Jake Davidson (MBA ’25), a first-year MBA student from Meridian, Mississippi, navigates the ropes course in New Orleans City Park as part of the incoming MBA cohort’s orientation program.
The Freeman School’s incoming full-time MBA class headed to City Park in August to conquer their fears — and gravity — on LOOP NOLA’s high ropes course.
Part of this year’s orientation program, the exercise challenged the new classmates to get out of their comfort zones, confront their fears and push themselves to achieve something new, a set of goals especially relevant to a group of students embarking on an MBA program together.
“I think the biggest thing was getting us to know each other,” said Jake Davidson (MBA ’25), a native of Meridian, Mississippi. “Everyone comes from different backgrounds with their own educations and experiences, but putting us on a ropes course in the Louisiana heat in August got everyone out of their shell.”
It’s not an exaggeration to call this year’s class trailblazers. It’s the first class to matriculate under the Freeman School’s newly redesigned full-time MBA curriculum, a future-focused program of study that prepares students to lead in a highly dynamic business environment through data-driven management, cross-functional experiential learning and a deep understanding of ESG and its impact on business.
In addition to their outstanding academic and professional qualifications, the class is also diverse. One-third of the cohort is international, with citizenships ranging from Colombia to Kazakhstan.
“I chose Freeman because of its STEM-designation with a focus on business analytics and sustainability,” said Shafi Munir (MBA ’25), a native of Bangladesh. “Also, the 98% placement rate by 2022 graduates within three months of graduation also stood out.”
In addition to the ropes course, this year’s orientation program also included sessions on the new curriculum, concentrations and electives, the Career Management Center, and business research. The class also took part in a daylong Leadership and Team- Building Camp and attended a closing social that gave new students a chance to mix and mingle with second-year MBAs and alumni.
