The Way Ahead

by Khanh

When choosing a graduate program, it is hard, if not impossible, to take the career aspect out of the equation. Unlike undergraduate students, graduate counterparts may carry with them tremendous responsibilities to their families, and figuring out where they would end up after enrolling in a PhD, MBA, MSF or MSA program is a top priority. Fortunately, the Carroll School provides students with a solid preparation not only in terms of the knowledge they acquire, but also necessary skills with which an effective job seeker should be equipped through the dedicated staff in the Career Strategies Office. One-on-one advising, interview preparation, workshops and networking events are constantly available to students.

The arduous process is also supported by the School’s prominent reputation. Every semester, numerous Wall Street bulge brackets, middle-market and top-tier consulting, accounting, and technology firms flock to campus to look for their next batches of bright employees. Credit Suisse, Barclay’s, UBS, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, and State Street are just a few names among the firms that make their annual pilgrimage to Boston College. In fact, in a recent Wall Street Journal article, BC was ranked as a top 10 feeder school to the Asset Management industry.

Delving deeper into my particular story, I was grateful to all the help I received from the Career Strategies team and the vast network of BC alumni. I was able to meet and connect with my future employer at one of the countless information sessions organized and held in the Carroll School. After an initial phone conversation and four back-to-back “Superday-typed” interviews, I finally received an offer from Analysis Group, a Boston-based economic consulting firm, where I will have an opportunity to work with Fortune 500 and top law firms in various litigation cases.

During my preparation for the interviews, I also received tremendous guidance from my career adviser through various resume, cover letter and mock interview sessions. Certainly, the relative small size of the Carroll Graduate School helps with the amount of care the career advisers put into the process. Looking back, I believe the practical knowledge I gained in the MSF Program and the exposure to the dedicated BC alumni network are the decisive factors that helped me through the entire employment process.

The G51 Venture Capital Scholar Program

by Khanh

In my last post, I briefly talked about my decision to attend the Carroll School and how much I enjoyed the applied learning aspect of the program here. This time, I would like to delve deeper into my favorite program, the G51 Venture Capital Scholar, and relay my experience so far.

The program was started approximately ten years ago by Rudy Garza, the Founder and Managing Partner of G51 Capital. Initially, Rudy was working with a couple of in-state institutions in Texas, including UT Austin and Baylor University. Thanks to its overwhelming success, the program quickly grew to a national level and, as of this fall, involved more than ten top tier institutions, including MIT, Harvard, Northwestern, Duke, and Boston College.

For every school, Rudy aims at selecting three to four graduate students from diverse backgrounds, such as business, engineering, and computer science. All share the same passion for entrepreneurship and venture capital. Working with Rudy and the other Managing Partners has been a fantastic experience and, frankly, my learning curve has grown exponentially over the course of three months.

During the program, G51 Scholars are expected to fulfill the following tasks: deal flow review, communication with entrepreneurs, local deal flow and specific projects as assigned by the Managing Partners. Says Rudy, “Our goal is to create an exceptional network of future business leaders grounded in technology innovation and entrepreneurship. We are connecting with the best business schools and entrepreneurial institutions, in the United States and internationally, to enable a global renaissance of science and technology commercialization.”

Since G51 invests in hardware, software, clean technology and internet service companies, the Scholars have plenty of freedom to carry out the sourcing process. So far, I represented G51 at a number of start-up events, including the MIT Bootcamp, Harvard Cyberposium, and the Babson Entrepreneurship Forum. In addition, another rewarding aspect of the program is our exposure to some inspiring visitors in the field of technology entrepreneurship during our teleconference. At one point, I found myself pitching a company to Rudy, without realizing that Lee Walker, the first President of Dell Computing, was also in the room. Thankfully, his follow-up comments were positive.

The G51 Venture Capital Scholar Program has been an amazing journey for me here at BC. I look forward to continuing my commitment to the program in the spring.

Follow the Eagle

by Khanh

“Teacher, why did you decide to come here instead of Hawaii? I heard that place is like a paradise,” asked one of my students. I winked at her and answered, “Well, this place is like a paradise to me too, because I have always wanted to come here and realize your dream.” We were sitting under the burning sun in Save, a small town about two and a half hours away from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. It was mid-August and I was teaching a group of aspiring high school students from all over Rwanda about entrepreneurship and leadership skills, thanks to a program organized by my alma mater, Babson College. I knew I always wanted to pursue a field in which I could help people grow their businesses. Fortunately, I can rekindle that desire at my new home—the Boston College Carroll School of Management.

Back in April, it was not a difficult decision to pick BC and send my regrets to other institutions, since, as I mentioned above, the Carroll School could help carry on my dream. Not only does it have an intensive and solid curriculum in asset pricing and management, the Carroll School also provides students with practical opportunities to get their hands dirty in the fields of entrepreneurship, private equity and venture capital. One of my favorite classes so far has been the G51 Venture Capital Scholar Program. Partnering with G51 Capital, an early stage venture capital based in Austin, Texas, the Carroll School is one of only five schools in the country selected to participate. Through a period of up to two semesters, this highly selective program provides graduate students with a unique opportunity for hands-on learning and mentorship with G51 Managing Partners. Particularly, students get to review, analyze and evaluate business plans each week, and share their investment recommendations with other graduate students and the G51 Partners. They are invited to partake in Deal Flow Review meetings and listen to the entrepreneurs’ pitches.

Moreover, the Carroll School offers graduate students opportunities to participate in the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) and the Entrepreneurship Clinic program. The VCIC offers selected students an opportunity to act as venture capitalists during a national elevator pitch competition, in which they have to compete with other top graduate programs. The Entrepreneurship Clinic program provides students an opportunity to act as business planning advisers to real entrepreneurs who are seeking valuable advices in different fields including law, marketing, finance, accounting, etc.

Clearly, all these wonderful programs are keeping me busy, but I am happy knowing that, as soon as I receive valuable knowledge and theories from my professors, I get to apply them right away in the real world. For more information about other applied learning programs that the Carroll School offers, you can check out this link.

The BC community embraces the words of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order, "Go set the world aflame." I am certainly excited and happy to be a part of this mission. Please check back this blog regularly to look for updates on my journey.