Meet The Minnesota Carlson MBA Class of 2017

University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management

University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING REQUIRED IN THREE OUT OF FOUR SEMESTERS

Ask the incoming class what attracted them to Carlson and you’re bound to hear about Carlson’s Enterprise Experience. These required courses, which span three of Carson’s four semesters and accounts for nearly 20% of class time, is broken into four specialties: Branding, consulting, funding, and ventures. Think of it as a corporate learning laboratory. By partnering with companies such as Boston Scientific or Best Buy, the Enterprise Experience acts as an ongoing internship. It preps Carlson students for the all-important summer internship and keeps them current with the technologies and tools that are evolving while they attend business school.

What’s more, students enjoy the best of the academic and workforce experience – with the benefit being that each feeds into the other. At work, students take a deep dive into their specialty, absorbing the industry language and company rhythms as they’re exposed to how their part fits with the entire operation. At the same time, these hands-on experiences are complemented by academic rigor, where students can test out and reinforce what they learn in real world settings. Even more, the Enterprise Experience also acts as a force multiplier in terms of students’ networks. Here, students can build relationships with peers in sponsor companies, along with tapping into their industry-wide networks for both expertise and potential jobs.

Shuang Liang, a chemist who was most recently a lab manager at the University of Minnesota, considers the Enterprise Experience to be “great prep for future jobs.” At the same time, Jeremy Hemsworth, a U.S. Army veteran, believes these hands-on projects with employers even the odds for students like him. “As a career switcher,” he argues, “I know that I am at a disadvantage because I don’t have years of experience in a given field. However, in doing real project work for real clients, Carlson is providing me with the experience necessary to being a competitive candidate.”

The Mall of America in nearby Bloomington

The Mall of America in nearby Bloomington

SCHOOL BOOSTED BY 17 FORTUNE 500 FIRMS IN THE TWIN CITIES REGION

The vibrant Twin Cities business scene – with 17 area businesses in the Fortune 500 (and three more ranked within 100 spots of the coveted designation) – MBAs have plenty of opportunities to land work in a variety of industries, including online and brick-and-mortar retail (Target and Best Buy), financial services (U.S. Bancorp and Ameriprise Financial), consumer products (3M, and General Mills), health care (UnitedHealth Group), and agriculture (CHS, Inc.). And this piqued the interest of Greg Videen, who was mostly recently a senior consultant at Deloitte. “These companies are always looking for new talent,” he points out. “The Carlson School MBA is as valuable to these companies as any other school’s MBA, and the University of Minnesota’s location in the heart of the city makes it easy to connect with all of these companies on a regular basis. Plus, Minneapolis is an up-and-coming, fun, and lively city with enough activities, entertainment, and nightlife options to please all but the very most insatiable.”

Despite the University of Minnesota ranking among the most populous and research-driven of American universities, Carlson veers towards a small school atmosphere in its full-time MBA program, And that presents some unexpected benefits, Videen admits. “The smaller class size of Carlson was initially a turn-off for me. Upon further research, it became a major benefit. While talking to current students, I found that all of them were able to pursue their own path, and they had much better access to recruiters on campus than at schools with larger class sizes.”

Being part a small program supported by a larger university infrastructure also saves Carlson MBAs from making tradeoffs. “I was very drawn to the fact that the class size is very small,” says engineer-turned-entrepreneur Jay Sekhon. “The environment as a result is highly collaborative, and I have a level of access to the faculty that wouldn’t be possible in larger programs. So having the resources and brand power of a large and renowned university available to me at a much more personal level was a deciding factor.”

“The culture is unbelievable,” adds Janelle Rickstrew, who is also pursuing a law degree while she earns her MBA. “Everyone is more than willing to help each other. This includes students, faculty, career center coaches and staff, the MBA programs staff – everyone! It really embodies the atmosphere I wanted most. I know that I will be able to become the best version of myself by being a student here at Carlson.”

GRADUATES LOOKING TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND TURN THEMSELVES INTO LEADERS

Two months into the program, what does the Carlson MBA Class of 2017 hope to achieve?  For Rebecca Blumenshine, who has worked as a researcher, fund-raiser and English teacher since graduation, the next two years are all about becoming a leader. “On an institutional level, I want to help Carlson grow its leadership role in supporting sustainable and socially responsible business endeavors, both locally and globally. On a personal level, I want to build my tool kit for being a strong leader in confronting the global grand challenges that face my generation.”

Goldy

Videen views his time at Carlson as part of a larger personal journey. “I hope to leave the Carlson School with a broader perspective of myself and with a well-rounded toolkit of business knowledge. I will use the time at business school to take an introspective view of myself and my past experiences in business so that I can focus on my development areas in a lower pressure environment.”

Similarly, Hemsworth plans to recharge and rebrand himself. “It’s not that often in life that you get the opportunity to press the reset button and choose a different path. I’m looking forward to this chance to learn more about the business world, and for my opportunity to not only discover my own path but to equip myself so that I can forge it post-graduation.”

Despite being three grueling semesters away from graduation, Clifton is already envisioning her legacy. “My goal is to leave the program better than when I started. That goal really has two aspects. First, I want to ensure that while I am in the program that I take on challenges that prepare me to tackle the ever-changing and demanding global business climate that I will be entering. Second, I want to make sure that I am able to leave my mark on the program, help the program continually improve, and set a higher benchmark for the next class.”

To read profiles of incoming Carlson students – along with their advice on tackling GMAT, applications, and interviews – click on the student links below.

Rebecca Blumenshine / Minneapolis, MN

Elizabeth Clifton / Oxnard, CA

Jeremy Hemsworth / Minneapolis, MN

Shuang Liang / Beijing, China

Janelle Rickstrew / Diller, NE

Jay Sekhon / Madison, WI

Greg Videen / Plymouth, MN

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