Many individuals who return to school to pursue a graduate degree will often mention that time management skills are one of the most important aspects that contributes to their success in academics. Soon-to-be second-year Illinois MBA student, Lauren Lee, embraced the challenge of balancing the school commitments along with other activities available to students in the Illinois MBA. 

Early in her first semester, Lauren joined the student-run Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) team. As a former marketing executive with DHL Express in Taiwan, she was able to apply her marketing knowledge to a project that provided marketing analysis to a major manufacturer of steel products interested in developing a new and expanded line of products. She found that this was perhaps one of the busiest times of the year, as it coincided with large class assignments and many internship interviews. Not letting this challenge stand in her way, she became involved in three Illinois MBA clubs, landed a marketing internship with Genworth, and was selected as part of the IBC leadership team for the 2008-2009 academic year.
 
An often overlooked item in academic success is making time for personal enrichment and interests. Lauren found that it was important to allow time for social events among the many professional and academic requirements. She made time to explore her passions: things like reading, listening to music, running, and participating in many of the social events planned by the different Illinois MBA student organizations. Lauren commented on her first-year experience: “It was great since I could balance my life by learning academically and professionally and still have fun.”