Class Awards lead to some Reflection

by F* (aka Franco Libunao)

We were recently asked to nominate our classmates for awards at this year’s Gala. We had a mix of serious awards (e.g. Most likely to become CEO) and some fun ones too (e.g. Most likely to appear on a reality show and what show it would be). While thinking about the awards, I couldn’t help but reflect on my time at RBS. I asked myself questions like, how well do I even know my classmates? More importantly, I asked myself, did I really make the most of my time here at RBS?

Our mix of serious and fun awards reflect, what I think, is the ideal way to handle the business school experience. In terms of whether I made the most of my time here by enhancing my skills to advance my career, I think I did. I was active in many clubs. I maximized learning opportunities by attending a lot of seminars and speaker events outside of class. Also, I attended more corporate presentations than I can remember. And no, it wasn’t always for the free food.

But the business school experience is so much more than that. I think I also got to know most of my classmates and had some fun. It’s important to remember that a big part of your network after business school will be the people you attended business school with. Many of my fondest memories are fun moments during group projects and studying for exams. But I also had fun outside of school. I definitely remember hanging out with my classmates at bars around school, in Hoboken, or NYC. I also enjoyed things like birthday parties, Game Night, and the trip to AC during the Thanksgiving break of our first semester. All these things created great memories and formed friendships that will last a long time.

For all the second year MBAs, I hope you have a bunch of great memories from our time here too. For the first years, I hope you’re making the most of your time here, so that when you leave, you’ll have a lot to smile about. But as my time at RBS comes to a close, I’m glad I could reflect on what I’ve done, and that I’m happy with so much of it. So make sure you take advantage of everything that the business school experience gives you, so that when you leave, you can say the same thing.