Jim Protsenko is already putting his MBA studies to good use on the job, analyzing potential acquisitions for Yahoo! He says he now knows more about financial modeling and has a firmer grasp of financial language. "Listening to my professors explain finance helps me, in turn, explain it more clearly to my Yahoo! business partners," he says.

"Three things influenced my decision to attend Berkeley-Haas: the school's focus on the intersection of technology and finance, its philosophy regarding innovation, and its great reputation. As a child in the former USSR, I knew the name Berkeley before I had ever heard of Harvard or Stanford."

"Listening to the podcast of Dean Richard Lyons talk about the idea that Berkeley-Haas students had Confidence Without Attitude influenced me a lot. I really appreciated his vision for the school and have seen firsthand what he meant among my classmates. The distribution of intellectual horsepower across the entire class is very equitable. No one seems to lag behind or surge ahead, and everyone is very willing to share their knowledge. I worked with a couple of second-year students on the M&A case competition. It was terrific to learn from them, and to get an idea of how much more depth of knowledge I will have in a year."

"My work experience is in day-to-day financial operations — helping managers make good decisions based on financial information. But I have always been fascinated by investment banking. I see my MBA studies as a way of preparing me to make that change at some time in the future. If I could slow down time, I would love for my MBA studies to last longer. Everything at Haas comes together: a great student body, expert teachers, and challenging courses. I am having so much fun."

< Previous | Next >