A Day In The Life Of A Stanford First Year MBA

Entrance to the Schwab Residential Center

No, nothing scandalous here! Jun’s schedule – and the ones from students just like her – don’t exactly epitomize the “two-year vacation” for corporate slackers label that’s sometimes applied to MBAs. Sure, they have blocks here-and-there to socialize. Overall, their days reflect the 60-hour work grinds that most left behind.

While their schedules and priorities differ, most students were united by one experience: The global study trip served as their favorite business school memory. Jun gushed about spending time in New Zealand with “32 amazing classmates and faculty.” Similarly, Bansal, who grew up in India, noted that her trip “dispelled all my pre-conceived notions about China.” While travel captured their imagination, it was their classmates who ultimately won their hearts. It was the people who made their time at Stanford so special.

Shirzad Chamine

Yes, the class of 2015 learned so much in their first year. As Shirzad Chamine echoed in his famous letter to first years more than a quarter century ago: “It is easy to see your progress in learning new material on a daily basis. It is harder to see the more gradual internal changes in terms of your personality, confidence and attitude. These internal changes, I believe, are much more important than the specific academics you learn.” With wisdom comes responsibility. Now, it is the time for these newly-minted second years to pay it forward as mentors and PLC coaches to the incoming class.

As the class of 2015 reflects on the past year – and the day-to-day rituals that got them through it – they too are only realizing just how far they’ve come. In the words of Jennifer Jun: “I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I was an admit myself!”

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