The
source 2017 / TERM 1
p0 7 No Man is an Isl and: The Power of Connec tions
p 1 3 g uide to a stu dent e xchang e prog r am in the USa p 1 4 G e t I nvo lve d at M B S
table of contents From the Editors and From the SRC President
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Message from The Dean and Ask Zeger
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Around MBS: Updates from Laura Bell
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Inside Clubs: Getting to Know the MBS Retail Club
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The Power of Connections
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Alumni Spotlight: Jo Pizzey
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Introducing the 2017 SRC
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Inspiring Journeys: Student Profiles
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Outgoing and Incoming Student Exchanges
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Guide to a Student Exchange Program in the USA
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Get Involved at MBS
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Announcements
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MBS Student Representative Council 200 Leicester Street Carlton VIC 3053 Australia t f email website
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+61 3 9349 8400 +61 3 9349 8404 src @ mbs.edu mbssrc.com.au
facebook.com/MBSSRC twitter.com/MBSSRC
From the editors Dear MBS community, The editing team is pleased to bring you the first of the bumper 2017 editions of The SouRCe. Throughout this year we look forward to ensuring – with the power of connections – this publication is as informative and engaging for you as it possibly can be. We hope you’ll agree that this edition is off to a great start.
You’ll meet MBS alumnus Jo Pizzey, who offers this perfectly articulated advice: “You only get one shot at an MBA so back yourself, do the scary things and make the most of the opportunities available to you”. Furthermore, we will look at the countless ways to get involved at MBS, from clubs,
to case competitions, to playing Volley Pong! And with that we wish you happy reading and a wonderful year ahead! Many thanks to all of this term’s fantastic contributors to The SouRCe. If you are interested in contributing to the next editions, please email us at src@mbs.edu.
Inside you’ll find Dean Zeger’s responses to the three most-voted student questions in Ask Zeger. You’ll also hear from the editing team’s very own Grace Yong describing the student exchange process while she is in the midst of it at Kelley School of Business in Indiana.
Carly Versace MBA Part Time January 2016
Regina Saquin MBA Full Time 2017
Grace Yong MBA Part Time April 2015
From the SRC President the number of executive roles from seven to nine and have added five liaison positions. We felt our expansion was necessary to improve our ability to represent the student body throughout all areas of MBS. The current team of Executives, Liaisons and Class Representatives is pictured on page 9, with each of our Slack contact details.
emma young Dear MBS community, Happy New Year and welcome to the first edition of The SouRCe for 2017! I would like to start this year by introducing you to the new Student Representative Council. This is an exciting year as we have expanded
The SRC is comprised of a dedicated group of students who strive to continuously improve the MBS experience. I am confident in the projects that the team will achieve this year and we look forward to further representing the interests of students throughout MBS. Our goals for 2017 are the following: 1. Effectively communicate who comprises the SRC and what we do
2. Generate more engagement with the SRC 3. Improve SRC processes, particularly for clubs 4. Facilitate philanthropic initiatives 5. Create student experiences beyond the classroom. As always, we maintain an opendoor policy to all our meetings and encourage any student who would like to get involved to reach out to one of us, or email src@mbs.edu. I hope you have a successful and fulfilling 2017. Emma Young SRC President | MBS SRC MBA Part Time July 2015
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Message from the dean The School also hosted international guests attending the Financial Institutions, Regulation and Corporate Governance Conference, and welcomed Myer CEO Richard Umbers to speak at the highly successful MBS Retail Club event.
Zeger Degraeve It has been a busy start to 2017 across all of our programs. We have welcomed 80 new Part-time MBA students and the MBusA Class of 2017, along with international visitors for Professor Mark Ritson’s Brand Management and Dr Pete Manasantivongs’s Doing Business in Australia subjects, while our EMBA class were in Malaysia for their Industry Studies in Asia subject.
ask zeger In late 2016, students were invited to submit and vote on three questions they wished to hear Zeger’s responses to. The following are the three most-voted questions from students, with Zeger’s subsequent responses. How will you attract more top organisations to recruit graduates from MBS? Since 2012 we’ve been pursuing a holistic approach to attract more top organisations to recruit our graduates, because there are a range of factors that influence this. For example, in 2012
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Amid all of this, we were named by the Financial Times as among the world’s top-three business schools for marketing, and also moved further up the 2017 FT Global MBA ranking to 76, with the 11-point improvement placing us among the 10 mostimproved schools. It comes on the back of our top-10 ranking by Bloomberg Businessweek and top-20 ranking by Poets & Quants (poetsandquants.com) last year, all of which are strong recognition that our focus on providing every student with a highquality business education experience to achieve career success is helping to move our School in the right direction.
– shortly after I began as Dean – I met with McKinsey & Company. At the time they did not hire MBS graduates – they told me they were not happy with the student quality. Since then, we have invested heavily in lifting quality across all of our programs and last year the only Australian MBA graduates McKinsey recruited were from MBS. We’ve also been building stronger connections with the business community through events such as the Dean’s Leaders Forum, which provides us with an opportunity to showcase our student, alumni and faculty talent to CEOs, class speakers, board engagements and memberships of professional organisations such as the Business Council of Australia. This effort extends to making the most of our student and alumni connections – the recent talk organised by the
The School has also been progressing plans for a multi-million dollar campus redevelopment. This exciting investment will deliver a range of world-class learning spaces, an upgraded café and events space, and allow us to accommodate Executive Education programs that have previously operated at our Mt Eliza campus. I encourage all students to take advantage of the opportunities available during this year to have your say and help us create a revitalised campus that will support improved learning and development opportunities. Until next time! Zeger Degraeve Dean
MBS Retail Club, featuring Myer CEO Richard Umbers, is a great example of this. In addition to the sell-out Retail Club event, we arranged a private dinner for Richard, allowing him to gain a stronger appreciation of what we do here and the quality of our graduates. We adopt a similar approach for the Dean’s Leaders Forum and have found it to be very successful. Of course, we also have the Careers Management Centre, who are continually networking and promoting the School’s high-quality talent to top organisations in Australia and overseas. How do we go about building a platform through which alumni can easily share open roles in their organisations with the MBS community? As you know, we recently switched to MyMBS to support our alumni and
student communities to connect and share information. We are encouraging alumni to use it to share employment and other opportunities with fellow MBS alumni and students. Our Alumni Relations team also work closely with the Careers Management Centre to ensure that opportunities of interest to our students and recent graduates are also shared. As usage of MyMBS grows, we will see more opportunities being generated and shared by the community for all to leverage. What area of the School do you currently believe has the biggest need for improvement? The world is constantly changing and as a result we must constantly improve.
My focus remains on ensuring we achieve our mission to enable individuals and organisations to be global leaders through the creation, application and dissemination of business and economics knowledge. To do this we must always ensure that we accept only the highest-quality students, recruit the highest-quality faculty and staff to develop and deliver programs, conduct research and services of the highest standard, and ensure our organisational processes, systems and facilities are the best they can be. These are the same areas I focused on when I was appointed Dean, and they are the same areas I am focused on today. This year we are continuing to roll out a range
of improvements across all of these areas, but the biggest and most visible will be the multi-million dollar campus redevelopment that will ensure MBS continues as a world class centre for business education by allowing us to fully leverage the opportunities that come from being in the heart of Melbourne’s knowledge precinct and on the edge of the CBD.
Around MBS: Updates from Laura Bell told me how fantastic his experience here has been. This is the kind of feedback that assures the continued success of our exchange program as you help us build on our reputation for excellence.
laura bell Welcome back to returning students, and to students who started in January, welcome to your first term as part of the MBS community! A special welcome to exchange students here for Term 1 – I’ve heard that you have been made to feel very much included in the life of MBS. I recently received an email from a Kellogg exchange student who
This year, the focus will be on the Carlton campus redevelopment. A building behind MLR3 theatre will be renovated to create office space, freeing up room for new teaching spaces in the main Leicester street building. These will be surrounding the courtyard, as well as on level 1 and in the old library. We’ll be introducing ‘collaborative’ spaces for group work, so it will be very important to get your feedback on how they should work. Myself, Zeger and Jim, as well as the building project team, had a tour of KPMG’s new space in Docklands (before they moved in) to see how they planned their collaboration spaces and it is a very different paradigm.
The furniture and technology are all conducive to better group work. I think that the best aspect will be the redevelopment of the Gadsden Room and courtyard to create a real community hub at MBS. It won’t make up for losing the Corkman, but it will be a place where people can meet or kick back and decompress after an evening class. It also means that in 2017, for the first time, all MBA students (part-time, full-time, executive and senior executive) will be based at Carlton, creating greater opportunities for events and networking. Coming soon, sometime in June, is the great debate! It will be MBS vs AGSM so if you have pride in MBS, consider trying out for the debate team. More to follow! Laura Bell Associate Dean | Academic Programs
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inside clubs: Getting to know the MBS Retail Club Whether your interest in retail is casual or you plan to enter the retail industry, the MBS Retail Club aims to provide a platform for students, alumni and professionals to interact with the retail world.
What is the MBS Retail Club? The MBS Retail Club did not exist until six months ago. Similar to Australia’s dynamic retail landscape, the club transformed from the MBS Consumer and Retail Club to the MBS Retail Club. The long-running MBS Consumer and Retail Club had built the foundations for increasing campus involvement in consumer products; the MBS Retail Club took it a step further by focusing on retail. The shift in focus has allowed the current leadership team to streamline the club’s goals: to provide a platform for students, alumni and professionals to interact with the retail world through guest speakers, industry tours and networking opportunities. This allows those in and out of the industry to critically observe and analyse Australian retail.
Who is the MBS Retail Club for? Every person has interacted with the retail industry as consumers and shoppers. The club invites anyone interested in understanding this industry further, whether they have professional retail experience or not. The ubiquity of retail ensures that even those with a casual interest in retail will gain new knowledge from the club’s line-up of events. Those keen to enter the retail industry will find a variety of industry connections and topics.
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GRAND OPENING
Richard Umbers, CEO of Myer, spoke at the first MBS Retail Club event of 2017. The leadership team is composed of students with varying degrees of experience in retail, but with the same level of passion in understanding Australia’s retail landscape.
What’s been happening? The MBS Retail Club kicked off 2017 with a sold-out event: Richard Umbers, CEO of Myer, took listeners through the transformative journey of Australia’s most established retail brand. Richard also gave insights on the future of retail and where Myer can go next. Pre-event networking offered attendees the opportunity to interact with Richard, while post-event drinks brought together students, alumni and professionals to share their own insights.
What’s next? The club plans to invite speakers from start-up clothing brands, fast-growing tech retailers, and established food and beverage manufacturers. The MBS Retail Club is also planning industry tours and site visits – keep an eye out for upcoming events!
How can you get involved? Get in touch on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ MBSRetailClub/, or follow us on MyMBS!
The MBS Retail Club kicked off 2017 with a record-breaking event. Students, alumni, faculty, staff and industry professionals filled two rooms to listen to Richard Umbers, CEO of Myer, share his strategy on dealing with disruption in a rapidly changing Australian retail landscape. Here are some insights from Richard’s speech: On change “Culture is what enables you to change quickly.” On his biggest challenge when becoming Myer’s CEO “It was getting everyone, including myself, aligned behind a common vision of where we wanted the organisation to go. It’s the alignment that enables you to empower people.” On data “Data is crucial to understanding the customer, and the ‘why’ of your business. Why will people come to Myer?” On Myer and the ‘transactional relationship’ “People will not just come to Myer anymore just because we sell stuff. We have to sell something more, an engaging experience.”
the POWER OF CONNECTIONS elite families who ruled Florence, so what was it that allowed the Medici to rise to such economic and political power? The answer is marriage! These were not marriages of the ‘Oh! Ti amo!’ kind. Bear in mind that a link between two families meant sharing information, finances, and political and economic influence.
Onur Ozgur Onur Ozgur, Assistant Professor of Economics, explains how life as we know it is organised in connections. A few months ago I gave a talk to a group of more than 100 prospective MBA students here at MBS. I told them that some marriages changed the world! I was talking about the House of Medici, the godfathers of the Renaissance. If you have ever been to Florence, you will know you can still feel their presence there. This is not your ordinary family: three Medicis became Pope; two became queen regents of France; three became dukes! None other than Machiavelli wrote the Medici family history. They were patrons of some of the giants in arts and sciences during the Renaissance – Michelangelo, Botticelli, Galileo – and left a huge imprint. Their patronage gave the world places such as the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Vecchio, the Monastery of San Marco and Villa Cafaggiolo. Interestingly, the Medici had modest beginnings. Rather than the gods of high finance they came to be later, they were originally more of a smalltime clan of low-level violence – a bit like the Sopranos of the 14th century. No fewer than five Medicis were sentenced to death for capital crimes in the mid-14th century1. They had less wealth and political clout than other
Two political scientists, Padgett and Ansell, using the tools of network theory, demonstrate that2, under the brilliant leadership of Cosimo de’ Medici, the Medicis formed alliances through inter-family marriages that put them in a strategically ‘central’ position. In turn, this masterly strategic planning led to the rise of the Medici, eclipsing other elite families who were initially more powerful, both economically and politically. Our very own Laura Bell was in the audience when I told the story of the Medicis. She said, “I did not know the Medicis used LinkedIn!”. I thought this was brilliant. She was absolutely right. Elite inter-family marriages were the private LinkedIn of the time, reserved only for royals, the clergy and the privileged. The 1st-century Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist Seneca writes in De Beneficiis, “Man is a social animal”. Sixteenth-century English poet and cleric John Donne articulates in Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions that, “No man is an island”. These days, one does not need the words of an ancient philosopher or a poet to know that connections are everywhere and they affect our lives! Connections surround us. Life as we know it is organised in connections. Seemingly unrelated phenomena such as criminal activity, school attendance, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, addictive substance use, obesity, altruism, fashion and fads, informal hiring and job search networks, adoption of new
technologies, financial crises, bank runs, asset price bubbles, panics and manias all display similar empirical features: (1) presence of direct influences on individual behaviour through connections; (2) similarity: individuals who are members of the same group tend to behave similarly; (3) too much variation across space and time relative to the variation in fundamentals; (4) s-shaped adoption of new technologies, behaviour, fashion and norms. The structure of connections provides important insights beyond those found in political and economic characteristics. Connections play a central role in transmission of information, in which products we buy, which languages we speak, how we vote, whether we become criminals, whether we become obese, whether we use healthrisk substances, how much education we obtain, and our likelihood of professional success. The innumerable ways in which connections affect our well-being makes it imperative to understand why we see the kind of connections we see around us and in the business world; and how the existing connections impact behaviour. With the advance of multiple disciplines (for example economics, game theory, network theory, computer science) and with the availability of higherfrequency, micro-level and betterquality data collected on individuals, businesses and institutions, we have the science to quantify connections and evidence to analyse to create value and improve welfare. There is no doubt that these questions and the learning and the use of the tools required to study them will occupy a big chunk of our cognitive bandwidths in the future. Onur Ozgur Assistant Professor | Melbourne Business School
1 The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, by Nigel Ferguson. 2 Padgett, J.F. and Ansell, C. K. (1993), “Robust Action and the Rise of the Medici, 1400-1434,” American Journal of Sociology, 98(6), 1259-1319
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Alumni Spotlight: jo pizzey and the faculty and academic program was so strong. But the best part was the global perspective, network and friendships with Americans and students from all over the world that I formed eight years ago that are still going strong.
How are you continuing to utilise your MBA knowledge and MBS connections? jo pizzey MBS alumnus Jo Pizzey tells us about why she chose to do an MBA at MBS, and how she continues to utilise her MBS knowledge and connections.
Tell us about yourself and why you chose to do an MBA at MBS. I wanted to be surrounded by great thinkers, amazing experiences and challenging coursework, so for me, if I was going to do an MBA locally, MBS was the only choice. I did my undergraduate degree at Melbourne University, and my dad and aunt are alumni, so the choice was a natural one.
I use and refer to my MBA knowledge almost daily. The MBA gave me the skills and confidence to work across the breadth of a business, but most importantly helped me to understand my strengths, weaknesses and leadership style and how I work with others.
What advice do you have for current students on how to capitalise on opportunities at MBS? Suck the marrow! You only get one shot at an MBA so back yourself,
You were an exchange student at Duke University – The Fuqua School of Business – during your studies. What impact has that experience had on you? A massive one! Being able to relocate overseas and be so warmly welcomed into the community was amazing,
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Jo on exchange in the US
do the scary things and make the most of the opportunities available to you. There are so many and it will go so quickly!
“You only get one shot at an MBA so back yourself, do the scary things and make the most of the opportunities available to you.”
Current MBS student question: “If you could obtain one piece of data about a customer, what would it be?” Hmm ... in my current role in analytics and insight at AustralianSuper, I spend a lot of time thinking about what’s important to members today, and what we can do to help them make decisions that will have the best possible retirement outcome. So if I had to pick one data point it would be: how can we help you to change your behaviour today, for a better outcome tomorrow?
Introducing the 2017 SRC Name
On Slack
SRC Position
Emma Young
@emmayoung
President
Tim Webster
@tim
Vice President
Jens Deruddere
@jens.deruddere
Treasurer
Lisa Winkler
@lisa
Marketing & Communications
Cassandra Mitchell
@cassqmit
Secretary
Sunita Toraty
@sunita
Clubs Coordinator
Linda Li
@lindali
Major Events
Negin Rahmani
@rnegin
General Events
Jude Newton
@judenewton
Class Rep Coordinator
David Creak
@dcreak
Alumni Liaison
Swati Maini
@swati.maini
Academics Liaison
Yuanyuan Zhao
@yzhao
Admissions & Exchange Liaison
Andrew Kraefft
@andrewkraefft
Careers Liaison
Joshua Tirtha
@joshua
Operations Liaison
Tom Hoschke
@thoschke
FT 2017 Class Rep
Tom Humphries
@tomhum
FT 2017 Class Rep
Luke Espstein
@luke.epstein
PT April 2016 Class Rep
Helen Smith
@helens2
PT Sept 2016 Class Rep
Sudi Chandrasekharan
@sudisekhar
PT Sept 2016 Class Rep
Takura Chindove
@tchindove
PT Sept 2016 Class Rep
Gemma Chandan
@gemmachandan
PT Jan 2017 Class Rep
Guy Bourne
@thatguy
PT Jan 2017 Class Rep
Tyson Craig
@tysonc
PT Jan 2017 Class Rep
Remya Ramesh
@rem
PT Jan 2015 General Member
Please be sure to contact us if you have any suggestions to further improve your experience at MBS. Get in touch on Slack or email src@mbs.edu.au. We look forward to hearing from you!
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inspiring journeys SIx current MBA students share the challenges and rewards of their MBS journey.
Tom Goren (Full-time MBA, class of 2017)
manager in my previous company in Israel. At that stage, I realised I needed to improve my skills and expand my knowledge in strategy, finance, marketing and management. The reputation and faculty of the program, along with the exposure to Asian markets and China in particular, were the primary factors in my decision to join MBS. What has been/is the greatest challenge you’ve faced during your program?
Why did you choose MBS for your MBA? I am experienced in digital marketing and product management, and in the last couple of years before commencing the MBA, I was the mobile and PC services general
jonathan haniman (Part-time MBA, January 2016)
How will you use your MBA?
The FT MBA program is very intense and time is my most valuable asset at the moment. Trying to balance the time I spend at school or doing syndicate work with the time I wish to spend with Dan, my 18-month-old son, has definitely been my greatest challenge so far. I have sharpened my multitasking and prioritising capabilities during the program, but am also fortunate enough to have the support
Halfway through the program, I can already see how my knowledge has broadened and my skills set is enhanced. Combined with my previous experience, I am aiming to leverage these into progressing my career in the digital space, climbing the ladder in marketing management and business strategy.
Tell us about yourself.
and review materials. Through these groups, I found that I gained not just from others’ explanations but also from articulating my own understanding. Becoming a TA is a natural extension. It allows me to get a better grasp of the materials, while also contributing to the school community – a win-win situation!
During the day, I help teams make better decisions through my role as a BA in the Business Intelligence team at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. At nights (and weekends), I am a Parttime MBA student currently doing my last core subject before the electives. Why did you choose MBS and an MBA? I chose the MBA to gain insights on why some businesses succeed while others fail. MBS was the obvious choice for me due to its location, academic rigors and alumni network. Tell us about being a Teaching Assistant (TA) . It all started with informal study groups gathering to share notes
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of my team members and the school. I hope that my son will grow up to be proud of my career and achievements, and that the notion of women working in tech and pursuing a career while being mothers, will be natural to him. I believe that the current work culture has yet to enable the right environment for women. One of my goals as a future manager is to create a better work environment for women.
What was the highlight of your first 12 months at MBS? The people. Juggling full-time work and part-time study is hard, but studying with these really amazing people is what keeps me motivated.
linda sands (emba, 2017)
Why an MBS EMBA? I chose an MBS EMBA for three reasons: 1) The outstanding reputation of the school and the lecturers 2) The strong alumni community 3) The format of the program best suited my current work arrangement. How will you use your EMBA? Given I have a PhD in biomedical science and currently work in a marketing role in the life science industry, I will leverage off my EMBA to broaden my opportunities beyond science and marketing. I wish to move into leadership roles, where I can follow my passions for ethics, organisational culture and strategy.
Ben Huang (mbusa, class of 2017)
Why did you choose to do an MBusA at MBS? To this day, I still remember the exciting moment when I discovered the MBS MBusA program on the Internet. I was searching for a degree that could help me transition from my previous profession as an electrical
engineer, to a career in data analytics and business management. The MBS MBusA program was clearly the perfect fit. In less than a year, I will gain skills and knowledge in computer science, data programming, statistics, advanced mathematics, business analytics, management, team work and career development from a globally recognised business school. I will also significantly expand my professional network, and benefit from a six-week work placement in an analytic role. What more could one ask for? What challenges are you anticipating? What experiences are you looking forward to? A sense of challenge is certainly building up as the weeks go by. I’m anticipating challenges of various magnitudes across different aspects, including technical, intellectual, physical, and even emotional challenges. But I believe
What has been/is the greatest challenge you’ve faced during your program? Occasionally I have missed important overseas meetings with my global colleagues due to clashes with the program. At times, this has made it difficult to keep aligned and connected with this team. What has been the highlight of your time at MBS so far? The connections I’ve made with all the incredibly talented and diverse people within the program and members of the alumni community.
that with great challenges come great rewards. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know my fellow MBusA students. It’s a group of diverse, driven and brilliant individuals that forms a genuinely friendly environment filled with a fun and positive vibe. It simply makes it easier to get up in the morning. I’m looking forward to the journey of studying business analytics and tackling complex business problems together with the cohort. How will you use your MBusA? The reason I decided to make a career change from engineering to business analytics was that I wanted to work on complex business issues. That’s exactly what I’m going to do by equipping myself with powerful advanced analytical tools, proven effective problem-solving approaches, and an extensive business network.
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outgoing student exchange Grace Yong (Part-time MBA, April 2015) Tell us about yourself. I am a solicitor looking to supplement my legal experience with business expertise as I transition into a more commercial role. Why did you choose to do an MBA at MBS? I always wanted to do an MBA as I felt it would complement my legal background. Due to its reputation, I decided to attend an information session at MBS. Afterwards, I was sold. Why did you choose to go on exchange to your school of choice?
for me. It’s renowned for its beautiful campus and entrepreneurial focus. Tell us about your exchange experience. The people at Kelley made my exchange experience. Students were friendly and inclusive and the staff were helpful. It was exhilarating to be among such a diverse demographic. As Bloomington is a campus town, I was well and truly immersed in the lifestyle and culture that Indiana University has to offer.
I was looking for a short tenure program in the United States and landed upon Kelley School of Business. I did my research and felt that it was a good fit
incoming student exchange Giovanni Dimas Camacho Giovanni Dimas Camacho joins MBS for Term 1 from McGill University in Montreal. Tell us about yourself. I am originally from Mexico but have been living in Canada for the past seven years. I am currently pursuing my MBA at McGill University. I am 29 years old and I am a former professional dancer and personal stylist with a marketing/ international commerce background. For the past seven years I have been working in the cosmetics industry, five of which were at L’Oréal Canada, first as a buyer for its luxury division and then later as a Business
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Development Manager for its consumer products division. Why did you choose an exchange at MBS? I decided to do my exchange in the southern hemisphere so I could run away from Montreal’s cold winter! I chose MBS due to its great reputation and because I really wanted to take Mark Ritson’s Brand Management course. What have been the challenges and highlights of your exchange so far? I would say my biggest challenges so far have been adapting to Aussie expressions and knowing which side of the road to look first when crossing
the street (lol!). My biggest highlight so far has been discovering (from an after class activity) that there is red sparkling wine and that it actually tastes really good.
Guide to a Student Exchange Program in the USA Grace Yong describes the application process and what to expect of a student exchange program while she is currently on exchange at Kelley School of Business in Indiana.
It usually takes anywhere between three to seven days to receive your passport back in the mail. If you do not have all the above items with you, there may be a delay in processing your application.
Application Process
There are two semesters per year and Kelley’s semesters are broken into two seven-week terms. Not all subjects are available both terms and given that I am only doing ‘the first seven’, as Kelley students call it, I had to choose my subjects wisely.
There are two opportunities a year to apply for an exchange. August applications are for places in Season 1 the following year, and January applications are for Season 2 the same year. All the relevant information is published on MBS Direct, including the application form and the list of offerings in the season of your choice. To apply, submit a completed application form with the following information: • Select up to 5 preferences (you can select less than that) • Rank them from 1 (highest) to 5 (lowest) • Include a 100-word statement explaining your preferences • Provide information about your extra-curricular engagement in the MBS community. Students are notified of allocations a week or two after applications close. I listed only two options and got my first preference: Kelley School of Business. Tip: If you are not set on attending a particular school, decide what kind of student exchange experience you would like to have and form your decision on that basis.
Obtaining a Student Visa After you receive your offer of exchange, you will be asked to provide the relevant paperwork to be formally accepted.
Subject selection
Kelley School of Business is renowned for its beautiful campus Kelley’s process was easy to navigate as they provided clear instructions and were well organised. I received a packet in the mail including a DS-2019 form, which is required to obtain a J-1 student exchange visa for the duration of a full semester, plus a 30-day grace period after. The student visa application process was not as straightforward. Information can be found on http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ in/in-niv-typej.asp. Once you complete the requisite steps, you will be asked to make an appointment at the US Embassy. Ensure that you also pay your SEVIS fee beforehand. The following items must be presented at your appointment: • A printed copy of your appointment letter • Your DS-160 confirmation page • Your current and all old passports • A current passport size photograph no older than six months • An approved DS-2019 from your exchange school • Your form I-901 SEVIS fee receipt • Supporting documents as per the visa type
Exchange students must fulfil the legal requirements of a full load, meaning four subjects per term. You can choose to take home a minimum of one subject credit and a maximum of four. However, the grades do not affect your average back in MBS. Tip: If you do not already have a preference on subjects, seek assistance from your exchange coordinator for tips on the ‘must do’ subjects at the school.
Arranging accommodation I browsed for subleases or roommates on Indiana University’s classifieds app. I also had a list of rooms available for subletting from current students pursuing exchange programs overseas. If you’re interested in Kelley, I would recommend looking at places in The Mercury, Tenth & College, or Station 11. Building managers usually only deal with 12-month leases, however students move in and out quite regularly. A word of warning when selecting a place: be sure to ask if it is susceptible to unreasonable noise!
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Get Involved at mbs Two MBA students share the different ways you can get involved at MBS. “There’s no better feeling than rejecting someone in Volley Pong. Not just in Volley Pong, but in life.” Gerard Costello, MBS FT Program Manager and Volley Pong aficionado.
Volley Pong Over the past year a new craze has swept through MBS. Combining aspects of ping pong and volley ball, the game is called Volley Pong. It’s entertaining, creative and inclusive nature allows students of all abilities to join in, and has changed the tenor of the student lounge. Although the identity of the creator of Volley Pong is in dispute, Dean Dribbin, FT MBA, is adamant he invented the game. “I don’t claim to have invented Volley Pong,” says Dribbin, “I invented Volley Pong.”
Though the inventor of Volley Pong is in doubt, its success is not. The game has attracted faculty members such as Gerard Costello, a player known for his affinity for rejecting other players. “I like that you don’t have to be that good to play Volley Pong,” says Costello. “Also, the smashing is amazing.” Costello has raised the possibility of a tournament involving all MBS students, utilising the inclusive and exciting nature of the game to help make Volley Pong truly an MBS game. While Volley Pong is intended to be fun for everyone, games in the student lounge have been known to become highly competitive. Players will often jokingly taunt other players, joining in cheers of “double fault” after servers miss on their initial serve. Close games feature elevated levels of stress and players have been known to dive to the ground to save a point – an effort that has seen at least three players rip their pants. “I’m down to my final pair of pants,” claims Costello. Adding to the excitement, rivalries have begun to emerge – the most prominent between Dribbin and fellow FT MBA Siddhant Shrestha. The two refuse to partner together on a team,
and take perverse delight in rejecting the other’s shot. Siddhant’s chants of “reeeejjjjeccctionnnn!” ring through the halls of MBS, heard by confused faculty members nearby. Such rivalries have helped make Volley Pong the game that it is today. The ultimate goal is for the game to spread beyond the FT cohort and throughout the School. Kevin Shah MBA Full Time 2017
Getting Started: Volley Pong Rules While the rules of Volley Pong are still in their infancy, and are subject to change to make the game ‘more fun’, the established rules are as follows: • There are two teams, each made up of anywhere between 2–6 people. • As with ping pong, a player from each team serves five times before the serve switches to the other side. The first team to reach 21 points wins. • A double fault awards the other team 2 points. • If a player commits a ‘let’ or a ‘fault’ a combined total of three times, the other team gets 1 point. • On the return, each team must pass the ball to a teammate in the air, without the ball hitting the table, at least once before returning the ball to the other team. • The only exception to the one pass rule is that the game allows for ‘rejections’, in which one team can reject another team’s return with as much force as they can muster.
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Tech Tool Cheat Sheet
and video call individuals (but not groups because that costs).
So you know how to use Outlook and you drive Word like it’s Photoshop? You’re pretty organised but somehow managing people who aren’t in your company directory is hard? Maybe you need to upgrade your tools ... and how you think about digital comms.
G Suite If you’re not using Quip then this should be your go-to.
Slack A Silicon Valley unicorn, Slack is for fluid team conversations. Public and private channels make group conversations easy. You can direct message individuals or up to eight people in ad hoc groups, or audio
Doodle Need to schedule a meeting? Doodle allows you to pick a range of dates and let people select when they’re available. You can then schedule the meeting on the date most convenient to everyone.
Quip Quip is the document collaboration platform that gDocs should have become. As a platform, documents on Quip are like channels on Slack so you’re always talking about the right thing. You can export to multiple formats.
Dropbox Sharing folders is so much easier on Dropbox. Trello Just acquired by Atlassian, Trello adopts a Kannan approach to to-do lists. Set up boards and add cards as tasks. Add task details to the back of the card and move the card from board to board to keep track of it. Tim Webster MBA Part Time January 2016 Know other ways to get the most out of your MBS stay? Tell us at src@mbs.edu.
Announcements Case Competitions
Events snapshot
GBCi2
Club Fair – Stay tuned for more details!
The Graduate Business Competition for Impact Investment is a business plan competition for emerging start-ups in the for-profit impact space.
MBS campus renovation Wednesday 15 February
Exchange program information session
Friday 17 February
Cricket T20
application deadline: March 25
Friday 24 February
Asia Business Club: MBS-NUS meet and greet
competition dates:
Thursday 9 March
International Women’s Day Celebration
May 25–27
http://graduatebusinessforum. com/gbc-i2
Saturday 25 March
Australian Grand Prix
Wednesday 29 March
Dean’s Leaders Forum: Disney Australia
Visit Victoria
Friday 31 March
SRC end-of-term drinks
Friday 7 April
Exchange student welcome
Tuesday 9 May
Dean’s Leaders Forum: Wesfarmers
Friday 12 May
MBS Ball
Saturday 20 May
MBS-AGSM Cup
Sunday 21 May
MBS-AGSM Cup
launch date:
May 3
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The International Food Festival was an MBS community event
The SRC at their fortnightly meeting
Part-time MBA (January 2016) bowls afternoon
Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2016
Full-time MBA Innovation Bootcamp
Full-time MBA crew enjoying a day at the beach
photo credit for international food festival & innovation bootcamp: k wanghui & seto
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