Zachary Benetatos: ‘Instead of focusing on my core skills in marketing and management, I would have chosen to take control of the financial and analysis parts on a few of the projects at business school.’
3) Being too rigid
“Instead of focusing on my core skills in marketing and management, I would have chosen to take control of the financial and analysis parts on a few of the projects at business school. I realize that it’s not essential to become an expert in many fields, but having a foundation will help anyone become a better leader.” – Zachary Benetatos, Hult International Business School
“I wish I had been a little more flexible with my major and career. I came in as a finance major for the reasons that most people do: I like math and money, and have family in finance. Thankfully, I did really enjoy my finance classes and stuck with that as a major, but I was really grateful for the opportunity to also be able to incorporate Business Analytics as a double major. It was actually the strong encouragement of several professors that helped me decide to add that. Additionally, I always had the fear of being pigeonholed into whatever first job I took. It also wasn’t until I talked to people at my internship this year that I finally discovered that, in reality, people move positions and companies all the time. Your major or first job does not dictate where your entire life goes.” – Meredith MacKenzie, Elon University (Love)
4) Not starting my own campus club
David Turnbo: ‘I would have started my own club on campus. It would have been a great experience for entrepreneurship on a small scale with very little risk.’
“I would have started my own club on campus. It would have been a great experience for entrepreneurship on a small scale with very little risk. As a transfer student, I had a lot of catching up to do so I never felt it was the right time to start something on my own. The club would have been based on mentoring students to help them get into specific areas of finance and learn more about the industry. My biggest concern was having the club possibly disappear after I graduate. If I was not able to execute effectively, then I would rather hold off on it. However, through serving different leadership roles in clubs, I have gained tools overtime to one day properly build out a program like this on a smaller scale. I hope in the future to create a “Finance 101” mentorship program with local colleges and high schools to give future students the opportunity to understand finance. I believe once I have obtained enough work experience, I will be able to give better mentoring to future finance students.” – David Turnbo, University of Pittsburgh
5) Not saying ‘no’ enough
“My favorite recess activity as a child was playing on the seesaw. This playground equipment fascinated me because the mechanics would work only if its two sides were in balance. Upon reflection, my business school experience was much like a seesaw. At times, it was challenging to balance all the aspects of being a student. There were many competing tasks to prioritize, such as succeeding in classes, getting competitive internships, mentoring underclassmen, networking with professionals, participating in clubs, and socializing with friends. If there was one thing I wish I could have done differently in college, it would have been to understand the value of the word “NO” earlier in my tenure! As a student, there is intense pressure to have the most impressive resume possible, but I want every incoming business student to know that it is okay to turn down an opportunity. There are limited hours in the day and certain tasks need to take priority. There is an opportunity cost for every action we take. If I could restart business school, I would want to do so in a way that engineers a balanced load on both sides from the start.” – Colin Wexler, Fordham University (Gabelli)
6) Not connecting with graduate students
Natalia Nava-Urbina: ‘If I could go back in time to my freshman year, I would spend more time getting to know graduate student instructors and hearing about their amazing projects and goals.’
“Something I would do differently is schedule more time to speak with graduate student instructors (GSIs). It wasn’t until my junior year that I started speaking with GSIs. I realized that GSIs are amazing people to talk to. Many have experience working in industries, some are launching businesses, and others are pursuing research. They understand the student journey given that the majority of them are graduate or Ph.D. students. During one of my courses, I met an amazing GSI who introduced me to her new startup, Skillfully. I became a user of her platform and completed a 10-week program that allowed me to develop skills for management consulting. If I could go back in time to my freshman year, I would spend more time getting to know GSIs and hearing about their amazing projects and goals.” – Natalia Nava-Urbina, U.C.-Berkeley (Haas)
“I think one thing I would do differently is try to connect with more MBA students. I’ve gotten to take two classes with MBAs and other grad students, and I very much enjoyed hearing them connect their real-world experiences to the class content. Ross has an Education+Business Club for MBAs, but I definitely should’ve reached out and seen if I could’ve gotten involved as an undergrad, creating a bridge between the two groups. Creating a stronger connection would’ve given a path for other undergrads to learn more about an industry that is not as commonly discussed in the business school, but still is a large sector with a lot of societal value.” – Drew Arnson, University of Michigan (Ross),
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