If you’ve ever considered attending graduate school, it’s likely you’ve had a question or two about the application process—we receive questions about completing the application all the time!

Because of that, we decided to outline the five major portions of the graduate school application and describe the requirements for each. That way, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect if you decide to apply. Check them out below!

5 Components Of The Grad School Application

1. Essays

Essays are a major part of the graduate school application—each applicant is required to write at least one (and sometimes two). Here’s an example of a possible essay topic:

Describe the career that you would like to pursue after earning a graduate degree. Address issues such as whether you are entering the business world for the first time, changing fields, or advancing in a field or organization where you expect to remain. Why have you chosen this particular career?

There are no format or length requirements for these essays, but spelling, grammar, and tone are all important.

Tip: Your essay(s) should be a reflection of who you are. They’re the school’s first chance to get to know you on an individual level, so with that in mind, make them personal.

2. Entrance Exams

There are two entrance exams you can choose from when applying to graduate school: the GMAT and GRE. Because everyone takes them, these exams act as an equalizer, giving schools an impartial way to compare applicants and determine their eligibility. This is especially helpful in programs that are very competitive with limited seating.

Whether you take the GMAT or GRE is entirely up to you (assuming the school of your choice accepts both), so take whichever test you feel most comfortable with. To learn about the difference between these tests, check out our thoughts about the GMAT vs. the GRE.

Tip: To help determine which test is right for you, take practice tests to become familiar with the subject matter and format of each.

3. Recommendations

Two recommendations are usually required to evaluate your professional and academic abilities and potential. The recommendation form (found in the application) includes a rating system that your recommenders will use to assess your abilities and personal traits, as well as an open-ended section so they can speak freely about you.

Tip: Consider your recommenders very carefully, just like you would a reference for a job—you want to choose the two people who will be your best advocates.

4. Work Experience & Resume

Along with completing the appropriate amount of post-graduate, full-time work required for your specific graduate program, you’ll need to include an up-to-date resume with your application. Whether you have one year of experience in 10 jobs, or 10 years of experience in one job, your story will give the information needed to make a decision.

Your resume should include a description of what you’ve done in the past, as well as how you’ve done it and why. It’s important that your resume be results-oriented, meaning you should focus on the things you’ve taken away from your experiences.

Tip: The way you set up your resume can be adjusted to fit your needs. If you know that you’re lacking in a certain area, use other relevant information to fill in the gaps.

5. Interview

After the school’s admissions office has read your resume, you may be asked to complete an interview. This can be done in person for those in the school’s area or via online video conference for out-of-state or international applicants.

During the interview, you’re asked randomly selected questions by the admissions officer and your answers are usually recorded. The admissions office will review your answers along with your application.

Tip: Do research and prepare for the interview in advance. To learn some commonly asked MBA interview questions, check out 12 MBA Interview Questions You’ll Likely Be Asked.

Do Your Best

As you consider the idea of graduate school, it’s important to understand the application process so you can allow yourself enough time to complete it to the best of your abilities.

If you want a more in-depth look at the graduate school application, along with more tips and free tools to help you complete your app, download our all-inclusive white paper: An Instruction Manual For The Grad School Application.

If you’ve heard about big data (which, let’s be honest, who hasn’t?) you’ve probably heard that there’s been a giant storm of data analytics jobs flooding the market recently. But is that really true? And if it is, what industries are growing the most?

We decided to look at some data to find out, and what we discovered was pretty surprising! Here’s a look at where data analytics careers currently stand and what to do if you want to get one of these jobs.

Where Are The Analytics Jobs?

Jobs dealing with big data and analytics really have skyrocketed in the last year, according to a study conducted by Forbes using WANTED Analytics. These jobs are even making their way into traditional spheres of business, such as finance, marketing, and operations.

According to this study, the top five industries hiring big-data-related expertise as of June 2015 are professional, scientific, and technical services (25%), information technologies (17%), manufacturing (15%), finance and insurance (9%), and retail trade (8%).

The following table shows the distribution of open positions by occupation and the percentage of growth in job demand over 12 months.

As you can see, there is a great need for big data expertise in the business and IT realms. The need for data-savvy sales representatives increased by a massive 837%, management analysts increased by 232%, and information technology project managers increased by 216%.

The most in-demand skills associated with these jobs have also been changing over the past year. A comparison of data from the end of 2014 to June 2015 shows that Python programming was in highest demand, but now the need for VMWare experience is greater.

December 2014

June 2015

What’s more, the median salary for professionals with big data and analytics expertise increased from $103,000 to $104,850 in the six-month period. And according to Linda Burtch of Burtch Works Recruiting, that number will continue to rise.

“Companies looking to recruit big data professionals will need to make sure their [salary] bands are competitive and think of other ways to lure talent, especially given the likelihood that they will be competing with multiple offers.”

That means the jobs are out there, and the outlook is good for those who possess data analytics skills. But where do you get these skills if you don’t already have them?

Where Can You Get Analytics Skills?

Aside from the skills listed above, there are many things a data analyst should know how to do in order to get a job in today’s market.

Some people argue that you can learn these skills on your own through self-taught courses or research. However, as Linda says in another Burtch Works article, the best way to learn these skills is through a high-quality education.

“Data scientists are highly educated—88% have at least a master’s degree and 46% have PhDs. While there are notable exceptions, a very strong educational background is usually required to develop the depth of knowledge necessary to be a data scientist.”

While personal research and practice can certainly help you develop analytical skills, a graduate program that focuses on a true understanding of data interpretation and manipulation with guided, real-world experience is the most effective way to learn. Not to mention, employers will likely favor job candidates who have their degree over those who don’t.

Bentley’s Masters of Business Analytics program gives students a firm grounding in the use of analytics to identify trends and patterns and to refine and develop strategies suggested by data. It focuses largely on how to apply these strategies in a business environment and how to use the data for predictive analysis—something that is essential to companies today.

Join The Big Data Trend

It’s pretty obvious that the field of analytics is hot right now and will only get hotter as more companies realize the importance of collecting and analyzing data for their business. For those who possess the right skills, a well-paying job in analytics won’t be hard to find. The best way to get those skills is to get a master’s degree.

Is a job in big data waiting for you?

There are thousands of graduate schools in the U.S., and each one of those schools offer multiple graduate programs. Simple math tells us that’s a lot of programs to choose from when deciding on a master’s degree. But how do you know which one is best for you?

It would probably help to know which of those programs stand out from the crowd.

That’s why we’ve highlighted five graduate programs that are different than all of the rest. These schools have implemented innovative solutions to provide students with a relevant, competitive business education, and make real-world knowledge a top priority. Take a look at these programs to see if one might be right for you.

1. The University Of Vermont’s Sustainable Entrepreneurship M.B.A.

The University of Vermont’s School of Business Administration created its new Sustainable Entrepreneurship M.B.A. (SEMBA) in January of 2014, in the hopes of bringing forth innovative future business leaders in-tune with diverse and productive business practices. The program itself is 12 months long, and is broken down into nine months of classroom experience and three months of hands on practicum.

What’s unique about the SEMBA is that it’s curriculum focuses on ethics, entrepreneurship, poverty, and inequality—four things entrepreneurs are facing in the 21st century business environment. The practicum project is a full-time, hands-on experiential engagement with either existing companies or new ventures from the US or around the world, where students deliver a detailed and comprehensive business action plan for the host organization. At the end of the program, students will pitch their plans to a panel of executives, chief sustainability officers, entrepreneurs, financiers, and the host organization.

2. George Washington University’s Global M.B.A.

The George Washington University School of Business developed its Global M.B.A. to enable students with a real-world-based overseas consultancy program. The full-time program is 21 months long, and has 11 concentrations to choose from, including entrepreneurship, finance, global management, and information systems and technology management.

Students spend the first year of the program taking required courses with 40-45 classmates. Classes are held Monday through Wednesday during the day, and include lectures, working on case studies and team projects, and participating in experiential learning opportunities. At the end of the first year, students begin the unique Consulting Abroad Project, a nine-week study led by a faculty member who guides a team through real-life consulting engagement for a global firm. Seven of the nine weeks are spent in D.C. doing research, and the final two weeks are spent abroad in the firm’s home country to deliver the newly constructed business strategies.

3. The University Of Illinois’ M.S. In Financial Engineering

The University of Illinois’ M.S. in Financial Engineering (MSFE) is unique because it covers a relatively new area—financial risk management pioneered with math and programmable knowledge. The field has emerged due to the growing complexity in describing and solving business problems dealing with economic principles and finance theory.

The MSFE is a three-semester program. The first semester consists of basic economics, finance, statistics, and programming. The second semester focuses on risk management, stochastic calculus, and the optimization of numerical methods. The final semester is where students apply what they’ve learned, conducting a semester-long inquiry into a problem posed by a corporate sponsor.

4. The University of Michigan’s Global M.B.A.

The University of Michigan’s School of Business developed its Global M.B.A. to meet the needs of corporate-sponsored students who will return to their companies after graduation. The program is 16 months long, but has the option to extend to 22 months based on students’ needs.

The program begins with an introduction to written and oral managerial communications, and continues with quantitative courses. What sets this program apart is that during the first two semesters, students will spend three months in Asia—one month in each Korea, Japan, and China. The program also features a Multidisciplinary Action Project, which requires students develop solutions that address demands in national and international corporate, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit organizations.

5. Bentley University’s M.S. In Human Factors In Information Design

Bentley University’s M.S. In Human Factors In Information Design (MSHFID) was created to educate leaders in the user experience (UX) profession. The program helps students focus on the strategic role that UX plays in competitively positioning a business, and creates a comprehensive understanding of human behavior and how that impacts product design and optimizing UX.

There are several things that make this program unique. One is that the UX field is relatively new, and while other schools are just beginning to offer specialized degrees in it, Bentley has has been offering the MSHFID for 15 years. Another unique aspect of this degree is that students can choose a research-based approach, a design-based approach, or a hybrid of the two. There is a California campus for this degree, based in San Francisco, where students get more instruction on west coast business strategies. Corporate projects are brought into the classroom, and students have the opportunity to be employed at the Bentley User Experience Center to apply what they’re learning to real situations.

Find Your Exact Fit

As you begin looking into graduate programs, keep in mind that there are many different options to fit a variety of needs—these five programs illustrate that. A unique graduate degree has the potential to set you apart from the crowd, so look for a program that will help you focus the skills, knowledge, and network you need to develop your future career.

Are you hoping to find a successful career in the field of technology? Are you considering the idea of a graduate degree to help get you there? These three Bentley graduates were once in the same position.

Now that they have their degrees and are enjoying successful careers, they’ve decided to share how they landed the job of their dreams, as well as some things they learned along the way.

Tatyana, Human Factors Engineer

Tatyana O Budantsev

MBA, MSHFID, May 2013

Human Factors Engineer, Ximedica

I received an email from my advisor, Lucy Amello, in the beginning of March asking if she could forward my resume to a company who was looking for someone with my background. I told her she certainly could, and before I knew it, Aiden from Ximedica contacted me saying he was interested in meeting me. He stated that he wanted me to meet two other people from the team, as well and that he would let me know when they wanted me to come in.

I went in for my interview that Tuesday. I was expecting it to be a one-hour first round interview, but it turned into a three-hour interview, during which I met my future boss, two other senior researchers from the team, and the human resources director and got a tour of the office.

By the end of the interview, Aiden looked at me and said, “Do you want a job?” I told him, “Of course!” (After all, that was the reason I was sitting in front of him!) He was very forward and said that they wanted me on the team and all that was left was to negotiate a contract.

The next day I sent everyone I met an email letting them know how much I appreciated meeting them. The director of human resources contacted me saying she wanted to speak with me on that Thursday morning, so we did, and she told me more about the company. Later that evening, I received a PDF of my official offer letter, which I signed and emailed back the following Monday. 

Tatyana’s Advice

You never know where your job will come from or how an interview will play out. Always make connections wherever you can and be prepared for anything to happen. Some interviews will go surprisingly well and others won’t.

I think it’s important to keep trying, and at the end of the day, go with your “gut” feeling.  I said yes very quickly to this offer, even though I was in the final stages of interviewing at another very attractive company. I just knew that Ximedica was the place I wanted to be because of the people I met and talked to. Beyond getting a job, your number one goal should be enjoying the work you do and the people you work with.

Margaret, IT Consultant

Margaret Kudzotsa

MBA, MSIT, May 2013

IT Consultant, Hitachi Consulting

I first came into contact with Hitachi Consulting at the 2012 Fall Career Fair where I talked to the Senior Manager at their booth. I asked questions about what being a consultant involved and about the company itself.

When the job came up on BentleyLink, I applied and got through the first round of interviews. I was invited to the second round of interviews at the company's offices in Waltham, which I was very nervous for. The interview was to last the entire day with lunch, a case study, and individual and group interviews.

Lucy Amello, my Career Services advisor was a great help and mentor. She not only advised and coached me, but also connected me with Bentley Alumni working at Hitachi. The interview sessions on BentleyLink also helped me practice my interview skills. Even though I hadn’t considered consulting before, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to work with diverse companies and in different industries. So, I decided to accept the job offer!

Margaret’s Advice

Be open-minded to different opportunities that you might not have thought of or considered, and try to find out what each job and company is about. You might be surprised!

Ecaterina, Industry Marketing Intern

Ecaterina Captari

MSMA, Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics, December 2013

Industry Marketing Intern, Autodesk

I found out about my Autodesk internship from Jessica Brill, the former president of Bentley’s Graduate Marketing Organization (GMO). Jessica had completed her internship at Autodesk the summer before and brought up the internship in conversation a couple times throughout the spring semester. I didn’t seriously consider the position until Insider Insights, an event organized by GMO where former Bentley marketing interns, including Jessica, shared their internship stories with first-year students.

Having taken classes with Jessica and having worked with her in GMO and the Center for Marketing Technology, I knew that she had a pretty good gauge of my skills and drive. Hence, when I decided to apply for the position, I asked Jessica to recommend me. I then went through phone interviews with my recruiting manager and his manager, as well as Autodesk’s University Relations representative.

My internship was a great learning experience!

Ecaterina’s Advice

I was originally looking for marketing research analyst internship positions. Since I knew that Jessica’s internship was focused on social media, I was at first reluctant to apply for this internship, even though I had completed a social media internship in the past. It turned out that this year’s project was very different, focusing on researching the social media behavior of a specific Autodesk industry. I employed primary and secondary research to understand customers, which is exactly what I want to build a career in.

The lesson here is, focus is good, but you’ve got to stay open to possibilities that may not look like the perfect match in the beginning. Sometimes these either turn out to be exactly what you’re looking for or they get you interested in things you’ve never before considered doing.

Take Their Advice

Out of these stories, there seems to be a resounding message: Be open-minded and willing to take a risk or try something new. You never know where the job of your dreams is waiting, and you might be surprised at how you get there. For these women, a graduate degree was a step in the right direction.

Is it time to get your graduate degree?

At a recent event run by the Bentley University business analytics program, celebrated industry veterans described with refreshing candor what that entails: You have to move beyond algorithms to be successful in business analytics.

“If you want this career, you’re going to have a job and you’re going to make some money,” shared Jay Leatherman, a senior solutions architect with SAS Institute Inc. However, he said, the work will require far more than technical mastery.

It might be worth considering what other qualities are in order. Data science is now “the sexiest job of the 21st century,” according to the Harvard Business Review. About ninety percent of existing data has been created just since 2011, according to experts, and the need for analytics is enormous.

During the event, which took place at the Center for Marketing and Technology, Leatherman and Anthony Moffa, a senior manager of global data services with Tyco Fire Protection Products, offered career tips that were far ranging and hard earned. The specialists laid bare the inner workings of the industry and demonstrated a certain grit and humor developed from their immersion in it.

“They helped me understand the pros and cons of the profession,” said Kaitlin Andryauskas, an MSBA student.

Here are several pieces of advice that are highly applicable and that might, in some instances, surprise you:

1. Personality is Key: Look Within and Make a Match

Before you set out, consider what you naturally like to do best. A simple suggestion, but you’d be amazed how many people fail to ask it. Look at your options, and then look within, said the experts.

They outlined three categories of people in the industry:

·   Program managers: They think inside the box to deploy processes at scale.

·   Entrepreneurs: They think outside the box to create new processes.

·   Process optimizers: They think outside the box to extract resources.

“I’ve very good at optimizing things -- you come up with an idea and I’ll make sure it works and gets done,” said Leatherman. “How does your personality fit?”

2. Maturity Matters: Think it Through Before You Lock it Down

You’ll have to decide what company you want to work with. Think it through before you lock it down. Really consider: what do you want to do in a day?

Look closely at what the prospective business is trying to accomplish. What are their key concepts? How much do they want to grow? What do they want to build?

Above all, what is their level of analytic maturity? Businesses can range from analytically impaired to analytic competitors. For simplicity’s sake, consider this as a range from level one to four -- the lowest number representing the least competent.

“If a company you’re looking at is a level one, you can’t jump to level four analytics,” shared Leatherman. “You have to move in steps. Be ready to do that.”

And, word of warning, the experts said there’s a 50/50 chance you’ll discover the company is a level one, which is where so many businesses today fall.

3. Resentment Happens: Be Prepared to Deal With Cultural Lag

Even if you know what you’re dealing with from the beginning, and approach the analytic project with informed caution, be ready to deal with resistance. You’ll encounter it often, they said.

Cultural lag, said Leatherman, occurs when the pace of technological change exceeds social capacity to keep pace. “Consider the term and keep it in the back of your mind,” he said. “The activities you bring in will change the status quo.”

Some people will resent you, he said, because they’ll feel: “I know how to do my job and you’re telling me to do it differently.”

4. Alliances Are Necessary: Develop Survival Tactics

Realize that once you enter the data analytics industry, as in most businesses, your ability to connect with influential parties is pivotal.

As Moffa colorfully put it: “More business gets done at the water cooler. It’s like that show ‘Survivor.’ You make alliances. You strategize. There are a lot of politics.”

Success requires you know how to talk to people; even more, that you know how to charm them.

“You spend time shaking hands and kissing babies before you ever get a project off the ground,” he said.

Too many business school graduates enter the workforce with the technical mastery, but without the ‘soft skills’ that matter more than you know, he said.

“You have to be a salesperson. If you can’t sell your ideas, people aren’t going to do it. You have to entice and engage people, build the story, tell it and sell it.”

If this career sounds intriguing, learn how a getting a master’s degree in business analytics will help set you apart.

Why should you go to an open house for graduate school? You went to college already. Been there, done that!

Not so fast.

You may have been an undergrad, but being a grad student is a very different experience. Graduate schools often ask for different things and you’ll have different needs. An open house it the perfect time to make sure the school you’re looking at will meet those needs.

Here are recommendations from Can (John) Ahtam, Bentley University’s assistant director of graduate admission, on why you should attend an open house and what you should do there:

1. Put a Face to the Name

You want admissions officers to know who you are. Email and phone calls just aren’t the same as face-to-face connections, which have the power to build strong relationships with decision makers. You could gain an upper hand in the application process.

2. Network, Network, Network

You’ll likely get to meet faculty, current students, alumni, program directors and maybe even career services reps. And who knows? That alum might be your next business connection or the person who will refer you to a colleague. (And make sure you follow up on LinkedIn!)

3. Check out the Facilities

Get a feel for the campus, classrooms, meeting spaces, labs and dining options. Do the resources match your expectations? For example, students enrolled in Bentley’s master in finance program have access the latest industry-standard software in the Trading Room; graduate students in accountancy use the ACELAB (Howard A. Winer Accounting Center for Electronic Learning and Business Measurement).

4. Feel the Culture

Use this open house opportunity to talk to current students about their experiences. The vibe that an admissions officer gives may be very different than that of an actual student who is immersed in a program. What is graduate social life, and are there student organizations that perk your interest? Is this somewhere you can flourish? What are their current internship and career prospects? You could be them soon.

5. Tap the Experts

Meet faculty who teach the courses, and find out if they have the kind of expertise that you’re looking for, and knowledge that will feed your soul and spark new interests. Program directors can provide insight into how curriculum bridges into broader industries, and help you connect with the right degree.

6. Clock the Commute

Driving to open house will help you gauge the timing and traffic patterns that you could be dealing with on your way to class. (And you can check out the parking situation too.)  

“When you arrive at the campus, you’re introduced to the university culture,” Ahtam says. “You have to give it a try and see if the university is meant for you.”

Every day, business professionals ask questions. But are they doing it as effectively as they can?

Probably not, says David Steinberg, PhD, principal of Reykjavik Sky Consulting and founder of the CLIENT Rules of Engagement (an approach that incorporates journalism, neuroscience, social psychology and physics to teach business leaders and students the art of asking a question) — He recently presented to a cohort of Bentley MBA and Emerging Leaders MBA students during a one-day workshop.

“Asking questions is considered a soft skill typically modeled by a supervisor,” says Steinberg. “It’s considered something that you just ‘pick up,’ but it needs to be taught just like other business disciplines, such as finance, leadership and change management.”

So what can you can do to start asking better questions? Here are four tips to get your started.

1. Follow the Questions Paths

According to Steinberg, one of the key ways to ask better questions is to develop the three levels of what he calls “question paths”:

• Level 1: Discover Change Points

Change points are significant turning points associated with the person’s organization, personal or professional life. These key changes can range from launching a new product to getting promoted to achieving a personal goal such as running a marathon.

“When you uncover change points, people’s filters begin to drop,” says Steinberg. “They provide an effective beginning point to engage with that person.”

“Focusing on asking questions at a tactical level leads to a better engagement at a strategic level, so that the relationship with the interviewee can be better facilitated,” says Daniel DeGooyer, MA ‘16. “An outcome of the conversation is that the interviewer gets better information and a worthwhile relationship with the interviewee.”

Sample Level 1 Question:

“Thinking back to your first day at your company, what is the greatest change you’ve seen in your organization?

• Level 2: Explore Change Points

After discovering a change point, use a structure of “what,” “how” and “why” questions to probe the issue further.

“It was very helpful to learn that this structure of short, successive questions can help guide the interviewee deeper into the matter at hand more effectively than often happens through “yes” or “no” questions,” says Ariel Gregory, MBA ‘16. “When combined with appropriate soft skills to create a trustworthy environment, it is possible for the interviewer to produce significant, effective answers, even in a short timeframe.”

Sample Level 2 Question:

“When your agency won an award for your campaign and you became senior vice president of client services, how did your creative process differ from the one you used when you came in second a year earlier?”

• Level 3: Explore Change Points with Verbatim Comments

At this most advanced stage of the process, incorporating verbatim comments into your questions allows you to compare and contrast change points -- and helps the person you’re talking to take ownership of what he or she has said.

“Verbatim comments are important because they allow you to explore topics together,” says Steinberg. “They prevent disruptions to the flow of the conversation by preventing inaccurate statements from being introduced, thus forcing the interviewee to feel compelled to ‘go back’ and correct the questioner.”   

“I was impressed to learn how that same question can be asked in multiple ways, and the answer depends on the manner in which a question is asked,” says Olga Solvova, MBA ‘16. “For example, it is better to ask, ‘What did you feel when it happened?’ instead of ‘How was it?’ This approach gives the interviewee an opportunity to revisit the situation and experience emotions once again. The result is an answer that is more colorful, more emotional and more truthful.”

Sample Level 3 Question:

“You once said that throughout your career, you did things that you were not ready to do, and that by overcoming moments of doubt, this was how you grew as a person. As CEO, how would your company be different had you not done something you were not ready to do?”

2. Watch Video Interviews

Turn on your television or head to YouTube. TV interviews offer a laboratory for anyone to learn how to ask great questions -- and what to avoid. Watch actual interviews and see how they go. Which questions resonate and which fall flat? What wording works?

3. Prepare Questions in Advance -- With Partners or in Groups

An information-gathering session can provide one of the greatest competitive advantages you will have, allowing you to gain key insights that can develop new partnerships, close business deals and open new opportunities -- and it’s crucial that all parties involved are on the same page.

And yet, Steinberg has found that the question-building element of planning for business meetings is “the least focused on -- too often, I’ve seen professionals preparing their questions in the parking lot.”

4. Remain in Input Mode

According to Steinberg, input is about having empathy for your interviewee, guiding them into the moment and facilitating conversation. “Regardless of whether you agree with someone or not, it’s important to remember that you’re asking that person to open up to you,” he says.

“You can make yourself memorable simply by asking a carefully crafted question,” says Steinberg. “Knowing how to ask effective questions not only improves your ability to do your job, but enhances your entire career.”

Written by Flavia Stoian, Bentley MBA Candidate '16

When we arrived at the Santiago airport in mid October there were 22 of us that had never laid a foot in Chile before.

We came from five different continents, itching with curiosity, anxious to get to know the country, the culture, the people, and — why beat around the bush — the well-renowned wine, of course. Our schedule was excitingly populated: We were scheduled for a trip to the U.S. Embassy, business visits to local companies from different industries, a flight from Santiago to Valdivia, a deep dive into the surviving Mapuche native culture, and, lastly, an afternoon spent talking with startup entrepreneurs from Santiago. Added up, it was seven days, six planes, two cities, all packed in one fascinating country: Chile.

As I saw it, we had everything but time at our side to learn as much as we could. The 12 hours of flying could not stop us from exploring the city the minute we arrived. There were five hours to spare until the welcoming dinner. I dumped my luggage, marveled at the panoramic view from our beautiful hotel room, grabbed my camera and hit the streets of Santiago with classmates Olga and Ariel.

It’s hard to put in words how truly relevant it is to see everything you’ve been intensively taught for the past couple of months brought to life...

The city has a European allure to it, with broad boulevards, high glass building all over the center and a general growth buzz around it, fueled by construction sites, street festivals and graffiti art at every corner. The atmosphere took on an air of Europe as well; that Sunday, the streets were empty and we suspected everyone was spending time with family until we reached the beautiful central Plaza de Armas. Flanked by historical buildings, the small park of the plaza was packed with people, clustering around music bands, street shows, photographers, religious evangelists or activists pitching for their cause. As proof that everyone was ultimately attracted to this place, we were reunited with the rest of our cohort, most of them spread out across the plaza, watching this unexpected transgression from the silent side streets.

I really enjoyed that moment when, without pre-established meeting points, without having GSM coverage, in this big, foreign city, we all met up and kept the group together. We moved toward the hotel in what I think was a key moment in our experience, one just as important as the academic reasoning supporting these trips. It was the moment when we started to function as a group, traveling together, caring for each other. You know, that feeling when you count the people at the airport, when you feel accountable for their whereabouts and welfare, when you see a small souvenir in a window shop and you instantly think of someone in the group who would love that? Yeah, that feeling! Traveling brings people together in a very special way and we were lucky to start that process the very first day. And what a good start it was!

We spent the next days traveling across Chile, getting to know the culture, the business environment, the economic and political climate. From understanding the power of vision when building a private vineyard to learning the intricate implications of geopolitical interests that influenced the proud Mapuche native culture, we developed insight into the space and the people around us, including our own cohort, our team and our friends.

We’d been talking about creativity for weeks in the innovation module with professors Andy Aylesworth, Gesa Kirsh and Nicholas Brunsveld. We saw it on a company visit to Kingston Vineyards, when owner Timothy Kingston was passionately talking to us about the art of blending varieties of grape to get the most of the year’s flavors.

We’d been meditating about mindfulness with professors Wiley Davi and Duncan Spellman and a lot of us felt like we'd reached a breakthrough. But listening to the INDAP (El Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario) managers talk about how they reach out, help and sustain small farmers around Chile gave us perspective on how compassion expands and critically contributes to making people’s life better.

We’d been studying strategic management with Linda Edelman and I thought I fully grasped the concept of disruptive innovation. But walking the fields of the Mapuche people and seeing how they decided to approach reforestation from a culturally and environmentally sustainable perspective added depth to the possibilities in which one can take up the challenge of steering a community.

It’s hard to put in words how truly relevant it is to see everything you’ve been intensively taught for the past couple of months brought to life, functioning outside of the protective shelter of the classroom.

Coming back from Chile is just a reversed association. At least every two days, when we talk about marketing, supply chain, complementary goods or risks, Chile comes back to mind ever so vividly.

During a recent academic colloquium, while talking about sustainable supply chain, I was smiling to myself, thinking about the fish market of Valdivia, where fisherman got rid of the leftovers and unwanted remains of the fish and seafood products by throwing them to the sea lions and the seals that were patiently waiting for their share. And there’s this “private” energy that flows in class when we answer our professors’ questions with examples from Chile. We’ve been there, we saw it happening. It’s almost like we’re sharing our insights, rather than answering questions.

Chile was a multi-layered experience. On top of all the experiences shared with us — the people we’ve met, the initiatives and the labor we witnessed, the food we had, the songs we listened to — we had the opportunity to strengthen our team to become friends even more, to understand and care for each other. Right now, everyone in this studio is counting down the days until we leave for our next trip — to Texas!

Written by Melissa Massello.

Sure, it seems counterintuitive, but one of the best times in your life and career to start your own company can be while you're in graduate school and/or already working a 9 to 5 job. If you can power through on passion, working extraordinarily long hours to launch your project even after you've "punched out," then you might just have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Plus, according to those who've been through it, a much better shot at getting others to buy in.

These were some of the tips discussed during the second installment of Bentley's Innovation Series that took place at District Hall in the Seaport area of Boston in October.

Several veteran entrepreneurs -- including Bentley's own entrepreneurship mentor and Finance lecturer Alain Hanover -- sat down for some serious from-the-trenches thought leadership and a Q&A session. They imparted their collective wisdom to the crowd on creative, actionable ways that entrepreneurs today can go from idea to investment backing.

Because, as Bentley alumnus, Boston serial entrepreneur, startup insider and Accomplice Venture Capital partner Cort Johnson’06 says: "Making money isn't cool, but you know what IS cool? Raising money."

Here are six creative ways to get funding for your next "Big Idea," according to Johnson, Hanover, Mother Juice founder Ellen Fitzgerald, and CoachUp co-founder Arian Radmand.

1. Don't Quit Your Day Job

There's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem when it comes to launching a company, says Hanover, where you have to be successful before people will invest in you, but you also have to have capital in order to start building your brand, product or service. So where do you start?

"At CoachUp, we started with nights and weekends, which is always a great way to begin," says Radmand. "If you already have a job, stretch it for as long as you can before you jump in and take that plunge. The security of a full-time 9-to-5 is the best way to fully vet your idea and do due diligence -- giving you that safety net, but also allowing you breathing room before you hit a certain threshold and say, 'This is what it will take for me to hop in full-time’."

But how will you know when it's time to shift gears from working for someone else to working for yourself? It will hit a point of critical mass where it becomes obvious, or unsustainable to do both.

"Somebody once told me I should pay attention to what I think about in the shower," shares Fitzgerald. "When I stopped thinking about my 9-5 and was only thinking about my start-up, that's when I knew it was time to go and be a full-time juicer."

In addition, several of the panelists agreed that your ability to work outside of your 9-to-5 says a lot about your commitment to your startup, which resonates with both customers and investors and also primes you for the realities of working around the clock once you launch for real.

"Startups are a marathon, not a sprint," agreed Johnson. "If you want to look at startups as a career, figure out the skills that you want to learn and who you want to learn from. Then kind of build them company by company as you do that."

2. Test Crowdfunding

Kickstarter, IndieGoGo and other crowdfunding platforms aren't the perfect funding avenues for everyone. But if you've already got a product concept and just need to raise some startup capital to bootstrap your idea and start gaining traction, they can be a great resource.

"Crowdfunding is one way you can actually sell something before you have it," says Fitzgerald. Her company, Mother Juice, went on Kickstarter and offered rewards that were basically someone pre-purchasing a juice from them.

“If you don't have the money to bootstrap a company, but you can crowdfund even a little bit, it's a good signal to investors [later on] that you clearly have generated a lot of demand for your product or service in a short amount of time,” she advises.

Their crowdfunding experience was the proof of concept they needed to put together a solid business plan and go out and get additional angel investors. In fact, one of their investors is actually someone who found them through Kickstarter!

These channels are also great low-risk ways to test the viability of your concept and see if there's customer demand. And when there is, they help you grow your brand awareness organically through grassroots marketing and early adopters.

In addition to Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, some lesser-known crowdfunding platforms to consider include CrowdRise, GoFundMe, and Inkubato. Look for platforms that have successfully funded projects that are similar to yours in the past when choosing which crowdfunding site to use.

3. Join Forces with Accelerators and Incubators

Incubator and accelerator programs like MassChallenge and TechStars can be a great way to broaden your network, get office space, meet mentors, brainstorm with other early stage startups and gain exposure to a wider set of investors. But all of that can come at a high cost.

"Most accelerators take equity for just a little bit amount of money and can take significant equity. So they are expensive," warns Cort Johnson. If you're willing to give up that equity and you need what an accelerator offers, that's fine. But 6 percent of your company for just $18,000 seems insane, he feels.

If the value proposition is high enough for your needs, though, go for it. Each accelerator or incubator model is as different as the lucky companies who are selected to participate in it. Be sure that you're getting the most bang for your bucks (or shares) first.

"When we were in MassChallenge, we could literally walk around and find people who ran into the same problems that we did, so that was outstanding for us,” says Radmand of his experiences with CoachUp. “But there were around 200 companies, so you have to know what your business needs and seek it out.

Some programs are smaller and work more closely with companies, so you have to figure out what fits your company.

4. Find Angel Investors

When it comes to advisors and investors who aren't necessarily going to take huge chunks of your equity, angels can be an entrepreneur's saving grace -- hence the name.

Many angel investors are former (and highly successful) serial entrepreneurs themselves, like Hanover, who flipped to the funding side in order to try to help others do the same.

Angels can provide you with not only funding, but also the confidence that your idea is worthy of investment. This type of legitimacy and validation could get artificially inflated in a network seed round.

"It was important for us to take investments from people who were not our friends and family," Radman admitts. "I love my parents to death, but if I show that I'm passionate about something, they'll be 100 percent supportive, no matter what. Even if it's a terrible idea.”

He wanted to make sure CoachUp was viable and so sought out investors who weren’t biased. The team raised small amounts of money (about $10K to $20K), from a few prominent Boston angel investors. They would make progress with that funding, show the results to the investors, then ask for more.

To find angel investors, the first step is to create a profile on Angel List, where Johnson says "you have a sea of angel investors looking for companies to invest in.” Through the platform, they can see what you're all about and how much money you're interested in raising. You can also find institutional backers for angels, who will amplify your angel's investment in your company, like Maiden Lane, or regional resources like BOSS Syndicate.

5. Go for Venture Capital and Equity Financing

Once you use the creative funding tips above to prove traction for your idea, it's time to go for funding -- and, by then, you may be in a better place to negotiate, have more confidence in your business model, retain more equity in your own company and/or secure a better "A round" financing package from venture capitalists than you would have had going in cold.

We know that there are lots of ways nowadays to find money to fund your company, so what should you be looking for in terms of a venture capital partner?

"There's no science in terms of who is the right [VC], and how much they are going to give you," says Johnson. Instead, it’s about identifying the people who are going to be the right fit for you and your company -- the ones who are passionate about helping you grow.

So, what do those venture capitalists look for in a prospective investment?

"Execution matters a lot," says Radmand. "Ideas are cheap. But being able to execute is what really sets you apart from the competition.”

It doesn't matter if there are other people out there doing the same thing you are. Finding financing and being successful is about your ability to be innovative and to execute better and more efficiently than everybody else, he says.

6. Start Early

The experts also agree that starting a company while in graduate school is one of the smartest decisions you can make. Grad school is a ripe time and place for finding mentors and partners, and connecting with others also trying to launch companies. And some of those connections may even turn into investors!

"JAB Holding, based in Luxembourg, Monday unveiled a $92-per-share cash offer for Keurig. That’s a 72 percent premium over the $51.70 a share where Keurig closed Friday, but it’s still $60 a share less than where GMCR was trading a year ago.

“The stock market likes growth, and they like profitability, and Keurig's had no growth,’’ Jill Brown, an international business strategy professor at Bentley University, said in an interview Monday afternoon."

- Excerpt from original story by Peter Howe, published December 7, 2015.

Read the full story on NECN: Coffee Machine Maker Keurig to Be Sold for Almost $14B

Allie Miller, HFID ’14

User Researcher, Twitter

With a background in new media and information technology, Allie Miller was looking for a graduate program that blended product design and research with advanced theory into human behavior. She found it in Bentley’s Human Factors in Information Design program, and took advantage of the university’s satellite campus in San Francisco to complete her degree remotely.

What were you hoping to get out of your graduate degree?

I wanted to study from people who had been in the industry a few years and learn from their experiences. And for me, having the degree opened the door to future opportunities.

Where exactly does your role as a UX person come into play in the product development cycle at Twitter?

User experience is at the front of every decision we make. In my role, I am brought in early and collaborate often with my stakeholders. It is not uncommon in a meeting to hear someone asking what value a proposal will have for our customers. And the research I conduct helps to inform those decisions.

What do you do on a day­-to-day basis?

No two days are the same for me at Twitter. One day I might be running a brainstorm with different stakeholders, and the next I might be planning my next research project or running a pilot session of an upcoming study.

What do you love about the UX field?

One of the factors in why I chose to join the UX flock was because of the customer and product-driven thinking we do on a daily basis. Our products are for people and they inspire me to design awesome things.

Written by Kristen Walsh

When David Kolewsky, a researcher at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, shared his cutting-edge biomedical research in the 3D printing of human tissues with Bentley MBA (BMBA) students at a recent event, it was more than a crash course in how to break into the life sciences or biotech industry. It offered a broader look into accelerated innovation and rapid change.

“David's work illuminates the creativity and innovation necessary for groundbreaking science,” says BMBA candidate Larissa Fawkner. “Design doesn't just happen in design agencies and architectural firms; all businesses can leverage creativity, innovation and design thinking for a competitive advantage and to deliver value to all stakeholders.”

Design thinking, a concept developed by the Stanford University Design School, is a process that always places the needs of the user demographic at the core of concept development. It focuses on “need-finding, understanding, creating, thinking and doing;” as you create and test something, you learn and improve upon initial ideas.
 

Failure Is an Option

When you have a problem, your first instinct is to find a solution. Not so fast; you have to truly understand a problem before attempting to fix it. 

“To be effective, you need to get to the root of the problem, and understand motivation,” says Andy Aylesworth, associate professor of marketing at Bentley. “In our class we propose big, big problems. And we push students to not think of solutions, and to throw their first solutions away, in order to dig deeper into the problem before thinking of solutions.”
 

The class is a Creativity and Innovation unit that Aylesworth co-teaches with Professor of English and Media Studies Gesa Kirsch for the BMBA. Students are challenged to “get into people’s heads” to learn the root motivations of how and why they are doing something. Then it’s time to get to the details: Create a physical representation of your “product” and put it into the hands of a user. And then use that feedback, even if it means accepting that your first attempt isn’t working. (Put your egos aside!)  

Not being afraid to fail is harder than it sounds, but Aylesworth and Kirsch have advice on how to re-train your brain to develop your mindset:
 

1. Treat the Problem, Not the Symptom
   Make sure you know darn well what the problem is before even attempting to come up with a solution.
    
2. Fail Early, Fail Often
   Learn from your failures, and try again. “Failure” is merely a path to finding a better way. (But try to fail “small” rather than big, and don’t wait until the last minute.)
    
3. Don’t Be Married to the First Idea You Develop 
   Be willing to get out there and find out what works and what doesn’t. You can be creative, as long as you don’t settle and take the easy path.
    
4. Be Positive 
   If you don’t think you can be creative, you will be right. If you can look at failure in a different way, and maybe not fail too spectacularly, you can be more creative.
    
5. Take Risks 
   It’s OK to not know how things will turn out when you start a creative process. In fact, if you DO know, you’re doing it wrong. Be willing to take risks in order to find a better way.  

Innovation Is an Option

When it comes to addressing issues, students work in teams in the class to come up with creative solutions to complex societal problems."

“Part of that is experiencing innovation first hand,” says Kirsch. She and Aylesworth took students to design firms, such as Continuum in West Newton, the Cambridge Innovation Center (a space that houses more than 800 start-ups by providing collaborative workspaces, networking opportunities and office services), and the Venture Café (a weekly meeting spot where innovators, start-up entrepreneurs and venture capitalist investors network).

But innovation doesn’t come without its caveats. Kolewsky’s biomedical presentation — along with reading works such as Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which explores the ethical issues of medical innovations such as cell line research and informed consent — opened up a broader discussion on ethics and innovation.

“It’s important to reflect on intended and unintended consequences of innovation and creativity, including ethical, environmental, social and cultural dimensions, including diversity, gender and race,” Kirsch says. “As you can imagine, these issues are very complex.”

How will thinking creatively and innovatively — with mindfulness for ethics — contribute to your career?

“The easy answer is that business needs people who are creative and ethical,” Aylesworth says. “But to limit this to just career growth and opportunity is to miss the point. Thinking like this leads to personal growth. It helps students see that their first solution is not always the best, and if they keep pushing, they might find something better.” 

“The future of humanity will be determined by the ability of business to leverage innovation to enhance competitive advantage and profitability while simultaneously advancing global social, economic and environmental conditions,” Fawkner adds. “Prosperity extends beyond shareholder profits. Creative solutions within business will ensure a value chain that includes peace and happiness, individual freedoms and liberties, as well as economic well-being and financial prosperity.” 

Karin Catalano | Laboratory Instrumentation Specialist

kcatalano@bentley.edu

Sara Fagan | Senior Biology Lab Coordinator

sfagan@bentley.edu

Peter Mattison | Senior Physics Lab Coordinator
pmattison@bentley.edu

Eileen McMorran|Senior Chemistry Lab Coordinator and Lead Lab Specialist

emcmorran@bentley.edu

Stephen Mock | Senior Astronomy Lab Coordinator

smock@bentley.edu

Anna Tary | Senior Geology Lab Coordinator

atary@bentley.edu

Pooja Prakash | Web Master and Graduate Department Assistant

prakash_pooj@bentley.edu

Sara Knudsen | Knudsen_sara@bentley.edu

Loren (Lo) Lund | lund_lore@bentley.edu

Alberto Riveroll Usabiaga | riverol_albe@bentley.edu

Rachel Wong | wong_rach@bentley.edu

NASC 199 001 Chemistry of Life (4 credit lab science)

From artificial limbs to wearable health technologies, our ability to improve the health of humans stems from a thorough understanding of biological molecules and how they interact to form functional systems. Beginning at the atomic level, this course introduces students to the basic structure and function of biologically important molecules. Students will examine how the bonding and structure of a molecule dictates its interaction with its surrounding environment, with a particular focus on human systems. Students will evaluate the ideas of systems thinking and material balances by examining material fluxes and metabolic reactions within the human body. Finally, students will relate these fundamental chemical concepts to innovative products and processes in the fields of biomaterials and biotechnology using examples of early-stage and established products. As a supplement to the formal class meetings, the course involves hands on laboratory-based scientific research. During the first part of the lab section, students will be trained in state of the art techniques for conducting modern day research. In the second portion of the lab, students will design their own experiments, collect data, and present their findings in a formal scientific presentation.

 NASE 398 001 Industrial Ecology

 Industrial ecology examines the relationships between the production of material goods and the effect this process has on humans and the environment. The course systematically examines the practices of extraction, processing, production, distribution, and consumer use of goods by quantifying material and energy flows through every step of the cradle-to-grave process. Students will examine readings, case-studies, and models to assess and develop an understanding of the complex balance between the earth’s natural resources and satisfying human wants and needs. The course strives to emphasize that the solutions to global ecological sustainability lie not in the abandonment of technology but in the embracement and proliferation of it. Specific topics covered in the course may include a survey of environmental concerns, aspects of risk assessment, life cycle assessment, survey of relevant economic policies and sustainability practices, and examination of coupled industrial solutions through industrial symbiosis.

 NASE 399 001 Nanotechnology & Society

The term “nanotechnology”, while well known, is not well understood. Nanoscale materials, which are typically tens of thousands of times smaller than the width of a single human hair, possess very unique electronic, chemical, and mechanical properties that make them ideal candidates for revolutionary technologies. This course introduces students to the principles, applications, and societal implications of nanotechnology. Students will characterize the types of nanotechnologies and the strategies for fabricating and characterizing nanoscale materials. In addition, students will generate and characterize simple nanomaterials in a research laboratory. Students will also evaluate the current applications of nanotechnologies in electronics, healthcare, consumer products, and the environment. Finally, students will evaluate the risks, ethical concerns, business implications, and regulatory issues of nanotechnology.

 PS 301 H01 Behavioral Health: Natural Disaster Zones.

 This undergraduate course will explore the behavioral health issues, proactive preparedness measures, intervention strategies and the associated implications for governing agencies, business, actuarial and insurance industry. The course will introduce the unique behavioral trauma characteristics for children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. Concepts from social psychology will be applied to understanding community psychological identity disruption.

 PS 399 001 Nonverbal Behavior & Judging Others

How do we communicate nonverbally and how do we use nonverbal information to form impressions and make judgments of others? This course is designed to introduce students to the basics of nonverbal behavior and how they influence our interpersonal interactions. The course will introduce students to research on various nonverbal cues, including gesture, touch, gaze, appearance, and facial and vocal cues. In addition, making judgments of others based on their nonverbal behaviors is a ubiquitous part of our interpersonal interactions. The second half of the course will explore how we perceive others, with a particular emphasis on first impressions and the role of gender and culture in these perceptions. We will also dispel common myths about nonverbal behavior in deception detection. Throughout the course, examples and activities will focus on the application of nonverbal behavior in healthcare and business settings