April 16, 2019
Four International MBA candidates — Wes Treiber (B.S. ’16), Laura Dorn, Nick Sonek and Bhaskar Shankar — took home third place at the SEC MBA Case Competition held at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee in early April.
The University of Alabama’s team took first place in this year’s competition, while University of Kentucky took second. The USC team competed against 13 other teams from the schools that make up the SEC, so to Treiber, placing third was particularly satisfying.
“This competition was especially important to me because we were competing against all of the other schools in the SEC, so pride was definitely on the line,” he said.
Treiber also won a Best Presenter Award for his division, making this third case competition victory particularly sweet for him.
“Case competitions are some of the most fun yet exhausting experiences I have had while pursuing my International MBA,” he said. “They are truly one of the best ways to test your business knowledge against your peers and impress current industry leaders that sponsor the competitions.”
Moore School case competition adviser Pat DeMuoy agreed that these competitions are a great way for students to show companies what they have to offer.
“When companies look for who to hire, they want people who have the ability to solve difficult problems in a compressed time format,” he said. “The ability to present your recommendations in a clear and understandable manner is great preparation for a successful career. Consulting firms view case competitions as the training ground for future consultants.”
Sonek echoed this sentiment, arguing that case competitions and similar events are just as important to the MBA experience as the classwork.
“You can have all the technical knowledge in the world, but if you don’t practice distilling this knowledge into a business solution and presenting on it, you’ll have a hard time becoming a strong business professional,” he said.
This wasn’t the first case competition for any of these participants, and it likely won’t be the last.
“It’s really something I would encourage everyone to do,” Sonek said.
Learn more about the Moore School’s MBA offerings.
By Madeleine Vath