For those not familiar with Jump Start, it’s basically a crash course in Accounting, Quant, and Finance designed to bring all incoming MBA students up to speed on concepts we’ll be expected to understand come the start of classes. It’s been a great way to get back into the swing of the school mentality without the pressure of handing in assignments and taking tests (that count, because we did do multiple quizzes and even finished off our accounting course with a ‘final’).

In addition to the academic side of things, Jump Start has also been a great way for me to meet some of my classmates and become close with those proficient in Excel. My own lack of expertise was made public very early on by our Quant professor, Thomas Gilbert, when we were asked, by raise of hands, who had limited experience with Excel. Sitting in the back row, I had no problem saving face and I raised my hand high over my head. I didn’t realize I had just sealed my fate as the barometer for the rest of the week for how well the class was understanding the Excel functions. “Jeff, does that make sense?” “Jeff, are we good?”. Those questions definitely kept me on my toes during my first week of the MBA experience, and also served as the means of meeting a lot of my classmates.

Beyond the classes, it was really good to see the MBA culture take shape during this first week. There seems to be a lot of talk about the collaborative environment and a culture of teamwork fostered in most MBA programs. I got to see this teamwork first-hand as classmates seated around me offered a helping hand throughout the Quant and Finance sections. Some even fell behind as the professor pressed forward, just to make sure I was understanding all of the content. It was nice to see it wasn’t solely lip service, but that our collaborative culture within the Foster family has begun forming just in this first week.

Wrapping up the adventures of the Jump Start experience, it’s worth noting the incredible experience that served as the grand finale. Our beloved Huskies beat the #3 ranked USC Trojans and I rushed the field with my Foster colleagues! So much for my feelings of disappointment for choosing a school with a sub-par football program. Go Dawgs!!

Guest Blogger: E. Jeff Hullinger, Foster MBA Class of 2011