What Emily Dickinson knew about business school...
Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned. -- Emily Dickinson
Imagine my delight! Eight years after completing my undergraduate degree in English and Classical Civilization, I arrive on campus to start my MBA at Fisher, and I'm greeted by the above quote, carved into stone in the Fisher quad. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised to see an American poet quoted at a business school, but after 10 days of orientation, I completely understand why this quote was chosen to represent the school. The faculty and staff at Fisher are here to train leaders - complete with strong quantitative skills, the ability to interact effectively with people of all cultures, an awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses, and perhaps most importantly, a desire to work hard to achieve their goals. It was made quite clear to the incoming class that hard work is what leads to success; whether it's networking a little every day, meeting with your core teams to discuss what's going on in class, or jumping right in to interview training and job searching. Fortune's expensive smile IS earned, and I believe Fisher is going to be a great place to do so.