MBA Student By Day, ‘Hamilton’ Dancer By Night

It’s one thing to be an MBA student. It’s another to be an MBA student while performing six days per week in the Hamilton ensemble.

For Sam Aberman, a Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) student at UCLA Anderson School of Management, it’s just regular life. In an exclusive interview with UCLA, Aberman described her diverse background and how she’s been able to balance being both a poet and a quant in UCLA’s FEMBA program.

A ‘CAREER SUPPLEMENTER’

Aberman, originally a dance major at the University of Florida, could never be solely defined by one thing and one thing only. At the University of Florida, she also studied applied physiology and kinesiology. Since then, she has had a tenured position performing on a cruise ship, worked as an intern at a cake shop, enjoyed a stint as a personal trainer, and labored at a law firm—all before landing a role on Hamilton. Aberman’s path has been unique and she describes herself as a “career supplementer,” as opposed to a career switcher.

“I’d perform for a while and my brain would itch and lead me to pursue something else,” she says. “For most creative people, that journey isn’t unusual — it’s an asset to not necessarily have such a direct line to a final career outcome.”

THE VALUE OF DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

To many, Aberman’s varied career path may seem strange. But her variety of experiences was a perfect match for UCLA Anderson’s FEMBA program. According to the UCLA, the FEMBA Admissions Committee “values diverse perspectives gained through studying and interacting with professionals from a variety of functional areas, industry segments and cultural backgrounds. Candidates are carefully selected for their overall abilities and the contributions they make to their own educational process.”

Aberman, interested in pursuing her interest in business, decided to apply to UCLA’s FEMBA program.

“I’ve always had a desire to run my own business — or run someone else’s,” she says. “It could be in any field. I wanted to develop confidence, to be able to have someone trust me with their business.”

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Since being accepted to UCLA’s FEMBA program, it seems she’s found a place to call home.

“I’ve realized my strengths as the program has gone on,” Aberman says. “I bring to the table skills I might have felt awkward claiming before.”

Sources: UCLA, UCLA

Next Page: IIM Ahmedabad drops Bachelor’s degree requirement

Navaratri, an Indian festival, is celebrated with great energy at the campus of IIM Ahmedabad

A B-school in India has updated its MBA admissions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to no longer require bachelor’s degrees.

At Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, applicants will instead be selected based on a scale of 25 on the basis of Class 10, Class 12 marks, and the candidate’s work experience.

“The admission of the students will now be done on a scale of 25 on the basis of Class 10, Class 12 marks, and the candidate’s work experience,” according to an official notice by the institute. “The AR now will be computed on a scale of 25 (considering class 10 and class 12 marks as well as the candidate’s work experience) and the points will be pro-rated to 35.”

FORMULA FOR ADMISSIONS

IIM Ahmedabad will use the following formula to compute applicants’ Composite Score (CS): CS = 0.35* (Pro-rated AR Score/35) + 0.65* (Normalised overall CAT Score) Where Pro-rated AR Score = [(AR score computed by taking 0 points for a Bachelor’s degree)/25] * 35.

Additionally, the CAT committee has introduced admission criteria that allows applicants to take the CAT- 2021 exam without requiring any minimum percentage of marks in bachelor’s degree.

Sources: Republicworld.com, News18, The Indian Express

Next Page: Dartmouth Tuck tops $250 million dollar fund-raising goal.

More than 75% of Tuck alumni have contributed to the Tuck Difference campaign

Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business has surpassed its $250 million goal set at the start its Tuck Difference campaign, which aims to “expand access to business education, build capabilities of tomorrow’s leaders, and guide career journeys.” Since formally launching in 2018, the campaign has received contributions from more than 75% of Tuck alumni.

“From the beginning, The Tuck Difference campaign has been a collaborative effort to identify and invest in the qualities that most distinguish Tuck in the world of business education,” Dean Matthew J. Slaughter says in a press release. “The remarkable progress we have made is a credit to the abundant generosity of alumni, the leadership of our Advisory Board and Council members, as well as the dedication and creativity of faculty and staff colleagues who have helped us build upon our vision of what Tuck is and what we can become in the years ahead.”

3 MAIN INVESTMENT PRIORITIES

As the campaign enters its final phase, Tuck is focusing on three main investment priorities: Expanding Access to Business Education, Building Capabilities of Tomorrow’s Leaders, and Guiding Career Journeys.

The first priority, Expanding Access to Business Education, focuses on supporting talent and diversity throughout all of Tuck’s programs and opening new avenues to business education.

“Responding to increasing competition among peer MBA programs, Tuck has doubled the total number of scholarships offered to incoming MBA students—helping to enroll exceptional students who may not otherwise choose Tuck,” Adam Sylvain, Assistant Director of Marketing Communications at Tuck, writes. “Campaign gifts have also supported in-demand programs like Tuck Business Bridge and TuckLAB, which provide foundational business knowledge, skills, and experiences for undergraduate students.”

The second priority, Building Capabilities of Tomorrow’s Leaders, aims to endow students with the necessary soft and hard skills to solve critical societal and business challenges.

“To prepare inclusive leaders who can effectively navigate today’s complex business and societal challenges, Tuck has invested in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and laid out a roadmap for future progress in its DEI Strategic Review and Action Plan,” Sylvain writes.

The last priority, Guiding Career Journeys, is all about ensuring the Tuck education is integrated over the life and career of all students and graduates.

“Within the third campaign priority, Guiding Career Journeys, the school has made considerable strides in expanding the range of Tuck Alumni Lifelong Learning (TALL) offerings and career services available to alumni,” Sylvain writes. “TALL now encompasses a growing suite of programs and activities—including Faculty Briefings, Insights in Practice, Tuck Insider, and Career Dispatches.”

Sources: Dartmouth College, Dartmouth College

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