MBA Quant Experience

Danvers Fleury writes in his BusinessWeek MBA Journal  about on-campus quant prep at UNC Chapel Hill:

Kenan-Flagler offers an Analytical Skills Workshop during the summer before your first year, and while attendance isn't mandatory, it is an incredible opportunity. You get to meet many of your classmates in advance during a time when there are no major projects due.

The "hot shower just ran out of hot water" moment comes when you first step into a microeconomics, finance, or accounting refresher course. But it's worth it, and you start school prepared. My experience during the summer was irreplaceable; getting here early meant finding housing and my favorite pizza place, and meeting the majority of my closest friends in the program.

He also describes the balancing of strengths and weaknesses in his study group:

Ben Basil, former college tennis phenom, reminded me how to take tests. I have helped Ivy Wong with her thank-you notes to recruiters, as English is not her first language, while she helps me with finance, which is a foreign language to me. Kapil Pundir can work out the most intricate steps of any process for all of us, and Jess Meyer's project management acumen keeps us all on track. Our meetings are well-structured, we have rotational leadership based on subject, and while we don't all go out with each other, we are close-knit and supportive of one another.

He closes his end-of-year post with a description of the pace of work and learning:

My professors have been thoughtful and challenging; our subject matter has been mind-expanding; and my classmates have picked me up when I have fallen. Our curriculum has a great balance of group projects, lecture, and case study.

Yes, my time is constantly under attack, and it is hard balancing family, friends, activities, school, and responsibilities, but this has led to great improvement in my time and stress management skills. I've learned more in the past seven weeks than I did over the previous two years and remain deeply grateful to have this opportunity.