School of Business Videos

Jeremiah Stevens:
Alright. Hello everyone, and welcome to the KU School of Business online MBA webinar. We're excited, we have two students here, current students for the program that are ready to share their experiences. What we'll do is we will first speak to them. We'll do introductions first off, and then we'll speak to each of them, get their ideas on what their thoughts on the program's like, what it's doing for them, and then we will move into Q&A. There is a Q&A tab down at the bottom. If anyone has any questions to ask, feel free to utilize that. I would say it's easier to use the Q&A tab than the chat tab. So please, please utilize that. But to kind of get us started here, Bryson, would you like to introduce yourself?

Bryson Brownlee:
Sure, sure, yeah. My name is Bryson Brownlee. I'm an admissions advisor here. I've been here for a little over four months now, since February, so I'm a little new, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time. I definitely look forward to getting to know some of the students that are on the webinar now, and some of the ones that are going forward to help you with their future, so excited for this webinar as well.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect. And my name is Jeremiah Stevens. I'm an advisor on the program. I've been working it for almost two years now. It is my favorite program to work with just because of the value added to students' lives, big fan of students using education in order to change their day-to-day. I'm really excited to meet our two guests today. I know they have great things to say about the program, and, well, why don't we get to meet them. Alright, Maura, would you like to introduce yourself?

Maura Durkin:
Sure. Perfect. Hi everybody. My name is Maura Durkin. I'm from Chicago, Illinois. I actually went to college out in California at Pepperdine, moved back home to Chicago in 2015, started my role in the commodities futures, OTC Swaps world, and currently I am working for a renewable energy company, which is like the cool fad, I guess, right now with everything going on with green, it's called Ørsted, it's based out of Denmark, but they just opened an office here in Chicago, so I'm their compliance manager, and it's been an absolute blast being a part of this online MBA program. I'm gonna be finishing in 2022, so spring of 2022, which makes me kind of sad 'cause I met so many great people through this program, but I'm really hoping today will give you guys an insight to both Sienna's and my stories. Thank you.

Jeremiah Stevens:
And Sienna.

Sienna Wagnon:
Hey, good morning everyone. My name is Sienna Wagnon. I live in Phoenix, Arizona. I am also, like Maura, in the finishing stages, I suppose, of the MBA program. I am currently working as a territory manager in medical sales for Philips Respironics, and we are out of Netherlands, which is interesting 'cause Maura said she's in Denmark as well. Really love the MBA program, I've met a lot of really great people as well, totally would recommend this and looking forward to the webinar.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect. Alright, so I guess we'll start... We'll start with Maura since she went first the first time, and we'll go with the most basic question of all, which is... We'll go with both of them. So, why did you choose KU, and why specifically were you looking for an online program?

Maura Durkin:
If I had a dollar every time this question was asked to me, I would be retired on a beach somewhere right now. But no, this is great. So as I said, I graduated in 2015, started my career, I was working for about three years and I was thinking... It was in the back of my head, I've always wanted to get my MBA and something I wanted to do, higher education is something that my family values, and I was the last of my parents' daughters to not have one, and I was like, "Oh, I gotta get through this, I gotta do it." So I actually had a really close mentor from Pepperdine University, his name is Professor Duane Myer, and he's actually the marketing professor for the KU online MBA program, and I started talking and bouncing off ideas like, "Oh, I might apply to some schools here in Chicago," which I did so I had your more brick and mortar programs as well, and then I applied to KU and then Pepperdine's online program.

And what stuck out to KU about me was immediately from the get-go, when I was going through the admissions process, I had a counselor assigned to me and she was absolutely amazing, we talked through every single step of the application program, I actually sent her my essays beforehand too, just to kinda get her general feedback on what makes me stand out as a potential candidate for this program, and it was also nice that I was in the process of studying through the GMAT and taking it from my brick and mortar programs, and that's something because of my experience, I was working for about four years at that point in time when I applied.

KU said I didn't have to take the GMAT, they were going based off of my undergraduate performance and then my actual real life experience, which to me is what I think most programs should value is who we are as individuals and the experiences that we can bring to the table. So that definitely drove my decision of feeling at home at KU. The reason I chose an online program over a brick and mortar was because at that point in time, I was in my previous role and I was traveling a ton for work. This was pre-COVID before the world was shutting down, and I wanted to still maintain a good stride in my MBA program, not worrying I have to miss classes, being behind on work if I happened to be out of town for something work-related. That's why online definitely was in my path, and KU is one of the top programs in the nation for online, so it was a no-brainer to wanna be a part of the Jayhawk family, and that's why I'm here today.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect. Top 20 currently too, in case anyone was taking notes, which I assume everyone is. Alright. Sienna, same questions for you, why did you choose KU and why did you choose an online program?

Sienna Wagnon:
So this is an easy one for me. KU was my undergrad and I love the programs that I was in. I really had a great experience just overall, I love the basketball team, obviously a lot of really great things about the school. So when I was looking to do my MBA, similarly, family pushing me and something that I always had like a personal goal to have an MBA. I love business, I think it's very interesting strategies. Awesome, so wanted to definitely get that accreditation, so when I was looking, there were really only two choices, living in Arizona, there's a University of Phoenix option, and then KU being the alma mater, pretty loyal there, so I just made the decision. I chose online because of the flexibility, I loved how there were options on when you decided to graduate, if you wanted to take a summer in between if you had other options or things that you had going on, it was easy to pick and choose your classes and kind of build your own program, so that's why I picked the online program. It's been awesome, super flexible, counselors are great. I've had such a good experience just overall.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect, and also quickly to touch on, I know Maura had mentioned the waiver for any type of testing, there's no longer a GMAT requirement, we use something called an essential skills assessment, but there's a chance that we may be able to help you with a waiver for that as well, the best idea for that is to get a hold of Bryson and I, we'll give you our contact information at the end here, and we would certainly be happy to talk to you about it. That may be an option for you.

Bryson Brownlee:
Alright, well Maura, you touched on this a bit already, but what was your experience like during the application and enrollment process?

Maura Durkin:
Sure, as I said in my previous answer, so the application process was actually extremely easy, which I was very happy to know that, 'cause some of these programs require so much of you when completing an application, and what I really enjoyed about KU is I had my papers I had to write, I spoke with a recruiter from the program and talked about my whole entire experience, and then from there it was in, as I like to say, the power's at these hands to decide if I was a candidate for the program, and thank God I was. So the actual application process was super easy. There is one point I wanted to point out about my student success coordinators, they are your best friends throughout the whole entire program. When I was waiting to hear back from KU about my acceptance, I actually, I still vividly remember the phone call, I was driving up to Michigan for a bachelorette party, and I was at a gas station, randomly got the call. And my coordinator called me and goes, "Maura, I just wanna tell you I have really good news for you, I wanted to tell you before the letter was sent out, you can now...

I was talking about how I've always wanted to get my KU sweatshirt 'cause I grew up being a KU basketball fan, and I was like, "Oh, I just really hope I can actually wear it and be a student," and she goes, "You should probably go get that sweatshirt of yours right now," and I just burst out in tears because I was so excited and happy to know I was part of the program, and another thing was, later on when I was starting and scheduling my classes, there was actually a phone call with my student success coordinator to kind of talk about what to expect in the program, what to expect when registering, ordering books, kind of just a general overview of what a new student should expect being brought into this program, and my dad was actually going through a major heart surgery at the time, I was literally at the hospital, and my coordinator called me and she goes, "Wait, hold on a second, we're gonna put all this other stuff to the side, how are you? How are you doing? How's your family doing?" And that really made me feel like I had someone standing in my corner, not only for my professional advancement, for my personal advancement as well, and she kept checking in with me through the latter weeks after my dad's surgery, and that's something I'll never forget.

She's never met my father, but she made me feel like she was a part of my family and she cared about me, and that really helped me get through the tough first few weeks of my program, and I couldn't be happier or prouder to have my students success coordinator, I think she'll be a lifelong friend of mine.

Bryson Brownlee:
Excellent, thank you for that. And Sienna, same for you, what was your experience like, and any examples of how a student success coordinator helped you?

Sienna Wagnon:
Excuse me, I have like the driest throat. So my student success coordinator and the application process, it was streamlined, it was very easy. I think not having to take the GMAT was a great... I don't know, a great ability to just sign in and kinda get going without having to stop your life, study for the test and then cross your fingers and hope that you make it. At that time, I was actually working in accounting for the Royals in Kansas City, and so I kind of had this quirky career change during the same time that I applied for the NBA, going from an accountant and to then going into medical sales. So the process was so easy for me and streamlined that it didn't add a lot of stress to my life, it was really quick and simple, and the student success coordinators... I have a great one too, I think her name is Holly, and she's just been phenomenal and checking in, "Hey, just so you know, classes starting today or two... Anything you need, anything I can help you with." Any time I have a question, she's always available, so it was very easy.

Jeremiah Stevens:
And Maura, just so you know, when that sweatshirt conversation was had, that was when I... My early days here, so I actually remember that. She was... Maya was sitting right next to me, so I remember that in my early days.

Maura Durkin:
I still have her thank you note too, and I passed on my dad's, but that just shows you the personal touch that this program has, 'cause I look at it every day and I'm like, "Wow, I just remember that, just happy moment."

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect. Alright. So this one is another one you guys can answer both of these at the same time, they're fairly similar. For Maura first, do you interact with the faculty and what are your professors like and what's your experience with them been like?

Maura Durkin:
Of course, yeah. I was absolutely mind-blown by how much interaction we have with our professors. I think the interesting part for Sienna and I was, our programs are always online, but I know a lot of programs that were more like the brick and mortar ones, for example, my husband, he was getting his MBA during the same time as me, he was going to an actual school program, I felt like I had more interaction with my professors than he did, which was absolutely crazy. I talked to my professors at least once or twice a week, they always came up with announcements, they were always open for office hours or questions, just a few people right off the bat that kind of stand out to me were obviously Professor Duane Myer 'cause he was my mentor at Pepperdine, so we stayed in close contact when I was in marketing, my professor Claire Rosenfeld fell to finance, we actually became super close after I finished up my finance class, and I ended up speaking to the women in finance group for the undergraduate connecting with a few students that were looking for internships here in Chicago or elsewhere, and she's been helping me as well with just getting...

I'm in an organization for women in derivatives of getting that kind of recognition made to the undergraduate students and the graduate students, so it was interesting just to know I could just hop on a zoom call with any one of my professors, they were flexible to meet with me and everyone was just so nice and kind. I can honestly say I didn't have a, what they would say, a bad professor throughout my program, everyone was so relatable, so understanding, just human nature was definitely there, which I thought would be something that'd be missing from an online program, but no, I got it 100 times harder here. Everyone was just good people, and I was very, very blessed to get to know all my professors, every single one, I've talked to each one of them so far instead of just being another number in the classroom, so that's something I definitely think this program brings to the table.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect, and it does seem like we've lost Sienna because it's 2020 and the... 2021 rather, and these things happen.

Maura Durkin:
Of course.

Jeremiah Stevens:
[chuckle] So it looks like Maura you now get top billing...

Maura Durkin:
Okay.

Jeremiah Stevens:
And are the star of the show moving forward. Well, hopefully Sienna can get back in obviously. But... Alright.

Bryson Brownlee:
We're going to the next slide?

Jeremiah Stevens:
Yep.

Bryson Brownlee:
Okay, sure. Well, Maura, [chuckle] would your... This is a great one too, because I always try to touch on this with students when I'm talking to... But everybody has their personal touches with that, but what was your favorite class and why? And then as far as group projects, how many were involved?

Maura Durkin:
So I'd have to say my favorite class was... It's called managing people, and it's with Professor Don Isaac, who is probably just the sweetest man ever to be created. What I enjoyed about this class was, yes, it was very heavily on reading and writing journals and case studies and essays, but I really enjoyed... We had discussions, like a discussion board as part of the canvas tool that we use for our online classes, and some of the classes you had to post in there, put your perspective on the week's readings or what we were learning. Don always made it a point to respond to the students and then send the message about what he thought was interesting about our analysis, or just wanted to get to know us more on a personal level, which was great. I really enjoyed just... He's just someone who's like a life-long pen pal, we actually still exchange emails to this day, which is great, he's definitely my favorite class, and then my favorite kind of analytical class, I would say is definitely finance. It was definitely challenging. That was when COVID hit and everyone was trying to figure out what was going on.

Maura Durkin:
And Professor Claire Rosenfeld definitely managed the ship really well. One thing I love about her, she held office hours religiously every week, you could always ping her with a question if you needed it, she was flexible with her schedule, and I think I felt most... Like I had the most reward after that one, 'cause it was definitely challenging topics, even though I'm in the finance role, she was tough, but I loved the culmination of that class and getting to know her more on a personal level as well, and now she's one of my new mentors, so those are definitely my top two classes. Group projects? Yes, so there's some classes that are more independent based, but there are a lot of classes with group projects as well, like for example, I'm in our Capstone class right now with Dr. Stephen Leonard, and we have a group that we analyze case studies, we just did one last week on Marvel and Marvel Studios, which was actually a very interesting story, but I get to jump on Teams calls or Zoom calls with my team. We work through our analysis, we write a case study documentation and then submit it as a team. Throughout the program, there's various different classes like that, where you're paired with a team, some of the teachers let you pick the people you wanted to be in your team as well, which was actually really nice.

Canvas made it super easy for us to meet or interact or... Like I have the app on my phone, so any time someone messaged me I knew, "Oh, okay, gotta jump on and do something." Obviously as well using today modern technology of FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, all of that. I definitely think COVID... We were ahead of the game with COVID because we already were used to working online and using these video platforms, so it was very easy for all of my teams for us to transition into working remotely as a team. It kind of reminds me what I do now. Most of my team is in Denmark, so this whole entire program is enhancing my skills, people to communicate with people across the world.

Bryson Brownlee:
Thank you for that answer. I think that's great to... Should we go on to Sienna? Do you wanna go back to the interacting with faculty or just continue going on?

Jeremiah Stevens:
Yeah, we can go back, we can do a... It too here for Sienna. Allow me to go back. Oh, also, I may have hit the button a bunch of times, so we may be getting a recap of everything, but we'll start off... Sienna, first off, welcome back.

Sienna Wagnon:
Sorry about that. That was a new one, the phone's overheating. [laughter]

Jeremiah Stevens:
Oh, no problem at all. Well, yeah, if you need to turn off your video, just let us know and we can just have you... If it's overheating your phone. But what have your interactions with faculty been like, will be the first question we'll get to you here.

Sienna Wagnon:
Sure, absolutely. Faculty has been amazing. Any time you had questions or having to reach out on the online platform, they were very helpful, they would jump in and answer any questions. Most of the time, I think everyone's pretty flexible and they're very intuitive on everyone's basic life, so they don't sit and think that everything is so structured to where they're not flexible with the timing, I think that's something I've appreciated the most out of these classes, they are very upfront and specific about what their expectations are, so you don't feel like you're in the dark of a new class coming in, but all the faculty has been extremely amazing. I think like Maura said, the finance class was challenging, the Econ class was a little interesting too, I think my favorite class overall was probably the marketing class. I've not done that capstone class yet, but that's exciting to hear. The group work is obviously good as well, so the teachers do a great job of facilitating all of the cohesiveness of the classes I think as well.

Bryson Brownlee:
I wanna do a follow-up on the group projects as well, because I get this question a good amount. How difficult is it, or even easy is it for you guys to be able to schedule time to meet with each other? Because everybody's on different schedules of course, and you want the flexibility, but does Canvas make it easy so that you all can kind of merge your schedules together?

Maura Durkin:
Go ahead, Sienna.

Sienna Wagnon:
Oh, I was just gonna say in terms of class schedules, I think it makes it easy because then you have all of the... You have all... Different... Like I'm in a different time zone and as you are as well, Maura, like so, we had people in New York or people in Kansas City, people in Arizona. I think the coordination obviously was a challenge at times, but I think we all have those priorities that we make in our lives. So it wasn't as challenging as I thought it would be. So I would just kind of jump on when you need to jump on and if some people can join and then you kind of do side groups, you know, when you have a large group of people. But I didn't find it challenging at all.

Maura Durkin:
And I'm just gonna second that motion as well as, as I'm repeating myself again, I really was impressed by the technology of Canvas and especially something as simple as having an app on your phone. It's basically like having like a Facebook messenger. Easily get alerts. You can see someone, "Oh, I have a question on X, Y, and Z, can you jump on, look at our Google doc?" The nice thing in all my groups, everyone was working professionals. They all knew, "Hey, we have time, we have family, we have a lot of responsibilities on our plate, but we have to make time for our projects in order to get it done." So I've had nothing but great experiences in my group work with everyone being flexible. I don't think I've had one person in my time zone yet. They've all been all over either the world or throughout the US and the Canvas tool is definitely just the backbone to communication for sure. And then a lot of people tend to take it outside of their... To Zoom or Teams or et cetera if they wanna have more of a personal face interaction.

Bryson Brownlee:
Perfect. And that's obviously a great opportunity for networking around the world as well.

Maura Durkin:
For sure.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Alright, so were you able to apply what you learned, or rather, what you're learning in your classes to your work? And we'll cut that second one off 'cause you guys were just kind of talking about it, but why don't you guys just tell us a little bit about kind of how you're incorporating what you're learning into your day-to-day.

Maura Durkin:
Sure, yeah. I'll start with this one. Definitely the finance class. I'm in more of like product management, but I work with traders every day and that class was very eye opening to me to just understand just basic calculations that my traders are looking at day in and day out when trying to figure out our exposure in the market. And then that was just kind of great foundation for me in my current role right now. And as well, currently I'm in the capstone class and it's also very reading heavy, writing heavy, but what I love about the material, it's all about leadership. And right now I'm actually in an organization where we've had reorgs and then leadership changes and then people's jobs are changing. And what Professor Steven Leonard has taught and like the material he's put in all of our weeks of the modules so far have been so relevant to what I'm going through right now.

Like the growing pains of what a reorg can be like, how do you get people motivated? How do you get people to buy in to the work that you're doing? 'Cause I'm in the type of work where basically I work with a team of IT developers and we are serving what are called stakeholders. So I'm the leader of my team, but I'm trying to get people above me, my stakeholders, to buy into everything that we're doing. So every single class I've had so far has had some sort of touch point into my current career right now, which again was very surprising to me. I just could catch myself writing in a discussion or a meeting. It's all about kind of my experience and what I'm going through and how I apply my learnings from the class to work. That's something that all these classes challenge you to do is try and bring some sort of aspect out of there to help you improve yourself overall.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect. Sienna, what have you been able to incorporate into your work from your coursework?

Sienna Wagnon:
You know, I think I had a very driven finance mind before I kind of transitioned into sales. And so I don't know how you guys feel about that, but I think they're very different aspects of business. So I think the courses kind of drew both of those industries together from accounting to like sales. So I used to think, you know, like accounting, what is sales doing? Or in sales, like what is accounting doing? Like why are... You know, so I think bridging the gap with the MBA program through Econ and the marketing class and the finance class, I think those were the three biggest drivers in incorporating now where I'm at in my career, only because they let you see perspectives of other sides of the business. So I really liked that. I really liked the... In the marketing class you do a simulation, like a real world simulation that kind of shows product development. I've never been in product development, however, in sales you have to kind of understand that chain, that process, supply chain to be able to understand where you're going. So I think that that was really eye opening for me. So we've had some product rollout and some marketing rollout that that kinda helped me with.

Bryson Brownlee:
Excellent, excellent. Thank you for those answers. Just another question that we receive a good amount, you know, what are the networking opportunities in the online business program that you guys noticed?

Maura Durkin:
Sure, yeah. As I said, most of the classes require some sort of a discussion or discussion board, it's usually one part of the module. And what I find interesting about that is yes, we have an assignment that we're usually writing an answer to on the material, but half the other time students are just going back and forth about what they're doing and then you can see they'll be like, "Oh, let's take this conversation offline and figure out how I can help you in regards to, I'm in product development, you're in product development, I'm in medical sales, you're in medical sales." It's so interesting how one assignment can lead to that conversation. As well, I have to go back to the teachers, they... Each one of 'em has reached out personally about, "Hey this is, you know, I even have a student or somebody that's interested in the commodities industry.

Do you think you could be of assistance just to start talking and mentoring to them?" So I got to be on the other side of networking, which is honestly such an honor, 'cause I used to be on the other side looking up to so many other people and now having undergraduates looking at me and having me kind of help shape their lives has been quite an interesting experience as well. As well, I've been able to get connected to the business career services, through Jennifer Jordan and Alicia, I think she's the graduate program, head of that career service program and we've done several webinars of...

Jeremiah Stevens:
Maura, you've muted yourself, just so you know.

Maura Durkin:
It was weird 'cause my whole entire screen just went black and that was like very scary and I was like, "My computer froze, I know it did." So apologies for the technical difficulties, everybody. I'll kind of backtrack. So I have been connected to the career business services through two of the members of the teams and I've been able to work with finding individuals internships, which is great. And then also as well, they've connected me with a few mentors in my industry in like the Kansas City area as well, just so I have some relationships. For example, I'm actually working on a current ISDA agreement with one of the energy companies in Kansas City. And I actually know somebody from there because of the KU program, which is just a small world, which is so weird. But that is just kind of one of the many ways you're always connected to finding new opportunities, new people. And Alicia has been great in being like, "Hey, if you ever wanna start networking or looking for a new job somewhere in the Kansas City area, Chicago area, et cetera, please just let me know." And she said she would gladly assist me. So they're there to help us. They're there to support you, whether you wanna be a mentor or on the other side, you need help finding your next step in your career.

Bryson Brownlee:
Excellent, excellent. And Sienna.

Sienna Wagnon:
You know, I think, similar experience to what you were saying, but I think at the other side of it, I've had an opportunity to just kind of see what else was out there. So I... The counterparts obviously like California, there's a... I've met a friend through the medical sales as well and we're partners in a class and so now we talk all the time like, "Hey, what do you think about this?" Or, "How's your business going? Are you guys out in the field?" You know, so we have that, you know, that it's kind of like the nationwide collaboration I guess. And then the last class I took, there was a gentleman in Indiana that was working on like nuclear... I think it's nuclear energy. So just having a conversation about that, something that you didn't even know kind of was a thing just to expand your knowledge and kind of see, you know, what other people are doing and then finding out why they're also getting their MBA, what they plan to do with it.

It kind of... I think it just broadens your perspective overall. I love networking in general. So I think it's a really great tool to just be able to bridge the gap between any sort of what... Like area you wanna get into. You can find a resource somewhere to ask those questions or maybe get some answers on, you know, would that be the right career path for me? Several girls I've met that are in the academic program that are doing athletics. So I was in base... I worked in baseball, so just bridging that gap with, you know, this is kind of what the front office looks like in that industry and this is kind of, you know, and then I've asked the same questions about what are best practices in medical sales. So it's definitely been an opportunity just to collaborate on best practices for the industry and just get perspective there.

Bryson Brownlee:
Perfect. Moving forward. So we'll take this one in sections 'cause there's... Yeah, we'll do the first two questions as one and then we'll come back around for feedback on the third question. But we'll start with Maura. What has been the most challenging part of the program and how do you balance school with your... With like a work-life balance?

Maura Durkin:
Sure, yeah. This is honestly a great question that we should be discussing. So obviously it's been a while since I've been in college and I was in college in 2015, so getting back in the whole entire kind of realm of being in the academia world and knowing how to actually plan out your time, from the beginning, that was a little bit of adjustment. I definitely had to figure out, okay, I work from 8:00 to 5:00 and then jump on and do my homework. The nice thing about being able to work from home, I've been able to find odd hours throughout the day where if I have free time, I can jump in and do some schoolwork if I have time allotted, which is kind of the great flexibility of this program. I would say the most challenging part definitely is getting used to the reading and the writing again.

'Cause right now I just write a lot of short memos and a lot of these classes are asking for essays, which aren't hard, it's just getting... Just putting that English cap back on from when we were all a bunch of youngins back in college, and then obviously keeping up with all the readings that there is, but if you manage your time wisely, it's not hard. You're not overwhelmed. There's some days or some weeks you're kind of slow on work and there's some weeks where, hey, I need to plan out a little bit more than last week 'cause I have a lot to get through. I'm actually a big proponent, so I come from the project management world as well, so you're probably gonna start laughing, but I use this methodology called Agile 'cause I use it every day with my development team and it's basically like a con bomb board mentality.

If I could like show it real fast, I have like this makeshift... Sorry, my lamp's in the way, but literally everything piled out into columns of, I have my work stuff on the bottom and I have my life/school on top and I just write myself reminders if there's something big, like I have a case study I have to do this week, a certain essay I have to get done. I'm that... I'm a visual type of planner. So I like to see it literally laid out in columns and it just works for me. It's just one of the techniques that's really helped me manage my time throughout this program and making sure I keep on top of all my assignments. The nice thing is too, Canvas basically is like a project manager tool in itself. So you can go through each module and you see what you have to do.

You always get reminders when something is due so you're not falling behind. Obviously you can reach out to your professor if you need a little bit more time and see if they can work with you, but the Canvas tool is kind of my skeleton of how I plan everything for my whole entire week. But that's how I've been able to keep on top of it. And honestly, I haven't had any super stressful nights or I haven't had to pull any all nighters throughout this program. I just manage the time knowing what I have and if I wanna go away for the weekend and have a trip, I just know okay, the next week I'm gonna do a little bit more school work and get it all planned out so I don't fall behind.

Bryson Brownlee:
Perfect. And we didn't even know we were getting visual aids, but there we go. [laughter]

Maura Durkin:
Yeah. Surprise.

Bryson Brownlee:
Alright, Sienna, both the top two questions to you as well. What has been the most challenging part of the program and how do you kind of balance school with your work and life?

Sienna Wagnon:
Yeah, absolutely. I think the most challenging was going back to the reading, back to the homework, back to the writing of the essays. I enjoyed that in my undergrads, but I didn't realize that I didn't miss it all that much. [chuckle] But I think it's actually taught me to have better writing skills and kind of allocating your time. I think time management is probably the most important piece of a work life balance with school. I mean, you know, I think we all, especially if you're getting your MBA, you're probably 100% dedicated to your job as well. So it becomes challenging to wanna do it all very well. So I think like Maura said, you just have to allocate the time, take the time, sit down and do it. And then just your resources. So like if you have, you know, the next weekend, you know you're gonna go somewhere else, allocate your time to just do the readings, do the writing, do the collaboration with your team, get it all done first. I don't know about you guys, but I kind of put personal stuff on the back burner if work things are pressing. So... And I'm a little bit of a procrastinator, so that's probably why that time management thing was a little challenging. But once I got through like the first two classes, I kind of had a routine down. I knew like Tuesday, Wednesday nights I was gonna be working on school, allocating that time for that. So it became routine and I think that's been successful for me.

Jeremiah Stevens:
All right, perfect. And we'll go back to Maura. This to me is always my favorite question 'cause this is where we get like trade secrets for how to be successful in the online MBA program. But what would be the number one piece of advice for success that you would give new students to the online business program?

Maura Durkin:
Sure. And Sienna kind of touched on it, is I think each individual needs to have his or her own set of just like the process of how they manage everything and stick to it. Don't break it. If... Like for me, I like to do a lot of my work after work or on the weekends, just so I know, okay, I might be able... Then I can have a lighter week going into Monday or Tuesday. 'Cause usually on Monday or Tuesday, I'm just a grumpy bear because work is starting again. So stick to your system, plan it out and you'll be okay. And then another thing I'd give you guys is, don't be afraid. I know it's probably... A lot of you are probably... Were in my shoes about a year ago where I was uncertain of, you know, what goes into an MBA program, what are the people like? Can I handle this?

Yes, you can, you can definitely handle it and you're not alone. You have so much support in this program, more than you would ever have in any other program. And I kid you not, I know I sound like I'm a cheesy commercial, but really there is nothing like the KU family. I came in with no previous ties to KU except for my mentor. And just to know that I'm... I feel so ingrained in a part of this community and that if something were to go awry or if I needed help, I have someone to turn to. It could be a classmate, it could be a professor, it could be my student success coordinator. Just know you are not alone in this program, and I promise you you'll have a ton of fun through it all. Just plan your time, get to know your fellow classmates and just enjoy the ride.

Jeremiah Stevens:
All right. Same question to you, Sienna. You can spill your secrets as well. What has been the secret to your success in the online program?

Sienna Wagnon:
Spilling my guts. I think after the first class, I decided I was going to read all the way through the syllabus from start to finish and block in those times when those classes were taking an exam or if you had a big project due so that I could allocate time previously. So that was one of the biggest things. Not that I didn't read the syllabus, but just when you have a work life balance, I like to try to focus on one thing at a time, kind of compartmentalize what I have to do. I'm one of those people that like multitask and I'm like doing four things at once. But I think with this program I was like, okay, when you're working, try to work and then when you're focusing on school, set your phone aside, don't answer work calls, focus on the projects, focus on the reading and then get the work done.

Sienna Wagnon:
Oftentimes, I think you're learning more and reading more as you're more focused. If you do that, I think you'll be more successful just in taking away a lot of the... I guess taking away the takeaways, right? So having those abilities to see, you know, with this quiz, what were the things that you actually left with that you could apply to real life? So I would always take notes during the quizzes too, just to kind of say, you know, some of the stuff I was like, "Well, maybe I'll apply this, but specific to my job or specific to my goals, like, how would I apply this?" So I would also do that as you're taking the classes, maybe make a little notebook. Like Maura, I'm visual as well, so I have a calendar, like an old school calendar. Obviously we have them in our phones and digitally, but I have an old school calendar where I write down what I do just because I wanna be able to look back and be like, "Okay, that's kind of what worked for me and let's just repeat that." And pretty successful at doing that. So that's something I would do. Keep a calendar and just time management for sure.

Jeremiah Stevens:
All right. We will move now to the question and answer. It looks like we have one already. First off. Hi Rhianna. I know Rhianna is a... I think Bryson and I have both spoken with Rhianna. But Bryson, if you wanna grab her question there.

Bryson Brownlee:
Sure, sure. And I think we pretty much touched on this a bit, but if there's anything else that you guys could think of, but I think a good one is the, how has your career prospects improved as you near the end of your MBA program?

Maura Durkin:
Sure, yeah. I'll actually touch on this one. So I actually switched jobs during my MBA program. I was previously at my first organization for about going on four years. And I just was at a crossroads of, was I really going anywhere? Was I really doing anything? There was a lot of changes happening in my team. So I was one of those people that decided I'm gonna be crazy during COVID and apply for a job and meet my whole team via the computer instead of actually in-person. And I have to say the first thing that stuck out when I was going through my interview processes was, "Oh wow, you're getting your MBA at KU while also switching jobs and during the pandemic. Like how do you balance all of that?" It was a really great conversation starter and I got to really kind of highlight my program, what I've learned from my classes and how I've applied it to myself and my career.

And my organization right now has been standing behind me fully for finishing up my MBA and just couldn't believe that I was doing it all at once and doing it all remotely. And I would have to say, going from here, I'm really excited to see... Maybe one day down the line I'll start looking for a job again if I wanna be somewhere else. And knowing that I have the whole KU network to work with to just start either having mentorship conversations or connection conversations, or just pick people's brains on what industries they're in, if I end up wanting to leave my industry, I have that whole entire playbook right in the front of me, in my hands and I'm so excited to know that I have the whole entire KU family standing beside me.

Bryson Brownlee:
Great. Thanks for that, Maura. And how about you Sienna?

Sienna Wagnon:
Well, so one thing that we had to do, my company's actually reimbursing me for my MBA program. So you get a passing course, a passing grade, and then they reimburse you. But in order to be accepted into that benefit, you have to write an essay to the CFO and the CEO that they read over and they say, "Are you eligible? Are we gonna grant you this benefit to reimburse you for your MBA program?" So two things. One, I think it gives the upper management the visibility that you're looking to grow, that you have the capabilities, you've been accepted into a program of the stature that KU has. So they look at you and they read your essay, but then they also know that you're driven and you're motivated to kind of do more. So I think that that's given upper management an idea of where my career goals are within the company or elsewhere. So I think it's made me very marketable. I think it's also given me the visibility to have that line of connection with the CEO and the CFO to have discussions, 'cause I've had several discussions since the time that I applied.

Which I think has helped me just grow in general. I'm looking into being the next level of a territory manager in sales, kind of do a regional manager position, and I've become a sales trainer, but I think the visibility of them knowing that I'm dedicated to the company, I'm dedicated to the program and passing the classes they obviously see that you're able to do project management, you're able to do finance and marketing, you have a 30,000-foot view of how to run a business. So I think that that's a huge impact on anyone's career, just having an MBA on your resume is going to impress just about anyone, but I think within your current company or other companies, a network of people that you'll end up kind of infiltrating when you apply for a program like this, I think the possibilities are endless.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect, and we are waiting on some more questions here, and as we're doing that, I just wanna take the chance to, I guess, so we don't forget at the end to say both to you, thank you. Wow. To both Maura and Sienna for your time today. I know you guys both have very busy schedules, and you guys have given us a lot of insight into the program. And to everybody who's looking to ask questions, please put them in the Q&A section, Maura and Sienna are both obviously not just great students, but also great examples of the types of students that are in our program. So if you'd like to get any type of insight into the program, what it might look like for you, please feel free to put that in there. While we're waiting for that though, I can ask a more personal question, because this is something that I noticed once I started working with KU and with this program. What surprised you the most from working with this program? For me, it was... I know Maura you mentioned you're from Chicago. I also am from Chicago, and I was downtown actually at Union Station once, right before the pandemic started, and was like, "Oh, I'd like to watch the KU basketball game."

And looked it up, and there were two KU bars within three miles of where I was at. So I got to go and it was like a little slice of Laurelton in the middle of downtown. And to me, seeing that was something that really surprised me about KU and the alumni base as well as how they reacted to me wearing my KU MBA polo. But we'll start with you Maura, what surprised you the most about the program, and KU or the MBA or whatever you'd like to share?

Maura Durkin:
I'll touch on both of them. Just in general, to the KU larger body, I would have to completely agree with you Jeremiah Stevens, there's been a few times where I'm like, hey, pre-COVID, I wanna go watch a KU basketball game or connect with somebody, and there's a bar not too far from here called Kincade's, it's just dedicated to all KU. And just to be able to walk in there and know I'm wearing a KU hat or a shirt, and everyone is just like, "Hey, do you want a beer? Do you wanna drink? What program are you on? And when did you graduate?" And those just instantly start conversations that easily lead to further networking discussions later on. And then I'd have to say overall, by the MBA program, I keep coming back to it. I am genuinely, seriously impressed by the staff and most importantly, the professors, and how each one of them has made their class uniquely different, but also they've been able to work with the students and get to know the students. I honestly was unsure on how an online program would work. Would I just be kind of the other body on the other side of the computer, and at KU I wasn't.

I still talk to my professors, I actually brought my little brother to go visit KU to look potentially for college next year, and I was in accounting, and I reached out to my accounting professor and I said, "Hey, would you mind meeting me in person, my brother is interested in finance, we're gonna go to Capitol Federal Hall and just do a tour." Immediately she was like, "Yeah." She put something on her books. She's never met me in person until that point in time, and we spent an hour with her, and she was talking about her experience, showing my brother around the business school, which was honestly something I'll never forget, is that the people... The people at KU, and it's all of us, everyone that's spread out throughout the world, we all are willing to help each other and be there for each other, and I think that's the cornerstone of KU, is we are one family. And even though it's a bigger school, we all take care of each other and we're all there for each other.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Alright. To you as well, Sienna. I know obviously KU is not a brand new experience to you, 'cause you were at KU for your undergrad as well. But what has surprised you most as you're looking at your experience with the MBA program?

Sienna Wagnon:
I don't know if it's specific to the MBA program, but I know when I started the MBA Program, we were at a regional sales meeting and a new United... Like the whole United States sales leaders sat down next to us at our table next to me. We started talking, he's like, "Where did you get your undergrad?" And I was like, "I went to KU, Rock Chalk," and he goes, "I did too." And I was just surprised. And it was really an interesting little... We had a great dialogue, but then about six months later, we were at a basketball game at ASU and ran into each other. And it was just a really interesting scenario 'cause it's Arizona, right? You're not in Kansas, but then, made me reach out... Like Facebook has a KU Alumni area here in Phoenix, so I joined that and then found the bars like you guys do with the basketball games, the camaraderie is just so amazing. And I think, I love that Maura had the opportunity to join us on the MBA side, so now she sees how close-knit it all is.

I just think that people in Kansas are amazing, I think most people who join this school are amazing, great hearts, good people. And I think that there's always just a common goal, and it's almost like a kindness and a common courtesy that I'm really privy to, so I really like that. So what surprised me, I guess, specifically about the MBA program, was how much I liked being challenged, it wasn't so hard that I wasn't able to achieve my GPA goals or whatever it looked like, but I enjoyed taking on the challenge because I felt like I was gonna collaborate with some really awesome, very intelligent people. We were gonna get some insight on things that I hadn't had insight on before, the networking and all of those little components that you get from joining a program like this, that was what surprised me the most, pleasantly surprised, obviously, but just a great experience overall.

Bryson Brownlee:
Excellent. Well, it looks like we do have a question from Psy. Hey Psy, how is it going? It's a pretty straight forward question, it's about how many students are in your classes?

Maura Durkin:
So I think this kind of ranges on what class you're in, but most of them, I believe there was around probably like 100 at max, but the nice thing about most of the classes is they break the classes down into sections, so like you're in section A or Section B. So your actual class size is a lot smaller. I think I had like 20 people that I knew who was in my class, I know who I needed to reach out to out of the larger group. So you get that experience of being in a bigger group, but also that experience of being a part of a smaller, interlocking group within the classes.

Sienna Wagnon: I was just gonna add, I think it's kind of what you make of it. And this is what I'll say, I think that the program, it's kind of a unilateral program. You're kind of doing a lot of your work on your own, you're doing your readings on your own, you read the lectures on your own time, which is like the flexibility we had talked about, but then if you wanna... You are categorized into those groups as well, but then if you wanna reach out ad hoc, like one off to other people in the group you can do that as well. A lot of it is a work at your own pace sort of program, I think. There's obviously deadlines you have to hit, but during the week, I think that I found Monday night I'm reading, Tuesday night I'm doing one of the lectures, Wednesday night I'm doing a quiz type of thing.

So that's kind of how my classes were structured. And then midway through each course, I'd say probably two times through the course, you do a group project and some of that expectation is by week three or four you meet up with your group, you have an initial introduction call then you have some working calls and then you finish your project. I think in most of my classes that's kind of how it was structured, but that's kind of what I found for the class sizes. So I didn't ever feel like I couldn't get in touch with a professor if there was so many people in the class, there were 60 or 100, I got responses very quickly, or there was another student that was willing to offer... During the discussion boards you could offer the answer if you had a question there as well. So very easy to interact and very easy to get any of your questions or needs met during the courses.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect. Alright, and we do have about what, nine minutes left here. So any questions? This is... We'll hold off here for another couple of minutes, and then we'll see if we can give everybody some time back in their day. I personally feel very well-informed through all of this... Oh, here we go. Casey, who also says thank you, 'cause that's how Casey rolls. How do you like the length of the classes? And for those who don't know, it's one course every eight weeks with the asynchronous course work. Do you find the semesters to be at a good pace? And are you able to keep up with the workload? Did this help you keep your MBA goal on pace as far as getting it done within two or three years? And the standard amount is 27 months, though there is some flexibility to finish quicker or to take longer. We'll start with Maura.

Maura Durkin:
Sure, yeah. So honestly, I love the way the semesters are set up. So if you're... Like I'm just doing the traditional route. I'm taking the full two years to get it done, where you have, for a semester you have two classes, but they're not at the same time. So you'll start with your first class the first eight weeks, and then your second class the second eight weeks. What I loved about that was you're basically knocking out two classes in a semester, but you're still doing them independently from each other. There is some time where there maybe a week or two, they may overlap, but usually the professors know that. And I remember starting my marketing class and professor Myer was like, "Oh, I know you're finishing up Managerial Econ, so I'm gonna give you guys a light week for this week, so don't worry about getting your homework in until the second week of the course," which was really nice of him to do that. As well, I really enjoyed how quickly you can get classes done, like for example, one of my closest friends that I met from this whole entire program was down in Texas, and she decided she wanted to finish her MBA earlier.

So she's able to stack classes on top of each other. So she is doing two classes at once, so technically four during a semester, and she's able to manage it and she loves it. It works for her. I'm the person, I like to actually do things a little bit slower and really try and retain things as much as I can, so the two-year program was perfect for me. But if you are the individual that wants to get it done and has the time and the flexibility, there is that option as well. Just knowing what works for you I think is kind of the best solution here. And the semesters are perfectly managed. Like right now I'm in my capstone class, which I was like, "How are we gonna do a capstone in eight weeks?" They actually extended it to 16 weeks, which is great. And everything's extremely manageable from the get go. I thought the capstone was gonna be absolutely horrible or long or tedious or hard. It's probably... It might come out as my favorite class at the end of this program.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Sorry. Sienna?

Sienna Wagnon:
I'm like choking over here, sorry. I really enjoyed the eight week... Excuse me. I really enjoyed the eight-week time frame because it gives you the chance... I think the pace is really good. I think they have... What do they say? Dedicate maybe like 10 hours a week, something like that. I think I did okay with 10 hours a week, and it worked well, like two hours a night. Sometimes you finish things sooner, depending on your pace, but I really enjoyed the eight-week classes. I don't feel like it went too fast. I feel like I took something away from each class as well.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect, alright. And as we kind of wrap things up here, I'll go with another question of my own, 'cause I'm greedy. So I know Maura you had mentioned, one of your best friends from the program, indicating that there's more than one of them, because how... Otherwise how would it be one of the best? Have you guys seen any successes or can you guys speak to the relationships that you've made in the course work, not just networking, but kind of looking at how that affects your viewpoint on your career moving forward? The networking opportunities and people that you've met within the program, whether that's professors or other students.

Maura Durkin:
Sure, yeah. So I'll start with the professors. As I said, every single one of them has reached out to figure out, "Hey, how can I help you, what do you need help with?" Which is honestly just a great stepping stone to know that you have that in your back pocket. The one thing that I was also kind of genuinely surprised by was being able to create just friends from this program. Yes, we talk about work, we talk about school, but actually getting to know people and what makes them tick. So for example, my one friend Catherine, we met because she was, we happened to be assigned on a group project together, and we ended up just really hitting it off, we have similar personalities, we're both in the energy business right now. And it's great to just have people that are walking this journey with you, just to message or call and like, "Hey, I'm having... I'm struggling with this," or, "How did you handle this?" Just to know you have that additional support, but also as you leave the program, you're gonna have that group of friends, you're KU friends now, which is great.

Maura Durkin:
Like for example, I'm visiting... I'm going down to visit Catherine in a few weeks, and we've never met in person, we've only met via Zoom and we met through this program, and that's something I never expected, was to meet somebody that I genuinely feel like I've known forever. As I said, a life-long friend, a great person, and that's something that this program can give you, is the opportunity to meet just down-to-earth caring people. And I hope you guys all have that same experience that I had.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Perfect. Sienna, do you have any experiences that are similar or what's your experience been with your students and the faculty?

Sienna Wagnon:
The faculty's all been extremely responsive and great, they're a good team. They put the courses together I think with your work-life balance in mind. And I think they really want you to succeed, so I think that's important as well. In terms of the friendships, there's been probably a handful of people... Oops. Hold on. [chuckle] Handful of people throughout the course that I've kind of made friends with. Not to the extent that Maura did, but I think that's awesome. There's a couple of friends that have come out for like a spring training game just 'cause they like baseball and they wanted to kinda check it out, help them kind of coordinate that, just from knowing the area in Scottsdale and Phoenix. But overall, everyone I've ever worked with in the... In the groups or on the teams has been just a good, solid person that you would want to keep in your phone book if you ever needed something and vice versa. So I think I've not ever come across somebody in the program that I've been like, "Ah," you know? Everyone is awesome, so everyone's reachable and very interactive, and I think the networking capability has been amazing.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Excellent. So no students that were like, ah. Perfect. Alright. So it does look like we're coming up to the end of our time. For those who are interested in the program, if we've spoken with you before or not, please feel free to reach out to us. We are more than happy to speak with you about whatever questions, comments, concerns you have about the program. What your admissions process would be like. For Bryson and I, it's what we're here for, and it's what we do. So please feel free to reach out. It just says here, the deadlines are the 3rd and with classes starting the 23rd. So with that in mind, here's our contact information if you'd like to reach out to either one of us, as we can provide you with some help, whether that be potential waivers for the essential skills assessment or if you are looking for... To waive your application fee, if you're a qualified student, we can look into whether that would be a good fit for you. But other than that, Bryson, anything you'd like to follow up with?

Bryson Brownlee:
No, I just want to thank you both for joining and giving your perspective. It's really great, like I said, I'm a little newer. It's actually four months today, the 8th, I just looked at that, which is great, but these conversations are what I have all the time, so it's just great to get that kinda, I guess, the feedback that I've been looking for. So I thank you guys both.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Yes, thank you both very much. And to everybody, thank you for attending as well and Rock Chalk.

Sienna Wagnon:
Rock Chalk, thank you guys.

Maura Durkin:
Rock Chalk, thank you guys.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Thank you. Thank you.

Bryson Brownlee:
Have a great day.

Jeremiah Stevens:
Bye.

Neeli Bendapudi:
Rigor and relevance, these are the two issues that are often debated and often viewed as trade offs. We say to that, that's a bogus distinction because come to KU, you will get both. Both the rigorous analytics that drive today's business, as well as the relevance of making sure that it works on the job Monday morning for you.

What is unique about us is that our best researchers are also our best teachers. When you come to KU, you will be taught by people whose research will end up in textbooks a few years down the road. Think about the research that our faculty do that routinely gets publicized, whether it's in the New York Times, or the Wall Street Journal, or the Bloomberg Businessweek. So you really are learning from people who are at the cutting edge.

Of course we do everything we can to provide a very enriching educational experience. So that is access to internships, access to study abroad. So a student can come in and participate in any of the activities that we have to offer. Because we are a competitive program, you're signaling to the marketplace that you want to be challenged. This is not easy. This is not for someone who wants the quickest path to an MBA, forget about what I learned. This is for someone who can look back and be very proud of what they have accomplished.

Instructor 1:
I'm curious what price we should invest in today.

Amy Goodpasture:
Well, I believe finance is the study of how to get funds for your company, and the finance major is going to really relate to that.

Professor 1:
We mentioned this briefly last week.

Amy Goodpasture:
We have such a great selection of classes here that in your electives, you can really choose to narrow down and specify where you want to take your career.

George Bittlingmayer:
Finance is about bringing together people with money and people who need money for different kinds of projects.

Amy Goodpasture:
I was drawn to finance because I like math, but there's a lot of very qualitative aspects where you have to make decisions on whether this is a good use of your company's capital.

George Bittlingmayer:
There's always a chance that things might not turn out the way you expect. So assessing risk, measuring it, taking efforts to mitigate risk or ensure against risk, that's a big part of finance.

Professor 2:
Whether you think they have been destroying value or creating value.

Amy Goodpasture:
The professors are very accommodating, they're very knowledgeable. And I feel I've learned not only a lot about finance, but I've made a lot of great relationships. Okay.

George Bittlingmayer:
There's a wide range of jobs available for people in finance, things like high-frequency trading, taking in large amounts of data and making decisions based on those numbers. Many of our students find jobs in places like Chicago and New York, Dallas, abroad as well working in London, Singapore, really the whole world.

Amy Goodpasture:
They primarily make their money through airport operations, as well as aeronautical services.

It's going to give me the experience before I graduate of managing a portfolio, of valuating companies. Are they a good buy? Are they undervalued, overvalued?

George Bittlingmayer:
It's good if you have an interest in, let's say, how a company works or what drives an industry. So if what makes the world work interests you, then finances may very well be a good spot for you.

Amy Goodpasture:
And there's so much to do. I like that you can really do whatever you want.

John Pepper:
Management leadership here at the University of Kansas School of Business is all about starting and running successful businesses. Management has to do with how businesses are run, what are the things that businesses need to do to be successful and to survive and thrive. Leadership is what's required to make those businesses highly successful. And so the students are going to learn about management, yes, but leadership more importantly. And when a student effectively combines good management, as well as leadership, they're going to rise up in the business ranks and be qualified for those top jobs that do pay hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars a year. From my point of view, managers only do three things; they're making plans, they're implementing those plans or they're evaluating the results and making adjustments. Start with an interest in people, then learn things like accounting and marketing and finance, and all those sorts of things. But it all starts with people. Business is the business of people.