Student Perspectives

From the military and medicine to an MBA

"I've been in the military in one form or another since I was 18, when I enrolled in the Air Force Academy. I wanted to be a pilot, but for many reasons, my military career was mostly in medicine. “

"While my medical background gave me knowledge and experience with healthcare, I knew that an MBA would help me understand parts of the puzzle that I didn't have exposure to in medicine"

Pursuing an MBA to lead healthcare reform

"I offer a unique perspective, as someone who's not only worked in the system but also relied on it heavily; I have a son who has a lot of medical needs. This has really helped me understand how helpless you can feel as a patient. I want to change this."

"I'm passionate about health insurance reform, specifically single payer national healthcare. Deepening my knowledge of finance and economics will help me in creating thought-out strategies to create and implement healthcare reform."
Called to Haas's culture of service
"I think the culture at Haas is a culture of service, which is similar to medicine and the military. The Defining Principles really speak to me and I see my classmates living these out."
"My Haas classmates are in business school to better themselves and serve others. People want to learn how to make better products for their customers, how to increase the positive work that's happening in the world, how to lead sustainable business. It's very inspiring."

Why an EMBA was the perfect fit for a working mom of three
"I have 3 boys under 6, one of whom is disabled, and I'm a working mom. I wanted a way to pursue my education but still work at least part-time, while also being available to my kids and my husband. With the EMBA, I'm away for a total of 4 days a month and it's perfect. It allows me to remove myself just for that discrete period of time to develop myself and my education."
"The value of the residency element of the program can't be overstated. I'm very extroverted and I love being around people so the residency piece allows me to really focus on the relationships I'm building with my classmates."
An MBA changes how you see the world—and yourself
"My perspective on—and relationship to—different industries has transformed: I understand more of the financials when I read the news; I better understand my own consumer behavior because of our marketing class; I feel more of a personal connection to the software or apps I use because I have classmates who designed their features. The MBA has changed how I view the world.”
“Strategy is one of the classes I'm taking right now, and it’s introduced me to a way of thinking that is very different than how I'm conditioned to approach problem solving. I've always been given the question, and I go find the answer. Now I'm exercising my ability to first define what the problem is, then try to solve it.”
"I'm also learning about myself and reimagining what's possible for me. Discussions with the Career Management Group have made me consider different ways to use my background. CMG helps me develop next steps, like connecting to classmates from different fields, so I'm constantly expanding my network through my cohort and Haas alumni."

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