Student Spotlight: Drew McPartlin, 2015 MBA Candidate

Hometown: Hackettstown, NJ
Undergraduate Institution: Boston University
Expected Concentration: Brand Management
Fun Fact(s): M&Ms are manufactured in my hometown, and I am a huge Yankees and Giants fan.

Three weeks into my Simon experience, and I can feel my perspective shifting.  I listened closely as alumni, second year students, and faculty members all told me how much of a life changing experience this would be, and I thought I understood, but now it is really starting to sink in.  The opportunity here does not just lie in expanding my career horizons, but developing as a person.  The curriculum is rigorous, as is the preliminary internship search.  However, these challenges are simply opportunities.  How hard can I push myself?  What are the bounds to my success?  Simon is providing me with a way to answer these questions.

Perhaps the part of Simon that has gotten me most excited is all of the cultural exchange around me.  I find it fascinating to better understand how people live in different parts of the world.  I now have new friends from China, Taiwan, India, and many other countries thanks to Simon.  Furthermore, I am beginning to understand just how much value different cultural points of view can contribute in a business setting.

At Simon, I have come upon an unprecedented chance for personal growth.  Through facing each challenge in the classroom, in the community, and in other business settings, I will learn more and more about who I am.  Achieving a better understanding of myself will aid me greatly in my career, and if this has only been three weeks, I can only imagine what the next two years hold!