What should I be doing now?
Review the Onboarding Checklist to confirm that you are on track in submitting administrative items to help us prepare for your first day. You can access the Onboarding Checklist in your applicant portal. (Login to the Applicant Portal and click the ONBOARDING tab at the top.)
Featured checklist items:
- Clear holds in ESTHER
Login to ESTHER and begin clearing the required holds that will prevent your registration for courses. Instructions to clear holds are available here.
- Media waiver
Complete the media waiver required of all students. Click here to access the Media Waiver.
If you have not already done so, please complete your Onboarding Form and your Student Directory Form.
Time is running out to start completing your Health Data Form, which is due July 1. The Health Data Form requires you to gather documentation of vaccinations and may require consultation with your healthcare provider. Please start working on completion of this form now, as you will not be able to register as a student without it on file.
Welcome from the Rice Business Student Association
Class of 2025,
On behalf of the Class of 2024: Welcome to Houston, and welcome to Rice Business! These next two years will be nonstop, so get ready! We are so excited for you join our community this fall. In the meantime, we have listed some key points of advice to best prepare you for making this MBA transition.
Take every opportunity to bond with your future network. Not long after beginning your launch week, tons of opportunities across clubs, leadership development, and recruitment will come into your peripheral. While the key to success for any MBA student is finding that right level of balance, this program goes by in the blink of an eye. Keep an open mind and try out lots of different things; you can always decide later which ones you end up wanting to focus on. Look into:
· Network with classmates & alumni: The strength of our brand goes hand-in-hand with the community we start building during these two years together. Take some time to begin reaching out to fellow students as well as recent alumni working in industries you’re considering. You never know where these relationships will take you down the road.
· Affinity, Professional, & Social Clubs: A good rule of thumb is to choose at least 1 from each type to get started. A challenge to your class: Try to pick out a set of clubs that allow you to network with different social groups so you can make a lot more authentic connections before the semester has you bogged down with work.
· Partios: A weekly ritual and RBSA’s flagship social event series, Partio starts first thing in August. Our social chairs Sunny Patil and Molley Sheriff have already been hard at work planning out themes for the coming year. Always feel free to reach out to them if you have a suggestion to improve the Partio experience!
· Rice Follies: At the end of the year, we all let off some steam with Follies, our homegrown sketch show. Trust us, by the time you end year 1, it’ll all make sense!
Adopt the recruiting mindset. At the end of the day, this is going to be the most daunting task on your list as a first-year student. Most companies will not be seriously considering candidates until late fall/early spring, so you have lots of time to prepare. A brief checklist to keep you organized for now:
- Research what industries MBAs go into, and consider what kinds of roles you’re open to
- Reflect on your past work/life experiences to think about the most valuable skills you bring to any organization
- Develop a plan B
- Begin attending company information sessions as they become available, and don’t limit yourself to just your shortlist
- Schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with your CDO advisor to talk through your recruiting goals
- Start finding other students to practice interviews and/or casing with
While recruiting can be stressful and intimidating, don’t get caught up in other people’s journeys. Everyone will progress at different paces, so don’t compare yourself to others and focus on the actions within your control. Making yourself available to practice interviews and provide moral support to your classmates will only further strengthen your MBA community beyond the end of these two years.
Take care of yourself. The MBA is a marathon, not a sprint. Burnout is real. There is going to be a point in the semester when life overwhelms you as you work to balance all your responsibilities. You don’t have to feel isolated in your struggles: vulnerability is not weakness. Rice Business has an assortment of resources to support you during times of need, and we encourage you to take advantage of the following:
· Office of Academic Programs and Student Experience (APSE)
· Kisa Parker for Academic Success (kisa.parker@rice.edu)
· Professors
· Wyzant Tutoring (covered by Rice Business)
· Mentor Collective - you’ll receive a second-year or recent alumni mentor Second-years
· Fellow first-years (get yourself a study group!)
· Counseling (gratis for students)
· Grow your leadership capacity and internal resources through Doerr Institute for New Leaders.
You can always reach out to your RBSA Leadership Team with questions/concerns. Once again, congratulations on your decision to come to Rice Business. Plenty of adventures await you over these next two years, and we cannot wait to see what you’ll accomplish. Please do not hesitate to let our board know what we can do to support you along the way.
Sincerely,
Amy Tanguay and Ahmad Tipu
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