Author: Skip Morrell

Starting the full-time MBA at Ohio State without a business background was intimidating. I wasn’t sure how quickly I’d adjust or whether the coursework would feel out of reach. One semester in, I’m encouraged by how much I’ve learned and how supported I’ve felt along the way by great classmates and professors. For anyone considering the program from a non-business path, here are a few insights from my experience so far. 1. You learn a lot – very quickly. The first semester lays the foundation for understanding the world of business - and it moves quickly.

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.