on a semester of undergrad business

18 dec 2024

Maybe I wouldn't have written this if I wasn't paying an extra $20,000 a year.

A few disclaimers before we start. First, I speak solely on my experiences in undergrad business at UVA. Other programs may differ. Second, I'm an introvert.

you're probably not going to meet Steve Jobs

Let's start with the elephant in the room. "Ohh, but you'll make so many valuable connections!"

I'd like you to step back and think for a moment, though. Compare the 300 20-or-so business undergrads at your school with the 900 30-or-so Harvard MBAs. It's like seed versus Series C. I'm not trying to discount anyone. But the MBAs will have significantly more work and life experience. And there's more of them. It's statistically more likely you'll develop meaningful professional relationships that way, if that's what you're looking for.

The value-add of an undergrad business community is also extremely dependent on school culture. It's crucial that you consider whether your own interests align with those who are either interested or part of the program already. Ask around and do your DD. Talk to everyone, not just friends. Are they actually learning? Are they just glazing? Are you experiencing uncontrollable physical discomfort listening to the finance bro talk about weighted vega exposure?

UVA in particular is a very consulting and finance pipeline-oriented school. There's not much buzz around student founders and startups. Prestige orbits around student investment funds and investment clubs instead.

as non-technical as it gets

My second issue is with the curriculum. To give some context, for the fall semester, UVA business students are organized into "blocks" of 50 students each. From there, you spend 4 days a week, 3 hours a day with these 49 fellow souls.

One of the more unpleasant aspects of my college experience were the block-wide in-class discussions. Have you ever tried to hold a coherent discussion with 50 people? Oh, and did I mention that 30 out of the 50 people have their hands raised at any given moment, desperately vying to speak next, because you're graded on participation?

This system isn't great for two reasons. First, no one is listening to what other people say. If you are listening, you're only listening to make sure Bob doesn't steal your idea (and when he inevitably does, you hit everyone with the, "to build off of what Bob was saying..."). Second, the structure of the discussion is hub-and-spoke, rather than network. The hub, in this case, is the professor. People say things to seem insightful to the professor, which doesn't necessarily align with building a constructive discussion. On top of this, people automatically assume everything the professor says is right.

The material you're assigned to read isn't exactly the most thought provoking, either. I kid you not -- at least 80% of the stuff is just from HBS and HBR (and you have to pay for the course packs independently). Let's just say you're not going to develop independent and contrarian thinking by burying your head in the readings.

all in all

So, what did I actually learn? How to work with other people. I suspect this is something most only learn after getting their first job. Group work over long periods of time is humbling. At some point, I got mad at my teammates for whatever reasons. Then, I realized they're all living unfathomably complex lives, and every person is good at different things. Sonder. Who am I to judge? Then I got mad again. Repeat the cycle for 3 or 4 more times, and you should come out a better person.

All this being said, if you apply and get accepted, what I write here likely won't matter too much. And that's okay. The purpose of this was not to discourage anyone.

If I had to do it again? Of course. Amor fati.