Resources and Tools for Business School Students

Expert Contributor: Pierre-Renauld Tremblay

Between 2014 and 2015, nearly 358,000 jobs requiring a business management degree were posted in the United States. Of that number, 85 percent required at least a bachelor’s degree. Business school is one of the top degree choices for students in the country. The following guide was created to help savvy business students, regardless of their educational level, access resources to help them excel in school and flourish in the business world. A special section catering to a wide range of student populations is also included, with individualized resources for varied demographics.

Aside from the typical pressures of academia, international business students also contend with new teaching and learning styles in an unfamiliar place. These resources are designed to alleviate some of that stress.

Many students with disabilities elect to pursue business degrees, and there are many resources out there to help them succeed in whatever path they choose to pursue. The resources listed below represent a range of assistance available.

Resources and organizations aimed at LGBTQ college students can support those students during their undergraduate or graduate business educations. Some of the best organizations serving LGBTQ college students and their allies are listed below:

The National Women’s Business Council reports women currently own 36.3 percent of all American businesses, an increase of nearly eight percent since 2007. The resources listed below have been curated to help female business students succeed.

More than 58,000 students marked that they were homeless on the 2013 FAFSA form, and approximately 11,600 of those were students majoring in business or a related field. The resources below help students focus on their education rather than worrying about a bed.

After returning from military service, veterans have been out of a classroom setting and may wish to find likeminded individuals who are experiencing the same transition. Or they may wonder about financial assistance available to them. These resources provide help for those topics and more.

Academic Resources

Academic institutions provide invaluable resources to help students succeed, both while in school and once they enter the workforce. These resources are important because they are included in the cost of tuition and are often difficult to access once outside academia. The following resources highlight offerings that all students should take advantage of while in school.

Students already working at a business may be able to take advantage of a tuition reimbursement program to have some – or even all – of their academic costs covered. Deloitte is an excellent example of a graduate school assistance program. The Washington Post also highlighted the top companies for this form of financial assistance.

Although professional bodies and career services are valuable throughout the lifespan of a career, these resources can be especially beneficial for helping recent graduates build their network and launch their professional lives. As a bonus, many also offer discounted student memberships.

It is important for business students to stay abreast of news and events that impact the economy, financial markets and daily business operations. These resources provide details about the latest headlines, conferences, and training programs relevant to business students and professionals.

Though it’s easy to immediately think of an MBA when someone mentions business school, students studying business accounted for more than 20 percent of the total undergraduate population as of the 2011-2012 academic year. Use the resources below to make the most of this beneficial academic path.

Whether completing an MBA or other master’s or graduate level business program, students in these degrees have numerous resources at their fingertips. If a student has chosen to complete graduate level coursework, they are often motivated to succeed, making these opportunities even more valuable for their future endeavors.

Like making any informed decision, it is imperative that you get a variety of opinions about each and every business program. Do you read only one review before buying a car? Probably not. My recommendation is to start with a search engine and to get creative with what you’re looking for. Do you require information about a specific concept? If you have questions about it, you can be sure thousands of others have had questions before. Moreover, there are significant amounts of resources and publications that are specifically tailored for people in the business world – think about Bloomberg, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and so on. Business students will be in that world soon enough. Why not let it help you with your studies? Tapping into these established resources is a perfect way to start studying “reality” while still in a classroom setting.

Schools offer these resources and nobody seems to use them. When I was in school, I took advantage of every single resource available. I regularly spoke with teachers. I exchanged class notes. I read significantly detailed books about a wide variety of topics, just to get a better understand of how the business world works. I tutored those younger than me to re-sharpen my skills. I socialized with my colleagues. Now, I do business with some of them. I went to see an academic advisor at least 15 times, to refine the career path I wanted to take. I asked for a coffee meeting with a ton of highly-respected people, just to get an opportunity to pick their brain.

Think of it as a three-dimensional spider net. One topic is interrelated to numerous other ones. There are both higher and underlying layers. You might learn a concept on one layer – but have no experience in another. You might be an expert with financial statements, but have never negotiated a contract. You might know how to find and hire a great employee, but you don’t know how to manage an ERP. The key is to combine both your theoretical and practical knowledge with a sense of curiosity. Ask as many questions as you can, and gain as much exposure and experience as you can. You can never stop learning.