What a difference three years make!
Back then, Maitri Ajmera was taking the nine-hour drive from Wichita to the University of Minnesota. It was a different world from what the sophomore had expected. Back then, the Twin Cities were still reeling from the George Floyd riots and the University of Minnesota was re-opening from COVID. Over the next two years, Ajmera started fast and never looked back. She became a research assistant and an ambassador. Over the summers, she interned at Ernst & Young, Lazard, and Microsoft. As a junior, she was elected president of student body for the Carlson school of Management.
One of her first tasks was delivering remarks to over 650 freshman who were following in her footsteps. Looking back on her experience, she shared three principles that guided her: “Be well, be strategic, and be connected”. Now a Microsoft analyst, Ajmera urges students to live in the moment…and take nothing for granted.
Or, more broadly – “Prioritize their personal wellness, learn time management, embody a growth mindset, and foster meaningful relationships.”
HARD-EARNED WISDOM
Sarah Ackels, Georgetown University (McDonough)
Sarah Ackels made a similar seven-hour trek from Connecticut to Washington, DC to attend Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Here, she headed up the writing lab, co-founded a student club devoted to CBS’ Survivor, and earned the Reverend Joseph S. Sebes Award for her contributions to the business school. Looking back, she clicks a series of nuggets for future students that would make Paul Harvey proud.
“Pay a lot of attention during the first two weeks of accounting. If you don’t understand it then, you will struggle for months. Learn to love Excel: you will never escape it. Don’t be afraid to give someone a negative peer evaluation if they didn’t do their work. Say hi to the person next to you in class: they are a part of your future network. Go to class. Save files as a PDF before submitting them, especially presentations. Your professors can tell when you are doing the New York Times crossword on your computer. Don’t be afraid to make networking calls, people love to talk about themselves. Have fun, time flies.”
Thinking about majoring in business? Well, alumni are always happy to help. In the process of selecting members of our Best & Brightest Business Majors of 2024, P&Q asked graduates to share their best advice to future business students. From studying abroad to taking risks, this is what they say helped make the most of their college years.
1) Prioritize Relationships with Your Peers, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni: “As a student, you are going to be surrounded by some of the smartest people in the world, whether they are your professors or classmates sitting next to you in your classes. Do not take this for granted. Challenge yourself to learn as much as you can from these individuals. Grab coffee with someone from your class. Go to your professors’ office hours. Reach out to experienced professionals in your field. I have come to experience how people-oriented the business world is, and I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to form these valuable connections and establish a community while in business school.
Caleb Yarbrough, Georgia Tech (Scheller)
2) Don’t Ask For Permission: “My biggest piece of advice for any student looking to major in business is to let someone else tell you no. Business is extremely connections-oriented, and I didn’t realize the extent to which networking would help advance my professional journey when I came into college four years ago. The thought of putting myself out there for other people to judge and the fear of rejection often got the best of me. As a result, I would pass on opportunities like scheduling coffee chats or applying for positions that interested me. It wasn’t until late into my freshman year that I realized that to be considered for opportunities my older peers had been considered for, I needed to do what they were doing and build up the courage to put myself out there. When I understood I was actually the one counting myself out of the running, a world of possibilities opened up. I was able to connect with professionals in marketing, corporate strategy, and consulting, which ultimately helped me decipher what I was most interested in pursuing as a career path. While it may seem scary at first, I’ve found the potential opportunities that present themselves by reaching out to people far outweigh the short-term fear. It took some time to build up my confidence and can still be overwhelming. Rather than counting yourself out, let someone else be the one to tell you no – you are capable of much more than you realize!”
Kalieann Wetherington, Georgia Tech (Scheller)
3) Network, Network, Network: “This means getting involved in campus organizations and attending events with professionals. Getting a 4.0 GPA can only get you so far if you have no idea where to start when you are looking for a job. Joining organizations at my university allowed me to meet hundreds of accounting professionals from the Big 4 firms, mid-size firms, and even local firms. This set me up for my future when I had multiple firms recruiting me at once. I was able to take my experiences from networking and choose a path that benefitted me most. Without networking experiences, it is hard to stand out in a crowd of thousands of business majors.”
Nicolette Manfredi, St. John’s (Tobin)
Yoelle Gulko, Washington University (Olin)
4) Reach Out To People Who Inspire You: “Upon starting college, I hesitated to reach out to those I looked up to. However, with time and the support of the professional development organization Phi Gamma Nu, I pushed myself to cold email one of my favorite YouTubers. To my surprise, he responded. After a Zoom call, he offered to mentor me personally on my first larger film project. To this day, he has remained an invaluable mentor from whom I’ve learned immensely and am grateful for his support. Whether on a professional or personal level, I’ve found that those who initially intimidate me are those from whom I’ve learned the most.”
Yoelle Gulko, Washington University (Olin)
5) Don’t Just Focus On Business: “Business courses are fundamental, but I’d also encourage students to explore other fields as well. Emory’s liberal arts education exposed me to a variety of areas of study, which resulted in some surprising intersections with business. I presented on marketing trends in fertility clinics in a biology seminar, learned about equitable hiring practices in sociology, and discussed a business law case in my creative writing workshop. It’s all enhanced my understanding of the business world–especially in niche areas of interest that might not be explored in traditional business classes–so I hope other students have the opportunity to do the same.”
Nyah Bruce, Emory University (Goizueta)
6) Be Competitive, But Not Toxic: “Comparison is a double-edged sword. At times, it can serve as a source of motivation, driving us to achieve our fullest potential. However, it can also cause us to feel inadequate and behind. In business, we will naturally look to our peers for inspiration and metrics of success, but viewing success as a finite resource can lead to harmful competition. Rather than peg yourself to external measures of validation such as prestigious internships and job offers, reflect on your individual growth. Define your own success by your personal fulfillment and celebrate each other’s wins.”
Andy Jin, North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)
What we seek, we find more of, so look for what is right in the people, organizations, and communities, and draw it out from them using your business acumen. To do this, you have to grow comfortable measuring success not by your grade point average, but by your impact.
Myles Forgue, Providence College
7) Get As Much Out Of Your Education As You Put Into It: “Coursework lays a solid foundation, but it is up to you to seek out opportunities to build upon that foundation. My most transformative opportunities have taken place within internships and student organizations, but my classes were vital in providing the necessary background and context.”
Melissa Atanasio, University of Pittsburgh
Jenny Rodriguez, Marian University (Byrum)
8) Take Advantage of Every Opportunity You Are Given: “Step out of your comfort zone. By doing so, I had the opportunity to travel and present marketing plans to Fortune 500 executives, including the Wall Street Journal. Opportunities are EVERYWHERE. Whether it is through specializations, internships, extracurricular activities, or seeking mentorship from professors and professionals, there is always something to learn. Embracing a mindset of continuous learning, adaptability, and proactive engagement leaves you with a solid foundation for a fulfilling career in the dynamic and ever-evolving business world.”
Jenny Rodriguez, Marian University (Byrum)
9) Study Abroad: “While experiences in the classroom are significant, experiences beyond the classroom are just as important, if not more important. During my junior year, I was a part of the first cohort of students to participate in Bucknell’s Management in Asia-Pacific study abroad program. Here, students take classes for eight weeks in Sydney, Australia, and have an eight-week internship in Singapore. I learned from the company’s executives about how critical personal relationships are in doing business in Asia and saw firsthand how this played out by being on-site with clients. I also learned about the unique caveats of financial and technology markets in the Asia-Pacific region and how these differ from the United States. Ultimately, I was able to bring a new perspective back to my summer internship and my classes at Bucknell.
Keri Gilligan, Bucknell University (Freeman)
10) Explore As Much As You Can, As Early As You Can: “Business is a field that is applicable in a variety of scenarios. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to commit to for the rest of your college career. The point of your college career is to explore – find your niche, find the things that get your blood pumping, and find your own unique way to combine them. That’s how I settled on pursuing computer science and business – a combination that allows me to create new technology, create and run businesses, and leverage said technology throughout a business. Your understanding of a field is something many people might have. But your interdisciplinary understanding is something that becomes uniquely yours.
Winston Zha, Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)
11) Take The Road Less Traveled: “Take the hard class. Talk to the professor who challenges you. Apply for the internship or job that feels out of reach. Don’t let the intimidation of possibly not doing well prevent you from challenging yourself. You grow more as an individual when you complete the task you thought would be too hard to finish. The worst that can happen is you fail. As students, we can get caught up in grades defining our success, but we may forget to learn. Successful people failed first. The sooner you get over that hurdle, the easier it becomes to grow. “A challenge is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end” – one of my favorite quotes from the book, The 5AM Club.”
Nayeli Aguirre, University of Denver (Daniels)
Jacob Williams, UC-Berkeley (Haas)
12) Accept Uncertainty: “During my freshman year, I felt incredibly self-conscious about not knowing what I wanted to do post-graduation. I judged myself harshly against the standard of other people’s successes and persistently questioned whether I was on the right track as a student. The truth is that there is no ‘right’ track to business school and feeling lost or unsure is a normal, and sometimes necessary, part of the developmental journey that is college. There are going to be times, perhaps many times, where it feels like everyone else has their life figured out and that you are falling behind the curve. It is ok and frankly inevitable to feel stressed out every now and then. When you feel that pressure build, just remember to be kind to yourself and that progress in life is rarely linear and never rushed.”
David Allen, University of Miami (Herbert)
13) Ask The Tough Questions: “In practice, I view business as a platform for amplifying my dreams and passions. One day, I hope that my research and approach to understanding various mechanisms that drive tumorigenesis and cancer result in therapies that ultimately better the quality of life for patients in treatment. Thus, advice I’d give to students looking to major in a business-related field is to ask yourself these questions: What dreams am I amplifying? How could business serve as a platform for empowerment and allow me to spearhead meaningful change in the world?”
Jacob Williams, U.C. Berkeley (Haas)
14) Take Risks: “I have a quote saved in my notes that I live my life by that says, “Growth and comfort cannot coexist.” It has been one of the best pieces of advice that I have received throughout my time at the Daniels School of Business. The business world is large and seemingly never-ending, and as a new student, it can quickly become overwhelming. It is easy to find a comfortable corner in such a chaotic place where you hear the same things and see the same people. However, there is incredible value in taking a little risk and trying out something you never imagined yourself liking. Go to that event where you don’t know anyone, try out that Python coding certificate class, and talk to the recruiter standing at the table outside your classroom. It’s when you’re curious that you find new hobbies, interests, or meet someone new who could change your life.”
Maria Falk, Purdue University (Daniels)
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