I should back-track to finals week. We had a business simulation on Monday, in which all of us were employees of an oil company that had to deal with a crisis situation. On Wednesday and Thursday, we had crises of our own. Well, they weren't exactly crises, just final exams for Accounting and OB. : )
Over the last six weeks, my friends and relatives have constantly been asking me, "So how's BASE?" My answers always depended upon what was going on at the time (e.g. midterms, group projects, field trips, etc.) Now that the program has ended, I can take a look back at my experience and give a final answer to that question:
My BASE experience has two sides to it: one that was created by the people at Haas (e.g. the professors and program director), and another that was created by my classmates.
I definitely learned the fundamentals of accounting, OB, and marketing from Denis, Holly and Trudy. I'm actualy starting to use some of the things that I learned. I recently took on the duty of directing the youth group at my church, so I'm applying some leadership and management theories that I learned in OB to my work. Everywhere I go, I notice things that I've learned from Marketing. Product, price, place, promotion...I constantly find myself analyzing the marketing mixes of different companies! It's actually a lot of fun. : )
The program itself probably remains pretty consistent from year to year, so it's the group of students that create a unique and dynamic experience. Never have I been among 52 people who have such diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and life situations. I certainly learned a lot from the classes, but what I learned from my classmates cannot be found in any textbook. I've learned that I'm not the only one who doesn't know exactly what she wants to do. I've been inspired to travel and to explore. My classmates (rather, my friends) have helped me to gain more confidence in myself. They've gotten me to believe in my ability to succeed in my career of choice. A few years from now, I may forget how to put together an income statement, but I'll definitely remember my friends and how they've inspired me. And hopefully, we'll be able to help each other find jobs! : )
So, to Dinko, Denis, Holly, Trudy, and my dear classmates:
THANK YOU for a wonderful experience.
