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Alonza Terry, Ben Fulan, Case Competition, Consulting, Cornell University, Melinda Lanius, presentation skills, Rockefeller University
This past week I was happy to participate, along with my teammates Melinda Lanius, Ben Fulan, and Alonza Terry (PhD students in Mathematics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), in a non-mba Case Competition hosted by Cornell and Rockefeller Universities (http://cr-casecomp.org). Out of 60 team applications, only the top 30 were chosen (that means we were in the top half!).
It was an excellent experience. Usually case competitions are an activity that MBA students participate in to hone their analytic and presentation skills. This event, however, was designed to “foster the next generation of consultants with advanced degrees”, so it focused on translating our skills from PhD programs towards the problem solving process that occurs when consultants help organizations and company’s with internal problems. Those problems can range from implementing a new type of technology to suggesting potential business acquisitions and mergers. The event even had a panel of recent Doctorates who answered questions about transitioning into a non-academic (and very lucrative) career.