The culture of MBA internships (especially those in finance) is heavy on face time and long hours. I had to step away from work for doctor’s appointments and simply couldn’t put in the long hours like most of my peers. So then the question became: how do I demonstrate my interest and commitment in other ways? And that gets back to creating connection with people, and of course, performing well during the hours and days that you have.
Now that I am back on campus and have delivered my son, I can say that there is nothing — no advice, book or past experience — that prepared me for the passage into parenthood. I remember looking down at Winslow after he was born and thinking, “I can’t believe you’re mine! Are you sure you’re my baby?”
I spent the first few weeks of his life learning how to be a parent alongside my husband. It’s pretty much a constant rotation of nursing and changing diapers. And of trying to figure out what is making him cry! Win is at a stage now where his face is so expressive, and I love to sit with him and marvel at his grins and scowls.
Win is one month old, and this coming week will be my first full week back in classes. I’m looking forward to it. I love the intellectual absorption of student life. This semester I’m taking a lighter course load, and my husband will be the more full-time parent.
It was difficult to negotiate a maternity leave through McCombs. I was routed through the Students with Disabilities Office and asked to provide a doctor’s note.
Several professors discouraged me from taking their classes since I would miss the start of the semester. It was clear in going through the process that there wasn’t much of a precedent for what I needed. The overwhelming model of parenthood in business school is still one of fathers having kids and returning to class almost immediately.
I hope that as we tell our MBA mama stories, we help our schools understand that supporting mothers isn’t rocket science, but it does require infrastructure, processes in place and the willingness of professors to work with students.
I am still so new at this motherhood/MBA student gig, and we will see how my husband and I manage to make it work this semester. Already I’ve surrendered several of my ideas about the “right” way to be a mom to my son. At this point, my two goals are to surround Win with love (my own and that of other caregivers), and to get back to classes, graduate and start the career I’ve chosen, the career that will help support my family.
Q & A with Allegra Asplundh MBA Mama of the Month — September 2016
MBAMama: Why did you choose UT-Austin?
Allegra Asplundh: I was looking for a complementary experience to my undergraduate education at Yale. McCombs was attractive because it is a small program within a massive, public university. I also wanted to pick a geography with strong job growth and opportunities for me and my husband. Texas fit the bill. Most of all, the people — faculty and students — were so kind, curious and smart.
Allegra and baby Winslow — who was 10 days past his due date in this photo!
MBAMama: How has your time at UT-Austin shaped your leadership style and your career trajectory?
AA: I think my leadership style was pretty well-formed before getting my MBA. I didn’t come to school with leadership on my mind. On a fundamental level, I wanted to learn finance: the language, quantitative skills and general intuition. It’s interesting to be in school at a moment when we all feel like we need to be leaders…my first semester I spent a lot of time “following” and absorbing as much as I could from peers and fantastic professors.
McCombs made my career switch from nonprofit management to finance possible through our MBA Investment Fund and curriculum. Our core requirements are rigorous, and by spring semester, I was able to load up my schedule with finance electives. That first year was a wild ride with a steep learning curve.
MBAMama: What organizations are you involved with at UT-Austin?
AA: I am a student manager for our MBA Investment Fund. We invest $20 million in large-cap U.S. equities and take an investment management curriculum together. I cover consumer stocks for the fund, and this organization takes up the majority of my extracurricular time. I also belong to our Net Impact club on campus. I appreciate that Net Impact keeps me connected to my nonprofit roots and sensibility — a good counterbalance for all my finance classes!
MBAMama: Tell us about your decision to have a baby during b-school. What were the key factors that you considered and how did the university support you during your pregnancy?
AA: Well, it’s a stretch to say that there was a great deal of planning involved! My pregnancy was more of a daunting-turned-joyful surprise for us. I was worried about the timing, especially as a career switcher starting down a new path. I was worried about my summer internship. I was worried about how to tell people at school. I was worried about not being able to spend enough time with my new baby. Can you tell I’m a worrier?
But I was reassured by my husband’s enthusiasm for fatherhood and for “staying home” with our baby. In the end, I embraced business school’s flexibility and its distinct advantages for my pregnancy. For example, I was in my first trimester over the December/January holiday and so could nap when I was feeling dog-tired (and nauseous). Administrators and professors were congratulatory and supportive. I received help in thinking about how to share the news with my summer internship employer and in planning for my second-year classes.
Challenges arose when I began to plan for my child’s birth and the reality of needing to take some leave from classes.
MBAMama: What advice do you have for women who are thinking about having their first baby DURING business school?
AA: Talk to colleagues who are parents. It will both assuage some of your fears and make you more clear-eyed about the challenges that lie ahead. It also gives you a cool point of connection with classmates whom you might not know well.
But remember: everyone’s story of birth and new parenthood is different, so don’t let anyone psyche you out! And if you do decide to have a baby, worry less and nap more.
