FTMBA student Sarah AlAbdulmuhsen.

“Don’t panic. You will figure it out eventually.” That’s Sarah AlAbdulmuhsen’s, FTMBA ‘17, advice to prospective students considering an MBA program. While business was always in the cards for her, the exact direction she wanted to take wasn’t clear.

AlAbdulmuhsen believed that Kogod’s Full-Time MBA program would lead her in the right direction. As an undergraduate Business Administration major concentrating in Marketing and Global Supply Chain Management, AlAbdulmuhsen had visions of running her own business and traveling the world. With these goals in mind, the FTMBA program was extremely attractive to this budding entrepreneur and avid traveler.

“The global consulting project was the main reason I picked Kogod,” she said. “I love to travel and see new countries and experience new cultures.” The project, part of the Global Consulting Practicum class, gives students a chance to practice their consulting skills in a different culture. Teams of students develop strategic recommendations for an international client, and travel to their home country for one-on-one meetings.

In a few months, AlAbdulmuhsen will travel to India and will work with General Electric on a wastewater treatment project in various villages. “Kogod is giving us the opportunity to apply what we’ve learned to a real life consulting project because they realize there is more to learning than just sitting at a desk and reading slides,” she says.

Hands-on experience, coupled with exposure to different business fields, offers students the chance to explore their interests. “The beauty of the FTMBA program is that the first year you get to take a lot of core classes,” she says. “I found this helped me decide what I wanted to do, because I got a glimpse of what it would be like to work in marketing, accounting, operations, etc.”

AlAbdulmuhsen also benefitted from the program’s small class sizes. With cohorts of roughly 30 students, there is plenty of opportunity to ask questions and really connect with professors.

Kogod’s FTMBA program gave AlAbdulmuhsen the chance to meet influential people outside of the classroom. She networked during “Leadership Luncheons,” where students get face time with executives at some of Washington, D.C.’s most sought-after firms and agencies.

She even participated in a Summer Marketing internship because of a connection she made through Professor David Bartlett. AlAbdulmuhsen spent a summer working for a manufacturing company in Gaithersburg, Maryland. During her 10 weeks there, she juggled multiple projects while learning the ins and outs of the bolting industry, leaving with a confidence that she’d made a long-term positive impact.

Looking ahead, AlAbdulmuhsen hopes to start her career in commercial consulting and apply the business knowledge she’s gained through the program. “I’ll help companies find solutions to their problems. And having the ability to practice in class is definitely something that will prepare me for my future job,” she says.

What other advice does AlAbdulmuhsen have for students considering the FTMBA program? “Check out the information sessions Kogod hosts with different companies. I found that through these sessions and the projects we did in class, I was able to figure out what I want to do after graduation,” she says.

Because of her education in Kogod’s FTMBA program, AlAbdulmuhsen is ready and prepared for her future career and dreams. Now, there’s really no reason to panic.