How Babson Has Prepared Me…
Babson has definitely prepared me for the “real” world and a career in the business realm through the professors we have, the classes offered and required, and the people that make up the wonderful Babson community. Like most students at Babson College, I’ve spent the last two years taking mostly the required prerequisite classes like Introduction to Accounting, Principles of Finance, Marketing and IT and such like these. While I’ve enjoyed learning about these new topics from inspiring and dedicated faculty, I did not understand the full value of why it is necessary that we take these required classes – not until my internship this summer. This summer, I was able to land a finance internship at the Boston Planning and Development Agency under one of the finance departments that handles small business loans. Through my first few weeks interning there, I have realized the depth of how Babson has prepared me to be a well-rounded professional intern in the work force.
When we were in High School, I heard a lot about how important it was to be a well-rounded student. Now at College, I see how Babson is preparing me to be a well-rounded professional through not only the classes offered but even the programs that are available to us. For starters, with the classes that are required, they range from liberal arts classes to broad business topics. The business related classes we take help us to understand the fundamentals of what each department’s basic principles are so that we are prepared for any role or situation with the knowledge of the foundations of each sub-industry. It allows us, in the process, to hold meaningful profession related conversations with individuals who are beyond our concentration. What we learn is applicable for any focus in business. Through the programs and resources available to us on campus, we are able to grow not only academically but as an individual.
As a Center for Women Entrepreneurial Leadership Scholar (CWEL), we have access to so many programs and events that help build us as successful women leaders. Most of the events hosted by CWEL are open to the entire campus so that everyone can benefit from the resources available. Hearing from inspirational women who have achieved so much in their careers serves as a way to learn from what wisdom they hold and to better understand what we ourselves wish to accomplish. Combine this with the guidance and help available at the Center of Career Development Office, and it truly shows how Babson is helping us grow. The CCD office is a resource on campus that is open even during the summer and the individuals there are always ready to help us, whether it be for resume checking or mock interviews.
I was terribly nervous on my first day at the internship. I had used CCD’s services through the resume critiquing (being to the office a multitude of times in the past year) and had cultivated myself as a leader through CWEL and Babson, in general. However, I still was nervous. Having only taken one finance based class – principles to finance, I wasn’t sure if I had enough finance knowledge to do well here. What I realized soon was that not only was my fear unnecessary, but also that my Babson education thus far had prepared me tremendously well. For instance, during the first week at my internship, I was reviewing a business plan and thanks to Babson’s unique Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship class (FME) and being an FME mentor, I had already seen multiple launch plans that were quite similar to what a business plan consists of, that I wasn’t starting work clueless. Since I had experience analyzing data through my classes, analyzing business plan financials wasn’t something totally new.
The bottom line is that Babson is amazing in preparing us. I am definitely learning a ton at my internship which I entered this summer prepared as I had the foundational knowledge and professional self set – thanks to my two years thus far, here at Babson.