Olin Correspondent: How Olin Helps You In The Real World

Alumni weekend. It feels so far away when you are a student at WashU, until you realize it will be you who is visiting next year. Each April, WashU welcomes back alumni giving them a chance to catch up with friends and students. This year, they were welcomed with one day of warm sun and two days of rain — typical Midwestern weather.

While most alumni who visit are only one year out of college, it is already noticeable that they are in the “real world.” I saw plenty of Olin alumni looking like students doing work in study rooms or dipping out of meals to take work calls. Being in the real world for a year meant they had some wisdom to share with the rest of us students.

I was able to speak with four Olin class of 2017 grads and ask them what they miss about Olin, what Olin taught them that has been helpful in the real world, and any advice they have to students for the remainder of their time at Olin:

Grant Goldman

Grant Goldman

Majors in Marketing and Finance

Marketing Analyst Associate at Greats Brand in New York, New York

Q: What do you miss about Olin?

Olin is filled with smart, talented, and caring people. Everyone has something unique to offer the community, and it makes each conversation interesting. It was incredible to be surrounded by so many brilliant minds for four years!

Q: What advice do you have for Olin Students?

Never stop learning! Olin students and professors have had incredibly profound experiences across nearly every industry and are always more than happy to share their knowledge.

Q: What did you learn at Olin that has been helpful in the real world?

Working in a startup requires daily collaboration. At Olin, I learned to problem solve with countless groups, each having their own unique dynamic! What’s more, I was able to explore challenging questions and take risks in developing their solutions.

Rae Hung

Rae Hung

Majors in Marketing and OSCM, Minor in Anthropology

Associate Consultant at Bain & Co. in Dallas, Texas

Q: What do you miss about Olin?

I miss the fun, friendly culture of Olin — whether it was casually catching up with friends in Bauer outside of class, collaborating with other members of my organizations to put on events for the B-school, or even staying up late to finish an assignment with my team, I will always cherish the fond memories I have of being surrounded by the friendly Olin community!  

Q: What advice do you have for Olin Students?

Get to know your professors — they are incredible resources to get deeper on subjects you may be interested in, to work/TA for, and to learn more about career paths/opportunities.

Q: What did you learn at Olin that has been helpful in the real world?

At Olin, I learned to collaborate in groups, which has been extremely helpful in my current role. By working with different people, you learn to adapt to different working styles, communicate effectively both within groups and to larger audiences, and play different roles on teams, all of which give you a clear perspective on what teamwork looks like in the real world!

Robby Berke and Josh Katz

Robby Berke

Majors in Finance and Accounting

Revenue Management Analyst at American Airlines in Dallas, Texas

Q: What do you miss about Olin?

Olin is a world class business school built on a foundation of the people in its community. I miss my fellow classmates and professors. Their contribution to my education and experience at Olin has allowed me to pursue my passions while building long-lasting friendships.

Q: What advice do you have for Olin Students?

Everyone should follow their own path. Do not be afraid to explore and find what you are passionate about. Olin allows you to become a well-rounded individual who is able to tackle difficult business problems using an informed approach. Olin will help you find the beginning of your path. Be a trailblazer!

Q: What did you learn at Olin that has been helpful in the real world?

The collaborative classroom environment at Olin makes it easy to enhance presentation skills for both individual and group projects. I was able to utilize these skills from day one of my job. It is important to effectively communicate with team members to accomplish a shared goal; Olin’s curriculum allows students to experience this first hand.

Josh Katz

Majors in Finance and Computer Science

US Equities Analyst at JP Morgan in New York, New York

Q: What do you miss about Olin?

A: Definitely the people. Never again will I constantly be around so many great friends and classmates that share an interest in business and are so willing to collaborate.

Q: What advice do you have for Olin Students?

Differentiate yourself. I’ve found many students just focus on their business interests and don’t explore interests, classes, and activities outside of Olin. This definitely helped me to stand out amongst other candidates as I showed a strong interest in history and computer science and explored those during my time at WashU.

Q: What did you learn at Olin that has been helpful in the real world?

I’ve found coming from Olin that my presentation and teamwork skills were much better than others my age. While I still have more to learn, I’m much more comfortable and confident than I was coming into WashU and that has helped a lot in my role post-grad.

DON’T MISS: OLIN CORRESPONDENT: THE INS AND OUTS OF INTERNSHIPS and MEMORABLE MOMENTS AT OLIN