The Setting Sail Series is a collection of blog posts from graduating Career Captains that include their favorite memories from the business school, as well as advice for incoming/returning students.
Riya ~
“Brandeis International Business School, Class of 2022!” This right there touches so many chords in my heart. What an incredible time it has been. Brandeis has proven to be a stepping stone in my personal and professional development and the learnings I collected here have prepared me for the world I am looking forward to.
Here are a few things I would like to pass on from my journey:
Get to know people around you
Brandeis buzzes with incredible people, from professors to staff to your peers. There is so much to learn from each interaction, you would be surprised how it helped you grow when it’s your time to graduate. So, go to that class five minutes early and talk around!
Participate! Participate! Participate!
…in classes and school events/activities. The more you participate, the more you can experience. Sometimes it may be a good one, sometimes it may be a not-so-good one, but trust me when I say, every experience at the business school is essential to your journey.
Choose courses that you would like to learn about
Brandeis offers a plethora of courses and you can leave with a melting pot of learnings. I would say, choose what interests you. Take advantage of being able to audit classes before finalizing them and actively create a career path that aligns with your career goals.
Come around! Be around!
I started my program during the pandemic and had a couple courses online. Later, we transitioned to in-person classes, so I have to emphasize how important it is to be around the campus, work in the student working areas at the university, and play ping-pong with Dean Graddy (She is REALLY good at it).
Make use of the resources Brandeis offers
Brandeis organizes educational as well as personality development events, competitions within each club, field projects which give you an opportunity to work on a project for a company, provides you a platform to connect with the alumni and regularly chat with your career coaches. Don’t miss out on these opportunities. It may sometimes seem a lot to manage it all with classes but push through and you will be sure to come out with bright colors on the other side.
Everyone is here to help you
Reach out if you need it or even if you don’t. Brandeis is a community and everyone is here for you; it could be for classes, for figuring out how to adapt to life here, or just to talk about the brutal winter days. Don’t roll alone, roll with Deis.
Lastly, I have to say, life goes by quickly here – from one semester to the next, first friend to a bunch that you will cherish for the rest of your life. I have been fortunate to have gotten this experience and Deis gave me a bunch of incredible people, long but beautiful days and funny late night crunch assignment stories that I will keep close. I hope this experience brings this and so much more to you. Au Revoir!
