3 Great MBA Graduation Speeches | TopMBA
Home Why Study an MBA? 3 Great MBA Graduation Speeches

3 Great MBA Graduation Speeches

User Image
By Nicole Willson Updated Sep 03, 2019
3,887 Views

Save

Share

Table of contents

Table of contents

open-arrow close-arrow
 
mba graduation speeches
Find out how an MBA will benefit your career goals

For business school students, May is an important month since it marks the end of the semester and for some students the beginning of post-MBA life. May is also a time where people are inspired by the words of graduation speeches. Here are some business school speeches that are up there with Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford commencement speech. While business school graduation season is over, these MBA graduation speeches can still provide you with inspiration and motivation as you apply for your MBA.

Shantanu Narayen

CEO, Adobe

In his commencement speech at UC Berkeley's Haas School of business, Narayen (Haas MBA '95) discusses what it was like getting his MBA while working at Apple and becoming a father for the first time. Narayen also shares what it was like getting an MBA and pursuing computer engineering, before it became an accepted career path.

While Narayen says that he was in a sleep-deprived haze during some of his time at Haas, he goes on to state: "What I do remember was the excitement that I felt, the new friends that I made, the learning in school and a connection that this business degree would help take me farther than I could go with my engineering degree alone. And that it did, well beyond what I could have imagined."

Sheryl Sandberg

Coo, Facebook

While Sheryl Sandberg's Harvard Business School Class Day speech didn't touch on the Facebook IPO, it did provide inspiration and career advice. Her speech also shared some Harvard Business School facts that most people may not know. Sandberg became aware of the lack of organ donation in the United States, and later added an organ donor feature to Facebook, because of a social marketing course taught by Kash Rangan. In 1995, Sandberg's MBA class section (section B) tried to have the first Harvard Business School online class in an AOL chatroom.

Sandberg also discusses how she came to work for Google, despite the fact that the cons outweighed the pros on an MBA-style job option spreadsheet she made. She said that she decided to work for Google after the CEO Eric Schmidt gave her the following advice: "When companies are growing quickly and they are having a lot of impact, careers take care of themselves. And when companies aren’t growing quickly or their missions don’t matter as much, that’s when stagnation and politics come in. If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on." 

Dr. Oz

It's pretty obvious that Dr. Oz is a doctor, but did you know that he's also an MBA? Dr. Oz got an MD/MBA from Wharton, where he gave a speech designed to help Wharton grads as they figure out what will help them achieve success. According to Dr. Oz: "Success is moving oneself toward a better understanding of what's important in life... Happiness is being grateful for what happens along the way." Dr. Oz then gave his own David Letterman style top ten list, The Top Ten Tips for Success and Happiness.

Image Source

Choosing an MBA
Why MBA?
Nicole image
Written by
Nicole Willson

Nicole is the SEO manager of TopMBA.com, as well as a contributing author. She holds a BA in history and sociology, and a master's in library science. Aside from her work for QS, Nicole is a long-time contributing editor and administrator for WikiHow.

Recommended Articles Last year

View All
Article Image
Advert

Master’s or MBA? Do both by…

EDHEC’s MSc/MBA dual degree programme offers an option for people who want depth and breadth without pressing pause on their ambitions. 

Craig image
Article Image
Advert

Is an MBA worth it?

The question isn't simply whether an MBA is worth it – it's whether it's worth it for you, at this stage of your career, and for your specific goals. We spoke to Imperial Business School to get their perspective.

Craig image
Article Image
Advert

5 benefits of practice-based…

One key factor that differentiates top-tier programmes from the rest is their emphasis on practical, experiential learning. The University of Bath School of Management has pioneered an approach to business education that transforms knowledge into action, challenging the traditional boundaries between academic insight and real-world impact.

Craig image