Christopher McMichael
Marketing & Management Track
(Psychology '08, University of Virginia)
“Our professors want us to be able to read The Wall Street Journal, or see a news story on TV, and understand all the components of what’s being reported—not just the financial aspect,” says Christopher McMichael (A&S ’08, M.S. in Commerce ’09). “And they want us to be able to use all of those components when we make a decision.”
For McMichael, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Virginia, the M.S. in Commerce Program’s “holistic” approach to business education is a major plus. “They’re not just teaching us about business,” he says, “they’re teaching us to think as leaders, and as business leaders.” Moreover, he notes, the wide-ranging perspectives of his classmates, combined with the conversational style of the classes, makes for a rich learning experience. “I’m working with people who have backgrounds in economics, English, American studies, and pre-law. And because there are only 43 of us in the classroom, the teacher is able to ask each of us, ‘How would you handle this situation?’ So you get a lot of different perspectives.”
McMichael says this holistic approach is especially valuable when it comes to the program’s career counseling services. The students in the M.S. in Commerce Program, he explains, “have a different outlook. We have very different ideas about careers—we’re not just interested in investment banking, consulting, and accounting.” (McMichael himself is interested in starting a school-based program designed to teach young people financial literacy, along the lines of the highly successful Project HOPE.)
It’s in helping students figure out what they really want to do, and why, that Commerce Career Services really shines, McMichael says. “The CCS staff wants to help us with our future, both in terms of being happy in our career, and making an impact,” he explains. “They ask us the tough questions now so we won’t have regrets later.”
Ultimately, McMichael says, “it’s a great opportunity for anyone who’s a liberal arts major, and who isn’t quite sure what they want to do—or, if they do know what they want to do, it will definitely put them at an advantage.” Students who graduate from the M.S. in Commerce Program, he says, “will be able to make a real impact in any organization. They’ll have the technical skills, the problem-solving skills, and the critical thinking skills.”