WHARTON DIARY:After a summer of catching up and two internships, the second half of the MBA beckons, writes GARETH KEANE
THE SUMMER is winding down and I will be back at Wharton at the start of September. It has been a nice break and I enjoyed the two internships I did, one of which was in Ireland.
My first internship, with a venture capital fund in the US, was a good introduction to the nuts and bolts of becoming a venture investor. The fund I joined was actively investing, and one of the due diligence projects I worked on led to an investment transaction that closed a few weeks ago. I was lucky, as getting that level of exposure and experience is rare for a short-term summer intern.
The second internship was with a high-potential early-stage company in Limerick, looking at new product strategy and development. Besides giving me the chance to put many of the skills I have been developing at Wharton into practice, the internship in Limerick also gave my wife and me a chance to spend time with family and friends.
I even had enough time to catch up with some of my old college friends. As could be expected, the recession and global economic prospects came up frequently in conversations.
It was fascinating to see how things have changed. When I met some former NUIG classmates in a well-known pub off Grafton Street, we were able to find seats at 8pm on a Friday, something I’m pretty sure would have been unlikely the last time I was in Dublin.
Much of the discussion touched on the recession and it was interesting to discover how different people have been affected and are adjusting. The general attitude was positive, which was good to see.
In the last few weeks there has been a sharp increase in the number of e-mails coming from my MBA classmates, as people finish their internships and prepare to return to Philadelphia. A new batch of first-year MBA students has already started and is currently enjoying pre-term.
I am looking forward to diving back into the Wharton experience, but I have to admit I have felt a few pangs of jealousy about the first-year students who are just starting their MBAs.
The uncomfortable realisation that I am more than half way through the course has given me an opportunity to reflect on my MBA so far. I have also spent time wondering whether there is anything I would have done differently, having been through the first year of the programme.
One thing I believe would have made the experience different would have been to start an MBA when I was younger. I am quite a bit older than the average student in the class and there is no question that doing an MBA without children would have made for quite a different feel and focus. It would not necessarily have been better, just different.
Having the ability to schedule events without needing to consider the wider ramifications on a young family would probably have led me to prioritise in different ways.
I imagine that it would have had knock-on effects in terms of the circle of friends that my wife and I have developed and would have made our social lives a bit more exciting. During first year I looked on with some envy as trips and excursions were conceived of and organised rapidly and groups of people signed up and headed off without a care in the world.
Thinking about doing an MBA earlier would also have led me to focus on entrepreneurship and venture capital sooner.
Strategising about where I wanted to go with my career earlier would have been helpful in accelerating it but, saying that, I have no complaints.
Having a detailed plan when I finished college about where I wanted to go in life and the benefits of getting into a good MBA programme would probably have made the journey to where I am now a bit more rapid – but it would almost certainly have been nowhere near as interesting.
Gareth Keane from Moycullen, Co Galway, is studying for an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
