Dr. Ibrahim (Pete) Hanna, WG’20, describes Orientation Week in Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives as “a perfect orchestration of serious learning, community building, excitement, networking, and fun activities.”
This first introduction to the EMBA program combines both the East and West Coast cohorts and occurs on the Philadelphia campus. Students dive right into their required coursework, moving full speed ahead with accounting, economics, and management.
“You hit the ground running and you don’t stop. But you look around, and see that everyone is running with you, supporting one another and enjoying every minute. I knew that I was in for an amazing two years,” he said.
We asked Pete and several of his classmates to tell us more about Orientation Week. Here is what they said:
Dr. Ibrahim (Pete) Hanna, WG’20
Campus
Philadelphia
Current Job
Chairman of Surgery, Bon Secours Hospital and SABA University
Current Location
Baltimore, MD
Prior Education
Damascus University (Syria), MD; Marshall University, General Surgical Residency Program
Overview of the Week
“After the first day, classes start full throttle. In between classes, we were introduced to team building programs that addressed our diversity and helped us get to know each other. We also had speakers come in to talk about time management. They gave us every possible tool needed to support us. In the evenings, we had group dinners and social activities.”
Highlight of the Week
“The most exciting day was when we went to the stadium to build bikes for underprivileged kids. Some of us were even brave enough to race on the bikes while others cheered.”
Biggest Concern
“As a physician who has been out of school for almost 20 years, I was concerned about the difference between me and my classmates. By the end of the first day, I realized that everybody is going to be supportive and that was no longer a concern. My classmates are awesome.”
Takeaway
“I’m looking forward to the next two years, which I know will be intense, but fun. It’s not an easy decision to go back to school, but after that week I could say with confidence that I made the right decision.”
Laura Parke, WG’20
Campus
San Francisco
Current Job
Senior Merchant, Sephora
Current Location
San Francisco, CA
Prior Education
Duke University, BA in Psychology and Economics
Highlight of the Week
The degree to which we all opened up to each other. I knew we would have academic rigor and the excitement of meeting new people, but I didn’t expect how much I would be emotionally and intellectually challenged. We all come from different experiences and backgrounds, and we opened up to self-evaluate and adopt a macro-view of what we are doing in life and what we want to achieve both professionally and personally — that brought us together on a rewarding level that I did not anticipate.
Biggest Surprise
The fascinating range of conversation topics, particularly during the down times — those moments where you go from talking about morning workouts to flying cars and global strategy. The richness and diversity of conversations was great. Orientation was a jam-packed experience with classes, team building and bonding time. I felt like I hit the reset button in life.
Biggest Concern
At a basic level, I wondered if we would all really like each other. But before I even boarded the plane for Philadelphia, I found classmates at the airport and started to make friends. By the end of the week, we had bonded over a shared experience and those relationships continue to grow. I also was concerned about the time commitment and how to complete the work, but sharing this experience with my classmates makes the world of difference. The support of classmates makes it doable.
Takeaway
At the end of the week, I had never felt more exhausted, but also energized. I went home thinking what an amazing journey this will be and lucky to be surrounded by inspiring faculty and classmates. I’m excited to see who I will be when I graduate from this program.
Eric Roe, WG’20
Campus
San Francisco
Current Job
Program Manager, Geostrategy, Microsoft
Prior Job
Submarine Warfare Officer, U.S. Navy
Current Location
Redmond, WA
Prior Education
U.S. Naval Academy, B.S. Physics; Naval Postgraduate School, Master’s Engineering Acoustics
Overview of the Week
“I saw that this is the full Wharton MBA in an executive format. We covered a lot of ground in a short period of time. I also saw that almost every minute of our schedule would be full, which means that the more school work you can get done ahead of time, the more time you can devote to engaging with classmates.”
Highlight of the Week
“Getting to know my study team and classmates was a highlight. Through team building sessions, you start to talk about why you’re here. I saw that my classmates are committed to learning, and we will learn a lot from each other.”
Biggest Concern
“I was slightly skeptical coming in about the diversity. I thought the students in San Francisco would all be from technology backgrounds, but that was proven wrong. There is real diversity among the students and getting to know their backgrounds has been of the biggest values so far in terms of expanding my network.”
Takeaway
“Coming out of that week, I was confident that I had made the right choice. And in the weeks since Orientation, I have been able to apply what I’m learning at work. I’m already adding more value at work because of this program and it’s only just begun.”
Christine Hwong, WG’20
Campus
Philadelphia
Current Job
Principal, Apollo Global Management
Current Location
Houston, TX
Prior Education
Rice University, B.S. Mathematical Economic Analysis
Overview of the Week
“Orientation Week truly provided a snapshot of what our next two years at Wharton would be like: boundless opportunities to learn new topics from professors, to refresh ourselves on subject matters learned in college but not applied in our current occupations, and to adapt new perspectives from fellow classmates. You realize immediately that your experience at Wharton will be challenging given the schedule of coursework, but will also be rewarding given the diversity and the varied experiences of your classmates.”
Highlight of the Week
“The highlight of the week was meeting my classmates, who were not only as excited as I was to start exchanging ideas, but who also brought a wide array of knowledge and experience. Upon being assigned learning groups, immediate synergies began to form. It has also been helpful and empowering to establish a network of like-minded individuals early in the program, who are dealing with the same challenges as you.”
Biggest Surprise
“I was pleasantly surprised at the level of support from the program directors and faculty members. The program is thoughtfully structured with students in mind. The coursework is rigorous to provide a full learning experience, but with enough flexibility for working professionals.”
Takeaway
“Orientation Week was a well-organized, introductory boot camp for students. In addition to providing a re-introduction for full-time professionals to school, it also helped us begin to build bonds with fellow classmates, who will not only be our teammates, but also our support system over the next two years.”
Prashanthi Sudhakar, WG’20
Campus
San Francisco
Current Job
Senior Manager of Innovation and Business Incubation, Schneider Electric
Current Location
San Francisco
Prior Education
R.V. College of Engineering (Bangalore), B.E. Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Highlight of the Week
“The team building sessions helped us let our guards down to talk about our journey and why we are here. You start forming bonds when you realize how diverse everyone is, but that you share the same reasons for being in this program. We are all here to improve ourselves. After that, you open the floodgates to start building relationships and learning together.”
Biggest Surprise
“I had heard that Wharton’s curriculum is very quant heavy, so I thought most students would be from quant backgrounds. There is a lot of application of math in the classes, but my classmates come from a broad range of backgrounds. We have people from healthcare, the military, finance, marketing, and more. You can learn a lot about other industries that help you get out of your own silos.”
Biggest Concern
“I knew this would be a lot of work, but at Orientation the reality hits you. It feels like you are thrown into the deep end of the pool and have to figure out how to swim – or in this case you have to figure out time management. But you look around and see that everyone is juggling a lot. We are in this together and will support each other.”
Takeaway
“You arrive with apprehension and excitement and leave knowing that this program is going to be worth the time and effort. I learned a lot in that first week of classes and started building relationships with classmates.”
— Meghan Laska
Posted: September 4, 2018
