Meg Louis

A nursing background might not be the most obvious one for a professional MBA candidate, but ER nurse Meg Louis saw that securing the degree could help her grow in new directions. Combining the kind of critical thinking Olin encourages with the critical patient care skills Louis already possessed made moving to a more business-oriented role in the healthcare field a natural.

A support system

Upon entering grad school, Louis wondered how it would differ from her undergraduate experience. To her, undergrad “felt like a family.” She says she was pleasantly surprised that “everyone at Olin tries so hard to be inclusive.” She adds, “Everyone, from your professors to fellow students, is eager to help you. I was so surprised by the sense of community.”

An opportunity to grow.

She was especially appreciative of her cohorts. “We were a very diverse group,” she says. “We had an engineer, accountant, a staffing and recruiting person, a healthcare consultant, and a nurse.” Louis felt like she had a strong support system. She describes her cohorts as “quantitative- and strategy-oriented.” Since Louis did not have that type of background, she saw “everything as an opportunity to grow.” She didn’t just benefit from the experience and knowledge of others, however. The cohort group was carefully crafted so that they all complemented one another.

Core benefits

One of the Core classes Louis took in her first semester is still with her today. In studying Critical Thinking and Impactful Communications, she learned about a framework she can use “to approach any problem.” She explains, “It makes you analyze the problem, your POV, and your assumptions.” She adds, “I’ve used the framework in every single class since.”

Getting real: Sustainability Case Competition

Louis was eager to put what she was learning in the classroom to the test. She got the chance by competing in Olin’s Sustainability Case Competition. Her team worked with the Olin Food Services to make their department and efforts more green. “It was really fun,” she says, “to get involved, develop a business plan, and test your skills on something that was real.”

Endless possibilities

Louis’s classes, cohorts, and experiences made real change possible. She has already moved from nursing into the business side of healthcare and believes “the possibilities are endless.”