networking « Medical Biophysics GSU (@UofT)

GMCA Management Consulting Case Competition Was A Success!

By AnnaG, on April 19th, 2010

On Saturday April 17^th, Graduate Management Consulting Association (GMCA) of UofT held their second Case Competition. Graduate students from various departments participated in this exciting event. The winner of this competition was a group of students from the Biotechnology department who impressed the judges with their creative solution and outstanding public speaking skills.

The Management Consulting Case Competition is designed for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from all departments who want to explore the management consulting industry and to challenge themselves in solving business case studies in a competitive learning environment. A number of students in my lab were curious about this industry and we decided to participate in the competition. Here we learned and obtained feedback from experienced consultants in the ‘Crack the Case’ session and Advisory Round before the competition. This year’s case involved an innovative phone company that was looking for ways to become a global brand. We were given three full days to learn about the company, do the analysis and come up with a solution. We also attended a Networking Lunch where we got a chance to chat with consultants.

Networking: And I'm Not Talking About Cell Signaling Pathways

By CaleD, on February 13th, 2010

I thought I’d take a break from divulging information about the various career paths available to life science/medical physics graduate students and talk a little bit about some of things you might consider doing to land that dream job of yours.

In the past, I always believed I was special in some way – that the jobs I coveted would somehow fall into my lap. This “dream” has come crashing down as rejection letters or silence are the two responses I get most often. I’m sure we’ve all heard the old adage, “It’s not WHAT you know, but WHO you know.” Unfortunately, even for graduate students – it is a saying that I think needs to be taken seriously.

Typically graduate students are terrible at networking and really who can blame us? We rarely see anyone outside of our immediate circle of friends or labmates because we are slaving away writing computer programs or pipetting furiously. We don’t have much time to think about our future and how to get there and generally assume that it will “all work out”.

Looking back, I think this is a mistake. Sure, some people will get that job they’ve always wanted and not ever actively try to build a network of contacts. But for most of us, the earlier we prepare for our eventual job hunt the more likely we are to land that interview.