Graduate Programs

Some Good Advice 

Recently, the subject of making the best of the SU MBA program has come up.  Having completed two years in the MBA program (I have one more to go), I have some ideas of how to maximize your time at SU, but I decided to solicit additional thoughts from some of my classmates that recently graduated to help with this blog.  

I asked a few recent alumni a simple question; as you reflect on graduation, is there anything that you may suggest for in-coming students?  The results covered many topics, but the idea was the same….take advantage of the opportunities available to students! 

It is easy to get so caught up in classes and work, that you can forget some of the other opportunities at SU.  For example, one person said that she wished she would have participated in the Graduate Leadership Formation Certificate program.     Another said the he would have liked to participate in the Mentorship Program from the very start of his graduate career.  Yet another said that he wished that he took the Business Plan Competition more seriously.  All of these are great suggestions to consider at the beginning of your program, but it’s NEVER too late to get involved. 

Personally, I do suggest that you investigate all of the opportunities available to students.  Here is a small list of some of the activities: 

• Mentorship Program- http://www.seattleu.edu/albers/mentorprogram/ 
• International Study Tours- http://www.seattleu.edu/albers/studyabroad.aspx 
• Albers Graduate Student Association, Graduate Student Association, and the SU Women in Business Groups- http://www.seattleu.edu/albers/gradstudentclubs/ 
• Albers Placement Center- http://www.seattleu.edu/albers/placementcenter/ 
• Business Plan Competition- http://www.seattleu.edu/albers/inner.aspx?id=22984 
• Business Ethics Competition- http://www.seattleu.edu/albers/cbe/ 
• Business Case Competition-  

  http://depts.washington.edu/mbablog/1st-annual-pacific-northwest-case-competition/ 

Also, you will want to seriously consider a specialization early in your career.  This doesn’t have to happen before you start, but you will want to think about it early.  For some people, this is an easy choice, but, for me, it was difficult.  SU has some very good specializations so you should look into them all.  They include accounting, business valuation, entrepreneurship, leadership formation, and sustainability.  See http://www.seattleu.edu/albers/gradresources/ for more information. 

Is that enough info yet?  If not, here is a web site where MBA alums give free advice to students just starting their MBAs.  This site is not SU specific, but is meant for all MBA students.   

http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/blogs/mba_admissions/archives/2011/08/mba_advice_what_i_wish_id_know.html 

 I hope this helps!  As always, feel free to contact me with questions or concerns. 

PJ Graziani
Albers Graduate Ambassador

graziani@seattleu.edu 

Written by PJ Graziani 

Yesterday I went to Albers Alumni Happy Hour at Palomino in downtown Seattle. I am usually not a big fan of career fairs or formal networking events, but the happy hour was much different than most networking events I've been to in the past.  

The happy hour was organized by Albers Alumni and open for alumni, students and friends of Albers. The atmosphere was more casual and the setting was smaller - we could order some appetizers and drinks, sit/stand and move around while chatting with others. I talked to several alumni and asked about what they do and how their graduate degrees helped them in their careers. The alumni were friendly, engaging and I enjoyed my conversations with them. The happy hour was scheduled for 2 hours and there were about 30 people in Palomino bar area when I left around 5.30pm. 

After the happy hour, I walked out with PJ and Eleina (both are Albers students) and PJ brought up several good points during our chat: 

- Always bring your business cards to give/exchange with people you talking to. If you don’t have one, go to Albers Placement Center  and ask them to help you order some. The cards can have Seattle U logo in them and the printing fee is reasonably priced for what you get. 

- When you go to networking events, focus on the present (your conversation and who you talk to). Do not worry too much about the ‘end product’. If you think too much if the person works in an industry you're interested in or if he/she could give you a job referral, you might come off as uninterested or inattentive.   

Please read about it on PJ’s blog entry below and I hope to see you there! 

Written by Farani Aryono, aryonof@seattleu.edu