Chat with Students: March 5, 2008

Nicolas Wawiluk: Hello prospective Rady students! I'm Nicolas Wawiluk, a second-year MBA student here at the Rady School of Management. I am the youngest member of the Rady community, having come straight from my undergraduate alma mater, UC Irvine, after graduating with a BA in International Studies. I have just completed an exchange program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong last fall and a marketing internship in Finland for a start-up and am now planning to go for a PhD in Marketing after my studies here at Rady and possibly to start up an entrepreneurial venture with my Lab to Market classmates after I graduate on the side. I am passionate about marketing, international business and entrepreneurialism, and the Rady School and my classmates have given me a wonderful chance to learn about all three areas of interest.

Filippo Petralia: Hi guys, my name is Filippo, I am a first year student at Rady. I come from Italy and I have a science background. I hold a BS in Biotechnologies and a Master's in Immunology. I hope I'll be able to answer any questions you may have!

Brooke Sowell: Welcome, my name is Brooke Sowell and I am a member of the Class of 2009. I have a background in biotechnology and statistics with a BS in Mathematics and a MS in Statistics. I am happy to answer all your questions.

Jarrod Hammes: Hello, my name is Jarrod Hammes, I am a second year MBA student, formerly worked in Marketing for a broadcast tv-telecom company in San Diego, and most recently worked on new tv-technology for Motorola.

Turner Jenkins: Hi, my name is Turner Jenkins, and I am a second year student at Rady. I spent my summer internship at Amylin Pharmaceuticals and currently consult in their Operations Department on a part time basis. Prior to Rady, I worked as a scientist in a local biotech company developing bioabsorbable polymers used for drug delivery. I have a BS in Chemical Engineering from UCLA. I enjoy golf, international business, and cooking.

In your opinion, what separates Rady from other MBA programs?

Brooke Sowell: Rady distinguishes itself on many fronts, the most notably in its emphasis on cooperation, community, innovation, and technology. The faculty and staff are responsive and sympathetic to student needs and are willing to incorporate suggestions. Additionally, the newness of the programs allows students to shape the curriculum, begin new clubs on campus, and pursue their own interests.

Can you go into detail regarding the leadership course?

Jarrod Hammes: The leadership course is outstanding. It's an excellent introduction to the importance of team building and professional relationships. All students take the Meyers Briggs personality test, which is a great ice breaker to understanding your study group and classmates and professors.

What sort of quantitative work is done during the first year as a student? Is calculus used in the coursework?

Filippo Petralia: In the first quarter here at Rady you'll have quantitative classes such as Quantitative Analysis and Operations and Data Management. These are core classes that give you quantitative tools to better understand future courses, such as Finance, Investments, etc. These courses are not too hard but require deligence.

How have you benefited and grown from your experiences at Rady?

Turner Jenkins: My prior experience was in the lab of a local biotech company. Rady has prepared me to be a leader on the business side of biotech. Through coursework and extracurricular activities, I have gained confidence in my ability to lead. Specifically, courses teach more applicable methods that can be used immediately in the field, rather than theoretical methods used in academics.

Somebody plays hockey or inline? Can you tell me more about sports events organized by UCSD?

Jarrod Hammes: UCSD intramural sports are great. There is a wide variety offered each quarter and the facilities are incredible. The Rady building is located directly across from the playing fields and very convenient.

What advice do you have to undergraduates in preparing for application to business schools?

Nicolas Wawiluk: Firstly, don't panic! Even though you will be younger than most of your peers and will lack some of the work experience they have, you know that you want an MBA early in life, so this clearly means that you are passionate about business. Focus on this passion in your application, on what you would like to learn about business and where you see yourself after an MBA. If you prove yourself to be bright and passionate (which you almost certainly are, or you wouldn't be applying now), you will be the envy of any business school. Here at Rady, given this school's strong entrepreneurial culture, young applicants can fit in more than at any other school I have experienced. Of course, not having work experience makes things a little harder at first, as your classmates will be using buzzwords and trading experiences from the corporate world. However, don't worry. This is not really as important as it seems.

What is the culture like at Rady?

Brooke Sowell: The culture at Rady is collegial and collective with the goal of learning as much as possible both inside and outside of class. Unlike other business schools where one can be lost in the crowd, Rady provides everyone the opportunity to excel in different areas.

How are the facilities and technology at Rady?

Jarrod Hammes: The classrooms are great. Seating is perfect. The building has an incredible ocean view. wifi and IT in general works really well. It's easy to study and work. Everything is new, works well.

Filippo, since you indicated that you have a science background can you comment on how you find companies in the region (biotechs) view Rady students? Are you getting good offers of internships etc?

Filippo Petralia: The Rady School is highly regarded in the San Diego biotech community and as a matter of fact, the Rady School was created also to meet the need to grow innovative managers for the local community. There are several internship opportunities in the area, and being a Rady student is definitely a plus to find great internships.

Does any one have kids? How is living in San Diego for a family with kids?

Brooke Sowell: I don't have any children, but was raised in San Diego and am really familiar with the surrounding area. San Diego is a very family friendly city with lots of good schools, both public and private. There are several Rady students with children and a Rady Family Club that strives to include children and spouses in the Rady community. If you would like to know more please feel free to ask.

I'm interested in talking with you today about the program. As we are doing introductions it seems, I'm a neuroscientist, currently a post doc at Columbia University working on a stem cell start up spun out of the lab here, the company is actually based in San Diego. I'm interested in hearing from any other scientists in the program and those with advanced degrees.

Turner Jenkins: I guess I would represent the scientists in the room and will attempt to answer your question the best that I can. In my class a total of 10 students hold advanced degrees. It's great to hear that you are interested in entrepreneurial endeavors. In fact, my Lab to Market project here at Rady will be competing in the McGinnis Venture Competition in hopes to launch the venture post graduation. The technology is a nano targeted drug delivery system used to treat cancer.

I understand that the curriculum requires a lot of math. I have been out of school for the past 4 years, and adding to that, calculus has not been part of my real world experience for the past 8 years. What are some tips you recommend for someone like me to prepare for the admissions process?

Filippo Petralia: I didn't have strong calculus knowledge before coming to Rady and I have to admit that the first quarter might be challenging. However, the professors are always ready to help and there is really nothing "too" difficult.

What are Rady students like?

Turner Jenkins: This is an interesting question to answer. Firstly, I would say there is no stereotype of a Rady student. We are a mix of students that bring vast differences in work, academic and life experiences. I would characterize the student body as collaborative with a family type culture. We all value and respect our differences, yet strive to achieve quality and achievement in the classroom.

I am a new member to the Rady community for fall 2008. I would like to know if there are any international exchange programs that are currently in place.

Nicolas Wawiluk: Although Rady doesn't have a formal exchange system set up like some of the more established business schools, the administration at Rady is very kind and willing to help you customize your education to get the most out of it. In my case, when I was applying to Rady, I approached the administration about studying abroad in China. Rady helped me to go to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where I was able to not only take courses on marketing specific to Asia for credit that I could never get here, but also to conduct on-site market research for my Lab to Market class while abroad! The great news is that, if you receive any scholarships or fellowships, if you apply to any of the numerous exchange programs that are partners with UCSD, you can have these applied to your study abroad. While I was the only one to go abroad last year, during the year before me, one student went to IIT Mumbai and another went to Osaka University, and the staff at Rady has contacts with several other universities worldwide. All in all, while it takes a little work to arrange for a study abroad program here, it is doable and definitely worth it! You will gain a perspective on business from abroad that will really enrich your learning experience.

Is a science background favored versus other undergraduate degrees? I do have a BS in a Biological field, and did research in Geological Sciences. But because of funding I could not continue with research. I opted to build my people skills through another arena in both leadership and sales.

Jarrod Hammes: The high tech and life sciences backgrounds are most common here. However, I have a BA in Political Science and have worked in high tech sales. Our school is well integrated with the San Diego business community and is great for someone with a diverse background.

Do you also compete in the MIT 50K competition?

Turner Jenkins: McGinnis is the only competition that Rady sponsors teams to attend, however my team will be submitting our plan to other competitions, namely, the 50K here at UCSD and Jungle Media in NY. Teams are free to compete in any competitions they like, but currently, the school does not sponsor any other competitions except McGinnis at CMU.

I'm 21 years old and currently enrolled at Central Michigan University, what advice would you have if I were accepted to Rady and moved to SoCal? Would it be a difficult transition? Can I do anything now to make it easier?

Filippo Petralia: You're going to love SoCal! The weather is constantly great and the people are relaxed but also very motivated. It has been a really important aspect for me, coming from a foreign country with a very different culture. To make your transition easier, start enjoying SoCal by learning surfing or golfing!

How has your learning experience been compared to other academic institutions? What are the differences and is it better?

Brooke Sowell: The learning experience at Rady has been intense but well worth the effort. There is a focus on group cooperation and team learning. One of the great things is that there are so many seminars, lectures, and extracurricular events to attend that time management does become an issue. It is great because you get to pursue whatever your interests may be.

Nicolas, you mentioned a strong entrepreneurial culture, can you go into more detail as I'm really interested in that area.

Nicolas Wawiluk: The Rady School is the only business school in the US that has been established from the ground up with a focus on entrepreneurialism. It offers a unique year-long course sequence (Lab to Market) in which students work on real business plans for a novel business venture and have the opportunity to pitch their plans in front of real venture capitalists at the end. Due to the fact that it is a new business school, its curriculum and its location in entrepreneurial San Diego, Rady students are unique in that the majority of them are interested in starting their own businesses.

Do you know how much will experience be a factor in choosing a candidate for admissions?

Debra Avila(A): The admissions committee undertakes a comprehensive review of each application with the goal of getting to know you as an individual. There are three areas the committee pays close attention to as we review your application: (1) Academic Preparation — Are you academically prepared to take on a rigorous MBA program? We'll look at your academic records and GMAT test score to determine academic preparedness. (2) Relevance of and readiness for a Rady MBA — why do you want to pursue an MBA? Why now and why do you want to pursue an MBA at the Rady School? We want to understand your career aspirations, contributions and impacts you have made to the organizations you have been a part of, and scope of responsibility. (3) Personal Attributes critical for success in the business program and business community.

What’s San Diego like in terms of cost of living?

Jarrod Hammes: Rent is a higher in some parts, but considering coast/ocean access, it doesn't feel too bad. As a student it's worth it.

Is it a good idea to study a few months before beginning classes, especially if you have been away from school for a long time. If so, what courses do you consider should be reinforced?

Brooke Sowell: I would highly recommend that you enjoy your summer vacation. The summer reading books are wonderful for getting your mind ready for school and offer anecdotes that you can later use in your classes. I would also recommend reading the Economist or Wall Street Journal to familiarize yourself with current market trends.

Nicolas, how was your Lab to Market experience able to prepare you for the possible venture opportunity?

Nicolas Wawiluk: I can say that it definitely helped me in several ways. Firstly, we worked on crafting a real-world business plan throughout the course with two excellent professors who taught us the ins and outs of starting a business with the constructive support of classmates, several professors and real-world business mentors, including venture capitalists. It also taught us to get in the mode of brainstorming novel ideas for new ventures to the point where each of us has come up with dozens of potentially profitable new venture ideas. And, the class has given us a chance to work with a few classmates extensively for more than a year, allowing us to understand our capabilities and weaknesses and be able to build up trust and confidence that we can work together in the real world, allowing us to test our business relationship in class before we have to risk partnering in a real-world scenario that involves a real-world financial investment.

As a student at Rady, what do you hope to achieve? What are your academic goals and what are your career goals?

Jarrod Hammes: As a second year student, my academic goals are focused on selecting courses with instructors that are engaging. For career goals, I hope to go into a tech startup in San Diego and develop a market strategy.

Are internships easy to get at school?

Turner Jenkins: First we have to define easy. I obtained my summer internship at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, and while I accepted an offer earlier than most of my classmates, it still took effort on my part networking and getting my resume up to date. Internships are easier to obtain the more effort you put into networking. Networking, whether at school events, community events, or elsewhere, really adds value to your chances of locking in an internship. The career services here at Rady are very supportive and will help you tailor your resume and career goals to meet your objectives.

From what I understand, team work is a huge part of the Rady atmosphere. Do students work together and support each other in and out of the classroom?

Filippo Petralia: Study groups are a fundamental part of our experience here at Rady. Virtually every course requires several projects done in groups. It is a great way to understand team dynamics and also to maximize our learning experience: through discussion in groups we definitely are learning much more than by just studying by ourselves. At the end, we spend so much time with our group mates that we get to know each other and create solid friendships really quickly.

Now that you are Rady students, what experience, if any, do you wish you would have had coming into the MBA program?

Jarrod Hammes: More engagement with corporate executives.

Turner Jenkins: None. If I had the experience, I wouldn't have strived to learn more and develop myself as an individual.

Filippo Petralia: I would have liked to have more experience with calculus.

Nicolas Wawiluk: I don't have any real regrets. Having more work experience and experience in a specialty such as science or a foreign language that gives me an edge with a certain business venture is always useful, but, since Rady students are so open about sharing their experiences, even if you are like me and don't have much in the way of work experience, it won't be as big of a deal as you think.

As a student at Rady, what do you hope to achieve? What are your academic goals and what are your career goals?

Brooke Sowell: Rady has given me a solid foundation and core business skills which I can carry with me wherever my career may lead. I am hoping to have my future elective courses focus on areas where I am lacking experience such as marketing and strategy, thus giving me all the tools I need for any career path.

Turner Jenkins: Coming into Rady I knew I wanted to make a complete career change from the lab bench to the business side of biotech. With this, I knew I wanted to fully immerse myself in the learning environment of the classroom. Therefore, my academic goals were to achieve the best that I could possibly achieve. My career goals are to start a biotech company in the near future. The learning I gained in the classroom combined with my practical experience in my internship and other extracurricular activities have prepared me for my goals.

Nicolas Wawiluk: Clearly, I hope to gain a stronger understanding of what business is all about for a broad variety of businesses and functional areas, gaining breadth that would be very hard to get outside of a classroom environment. More importantly, I hope to gain a lifelong network of friends and contacts. We are a very close community, and, unlike in other schools, the alumni network here is very strong. I also hope to gain a better understanding of different types of people in the business world. The Rady School is a very diverse environment, with about 40% of students coming from other countries throughout the world and with students coming from all different types of backgrounds, both from large and small companies in many different industries, and Rady students are very open to sharing their experiences, making the learning process go on both in and out of the program. My academic goals are to gain a thorough understanding of marketing that will prepare me for my PhD program and my career goals are to become a tenured marketing professor at a top-tier research university and also to gain real world experience by participating in entrepreneurial ventures on the side.

Filippo Petralia: Here at Rady I hope to build a solid network starting with all the great students here and with the local biotech community. Academically, I hope to learn and subsequently master those tools that I will need in my positions after Rady. My short term goal is to work in business development for biotech companies, long term my goal is to start my own company.

I have a passion for managing people and leading a team to achieve goals. I also consistently collaborate with my peers and develop ideas/solutions all the time. What can Rady offer me that differs from my current work environment?

Jarrod Hammes: Rady knows that many students have worked in collaborative team environments and provides new frameworks and methodologies that lead to better team dynamics and more creative output.

What are classes like? Lectures? Open discussion?

Brooke Sowell: Classes are an interactive experience. The professor is there to guide and augment learning but not directly responsible for individuals’ experiences. Outside view points are encouraged and preparedness is expected.

Are UCSD alumni involved with the current students?

Jarrod Hammes: The MBA alumni connection is great. From social to business events, it's a warm involvement.

My focus is Lab to Market. I've majored in materials sciences and engineering for a Masters degree and worked as a flat panel display research engineer. But UCSD is reputed for biotech, medicine and biology. Am I fit for Rady?

Turner Jenkins: Again, there is no right "fit" for Rady. We all bring a diverse set of experiences to complement each other. As an example, I have a BS in Chemical Engineering and bring quantitative analytical skills to the table. I was able to support my studymates during the more quantitative courses, while others were able to support me during Marketing and Behavioral Science courses.

Effective communications is an essential part of leadership. Are there any communications courses offered?

Jarrod Hammes: Market Communications is a key course. The case studies and the professor are outstanding. The bridge between psychology and business objectives is really interesting. Overall, the marketing and leadership faculty are top notch.

Do you recommend I get an MBA out of undergrad or get work experience first?

Brooke Sowell: I believe that work experience is invaluable. Academic course work is very different from work experience. Additionally it allows you to explore different regions of interest, become familiar with different styles of work, and the culture of the work place.

Is there a minimum GMAT score for Rady?

Debra Avila: We do not have a minimum GMAT requirement for admissions. The average GMAT test score for the entering FT 2007 class is 675 (80% range 610-730) .

Nicolas, can you tell me about two excellent professors who taught you the ins and outs of starting a business with the constructive support of classmates?

Nicolas Wawiluk: Vish Krishnan and Del Foit are the two professors for the Lab to Market sequence. Vish is a top-notch academic with extensive consulting experience with real-world high-tech companies and Del Foit is a professor who has worked in the biotech industry for years and is an excellent mentor, with lots of real-world experience. However, all of the other professors are helpful as well.

Brooke Sowell: Thanks for joining us and good luck!

Jarrod Hammes: Thank you everyone, it was a good chat!

Turner Jenkins: Good luck to everyone. I enjoyed answering your questions and look forward to hopefully meeting you.

Filippo Petralia: Nice chatting with you. If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact me at f.petralia.2009@rady.ucsd.edu. Good luck guys!

Debra Avila: Thank you for joining us today. Our students enjoyed chatting with you and answering all your questions. We look forward to connecting with you again! Our next admissions online chat is March 24th.