Why UW Nicholas Center?
I loved the idea of getting real-world finance experience while in school. I couldn't find another program like it. I learn best by doing, and this was an exciting opportunity to learn a lot in a short amount of time. In addition to the finance piece, I had Professor Seward for Corporate Finance as an undergrad and he remembered me when I sent him an email about the program. I just had a good feeling about it so it seemed like a “no-brainer” - get a lot of experience in a community environment.
| Erin Schmidt Nicholas 2005 |
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| SAB Miller |
Career Objectives?
I've recently accepted a job at Miller Brewing Company supporting their Sales & Marketing team. I'll be working on a lot of high-level strategy type projects, which I am very excited about. Long term, I would love to run a division of a multi-national business.
What surprised me about Nicholas?
Boy, that's a hard one to answer, because there are so many things. It is a huge time commitment, but I think that has surprised some of my friends more than me. When you're enjoying what you're doing as much as I am, the time just seems to fly by. It's a challenge to work with different backgrounds, skills and styles, especially when it comes to putting together the final product, but I think that's what has taught me the most. I think the biggest surprise, in a good sense, is to see what my team and I are able to accomplish. You start off your project with a vague sense of what is going on but two months later you have this great presentation that clients find extremely valuable for their firm.
Why recommend Nicholas?
There are so many reasons. In my opinion, this is the best corporate finance program in the country. It may not have the name that University of Chicago or Wharton does...yet...but you cannot get this type of experience at any other school. I've talked to students from other schools while at interviews and not one of them gets to do the types of projects that we do here. Nor do they get the type of support that we do. There are challenges to being in a small program, but I think that they are far outweighed by the benefits. We get personalized attention coming from Cindie Adams, Professor Seward, other faculty and even Dean Knetter. I think our advisory board is phenomenal and the best alumni networks can't begin to compete with them. I could go on and on about the program and why someone should come here, but it's also important to remember that Nicholas is part of a great MBA program and a great institution. The people outside of Nicholas are just as wonderful to be around as the people within the program.
What would I have done differently in my first year?
I think I would have participated in a case competition. I was a bit behind the eight-ball on that one and I feel like I missed out a bit. I also would have purchased football tickets and done so early. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking. I waited too long and they were sold out. A big part about being an MBA student is building relationships and what a great way to do it. It's also important to make sure you have fun while you're living in such an exciting and culturally-rich city.
Most rewarding experience in MBA.
It's a toss up between Nicholas and being on the Graduate Business Association (GBA) board. Two totally different experiences. I have learned more from Nicholas than I could have ever hoped to learn in a class - both about finance and about myself. I'm also extremely happy that I was part of the GBA. It gave me some very good leadership experience, as well as greater interaction between myself and Dean Knetter and the rest of the administration. I'm convinced that the combination of these two experiences helped me to get my dream job.
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