Mackenzie Saitta

Management 101 with tom king is for sure the most unconventional class I have ever been in, but I have also never learned so much about myself and the world around me in such a short amount of time.  It was a class that came with the most work, the most thought, and the greatest outcome as a student.  At first, I was very skeptical and because of the lack of quizzes and grades given, I questioned if I could really learn anything if I wasn’t tested on it.  But, I soon realized, after working in teams, and having group discussions, I have learned so much in this class, and the things that I have learned are ones that I will be able to carry with me through life, not just be tested on in a final exam to then just be forgotten.

I didn’t realize how this class truly functioned until about halfway through, and that is when everything really started to click for me.  I realized that if I wanted something to be brought to attention then I would have to bring it to attention.  An example of that is say we, as a class, decided that we thought we should have more time on a project, instead of just complaining about it, bringing the situation up in class and having a mature discussion about it could help us receive the outcome we wanted, but even if we didn’t, we knew we fought for it.  I learned so much in this class and the most wonderful thing about it is that I never realized I was learning it while I was.  It was not memorizing definitions from a textbook, but it was dealing with real problems, networking in a business environment and working in a team where I absorbed knowledge from experience.

Not only did I gain experience from this class, but I learned so much about myself.  I learned about strengths I had and never knew, and qualities of myself that I know I need to work on.  I learned that I have a way of getting my ideas across to people, and ways to express ideas that i am most passionate about, being able to stand my ground and articulate my views.  I also learned very fast that I don’t like change.  I was very taken aback by the unconventional way this class was run, but it brought me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to do things that I never would have done without being asked to do.  I really found my voice in this class and learned how to organize the chaos.  Management 101 was the best possible class I could have started with my first semester at Providence College because I will raise my standards in all future classes, and it will help me so much in my life beyond these four years.

If I had any advice to incoming students…

I would tell them that nothing is off the table in this class, find your voice and be a leader, fight for what you want to happen in this class.  It may be cheesy but if you start to fight for what you want in a class environment, you’ll start to change the things you cannot accept in the world around you.

Never sit in silence, take initiative and start class on your own!!

And lastly, NEVER EVER capitalize “tom king!”