When Marco Sommerville II arrived at UNC Kenan-Flagler, North Carolina was a very different environment from his home state of Ohio. The transition to student life at UNC Kenan-Flagler was smooth, and as he participated in a variety of extra curricular activities, both the quality of academics and strong sense of community became clear.
MBASchooled: You’ve been in business school now for a few months. What was the transition like and how does it feel to be back in school?
Marco: The transition has gone much more smoothly than I could have ever imagined. I was fortunate to sign up for the summer analytical skills workshop which allowed me to get settled with the area and meet my classmates before school started. Plus, coming from New York City, my rent is half the price and my apartment is twice as big as my last apartment. I’ve been all smiles since being here! But being back in school is actually pretty fun! Although the work can be overbearing at times, it is great to be around so many interesting people and be exposed to so many interesting concepts.
MBASchooled: What’s an assumption you had about business school that you were right about?
Marco: While most of my preconceived notions of business school have been wrong, I walked in having a sense of the amount of collaboration at UNC Kenan-Flagler. In pretty much every one of my classes, group homework and projects play an integral part in the course load.
MBASchooled: What’s an assumption you had about business school that you were wrong about?
Marco: Before coming to UNC Kenan-Flagler, I had the preconceived notion that business school would be overly competitive and cutthroat. I couldn’t have been more wrong. My classmates and the KFBS faculty are extremely supportive and truly invested in my success. It much more of a family environment than I could have ever imagined.
Marco and fellow first-year students at UNC Kenan-Flagler’s annual 90’s Night dance party
MBASchooled: It’s only been a few months, but have you learned anything interesting or gained additional knowledge that you didn’t previously know?
Marco: These two months have been absolutely jammed packed with completely new knowledge! I sometimes can’t believe that I’ve only been in school for two months. But one thing that I’ve learned that has truly resonated with me is the extent to how often successful companies “get things wrong” and the valuable lessons that come from failing.
MBASchooled: How would you describe UNC Kenan-Flagler to others?
Marco: UNC Kenan-Flagler is truly like a family. I fell in love with this school the first time I visited. From the students to the administration, this community is full of incredibly smart, cool and kind people which is certainly a rare combination for a top business school!
MBASchooled: What’s been your favorite class so far?
Marco: Business Statistics! Understanding how businesses use regressions and descriptive statistics proved to be quite fascinating. Also, my professor really brought the information to life which made a usually boring subject quite interesting.
MBASchooled: What has been the most enjoyable aspect of business school?
Marco: Meeting people from across the world. It’s pretty awesome being enrolled in a program with people from so many different countries and. I am thrilled at the idea that I will have so many friends across the world after graduation.
MBASchooled: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to deal with so far in business school?
Marco: Juggling the course load, recruiting, and extra-curricular activities by far. In Mod 2, classes and recruiting have really ramped up and I really had to learn to prioritize and manage my time effectively, which has been quite the task for me.
MBASchooled: What opportunities ahead are you most excited about?
Marco: I am most excited about working somewhere interesting for my summer internship. Prior to business school, I only worked for one company since graduating from undergrad so I’m really looking forward to a completely new work experience and culture.