Collaboration And Family Define The Broad MBA Experience
When Fadi Francis was applying for admission to the Full-Time MBA Program at the Eli Broad College of Business, admissions officials insisted that what makes the Michigan State University graduate program stand out is how much Broad Spartans help each other and collaborate together.
Francis was a bit skeptical. After all, MBA students are trying to better their careers and get to the next place in their lives. It seemed awfully competitive.
While it certainly is challenging, Francis found out recruiters weren’t exaggerating, and is now part of what Francis calls his “Broad family.”
Francis is constantly working with his classmates to solve cases, and to make it through the day together. “I’m constantly around my Broad family, 24/7,” he said. “From the start of classes to doing homework; from outside of class when we meet together to do work together, we’re always around each other constantly, always helping each other, and elevating ourselves as much as possible.”
Central to the Broad Spartan experience is collaboration, problem-solving, and family, Francis says. Collaboration is constant; Francis can’t recall any class he’s been in so far that hasn’t had at least an element of working in a group setting.
Problem-solving is another constant, as demonstrated by exercises like “Extreme Green.” That’s where teams of students are paired with companies, which then present the student teams with real-life problems the companies are facing, and the teams are challenged to create solutions that are achievable and realistic.
The family aspect was highlighted when Francis was separated from his peers. “Honestly, the hardest part of my internship was being away from my classmates for so long,” he said, adding that his cohort set up a mid-internship meeting where they updated each other on their internships in particular and how their summers were going in general.
Those themes of collaboration and culture got Francis’ final affirmation after he scheduled an interview with a tech company. He was pretty nervous about it, and shared that with his classmates. The very next day, while in the MBA lounge he was approached by two students from a more senior cohort who had interviewed with the same company one year before, and who now offered their tips.
“That really cemented for me the type of culture that the Broad College MBA has. It’s been a consistent theme throughout my time here, where we’re here to compete, but in the end, we’re here to help each other, also,” Francis said. “It’s been an interesting but challenging and fun experience at the same time. I wouldn’t trade any day I’ve had here at the Broad program for anything else.”
Fadi Francis is a member of the Eli Broad College of Business’ Class of 2019 at Michigan State University. His post-MBA targeted functional area is supply chain management and marketing. Having worked prior in non-profit marketing and development, he now seeks to join a leadership development program within a major pharmaceutical or tech firm.
