My first summer in the revamped (and redesigned) MMM program

Having finished my first quarter in Kellogg’s Full-Time MMM Program, there is an excitement for what’s next in our Design Thinking-focused curriculum. Many in the MMM program are looking to be product-focused managers for the next steps of our careers, and I can already tell that the MMM program is going to be the perfect training ground for us to fine-tune the instincts needed to succeed at the next level of technology.

From Professor Eyal Maoz showing just how easy it is to design an amazing product when you can reduce the “degrees of freedom,” to Professor Mark Werwath discussing how hard it can be to launch that product, our summer has simultaneously been a fruitful, stressful, and social start to Kellogg and the MMM Program.

One of the sightseeing highlights was our trip to the famous and soon-to-be-closed Hot Doug’s with program mates. Do visit there if you can. It’s great and well worth the 90-minute wait in line as you try to squeeze a meal in before your next group meeting!

What I appreciate most so far is being able to spend the first two months slowly getting acclimated to Evanston with 59 other brilliant people. It’s hard to imagine what it will be like later in September when the full Northwestern and Kellogg student body arrive and the Jacobs building and every meeting room inside it is constantly booked.

Stay tuned. I’ll keep you updated!

Michael Nguyen is currently a MBA / Masters of Design Innovation (MMM) candidate at Kellogg. In the past he served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Cyworld Vietnam, the country’s first social network; co-founded Mimo, a popular Twitter-like service in Vietnam; and helped RedOctane launch the Guitar Hero video game franchise. Connect with him on LinkedIn.