For the past few days, I’ve been travelling and blogging. Or, at least partially blogging. When I started writing this post, I was enjoying a few rare moment relaxing at my parent’s house in New Jersey. The next time I took to typing this, I was stuck in traffic on I-84 in Connecticut on my way back to Hanover (don’t worry, I wasn’t driving), and now, finally, I am back in town, finishing up and posting.
I’m describing this, because the travelling I’ve done this week is another piece of the Tuck experience. Each year during the break between Fall A and Fall B, first-year students travel to New York, Boston, and Washington, DC. The treks are split by function and industry (banking, consulting, marketing, and government/non-profit) and the different groups of students visit high-profile companies in order to learn more about businesses and the opportunities available. It is not in the nature of Tuckies to spend much time doing “nothing,” even over a break.
I was on the Marketing Club trek to New York City, and while I had some time away from academic classes, I took the time to reflect on what I would like to do for my summer internship, and about what kind of career I would like to have. There are endless opportunities to explore, and the Career Development Office (CDO) helps students navigate the waters of the job search with informational sessions on the specifics of different industries, what kind of resources are available at Tuck, and how to improve networking skills.
While I loved spending a few days in New York City and being able to talk candidly with the Tuck alums at the various companies we visited, sifting through all the information out there can be overwhelming. I’m realizing more than ever that you really need to understand yourself in order to figure out what company out there is the best fit for you. But there’s help.
I’ve been particularly blown away by the willingness of second years to spend time talking about their internship experience. One T’11 mentioned to me that the “T’10s went above and beyond to help us in our internship search last year, and we’re ready to pay it forward.” Their helpfulness is something I’ll forever appreciate, and I hope that I can be as helpful to first years next year as the second years have been to me.
This break has been a good time for me to reflect on what I’m looking for in my MBA experience and where I want to be afterwards. And I have Fall B to look forward to on Monday. Bring it on.
Read the full article: Break? What Break?