Meet Rochester Simon’s MBA Class Of 2022

P&Q: What is the two most unique or differentiating features of your full-time program?

RL: “The first is our optional STEM MBA designation. In 2018, Simon began offering the country’s first STEM MBA option available regardless of a student’s specialization, creating a new gold standard in business education. Simon’s STEM MBA leverages the school’s five decades of expertise in economics-based empirical and analytical research. According to a Harvard Business Review article, 85% of businesses aspire to be data-driven but “most are nowhere close to realizing the potential of analytics.” Simon is hoping to change that by sending candidates out into the world who are prepared to collect, analyze, and interpret data and use it to drive business growth. STEM designation also allows international students up to 36 months of optional practical training (OPT) in a STEM-eligible role. Only 12 months of OPT is available for students with non-STEM degrees. In the time since Simon blazed this trail, a number of other highly ranked schools have mobilized to make their entire programs STEM-designated as well, proving that our instincts were correct, and that data and analytics are indeed the future of business.

Second is our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access. Small by design, the Simon Business School community is among the most diverse of any business school in the United States. Women comprise 42% of the class of 2020, and 46% of our US students are from historically underrepresented groups. Our MBA program is ranked as a top 15 for women by Financial Times. In the Financial Times 2020 ranking of Top M.B.A. Programs, our percentage of female students was the 11th highest in the country. We are preparing the next generation of business leaders to be inclusive and equitable and understand how to manage in a global space.

That means demonstrating a commitment to EDI not just in our admissions, but embedded and prominent in everything from our curricula to our student experience, and even student orientation process. Our admissions team puts emphasis on recruiting students from historically underrepresented groups. They are committed to maintaining and developing Simon’s diverse population in the MBA program and growing diversity amongst the MS population. The Office of Student Engagement’s (OSE) and the Benet Career Management Center both offer EDI-focused programming in collaboration with the Simon Business School clubs and organizations. Our experiential learning, part of OSE, is also engaging minority-led business projects. We offer extensive training and workshops for faculty, staff and students on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics. We have also embedded Equity and Inclusion in to our school’s Mission, Vision & Principles. It is also worth noting that Simon was among the first members to join the Consortium, an organization focused on enhancing the diversity and inclusion of global business education and leadership by addressing the significant underrepresentation of Black, Native, and Latin Americans. Today, we’re one of only twenty participating schools. Simon also partners with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), an organization supporting African American, Hispanic American, and Native American students as they apply to leading business schools.”

P&Q: How has COVID-19 impacted your business school?

RL: “Like every other school – and business, and family – there have been significant changes to the way we work and interact, and yet, so much remains the same. Naturally we’ve had to make adjustments to support both our enrolled students and prospective students and applicants. We are fully committed to supporting our applicants who are based in affected regions during this challenging time. As a result of COVID-19, we have made adjustments and provided clarification on certain application requirements in order to provide flexibility; however, the applicant qualities that indicate success in our MBA program are the same as they have always been, as is the level of communication, support, and connection every applicant or prospective student receives. A test waiver option is being offered in select circumstances to accommodate students in these unusual times; however, while flexible, our admissions criteria remains selective, and the qualities that define a Simon candidate remain consistent.

For our enrolled students, our faculty has excelled at creating a hybrid learning experience that minimizes health risk while ensuring that our academic experience remains rigorous, and prepares students for the evolving – and increasingly challenging – business world. Our offering of a combined online (asynchronous content) and in-person (synchronous content) program was designed to accommodate each student’s unique situation. Faculty have developed asynchronous content of their courses, and a director of instructional design was hired for her expertise in this area. We have also changed the format of our classrooms to accommodate social distancing, and masks are required to maintain the health and safety of everyone. All classes are recorded in case an underlying health issue, sickness, or a personal emergency arises.

We also addressed complicated issues like replicating the residential part of the program which are so valuable to the student experience. We worked hard to reimagine that experience to be sure it meets the expectations of our students. In addition, despite the adjustments we’ve had to make, the number of programs we offer, and quality of the programming, have not changed.”

P&Q: Talk to us about the FACT framework that serves as the backbone of your curriculum. How does it help students clarify complex business concepts and issues?

RL: “Simon’s approach to management education incorporates our renowned Frame, Analyze, and Communicate (FACt©) model. FACt includes a healthy balance between theory and practice and equips our graduates to tackle real-world business problems by identifying the main issues, analyzing the information, and generating practical solutions. Together with our analytical, economics-based curriculum, it provides a powerful and enduring framework that explains and predicts the interrelationships of markets, organizations, and individual decision-makers to equip our students to become expert problem solvers.”

P&Q: Simon is regarded as having the best pricing programming in graduate business education. What types of offerings do you have in this area that other programs may not have?

RL: “The Simon School is proud to be the first institution to offer a comprehensive Pricing Track within the MBA program. The track includes the historically popular Pricing Policies course as well as specialized advanced courses in pricing, negotiations, market research, competitive strategy, and database marketing. The Simon Business School faculty have a wide variety of research interests related to pricing.

Pricing is one of the most important, least understood, and most controversial decisions firms have to make. Doing it poorly is easy; doing it well is a challenge. Not surprisingly, there is a growing and largely unmet demand for talented graduates who have the know-how and training in pricing techniques and strategies to improve bottom-line profits.

Students who graduate with the Pricing Track are comprehensively trained in state-of-the-art pricing theory and techniques. Our graduates are well equipped to make an immediate impact on their company’s bottom line in a wide variety of post-MBA and MS jobs across the manufacturing and service sectors, including roles in pricing consulting.

Simon is also particularly distinguished in the field of finance. Simon’s MS in Finance program is ranked No. 3 in the US by the Financial Times. In 2017, Financial Times of London ranked our MBA finance program No. 2 in the world, and our economics- and analytics-based academics have developed finance leaders for decades. In addition, three preeminent journals were founded right here at Simon: the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Accounting and Economics, and the Journal of Monetary Economics.”

P&Q: What makes Rochester, New York such a great place to spend two years and earn an MBA degree?

RL: “Whether you’ll be staying for two years or for twenty, it’s worth noting that numerous publications have named Rochester one of the best places to live in the US for quality of life. Rochester made Forbes’ list of Best Places to Raise A Family in the US thanks to its reasonable cost of living, commutable downtown full of arts and culture, and booming suburbs – all features which make it a great place to live as a graduate student as well. Rochester’s food scene is defined by local businesses with a farm to table approach, and boasts a plethora of small batch breweries, as well as being a short drive to New York’s wine country. It’s also rich in history and culture, including its distinction as the birthplace of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and suffrage movement leader Susan B. Anthony. Rochester was also named one of the ten cities best equipped to weather a coronavirus-fueled economic storm.”

5 REASONS WHY MBAs LOVE ROCHESTER SIMON

What makes Simon so special? Here’s what current students and alumni have to say about the program.

1) STEM Designation: “Having spent many years of my life moving and learning new cultures around the world, I needed a place that was going to both challenge me and provide the resources to thrive. Simon’s STEM-MBA program played a critical role in helping me decide where I wanted to invest the next phase of my life. The school’s dedication to analytical research and data-driven decision-making indicated how it viewed innovation, problem-solving, and leadership. As a Ukrainian student, the STEM-MBA program was a game-changer – the additional two years of work experience post-graduation signify the support of international students and diversity in leadership. “
Katya Tymchenko  (’22)

2) Simon Venture Fund: “I look forward to joining the Simon School Venture Fund (SSVF). The SSVF is Simon’s student-led early-stage seed fund with over $2M under management. The Fund is made possible by the generous support of Simon’s alumni network which speaks volumes about their commitment to “paying it forward”. I am most excited about this opportunity because it will allow me to not only gain exposure to local businesses in the Rochester area but also partner with them to make an impact on their growth.”
Oliver Chen (‘22)

3) Consulting Experience: “Simon has a club that offers pro-bono consulting work to the local community of Rochester. The club tackles real life problems and issues faced by these businesses and as consultants we get involved and come up with real, implementable solutions. This is perhaps one of the best ways to build on client interaction, teamwork and all-round business skills.”
Herman Marais (’22)

4) Intimate Class Size: “Class size was the deciding factor. I wanted access to professors and staff, a tightly knit class, experiential learning options, and opportunities for leadership. These are the learning avenues that I value and found at Simon. In a class of just over one hundred students, everyone knows everyone. Together, we built a vital, dynamic, talented business school network with worldwide representation. I have received a distinctive education at Simon where all of my needs and graduate school goals have been met ten-fold.”
Wallace Gundy (’21)

5) Rochester: “The biggest myth is that Rochester is a small town, missing the big city allure. Rochester and the surrounding area is packed with unique cuisines, artsy offerings, and outdoor adventures. With Niagara Falls and outlets a short drive away – and great local breweries, and the Finger Lakes in close proximity – your bucket-list will fill up fast. I found Rochester to be a hidden gem that is uniquely positioned for jet setting to the city in one hour or simply tucking away for a quiet outdoor skiing excursion.”
Jazmine Carter (’21)

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Rasheeda Augustine	Pointe Michel, Dominica	Michigan State University	Revere Hotel Boston Common
Oliver Chen	Hong Kong, China	Trinity College	HashKey Capital
Brittany Floyd	Ann Arbor, MI	Eastern Michigan University	American Airlines
Alexandra Goldstein	San Diego, CA	University of California, Santa Barbara	VIPKid
Preshit Karandikar	Mumbai, India	IHM Mumbai	Sony Pictures Networks India
Herman Marais	Johannesburg, South Africa	University of Johannesburg	GasCon
Harold Alfredo Pietri Sierra	Valencia, Venezuela	Universidad Tecnológica del Centro (UNITEC)	T4E Design
Mariana Reyes	Acuna, Mexico	University of Texas at Austin	SER National
Taniya Singh	New Delhi, India	University of Delhi	American Express
Christian Stuewe	Penfield, NY	Cornell University	Yelp
Katya Tymchenko	Kyiv, Ukraine	Gordon College	Second Wind
Odochi Uwazurike	Queens, NY	Dartmouth College	Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center