Curriculum – Stern Tech Blog

April 1, 2025April 1, 2025

Pursuing an MBA Later in My Career and How It Equipped Me with Valuable Skills

Author: Tom is currently pursuing his Tech MBA at NYU Stern, specializing in Tech Product Management and Brand Management. Before joining NYU, he spent 11 years in marketing leadership roles at top tech companies in San Francisco, including Uber, SoFi, and OpenSea, where he built and scaled marketing teams, drove customer acquisition, shaped brand strategy, and led go-to-market initiatives in highly competitive tech markets.

Thomas Burke Headshot

The Value of a NYU Tech MBA for Experienced Professionals

Many people warned me about pursuing an MBA in my 30s. I was told MBAs are mostly “networking,” impractical coursework, and a huge opportunity cost. I’m glad I ignored them.

The past eleven months have been an amazing opportunity to level up my skills and live out a lifelong dream of experiencing New York City.

With eleven solid years of work experience, the NYU Stern one-year Tech MBA has been a perfect fit. When I started evaluating MBA programs, I didn’t realize one-year options existed. This accelerated program has been ideal for someone like me who wants to stay in the tech space while minimizing lost opportunity costs.

From May to August, I refreshed my foundations in finance, accounting, databases, and other core MBA courses. The 21-credit summer workload was intense, but it was helpful to start by reviewing the basics. Building a solid foundation was incredibly valuable and has helped me understand technology businesses at a much more granular level.

In the fall, I dove into more specialized elective courses that deepened my understanding through practical, hands-on experiences. Courses like brand strategy, data science, and tech product management helped me solidify concepts I had experience with in my career but never formally studied.

For example, after spending 11 years working closely with data scientists, I understood their impact but not the mechanics behind their models. In our Data Science course, I had the opportunity to learn directly from Netflix Prize-winning professor Chris Volinsky, who broke down decision trees, random forests, neural networks, and ensemble models in a way that finally made their logic click.

I also participated in the Leadership Fellows program, where we tackled real-world leadership challenges and practiced navigating difficult workplace scenarios.

Spring semester has been just as hands-on. We kicked off the new year in our January West Coast Immersion by visiting tech giants in San Francisco and Seattle, including Nvidia, Microsoft, and Waymo, to see firsthand how AI is transforming their business models. Hearing directly from leaders at these companies gave me a clearer perspective on the intersection of technology, strategy, and execution.

Back in New York, my coursework this semester continues to be incredibly applicable.

Consulting Lab: Branding and Innovation offers a real-world experience working directly with Mastercard on a brand consulting project, applying strategic frameworks to solve tangible business challenges.
Technology Innovation Strategy, taught by an adjunct professor from Meta Reality Labs, provides an inside look at how emerging technologies such as AI, AR, and VR are influencing corporate strategy.
Developing Managerial Skills, taught by New York Times best-selling author Suzy Welch, takes a highly practical approach to leadership, focusing on how to be a more effective and authentic manager.
DevOps and Agile Methodologies has provided hands-on experience with GitHub, along with practical applications of Agile methodologies and CI/CD pipelines.

Stepping back from the daily grind and exploring potential career paths through hands-on learning has helped me refine my goals and strengthen my resolve to lead marketing teams at breakthrough tech companies. My experience as an NYU Stern Tech MBA has been life-changing and incredibly valuable.

It’s hard to believe I’m already three-fourths of the way through my Tech MBA. While I’m sad to see the program coming to an end, I’m excited to put these new skills into practice.

March 17, 2025

Balancing Academics and Life: How Stern Students Thrive

Author: Arjun moved to NYC immediately following undergrad and has been here since (and hopes to be here forever). He has a background in product management and has previously worked as a PM in various flavors – growth, data, and technical. Before joining the Tech MBA class of 2025, Arjun worked at BEES (AB InBev’s digital arm) and prior to that was at IBM. He is passionate about creating delightful and ethical digital user experiences, focusing on data-driven strategies and scalable solutions. Over his 10 months at Stern, Arjun has had the opportunities to consult for a variety of tech firms, spanning pre-seed to publicly traded, visit various tech firms on the West Coast, and squeeze more time out of the day than he ever thought possible.

Arjun Grama Headshot

Can you have it all in a Tech MBA—balancing academics, networking, and personal life? It all depends on how you approach it! As any MBA graduate will tell you, what happens outside the classroom is just as crucial as what happens inside. The challenge is managing it all effectively, and that’s where an Agile mindset comes into play.

Just like in Agile methodology, the MBA experience consists of overlapping epics—broad themes that encompass multiple sprints of intense learning, networking, and personal growth. You set an overall goal, but to succeed, you must adapt, prioritize, and seize incremental value along the way.

Epic 1: Learning Beyond the Classroom

An MBA is fundamentally about two things: acquiring new skills and building relationships. When approached correctly, these two aspects often blend seamlessly.

Learning happens everywhere—not just in the classroom. Stern’s Tech MBA offers a mix of formal and informal learning experiences:

Lunch and Learns by classmates allow us to leverage the cohort’s expertise in a casual setting.
Happy Hours often turn into deep discussions that challenge and refine perspectives, whether about something we’re learning in class, or a random philosophical debate.
Consulting projects and internships provide hands-on experience while fostering collaboration and give you low-risk opportunities to better understand how you work with different people and in various environments.
Life itself is a classroom—from managing stress to prioritizing commitments, every challenge is an opportunity to learn and better your approach to whatever you’re tackling.

To truly gain knowledge, you can’t operate in isolation. The 80/20 rule is key here: rather than striving for perfect grades, focus on extracting key learnings and engaging in discussions that enhance understanding. You can’t gain deep insights from a textbook alone—you need people to dissect and apply ideas with.

A group of Stern students Celebrating Diwali — Celebrating Diwali with the Cohort!

Epic 2: Building a Strong and Supportive Network

Networking in an MBA program isn’t just about coffee chats with alumni or reaching out to industry professionals—it’s about building genuine connections with classmates. Bonding and networking is baked into the very DNA of the program and occurs naturally and quickly, especially during the summer semester when the cohort is in the same classes.

Within the first six weeks of the program, I had already:

Visited a classmate’s childhood home and met their family.
Celebrated multiple birthdays with my cohort.
Gone on a trip with the entire cohort, sharing a house with 15 people.
Hosted classmates at my own family’s home.

While all of these were great fun and created cherished memories, they weren’t just social events; they became the foundation of lifelong friendships and professional bonds. MBA students at Stern look out for each other—whether it’s supporting a startup venture, recommending each other for jobs, or simply covering for each other when life happens.

When I got married in September, my classmates stepped up without hesitation. They scheduled meetings around my availability and even covered my portion of deliverables early in the semester. Later in the term, I had the chance to return the favor. This culture of mutual support is what makes the Stern experience unique.

Epic 3: Prioritization and Avoiding Burnout

The key to thriving in an accelerated MBA program is knowing how to prioritize and when to say no. Overextending is sometimes necessary, but it’s not sustainable for an entire year.

Here’s what works:

Mix personal and professional whenever possible. Example: During our West Coast trek, we visited CloudChef—my cousin’s startup. We got hands-on exposure to their tech, met the founders, and enjoyed a meal cooked by one of our classmates using CloudChef’s platform.
Leverage your calendar, but remain flexible. At this stage, if my calendar told me to walk off a bridge, I’d at least consider it—past me clearly planned this for a reason. But while planning ahead (at least two weeks out) is critical, some of the best experiences are unplanned—like an impromptu board game night or an unexpected invite to lunch with a visiting executive.
Set expectations with friends and family. Giving them access to a simplified version of your calendar can help them understand how busy you are. At the same time, remember that their time is just as valuable as yours, and it’s not on them to track you down. Set realistic expectations and live up to them.

Mini cohort visit

Embracing the Agile Mindset

Just like in Agile, an MBA isn’t about rigidly following a pre-set plan—it’s about constant iteration, reassessment, and adaptation. You start with a vision (earning the degree and advancing your career), but success comes from making continuous progress, embracing change, and leveraging the incredible people around you.

Balancing academics, networking, and personal life isn’t about perfection—it’s about flexibility. With the right mindset, a strong support system, and a willingness to adapt, Sternies don’t just survive the MBA experience—they thrive.

November 8, 2024

A Reflection of my Tech MBA Experience

Author: Veronica’s career has been shaped by a passion for innovation and a collaborative, people-first mindset. She started at KPMG, managing large-scale projects like implementing new accounting standards across 10 countries and driving digital transformations for global clients. At PagoNxt, she led the strategy for a Developer Portal, launching a platform that accelerated product adoption across Spain, the UK, and Brazil by aligning stakeholder needs and market trends. Now, Veronica is expanding her expertise through the Tech MBA at NYU Stern, exploring how technology, product development, and business strategy intersect. Whether in fintech or media, she thrives on building connections, driving impact, and creating products that matter. When she’s not working, you’ll find her at a concert, in the gym, or planning her next adventure—always ready for the next challenge!

Buckle up! I’m already halfway through the Tech MBA, and wow… It feels like I blinked and suddenly found myself choosing electives for my last semester. I want to share what makes this program unique and give you an inside peek into the ride so far. Ready? Let’s dive in!

Pace: Blink and You’ll Miss It

You know when you sign up for a one-year program, you think you have enough time for everything? Yeah, no. It flies by! You’re constantly juggling classes, events, coffee chats, networking, and, of course, trying not to succumb to FOMO.

In the summer, I was a total “Yes” Person. Every invite, every event—I was there. It’s a blast to say yes to everything early on, but eventually, you have to reel it in. (Pro tip: Learn to prioritize, but take it from someone who is still working on it.)

Now here I am, halfway through, and I’m staring at my schedule for the final semester thinking, “OMG, how did we get here already?” Time flies, but don’t forget to slow down for coffee chats with classmates or alumni. Those are the moments that truly count.

People: The Secret Sauce

Let me tell you, the people make this experience extra special. We’re just 58 students, which means we really get to know each other. Our cohort is this incredible mix—engineers, business folks (hi, that’s me!), consultants, strategists—you name it. It’s like having an all-you-can-learn buffet at your fingertips, and everyone brings something unique to the table.

And if this sounds like I’m a proud parent, well… I kind of feel that way. I got lucky—really lucky. We clicked from day one, organizing events together and building a community that surpassed even last year’s cohort. (Yes, we got called out for being too social—oops?)

Being part of this tight-knit group makes everything so much better. I’m also super grateful to represent our cohort as a leader alongside Julian Ozen. It’s been a rewarding experience giving back and being our collective voice.

Summer Isn’t Chill, But Neither is Fall

Everyone will warn you about how intense summer is—and they’re not wrong. The first three months hit hard: ten core classes squeezed into a sprint. It’s like getting thrown back into school mode with no soft landing. But the upside? With just our cohort on campus, it felt like a family—same faces every day, which made it easier to find your rhythm.

But just when you think things will slow down in the fall, the MBAs come back, and suddenly campus is buzzing with new faces, club meetings, and networking events. I’m now balancing my involvement in two clubs (Fintech Association and Stern Tech Association), along with career workshops and emails loaded with amazing (but overwhelming) resources.

Pro tip: Stay organized, prioritize what’s meaningful, and don’t let your agenda run your life (even though it will try). This is where you learn that productivity isn’t just about doing more—it’s about knowing what’s worth your time.

Let’s See Where the Future Takes Me!

So, that’s a glimpse into my Tech MBA experience so far. If you have any questions or just want to chat, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d love to share more or help you navigate this crazy, exciting journey.

For now, let’s see where the future takes me—because if this first half was any indication, it’s going to be one wild ride!

March 29, 2024

Navigating My Tech MBA with Generative AI: A Game Changer in Modern Business Education

Author: Alvaro is a current Tech MBA specializing in Product Management and Strategy. Before Stern, Alvaro was a Technology Consultant and Product Manager at PwC, supporting clients through various cloud transformations and product strategy initiatives. Post-MBA, he plans to pursue product and strategy roles in the tech industry. Outside of work, Alvaro enjoys going on long (some very long) runs, hiking, and hanging out at the nearest NYC park with friends from all walks of life.

Starting my MBA just a few months after Chat GPT was released, I knew it was going to be transformative in every possible way. As a savvy tech person, I was already leveraging GenAI in my daily life before joining the MBA and was curious to what extent I would be able to use it and even dive deeper into it during my one-year tech-focused MBA at Stern. Below are three ways in which most of my colleagues and I have been able to take advantage of this general-purpose technology.

Enhancing classwork through real-world application

From our first “Dealing with Data” class, we were taught how to connect to OpenAI API to analyze the sentiment and topics from product reviews and news articles of companies of our choice. One of my teams later leveraged this in a product that we designed, built, and launched for our “Foundations of Networks and Mobile Systems” class, where we established an API connection to ChatGPT to provide recommendations on the top 3 most mentioned dishes for restaurants in the city. Lastly, classes like “Data Science – Technical” have been instrumental in providing the theory and the practice on how to train Machine Learning models such as LLMs that power these chatbots.

From a less technical and more strategic standpoint, GenAI has been a topic of discussion in most of my classes. Through the different curricula, we have covered how GenAI can be used to enhance customer engagement initiatives, drive product innovation, and craft compelling brand narratives and messaging. We have also explored how to proactively shape a company’s or product’s positioning to adapt to potential future trajectories of this rapidly evolving technology.

Market Analysis and Research:

GenAI has been incredibly helpful for many MBA classes, where we are often tasked with mastering the ins and outs of industries and sub-industries overnight. It also comes in handy during lectures when providing additional explanations, context, or clarifications on topics being discussed, making it easier to understand complex concepts and encouraging curiosity and personalized learning.

While serving as a Venture Associate at Endless Frontier Labs, I supported a startup’s goal of breaking into the US market from abroad. Creating a market analysis and go-to-market strategy with the level of detail that was delivered and in the timeframe requested would have been nearly impossible without GenAI’s aid for research purposes. Two examples of data points GenAI was able to provide (with sources to reputable agencies) within seconds are the average km of aqueducts owned by the top 10 aqueduct operators and the number of hydropower generators in the US whose water source comes from snowpack.

Your personal recruiter:

For recruiting purposes, GenAI can be used in many helpful ways throughout the whole cycle. Here are some ways I have used it:

Gather information on company culture, mission, and values, as well as recent news that might be relevant to the position.
Analyze job descriptions and match them with your resume to identify areas that align with the specified qualifications and areas that do not.
Hold mock interview sessions, inputting job descriptions and asking for a mock interview session with detailed feedback after every answer in return (using ChatGPT mobile app voice chat feature).

LinkedIn Premium has also added AI-powered insights, job fit assessments, and tips, all in the form of an AI chatbot. With this chatbot, you can ask questions like “How can I best position myself for this job?” or “Can you review my profile and suggest specific experiences I should highlight?”

As this technology continues to advance, there’s no doubt that GenAI will become increasingly integrated into business education and business as a whole. My experience at Stern has shown how transformative it can be when embraced and leveraged effectively.

Disclaimer: No, this blog post was not written using Generative AI.

September 12, 2023

Application Tips: The Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA

Vidisha is a current Tech MBA student, specializing in Tech Product Management. Prior to Stern, Vidisha was a Senior Consultant at West Monroe, leading digital transformation efforts for health and dental payers across the country. Post-MBA, she plans to pursue product management in the Health Tech space. At Stern, she is a Makhoul Family Leadership Fellow, involved in Stern Technology Association and Stern Women in Business, and enjoys taking dance classes and reading a good book in her free time.

Navigating the MBA application process can feel like a daunting task. There’s a million different things to keep track of: soliciting recommendation letters, crafting genuine and compelling essays, fine-tuning your resume, securing your undergraduate transcripts – the checklist feels endless. Balancing all of these demands alongside your daily life can be quite the challenge, but staying organized and proactive can make things a lot less stressful.

Read on for some strategies for effectively managing the MBA application journey and some advice on how to tackle the Stern essay questions.

Be Your Own Project Manager

One of my first steps as I kicked off my application journey was organizing everything into an Excel spreadsheet. I logged each task along with its deadline, estimated time commitment, and current status. It’s crucial to have a handle on all the pieces required for your applications and allocate sufficient time for each.

Reaching out early to your recommenders is important to give them ample time to compose their letters. And essays usually require several revisions before they are polished. Even seemingly minor tasks like obtaining your undergraduate transcript can eat up a couple of business days.

Do Your Research

It is essential to have a clear understanding of why you are drawn to a specific school and how it aligns with your professional and personal aspirations. As someone who is interested in pursuing a product management role post-graduation, I thoroughly researched the various opportunities Stern provided to help me achieve my goals.

I looked into courses such as Technical Product Management and DevOps and Software Engineering, learned more about the Tech Product Management Specialization, and spoke with current members of the Stern Technology Association. I was also keen on gaining hands-on experience building and launching a product so Stern’s experiential learning courses such as Tech Solutions and West Coast Immersion really caught my eye. Furthermore, I was interested in exploring my entrepreneurial interests during my MBA, so NYU’s start-up accelerator, Endless Frontier Labs, was also something I dug into.

While there are ample resources online, the most valuable advice often comes from engaging with current students and alumni who share similar interests and career goals. I highly recommend reaching out to these individuals, as they are always willing to provide invaluable insights and guidance to prospective students.

Craft Your Story

Developing an engaging narrative, your “why” for pursuing an MBA at this point in your career, is a key part of the application process. The best stories are the most authentic, so don’t hesitate to let your genuine passions shine through!

I found it helpful to identify a couple of anecdotes or themes from my life that have really shaped who I am. I then explored how these personal experiences connected with my professional aspirations. I actually really enjoyed the reflective nature of this process and felt like I gained valuable insight into what I truly seek in the next phase of my professional journey and personal growth.

Revise, Revise, Revise

Your first draft is never going to be your best draft. Once I had a solid foundation for what I wanted to say in my essays, I invested a significant amount of time seeking input from trusted friends, especially those that had gone through the MBA application process before, and refining my writing. Often, something that sounded perfect in my mind didn’t convey the precise message I intended, so it was helpful to get another set(s) of eyes on my work so I could gauge how the admissions committee would perceive my words.

Specific Advice for the Stern Application

Stern’s MBA application stood out compared to many others, as it offered more of an opportunity to express my creativity. Here’s some guidance on approaching the essay questions:

Essay Question #1: Change: _____ it.

For this question, I really tried to reflect on what change meant to me. I aimed to select a tagline that not only resonated with an experience I had lived but also one I could plan to continue embodying through active involvement in Stern’s academic and extracurricular offerings.

Change: Chase it.

I chose “chase” for my verb to highlight my belief that you must proactively seek opportunities to build the life of your dreams. I described how I had previously demonstrated my commitment to actively seeking new ways to challenge myself and grow as a leader and how I plan to continue doing so during my time at Stern. I even mentioned specific courses and extracurriculars I was interested in participating in that aligned with my growth goals.

More than the actual verb you choose, what matters most is the “why” behind that choice and how effectively you can convey that rationale through your past experiences and future aspirations.

Essay Question #2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. “Pick Six”)

This question quickly became my favorite to put together! It can seem very broad at first, so I started off by making a list of things that were important to me. This can be anything from influential people in your life, your favorite hobby, your life philosophy, to things you are passionate about personally and/or professionally. From there, I narrowed my list down to 6 and tried to find a photo or image that best captured each of those concepts. Personally, I drew from my camera roll, but you have a wide array of options, including photos, infographics, drawings, collages, or any visual medium that resonates with you.

I chose to highlight (1) the importance of family in my life, (2) my obsession with books, (3) my passion for learning and performing new dance styles, (4) a creative venture I started with my sisters, (5) my love for adventure and travel, and lastly, (6) my aspirations to develop innovative solutions to address healthcare challenges.

Keep in mind that your caption can only be a sentence long and this is another good opportunity to gut check with a friend that the image you chose does indeed convey the meaning you intend it to. Have fun with this one! It’s a great way to add some more color to your application (literally) and highlight what makes you, you!

As you embark on this journey, remember that it’s not solely about perfecting your professional persona; it’s also about showcasing your individuality and what sets you apart. Don’t underestimate the significance of introspection and creativity in this process; they can be your most powerful allies.

And enjoy the ride! It’s a chance to not only gain admission to a prestigious institution but also to embark on a transformational experience that will shape your future in profound ways. Best of luck as you take the next steps towards your MBA dreams!

August 30, 2023

The Summer Semester in the Tech MBA

Barak is a current Tech MBA student, specializing in Tech Product Management, Leadership, and Change Management. Before Stern, Barak led a team of Product Managers at a FinTech firm in Tel Aviv, Israel where he helped the top financial institutions around the world to provide custom financial insights to their customers. At Stern, he is involved in the FinTech Club as the VP of Alumni Relationships and enjoys organizing pickup basketball games and swimming activities with his classmates.

As a new student in NYU Stern’s Tech MBA program, I recently relocated from Israel to New York in May, accompanied by my wife, our 2-year-old son, and our beloved dog. As I approach the end of my summer semester, I find myself eager to share valuable insights and tips that I’ve gathered throughout this semester. The goal of this post is to help future students and prospects make the most out of their time in the program.

A One-Year Tech-Focused MBA Program

The NYU Tech MBA program is exciting and innovative, lasting from May to May. In just half the time of a traditional two-year program, we achieve a full MBA degree through a unique approach. During the summer semester, we complete the core courses of the first year of the general MBA and seamlessly transition to the second year in the fall.

The Summer Semester: A Sprint to Success

The summer semester is divided into three intensive sprints, each lasting four weeks. Picture this: Monday to Friday, from 9 AM to 4:30 PM (with a refreshing lunch break from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM), dedicated to immersive learning experiences. With 3-4 courses per sprint, we efficiently cover an expansive range of crucial business concepts, successfully completing the 11 core courses within a single semester.

Tailored courses for Tech leaders

As someone who thrives in high-pressure environments, this program has impressed me thoroughly so far. The opportunity to immerse ourselves in numerous fascinating courses in one semester, while also mastering the foundational principles of each subject, is simply extraordinary. The university’s creation of dedicated courses tailored for tech-enthusiastic business leaders ensures we receive precisely what we need. Additionally, the incorporation of pre-work, in-class practices, and post-class assignments and quizzes enriches our learning experience.

A Cohort of Family

The people in this program are its greatest asset. With an intimate group of approximately 50 students in the Tech MBA and 25 students in Fashion and Luxury, the quiet summer campus provides the ideal setting for us to come together and form strong bonds. Collaborating on group projects and rotating through different groups for each class allows us to truly know our classmates on a personal level. We don’t just feel like classmates; we’ve become one big family.

A short pencil is better than a long memory

The summer semester can be intense and overwhelming with multiple deadlines, but it’s manageable with the right tools. Stay on top of your game by utilizing effective tools like calendars, to-do lists, and time-blocking techniques. These organizational aids will keep you on track and ensure you never miss a deadline.

Prioritize one task at a time

Concentrate on the present importance and avoid getting overwhelmed with future concerns. Trying to handle everything simultaneously leads to accomplishing nothing. Identify high-priority tasks and tackle them first, maintaining control over essential assignments and preventing last-minute rushes.

Embrace the academic opportunities

Take full advantage of the academic opportunities that the program offers. With captivating classes, experienced industry-proficient professors, and motivated teaching fellows, make the most of these opportunities to learn from some of the best educators in the world.

Engage in Active Learning

Take an active role in class discussions, team projects, and case studies, as this will not only enhance your understanding but also enlighten your classmates. The class comprises a diverse group of individuals from various backgrounds, and the beauty lies in how we enrich one another’s learning journey through shared experiences.

Avoid lagging in the material

As classes build upon previous concepts, make it a priority to keep up, and don’t hesitate to seek assistance if needed. Like a snowball effect, staying ahead ensures a smooth progression without overwhelming yourself

Your friends are your best resource

This is always true, but particularly during learning sessions. Embrace the diversity within your cohort to leverage each other’s prior experiences and enhance your understanding of the material. Never hesitate to seek assistance when needed, as everyone is eager to support one another. It’s also a wonderful chance to deepen your connections and get to know each other better.

Multiple Support Options are available

Bear in mind that you have access to various forms of assistance to aid you along the way. If you require help, don’t hesitate to contact the faculty for support. The university offers a range of resources, such as extra office hours with professors or teaching fellows, additional practice sessions, and personalized accommodations, all designed to ensure your academic success.

Sternies Play Basketball in the John A. Paulson Center

If you only get A’s, it means that you’re doing something wrong

This is the thought-provoking statement that one of our professors began his lecture with. While academic excellence is important, a fulfilling graduate degree encompasses more. Invest time in networking, coffee chats, socializing, sports, and other activities that contribute to your overall growth and enriching experience.

Enjoy!

This year is too short to do anything other than enjoy the opportunity to live in one of the best cities in the world and embrace every aspect and moment of it!

July 21, 2023

Embracing the MBA Decision Process

Mariana Ruiz Allende is a current Tech MBA student, specializing in Product Management, FinTech and Strategy. Prior to Stern, Mariana worked in the FinTech industry for more than 4 years in Mexico City. Post-MBA, she plans to continue her professional development as a Product Manager. At Stern, she is involved in the Stern Adventures Club, the Latin American Business Association and the Stern Softball team. She is currently working on a personal project that will use Machine learning Sentiment Analysis to provide help through a mental health approach.

Deciding where to go for your MBA is not an easy decision. In my case, the decision affected not only me, but also my husband.

Before the pandemic started, I knew I wanted an MBA. However, being all settled in Mexico, with my husband and me each thriving in our professional careers, having my family and friends close, and traveling a lot, it seemed like there was no real need for me to go through the MBA application process, which we all know is a lot of work. Everything seemed so well planned in my life, and I was happy living it that way; why would I consider changing it? Unfortunately – or fortunately- I am very ambitious and really wanted to have the experience of an MBA.

I talked to my husband about going for it, considering I wanted to have my experience abroad, and he was very supportive from the beginning. Honestly, we both knew it was a long shot to be accepted into a top school, but I knew I had to go for it. However, there were two considerations I needed to make this work. First, he would have to come with me, which was non-negotiable for me, and second, it would have to be in a place where he could continue to work, and as a barred lawyer, New York was the only option.

So yes, in my decision, there were more variables to consider. Nevertheless, those variables quickly reduced the scope of my options, and fortunately, the narrowed option was the best city in the world.

After narrowing it to New York, I researched all possible programs in the city, which were many more than I imagined; considering each School has multiple MBA programs, my options by then were between 6 and 10 different programs. To narrow this further, I reduced my scope to only 1 year programs – working in tech, I knew being out of the “being employed game” for a long time wouldn’t have worked for me, so this filter narrowed my options to 3. Although applying to three programs might seem like a good number, I soon fell in love with the tech-focused programs. I really liked the syllabus each one had, and coming from another business school, adding the technical courses made a lot more sense to my profile. Although there were some other one-year programs in the city, the tech focus for me was the cherry on top, which narrowed my number to two.

I reached out to people from both business schools. I spoke with at least ten people to get a sense of what their experience was, what they would recommend during the process, and to verify I clicked with their culture. I was shocked to see people actually answered my messages on LinkedIn without even knowing me.

When applying to Stern, I immediately stumbled upon the first challenge, which was a “change” in the application style the school has compared to the rest. The application had a twist since it was basically a mini-essay and a photo collage. The saying “less is more” is very applicable in this case. Less was more work since you need to be yourself, show what you bring to the table, show you are different and delightful, and show you can embrace change, all in two or three short deliverables.

My two cents to anyone in the application process are:

1) Talk to people from the school you are applying to. The insights you get with quick chats not only fuel your motivation but also help you show the qualities you share with the people you talk to.

2) Review your essays after clearing your head for a few days. After having more than 30 drafts on one of my essays, I can assure you the Mariana that started the process was not the same once I finished it. Yes, my last essay was a killer one compared to the classic cliché one I started with.

Lastly, embrace learning through this application and school selection process, be humble and not too harsh with yourself, and reach out to people to mentor you or cheer for you throughout this process. And in case you doubt yourself, I can tell you all the effort is worth it.

June 6, 2023

Reflections on Graduation

Bárbara Argeri is a current Tech MBA student, specializing in Tech Product Management and Management of Tech and Operations. Prior to Stern, Bárbara worked as a Product Strategy Manager at Mercado Libre in Brazil. Post-MBA, she plans to work as a Tech Product Manager. At Stern, she is involved in several student associations such as Stern Technology Association, Stern Women in Business, Latin American Business Association and Management Consulting Association. During her free time, she enjoys strolling around New York searching for new places, and spending time with her friends.

Reflecting on Graduation

It’s hard to believe that I’m already reflecting on my year at Stern for this blog post. However, the exercise of looking back on everything I’ve experienced fills me with gratitude. Pursuing an MBA had been a goal of mine for a while, and after years of preparation, the feeling of accomplishment still hasn’t completely set in. That said, I can confidently say that my time at Stern has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

A Year in the Best City

One of the biggest draws of attending Stern was the opportunity to live in New York City. It had been a dream of mine for almost 20 years, and despite having high expectations, the city exceeded them. The sheer diversity of experiences is staggering, and after a year of exploring, my list of must-visit restaurants, bars, shows, and other attractions has only continued to grow. Professionally, being in New York has opened up countless doors, allowing me to visit a variety of offices and experience different company cultures firsthand.

New Knowledge

Another reason why I chose the Tech MBA program was because it met my needs as a business school student. I was keen to refresh my undergraduate knowledge with a more mature perspective, learn from my experienced colleagues, and enroll in classes that would allow me to improve on certain areas. Looking back, I’m glad I made that choice. The program’s focus on data-oriented classes and discussions of disruptive innovation, as well as the mix of colleagues with both business and technical backgrounds, provided me with the academic and experiential learning I was hoping for.

Participation in Clubs

Through my involvement in four student associations at Stern, the Stern Technology Association, the Latin American Business Association, Stern Women in Business, and the Management Consulting Association, I had the opportunity to connect with MBA students from other programs. As a leader within the Stern Technology Association, I was able to coordinate visits to the offices of two tech companies in New York, providing students with a unique opportunity to gain insights into the inner workings of these organizations, learn about their operations, and network with their employees.

Everlasting Community

Lastly, one of the most enriching aspects of the MBA has been the friendships I’ve formed. I knew coming in that I would make lifelong friends, but I never expected our cohort to be such an amazing group of people. The experiences we’ve shared together are ones I never could have imagined. We went to upstate New York to enjoy the 4th of July by the lakes, had a blast at a Brazilian bar with a live band, danced at an Indian brunch, celebrated Chinese New Year at a Chinese restaurant, had several potluck dinners with food from all over the world… Those are experiences I would hardly have had had I not come to an MBA, and the ones I’ll never forget.

To those considering pursuing an MBA or starting one soon, my advice is simple but genuine: make the most of the experience, because it truly goes by fast. Engage in student associations, spend time with friends, visit companies, try different foods, and take classes that interest you. At the end of the day, your MBA experience is what you make of it, and it’s up to you to ensure that it’s as remarkable as it can be.

April 14, 2023

West Coast Immersion 2023

Divya Mehta is a current Tech MBA student at Stern. Within Stern, she is part of the Graduate Marketing Association and Business Analytics Club boards. Before starting her MBA, Divya has held various supply chain roles at Johnson & Johnson, Colgate-Palmolive, and Intel Corporation. She studied Industrial Engineering at Penn State University with minors in Product and Entrepreneurship. Post-MBA she is interested in pivoting from a cost-savings role to a revenue-generation role at a B2B company.

Welcome to the Journey!

One of the standout features of NYU’s Tech MBA is its embedded West Coast Immersion Course during our winter break. The West Coast immersion is an integral part of our curriculum, as it gives us exposure to a wide range of companies and opportunities beyond the NYC ecosystem. My name is Divya, and I’m here to bring you along on my personal recap of the West Coast Immersion trip!

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Students had the option to visit either Seattle, WA or Los Angeles, CA before meeting up in San Francisco.

As part of the West Coast Immersion Coast, we were able to lottery for our choice of either Los Angeles or Seattle; I chose Seattle so that I could tack on a week in Portland, OR prior! At the end of the trip, 16 of us traveled to Steamboat, CO to join Stern Adventure club on their annual ski trip. This led to a total of 4 weeks of travel for me!

My luggage for 4 weeks of travel was #Worththeweight

As the official start date of the trip neared, I couldn’t help but feel the adrenaline rush as my classmates began to share their travel to Seattle from all parts of the world.

Shortly after our group touched down in Seattle, we met up at Flatstick Brewing for some beer and bites. There were so many fun memories but in the interest of keeping this short, I’m sharing my top 5 highlights, in chronological order, from each leg of the immersion trip!

Seattle Highlights:

Microsoft
Amazon
Class-bonding
T-Mobile
Starbucks

1. At Microsoft we had the pleasure of hearing from Jeff Teper, President of Microsoft Collaborative Apps, and a thought leader in the product space. I loved hearing his insights and experiences around disruption, culture, and customer empathy at a large enterprise company. I was also particularly fascinated by the Industrial Metaverse portion covered by Lili Cheng, given my background in Supply Chain.

Group shot from our first company visit!

2. At Amazon we learned the importance of Customer Obsession, Collaboration, and what makes an MLP or “Most Lovable Product!” We were treated to a delicious breakfast and lunch with an exclusive tour of the Amazon Spheres in between.

An Amazonian welcome and tour of the Spheres

3. The small but meaningful class-bonding moments with Professor Vasant Dhar – I loved being in a remote classroom together, having a whole charter bus to ourselves, and taking in the beautiful Mt. Rainier views!

4. T-Mobile was perhaps my biggest surprise. We had a blast learning about their 5G portfolio through interactive demonstrations. Salim Koudri, Senior Vice President of Technology, gave an incredible talk on the wireless value chain, the future of 5G, and some fascinating business solutions. We learned about concepts such as “latency” through VR, and then ended our day at the employee lounge for a cocktail reception with pool, shuffleboard, and networking with senior team members.

Classmates learning the challenges of “latency” through VR games

5. Similar to T-Mobile, another company visit that surprised me was Starbucks. As someone who comes from a background in supply chain, I had always known of Starbucks as a “supply chain” company. As an Industrial Engineer, I really “nerded out” on the fact that they have an entire center dedicated to optimizing the barista experience. It turns out product design plays a huge role in speed and ergonomics.

After a hectic schedule in Seattle, we packed up our suitcases and made our way to San Francisco to meet up with the other half of our cohort!

Excited to meet up with the rest of our classmates in the Bay Area

San Francisco Highlights:

Weekend 1
Palantir
Nvidia
Calm CEO
Google

1. Weekend 1 in the Bay consisted of reuniting with the second half of our cohort (after 4+ weeks of winter break), exploring the city, meeting some admitted students for brunch, and of course, a cohort trip to Napa Valley! This was our first chance to breathe after a hectic first week in Seattle.

2. At Palantir, we got the true Silicon Valley start-up experience as we challenged each other to ping pong and foosball games while our speakers set up.

Classmates enjoying a good post-lunch stretch at Palantir

3. One common theme that has been stressed throughout our program is the importance of coffee chats. Because of the networking and coffee chats I’d arranged, two of my classmates and I were fortunate enough to be invited to a personal tour of Google’s new campus where we rode bikes, grabbed a delicious Mediterranean meal, made our own ice cream sundaes, and chatted about the variety of opportunities at Google and beyond.

Posing in front of the new Bay View building in Mountain View

4. Nvidia was incredible. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside but their building looked like it was straight out of a futuristic movie. Their demonstration of generative AI showed the power of simulations in driver safety, and digital twins in manufacturing plants.

5. An amazing way to end our week was to have an intimate conversation with the CEO of Calm, David Ko. One of my favorite quotes from the NYU Alum was “It’s not how you lead going up, it’s how you lead when things are going down.” This was especially important to hear while the Tech industry was facing economic headwinds because it taught us the importance of resilience.

Our classroom views were absolutely gorgeous on our last day

In conclusion, the West Coast Immersion trip was an incredible opportunity for the NYU Tech MBA cohort to broaden our horizons beyond the NYC ecosystem and gain insights from a diverse range of companies and industry leaders. From Microsoft to Amazon, T-Mobile, and Starbucks in Seattle, to Palantir, Nvidia, Calm, and Google in the bay area (and this isn’t even all of the companies we visited!), we had the chance to learn about disruptive technologies, customer obsession, product design, 5G, and AI. The trip also provided us with invaluable opportunities for class-bonding and networking with senior faculty. Overall, the West Coast Immersion was an unforgettable experience that allowed us to deepen our understanding of the tech industry and prepare us for the challenges and opportunities ahead.

March 20, 2023

Demystifying Tech in the Tech MBA

Shriram HS is a current Tech MBA student specializing in strategy, marketing, and product management. He moved to New York City from Bengaluru, India. At Stern, he is the VP of Tech MBA at the Stern Technology Association. Prior to Stern, he worked at Cisco, leading product development for 5G and cloud networks. He holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and a master’s in computer engineering.

“Know what’s weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change. But pretty soon, everything’s different.“

-Bill Watterson, through the fabled comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.

That quote elegantly encapsulates the predominant theme of present-day reality, especially in business and technology: Disruption. It conveys a rather simple but sweeping idea that swift disruption is the new norm. What’s in vogue today is unlikely to be so in a few months. And it does not spare anything: technology, business models, or even entire firms. So how do you thrive in this new age?

Until a few years ago, the traditional MBA would set you up nicely for any target industry. But today, when you specifically want to pursue tech/tech-adjacent leadership roles:

It has at most a peripheral focus on tech, which is now a primary driver of this disruption
It has a high time cost of two years

When I began exploring business schools, I had strict considerations:

Its program had to build on or complement my tech background
It mustn’t be longer than a year
It had to be welcoming of international students

Any tradeoff here would severely affect its value to me. As you’d expect, only a micro list of options fulfilled all these criteria. Yet, I insisted on assessing the details under the hood of each option, and that showed why the Stern Tech MBA experience stands out in this new age.

I’ll start with oft-asked sets of questions I’ve come across:

What exactly is the Tech MBA? Is it an executive program? Is it a joint degree? Is it a specialization?

It is none of those. I’d dub it an accelerated MBA focusing on technology.

Is it for someone with a tech background? Is it only for someone who wants to move to the tech industry?

It could be for anyone, with no binding restrictions on either prior background or outcome. In fact, its chief tenet is flexibility, which I’ll expand on in further detail below. I found ample preparatory content within the course for folks who didn’t work with tech before. As for outcomes, its structure allows you to specialize in any of Stern’s 27 specializations. The latest program reports would help you note this diversity, both in roles as well as industries. Given that any product or service in any industry could have a substantial digital component, the Tech MBA’s literally designed with that flexibility. Here’s precisely how.

My good friend and classmate John Bennion shared his specifics to facilitate this collation to give you a clear view of this program’s flexibility. For quick context, he worked at the US Air Force, leading product management before coming to Stern.

Core Classes

The business core comprises all foundational MBA classes at 2x the pace. Among that, a subset (strategy, entrepreneurship) is specifically tech-focused. On the other hand, the tech core comprises grad-level classes on data, modern tech stacks, and DevOps. Through these, you’d have everything you need to manage tech operations, understand systems architecture, or even build your own application. While I waived those classes in which I had proficiency, John added more electives in this space, taking advantage of both Courant (NYU’s Institute for Mathematical Science) and Steinhardt (NYU’s School of Culture, Education, and Human Development).

Electives (Selected Sample)

One highlight of tech management coursework I must list here is innovation strategy taught by Prof. Melissa Schilling. Many business school classes embody some combination of traditional/layered concepts, case studies, and professional practice. However, this class is a fine example of how primary research and years of teaching have resulted in a distinctively compelling study. Her single coherent strategic framework for innovation management seamlessly decoded any and every example brought up in class.

Experiential Learning

A fun aspect here is the near-weekly sessions hosted by alumni and visiting business leaders as a built-in part of this course. What makes it fun is their remarkably candid spirit while sharing their incredible experiences. For our cohort, these ranged from cutting-edge tech, such as pre-release 5G solutions from Verizon, to high-impact initiatives involving predictive AI at Lyft.

Another memorable class I took this fall was the Consulting Lab, engaging with J&J’s self-care division for branding and innovation. Starting out, I had no expertise in the function or the industry. But over the semester, the 10x learning in this class prodded me to advanced levels. On its concluding day, our client’s leaders commended my team, asking us to present our recommendations further to J&J’s senior global leadership. In no small part, it is a reflection of Prof. Fran Gormley, whose mere preparation for every meeting astonished me. As a result of this experience, not only did I add new skills, such as go-to-market strategy, to my repertoire, but I also feel inspirited to take on new challenges. Such felicitous experiences help you develop a refined perspective that immensely boosts your range, which is key to this new age. And no other place is primed for better exposure to this ecosystem, embracing Silicon Alley, Wall Street, and a multitude of marvels in this city that never sleeps.