Five Elon alumni share post graduate experiences with current university students.
Beta Gamma Sigma hosted five Elon alumni for a panel discussion over Zoom on Oct. 12 to share their experience and advice on deciding whether to attend graduate school, how to select a program, seeking funding, and more with current business students and alumni.
Is there a right time to go to graduate school? Depending on an individual’s choice in career path, the timing for grad school can vary, the panelists noted. Sometimes it could be beneficial to have a couple of years of work experience before deciding to go back to school. This path allows for recent graduates to apply their classroom experience to the workplace.
Breanna Humphries ‘13 shared how she benefitted from having real-world experience prior to attending graduate school: “I could compare and draw off of experiences I’ve had in corporate America rather than just textbooks.” She also noted “some people are able to pull from internship experiences,” acknowledging that students may feel acquainted with the corporate world already and are driven to immediately attend grad school.
When deciding which school to attend, the panelists said it is important to consider factors including location to live, school offerings, alumni network, class size, and the student experience. The panelists highly recommended prospective students communicate with current students and alumni of the school to draw a better sense of the school’s environment and offerings.
They also shared that individuals may choose to attend law school or acquire an MBA to gain accelerated progress in their careers, an expansion of their network, and access to formal training.
Adam Wilver ‘15 hoped to gain more formal management and leadership training through an MBA program: “I took management and leadership training in undergrad but it is tough when you haven’t run into potential situations.” He also said taking a step back from his career and attending graduate school allows him to confirm what he wanted to do career-wise.
The panelists:
- Brenna Humphries ’13, ’2018 MBA graduate of OLIN School of Business, Washington University St. Louis.
- Randall Weisenburger ’14, MBA candidate at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- Adam Wilver ’15, MBA candidate at Sloan School of Management, MIT
- Gabrielle Vance, ’18, J.D. candidate at William and Mary Law
- Noor Irshaidat, ’20, J.D. candidate, at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law
The discussion was moderated by Meghan Murray ’21 and Meredith Mackenzie ’22, both serve as vice presidents of Elon’s Beta Gamma Sigma chapter.
Beta Gamma Sigma provides the highest recognition a business student may achieve in a baccalaureate or graduate program at a school accredited by AACSB International. The honor society’s mission is to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business, foster personal and professional excellence to advance the values of the society, and to serve its lifelong members.
Elon’s chapter, hosted by the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, is advised by Dean Raghu Tadepalli, and he also serves as the chapter president.