could have such a great opportunity to study abroad in US. I am always thankful to what I experienced since not everyone in my country has an opportunity to accept advanced education. 

Friends always wonder why I chose UNC Charlotte and to study Mathematical Finance program. They know that I used to be a chemical engineer and have been studying Chemistry science for years. Well, it is true! I spent four years in an undergraduate program and a couple more years for a master program as well as working in pharmaceutical industry.  Chemistry is great, but after sitting in the R &D lab for years, I wanted to have a breakthrough and make some change in my life, something more challenging, more applicable and relatively new.  

Since the idea came across my mind, I kept asking myself which direction I should go. Perhaps economic downturn in 2008 gave me a hint. I started to think that if there is a perfect mathematical model which can be used to monitor financial market risk, the impact to the country may be minimized ? It is fairly attractive to me.  Since then, I performed research experiments in the day when I worked, while I also did the research for my dream school in regards of the program application at night.

Things came down to two important decisions – what program did I apply and which school did I choose ? As I mentioned, if I want to engage in mathematical-modeling type work, I definitely preferred mathematical finance (or financial engineering).  Math Finance is a relatively new area in comparison to chemistry ( Of course!). Not every academic institute offers this program. However, it also means that math finance did show immeasurable potential in respect of career development.  I started to focus on those graduate schools offering math finance program and the schools located in major financial centers. The Math Finance program in UNC Charlotte caught my eyes because of a lot of reasons. First of all, I love Charlotte very much. A medium-scale city is my favorite. The nice weather and smooth traffic may make people in north US jealous! Second, the program design is another eye-catching point. Math Finance program is an integrated program consisting of curriculum from Department of Math & Statistics Department of Economics and Finance, which means I would have a chance to take courses offered by different departments. Third, based on my research, students in UNC Charlotte are pretty much diversified. Students from different countries with different culture and background would get together in the classroom to study the same class. Decision means the need to take action. I couldn’t wait longer anymore and I submitted my application far before the deadline.

As I look back, it has been a year since I joined this program. I learned a lot not only in the textbook but in the real life as well.  I feel like I improve everyday and become better, both in academic performance and life experience.