I’ve had a lot of questions about the composition of the full time MBA academics at Bocconi, and since it doesn’t follow the typical semester calendar, I will review the 15-month timeline.
I never delved deep into the descriptions of the courses I would be taking for my €47.000 tuition, and I wonder why. I suppose such due diligence would have been an insightful exercise before arriving in Milano.
Perhaps I like surprises?
Planning Calendar for MBA41 at SDA Bocconi
In reality (a catchphrase of capital planning and budgeting Professor Lucilla Tealdi), it was probably best not to anticipate too much.
Each “term” is five to six weeks: introductory, fall, winter, spring, [summer internships period], and then concentration classes starting from September 2016. Terms comprise at least five classes (what we started with), or as many as eight (starting two weeks ago).
A list of what we have completed already or will soon:
Introductory (October 5 to November 7; 26 school days)
Financial Reporting & AnalysisFinancial Planning & Capital BudgetingFinancial Markets & Institutions 1Managerial Economics (i.e. microeconomics)Competitive Strategy
Fall (November 9 to December 21; 31 school days)
MacroeconomicsFinancial Markets & Institutions 2Decisions & UncertaintyOrganizational BehaviorNegotiationMarketing ManagementProject Management
Winter (January 11 to March 4; 38 school days)
- Corporate Finance 1
- Organizational Strategy
- Technology & Innovation Management
- Business Analytics (i.e. statistics)
- Cost Management & Profitability Analysis
- Human Resources Management
- Corporate Strategy
- Corporate Governance
Spring (March 7 to April 29; 32 school days)
It’s a mystery!
The summit(?) of Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, France (Mont Blanc)
In the photo of our planning calendar, bright blue is exam days, bright red is vacation (shouldn’t it be the other way around?), and the rest is tightly-packed weeks of classes from (most days) 8.30 to 1.30. Some days last until 4. Each class is 90 minutes, and we get a 15 minute break between each, with an hour for lunch from 1.30 to 2.30.
Furthermore, grades are given on a pass-fail basis, though there are steps to a pass, so Honor Pass, Pass +, Pass, and Low Pass correspond respectively to A, B, C, and D. Fs would fall into fail, I presume.
Bocconi is curious place, after five months. Administration has its woes, and foes, as do the professors we have encountered. Some are pleasant and jovial, others are less friendly. Most are Italian, and many are comically eccentric, with their strange dress, bizarre stories, and curious classroom implements. It’s also fascinating to compare them, noting who is well organized, compelling in class, and capable of mesmerizing a group of 49 grad students.
Studying at Arnold, “the American coffee experience”
I ponder that in order to be a successful, tenured faculty member, in any level of academia, eccentricity is more than a coincidence, it is required. Otherwise, your brilliance (or insanity depending on the perspective) isn’t appreciated or memorable.
What we haven’t had is any really terrible (unskilled) teachers. Confusing, yes. Dull? Sure. Unqualified? Definitely not.
Arco della Pace
After some pass pluses, passes, and low passes, I am trying to remember what I told myself at the beginning: get what you want out of the process. Finance isn’t my thing, so be it. Marketing is a fuzzy science? Well no one did well on that exam…
What is great? Managing the Luxury & Arts Club, and our new Human Resources class. And working with my professional coach Paola Patetta, who used to work for Goldman Sachs and is helping me develop my unique leadership style. These are the things I am really loving.
[Sidebar, I probably should have gone after the MAFED, which is the masters of fashion and experience design management, as their classes are far more interesting to me. A complete sidebar for another post…]More to come!
