Class of 2019 のShoです。
いよいよ、卒業まで一ヶ月となりました。
今回は、同級生にこの２年間で得たものなどについて、
インタビューをしてみました。
インタビューした同級生は、Justineというフィリピン出身で、
卒業後はシアトルにあるコンサルティングファームに就職する人です。
彼を選んだのは、付き合いが深く良く飲みに行ったりしてるというのと、
多くのインターナショナルが苦戦しているアメリカ就職を成功させているからです。
インタビューメモを見てて、
ここはもうちょっと踏み込んで聞けば良かったな、
もっとRossのいいところだけでなくイマイチな所も引き出したかったな、
と感じたりしました。
が、インタビュー形式の記事を書くのは初めてというのと、
同級生にはサシで飲みに行った時に、その場で突然依頼した、
という事を加味すると、それなりに色々引き出せたのかなと思います。
ブログを書くため、というのが目的でやったものの、
友人の知らない一面を見る事ができ、楽しんでインタビューする事が出来ました。
なので、今後も時間を見つけて同級生へインタビューしてみようと思います。
さて、長い前置きはここまでにしておいて、そろそろ本題に入ります。
（以下、英語でお伝えします)
＜Table of contents>
1.Profile of the classmate
Name : Justine
Hometown : Manila, Philippines
Undergrad : University of the Philippines,
Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering
Work experience : Engineer at an Oil & Gas Company (1yr),
Manager at lighting contractor (family business, 4yrs)
After Ross : Consulting Firm in Seattle
2.Main questions I’ve asked
-Why did you choose Ross?
-What was your career goal and how did you achieve that?
-What kind of advice would you give to yourself when you were an applicant?
3.Interview
(Note: Justine(J), Sho(S))
(Note2: Some parts of the conversation might look odd because we were a bit drunk. But I made minimal modifications since I wanted to deliver a “real” conversation )
<After we started drinking and had some conversations at the bar>
S: Well, mind if I start asking you questions?
J: Yeah, but don’t be too hard on me, haha.
S: I’ll do my best. So first question, why did you choose Ross?
J: Primarily, to get into consulting - I was looking for schools which are strong in that. Also, I wanted to go to a school where I would be placed far from my comfort zone. For example, I wanted to go to an area where there would be no strong Philippine community. If there was a strong Philippine community, I could see myself relying on it. There are many Filipinos in the west coast so I did not focus on applying to schools there. Additionally, I wanted to go to a completely different environment. The weather and atmosphere in the west coast are somewhat similar to the Philippines, so that's another reason I was less attracted to that area.
S: Mmm, I see. So I know you got accepted to other schools. What impacted your decision in choosing the school?
J:The people I met before making the decision were really impactful. They were really helpful and that made a good impression on me since I wanted to be in a community that has a strong culture of helping each other.
S: I think most people you meet during the application process are helpful. What specifically stood out among other schools?
J: I guess, if I were to try to express it more quantitatively, people from Ross had the highest response rate and response quality.
S: Quality? What do you mean?
J: I felt that they were being honest. They didn't seem as biased. They told me the pros and cons of Ross in a balanced manner. They also offered to continue connecting afterwards. Overall, I felt that they were "genuine"
S: What was your goal before Ross?
J: To get into consulting and get out of my comfort zone, mainly. I struggled a bit at first with those goals, but was able to manage and improve.
S: What were your struggles? Tell me about it.
J: Part of it was struggling to connect with some classmates who were from different cultures. Also, I started to have doubts about the value of my professional experience. I do not have a traditional background - most of my experience comes from managing our small family business, when most classmates gained their experience from big well-known corporations. Initially, I thought that the uniqueness of my experience would have made me stand out, but the companies I applied to were not as interested. Over time, I was able to polish my story to highlight my strengths and also gain more valuable experience.
S: How did you do that?
J: Mostly by reflecting on interviews with companies and mock interviews with classmates. They gave me different viewpoints which were very helpful for me. Also, actual work experience through my internship and MAP helped me understand how my past experience could translate to accomplishments in industries which are very different from industries I’ve worked in.
S: I think that can be achieved by going to other B- schools.
J: Other schools don't have MAP! Working with a group of talented classmates was an important experience. Talking about MAP, I also think that Ross’ action-based learning approach has been important.
S: Why?
J: Being a student does not feel as natural to me. I feel much more comfortable working. Ross’ approach is closer to actual work which allows me to enjoy learning and so, learn more easily.
S: Observing you as a student, you look "natural" as a student and I'm skeptical about you saying that you're not comfortable being a student.
J: When I was taking my undergraduate degree, I wasn’t as passionate about studying. I studied engineering and, in that world, the answers are much more well defined and there would usually be one best way to look at a problem. I did not enjoy that as much.
Compared to this, I really enjoyed what I was learning here [in Ross] which made studying not as stressful. In business, things are much more ambiguous. There are basic concepts from which you build up answers with reasoning and logic, but you'll never know if that answer is right and will work in an actual business environment. Just studying concepts will not help you succeed in business. Challenging myself and gaining experience in that ambiguous environment is, for me, much more exciting.
S: So you decided to go to a consulting firm in Seattle. How did Ross help you with that?
J: Randy (Staff at CDO, career development office) introduced me to an alumnus who works in the consulting firm I will be joining.
S: Oh, really? Why did Randy introduce the firm to you?
J: Randy and I have a good relationship. I cased a lot with him and he gave me lots of good feedback. One of the alumnus from that firm contacted Randy, looking for students who would be interested in full-time opportunities doing consulting long-term. He introduced me to the alumnus probably because I had that good relationship.
S: What kind of advice would you give to yourself while going into Ross?
J: I felt that I should have connected with the community more. People here are very interested in others, and their experiences. Also, I should have been more open to asking for help from people around me.
S: When did you feel that? Can you elaborate more?
J: An example would be when I was leading the ASEAN business association. At that time, I was struggling with recruiting but did not let the other board members know about this since I did not want to be a burden. I could have been more open and asked for help but I ended up not doing that.
S: I think I asked you all the question I wanted to ask you. Anything that you want to add? Can be a piece of advice to prospective students.
J: Be careful when Sho asks you to go drinking as he might suddenly interview you! Haha.
S: Haha, that might be true.
J: Well, more seriously, there really is a large number of opportunities at Ross. The problem would be to choose which opportunities to pursue. Try to understand yourself - think about what matters to you most, and be sure that what you pursue aligns with that.
S: Great. Thanks for taking the interview!
<Resume with the drinking and the casual conversation>
