A major benefit of attending business school at a university with a network as large as BC’s is the access to various speakers and events on campus and in the greater Boston area. It’s easy to get caught up in your schoolwork and even the many social activities that a MBA program provides, but a huge part of the reason I returned to business school was to grow my network. The easiest place to start is by developing strong relationships with your classmates, along with faculty and staff at your university, but it’s also important to evaluate what other professional networking opportunities exist in your MBA program. A few unique networking aspects of BC’s program are:
- Classroom Guest Speakers: Over the past 3 quarters, a number of our professors have invited alumni and other relevant guests within their network to speak to our classes. These speakers have ranged from the Vice President of Marketing at Hasbro to the CEO of Boston Duck Tours to the CEO of Naragansett Brewery, to many other individuals who are eager to share their experience on various topics with our classes. Our professors are also happy to make introductions between students and their contacts and it’s always great when you are able to make that personal connection and relate it to a classroom experience.
- Manager’s Studio: A unique aspect of the BC MBA program, Manager’s Studio brings top executives to campus to share their personal and professional experiences with students. This year, I’ve attended three fantastic sessions that have provided me with great perspective on the skills I need to continue to develop during my time at BC in order to be a successful executive. Each session begins with an interview, followed by Q&A, and concludes with a reception that provides us with the opportunity to introduce ourselves and network with the executive.
- CEO Club of Boston: The CEO Club of Boston hosts seven or eight luncheons a year, typically at a location in downtown Boston. Although space is limited, typically there is space for MBA students. This provides an intimate setting to learn about key issues affecting both business and the economy from a leader within their industry.
- Boston College Events & Lecture Series: We are fortunate that Boston College has such an extensive network of centers and forums that are constantly putting on a variety of events and lecture series that are open to the university community as a whole. The Winston Center for Leadership & Ethics frequently offers lunch time lecture series or brown bag lunches with leaders on a specific topic. The speakers are sometimes alumni – but many times are notable leaders from the greater community eager to share their experience with the Boston College community.
- Being in Boston!: Although this may seem obvious, the access to other conferences and lectures put on by other leading universities is priceless. Recently, I attended the Dynamic Women in Business Conference put on by Harvard Business School. Classmates of mine attended the Social Enterprise Conference that HBS hosted as well earlier this year and others attended an Entrepreneurship Conference hosted by Babson. I’ve heard of students attending tech conferences hosted by MIT and there are countless other events that fortunately, due to our location in such a rich academic city, we are able to leverage as frequently as we would like.
