Author: Skip Morrell

If you had a free day in Columbus, how would you spend it? It’s a tougher question than it might seem. Columbus offers an impressive range of experiences. Some well-known options - Ohio State football games or the lively Short North Arts District - come to mind.

When you hear the word “finance,” what is the first image that comes to mind? If you’re anything like me, you probably imagine a scene from your favorite Wall Street movie—bankers in sleek suits crunching numbers in a top floor board room. You probably don’t picture a 460,000 square foot production plant for pipe tool manufacturing in Elyria, Ohio.  This is exactly why our Finance Career and Industry Immersion Academy (CIIA) took a class trip this month to Ridgid Tool Company. The goal?

What should I expect on day one of the Full-Time MBA program? Will I fit in with my classmates? Do I really belong here?  These questions and concerns filled my mind coming into the first day of the weeklong pre-term session. I’m happy to share that, through the pre-term experience, I met many wonderful, talented, and kind classmates, learned an enormous amount about business, teamwork, and personal growth, and created a concrete, actionable plan to thrive here at Ohio State academically, professionally, and socially.