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The New MBA Class Kicks Off with a Boot Camp

, by Tomaso Eridani
For the students, 87 from 28 different countries, five intensive days in which to meet faculty and classmates, get to know the SDA Bocconi school and their curriculum and get a general taste of the year to come

The students of the new MBA class of SDA Bocconi fast forward into their new experience this week, their Opening Week, five days organized so as to welcome them to Milan and get them acquainted with the school, the faculty, the curriculum and other important elements of the program.

The week kicked off for the students, 87 in total coming from 28 different countries across the globe, with a meeting and dinner yesterday in which they were welcomed to Milan by staff, faculty and school authorities such as Gianmario Verona, MBA director, Bruno Busacca, dean of SDA Bocconi, and Andrea Sironi, Bocconi rector.

Gianmario Verona, MBA director, welcomes the new students

The second day, today, sees the students getting closely acquainted with the school, the administrative staff, the resources available, clubs and associations and the MBA curriculum itself, which they will be following for the next 12 months. On the third day, the students will be given the opportunity to get to know their classmates and their different cultures and have a meeting with Elio, lead of Italian music band Elio & Le Storie Tese, for a light-hearted introductory lesson on Italy. The fourth day is reserved for learning about career prospects, by getting to know the SDA career service, various MBA recruiters and meeting recent alumni from different industries who will share their career planning experiences. The day will include a meeting with Luca de Meo, SDA alumnus and Chief Marketing Officer of Volkswagen Group.

The new 2014 MBA class

The week will end with a taste of what awaits the students in class over the year through two sample lessons and a case study based session. The students will then be taken to the Berlucchi winery, in the Franciacorta wine region, where they will follow a lecture on brand management in the wine sector followed by a visit to the cellars and a wine tasting session.

"The whole week is aimed at welcoming in the new students and letting them understand and live the essence of their forthcoming year," explains Verona. "Last year we renovated the structure of the program and we have further consolidated these changes. In particular we have reinforced the part of the program where we work on soft skills and values, and have further strengthened our relations with companies and industries."



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