I was so excited last year to receive an invitation to “Open Campus Weekend.” The TEAM program was the only master’s program I applied to because of its uniqueness. After completing my undergraduate school (and being in school for 17 years), I did not want to get another degree unless I was truly enthusiastic about it. At the time I had not yet received my acceptance letter, so the invitation was a welcomed sign.
I arrived in Rochester on Friday morning surprised that it was snowing in late March; but I did not slip with regular boots on, which was good! The first event that we prospective students attended was a lunch at the Meliora restaurant on campus. I was seated at a table with another prospective student, three current TEAM students, and Duncan Moore, the vice provost for entrepreneurship. I enjoyed meeting them and hearing the students and Duncan talk to us about the program, Rochester, job prospects, and how it does not always snow in late March.
Duncan held an information session where I was glad to see his passion and push to combine business and engineering. He even treated some of us to coffee (I was the only one to get a chocolate bar instead). Since it was snowing, Andrea, the director of the TEAM program, took us on a short tour of campus. I remember being very happy to see tunnels that could help shelter me from the cold at least part of the time.
The event I found the most useful was the current student panel since they were going through what we would have to the next year. Housing, job searches, professors, and Simon Business School clubs were all topics that were brought up. They also seemed to have connected well with each other during the program. One of the guys told a funny story about having group meetings in someone’s bed when it was freezing outside.
Friday night, we had dinner and drinks at Murphy’s Law, an Irish pub downtown. I was able to talk more closely with other prospective students, TEAM students, and even got to meet some of the professors. I left with a few TEAM student business cards, which I was impressed they all had. Even after the open campus weekend had ended, two of the students were willing to give me advice on housing when I asked for it. Andrea was also willing to answer many questions and help in any way she could.
It was nice to know that there would be amicable people willing to help throughout the program. I had a positive intuition about this program before applying, but the open campus weekend and the people I met there definitely helped to strengthen it.
– Jennifer Fadimba ’14 (MS)
