Just how busy can a business student get? You probably can’t answer this question unless you’ve been through it yourself. Three weeks have passed during my second year at Rady, I have a much better understanding of what to expect each day. However, that doesn’t mean that every day is the same – in fact, far from it. The biggest differences I’ve noticed occur from quarter to quarter as changes in activities and priorities shift depending on the time of year. The biggest priority for me is family, especially now that my wife and I is expecting our first baby. That means more flying back to bay area to take care of my wife.
In my post, I hope to give you a sense of a typical Thursday for me at Rady. Of course, remember that this is just my experience. At Rady, you will tailor your daily life and activities to what you are most interested in, so each person’s day looks different. I encourage you to read a variety of “Day in the Life” posts from various students at different times of the year to get the best sense of what your MBA experience would look like. I personally like to engage in a variety of activities so my schedule is pretty packed. Being engaged in business school from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep is exactly why I chose Rady.
6:00 AM:Â Wake up.
7:00 – 8:30 AM: Go to the main gym on campus at UC San Diego, which is about a 10-minute walk from Rady. There is also the RIMAC fitness center available to Rady students located right next to Rady.
9:00 – 9:30 AM: Catch up with all the current news (Wall Street Journal) at Peet’s Coffee & Tea, located directly across the sidewalk from Rady.
9:30 – 12:30 AM: Find an empty room in the Rady student lounge. Prepare for class and get some Quantitative Analysis homework done, which today includes reading cases and typing up reports.
12:30PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch at Home Plate- it’s an easy option for me to grab a quick meal before my three-hour class in the afternoon. Some business students eat lunch at Home Plate so it’s a great opportunity to catch up with your fellow Rady classmates and get to know new classmates.
2:00 – 5:00 PM: MGT 403 Quantitative Analysis class. This class is especially challenging for me as I haven’t touched on statistics and quant stuff since college. Yes, it has been 12+ years. However, students like myself really benefit from this class because it introduces key techniques for using data to make informed management decisions. It also emphasizes managerial applications in such areas as operations management, marketing and finance.The fall quarter flies by and there is a ton of material packed into 10 weeks, so I have to push myself to grasp all the material.
5:15 – 6:45 PM: Professional Seminar/Corporate presentation. Professional recruiting presentations start during the fall quarter for most industries including consulting, marketing, and operations. Companies that recruit Rady MBAs typically have an official on-campus presentation about the company, coordinated through Rady’s Graduate Career Connections. During presentations, representatives typically give an overview of the company, explain available opportunities and answer students’ questions. After the presentation, there is typically a networking reception where students have a chance to get to know the company representatives and get a better sense of the company culture.
7:00 – 8:00 PM: Quick basketball game at RIMAC with fellow Rady buddies. Fom time to time you can find Professor Terrance August playing a pickup game here as well.
8:00 PM-10:30PM: Grab a to-go sub at the Price Center and walk back home so I can managed my time efficiently. As I dissect a foot-long from Subway overlooking the sky bridge that connects UC San Diego and Rock Bottom Brewery, I’m also multitasking by doing homework and catching up on emails. Homework usually involves reading cases and preparing assignments in advance of group meetings. Most assignments are team assignments. I always take a stab at completing the assignment (or at least attempting to) so I am prepared to contribute to our team meetings.
10:30PM:Â Time for bed!
Snapshots of My Life as a Full-Time Rady MBA Student
As I mentioned, the day in the life as a Rady student differs from student to student and even quarter to quarter. Here are some recent snapshots and moments that make up of my full-time MBA experience.
Aaron Chiu (’16) is a Full-Time MBA candidate at the Rady School of Management. In his free time he likes to stay in the kitchen and perfect different varieties of French pastries. He can also be found working out in the RIMAC near Rady on UCSD’s campus.