Guest blog by Michael Chao
Being a first-generation college and MBA student meant that the Booth journey promised to be a “transformative experience for personal and professional development”. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself in between GMAT all-nighters and piecing together my two-year spend projections.
For some – myself included – those words held little definition and felt more as empty platitudes than something tangible I could point to and definitively say, “Yes – that is it”.
I still recall a moment from my orientation week where I turned to a classmate next to me and when asked to discuss what we wanted to get out of business school, I candidly (and bluntly) said, “I want to learn how this world works”. To me, that was a more honest and telling answer than simply “to break into XYZ industries” or “to grow as a leader”.
But what does that actually mean, and how has Booth helped me deliver on that promise?
No matter which industry one ends up in – whether it be consulting, banking, venture capital, tech, you get the gist – understanding how / why decisions are made and what makes people tick is critical. From having the EQ to sus out good founders in venture capital or having to manage a particularly difficult client in consulting, to having the IQ and analytical ability to dissect mass consumer behavior and find the next big trend, intuition for how and why the world works is crucial. Understanding the “flows” of the world – capital, information, investment, and human talent to name a few – and positioning oneself accordingly is key to success in any industry.
That, to me, is learning how this world works.
Booth has been an incredible ecosystem to both explore and put those learnings into practice: from clubs focused on every imaginable career path (and personal interest!), to fostering a community full of like-minded, eager, yet pleasantly diverse peers where learning, doing, and ambition by osmosis comes naturally. We’ve long heard of the flexible yet rigorous curriculum and strong optionality at Booth; both are critical elements for catering to and enhancing everyone’s unique two-year journey. Additionally, being in an environment that is relatively insulated from the “real world” – let’s face it, the reality of a full-time MBA is exactly that – has only enriched the learning and growth journey as it is the only thing Booth students are unequivocally focused on.
As a first-gen student, I am having conversations with folks I never thought possible, discussing concepts I never knew existed, and walking through doors I never dreamed of, all in the name of this journey towards “personal and professional development”. On the personal side, I have been pushed to do things I never thought were in the realm of my possibility, from far-flung solo travels to conquering long-standing performance anxiety.
Luckily, now that I am a year and some change into the Booth experience, I can definitively answer what “personal and professional development” means. It’s not the answer I gave during my Booth interview, nor is it any of the answers I heard during orientation week. Instead, it is an exciting, evergreen process that continues to change with every new experience at Booth and beyond.
