By Ted Houseknecht and Jessica Demmer
As we sat at our respective undergraduate graduations, neither one of us could have imagined heading back to school for a fifth year to pursue our MBAs. As all of our friends were starting their careers, it felt like we were falling behind by remaining in school. Even though this was far from the truth, it was still difficult to get back into the school mindset.
All of our concerns faded away as soon as we walked into Bentley University’s Emerging Leaders MBA orientation. Ted earned his undergraduate degree from Bentley, and Jess received hers from the University of New Hampshire. Separately, we both decided to attend the orientation even though it was not mandatory. We met a great group of people who were all going through the same transition, feeling many of the same concerns. It was like freshman year of college all over again, with a little less anxiety.
Orientation was a fun, activity-filled adventure. One of the highlights was going to the Warren Center, a retreat conference center about 25 miles from campus. Here, we all engaged in fun, team-building activities that required each of us to work together and communicate to accomplish a common goal, providing a great chance to really get to know one another. Afterward, we continued the team bonding at one of the local restaurants on Moody Street in Waltham. Overall, orientation was a huge success and really got both of us excited to start the program. 
Adjusting to a New Routine
Twelve weeks later, we are done with our first semester. The time has flown by, and we are finally adjusted to our new routines. The school work is challenging, yet manageable, and we have both been able to find a balance between school, work, and our personal lives.
As we talk to friends who are experiencing the uncertainty of the working world or navigating new careers, we are both very happy that we have a little more time to transition, and really hone into what we want to do for a living. Bentley has been a great guide for the both of us, helping students forge their desired path through numerous services offered, including GCDI (Graduate Career Development Course), which focuses solely on personal career development.
We sat down recently to reflect on our Bentley adventure.
What was your background before Bentley?
Jess: I’m a New England Native and have lived in Bolton, MA, most of my life. I did my undergrad at UNH, where I was a psychology major and a business minor.
Ted: I grew up in a small town in Western New York. When I was looking at schools I was drawn to everything there is to do around the greater Boston area. As an undergrad student, I attended Bentley, where I was a finance major.
Why did you decide to go back for a fifth year to pursue your MBA?
Jess: I knew I had wanted to get my MBA but at first I was not sure when I wanted to do it. After talking with a lot of my family and friends they said that they wish they had gone right after school because once they were out and working, they did not have the motivation to go back. I decided that since I was already in the school mindset that it would be in my best interest to do it as soon as possible.
Ted: I chose Bentley for undergrad with the intention to go right on and pursue my MBA. The university makes it very easy to seamlessly transition from undergrad to grad school, even allowing you to take some grad classes if you have space in your schedule during senior year. By taking those courses, and being waived from the foundation courses, I will be able to complete my program and graduate in one year. This is important to me, as I am planning to return home and work for my family’s company following graduation, and I did not have a lot of time to spare.
What are your career aspirations?
Jess: Eventually I would like to be the head of strategy for a marketing department at a b2b software company. I would like to end up in either Boston or San Francisco.
Ted: Building off of why I decided to pursue my MBA, my family owns and operates two small companies that I plan to help manage following graduation this coming May. During my time at Bentley in undergrad, I was able to secure three internships, at Merrill Lynch, Compass Group, and Fidelity Investments, and I am looking forward to taking what I learned from those experiences back to our company.
How have some classes so far helped you toward your goals?
Jess: Right now I have been taking some core classes and haven’t started taking any in my concentration yet. But I would say that the “Leading Responsibly” class has helped me gain a better understanding of my leadership style, which will be really important when I am in an upper-management role.
Ted: One class that stands out is “Business Process Management.” This course taught us how to analyze processes and realize efficiencies, which I know will benefit me as I move forward with my career.
What has been challenging in the program so far?
Jess: I only got waived out of three of my foundation courses so I had to take accounting. I really dislike accounting so for me that has been difficult. But overall, the course load has been really manageable.
Ted: Similar to Bentley undergrad, there is a significant amount of group work during grad school. I think the biggest challenge has been trying to schedule group meetings with graduate students who have much busier schedules with work or family than most undergraduate students do.