The MBA Student Experience

I was so excited to start my MBA, that before I was officially accepted, I requested permission from our Associate Dean to begin early in summer rather than wait until fall. He agreed and allowed me to take a Leadership Theory course. My first day as an MBA student, I was really nervous, I was the youngest person in the room and I didn’t know what to expect from the following 6 weeks. I was apprehensive since I had been out of school for over a year before entering the MBA program, I didn’t know how difficult it would be to get back into good study habits. It turned out that the Leadership Course was the perfect introduction back to school. My professor was a little unorthodox; he was very relaxed and asked for tons of student feedback. This course also provided me with my first of many group projects to come throughout my MBA student experience.

At first, working in a group was intimidating, I was insecure and hesitant to chime in because I was new and thought what I had to say may not be well received by my group members.  As it turned out, I became one of the most involved group members and earned an A in the course. Now that I had built up some confidence, I was ready to take on the rest of graduate school. I started the following fall taking the two courses required for every first year MBA, Business Essentials 1 & 2. I felt comfortable from the get go in these courses, I was ahead of the curve having one class already under my belt. The students in these courses seemed to be closer to myself in age and experience as compared to those in my summer course. In the Essentials courses, I met the other MBA students that I would be going through the program with. I have been able to go through my courses with many of the same individuals I met in Essentials 1 & 2 and we have become friends and study buddies.

One of my favorite things about being an MBA student at Florida Tech is the small core group of people that I am able to share the experience with. With each new semester, I am greeted in my classes with the same familiar faces, I feel at ease because I know that I will have no problem finding people to study with or to help me out if I’m in a pinch. Another great thing about my personal experience has been gaining employment through the College of Business with the Women’s Business Center at Florida Tech. This position has allowed me to spend much of my time on campus, getting to know the faculty in and outside of the classroom. I feel like a part of the Florida Teach family and that increases my commitment to success.

Currently, I am balancing 2 evening courses with 2 jobs and of course trying to squeeze my homework in between. Being employed as a College Roll at FIT has allowed great flexibility in my schedule and my bosses at the Women’s Business Center always remind me that school comes first. They want me to succeed and are 100% supportive of my future goals, even trying to help me make connections to benefit my post graduation career goals. I have found my experience as an employee of Florida Tech has enriched my overall experience as a graduate student. I am so thankful that the university offers these College Roll positions to students looking to make some extra money without having to sacrifice much needed classroom and study time. Overall I have had an excellent experience at FIT and am a bit sad for it to be coming to an end this coming May, however, I know that I will always have the support of Florida Tech even after I graduate.