Nine women MBAs share their biggest takeaways from business school.
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When the MBA class of 2021 submitted their b-school applications, they knew they were taking on a challenge — but they had no idea they’d be doing it in a global pandemic. As CEO of Forté, I’ve seen this MBA class conquer everything from stay-at-home orders to Zoom fatigue, and I’ve found their hard work, determination, and resilience truly inspiring.
To celebrate this exciting step forward in their careers, I asked a few of the graduating MBAs in Forté’s community to share their biggest takeaways from business school. Here are their responses:
“My biggest takeaway from business school is the power of a personal ‘board of advisors’: people with whom I can talk about business challenges and complex situations, celebrate wins, and share professional development goals. During these last two years, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on my leadership, strengths and growth, and have benefitted from being able to process it all with others going through a similar journey. I hope to continue this practice throughout my career!” – Elizabeth Bayoff, University of Minnesota (Carlson School of Management)
“One lesson I learned during business school is the importance of flexible intellectual curiosity. I came to school with a very structured plan for coursework and activities, but when I attended one-time workshops or a panel in another graduate program, I discovered new classes and topics to explore like Health Informatics and Real Estate Finance. Throughout my career, I hope to give myself the grace to deviate from the plan in order to learn new things and discover new areas of interest.” – Jazmyn Becker, University of Michigan (Ross School of Business)
“Change is slow and time is of the essence. Whether striving for personal growth or rooting out systemic inequality, the MBA is only two years and that is among its greatest limitations. We have to start now, from wherever we are and with a bias towards action, to create the people, organizations, and communities to which we want to belong.” – Emma Finkelstein, University of Virginia (Darden School of Business)
“I’ve learned the importance of speaking up and finding different ways to be heard. Just doing good work isn’t enough — you have to be constantly building relationships, inviting people in, and sharing more of yourself than can feel comfortable. That doesn’t always come naturally to me, but my experience at Darden has motivated me to push through that discomfort.” – Pamela Fischer, University of Virginia (Darden School of Business)
“One of my takeaways from this unique MBA experience is how disruption is the perfect time for change, as the pandemic forced us to adapt in every aspect of our lives. The LBS community of 2021 is incredible; we shifted to a virtual way of learning, created a new direction on the D&I front, led clubs remotely, and remained resilient through personal and professional challenges. I believe us MBAs can use this experience, all our mistakes and lessons learned, to seek disruption and create change throughout our careers.” – Ina Liu, London Business School
“My biggest takeaway from business school is the idea that there is no one, single right answer to a problem. Nothing is black and white; shades of grey exist and strong leadership means being able to navigate through this uncertainty. What is important is finding the best solution to the problem with the information you have at the time and being cognizant that your chosen path forward may be different from someone else’s… but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong!” – Evangeline Philos, Western University (Ivey Business School)
“My biggest takeaway from business school is to do things that scare you. The things that I was most nervous about (e.g., taking an internship at a startup instead of an established company, running for WBC President) were my most meaningful experiences, led to great growth, and gave me confidence and energy. I’ve found a positive correlation between risk-taking and success, which will remain with me as I make future decisions in business and my career.” – Jaanhvi Vaidya, University of California – Los Angeles (Anderson School of Management)
“One thing I learned during business school that will stay with me throughout my career is the understanding that our careers are not linear nor a race to be won. Your professional career may twist and turn into new industries and positions and that is perfectly acceptable and common. And as we continue onward, everything that we need to achieve our goals is already inside of us — curiosity, hard work, and empathy — and business school helps you fill in the gaps.” – Becca Jordan Wright, University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler Business School)
“To achieve great success, we need to develop a diverse team and foster a work environment that allows knowledge and ideas to flow freely. This means openness, respect and inclusion.” – Summer Yang, Western University (Ivey Business School)
I hope you’ll agree with me that as these women bring their MBA insights into business leadership roles, the future will be bright. I can’t wait to see what they accomplish.
