Entries in Wharton (4)

MBA Math Testimonial for Penn (Wharton)

Here is a testimonial from Andrew Troisi, a Class of 2010 student at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and member of the MBA Math Board of Advisors, about his pre-MBA use of the MBA Math online quantitative preparation course:

After deciding to attend Wharton, I wanted to prepare for what I knew would be a very analytical and rigorous program. Coming from a “non-traditional” background, I sought a fundamental knowledge of the accounting, statistics and finance topics that are a central part of the first year curriculum.

MBA Math offered that, and more. Working through the material on my own allowed me to put extra emphasis on unfamiliar material. The course topics were clearly outlined and the lectures and exercises gave a nice overview of the content I encountered in greater depth when the academic year began.

On more than one occasion during the school year, I logged back in to MBA Math for a quick refresher.

The first year (and particularly the first semester) MBA curriculum was very fast paced – I strongly believe taking the time to familiarize myself with the basics was a prudent decision.

I recently completed my first year at Wharton, where I am majoring in finance and strategic management. Prior to business school, I was a press secretary for the City of New York.

Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 09:19AM by Registered CommenterPeter Regan in , , | Comments2 Comments

Stimulating MBADiversity Workshop at Wharton

Wharton kindly provided a classroom on August 17 to give prospective students a taste of the MBA experience to kick off the MBADiversity Symposium in Philadelphia.  I taught a 3-hour financial math module drawn from the MBA Math lessons that walked students through concepts and sample problems in time value of money, annuities, bonds, and net present value.  Just after lunch, Prof. Jeff Sandefer from the Acton MBA in Entrepreneurship led a lively case discussion for which students had prepared in advance.  Outside the Huntsman Hall classroom the MBADiversity event participants encountered Wharton first years in the midst of their pre-term experience.

Motivated by that taste of the MBA life, the MBADiversity symposium attendees then returned to the Hyatt hotel for a weekend of networking, powerful speakers, and interactions with representatives from many top MBA programs.  I enjoyed talking with the participants and providing information to help shape their path to b-school.

The experience reminded me of the tentative time when I was charting my own course to graduate school, typing out essays on a borrowed typewriter (yes, it was that long ago!).  I spend most of my time teaching admitted students and it is helpful to be reminded that students go through a very challenging admissions process.

I was also struck by the collegiality among the admissions officers from various schools.  I didn't hear a single negative word the entire time.  Instead, schools explain their programs' features, listen to prospective students' goals, and strongly suggest visiting target schools to gauge "fit".

Away from the symposium, Philadelphia was a great place to visit.  A highlight was a tour of Penn's campus and the opportunity to visit Monk's Cafe and try some Belgian beers with a pot of Ghent-style mussels.  The Rodenbach Grand Cru was my favorite.

Posted on Friday, September 7, 2007 at 08:08AM by Registered CommenterPeter Regan in , , , , | CommentsPost a Comment

Return to the Classroom on the Horizon

Although it seems as if summer just started, the surge in student quant prep activity reminds me that MBA program kickoffs are on the horizon.

I'll be teaching a 3-day MBA Math course at Cornell's Johnson School in three weeks and a 5-day version at Dartmouth's Tuck School three weeks after that.

In between, I'll be doing a first-ever 3-hour MBA Math finance workshop on August 17 as the kickoff to MBADiversity's third annual symposium in Philadelphia.  The Wharton School has graciously provided a classroom for the workshop's expected 135 prospective MBAs.  You can learn more about the symposium at the MBADiversity site.

Posted on Sunday, July 8, 2007 at 08:54AM by Registered CommenterPeter Regan in , , , | CommentsPost a Comment

Pre-Term Accelerates into First Term at Wharton

Lucia Marquez writes about Wharton's pre-term program in this student diary blog entry:

During pre-term you can opt to take classes to refresh your memory in statistics, accounting and microeconomics. The refresher courses are aimed at those who have seen the material before and want to take a test to waive out of the core courses. If the material is new, you can take the introductory course to give you the fundamentals so you can hit the ground running once September rolls around. There is also the math test that everyone has to pass.

A few weeks later she writes about the accelerated pace of the first term:

It’s been only three weeks and we have mid-quarter exams already. The summer and pre-term really lulled me into believing that the pace would only be turned up a little more and that everything wouldn’t be as crazy as they made it sound when you came to visit during welcome weekend….No wonder I felt like I got hit by a truck during the first two weeks.

I was in complete survival mode. We got emails from professors the weekend before “real” school started, reminding us that we had homework posted on the internet that we needed to have done on the first day of class. I was doing only what needed to be turned in and reading the basics just in case I got called on in class.

Posted on Sunday, March 25, 2007 at 06:38PM by Registered CommenterPeter Regan in , , | CommentsPost a Comment