Krystal Walker, MBA Class of 2014
Sometimes all it takes is one bad day to make you rethink your decision to attend Stern. My bad day included seeing my grade on Damodaran’s Corporate Finance final. It was a classic case of the result not matching the effort exerted and it led me down a rabbit hole of regret. As I thought of the thousands of dollars spent, the countless all-nighters, and the earnings foregone, I was overcome with the feeling that I had made a costly mistake; one that I would be paying off the rest of my adult life. While these thoughts mounted in my mind, I looked for a distraction, which Facebook faithfully delivered. As I looked at images from the past year, including the Summer Start Sushi/Sake Outing, the epic dance party during Launch’s Harbor Cruise, Block Three’s Holiday photo, backstage at TSDL, the Safari on the South Africa Trek, “candids” in the 2nd Floor study rooms, and other random outtakes I was quickly reminded of the reason I decided to attend Stern. It wasn’t because I wanted to engage in revelry, but rather the photos reminded me that I came to Stern because I wanted grow and be challenged by some of the most intelligent people on the planet, in a highly collaborative environment (admissions: feel free to quote me on your website). As I think back to the various in class discussions, the all-day study sessions held in the Starbucks Lounge, or the late night conversations hosted by Three Sheets, Stern has more than delivered on my requests for my academic MBA experience; and from the looks of those photos it, has also over delivered on the social.
When I meet with Stern alums rarely do they cite a particular problem set as the most poignant area of their Stern experience but rather the time spent with their Stern peers. That sentiment has fully cemented itself as the theme of my Stern experience. With that being said, I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities to get to know one another outside of your group projects. Take advantage of the opportunities to make a memory at the host of social events that members of our student body work hard to put together: including Charity Ball, TSDL, the AHBBS Date Auction, Block Olympics. You’ll need those memories to help get you through the moments where you question if it’s all worth it…
