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The class of 2018 graduated on May 10, 2018 in a two-hour ceremony attended by family, friends, and faculty. I asked several classmates to reflect upon the last two years:

What were some of your favorite memories of your time in the Leeds MBA program?

Steena: TNOs, Proms, and other outside events. Class is fine too - but some relax time with the peers outside of school are some of my best memories. 

Erika: Tailgating and our Kelty experiential marketing campaign! We were able to “double dip” and have fun while completing a class project that had real impact for a local brand. 

Ian: When we all went out in Downtown Boulder for drinks after our first round of finals. It was a really amazing collective night to bond with the cohort. Getting to travel to Thailand with classmates over winter break was amazing; we went with our International classmate Sirada and got to experience the country in a way that was much different with a local connection.

Kevin: Meeting some great people who I can now call some of my best friends

If you could re-do one thing over the last two years, what would it be?

Erika: I wish I had taken one more of the accounting/finance type classes.  It would have helped strengthen my hard skills.

Ian: I would have taken more quant/analytical classes.  You can’t get enough of that in this world. I would have tried to be more involved in Entrepreneurial Solutions.  (Link to this!)

What are the top things you are taking away from the program?

Erika: Some of the “soft skills” classes require more effort, energy, and thought—if you put the work in, you will get a ton out of them. 

Kevin: Network, network, network. The more people you know, the more likely you are to land your dream job

What advice do you have for incoming students?

Steena: Realize that you are never going to get it ALL done. You have to prioritize and figure out what needs the most attention. Sometimes this might mean skipping some of the reading to go to a yoga class. Taking time for yourself should be a top priority. Also, take some classes outside the business school. 

Erika: It’s fine!  It’s fine.  Everything is fine. 

What was your favorite class in the MBA Program?

Erika: Market Intel with Mostafa.  He was a great teacher—super funny and has a great way of presenting the material. 

Ian: I have a tie between New Product Development and Entrepreneurial Finance.  NPD changes how you think about things.  Jay is a guy who consistently pushes back; it makes you really think about what you’re doing and improve.  He provides real, constructive feedback.  It was a great way to learn.  Entrepreneurial finance was really good at developing financial modeling skills.  You learn how to communicate complex ideas concisely, and operate in ambiguity.

Steena: Applied Finance. It was a tough class, but Natalie is great and I learned a ton!

Kevin: Sustainable Ventures - in that class I was able to learn how to think of entrepreneurial ventures that are both financially feasible and socially responsible.