Meet Ohio State’s MBA Class of 2017

Fisher College of Business

Fisher College of Business

Fisher also goes beyond when it comes to career preparation. In particular, the program operates a unique corporate mentorship program. Here, every first -year is matched with his or her own executive mentor. These mentors are often senior executives at many of the leading employers in Central Ohio. Not only do these mentors give students a head start in networking, Matta observes, but they also act as a sounding board on issues like work-life balance and career transitions.

For further support, Fisher operates a required Leadership Development Program (LDP). Modeled on the ideas of thought leaders and the structures of leading corporate leadership programs, LDP purposefully sharpens students’ interpersonal communication skills, with selected students receiving further training in their second year through personal coaching, forums, and leadership retreats.

CAREER CENTER RANKS AMONG THE WORLD’S BEST

However, the crown jewel of the Fisher MBA program may be the school’s Office of Career Management. In 2015, the center ranked fifth among the best schools for career services in 2015 by The Economist – securing top ten finishes in both the student assessment and the percentage of students who found jobs through the center. The center’s secret? Engagement. For starters, center management staffers do more than edit resumes and schedule recruiters. They also help choose the class by interviewing applicants. After students are admitted, Matta shares, the center will take students through a variety of exercises to get them thinking about their stories and value proposition. During Fisher’s three-week orientation, students participate in in-depth career seminars on every industry, giving them an inside look on the skills needed and expectations by leaders in their field. What’s more, every student completes an intake interview with the center before classes start, to better identify the aspirations they hold – and the paths they should take. “It’s almost like a contract saying that this is what I am going to explore,” Matta emphasizes. “There’s a partnership [with the center] from day one.”

For Andrew Richlen, an engineer who grew up in Ohio, the career center was a major reason why he chose Fisher. “The Office of Career Management at Fisher is superior to that of all the other programs that I explored throughout my search,” he explains. “It was very encouraging to know that I would have a career consultant giving me professional advice throughout the job search process… The strength of the Office of Career Management was pivotal in my decision as I intend to change careers and will need guidance during the process.”

COLUMBUS IS THE PLACE TO BE

Richlen also cited Fisher’s location in Columbus as another plus, describing the city as “young, professional, developing and thriving,” while touting the locale’s “amazing restaurants, shopping and retail, a variety of art galleries and a few great sports teams.” However, the city’s business climate should also garner rave reviews from Fisher students.

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

In the latest Fortune 500 list, the area boasts the world’s 26th largest firm – Cardinal Health – along with list mainstays like Nationwide Insurance, L Brands (Think Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works), and American Electric Power Company (and that doesn’t include Big Lots and Hexion, which ranked 501st and 503rd respectively). Plus, the city is headquarters to several well-known brands, including Wendy’s, White Caste, and Owens Corning (with JP Morgan Chase employing another 20,000 people in the area).

Not to mention, the city’s central location makes it easy to tap into nearby markets. Drive two hours north to Cleveland and you’ll find seven Fortune 500 firms, including Progressive, Goodyear, First Energy, and Sherwin Williams. Drive two hours south to Cincinnati and you can choose from 10 Fortune 500s, such as Kroger, Procter & Gamble, Macy’s and First Third Bancorp. If you plan to take a road trip, Indianapolis (Eli Lilly and Brightpoint) and Pittsburgh (U.S. Steel, PNC Financial, PPG, Heinz, and Wesco) are three hour jaunts, while Detroit (Ford, General Motors, Lear) takes four hours.

That said, the Columbus region has also emerged as a tech and commercialization hub. Over the past five years, according to Columbus 2020, the region has added 108,448 net new jobs – including over 600 jobs from Amazon and IBM in the fields of cloud computing and analytics. Area companies have also received $6.32 billion dollars in capital investment in roughly that same timeframe. This year, Columbus ranked 3rd among the best cities for Millennials by Money and 11th in Forbes’ annual ranking of the best places for business and career. And the city is home to TechColumbus, which ranks among the top university-associated business incubators in the world, and Ohio TechAngels, one of the largest angel investment groups in the United States.

Such amenities made it difficult for students like Kuss to resist the city’s allure. “Columbus is a blossoming city,” he writes. “The city has changed so much since I left less than a decade ago. A growing business portfolio, a booming cultural scene and an ever-present sports atmosphere make Columbus very attractive for my generation.”

“THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU MAKE OR BREAK THE EXPERIENCE”

Fisher College of Business

Fisher College of Business

Despite all this, 2017 class members return to the culture as the main reason why they enrolled at Fisher.  “Being part of a large university offers a lot of support, but Fisher has a small feel,” muses Michelle Corrado, who doubles at a medical student at Ohio State. “And those close relationships where everyone knows each other in class is important to me…It’s important for me to be in an academic environment that encourages compassionate collegiality and a nurturing support system, and I definitely sensed this on my interview day, during my second look, and in doing research prior to applying.” And this community-minded feel is a long-standing tradition at Fisher. “I also spoke with alumni who raved about the program and wished they could go back to do it all over again,” adds Catherine Banton, a publicist-turned-admissions manager. “That did it for me!”

Alas, the courtship is over and the incoming class has been getting down to business this fall – literally. In 18 months, they will become MBAs. In the meantime, each first-year is coming to the experience with different hopes and expectations. Ayrton Conrado Kretli e Castro, a lawyer who made himself over into an entrepreneur, is approaching his time at Fisher stoically. “I want more than just to tell people that I finished my duty. I want to turn all the hard work and all the sacrifice into a lifetime experience. There will be good and bad days. At some point I might fail or get the sensation that I did fail, but all that will become an outstanding experience that grants me more maturity for the challenges that follow.”

Like many first-years, Banton wants to try everything and worries about missing out. She hopes to find a spot where she can make a real contribution. “For me, it’s going to be hard to avoid getting over-involved and over-committed to the activities on campus,” she frets. “I’d like to achieve a sense of balance, where I am dedicated to a handful of clubs and organizations that resonate with my personal and professional interests, including organizational behavior, women in business and community outreach.” However, she adds a caveat. “As a non-traditional business student, I’d just be happy to conquer quantitative analysis and accounting…that would be a major achievement!”

In the end, the Class of 2017 realizes that time is short and the onus is on them to make it special. “Much like a job,” Kuss reflects, “the work comes and goes, but the people around you make or break the experience.”

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

Catherine Banton / Woodinville, WA

Ayrton Conrado Kretli e Castro / Vitória, ES, Brazil

Michelle Corrado / Coral Springs, FL

Douglas “Rob” Kane / Westlake Village, CA

Jacob U. Kuss / Worthington, OH

Jingchen (Lucy) Liu / Jinan, China

Andrew Richlen / Yellow Springs, OH

Tyler Roumas / Scottsdale, AZ

Vinayak Viswanath / Bangalore, Karnataka

Tada Yamamoto / Cincinnati, OH

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.