What just happened? I have had my fair share of crazy life experiences, but the last two weeks have been by far the most hectic, emotion-filled, disruptive two weeks of my entire life. So, what just happened?

Monday, March 9^th 2020, was by no means ordinary, but it was also nothing unusual. I was still quite upset from learning just a few days earlier that our Study Trek to Panama was cancelled. Surely everyone was overreacting. After all, there were only about 500 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and there were 0 reported in Panama. So why cancel a trip to country where there were 0 infections? I can understand why the Treks to Seattle or San Francisco that other members of the class were scheduled to go on were risky, since that’s where the only confirmed cases of the extremely contagious virus were reported in the United States, but it didn’t seem fair to cancel everyone’s trips. The trip to Panama was the one thing I was looking forward to most during my 10 months in the residential Supply Chain Master’s Program at MIT.

It was Monday, March 9^th 2020, when the rumors started to swirl. My Applied Macroeconomics professor said he was unsure if we would be having class in person on Wednesday, and he was preparing to give the class virtually if necessary. I thought to myself, “Why is everyone making such a big deal about this? It’s not like it’s any worse than influenza, and people contract that every year.” By Tuesday it was confirmed. Along with Harvard and Stanford, MIT would not have any more in-person classes for the rest of the year. Maybe everyone knew something that I didn’t.

Wednesday, March 11^th woke me up like a splash of cold water to the face. I walked out of my Applied Macroeconomics class and fought back tears at the realization that my time at MIT was suddenly and unexplainably over. It felt like someone robbed me of something I had worked for a lifetime to achieve. It didn’t get easier, as our entire Supply Chain cohort gathered for what none of us then knew would be the last time that we would all be together in the same room. It was the room that we had gathered in at least 100 times together. The room where dozens of relationships were forged, hundreds of laughs were had, and where millions of memories were made. Was all of this really necessary? Is this virus really worth stripping people of things that they would never again have the chance to experience in their lives?

On Thursday morning, March 12^th, we all gathered in Killian Court to take one last picture together. It was here that many of us said our tearful goodbyes. Some had to run to catch a plane before flights stopped to the countries they were trying to reach. Many of us vowed to stay and spend as much time together as possible. We promised that we would still get together and work on the remaining classes together. We decided that all of us who hadn’t left would meet up on Friday night and go out to eat one last time at the restaurant where we all met for the first time in August. What is ‘social distancing’ anyways? Sure, the MIT Administration had forced undergraduates to leave campus, but luckily, we are graduate students! Our lives will stay the same, right?

Friday, March 13^th, will probably always remain one of the hardest days of my life. I woke up to an email from the MIT Administration highly recommending as many graduate students as possible to move away from the MIT campus if they had the chance. How did it come to this? I told my wife about the email as soon as she woke up, and we made the decision that it would be best for our two small children if we heeded MIT’s advice and moved back to the Midwest where our parents lived. After realizing that I would have to leave behind the most unique experience of my life, I put my head in my hands and I cried. I don’t remember for how long I cried, but I do remember the sadness that filled my heart as I thought of leaving behind the one place on earth that I had ever felt truly comfortable. Being surrounded by the brilliance of the people at MIT, by my new academic family that I had become so close to, by a city so rich in history and culture, was an experience unlike any other I am likely to have again during this lifetime. To leave it all behind can only be described as heart-breaking. I went to dinner that night with tears in my eyes to say goodbye.

Saturday, March 14^th, started with a fury. We had to get everything in our 2-bedroom apartment packed up and sorted into what was coming with us and what was going into storage, and we only had about 8 hours to do it. Luckily, I had friends that are more like siblings to help distract my children and help my wife and I throw things into boxes as quickly as possible. With their help, we had our entire apartment packed up and loaded into either the back of my car or a storage container by 4pm. 15 minutes’ worth of hugs and tears later, we said goodbye to Boston for the last time as we headed west.

By 4pm two days later, on Monday, March 16^th, we reached our intermediate destination in Edgerton, Minnesota, the quaint Midwest town where I grew up. We rolled into town, having traveled the 1,529 miles from Cambridge, MA, emotionally and physically exhausted. What do we do now? Where do we start? What does the new normal look like?

One week later, on Monday, March 23^rd, I still have not figured out the answer to those 3 questions. To say that I feel lost is an extreme understatement. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know where to start. And I have no idea what normal is. As I write, the crisis surrounding COVID-19 is only growing worse. Currently, there are over 40,000 cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and much of the country has been asked to stay in their homes unless it is essential that they leave. The prediction is that things will continue to get worse, with the hope that we have done enough to keep from overwhelming the healthcare system.

I am angry that this virus has robbed me of something I worked so hard for, but I also think of the countless others that have lost so much. I think of all of the college athletes that worked to play in March Madness that will never get to experience it. I think of all of the college seniors that worked towards earning their degree that won’t get to walk across the stage to receive their diploma. I think of all of the people that have to sacrifice so much to ensure that those they love who are most at risk will stay safe and healthy. I think of the millions that will undoubtedly lose their jobs as a result of the economic fallout. I think of the families that will have loved ones taken from them as a result of this horrible illness.

So, what just happened? What started off as disappointment over a cancelled field trip turned into a global pandemic unlike anything since the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic. I was forced to make the decision between my family’s health and safety and saying goodbye to one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I made the choice to say goodbye to some of the best friends that I could ever hope to have. I thought COVID-19 was an annoyance that ripped me apart from my friends. I realize now that what is happening is a historic event that will unite my MIT family and me together for a lifetime, because we experienced and embraced it together.

“Am I really going to do this?” I asked myself this question many times. Taking a break from a steady rising career to go back to school is unorthodox — Why put a hold on your career and plunge yourself into the great unknown? The day I received my admission email for the MIT Master’s SCMb program, I felt so excited and honored at the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream to graduate from MIT, but quickly the anxiety reached me — Am I really going to do this?  What about my job? What about money? What about…?

If you are a mid-career professional evaluating to apply for the SCM Blended Program, you may have some of the same questions. While no circumstance is the same, I would like to share a bit of my story on what helped me with the final decision.

See it, believe it and do it

What my army veteran husband told me he learned in his leadership school always stuck with me: “Seeing the dream is not enough, you must believe it, plan for it and take action to achieve it.” I always had a strong career goal. I knew that I wanted to progressively take more business leadership responsibilities in a company or an organization in the healthcare industry. I have been lucky throughout my career to be entrusted with various responsible roles, empowered to stretch my capabilities and rise quickly up the ranks. However, I know that to achieve my ultimate career goal, I must continuously expand my horizon in capabilities and experiences.

Working a demanding job while studying in the MITx MicroMasters® program in SCM wasn’t easy, but it helped test both my commitment and fit for the program. The reason I joined this program was to improve myself with skills and knowledge that will enable me to make more impactful contributions to team endeavors and become a better leader.

Continuous learning is a journey, worthy of sacrifices. When you have conviction, you can carry through. I thought about what I would miss during the “career break” but soon realized that I should focus on the great opportunity right in front of me.

The “do it” part takes a team

While crystalizing what you want and internalizing the belief is completely all you, executing the plan takes a team. As the mastermind principal in Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grow Rich” explains, ‘you must do it yourself, but you can’t do it alone’.

Support from family is paramount. Talking to my trusted mentors gave me further confidence to carry out my goal. Also, consulting with my manager and gaining his support for the “leave of absence” helped me ease my mind to focus on delivering top performance through the end of year and working with co-workers to transition responsibilities.  

How I feel now?

Attending MIT’s SCM Program was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  The first two months have been exhilarating — learning new applied methodologies from some of the best professors, researchers and practitioners in the world and studying how some companies are applying advanced technologies in Supply Chain is an exciting and intellectually stimulating experience. Meeting and working closely with colleagues from diverse cultures and experiences has been enlightening and our bonds will hopefully grow even stronger in the future.

A career break is not putting your career on hold – instead, it enables you to make a leap to your future better self and make a positive difference to a better world.

The MIT Independent Activities Period (IAP) is the first month of actual school experience for a Blended master’s student. During IAP, students across all MIT SCALE Centers visit Cambridge for SCALE Connect which is a three week intensive learning period. The goal of SCALE Connect is to bring students from different countries, cultures and languages to work and excel together as a team. This year we had 175 students taking 7 broad courses and the APICS ‘Shark Tank’-style competition was one of them. This is exactly like the TV show we have all seen but with topics related to Supply Chain problems in the industry. 

My required participation in the APICS/ASCM Competition came to me as a surprise. Prior to the first day of SCALE Connect, when I reviewed the agenda, I always thought it was an event in which the participation was optional. I was taken aback seeing my name on the list and already being teamed up with 3 others from different SCALE centers. To my continued amazement, my teammates were quick to find me in the huge lecture hall to schedule our first meeting and added me to a group on Telegram as well. It took me a while to digest what had happened since it was all moving so fast!

Getting home that night I tried to recall the last time I had participated in a similar setting. I could not recollect a single event! However, I knew it had to be more than 15 years ago. My background – Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing/Agribusiness/Supply Chain Management at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.  After a long time, I felt the same nervousness I had on the first day of my undergrad and did not know what to prepare for our first meeting the next day. Fortunately, we had emails from the SCM administrative staff that summarized and elaborated on the assignment. Being a teacher for several years, I tend to look at any class activity with a question of purpose and the emails made me feel a little better.

In our first meeting, we spent time knowing one another since each member was from a different SCALE center having diverse background and work experience. The nervousness was changing into excitement. We spent the next few days finding a topic of common interest, having lengthy discussions and making a few compromises along the way. We envisioned our proposal related to food, inventory control, and social responsibility coming up with a new feature integrated with a current grocery app platform that could help reduce food waste/demand uncertainty.

We spent a substantial amount of time making a pitch and rehearsing for our presentation. We provided feedback on each other’s sections and tried to improve the overall flow. Given my background in marketing, I was focusing on consumer behavior and sales-oriented metrics which I believed were of much more importance. My teammates, however, showed me a different perspective and described how things were done at their own companies. It was indeed an eye-opening experience for me.   

Although our team did not make it to the finals, I realized a few changes after the event. Firstly, I not only remembered my teammates’ names but also felt comfortable talking to them despite having just started out at MIT. Secondly, it is okay to not win in everything you set your mind to since it is the process that matters more than the end result. Lastly, I started knowing my way around the very many buildings here since our courses were scheduled in a building different from our department in the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL).

CTL had become my first go-to place for any after school activities or get together with others for work. When I started taking Micromasters in 2016, I enjoyed all of the courses offered, but, I could barely sense any personal connection to CTL other than the brand recognition that it had. Being on campus for just three weeks, I now realize what the Internet cannot replace: human interaction and attachment. I am glad that I decided to reverse roles and be a student again because of the kind of people I am getting to know here, learning to get out of my comfort zone and getting challenged at my age and experience level. I am really happy with my decision to come here and I look forward to the great journey ahead.

Francisco Pope says, in a family, we should love each other despite knowing that we are imperfect human beings; no one is a perfect son, a daughter, has a perfect set of parents or can proclaim to have an unblemished life journey so far. I always like to take inspiration from this message to remain focused, give the right effort and priority to each task and keep in mind my life’s purpose while juggling different roles. I am so glad to have this opportunity to share my experience with a few who are on the same road, and others who are a few kilometers behind but soon shall pass the same hills as I did.

I hail from a small city in Mexico where a woman who decides to have a full-time career with a family is not looked upon very well. I have two teenage daughters and one pre-teen son with my husband. Cultural and stereotypical people glared at me for not being the ‘ideal mom’ – caring for children all day long, being proactive at school activities, attending Catholic’s prayers and being a good cook! It took me a while to understand that my main barrier was getting past the ‘mother stereotype’. When I was in the beginning of my 30s I used to juggle to excel at both my personal and professional life, being busy all the time and totally burning out degrading my health on the way. This forced me to stop, strategize new ways to deal with things and trash the perfect mom stereotype mentality.

I started reading books related to emotional intelligence of children. My first advice and a key learning which summarizes all my reading is that, parents should focus on building memories with children. It is not about quantity of time spent but, the quality. Memories are the bridges to come back home to and so, I started building memories with my children. If I were to give you an example, when I realized that I could not be a good cook, I decided to learn only one dish and practiced cooking just that one – Chicken- broccoli pasta – which is a common favorite among my 3 kids. Now, I am the best chef for them and they believe no one can cook it the way I do!

My second advice and learning that I got from a book called ‘De la culpa a la calma’ (From Guilty to Calm) is that working moms experience a psychological guilt when they are not around for their families and the human mind naturally does a wonderful job of maximizing this guilt and turning it into fear! While it is necessary to be aware and understand these bouts of distress, always remember that your children are neither comparing you to others nor making any judgments. Do not reprimand yourself for not being there all the time.

Switching to my career, I am a Chief Supply Chain Officer of one the largest retailers in Mexico, leading a team of 10,000 people. I have been working in the same company for 20 years in different areas of supply chain. Having worked so many years I have understood that companies are just like a life’s journey, filled with imperfect humans. You need to show resilience in accepting unfair decisions that come your way just as the good ones do. Promotions are not always given to the ones that deserve it, but it is your duty to practice patience and keep working because one day if you are honest and humble, you will be rewarded.

As a manager, at work, I feel both the hard and the soft skills need to be in balance as they are equally important and usually the softer ones are harder to develop. One of the toughest decisions I had to make in my career was to fire a brilliant manager who was unable to develop his soft competencies. One smart brain and two hands are not enough to create an impact in a company with 100,000 people. The need is for a talent than can create synergies and have emotional intelligence.

Deciding to pursue the Blended Master’s program in my 40s with everything that was already going on in my life was not an easy task. Completing the Micromasters itself was extremely demanding. I used to spend all my weekends on the dining table joined by my kids who used to do their homework along with me. The reason that made me go ahead with the master’s was looking at the dynamic environment caused by digital revolution now. I wanted to improve my hard skills and get to know more of the systems and technologies that are needed to internally shape my supply chain team to better achieve my company’s purpose and externally for me to stay competitive and in the race.

Finally, when people ask me how I handle my personal life and professional career, my answer is simple – Be humble enough to recognize and accept the fact that yes, I am an imperfect woman, a mom and a supply chain officer but also, I am someone who is grateful each day for all successes and failures that life has made me experience and I will not stop working hard in making each day better.

All thanks to my family and my team at work!

Signing off,

Angelica

Some recommendations on books to read for those interested:

 Career for women:

• Sandberg, Sheryl – Lead In

Leadership and Team building:

• Koftman, Fred – The meaning revolution the power of transcendent leadership
• Robison, Ken – The Element
• Koftman, Fred – Conscious Business

To understand Emotional Intelligence of children:

• Robison, Ken and Aronica Lou – You, Your Child and School
• Marulanda, Angela – “De la Culpa a la Calma”
• Vazquez Mota Josefina – Cuando los hijos mandan: Cómo querer y educar con límites

Emotional Intelligence in general:

• Tolle, Eckhart – The Power of now
• Ortega Trillo, Alejandro – Vicios y virtudes: conócete, acéptate y supérate

Hello, Hallo, Hola, Namaste, Oi, Ni Hao, Marhabaan, Ciao, Kamusta, Zdravstvuy, Xin chao, An Nyung Ha Se Yo! This is how diverse the Supply Chain Management Blended class of 2020 is. We have students from over 19 countries coming from varied fields of study right from engineering to accounting and even academia. The cohort has work experience ranging from 3 years to 20+ years. Just imagine, your classmate could be your next partner in crime or your next colleague or maybe your next employer!

It was a long wait of 6 months after receiving the exciting acceptance letter from MIT until we arrived on campus. Luckily, we didn’t feel the time pass by due to the numerous activities that were to be checked off the list. There were plenty of webinars to help us get started and chalk out our plan. We started with THE python 6.001x, a required pre-arrival class to help sail through the courses we’d take later on campus. In addition, we had to submit our thesis and capstone proposals and later bid during September to secure the one we were interested in. It is only natural we had to start working on them immediately after the allocation of capstones/confirmation of thesis with our partners, whom we never saw in person until a good 3 months! So yes, we do not study only for 5 months .

The administrative preparations before arriving on campus – visa, medical insurance, housing allocation and many more – were tedious but, taken care of with ease due to the 24×7 help available. From whom you may ask? From the amazing MIT staff and our diverse class spread out in different time zones very well connected on various social media platforms.

We felt a roller coaster of emotions once on campus – nervous, excited, curious and overwhelmed – but the first smile on a friendly classmate’s face is heartening. You know that you are not alone in this journey and everyone around you is feeling just the same. The first day of orientation was a breeze with tons of team building activities led by Thompson Island Outward Bound staff, which made sure we connected well with our classmates and almost get to know everyone’s names by the end of the day. A key takeaway was the emphasis on how it is the time now to collaborate and not compete with fellow classmates. We have striven so far to get here and now we need to help each other get an A+! Coming from different cultures, backgrounds and work styles, this is a definite mind shift for a few people but after 3 weeks of course work we see the change already.

At the end of orientation week, we had the much awaited SCMb elections. Every year, students nominate themselves or others for the roles of President, Ambassador, Career champion, Social events lead, Academic events lead, Research expo lead and Editor for blogs. Having spent only one week with each other, it was eerie that we knew who could fit the bill for each role. That was the effect of orientation week on us.

Having 4 more months to go:

We feel more confident than ever that we belong here.

We will challenge ourselves better and face our fears.

We will put in all our heart in everything we do.

We will try with no regrets.

Written by: Sindhu Srinath (SCMb Class Student Editor) & Analiz Cabrera (SCMb Class President)

My history with the supply chain began in 2011, during a conference by a CPG firm’s manager. That day I knew I wanted to work in supply chain, so I enrolled in the necessary classes to get a job in the field. At that time, I also looked for the best master’s in supply chain in the world because I believe that surrounding oneself with the best, drives us to be better, not only academically but also morally. Therefore, for the last eight years, being part of the MIT SCM program was one of my biggest dreams.

In December of 2018, I got mail from Justin Snow (our amazing Academic Advisor) congratulating me on my admission. For me, that moment is unforgettable because that was the start of an amazing adventure in many senses. Within that mail there were some lines like, “You join a select group of extraordinary and accomplished individuals,” and “You will meet students, staff, and faculty from around the globe and across many industries,” that describe a bit of the soul of our program. Being part of an MIT SCM cohort does not only allow access to the best experts in the field, but it also gives the opportunity to be part of a diverse and cohesive community like no other.

Our SCM 2020 cohort, like those before us and the upcoming ones, is like a beautiful canvas with many different shapes and bright colors. Being part of the MIT School of Engineering, I feel compelled to provide numbers to illustrate my point of view:

• Our cohort is formed by 44 professionals from 18 different countries on 4 continents.
• We have 25 international students and 19 US national students from 11 states.

This means that we have a very rich mix of cultures. There is more! As you know by now, our cohort comes from very different places but that isn’t only geographically. In terms of college majors, we have

• 25% industrial engineers
• 20% business
• 7% mechanical engineers
• 48% from other majors

As figure 1 shows, in our program we have amazing professionals with non-traditional backgrounds that bring a different perspective.

Our journey together began in January 2019 through a Telegram group. For eight months we got to know each other, celebrated every time a new member joined us, organized online study groups to survive the Python class, and supported each other on our way to MIT. On August 12, before orientation period started, we gathered in a bar and met for the first time. However, it felt like meeting old friends and very soon the table was full of conversation and laughter. I am glad to say that the camaraderie we built on-line has only strengthened as we shared time together in person. We faced many challenges during orientation week, we supported each other to survive the Supply Chain Analytics exam, and of course partied together after that. By supporting each other, we have been able to drink from the fire-hose without drowning. As a result, we have successfully navigated through classes, and 60%+ of our class have gotten job offers from top companies before the end of the fall semester.

So far, my experience at MIT has been all I dreamed about and beyond. With the spirit of Thanksgiving still present, I am deeply grateful to be part of this amazing family. I am very excited to post the stories my friends will share during the upcoming weeks.

“Women make up 39% of the supply chain workforce on average” according to AWESOME‘s Gartner 2019 Women in Supply Chain report. MIT believes in the value of diversity, so the Supply Chain Management program teamed up with AWESOME, an organization of impressive executive women in supply chain, to offer the first full-tuition scholarship for a female student in 2019.

I’m honored and proud to be the recipient of MIT’s first Advancing Women through Education (AWE) scholarship. Attending MIT became a dream after I graduated with a business degree, concentrating in operations and supply chain management, from Georgia Tech.

I remembered how stressful it was being a high school student, deciding my future path, and being discouraged to attend Georgia Tech by friends and family members because of negative stereotypes including a “lack of women” and “fun.” Luckily, I did not listen. The first club I joined was the Women’s Recruitment Team (WRT), a student-run organization that partners with the Office of Admissions to encourage high-school female students to pursue STEM education at Georgia Tech, which had a historic ratio of 40% female students.

• 

Being surrounded by this group of intelligent women motivated and inspired me to work harder. I loved directly connecting with students on campus and off campus by creating WRT’s first social media presence. I was WRT’s first VP of Women’s Leadership, enabling women within our organization to succeed, by bringing in speakers and hosting a salary negotiation seminar for 50 students. This same year was the first time in history we raised the Georgia Tech incoming freshman class ratio to 43% female students. I’m so proud to have been part of this historic Georgia Tech moment. All students will learn more from the growth of diverse perspectives. Future female students, like myself, will be encouraged when seeing students like themselves pursuing their dreams of higher education in STEM fields.

Another organization I was passionate about was the Undergraduate Operations Management Society (UOMS), which I helped found with a group of friends when we saw there was no place on campus for students to learn about supply chain careers. As the first President, when UOMS obtained official non-profit status, I loved the feeling of creating something entirely new that allowed me to experiment and expand my perspective. Collaborating with my executive team on strategy for gaining traction gave me energy amid juggling priorities as a graduating senior. My greatest accomplishment was encouraging our shyest member to accept the President nomination; she became a great leader, expanding membership and ensuring UOMS continues to provide resources for students.

I first tested my interest in supply chain through an internship with Lockheed Martin in the subcontract administration department for the C-130, where I actively managed the status of repair parts. One of my parts had been mistakenly placed in final stage flight testing. It was my sole responsibility as an intern to get my part back to the workshop quickly. Lockheed taught me about the significance of supply chain in ensuring safety, quality, and efficiency for their military customers. I loved learning how small improvements in the supply chain directly impact consumers lives as well as the success of the entire company.

I accepted my first full-time role as a transportation logistics analyst at The Home Depot. A few months after I started, hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria hit, opening the 7-day operation, known as the command center, for a month. Being part of the team when we sent a police escorted brigade of semi-trucks into the state of Florida to provide relief was an incredible experience. In a room with our carriers and leadership team, I managed hourly reporting and analysis for status updates, while booking loads in my free time. It was an adrenaline rush being not only the youngest person in the room but also one of few females, leading the reporting that was driving the entire operation.

In the spring, I led a committee of six managers in defining operational and financial metrics and developing an automated SQL-driven Tableau story, replacing qualitative notes. Persuading managers with more experience to adopt this new way of reporting was extremely challenging. I took time to listen and learn from each team member while prototyping my solution. I discovered how to communicate with individuals carefully by illustrating how process improvement would improve their daily lives. My presentation persuaded leadership to adopt Tableau across Transportation; I was awarded MVP for Transportation for April and I accepted an early promotion to Senior Data Analyst in ecommerce delivery. 

Most importantly, Home Depot introduced me to my love of volunteering in the community from leading Junior Achievement sessions to fundraising for the Atlanta Children’s Shelter and the Georgia Tech Alumni’s scholarship. I also mentor a seven-year-old little sister from Big Brothers Big Sisters, who was known in the office for attending every Supply Chain Family Fun Day with me.

My “little” and I frequently discuss what she wants to be when she grows up. We run through the usual list of options including dance teacher, cheerleader, etc. She loves animals, so this is usually when I bring up some STEM choices like veterinarian, scientist, or marine biologist. She will say that she is not great at math or science each time, but I always carefully disagree.  

Over time, she has begun to work in some STEM options into her list of careers under consideration. It is incredible to see how she views herself and how time provided encouraging her has changed her perception and increased her openness to pursuing opportunities. I learned so much about creativity and courage from the children I volunteered with.

I am passionate about stepping beyond my comfort zone to grow professionally and personally. I am always looking for opportunities to challenge myself to learn something new whether it entails teaching myself basic Python or adopting my once malnourished terrier-dachshund from Ruff Redemption Rescue; this curiosity drove me to apply to MIT, the number one engineering school in the world.

From meeting alumni to touring campus in Cambridge, I was inspired by the MIT culture of learning. What other university has 11 Nobel laureates among current faculty?  I took on stretch assignments at work and tirelessly followed the MIT Technology Review along with CTL and Sloan updates to prepare to join this network. MIT is a place where leaders from industry come together to innovate beyond traditional practices.

I recently attended a lecture in the Media Lab with Patrick Collison, MIT founder and CEO of the $35B company, Stripe, who stated “To me, MIT symbolizes the highest pursuit of excellence.” This community is founded upon researchers and creative thinkers that push boundaries to develop novel ideas and solutions.

Today, I dream about becoming a strategic business leader and I am confident that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Master of Applied Science in Supply Chain Management program will enable me to achieve this goal.

Learn more:

• MIT Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management Program
• AWESOME Scholarship
• AWESOME organization

It was only yesterday when we wrote our first blogpost introducing the Class of 2019. It will pass in a blink they said, and it sure did. Walking to Killian Court on June 7th to commence 10 months of hard work, friendships and good times was an experience to cherish forever.

Image: Class of 2019 at the Commencement Ceremony on June 7th, 2019

Commencement was the culmination of our journey at MIT. As I look back, I am all nostalgic reminiscing our times spent together. From introductory hellos during the orientation to heart-felt good byes in the past few weeks, we have a come a long way.

From numerous weekends spent working on System Dynamics assignments to networking events to chase those dream jobs, from the fun at Tuesday Trivia and Thursday Karaoke at Thirsty Ear to day drinking at Muddy Charles, from game nights at the Warehouse to Game of Thrones finale screenings at the SCM Lab, from numerous capstone meetings to final research fest, from study treks in Panama to the west coast , from thanksgiving dinners to easter potlucks, from learning Supply Chain fundamentals  to struggling together with data science ( we survived in the end;)) , last 10 months were no less than a roller coaster of events and emotions.

Image Slideshow: Last year in a nutshell

There were times when we struggled with courses, interview preparations and  recruitments. These were testing times but what made us come out strong was the willingness to help and lift each other. From tutoring sessions to mock interviews, our class was in it together.

We came to the program as a diverse group of students from all across the world and out we go as a collective class of responsible professionals and future leaders tied by the common bond that is MIT. Two weeks as alums, we have already had multiple reunions and we cannot wait to cross paths with each other in different parts of the country and the world.

                                                 Image: Alums from Class of 2019

We are thankful to everyone who made this journey a fun and a rewarding one.We chased our dreams, learnt our lessons and most importantly forged those friendships. It is time for the next chapter in our lives and for the new class to explore and share their SCM adventure.

One last time, signing off as:

Geetika Tahilyani, Co-editor SCMr Co2019

Opening our emails, the offer from the SCMb program jumped out and shone in our eyes! After rubbing our eyes, we realized: yes — it is not a dream! Along with packing and saying “See you soon”  to friends, preparing for coursework selection is significant homework. We wanted to experience as much as we could in the 5-month-long program. In this blog, we want to help you by reflecting on how we selected our courses, and then share some of the courses that we are taking this semester.

How We Selected Our Courses

We knew each other before coming here through a Telegram group* . Talking to each other, we reflected a lot:

What are our purposes for coming to the MIT SCMb program? We all come here for the academic excellence, diverse and amazing classmates, and alumni network. But everyone could have a different background and roadmap for their endeavor at MIT. Reflecting on our purposes and being ready for the coming “firehose” maximized the selection of coursework beforehand.

Fiona: I was working at a startup company in international trade before coming here, and I will continue this journey upon my graduation. Ay coursework focused on the strategies and processes to set up an innovative company as a result:

• SCM. 268 Data Science and SCM. 255 Machine Learning for Supply Chain Management because the future of business, especially business related to supply chain management, will be data-driven.
• 15. 618 Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Startups and the Law introduces different law-sensitive issues for creating an innovative-intensive venture
• 15.390 New Enterprises introduces a systematic and disciplined processes to hypothesis, verify and improve a new venture so that it can attract paying customers and grow naturally.

Allison: My interest lies in logistics and how to improve logistics performance with technologies such as  digitization, AI, and robotics. Although I had plenty hands-on training in my job, I still wished to have more systematic and structural training in transportation.  SCM. 293 Urban Last Mile Logistics and SCM. 266 Freight Transportation are at the top of my list, offering full coverage of theories and methodologies in transportation.  Regarding automation and AI, I take SCM. 268 Data Science and SCM. 255 Machine Learning for Supply Chain Management.  It’s such a vast area that I decided to grow more leaves by attending the lectures, forums and conferences.

Suggestions on the process of selecting your courses at MIT

Sleep, Study, Social — choose two out of three! Your energy is precious, so make sure you make the best use of it here at MIT! Here are our suggestions on course selections.

Be intentional: MIT offers different attractive and exciting courses related to supply chain management, but you will burn out if you try to take them all. Focus on your purpose and be mindful. Think twice about what you want before choosing classes. 

Here is a detailed framework of how to choose courses. Imagine you are building your knowledge and skills tree: your core competence is the trunk of the tree,  and other relevant knowledge and information are the leaves.  Let’s think this way: your long-term goal is your purpose. If we identify certain core knowledge and skills to achieve our purpose, that is the trunk that we want to build in our MIT journey. You could select them as your classes to fill in the gaps. What about the add-on knowledge? They will be the complementary knowledge or skills that could expand the trunk in the long term.

Plan your workload. After you grab the pieces that you want to learn, you need to check the section times to make sure that there will not be schedule conflicts. Be careful about the workload:  MIT study is not a walk in the park. For some courses that are the leaves on your knowledge and skills tree, consider adding them as a listener if you are worried about the workload for your trunk.

Last but not least, MIT has minimum credit requirements and the SCM program has both minimum credit requirements and elective requirements for graduation. Double check that you meet these requirements.

Here are some introductions to other classes:

• SCM 291 Case Studies in Supply Chain Management  focuses on how to use supply chain management as a strategic tool for an organization. Students learn how to align managerial decisions with company strategy to create innovative supply chain solutions. 
• 15.762 Supply Chain Planning introduces concepts and models to plan inventory replenishment, risk pooling and inventory placement, integrated planning and collaboration, and information sharing.
• 15.871 Introduction to System Dynamics  changes the way you think about problems. This subject teaches you to link your actions towards consequences and provides a more wholistic view on problem solving.
• 15.320 Strategic Organizational Design studies how to analyze and improve a company’s current organization, and  introduces a framework to design increasingly cheaper and faster communication flow regarding materials, information and finance

Still struggling with what to choose? Here is the final tip: go shopping!  At MIT, you’re allowed to make your add/drop decision no later than the second Friday after the class begins. Attend the first one or two classes in which the lecturers will give students a general introduction to the class and explain their expectations.  In our observation, busy shoppers dashing from classroom to classroom generally will settle down and happily attend their classes of choice in the first week.

Explore the sea of knowledge at MIT with your aspirations!