In my last year of high school, I was far from sure where I would end up going for post-secondary education. My leaning was toward business, but I didn’t know where I would go. I ended up at CMU after hearing about it and the Redekop School of Business (RSB) from one of my teachers. I loved the idea of a small school with a Christian perspective, as I had experienced in high school.
After talking with admissions and attending an open house, I was sold! A nice bonus was the scholarships that have been so generously provided by the Redekop family for business students. I’m so glad I chose CMU, because I have made so many friendships and had great experiences here through classes and living on campus.
But why am I taking business? I wasn’t interested in the medical field, no matter how much my mother tried to persuade me. Getting a business degree is a great step towards a career in the business world, which is ever expanding. For me, I need a degree before I can go after an accounting designation through the CPA program, and business makes the most sense to lay that foundation. But there are so many other possibilities within the business program, from management to entrepreneurism to international business to marketing! The core of the business degree gives students the opportunity to learn about all of the aforementioned categories and more.
Doing business at CMU may seem challenging, but the professors here are amazing. It’s great to be able to stop in and have a chat with them about a difficult assignment question, potential topics for your looming end-of-the-semester paper, or just a chat over a cup of coffee at one of the cafés on campus. In the RSB, we have the benefit of having a huge variety of people teaching our classes, many of whom work full-time doing what they are teaching. It’s great to know that they are giving us both textbook knowledge and experiential wisdom from the real business world.
Another great facet of CMU’s business program is the project opportunities that we have in the latter courses. I have had the opportunity to apply course concepts to real businesses and non-profit organizations, such as Siloam Mission. Last year’s project brought us before the board of Siloam for our final presentation!
For many people, a business degree, or even a handful of business courses, are a great idea. Whether you’re planning to take over the family business, become an entrepreneur, or just want to brush up on your presentational and other professional skills – it will be a huge assent for your future career!
Guest blogger Vanessa is a fourth year business student at CMU.