5 Reasons to Attend Women's Conference

September 30, 2024 | Sharise Kent

The following post was written by Sharise Kent, associate director of MBA admissions. Sharise works with prospective students who are considering the Full-Time MBA program at Simon Business School. As a Rochester native, she loves welcoming prospective students to Simon and Rochester to experience everything the school and the city have to offer. 

Simon Business School is deeply committed to creating opportunities for women leaders to learn and excel within their chosen professions. Our annual Women’s Conference showcases Simon’s commitment to women’s advancement and gives MBA candidates a peek at life at Simon. 

Women’s Conference is an inclusive event for prospective MBA students, and each year we look forward to enriching, engaging conversations with both our future women business leaders and our male allies.

Here are five reasons you should experience Simon Women’s Conference:

1.    Meet Simon alumni.

Make connections with Simon alumni and learn from their experiences during a keynote conversation, Women’s Leadership Panel, and networking opportunities. This year’s alumni participants have incredible work experience at companies such as Accenture, Amazon, Capital Group, Five Star Bank, L2Point, McKinsey & Company, and Valor Equity Partners, among others. 

2.    Experience a sample class with MBA Faculty Director Ravi Mantena.

Our top-ranked MBA with a STEM-designated option offers a small class size—we enroll between 100 and 120 Full-Time MBA students each year—and a very personalized approach by design. Attending a sample class will allow you to get a feel for a Simon class environment, as well as what you can expect as an MBA student.

3.    Conduct your admission interview.

You can complete your admission interview—even if you haven’t submitted your application! Take advantage of the excellent opportunity to get face time with a member of the Admissions Committee and check a major part of the application process off your to-do list.  

4.    Engage with the diverse Simon community.

Recognized as the #6 most diverse MBA program among the top-50 business schools by U.S. News and World Report, Simon celebrates and supports the student experience through inclusive education and experiences. Women’s Conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in activities hosted by Simon student cultural organizations: our Asians in America and Latin American Students of Simon clubs will host events to celebrate Diwali and Day of the Dead.

5.    Leverage our powerful partnerships.

Simon is a longstanding partner of Forté, a consortium of major corporations and top business schools dedicated to increasing the presence of women in business. Simon students also have the opportunity to join Simon Women in Business (SWiB). SWiB builds camaraderie among students at Simon and provides the tools, resources, and connections necessary to help them obtain fulfilling internships and successful careers. At Women’s Conference you can network with members of both organizations.

We hope to see you in Rochester—travel stipends are available! 

Located on the shores of Lake Ontario, the greater Rochester area is home to over 1 million residents. Rochester is consistently ranked as one of the most affordable places to live and made the Forbes list of Best Places to Raise a Family in the US. 

We want you to see our hometown of Rochester firsthand, and travel stipends are available to assist with your plans! Stipends offset approved travel costs for individuals traveling more than 200 miles (one way) to Rochester, New York, and who have a US mailing address—learn more. In addition, we cover hotel accommodations for two nights and your meals throughout the weekend.

Space is limited—register by October 7 to secure your spot for Women’s Conference in November. If this event doesn’t work with your schedule, explore our spring on-campus events. If you have any questions, reach out to us at events@simon.rochester.edu. We hope to see you soon here in Rochester!

P.S. Learn more by checking out the podcast episode featuring my conversation with two first-year MBAs about their experience at Women’s Conference last year!