Life @ Tepper

For more information on Life @ Tepper, read on and find out what our current students have to say about Tepper, Pittsburgh and the journey so far:

The roller coaster ride: By Suraj Sharma

One Year! 120 Credits!! 139 Pizza Slices!!! 400 Hours of Sleep!!!! 520 Glasses of Beer!!!!!

This past one year has been a fascinating journey @ Tepper with many twists and turns - a roller coaster ride and I can't believe that a year has already passed by!  Meeting wonderful classmates at Tepper, enjoying the fun activities, studying hard has all been part of this journey. The best part about this experience has been the diverse and intellectual experience that Tepper has provided us - and such wonderful friends that have made me believe that Serendipity is not a myth!

From Professor Kekre's Diwali Party with a '70's Bollywood' theme to the blast at the International Festival, Tepper and SABA have provided us a great platform to not only showcase our talents but also has helped us become better individuals. The tight knit community has been a highlight of this learning experience and working with so many talented classmates has just been precious - an experience of a lifetime. Working hard and partying harder has been our mantra for the first year. Getting away from 'business suits' in our professional lives and enjoying the 'sneakers and shorts' life of the campus has been so much fun. It all started with the rustic days of QSRP, when we were all trying to find common ground. Come Mini 1 - Oh, the probability and optimization classes - when getting up at 8:30 was a pain and Professor Ravi's cold calling always went in vain. Winter at Pittsburgh was not our toughest challenge - Case competitions, Networking and Interview preparation was something we all got busy with. "Can you tell me about a time...” was always on our minds as we grappled with answering potential interview questions. The trials and tribulations of the internship search were almost like a mystery novel unfolding a new success story every day. As we now embark on our internship season, to our chagrin, the first year is about to get over, but we all believe that the Tepper tradition of "Success with Fun and Work" will continue as we come back to Posner Hall after 10 weeks of "Suits and Clients".

Suraj Sharma, MBA 2009, is originally from India. The picture features Neena Buddhiraja, MBA 2009 and Suraj Sharma performing during the International Festival 2008

  

Life in the ‘Burgh: By Ammar Baray

“Not too big, not too small…just right!” That’s how I would describe Pittsburgh. After coming to the U.S. from Pakistan in August 2007, I have been fortunate enough to travel all the way to the West Coast, New York, New Jersey, D.C. and more, but I’ve always been glad to be back and that says a lot for the city. Of course, the Tepper life and the people at school have a lot to do with it too. There’s always something to do and something to look forward to and for a person who is just generally interested in EVERYTHING, it’s the ideal place to be.

Sports lovers have a chance to play league or just practice with their classmates to keep themselves in shape (I am still recovering from the volleyball tournament from Wharton!). Social animals have various parties to go to around the year, in addition to the weekly Pub Crawls and B**rs. Musicians amongst you can just take a walk across the street from Tepper and end up in a building dedicated to students of music.  Add to this the malls, the theaters, poker nights, high-profile Speaker Series, carnivals, international festivals, or just enjoying the four very distinct seasons every year.

The diversity of people at Carnegie Mellon just adds that extra flavor to everything you do. Looking down from Mount Washington the other day, I realized how much my experience so far can be described by The Point, where the three different rivers meet.

  

Ammar Baray, MBA 2009, is originally from Pakistan. The picture features (L-R) Rahul Saxena, MBA 2009 and Ammar Baray at the Holiday Party 2007 

 

Life at Tepper: By Erfan Gunawan

Life at Tepper fits my imagination of what life at business school is: Energetic and Full of Ideas. Those feelings are amplified because Tepper is a very small program (~200 Full-Time students per year). This is really what attracted me to Tepper in the first place because you have loads of chances to be involved in the community and to make a difference. Indeed, students and the administrative offices work together to make Tepper a better place on a continual basis. It is worth mentioning that at Tepper, most activities are student-driven, which befittingly is what a school of management ought to promote from its students.

Another aspect that I like about the school is Tepper’s mini-curriculum. It’s perfect for career changers.  It may be rough during the transition period, but once you learn the rhythm, you’ll learn a ton. You’ll get heavy doses of Operations, Finance, Economics, and Ethics!   Then, there is the Speaker Series where industry experts are invited to give a talk to educate students.  Who can say no to that?  Think about free breakfasts/lunches/dinners while boosting your knowledge in industries of your choosing. Last but not the least, we have Friday B**rs!  It’s a perfect disguise for cash-stricken students to socialize and to undo some excess learning from the full-packed mini-semester. All in all, this has been a very rewarding experience so far. One that is worth going broke for (at least for a couple of years of no income). Don’t take my word for it. Come here and experience it yourself.

 

Erfan Gunawan, MBA 2009, is originally from Indonesia. Erfan(leftmost in the picture) can usually be found at the University Center playing volleyball

  

Diversity atTepper: By Ryuji Kusumoto

Diversity of thoughts, backgrounds and experiences - those are the reasons why I came to Tepper for my MBA, and I’ve continually been amazed at the vibrant environment and how much I’ve learned from the faculty and my classmates. The diverse set of backgrounds and creativity my classmates bring to solving problems helps me learn more about my own strengths as well as opportunities for growth.  Most of the courses focus on a team-based approach where you can push yourself in a safe environment that encourages everyone to take risks and try something new. The need for a diverse workforce is becoming a necessity as more businesses compete in the global marketplace, and my time at Tepper has given me the knowledge and confidence that I can solve any business problem I will face.

 

Ryuji Kusumoto, MBA 2009, is originally from Japan. The picture shows Ryuji Kusumoto conducting the “Japan for Dummies” session at the International Festival 2008

  

What to do in your ‘free time’: By Himal Rajbansi

“What do you do after grueling four days of classes each week?"  The answer – find complementary activities. Besides the several activities in the campus, students organize many events in the city. Thursday night Pub Crawl is quite interesting as students make sure it is time to radically balance their academic life with revelry. Visiting various bars around the city gives us, especially those not from Pittsburgh, a chance to know the night life in the city.

The Diwali Party at Professor Kekre’s house, the get-togethers in restaurants and bars, wine tasting events around the town organized by the Wine Club, social networking with other departments and other schools - all of them provide you with great opportunities to experience diverse cultures and know exciting people.

 

Himal Rajbansi, MBA 2009, is originally from Nepal. The picture features Harneet Kaur, MBA 2009 (left), Amogh Nayak, MISM 2008 (centre) and Himal Rajbansi (right)