MBA + NCAA: Bringing Basketball into Business School

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In the middle of my senior year at Harvard and with graduation fast approaching, I found myself eligible to play an additional year of Division 1 NCAA Basketball. I was in the rare position of being able to play a fifth year of the sport I love while pursuing a graduate degree.

I majored in psychology as an undergraduate because I enjoy understanding how people think and act. I wasn’t drawn to pursuing a clinical practice but did have a strong desire to continue adding to my academic skill set.

Business school seemed like the perfect next step.

New Opportunities On and Off the Court

MBA programs conjure up many stereotypes and generalities. For many, including me, competitive is at the top of the list. Passionate business moguls, cutthroat grade-curve destroyers, and hard-nosed, driven entrepreneurs are just a few of the many characters I invented in my head as I nervously read online descriptions of b-school curricula.

That's why, when I stepped into my interview at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, I was taken aback when the first questions asked what I could offer my potential peers in the Full-Time MBA cohort.

It was clear that there was an intense focus on bringing in talented students who were passionate and excited not just about their individual business goals and growth, but also about collaborating with others and learning from one another.

I realized that the feeling UC Davis gave reflected the way I feel on the court: the Graduate School of Management was offering me not just an MBA program, but a new team with which I could face and resolve new problems.

With its distinctive Industry Immersions, the UC Davis MBA program also offered the opportunity to experience a deep dive into the biotech industry, revealing diverse future avenues to enter the healthcare world with my degrees in psychology and business.

Heading West: Go Ags!

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Inspired by both the culture of the Graduate School of Management and the UC Davis Aggies Women’s Basketball team, I booked my ticket to California and prepped for the East-to-West-Coast move.

It was intimidating to start the MBA program as a newly graduated 22-year-old student-athlete. I worried that statistics was my highest-level math undergraduate course.

Now in my second quarter, I can confidently say that my gut feeling about the team-focused culture at UC Davis was more than accurate. I never thought I would feel the same sensation of being part of a group of driven, passionate individuals collaborating together that I feel while playing basketball, yet the Graduate School of Management offers just that.

It’s All About Teamwork

Everyone at the School pushes themselves and others into uncomfortable positions yet helps each other, reflecting an academic appetite that one can only find in an MBA program. However, at UC Davis, the intense, excited energy is threaded with laughter, authenticity and friendship.

Each of my peers offers a different perspective, leadership style and unique personality that makes every day engaging and fun.

My classmates offer me not just enjoyable company, but never-ending opportunities to learn from them. Their diverse backgrounds and expertise help me every day, from professional accountants sharing Excel shortcuts, creative literature professors revealing hidden research tips and confident marketing managers illustrating how to speak in public with ease.

Just like on my sports teams, everyone has a different role and has something new to offer, each just as crucial as the last in our journey to grow together.

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I adore basketball and I am beyond grateful to be able to continue my athletic career as I complete the first year of my MBA. As much as finishing my final year of NCAA basketball will hurt, I find comfort in knowing that I still have another year in my MBA program. As long as I am a part of my UC Davis MBA cohort, I know I will never lose my spot on a team.