Hi, my name is Elizabeth Winborne.  I am currently in my first year in 
the MBA program at UNCG.  I got my undergraduate degree in Finance at UNCG 
as well.  I just wanted to talk to you today about base camp.  It’s one week 
before classes start in the MBA program.  Base camp was very beneficial to 
me and I want to tell you why.  The first four days of base camp pretty much 
introduce us to the support groups available at UNCG for students coming in, 
in case you aren’t familiar with UNCG; as many of my fellow students were not.  
Also, it got me in the student mode, it got me prepared for all the work that 
was to come.  Um it introduced me to my cohort that I was going to be with for 
the next two years, so that was very beneficial as well.  However the last 
day of base camp was what I got – I got the most out of the last day of base 
camp.  We went to Piney Lake, which is pretty much obstacle courses, not games 
but challenges that we were split up into groups and we were told to work 
through these problems together.  A lot of team building.  I developed a lot of 
relationships at base camp.  A very good experience.  How it’s helping me now 
is I know who I can go to to get support.  To get them to explain to me what’s 
going on in my classes.  What am I not understanding.  It created a family 
atmosphere.  I know I can rely on them when I need help; when I need support, 
I need encouragement.  And that was priceless.  In your undergraduate years - 
you really - it’s hard to make that happen because you’re introduced to one 
another the first day of class and it usually takes a good month before everyone 
feel s comfortable enough to start talking to each other - developing 
relationships, so with base camp I felt like I had a family, they’re my second 
family.  So it was a wonderful experience, I hope you get the same out of it 
if not more, and I think that’s it.