Graduate Blog / Graduate Admissions

3 Stories About Friendship in Babson’s MBA Program

The life of a Babson graduate student is a little like trying to make friends at the UN. With 46 countries represented, every day you are interacting with people who often look, act, and speak differently than yourself. As a Babson student, you are not just learning how to be a better business leader, you are learning how to listen, adapt and build relationships with your peers. The experience is uniquely Babson.

Mariana Gonzalez Morales MBA 2018
Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico

I remember my first day of classes, I was very nervous, and on the first day we were assigned to a group. When I looked at my group I didn’t know what to expect, I just knew that I’ll be stuck with them for six months. We couldn’t be so different, I had the American consultant, the African squash player, the Thai miner, the Indian school director, and me, the Mexican financier.

But since the first activity I realized it would be a wonderful group, we did all sorts of things, from selling nuts outside a bar to making fun of decision trees in our final presentation to dancing in our BCAP every time we finish a project. All I know is that I am so glad I got stuck with them for that six months, and I am sure we will continue to stick together during the MBA and afterwards.

Mariana with her learning group. Left to right: Karan Bahadur Shrivastava, Mariana Gonzalez Morales, Ryan Thompson, Michael Perlis, Sasinun Worakriangkrai, MBA ’18

 

New Suntharapivat MBA 2017
Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand

I’d love to talk about my best friend Marcos in the One-Year MBA program:

It was funny how we met and got to know each other. It started at the beginning of the school year when we took photos for our Linkedin Profiles, and I forgot to bring my suit. He’s the only one who took his suit off and gave it to me. That’s my first impression about this guy.

I think Marcos and I share many values in life. The clearest thing is we both love traveling. During summer break, we traveled to Alaska for 10 days with another Russian friend. Can you imagine how crazy this trip was? A Brazilian, a Russian, and a Thai. We’ve never hesitated to talk with new people and share our experiences.

The next journey that we took together was a 16 day volunteer program in Tanzania. At the end of the trip we climbed Mt.Kilimanjaro together with 3 other undergrads. We went 6 days without taking shower while climbing, but I think it’s the most impressive trip ever in my life. The day we went back down to the hostel, we were continuously drinking beers from midday to midnight. That was an even more amazing moment!

I’ve learned a lot from him during trips. I think these journeys are enough for me to call him one of my best friends.

Left to Right: Yurii Kalashnikov, Marcos Matos MBA ’17, New Suntharapivat MBA ’17

 

Adriana Zaccone MBA 2017
Hometown: San Francisco, California

Ayush Singhal was one of the first people I met at Babson because we were assigned to the same learning group. I quickly realized he had amazing career planning and time management abilities that would make even the most productive people jealous. He was one of the first in our class to land a summer internship (in operations at Amazon!) and he is the guy I go to when I need answers about my professional life.

When I was stuck between deciding to get an internship in what my background area, versus what I wanted to pursue, he helped me put my career plans into perspective. When Ayush knows you, he is really good at helping you see the big picture, and reminding you to stay on track. He’s my career counselor!

I am really grateful that I met him. He’s someone I will always call up in the future when I need advice.

Ayush Singhal & Adriana Zaccone, MBA 2017

 

Guest Contributor: Alyssa Lee, MBA ’17

Hometown: Portland, OR
Education: Colby College, Waterville, ME
Previous Experience: Marketing Manager and Business Development, The MBA Tour
Activities: Graduate Student Council: VP of First Year MBA’s (2015-2016), President (2016 – 2017)
Favorite Babson Entrepreneur: Rigdzin Tarshin, Founder – Tangkor Yak Dairy Cooperative