“Be openly curious of those not in your industry when on the discussion boards. Respectfully compare experiential similarities and differences. Cross pollination of ideas is equal to innovation in this grad school program”.
-Patrick Law, MBA(L), Class of 2022-
Patrick Law, MBA(L), Class of 2022
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Having first met Patrick Law in 2018 in Dr. McLarney’s International Business course, there was always something to learn from him. A few months later we represented Dalhousie University at an on-line International Business Strategy Simulation competition against 10 to 11 other universities and business schools to become the 2018 GLO-BUS BSI “Grand Champions”.
Fast forward to 2022 and Patrick’s influence can be seen to those who reach out for GLO-BUS advice or those looking for guidance through the online ‘MBA FSL Community Connection’ site. Patrick recently completed his MBA, Leadership degree with top marks through the CEGE program at Dalhousie University. Patrick speaks with experience and offers great advice for those just starting out or considering this grad school program.
Patrick Law
I enjoyed the CEGE program for my MBA at Dalhousie. Here are some things I am grateful for and would like to pass on to those currently in the program on how I have or seen others get good grades.
⁃ Lean in with your experiences. Don’t be shy in telling your professors of the valid and on topic experiences you have had in business that either ratify or contradict prevailing business teachings.
⁃ Expand your human and business vocabulary through experimentation. There is no better time to try on wildly different philosophies of business than in this community. Humbly displaying this type of courage will be rewarded with up grade skew.
⁃ Be openly curious of those not in your industry when on the discussion boards. Respectfully compare experiential similarities and differences. Cross pollination of ideas is equal to innovation in this grad school program.
⁃ Keep up on as many of the readings as possible. This will give you the breadth of the education being offered. But ignore the breadth of readings when you find a rabbit hole you like. These welcome stops will keep you fresh for the marathon of readings.
⁃ Be willing to abandon grades for the sake of your education. The program is surprisingly resilient to these deviations and your grades may actually improve because of it.
⁃ Comparative economic advantage exists. Allow those who are obviously superior than you to do most of the hard work on group projects. Do all you can of the other stuff to make it an equal trade.
⁃ Intellectual humility causes competitive advantage. Even when it may seem obvious to you that a teacher or student is wrong, dig into what makes them believe they are right. It will protect you from short-term bias errors and allow you to identify competitive advantages in business later.
⁃ Be obsessed with the truth. This is a graduate program not a parrot school. No professor wants to hear the same old. They will routinely tell you so. Listen to them.
⁃ Be ritualistically creative. Read your response to an assignment, on camera, to your four year old like it was Dr. Seuss and submit that. If your response was half decent it will get you the A+.
⁃ Familiarity breeds good grades. Routinely call up you professors during their office hours to discuss the responses you will be giving to assignments prior to submitting your assignments. You will learn, and when they see your assignment, they will be prepared to grade you well.
⁃ Procrustes was wrong. Those who are unwilling to modify their approach to the program will lose motivation. It is up to you to optimize your education.