Graduate Blog / Graduate Life

Entrepreneurship Beyond Venture Creation: My Why Babson Story

Signature Learning Experience (SLE)? What’s that? This looks interesting. Those were my thoughts as a prospective graduate student, navigating Babson College’s Two-Year MBA program curriculum.

I found Babson because I was looking for a school where I could concentrate in entrepreneurship. As I read through the course offerings and curriculum, two things stood out for me: the Signature Learning Experience and Entrepreneurial Thought and Action® (ET&A™).

“Using entrepreneurship as a way to look at the world, we can solve more than just business problems. ET&A™ is a methodology. You can apply it to innovating within a large corporation, raising a family, creating a charity, solving global social issues, or starting a business,” read the website. A school that believes entrepreneurship is more than just starting a business? I wanted to learn more.

To learn more about the school and the program, I reached out to alumni and current students. I was surprised at how quickly they all responded to my questions. Beyond that, they shared their experiences and connected me with others who could help me with some specifics I asked. They were willing to go out of their way to provide me with information. There was a strong sense of community and everyone seemed to be eager to talk more about Babson. After that, I started my application.

Of course, I clearly remember the moment when I got the email with the subject line ‘Congratulations and Welcome to Babson’. Something just felt right and I didn’t hesitate to accept my admission. The countdown to August 17, 2017 had begun.

From the minute I entered Olin Hall for the first time at orientation, I have not looked back. Everything that I had read and heard about was actually playing out. I was slowly learning why everyone I spoke to before applying was so eager to talk more about the school and its MBA program.

During orientation I experienced the SLE with business simulations and creative projects. As part of Entrepreneurship & Opportunity we started designing and creating from day one.

The second year students were as enthusiastic to meet us and talk about their summer internships or how they implemented lessons from the classroom to their family business. Our eyes lit up when we heard stories of Babson alumni and their successful startups. I didn’t want anyone to pinch me at this point.

Since then, I’ve learned something new at Babson every day. The entire place is buzzing with ideas. The Arthur Blank Center is extremely beneficial for aspiring founders, and the Center for Career Development helps students break into the corporate world. Events like the Babson Entrepreneurship Forum and Babson India Symposium keep students engaged with the community and make you feel like you are part of something big. And we are a part of something big–the Babson family.