Experiential Learning Towards the Full Time Job Search

Jennifer Dodd, ’10 MBA

I just started the first week at my post-MBA full time job at Carestream Health, a medical imaging system manufacturer headquartered in Rochester, NY. My first days as a Marketing Analyst have been going pretty well, and looking back I feel that the Experiential Learning component of the MBA program at Whitman made me well-prepared to enter the working world. In addition to classroom work, I had three distinct internship experiences, all helping me get a step closer to the elusive full time placement.

In the summer between my first and second years at Whitman, I worked in a market research capacity with Blue Highway, a wholly-owned subsidiary of medical device manufacturer, Welch Allyn. Not only did this position give me the opportunity to work with upper level management at the firm, but it also fit well into the Experiential Learning component of Whitman’s program. My analysis of the company’s projects impacted the company’s strategic direction and also drastically changed my career path.

I came into the MBA program knowing I wanted to work in Marketing, but thinking my interests were more towards the retail industry. My first Experiential Learning experience ignited a passion for the healthcare industry that I was able to follow up with a Business Development internship at Crouse Hospital during my second year.

In addition to these healthcare positions, I also worked with a small business venture, HuePhoria, helping them expand their retail sales of hand-painted wine glasses. A major component of the work I did over 3 months with the company surrounded a social media campaign taking advantage of an existing Facebook presence. This unique experience helped set me apart from other candidates when applying for full time jobs this past year.

All three experiences were invaluable in the interview process with Carestream. Speaking with the firm’s Chief Marketing Officer, he was impressed with the amount of relevant industry experience that I had gained while completing my degree. The social media component of my new position mirrors the work I did with HuePhoria only months before. The result was a full time position with an international company.

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Amy McHale

As assistant dean for master's programs, Amy McHale is responsible for working with the Whitman School's senior management team to develop and execute a strategy for the masters programs. She joined the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University as the director of experiential learning in April 2008. She has led the Whitman School’s efforts to provide academically rigorous experiential learning opportunities for MBA students, including developing internship and co-op experiences and other practical outside-the-classroom applications. Previously she spent twenty-six years at Eastman Kodak Company. McHale holds a bachelors degree in chemistry from St. Lawrence University and an MBA from the Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester.