Full-time MBA | Ursula Menendez Uriol

• Hometown
  Lima, Peru
• Undergraduate
  School: Universidad del Pacifico
  Major/Minor: Bachelor in Economics
• Previous Industry/Company
  Asset Management at Credicorp Capital
• Summer Internship
  Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan
• Specializations at Stern
  Finance, Banking
• Student Clubs
  Latin American Business Association, Co-President
  Graduate Finance Association, VP of Career Development 
  Stern Women in Business
  Follies
  Management Consulting Association

There were so many moments during my first month as an MBA1 that I can mention, but I would highlight the annual Hamptons Trip. I met more than 100 fellow Sternies for the first time who made me feel so welcome. We had a great time together by sharing our own stories and backgrounds with each other for the very first time. Then, I realized that I do belong in this community.

Before coming, I felt that I had to prepare for different aspects of the MBA life. From identifying where to rent an apartment, to identifying the options I have as an international student to pivot careers. Fortunately, Stern has great resources, such as the student-led clubs. Coming from Peru, I got in touch with different members of the Latin American Business Association who gave me great advice about navigating the program. Additionally, I connected with students in the Graduate Finance Association to better understand the investment banking recruiting process, and to determine if my profile is a good fit.

Definitely Professor Alter. I decided to take Marketing for the very first time and he made it an interesting and enriching experience. The way he engages with the class and encourages participation is very authentic and, together with the cases we reviewed and the discussion we had in class, Professor Alter was capable of turning a class into a great learning atmosphere.

The most important advice I would like to share is to come to business school with a lot of energy and be ready to focus all of it on achieving your professional, academic, and personal goals. NYU Stern offers so many opportunities to develop our IQ and EQ, and that goes beyond the campus (because we are located in one of the best cities in the world!). Thus, it's better to come in with a clear idea of how you want to shape your experience and narrow the career opportunities that you’ll explore.

The first semester is very overwhelming. Moving to NYC, meeting new people, adapting to a new rhythm, and going through the recruiting process is a lot! So I learned that it's ok to have some space for myself to decompress and recharge my energy. The fear of missing out will be there (of course), but it's fine to prioritize. Looking back to my first semester, I would also advise myself to get out of my comfort zone. Stern is a safe environment to experiment and share thoughts, so you can make mistakes and that's ok.

It surprised me how this community is mostly led by students for students. Almost every activity is organized by them, from fireside chats with amazing speakers to happy hours to bond with our classmates and big conferences. We all collaborate to get amazing results beyond the classroom.

As a proud Latin American, I'm very glad to be leading the Latin American Business Association (LABA), a club that connects Stern MBA students with the region to promote our culture and discuss the challenges and opportunities that our region faces. While we organize networking opportunities and strengthen the Stern Latin American community, we are also well known for throwing the best parties!

This is a very authentic community. I have met incredible people from all over the world who have different backgrounds and dreams. People here are interested in getting to know each other and connecting. This group of talented students is very collaborative and enthusiastic, qualities that I think are hard to find.

Fintech Experiential Learning has been one of my favorite classes because I could apply and share my know-how about the financial services industry while learning more about how to work in teams. It was very interesting to understand the business model of the start-up with which my team worked and to advise them regarding possible M&A opportunities.

Being located in NYC was key to my professional career switch. Coming from a Finance background, I was more than excited to get to know Stern alumni who have developed an awesome career path, particularly in banking. It was a great surprise that what I heard in the Information Sessions about the Stern network is even better than I imagined. Moreover, there are opportunities to go to conferences or visit the offices of different companies here in the city. It has been very enriching and has broadened my perception of business.

Stern has a good Careers team that helps students design and structure their resumes from scratch, and advises and sets the internship application strategy. They also organize many events to expose us to the Stern alumni network. Moreover, the professional clubs do a great job of guiding students through the recruiting process. In my case, I joined the Graduate Finance Association and the board members played an important role in guiding us to succeed. Our mentors explained every stage of the investment banking recruiting process and prepared us by practicing our pitch and conducting mock interviews.