Future MBA Girl

2009-11-02T00:12:00.004-05:00

“What do I want to be when I grow up? I would like to continue to work in the nonprofit world (once you go nonprofit you never go back!). I am interested in researching how entire industries and fields evolve, and in organizational leadership. I hope to work at a think tank or a nonprofit consulting firm.

And how does an MBA fit in? I hope that I’ll learn more about organizational structure and dynamics, and I’ll beef up my analytical skills.

Ultimately, to co-opt my favorite line from the movie Notting Hill, I’m just a girl asking an MBA program to accept me….” – Future MBA Girl, 11/10/03

Just six years ago I put pen to paper (or rather cursor to screen) and started this blog. When I started it, I wanted to chronicle my journey through the MBA application process. At the time, there were less than 2 dozen MBA bloggers out there and none of them were women. I threw my hat into the ring to add some diversity to the MBA applicant voices, to have an outlet to spew my anxiety, and to help others by describing my experience. Once I got into and matriculated at school, the blog morphed into a description of my Wharton experience. After graduating from Wharton, I’d hoped to continue to share my experiences in the nonprofit consulting world in this blog. But alas, that didn’t pan out. (Obviously since I haven’t written in over 2 years.)

You see, while I was anonymous during my application process, I was completely outted once I started school. And I didn’t mind that. It was a little weird to meet someone for the first time and experience them telling me how much they love the blog, or having a friend comment on a recent post. But I got used to it. I really enjoyed writing, and I loved knowing that reading my angst was helpful to people.

But being angsty just doesn’t work once you have a job. And trust me; there have been plenty of angsty moments during my three years post Wharton. But it doesn’t seem right complaining and freaking out about work when everyone knows who you are.

So I held back. I limited the few posts I wrote to platitudes and generalities (“Consulting is sooo hard”), which wasn’t helpful – not to people reading and definitely not for me. And so I stopped writing. It wasn’t deliberate. In fact, I’ve started this LAST POST dozens of times during the last two years. But it didn’t feel right to leave the blog behind. Something always felt incomplete.

But this is my LAST POST (teardrop!).

This seems like the right time to officially close the blog. A lot has happened since I left Wharton. I went to work for a nonprofit consultant firm (Bridgespan). I remember being extremely excited for the opportunity to work for Bridgespan. And my time at Bridgespan was amazing. The work WAS hard – like other consulting firms, I worked crazy hours, I dealt with demanding teams, and I grappled with some of the biggest strategic questions facing my nonprofit clients. But I loved my clients. I worked across the nonprofit sector: public health, early learning, foundations, intermediaries, charter school management organizations, etc. And I love my colleagues; they’re some of the most passionate, smart, dedicated people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. But consulting was never supposed to be a long term thing for me. In my essays to business school, I talked about doing it for 2-3 years and moving on. And this past June, I moved on.

It was probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. I didn’t know what was next. I knew I wanted to work in K-12 education. I believe that the disparity in our public education system is one of the greatest civil rights issues of all time. And I wanted to contribute my skills to an organization focused on addressing education inequity in this country.

I talked to a lot of different organizations and people during my search. But throughout my search the thing I was most interested in was how to improve human capital in education. Not surprisingly, the adults in the school (e.g., teachers, school leaders) are the most important “in school” factor contributing to student achievement. Now that we know that, we can get to work articulating what it means to be an “effective” teacher. And then we can find ways to modify professional development and training to increase the pool of effective teachers out there (notice – I didn’t say get rid of bad teachers. Yes, that’s part of it. But to me, we can’t leave out PD and training. And that’s something that’s totally missing from most of conversations about teacher effectiveness).

As you can see, I’m sort of geeky about this human capital thing.

And now I get to work on it all the time. Next month, I’ll be starting work with The New Teacher Project (http://www.tntp.org/) in Louisiana. The New Teacher Project. TNTP is a national organization focus on working with districts and states improve teacher effectiveness. I can’t WAIT to start work.

So, you may be wondering why I’m ending this blog. I mean, I could write ad nauseam about education and things like the administration’s use of things like But there’s that anonymity thing. I don’t have it. And to blog like I’d want to blog, I’d need it.

I might start another blog. Even writing this last blog has reignited something. But I won’t be able to tell you where it is or what it’s about. Cuz if I told you, I’d have to kill you. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

And really I think it’s time to end the blog. After all there’s nothing “future” about me. I have my MBA. I graduated from Wharton. I became a nonprofit consultant. I did what I said I wanted to do in my business school essays. But now I’m going off plan. It seems fitting to end the blog now.

I’ve loved blogging. Thank you for reading my musings and whining. I hope it was helpful to you.

Peace out, y’all. Peace out.

2007-08-26T20:37:00.000-04:00

One year ago today, I was settling into a hotel room in Boston anxiously awaiting my first day of work at Bridgespan. It feels like its been longer than that.

I remember worrying about whether I could cut it as a consultant. Whether I'd be smart enough, likable enough, and of course, whether I'd wear the right shoes. I wondered if Bridgespan was the right job for me and whether I was right for it.

A year has passed and I realize that I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it - people like me! I feel like the consultant position at Bridgespan fits me like a glove and I believe I'm a valuable member of the team. And I KNOW I'm wearing the right shoes.

Despite my love for the job, the commitment to the causes we serve, and the pure adoration for the people I work with, this year has not been without its challenges. Consulting and its lingo and frameworks is not a natural state of being. I'm still learning a lot - which is great. But I still worry that I may not be learning fast enough or that my approach to the work might not be "consulting-ey" enough. I guess no matter where you are or what you do, life isn't without its anxieties.

In addition to the case in early learning, I just got staffed to an education case. We're working with a charter management organization (CMO). Bridgespan does a lot of education work, but this is my first foray into the K-12 world. My work stream (which just means the part of the case I'm working on) includes looking at school performance data. It was shocking to me to learn how poorly schools all over the country were doing. Don't get me wrong - I knew schools were bad but I had no CLUE how few kids graduate or can pass a standardized math test or have a chance of getting a college education. The stats are incredibly scary. And I also wonder about the data we collect on kids. The data I've been looking at is all about test scores - but is that the point of school really? It reminds me of the grade non-disclosure debate at Wharton (whatever happened with that - it's funny how something you care passionately about can fade from view over time... out of sight out of mind I guess). Are those who do the best on tests the ones who received the best and most fulfilling education?

But like I said - I'm completely new to the ed space. Who knows? Maybe what I learn over the coming months will make me a believer in the proof that tests matters most. Maybe I shouldn't say this, but I hope not.

2007-08-05T00:34:00.000-04:00

Super long time - no post.

Things have been hectic at work and my refusal to get more than wireless card (that doesn't work in my apartment ) for internet has squashed my ability to blog to nearly non-existence.

I still love my job - I moved on to a new case in early learning. We're working with a nonprofit that's focused on making sure children from birth to five have the right opportunities to be successful in school and in life. What's really cool about this organization is how they approach early learning. It's not just about childcare and preschool. They recognize that MANY different factors affect a child's ability to succeed in school: their parents, the community they live in, the other adults they interact with regularly, their physical conditions of the environments they are in, etc. etc. What's really exciting about this view, is how they are working to change how people think about early child development - which I believe is critical to being able to change early learning experiences and getting more kids school ready.

I'm still in love with the Bay area - I can hardly believe that exactly one year ago I moved out here to my new home. I have to say, San Fran's weather has finally reared it's weird head. I never thought I'd say this but I miss hot and humid summers. There's something to be said for having a sticky night where you throw open the window and turn on the fan full blast and HOPE that the stickiness will subside enough to allow sleep. But something tells me if I were in a hot sticky summer I'd remember why it sucks. Funny - I don't miss the snow that way.

I am ready to move into the city though. I live in the suburbs - and despite my insistence that the commute doesn't bother me, I have to say, the commute ABSOLUTELY sucks. Especially late at night when I'm hanging out. It sucks to leave dinner at 10p knowing that I won't cross my threshold until 11p. I need to rectify that - I don't know what I was thinking. No I take that back - I liked my neighborhood - it was sanitized and safe and full of shopping. But I need to live in the city. I'm a single girl! I guess I didn't think about that when I moved a year ago. Oh well. Hopefully, this time next year I'll be in a smaller apartment that I pay out the nose for. Hey - at least I'll be in the city!

I'm not sure if I'll continue blogging. Firstly, I started this blog to talk about my anxieties about the business school application process and then my anxieties about school itself. Now don't get me wrong, I have plenty of anxieties about work. Last week for example was a particularly hard week for me. But there's something about the lack of anonymity that keeps me from blogging about that. And I don't want to blog about clients so...

And that's a nice segue to my second thought - "the seal" has been broken. People at work have discovered the blog. And they sometimes bring it up in conversation. I don't know why it weirds me out to have people at work reading the blog. People at Wharton read my stuff all the time and often commented on what I posted. But this feels different. It feels like two worlds are colliding. I feel like George Costanza ("If Relationship George walks through that door, he will kill Independent George! A George divided against itself, cannot stand!") Well not that extreme but you get the picture.

So this may be one of my last posts. Unless I can find a way to write about stuff going on in my life (and let's face it the majority of that is stuff at work) without feeling like I'm violating other people's privacy or client confidentiality or (most importantly) "the seal." We'll see.

2007-03-11T22:06:00.000-04:00

They say March rolls in like a lion and out like a lamb. Usually they're talking about the weather. Given the mild weather we're having in Norcal this winter, the statement doesn't seem to hold true. It DOES hold true, however, for my work life right now. Work has been a bit hectic. The last two weeks were my busiest since starting at Bridgespan 6 months ago.

I can't believe its been 6 months. Time flies. I've learned so much in the last 1/2 year. It's amazing to look at something as simple as slides to see my progress. My first deck (consultantese for powerpoint presentation) was abysmal. Embarrassing even. Now when I look at my slides, they look like other people's slides. They look like they belong in a Bridgespan deck. May seem simple - but it was definitely I had to make an effort to learn. I'm starting to feel more confident. Not because I know everything - far from it. I feel more confident because I'm starting to realize that I can learn how to be a good consultant. And I'm lucky to work at a firm that's so supportive in helping me learn how to BE a good consultant.

This week, I'm attending Bain's New Consultant Training (NCT) in Miami. NCT is an opportunity to take a step back an review some of the frameworks we learned in pre-NCT when we first started. What's great about revisiting these topics 6 months later is now I actually know what a consultant does, so it makes more sense now. It's also great to head to NCT because it's training for 25% of the Bain new consulting class from around the globe. So that means there's lots of Whartonites. It's great to run into people I haven't seen since May and catch up. Everyone looks happy - and more well rested. And it's just nice to reconnect with people with whom you shared this amazing experience. It should be a good week.

2007-01-23T00:11:00.000-05:00

Happy new year!! Well belated happy new year, anyway. Long time, no blog.

The past month and a half have been kind of crazy. With travel and a case that's going warp speed, things have been kind of hectic. This past weekend was my birthday. The day was pretty chill. I went out with friends which was fun. I got a lot of calls, emails, and text messages which gave me the warm fuzzies. Talking to friends and family is actually the best present ever.

Work is going well. I can't believe I've been here 5 months. It's kind of flown by. I'm still 100% staffed on my case. Bridgespan (and many other consulting firms) uses a 50-50% staffing model. That means that you're often staffed on two cases. At Bridgespan our training model eases new consultants into 50-50% staffing. The case I'm on is a bit of a beast so I'm still 100%. The prospect of being on two cases is kind of scary, so I'm glad to still just be on one case.

Tonight I'm in LA. I just missed the crazy winter weather they had here last week - now things are serene and characteristically sunny. I'm getting to work more with the client, which is cool. I'm also working more on the content of the strategy (before I was working mainly on org stuff), which is REALLY cool. It's so interesting to talk about strategies and approaches that can transform peoples lives. Our client is working with some of the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of our society. They approach systems change holistically, which is unique and an extremely powerful way to approach this work. It's fulfilling to get to work on these issues.

2006-11-29T01:01:00.000-05:00

Today as I was walking to the BART station, a familiar sight passed in front of me. An old Philadelphia street trolley was running along Market St. in San Francisco. When I saw the trolley with the word "PHILA" plastered on it, this wide grin spread across my face. I never thought I'd be so happy to see something familiar from Philly. I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

This week I'm actually headed back to my former home for the Whitney M Young Jr. Conference. It'll be my second trip back since moving away. Last month I went back for a recruiting event. It was weird to be a visitor in a place I called home so many years. I know Philly like the back of my hand, so it was odd to be in a cab for once and know whether or not the cabbie was trying to take the long, stupid way to my destination. I'm still in near constant state of being lost in San Francisco - I hardly ever know when the cabbie is going the wrong way. Although the other day, I was VERY proud to be able to tell the cabbie he was going the wrong way. And on another day I was actually able to direct a tourist - sure it was only one block away, but hey, it's something.

The trip this week will feel exceptionally weird because I'll be manning a career fair booth. Being on the other side of the recruiting table is SOOO weird. People act so nervous around me, and sometimes avoid returning my phone calls and emails. I think I'm pretty approachable, so it's hard to process these reactions. And it can also be frustrating when you see people drop the ball. As a student, sometimes all it takes to make the interview list is reaching out and connecting with people at the firm you're interested in - when you don't do this it makes it hard for people to advocate for you. I remember how much I hated doing this stuff when I was at Wharton - but I still did it. It's sad to see people avoid doing it. It's like watching people shoot themselves in the foot.

So this week will feel weird. Weird to be in Philly. Weird to have people nervous around me. What I am excited about is seeing some of my old classmates. WMY is a homecoming of sorts for a lot of AAMBAA alums. It'll be great to catch up with people and hang out.

2006-11-12T00:30:00.000-05:00

Life is good.

For the last 6 years or so, I wake up after election day pissed off and totally avoiding the news. This past Wednesday was a different experience - one I've missed. I've definitely had a bit of a spring in my step this week.

Work continues to be pretty cool, although the honeymoon period is over with the client. It's interesting to see how the team manages the client relationship and how they think about who needs to be looped in to ensure buy-in of our ideas. I'm also becoming more independent in my work. Although whenever I'm feeling super confident about my ability to do my job, something will happen to make me feel like an absolute idiot. Like earlier this week, I volunteered to do extra work. Good right? Well I just didn't get the assignment. And it felt like everyone else in the room did. Who ever made up the phrase that "there's no such thing as a dumb question" was a big ole liar, and this week, I was living proof of that. What truly sucks is I had my moment of dumbness in front of a partner. Great. Now he probably thinks I'm an idiot. Hopefully I'll be able to redeem myself.

Things are picking up socially, and I find myself totally falling in love with San Francisco. This city is wonderful - in some ways it reminds me of New York. Lots of activity at night, and a bit gritty. I love walking down the street and seeing some random group making music or dancing or whatever. But the people are so much nicer here. I really love it.

And I've committed myself to not saying no to hanging out with folks. Because I live in the suburbs, its really easy to come up with excuses to not hang out with people in the city. I've decided, I'm not doing that. So yes, it means I have to drive into the city, find parking and the like. But I think it's worth it.

I'd still like to volunteer or do some other activity, but I'm glad that my social calendar is beginning to fill.

Slowly but surely, I'm beginning to make the Bay area my new home.

2006-10-22T18:55:00.000-04:00

It's been a while.

Work has been wonderful. The piece of the case I'm working on centers on organizational behavior issues. During undergrad and Wharton I took quite a few classes on this stuff because it interests me. It's kinda cool to actually use the stuff I've learned. It's been kind of surprising actually, the classes that are relevant to nonprofit consulting. I quoted one of my OPIM professors the other day. If you told me last year that I'd quote my OPIM professor, I'd tell you it was time to lay down the crack pipe. But even operations is relevant. (The quote you ask? "When you look at a process that's broken, ask yourself what's changed to get to the root cause of the problem.")

Beyond the organizational issues, I get to think about systemic change. One of the big theories in the nonprofit sector is that societal systems (economic, political, social, health, etc.) are broken. Nonprofits work to correct these broken systems through the use of various subsidies (lower staff salaries, direct funding, training, patient capital, etc.) and through efforts to change the system. We're working with our client to help them think about their "Theory of Change" - what the believe about the current system and what they believe will change it. It's really cool to contribute to that kind of thinking. Hell, it's really cool to be asked to think period.

Not only is the work interesting, but I truly enjoy being around my co-workers. They're smart, funny, compassionate, and not afraid of being a little bit nerdy. I admire them a great deal, and I'm grateful to be given the opportunity to work with them.

But all is not sunshine and light - I'm still trying to figure out how to rediscover that other part of me. I feel like I go to work, come home, sleep, repeat. I need something else. I just don't know what I would do or when I would do it. The great thing about Wharton is that you just have to show up, add water, and stir and POOF - there you have it. Instant friends and other activities. It's a little bit more difficult this time around. I just feel incomplete. And sometimes a bit lonely. Most of my friends are on the east coast. With the 3-hour time difference, it's really hard to connect with people. And living in the suburbs has exacerbated that situation at times. Now that I'm settled into the Bay area, I'm starting to look into some of the San Francisco neighborhoods as possible places to settle. Noe Valley and Potrero Hill have piqued my interest. So despite my aversion to moving I may move to the city once my lease is up. Something tells me living closer may help create more opportunities to be involved in SOMETHING.

2006-09-13T00:58:00.000-04:00

I've just finished my second day of Bain training, and I'm definitely feeling a tad bit overwhelmed. Most of the people in our training class have been consultants before, whether at Bain or other firms. So they all speak consulting. I feel like I'm taking calculus in a foreign language. I'm still at the point where I have to translate what people are talking about.

The thing about consulting is that consultants are trained to approach a problem in a very systematic way. When you add this systems challenge with the lingo challenge, it makes it hard for people like me to contribute during the training sessions. The good thing is people seem really understanding about slowing it down and understanding that I don't speak powerpoint-slide fluently yet. I try not to worry about it, but nobody wants to be the slow one in the group.

I still absolutely LOVE my job. Last week during lunch a group of us started talking about some of the challenges of measuring success in education (is success graduation rates? is it the ability to think in a more concrete way? is it exposure to new ideas? is it the same for everyone?). The conversation drifted to other things (as these type of conversations often do), but when we finally ended 2 hours later, a manager mentioned that these types of conversations were important to the work we do. That meant A LOT to me. It really made me feel blessed and lucky to have my job. I get to spend my day talking and thinking about subjects about which I'm extremely passionate. And while I'm doing it, my employer actually cares whether I get something out of the experience. I recognize that everyone doesn't have that. I'm very grateful that I do.

2006-09-06T00:02:00.000-04:00

Last week was my first week at work, and today was my first day in my office. I'm extremely excited to start work on the case I'm working on.

Last week was fabulous. It was great to have so much training. At previous jobs, training usually consisted of benefits orientation and a point towards my corner of the office. So a full week is somewhat new. And next week we'll go through another week of Bain training. It's a whole new world.

Working for a professional services firm is taking some adjusting. I've never been in an environment so focused on professional development. People seem genuinely interested in making sure I learn to do my job and providing constructive feedback. And the place is INCREDIBLY organized. That's what really floored me. I'm used to masked chaos. It's definitely different.

But what's truly been awesome has been the people. My co-workers are amazing - extremely smart and VERY passionate about the work we do. It' s so wonderful to be surrounded by people so focused on mission oriented work. I've had good conversations - like the kind you have in undergrad after a night of beer and pizza. It was an amazing week.

2006-08-27T19:52:00.000-04:00

My stuff and my car finally arrived. I cannot even describe the happiness the surged through me when my car got here – 3 weeks without a car was interesting to say the least.

Tonight, I’m in Boston, where it's overcast and raining. After a month of forget-me-not blue skies without a cloud in sight, I have to say I've become a bit spoiled. The dreary weather had more of an effect on me now that I'm a California Girl than when I was a Philly Girl. I start work tomorrow and my first week of training is in Boston. I’m excited to start work. I will definitely miss being a lazy ass. But since I got to be a lazy ass for more than 4 months, I feel like I’m lazy-assed out.

It’ll be GREAT to get a paycheck. I’ve been looking at the bottom of my bank account for a while now. I’m also jazzed about getting to meet some of the people with whom I’ll be working.

I’m a little nervous, too. I spent WAY too much time picking out my outfits for the week. I had flashbacks to the first weeks of junior high when what you wore during those critical first weeks determined your pecking order in school. “Business casual” leaves a lot for interpretation. And I had a shoe crisis (quel surprise.) Because of my broken foot, I haven’t worn any shoes other than tennis shoes, sandals, or flip flops for over a year. When I tried to put my foot in some of my shoes last night, my foot screeched with uncomfortable unhappiness. I didn’t have a basic black shoe that would work. I had to make a last minute run to DSW to remedy the situation. I hadn’t bought shoes all summer so it was WONDERFUL to get back in the game.

But beyond the usual dress concerns, I’m nervous about the actual work. It didn’t hit me until I started doing some reading for work. The usual work insecurities came flooding back. I’m not sure I have the skills. I feel like the made a hiring mistake. Sure, Wharton has allowed me to develop skills – but will I be able to mobilize those skills to be an asset at work? Will I be articulate enough? Will I be smart enough? Will I get along with my co-workers? Will I wear the right shoes? (:))

Anxiety abounds right now. I want to be impressive – but not obnoxious. Knowledgeable, yet seen as excited to learn. Poised but energetic. Despite the current feeling of anxiety and inadequacy, I’m VERY excited to finally start the next chapter. Let’s see how it goes.

2006-08-07T16:56:00.000-04:00

I made it to California! Woo hoo!!

My move hasn't been going well. I had to buy a new plane ticket for $330 because changing my original ticket would cost over $600. The guys who moved me were unsatisfied with the amount I tipped them AND they let me know. (Seems the internet is wrong - $40 per guy isn't enough - these guys were expecting $150 each. Mind you this is $75 per hour - which would mean they would make $150K per year on TIPS ALONE based on a 40 hour work week. That seems a bit excessive to me. But I digress.) I think complaining to the tipper about a tip that's not mandatory is just plain rude and tacky. And I still have to tip the delivery people. Hopefully my unintended tipping faux pas won't delay the delivery of my stuff.

I love my new apartment, although I hate not having a proper bed. Sleeping on an air mattress is NOT cool. I can't wait to get my stuff. I'm also car-less. I should get my car in a few weeks, but until then I'll be taking the BART and walking. So far the weather has been so awesome that I haven't minded. We'll see how I feel on Wednesday when the weather out near me is forecasted to reach the mid-90s.

On Wednesday, I'll be taking part in a Wharton Admissions event in San Francisco. It'll be great to meet prospective students, as well as connect with other alums in the area. So if you are in the bay area, try to make it out.

2006-07-31T21:43:00.000-04:00

Today is my moving day. At least it was supposed to be. Well it seems my mover forgot. I waited all day in a TVless apartment and no mover. No response to phone calls. Great.

So now I'm scrambling to arrange the move with another mover and extending my stay in Philly one extra day. Love it. Absolutely.

I guess this is kind of my fault. There have been signs that my previous mover was shady. 1) They operate under a name that is VERY similar to a popular NYC mover. In fact when they called me I thought they were the NYC mover. And since the NYC mover was Whartonite recommended, I went with them. Little did I know that I had accidentally booked shady mover. 2) Two weeks ago I wanted to change my inventory, but I couldn't get in touch with anyone at shady mover for several days. I tried to call the number on their website and it was disconnected. When I finally connected with the shady mover, they told me their phone lines were down. I should have known then. 3) Their quote was much lower than the other movers. That should have really tipped me off.

Needless to say DO NOT USE shady mover. They suck and are unprofessional. Popular NYC Mover on the other hand has bent over backwards to work with me and has been very professional. I've been very pleased. And even though they cost more, I think it'll be worth it. I guess you truly get what you pay for.

So the moving saga continues. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully the suckiness of moving across the country has reached its peak.

2006-07-27T11:58:00.000-04:00

I've started to say goodbye to people in Philly. This week was the first time I felt really sad. I guess because it's the first time when it really is the last time I'll see people who I'm leaving behind. As excited as I am to move to the Bay area, I'm really going to miss the people who filled my life during these 9 years.

I'm a little nervous about moving to a new place, too. I'm a bit of a homebody, and I'm not a big partier. So I wonder how long it will be before I make good friends. Not acquaintances. But good friends who you tell your secrets to. People who see you without makeup, or who are there when you need a good cry, or who you can just sit around in silence with. Real friends. I wonder how long I'll need to go until I find those people. My second family. That's what's scary - being in San Francisco without that second family.

When I think about that and the fact that I'm leaving so many people whom I love behind, I get really sad. I try to keep it positive. But I have to say, I've been a bit mopey for the last few days.
On a lighter note, it was kind of funny to read messages from all the Californians who freaked because they thought I was moving to the Golden State sans automobile. It was like they were frantically trying to save me from a fate worse than death. It kinda made me chuckle. Rest assured, I have every intention of having a car - I am a Houstonian you know. I had planned to buy a new car when I got to California, but now, I've decided on a more economical choice. I'm keeping the car that I own. It's not cute, but it runs. It will serve my transportation needs. And I won't have a car note. As I'm coming to terms with the obscene amount I'm going to have to pay per month for my student loans, no car note is a good thing.

2006-07-25T08:31:00.000-04:00

I hate moving.

I hate packing. I hate having to trust random people with my stuff. I hate the thought being without said stuff for 2-3 weeks. I hate that's gonna be me and an air mattress til I get my stuff. I hate unpacking.

I hate moving.

When I'm rich and famous, I'm hiring someone else to deal with this. Like a wedding planner. That's what the world needs - moving planners. I'd buy it...

I have a week left in Philly. Today, some friends and I are going to Pat's / Geno's in South Philly to get cheesesteaks. Believe it or not, during my 9 year tenure to Wharton, I've never made the trek to Pat's or Geno's. Mainly because I don't like cheesesteaks. But maybe Pat and Geno will make me feel differently.

I do know how to order though. Whiz with. That means I'm getting my cheesesteak with Cheese Whiz (an-oh-so-tasty cheese food product) and fried onions. Now I can hear the groans now - why Whiz you ask? Why not get provolone. Because the grade of meat that they use for cheesesteaks was never intended to have real cheese on it. You gotta get it with Whiz. That way you eliminate all nutritious value entirely. Good stuff.

After cheesesteaks, we plan on going to the Italian Market, which an open air market in South Philly and a popular tourist spot. It's also another thing I never did before. I'm trying to move down my list of stuff I've never seen.

It's amazing how when you live somewhere you don't see some of the most popular things. One of my friends once suggested that you have to "use your city." I think I've done pretty well - I've seen the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Museums, Chestnut Hill, New Hope, the Philly Zoo, the Belmont Plateau, and more.

But there's so much I haven't seen. So many times I said I wanted to do things but I put them off because I was doing other things or I was busy with school, work, whatever. Now, with 1 week left, there's no time left to do it all. I guess the lesson is to do these things while you can. Don't put them off. Use your city. Don't leave a place regretting all the things you wanted to do but never did.

So today, I scratch a couple of things off my list of "never-dids." At the very least, it will get me out of the sea of boxes that is my apartment. I so hate moving.

2006-07-19T17:03:00.000-04:00

Long time no blog.

I can't say I haven't blogged because I've been too busy. This has been one of the most low key times of my life. I'm basically taking it easy. I fill my days with packing, TV, movies, furniture shopping (and selling/donating), and hanging out with friends and family. My apartment looks like a shell of its former self - I'm surrounded by boxes and all the accoutrement that made my place home are packed away. Packing that stuff away makes it easier to pack. It was like when I packed my pictures and things I packed my attachment to my apartment. It's now easier to say goodbye to two years of memories.

Now I'm trying to get rid of things that won't make the trip across country with me. Goodwill and the Salvation Army have been the primary beneficiary, although the trash divers in West Philly have also made away with some stuff. I'm now about to try to sell a few things online. I've never sold anything online, so this is a new thing for me. I also have to sell my car. I'm also a bit nervous about that - I've never sold a car. I wish my family lived closer so I could lean on them to help me with that stuff. But I realize that I'm on my own - I'll have to figure it out.

I leave Philly in two weeks. I still have a few things on my to-do list but it should be a pretty easy two weeks. It feels weird to be living a place that was my home for the last 9 years. I'm actually moving 9 years to the day of when I first set foot in Philly. I'm ready to go - but I'm a little sad. I won't miss Philly's crappy weather, or my crappy landlord, or my, at times, crappy neighborhood. But I will miss knowing where everything is, and knowing the quickest way to get somewhere, and knowing where to get some obscure gift, and knowing what to expect.

San Francisco is completely new to me and I know nothing. I have to admit I'm a bit scared. Last night I had my first nightmare about moving (I dreamed my new apartment was only a itty-bitty studio with a shower curtain for a wall. I was panicked for a bit until I realized it was just a dream). I guess a little of anxiety is a good thing. It's just weird to be a ball of emotions - scared, anxious, sad, excited, happy - all at once. I guess I feel a lot like I did when I started school. I wasn't sure I'd be successful and I didn't know what was ahead of me. I feel the same thing now.

So the next two weeks I plan to finish my packing, sell my car, TV, and microwave, go see all my favorite haunts one last time, go see those places that I always meant to go to but never did, say goodbye to my friends :(, and say farewell to my life in Philly. I'm ready to go, but I'm sad nonetheless.

2006-06-19T21:39:00.000-04:00

The summer issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review has a great articled called "What Business Execs Don't Know - But Should - About Nonprofits." The article features the findings of 11 high-level executives that made the switch from the for-profit sector to nonprofits.

One of my favorite quotes in the article is from William Novelli, the CEO of AARP, where he says, "[The nonprofit sector] goes beyond under-appreciated. CEOs are often disdainful of not-for-profit management. They think it’s undisciplined, nonquantified." But in fact, “it’s harder to succeed in the nonprofit world. For starters, nonprofits’ goals are both more complex and more intangible. “It may be hard to compete in the field of consumer packaged goods or electronics or high finance," he says, “but it’s harder to achieve goals in the nonprofit world because these goals tend to be behavioral. If you set out to do something about breast cancer in this country, or about Social Security solvency, it’s a hell of a lot harder to pull that off." And “it’s also harder to measure."

That in a nutshell sums up some of the misconceptions held by most of my classmates and even more of the for-profit recruiters. While these misconceptions don't necessarily hurt someone who wants to go into nonprofits post-Wharton, they definitely hinder someone trying to switch from nonprofits to for-profits.

The article sums up some of challenges and nuances in nonprofits. I wish every one of my classmates could have read the article before starting Wharton. It could be a huge step in helping those outside the sector "get" the sector.

2006-06-13T23:20:00.000-04:00

I went to California this weekend to look for my new place. I am still stunned by the civility Northern Californians demonstrate. People actually smile at you. It's the weirdest thing. In Philly, people barely make eye contact. And I still can't get over how pedestrians rule on the Left Coast. I was in a parking lot, when a car started to back up. I stopped (because in Philly - the car will keep going, hit you, and then the driver will cuss YOU out for bumping into his/her car) and waited. The driver waived me by. I walked on, and the driver rolled down her window and apologized profusely. To me. For almost backing up. Weird place that California.

I found my place, so my anxiety over my move across the country is MUCH alleviated. I'm living in the suburbs. Yes, I know that means I'm not cool. Yes, I know that means I'm not hip. But guess what? I don't care. I'm a suburban girl. I was raised in rural and suburban communities. I don't really like living in the city. I don't like the dirt. I don't like the grime. I don't like the crime. And I REALLY don't like the lack of parking. I mean in what truly civilized place does one have to pay for parking when shopping? But I love the town I will be living in. I will be surrounded by green and trees, and shopping. Oh the shopping - WITH proper parking lots. I'll be in suburban heaven.

So I'll be commuting by BART. I like commuting via train. It's SO much better than driving. And after spending a week in Bay Area traffic - I think I'll skip driving (even with the super polite drivers).

Life in Philly is pretty mellow. I just bought some boxes to start packing my stuff. I'm really not looking forward to that. I hate packing. Plus it's weird this time. I feel like I'm packing up a chapter of my life. After undergrad, I moved to Philly. And so now almost a decade later, to move across the country, feels like I've just finished a good book. I'm always sad to finish a book that I'm really in to. It's like saying goodbye to a really good friend. Sure, you can re-read the book, but it's not the same. Leaving Philly is kind of like that. Although my life here was not always happy, and although I'm really READY to leave, I'm still a little sad. Or maybe I'm just a little scared. Philly is like a stinky security blanket. Even though I know it's time to put it away, it's still hard to let it go.

2006-05-30T10:46:00.000-04:00

My transformation is complete. Today, when I saw on CNN that Hank Paulson would be the new Treasury Secretary, I immediately said to myself, “Self, isn’t Hank Paulson the CEO of Goldman Sachs?” Now for most of you finance nerds, that’s not impressive. But I’m not a finance nerd. Two years ago I didn’t even know what an investment banker did let alone know who Hank Paulson is. So color me impressed with myself.

My life of leisure is FABULOUS. I’ve been surprisingly busy since graduation. I’ve been hanging out with classmates. Everyday someone sets off to start their world travels, so the Class of ‘06’s presence in Philly is quickly dwindling. Everyday I say goodbye to someone.

This Friday, I’ll stop by Wharton’s Spring Welcome to welcome the R3 admits. It’ll be interesting to meet people who are excited about Wharton. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Wharton. The last 6 months, in particular, have been pretty damn awesome. But there’s something about the incoming class that takes it to a whole nuther level. I went to a party last week and there were a bunch of new Lauder students there. The conversations I had with the new students were very different than those with my classmates. It’s not that we’re jaded – it’s just that after 2 years of superficial conversations about where people worked, want to work, will be working (bla bla), the conversations seem more genuine now. Not that we’re talking about anything particularly deep. Usually it’s nonsense. But it’s just more relaxed. The incoming class is still excited, and in getting-to-know-you mode. I’m in lazy-ass-who-gets-up-at-11-am mode. So I need to prepare myself for rapid fire conversations about Wharton, where I live in, what’d I do before, what I’m doing after (bla bla) so that the admits don’t think Wharton Grads are lazy asses (although I must say life as a lazy ass is pretty sweet).

2006-05-14T22:18:00.000-04:00

It's official. I'm done. The ink on my diploma is real. I'm not giving it back. I'm officially done with Wharton.

Today was an excellent day. All weekend, the sky threatened to downpour during the ceremony. All the weather people predicted rain. But just as the ceremony started, the clouds parted, and the sun appeared. It was pretty beautiful.

I've been keeping a bit of a secret. I was chosen as the student speaker for graduation. So the coolest part of the day was standing in front of all those people and delivering my speech. I was definitely nervous and a little scared. But I also felt really comfortable up there. It was truly one of the high points of my Wharton experience. I'm really glad I tried out and I'm really honored to have been selected. I hope I did my classmates proud.

I was talking to some of my classmates, and we all agree. Graduation feels kind of anti-climatic. You go through this intense experience and then it's just over. I'm proud to be done. But I will miss it. I will definitely miss it.

2006-05-11T22:21:00.000-04:00

I just got back from Beach week tonight. Now that was some good times. Beach Week is kind of like a senior class trip. About 500 of the class of 2006 and a few partners headed down to South Beach in Miami Beach. And it was like a week long party. Miami is VERY different than Philly. In Philly clubs shut DOWN at 2 am. Can be kind of annoying. In Miami, some of our parties roared until 6am. You know, when the sun comes up? It was pretty wild. But what happens in South Beach REALLY needs to stay in South Beach.

Grades are all in, and it's official. I'm done!! I just need to get my diploma on Sunday, and I'll no longer be FutureMBAGirl. The journey is pretty much over. It feels weird.

I've given a lot of thought about whether or not I'll keep blogging. The blog was supposed to be about my Wharton experience. It seems like I should end the blog since the experience is over. I don't know how I feel about that. But it something I'll think a lot about in the upcoming weeks.

But before that, I have to get through graduation. The family is coming and staying in my apartment, so I'll be cleaning all day. It's amazing how cluttered my apartment is. Hopefully I'll get it into a presentable state. I'm a little stressed. Grinding my teeth stressed. The only time I've ever caused my teeth to ache from grinding my teeth was before I took the GMAT, and this fall when I was trying to get a job. So I'm carrying around a lot of stress. I think I know why. But I can't say why yet. More on that later!

2006-04-27T21:30:00.000-04:00

I'm spending a lot of time on Bay area roads, and I'm realizing I may need to "de-Philly-fy" myself before I make the move to the left coast. In Philly, you need to be a pretty aggressive driver, otherwise, you won't even make it around the block. People in the Bay area are so polite on the roads! At stop signs people patiently wait for each other. And when someone does something stupid, like back their pick up truck into oncoming traffic - they just stop and wait. No angry honking, no hand gestures, no telling people where to go and where to put their dog and their mother. It's so weird. And people stop for pedestrians. What is that? In Philly, every pedestrian knows they better learn how to dash across the road like the proverbial chicken, or they may just get flattened. People here just cross the street without a care in the world. So weird. I realize I'm gonna have to let go of my Philly driving edge - and learn to pay attention to pedestrians.

I am now officially done with classes. Despite my best efforts the take home I hoped to get done last week, didn't get done last week. So yesterday I spent time in the Santa Rosa library working hard on my final (and now I think I can fairly say that all public libraries in this country attract some creepy people - but I digress), and today I sent the test via Fedex. And now I'm done. Nothing else to do except walk across the stage to get my diploma. Feels good. To celebrate I had a deep tissue massage today. That is SUCH a good thing by the way! The massage therapist said I had A LOT of tension in my back and neck (surprise surprise) and that I should get a massage once a month. Might have to suck it up and do that - life can be so tough sometimes :)

Tonight I'm gonna have some lobster tail and tomorrow I'm doing a Wine Train tour. It's so cool to just RELAX with nothing hanging over my head.

2006-04-25T23:53:00.000-04:00

I'm in San Francisco looking for an apartment. Actually I'm staying in Santa Rosa, which is absolutely gorgeous. I can't even tell you how many times I gasped at the scenery while driving up here. Absolutely beautiful.

My old job as a hotel consultant is coming in handy this week. A major part of my job was going to a city, driving around A LOT, and visiting and touring about a dozen hotels. My apartment search feels a lot like that, and I find my self asking similar questions (how many units? what's your occupancy? etc. etc.). I guess old habits die hard.

I'm really glad I'm taking the time to get to know the different parts of the Bay area - cuz all the parts ain't created equal. For instance, after seeing a particularly cute apartment online, I was excited to go and see it. Well little did I know the place was smack dab in the middle of the Oakland ghetto. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

And I'm realizing that people in the Bay area are kind of special. Three times (that's right three) I was asked if Philadelphia is a city. It was all I could do to keep myself from responding "yes, it's a city that happens to be the birthplace of our nation." One person asked me if Philadelphia was a state. Seriously. I mean there's 50 - and they haven't changed in a long time. These were all people who grew up in the US too. Makes you worry about the US' ability to compete... at least in random trivia contests.

Spring gala was last week. The gala is essentially the prom (seriously - they should rename Wharton, Wharton High), it was great to see everyone gussied up and in good spirits. The second years seemed particularly affectionate. Maybe its because for some, the Spring Gala is the last time you'll see certain people. All this second year love and good feeling means things will be VERY interesting during beach week.

2006-04-19T23:50:00.000-04:00

One class left to go and it's all over. Wow.

Most of the second years seem to be a little bit more pleasant these days. I don't think it's because we're almost done. After all, most of us have had a plethora of projects and papers and finals and presentations due this week. And this type of concentration of due dates usually makes people cranky. No, something else is a foot with the second years.

I think it's because we all are realizing this is it. With a few exceptions, like Spring Salute, Spring Gala, Beach Week, and Graduation, we just won't see each other anymore. So it feels like people are just trying to savor the time we have left. It's kind of nice... in a sad way.

Just a take home and one class stand between me and being done. It's funny how these two years felt slow and fast at the same time.

Well, I'm off to bed since I can actually get a good nights rest tonight.

2006-04-18T17:46:00.000-04:00

I'm sick *whine*whine*. And I normally don't get sick. And I have 3 projects and 1 take-home final to complete in the next 36 hours *kvetch*kvetch*. I'm tired and I want to go to sleep. *pout*pout*

OK. Enough of that. There are two days of classes left. I'm in the final stretch. It feels weird to be this close to the end. Next week, I'm headed to San Francisco to find a place to live. I also plan to begin what will become four months of doing absolutely nothing. I'm staying at a spa in Sonoma, and while far from San Fran, I plan to take advantage of the spa facilities. Should be a relaxing week. The following week, will be a week in Philly with NOTHING to do, well except clean my very cluttered apartment. And then we have Beach Week, which is kind of like the senior trip - a big chunk of the second year class heads down to Miami Beach, and makes up for two years of lost time pursuing whatever they think they should pursue. Should be a fun and interesting time.

At the end of this week, we have the Spring Gala, which is kind of like our Prom (I swear, Wharton can be SOOO high school), and I'm going stag with a bunch of my friends. We've decided to turn it into a ladies night. I love my dress for the Gala, and I am absolutely determined to have a kick ass time.

Well that's enough lallygagging - back to the grind!

2006-04-10T21:23:00.000-04:00

Seven more days of class left. The days at Wharton are sliding quickly like sand at the end of an hourglass. The days move fast, and trying to catch them is like trying to stop water as it flows through your fingertips.

I really enjoy my classes this quarter. As I mentioned before, I'm only taking four classes. Two are semester long. The first, Marketing Strategy, is taught by one of my favorite professors from the core. It's kind of like a capstone marketing class. The lessons are subtle, and you need to pay attention to get the take aways. The second semester long class is Creativity. This class is about learning how to be more creative and how to manage creative people and processes. The class is very unstructured, which was initially very annoying, but I really enjoy it. I've learned a lot about not just how to manage the creatives, but how to be a better leader. One of the major lessons I've learned has been about the importance of not shunning failure - and that's a recurring theme at Wharton.

My other two classes are quarter long. The first, Pricing Policy, is a combination of the core Marketing class, Managerial Economics, Decision Modeling, and Consumer Behavior all rolled into one. The other quarter long class has the propensity for making me feel incredibly stupid. It's a class on Behavioral Economics and Prediction Markets. The class is taught by another one of my favorite profs from the core, and it's very interesting. It's an area I was completely unaware of before this class, so that's cool. But the class is a lot of sports and betting lingo, and I know nothing about either subject. Top that with a lot of math and stats, and I'm in stupid land. The behavioral part of the class is pretty interesting though, and I'm learning a lot about markets and human biases.

I'm going to miss the chance to learn about things I didn't even know existed. I guess that doesn't necessarily need to end. Maybe the key is realizing that the gift of Wharton is not just the opportunities to learn during the two year break from the real world. Wharton awakens a curiosity to learn - and that isn't dependent on being in the classroom.

2006-04-05T23:38:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Wharton's Class of 2008! Tomorrow is the first day of Wharton Welcome Weekend, and I look forward to meeting the incoming class. WWW is the only time that there are 3 classes of Wharton MBAs on campus at once. As this is my third WWW, it feels weird to see the circle complete.

Tonight I had my big debut at the Kimmel Center. Seriously! I participated in the Dance Studio spring performance. No, I didn't dance. But I sang, briefly. I was really nervous. Actually, I was scared to go out on stage. But despite the twinge of fear, the experience was incredibly exhilarating. It will probably go down as one of the high points of Wharton. Tomorrow night we have another performance. I'm looking forward to it.

Classes are continuing at a steady clip. Let me begin by saying that taking 4 classes is AWESOME. I love having a lighter work load. And I can actually take the time to learn and really think about my classes. I really enjoy all of my classes. Looking back on the electives I chose I think I did a good job of selecting a diverse bunch of classes. I feel like I was exposed to subject matter that I didn't even know existed. And the opportunity to learn stuff like that is wonderful.

But more on that later. I've got a paper due tomorrow, and I only slept 2 hours last night, so I need to catch up on some zzzzzzz.

2006-04-03T18:49:00.000-04:00

Three weeks left. That's it. 12 class days. Well now 11 class days. I can't believe I'm that close to being done.

I know most second years are glad to be done. Everyday, I hear sob stories about all the exams and projects that are left to undertake in the next three weeks. And don't get me wrong, when I have a major project due in every class over the course of 2 days, I'll be whining too. But I can't rejoice about being almost done.

I'm really sad the Wharton journey is ending. I've had an amazing time. I've learned so much. I've pushed myself academically in ways I didn't think possible. Developed skills that I never knew I could. And learned so much about myself - and I think I'm better for it.

It feels really different to be on the other side of this two year experience. I remember how excited I was to begin. How scared I was that I wouldn't be able to cut it. I was really nervous. And now, I feel like I can do almost anything if I put my mind to it. I may not always win - but I know I'll learn something along the way. So after such a transformative experience, I'm sure you can get why I'm a bit sad to leave.

So I plan to relish the last bit of my Wharton days. I will squeeze the life out of those 11 days. If it's anything like the rest of my tenure here, I'm sure it will be an amazing (albeit too brief) ride.

2006-03-20T19:54:00.000-05:00

Belated congratulations to the Wharton R2 admits. I’m sure y’all are still riding the admissions high – enjoy it. To those who were waitlisted – keep the faith, people do actually make it off of the wait list. And to those who’s applications were denied – take time to wallow in disappointment. But then pick yourself up – remember it’s your application not YOU who was denied.

I’ve been seriously delinquent with blogging. I can’t claim it’s because I’ve been über busy. While I’m still busy, it’s definitely not like previous quarters. I’ve finally discovered the Wharton sweet spot. No recruiting. Most of my leadership responsibilities have transitioned to first years. I’m only taking 4 classes. Life is GOOD. I now have time to do all the things I envisioned I would do when I matriculated two years ago. I’ve been to a couple of musicals in the last few months (in fact I’m going to see Wicked on Thursday). I started taking Pilates (which is kicking my ass). I’m hanging out with friends more. I actually have time to read something other than school work. I can go to movies without feeling guilty. And I still can spend A LOT more time on my school work. Like I said, Wharton life (when it’s like this – and it’s rarely like this) is GOOD.

And, as I'm sure most of you are aware, Grade Nondisclosure is here to stay at Wharton!!! Well, sort of.

Last month, students voted overwhelmingly to support the student grade nondisclosure policy. This vote followed a faculty vote , which advocated for voluntary grade disclosure, as well as a convoluted grading system change. So what does all this mean?

At Wharton, unlike some other schools, Grade Nondisclosure (GND) is a student initiative. As a collective group, we have decided we won't be disclosing our grades. In the past, the administration has been supportive of our collective policy. In fact, up until last year, many of the administration touted the virtues of GND (cooperative learning, less cutthroat environment, etc.) But now it seems, the administration and faculty are less supportive.

So the faculty have decided to change the grading policy every so slightly. Why? I can't really say for sure. It may be to improve faculty motivation to teach MBAs. Or it may just be a good old fashioned power struggle. Who knows? And I'm not sure how the changes will affect students grade disclosure. The policy explicitly says that students are allowed to disclose grades (along with some convoluted formula to determine GPAs - why oh why does the new grading system have a friggin formula in it? Only at Wharton. But I digress...) How does this work with the student initiative? Basically, while we are allowed to disclose grades (as the policy now states), the students as a collective body have decided not to disclose grades.

So what does this mean for future Whartonites? I'm not sure. The buzz around campus surrounding grade nondisclosure has definitely died down. Perhaps the administration is waiting to influence incoming classes to change the culture so that students are more open to changing the student policy. Or maybe we all are just focused on other things with stories of Spring Break adventures, post graduation vacation plans, and the like. It remains to be seen how it will all play out.

As for me, all I can say is, life at Wharton is GOOD right now. I'm really enjoying being a student. It makes me more sad to know that I just have five more weeks left. I plan to bask in this time at Wharton. It's pretty damn cool.

2006-02-04T15:34:00.000-05:00

For reasons that are unknown even to me, I am taking six classes this quarter. And as such, there is little time for things like blogging. Last week was particularly hellish, as I had at least one major assignment due everyday last week. And the group work demands were exceptionally high.

I have a group in five out of six of my classes. Group work seems to be a necessary evil at Wharton. Almost every class has some sort of group. And some groups seem more justifiable than others. Some projects are wonderful experiences. For example, last semester in my Consumer Behavior class, we did a project examining serious runners' attitudes towards Nike shoes. What made the project cool was the fact that it was not distilled or sanitized for the classroom. Meaning, there was no right answer. The project was ambiguous, with few guidelines. We were muddling around in marketing research, trying to figure out how to segment the market based on actual data, trying to understand what runners felt about the Nike brand. While the ambiguity frustrated some (MBAs don't like uncertainty), I think the project was more like what we'd encounter in the real world than any other case or project I'd seen during my tenure at Wharton.

Another cool group experience, has been in a class I'm in right now, Entrepreneurship and Societal Wealth Venturing. In this class, the team is working a business plan to create some sort of exchange for nonprofit capital. We're focused on bond financing (and yes, there are nonprofits that take out debt) right now, but we think that, if we can make it work, it has implications for marketization (is that a word?) of equity-like capital for nonprofits. I actually enjoy working on this project and talking through the issues. I'm actually working on it for the idea itself, I don't really care about the grade. It's projects like these two that make sense to be group projects. You gain something working with others - like better idea generation, more brain power, etc.

But some of these group projects are pointless. Some group work is just busy work. Or a way for the professor to grade fewer papers. Or a way to fill up class time with presentations that merely rehash the readings we were all supposed to have read. THIS type of group work is VERY annoying. Group work for group work's sake is a pain in the ass. I wish professors would only use this method if we need a group. Papers do not require a group.

But enough whining... This week should be fun. I'm on the tech crew for Follies, and this week is theatre week. So we'll be getting ready for the shows on Thursday and Friday. Should be fun. I'm on the sound crew, and I don't know what the heck I'm doing. All I DO know is over the next week I'll be in the theatre more than 40 hours. So this time next week I'll be an experienced sound woman. Although my involvement has been limited until now, it has been interesting to see the process of bringing a show together from behind the scenes. I'm very excited to see the show coming together.

And this week brings the first gathering of part of the Class of 2008 as Winter Welcome. To those who are coming up for the event this week, I hope you are able to learn more about the school: our classes, our culture. I'm glad I made the choice to attend Wharton. Hopefully Winter Welcome will help you find out if Wharton is for you.

OK enough lallygagging... back to work!

2006-01-15T16:40:00.000-05:00

In my Strategic Management of Human Assets class, we read a case about AES, an electric power company, about AES' approach to managing human resources. According to the case (written in 1997), AES was so committed to its values (integrity, fairness, social responsibility, and fun), that it was required by the SEC to list its commitment to its values as a possible risk factor. You see, if there was a conflict between values and profits, AES would adhere to its values. The requirement of such of statement got me thinking. When did we as society decide that profits would be the ultimate goal at the exclusion of everything else?

Why have we decided that making more and more money is all that really matters? Why can't companies pursue other goals? Why would pursuing things like learning, creativity, innovation, or social justice not valued? I think it may be that these ideas are so esoteric that they can't be measured. Pursuing something that is esoteric is scary because succeeding in those pursuits is inherently subjective. It's hard to tell where "better" is. But you can easily tell when you have more money. So maybe we as a society have decided to value that which is easily measurable. Otherwise how would we know we were keeping up with the Jones?

But in my opinion, it is those esoteric ideas, those very things that we cannot measure - these are the things for which we strive to achieve greatness. It is those things, after all, that keep us from being simply cogs in the wheel. It is things like learning, and justice, and art, and creativity, it is these things that add beauty to our lives. I just wonder why it is that these things are no longer valued. How did that shift in values come about? And why are we happy to live in a world that only rewards profits?

Just things that make me go hmmm (see what happens when I'm not looking for a job - I clearly have too much time on my hands!!)

2006-01-09T19:17:00.000-05:00

I had one of the best winter breaks ever (considering the fact I was on crutches). I had absolutely NOTHING hanging over my head. No consulting work to be done. No interview practice to do. No reading to get ahead of. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. And it was FABULOUS. On top of the carefree feel of the break, the weather in Houston was fantastic. It was in the 70s and 80s the entire time I was there. It was great to be able to lounge around in the sun with no guilt no ever.

Classes are off to a roaring start this week. My mouth almost fell open in shock when two of my four professors today cold called on the first day of class. WHAT is up with that? There is no cold calling on the first day!! That's just mean and evil. I felt pretty stupid today. Some of my classmates easily came up with smart ways to earn their participation points. I, on the other hand, often felt like I didn't even understand the question being asked. I guess my brain wasn't on yet. I was still in vacation mode.

The jury's still out on my classes this semester. These professors seem to expect quite a bit of us. Maybe it's because I have a bit of senioritis, but I find my self grimacing at the thought of all the group projects I have to do this semester. Having to coordinate five different groups makes you miss the simplicity of a learning team during the first year. And at least two of my professors are showing signs of having recently checked out mental ward. Kidding. Sort of. Well one seemed preoccupied with the auction and mythological wars. Another yelled that if we didn't like his rules or the way he taught - tough! we didn't have to take his class. He seems like he knows his stuff. But he definitely has a feeling like he's an Old Man by the River. I'm exaggerating. Sort of. You get the idea.

I'm having a hard time coming to terms that this is the beginning of my last semester at Wharton. I'm not ready to leave in many ways. And in many ways, I can't wait to be done. I know it will be over before I know it, and then I'll have to start a new (scary) life. I don''t feel ready yet. I just wish I could slow the Wharton train down.

2005-12-22T18:11:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to all those who found out they were admitted to Wharton's Class of 2008 today! It feels awesome, doesn't it? And don't worry. You're not an admissions mistake!

To those who were waitlisted - hang in there. People DO come off the list.

And to those who were denied admission - remember it was your application not you that was denied. It sucks. It doesn't feel good. But sometimes choices are removed from us so that we can make better decisions.

And to everyone - happy holidays!!

2005-12-20T00:41:00.000-05:00

I had surgery yesterday to remove the last of the hardware in my foot. So I'll be spending my break on crutches. Woo hoo!! All I know is a shoe for my formerly broken foot is in my near future. So my break will be a lot of relaxing, a lot of sleeping, and a lot of movie watching. It'll be nice to have a break when I have literally nothing hanging over my head. It's kind of weird.

This Wednesday, Wharton will host a chat featuring Thomas Caleel, the new MBA admissions director. The chat will a great opportunity for those applying R2 to ask those burning questions. We will also continue the tradition of the all night chat on the eve of the R1 decisions on Thursday. Neuroses like company, so join the chat here: http://s2s.wharton.upenn.edu/wh-wharton/chat

I have been thinking a lot about the grade disclosure issue. With the changes to the HBS policy, bets are being taken around the corridors of Huntsman Hall as to when students vote out grade disclosure. I wouldn't be surprised if the Class of 2008 decides they will disclose grades. The administration will have a monopoly on the messaging about grade disclosure once the class comes to preterm next summer. Given how the administration was able to influence the class of 2007 in terms of academic focus, I wouldn't be surprised if they can accomplish a similar feat with the class of 2008 and grade disclosure.

But personally I think whether or not we disclose grades is not the issue. If the faculty wants students to be more engaged in the classroom, they need to attach rewards and consequences DIRECTLY to that behavior. Class engagement does not directly translate into grades. And this is the point that gets me most riled up when discussing the issue. You can't reward A and when you want B. Grades are usually a Proxy for how hard you worked in a class. But there are several reasons at Wharton why I donÂt think this is always the case. 1) prior knowledge in a subject, 2) the crazy ass Wharton curve, and 3) gaming the system.

Prior Subject Knowledge
Some people are able to skate by in a class because they have previous experience. For example in Corporate Finance and Advanced Corporate Finance, individuals with investment banking are a distinct advantage since they have seen much of the principles and theories taught in practice. So for the liberal arts major who has never seen a cash flow projection may really work hard and be incredibly engaged an focused on learning the concepts, but he or she doesn't stand a chance against the banker who never shows up to class and coasts. According to the faculty, they want people like the engaged liberal arts major in my example in class, and they want less of people who coast. But at the end of the day, they reward the coasting banker with the higher grade. Why would coasting behavior change if it's rewarded? What message does that send to students?

Crazy Ass Curve
At Wharton, we have a hard curve. So the top 10-15% get a DS, the equivalent of an A, the next 15-20% get an HP or a B, and the middle half get a P (as in average C), the bottom 10% get a QC (although it's recorded as a P) to signal that you need to step it up. Sounds all well and good right. OK here's the problem. People at Wharton tend to be high achievers, so getting the elusive DS isn't always about how hard you work. I've been an several classes where the means on tests were in the high 80s and low 90 percentile. In what alternative universe is an 89% a C? Wharton that's where. So in a lot of classes the differences between a DS and a P can be very slim.

So in essence the curve amplifies these slight differences. It can be demotivating. Why put in extra effort when you still fall in P range if you can put in significantly less work and still get a P? The fact that the massive middle gets the equivalent of a C even when on an absolute scale they kicked ass is the cause of much of the complacency professors complain about in my opinion. And for those who do work hard for the Ps, the fact that professors (and recruiters if we disclose) assume that they didn't master the material, or didn't care, or didn't try can be another frustrating demotivator. I'm sorry, but nothing you say is going to convince me that the person with a DS and a 96 is that much better than the person who ends up with a P and a 93. Sorry 3 extra points doesn't indicate that much more mastery. That difference can be one question guessed right or wrong. But the rewards that are associated with that three point difference if we disclose, seems unfair. And it does nothing to encourage actual learning.

Gaming The System
Wharton's (and institutions of higher learning in general) dirty little secret, in my opinion. In most classes, somewhere to 40-50% of our grades are based on how well you do on the test. It took me a while to figure this out, but often the key to doing well in a class is learning the type of questions the professor asks on tests by practicing with old exams. This method has nothing to do with the concepts taught in a class. Tests typically have 5-8 question types. You know how to do those and can recognize the question types - you are golden. Interestingly when professors mix It up a bit and ask questions in new ways, the means on tests fall precipitously. If students were rewarded for mastering concepts, asking questions in different ways shouldn't have that type of affect on the means. But students are basically trained to learn to master the test, not the concepts in the class.

Whether or not we disclose grades isn't going to change class room behavior. Nothing about making us tell recruiters our GPAs is going to make people more focused on learning. What is it that recruiters hope to find out from grades? Some recruiters have absolute cut offs for grades Â which is totally ridiculous. One of the companies I applied to had a minimum GPA requirement of 3.3. Well since the top 10% is a 3.3, this company essentially eliminates 90% of the class. Is this what they want? What about leadership outside of the classroom? I've learned more about managing work loads and other people through my extracurricular activities than I have in classroom. Does that experience, which will probably make me a better employee, not matter. What is it recruiters are looking for? It's short sighted to over-emphasize grades in an MBA program. It's not just about the grades.

So what's the solution if not grade disclosure. 1) Reward classroom behavior you seek. If you want people to attend your class and it's important to you, it should be impossible to get a DS if you never show up to class. 2) Make it harder to game the system - change up the tests. Make the emphasis on mastery on concepts not on mastery of certain types of questions. 3) Get rid of the curve. Maybe we should be rewarded for mastery not how we did relative to the person seated next to us.

Some outsiders' interpretation of student resistance to grade disclosure is that Wharton students are lazy and don't want to have to work during our two year tenure in the MBA Program. That's just pure bullshit. MOST Wharton students work incredibly hard. Despite the carefree façade many of my classmates present, I know many of them are pulling allnighters to kick ass in these classes. Yes we party hard. But we work hard too. The resistance to disclosing grades isn't because we're lazy. It's because we want our Wharton experience to be about more than just studying. Who wants to look back on their two years at Wharton and have their fondest memory be how hard they studied for their OPIM exam? Wharton shouldn't just be about the grades. Overemphasis on grades belittles the richness of the Wharton experience. I think the grade disclosure debate misses this point. I guess we'll all have to see how it plays out.

2005-12-14T10:05:00.000-05:00

I'm DONE!! My semester officially ended yesterday, when I put the final period on my part of a group paper for my consumer behavior class. I was determined to finish this one early (the group deadline isn't until Thursday and the paper is due next Tuesday), and it feels really good to get it out of the way.

I'm not leaving Philly until next week so I can take time to clean up my apartment, hang out with friends, and RELAX. In fact tonight a few of us are going to go see the musical play, Dreamgirls, in Philadelphia. I've seen this musical a few times (it's practically a requirement that every little black girl see this play), but it will be nice to see it with friends. It'll take quite a bit of control for me not to sing along during the show stopper, "I'm Telling You I'm Not Going." I think my next trip to a karaoke bar may feature my rendition of this song... heh heh. Now that will be funny.

The Wharton Women in Business club is great for sponsoring different relaxing events, so tomorrow, I'm getting a subsidized massage at a local spa. I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be my first professional massage. And it's such an appropriate end to the semester. After all the drama, to spend time purposely (and without guilt) relaxing is VERY nice.

2005-12-09T17:15:00.000-05:00

Today I attended a session the Sports Business Club put on about sports marketing. The session was case study presented by Nike executives focused on how they took their new shoe, Nike Free, from design to market. I had seen the commercials (you know the Chariots of Fire runners that are really in the city with the tagline "run barefoot") earlier this year, but I didn't get it. I assumed the tagline "run barefoot" meant that the shoe would have a thinner sole, and thus assumed it would hurt my foot. I was wrong. The Nike executives presented showed us their research about how training barefoot strengthens the foot and leads to fewer injuries. So they designed a shoe to mimic the way a person's foot moves when running barefoot. What they came up with is a more flexible shoe, that still protects your feet from the elements. It's supposedly super comfortable. And it strengthens your foot and your leg muscles.

After hearing the story of the shoe I wanted to go out and buy a pair. But one discussion we had during the session is how does Nike communicate such a complex product message? I don't know if "run barefoot" truly conveys the coolness of Nike's innovation. They've taken shoe construction and turned it on it's head. Given the complexity of the product story, I think Nike will have to rely on word of mouth and more grassroots marketing to create the buzz necessary to make the shoe take off. Nike Free made the list on Oprah's favorite things show, where she gives away all the stuff, which will probably do wonders for getting the story out. It will be interesting to see how the innovation changes the shoe industry and the way people think about supporting feet. I know I'm going to go get a pair.

This past week was the last week of first semester classes. Thank God. This semester was brutal on a lot of fronts. Recruiting can be really draining. Through the job search, you're trying to capture the hopes and dreams of an MBA. So when rejection comes (and it almost always comes), it can feel like a dream is being extinguished.

Beyond that, it takes a lot of time to participate in the recruiting process. In fact, I've missed more classes in the last two months once interviewing started, than I missed all of last year. I've almost become what the proponents of grade disclosure claim is the result of grade non disclosure. I do the bare minimum to keep my head above water. But I feel like I had to pull back on academics to keep my sanity. I know some people can go full throttle in all areas, but I just couldn't do it. And frankly, when killing yourself academically yields the same result (a P) as doing minimal work, I'd be crazy not to pull back if it means maintaining a sense of balance. Sorry. I'm an imperfect student. Oh well. All I know is, I am soooo glad this semester is over. I'm looking forward to a semester without a job search. It'll be the first time at Wharton that I won't be looking for a job. Now that'll be weird. No info sessions (I'll miss the crab cakes). No awkward close list dinners. No interview prep sessions. No more ding emails and voicemails. It'll be a whole new world. I'll be able to focus on learning again, on having fun with my friends, on truly enjoying the opportunity of Wharton. I can't wait.

2005-11-28T20:12:00.000-05:00

I was feeling all nostalgic since I’ve been blogging for two years, so I was looking at my first couple of posts and ran across this:
What do I want to be when I grow up? I would like to continue to work
in the nonprofit world (once you go nonprofit you never go back!). I am
interested in researching how entire industries and fields evolve, and in
organizational leadership. I hope to work at a think tank or a nonprofit
consulting firm.

During my tenure at Wharton, I’ve tried to do EVERYTHING besides what I talked about doing in my essays. I even (unsuccessfully – Thank God) tried to be an investment banker. This year, I applied to a nonprofit consulting firm because I was interested in consulting and I thought the nonprofit twist would be a good fit.

It wasn’t until I interviewed with the consulting firm that I remember my passion for nonprofits. For a year and a half I’ve talked about my work in terms of achievements and responsibilities but anyone who’s ever worked in the nonprofit sector knows those things – the numbers of your job – aren’t why your there. You’re there because you believe in the mission. You’re there because you see your work as contributing more to the world than additional profits. So during my interview with the nonprofit consulting firm I actually got to talk about the mission of work I did and my passion for it, and it reignited my commitment for the field. It reminded me what I wanted to be when I grow up.

After first round interviews with the nonprofit consulting firm, I started to feel like my recruiting journey was sort of like the Wizard of Oz. I had to go on this rocky journey and went through many trials. But in the end, I find out “There’s No Place Like Home.” And after the first round with the nonprofit consulting firm, I decided I was going back to the nonprofit sector.

So what happened, you ask? I got the offer from THE JOB. I’ll be working for the nonprofit consulting firm, Bridgespan in San Francisco. I’m extremely excited about it.

My journey to find my next job has been rocky. But looking back on it, I realize that every single bit of it was necessary. I learned how to network from IB recruiting, and from consulting recruiting, I learned how to do the dreaded case. Both of things were necessary for me to get the job at Bridgespan. Most importantly, I was reminded what I wanted to be when I grew up.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m still pretty bitter about how myopic and narrow-minded people in the for profit sector can be about the work done in the nonprofit sector. And I still intend to talk to Career Management about some of my concerns.

But I’m really happy about where I’m going. All through the recruiting process with Bridgespan I felt this fit, not unlike I felt when applying to Wharton. I knew that’s where I should be. I’m extremely excited that I’ll have the opportunity to do work about which I’m extremely passionate.

Because after all, There’s No Place Like Home.

2005-11-22T22:58:00.000-05:00

Got the call. Got the friggin offer for THE JOB!!! OMG. I'm a very HAPPY girl right now.

2005-11-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned a few days ago, I had a second round interview last week. This is THE JOB for me the one I want most. I don’t know the timing of the decisions so I find myself checking my caller ID constantly like a high school chick after a first date. I left my phone at school yesterday and was phoneless for 24 hours, which is probably good for my sanity. My anxiety about this phone call is reminiscent of waiting for admissions decisions two years ago.

So, I just got my phone back and checked my message and there was a call back message from THE JOB. Since my experience has been mostly made up of dings (I swear I could write a Christmas Song with all the dings…) this is new territory. I certainly hope I’m not being asked to call back to get a ding. I prefer to get bad news like that over voice mail. That way I can play it back and obsessively analyze the tone of the message and the time called. Then I can replay it for my friends and they can obsess with me… wait that’s if a boy calls. OMG, I AM like a high school chick…

I can’t believe it’s been two years since I started working on my business school applications. It feels much shorter than that. And in some ways it feels much longer than that. I’ve changed a lot over those two years. As much as I’ve been challenged in different areas of my life at b-school, I don’t think I’d ever change my decision to go back to school (as if we’re ever given the choice to hop in a time machine and undo something… but you get the point). It’s been a transforming and amazing experience.

2005-11-18T03:31:00.000-05:00

Harry Potter rocked.

There were some very blatant deviations from the book - the kind that had me saying "Wha..." And like the book, the movie took a dramatically darker turn compared to previous movies. I really enjoyed it. HP is showing on IMAX, so I think I need to try to go see it in that format.

Now it's time to go to bed. To those who found out their Wharton application was dinged today - Keep your head up. EVERYTHING happens for a reason. It's frustrating. Sometimes it doesn't seem like all the decisions are fair. I completely understand that (heck take a look at all my whining about the career recruiting stuff!) So take time. Be disappointed. And then pick up the pieces and make the best of things. Good luck with your other apps.

2005-11-16T22:04:00.000-05:00

Dean Harker held a lunch forum today for MBA students. During the forum, he said he met with a major investment bank last week and the issue of non-grade disclosure came up. Dean Harker asked the bankers if they saw a résumé from a military person or nonprofit person would they pick their résumé or be interested in them. The banker said no because there was no indication that they knew anything about banking. And THAT is my issue. (and no I’m not talking about grade non-disclosure. In my opinion grade disclosure isn’t the magic bullet. I think if you want to change class room behavior tie consequences and rewards DIRECTLY to classroom behavior. But I digress…)

People – at least some people who have only worked in the for-profit sector, assume when you work for a nonprofit, you don’t know anything. That is SO frustrating. I wish career management would do two things. 1) Do a better job dispelling the myth that nonprofit people are all idiots. And 2) work closer with nontraditional students, similar to they way they work with students with more than 8 years of work experience to help them transition better.

I’m just disappointed that stereotypes are so prolific I just didn’t expect that when I started at Wharton. But it is what it is. And now I understand. I just wish I got it sooner. But c’est la vie.

On a much less depressing note, the fourth Harry Potter comes out in just over a day. One day, one hour, and 58 minutes actually. Yes I have a counter on my computer. And yes I am a dork, I’ve conned a couple of my classmates into going to see the movie tomorrow night at midnight. The fourth book was one of my favorite in the Harry Potter series so I’m looking forward to this one. It’s the simple pleasures that are sometimes the best…

2005-11-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

For some reason, my encounters with incompetence have increased during the last year. Either my patience is wearing down or customer focus is decreasing.

Yesterday and today, I flew cross country and back for a second round (wish me luck y'all. This is the job I want...). I still have a cam-walker on my foot, so I've now experienced several airline carriers as a "disabled" passenger. Let me say this Continental is FAR SUPERIOR to the other airlines when making accommodations. The process is painless and seamless from the customer prospective. United absolutely SUCKS when making accommodations. Basically they don't make them. Which is total BS. They didn't even offer assistance for me to get around the airport. And on top of that, they lost my luggage. The night before my interview. I basically had to wait until 2 AM to get my luggage when I had a 9 AM interview. THANK YOU UNITED. Y'all suck. I'm not flying them again. Too much went wrong, the agents were not helpful at all. And they didn't offer me a motorized cart when I was limping. Y'all suck.

I have two second-round interviews (finally). Funny thing is they're both in industries in which I've worked. So much for the ease of career switching...

I'm hoping for good news on the interview I had today in the next few days. If I can make it to the shoe store for some good luck shoe shopping I will. Pray, cross your fingers, and wish me luck!!

2005-11-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

Long time, no blog.

Let me just say, October SUCKS during the second year. For some reason every aspect of the MBA experience decided that the last week of October was the best week for everything: finals, midterms, the beginning of interviews, key admissions events. Why the time crunches can't be better managed and coordinated among the Program Office and Career Management is beyond me.

The Dedicated Interview Period (DIP) week during the first year is probably one of the most stressful times during the MBA experience. But I have to say, despite the stress, I miss DIP. This year's recruiting is much more spread out. And recruiters have no qualms about demanding that we miss days (yes I do mean plural) of classes to participate in 2nd/final rounds of interviews. It's a little out of control. And the professors aren't big fans of the constant barrage of "I'm going to miss your class - I have an interview." We have Fridays off, presumably to do career related stuff, but for some reason, nobody's told the recruiters.

Recruiting success has evaded me so far. But I'm trying to be in a good place about it. The feedback I've gotten is that I don't have enough big corporate experience. The only big corporation I've worked for was a hotel company. The bulk of my experience was with small businesses. Sad thing is there's nothing I can do about my experience. It's unfortunate that something like that is hindering me. I'm annoyed that there's a "type" of acceptable experience. I'm getting dinged not because of knowledge, skills, or abilities, but rather because of the size of the company I worked for. So I'm annoyed by that.

I have a couple of outstanding interviews, and if those don't work out, I won't pick up the job search again until the Spring. Trying to get a job is A LOT of work, and frankly my academics, like many of my classmates', are suffering. I want to get back to learning and spending time with friends. I'm determined to be able to look back on this year fondly.

2005-10-07T16:43:00.000-04:00

IBM and UPS suck. My computer is still broken. I've been chasing down a part for my computer all week. Both of these companies have handled my case in the most disjointed and disorganized way. It took them 3 days before either company knew where the package was, since the tracking number wasn't in the system. I'm sorry but isn't that the whole #$%^ point of having a tracking number?? I have half a mind to send them both a bill for my time for having to chase the damn thing down. UPS is probably great at delivering to businesses, but they are absolutely inconvenient when it comes to delivering to consumers. But I digress...

Second year classes can turn you into a spoiled student. The majority of my classes either have speakers on a regular bases or are case-based with high levels of interactivness. About 85-90% of the class sessions have something that captures attention. So when the profs take the occasional class to lecture, I feel fidgety and slightly annoyed. So I've realized I'm getting a little bit spoiled.

Recruiting is running full steam ahead. So far, I've focused my efforts on six companies, although as the season progresses and more companies come on campus, I'm sure that number will grow. This year, I feel like I'm much better at networking and getting to know the firms in which I'm interested compared to last year. I hope this bodes well for getting on "closed" lists. I think the fact that the recruiting season is so abbreviated the second year has helped motivate me. First year recruiting is so drawn out, it can be exhausting. I think my interest in the career paths I'm pursuing is more genuine this year, so my informationals go better. The stress comes in when I realize I need to get ramped up on case interviews QUICKLY. There is a methodology to performing in a case interview. Although knowing frameworks (like the 4 Ps) is important during the first year, firms expect second years will have a more developed approach to the cases. We can't just rely on or blatantly use the frameworks. I'm at a disadvantage compared to my classmates since I didn't interview with consulting firms last year, and am not an expert at cases. I try not to think about that too much because it just stresses me out. The first interview is October 27. Not a lot of time to get it together. My plan is to do at least a case a day until the first interview. While I feel good about my chances of being selected to interview, I don't know if I can get my cases in order well enough to get a job in consulting. It's kind of like Follies; I'll probably get a callback, but will I make the cast? Hopefully my luck will change with recruiting.

2005-10-03T13:35:00.000-04:00

Luck has not been a friend of mine for the last few weeks. About two weeks ago, after a couple of Employer Info Sessions (EISes), I went to a Texas Club meeting at a BBQ place in Philly (which had pretty decent BBQ considering it was cooked by Yankees), followed by Karaoke night with the Follies Cast and the Whartones. It was a pretty fun night. Until I got home. When I arrived on my floor in my apartment building, I was greeted by a crushed door frame and a note from the Police not to enter my apartment because I'd been robbed. Fabulous. The robbers didn't really get much (because I don't own anything of real value) except for about $450 in cash, and some heirlooms of sentimental value from my Grandmother. In fact, the Robbers initially tried to steal my jewelry box, but upon investigation they must of realized my stuff was worthless because they discarded it in the building hallway. How sad is it when even the Robbers don't want your stuff?? But I digress.

Well having my place robbed kind of through me off and when you add in the whole category-5-storm-hurdling-towards-my parents'- house thing (they're fine) , it was a stressful week. But by the beginning of last week, I was feeling more on top of things. Well then on Friday, my computer stopped working. Wouldn't turn on or anything. Just blinking indicator lights. Wonder-f'in-ful. And because of the lack of computer, I missed a resume submission deadline for a company I'm very interested in.

And to top it all off, I was once again dinged from Follies. While this rejection didn't sting as much as it did last year (I guess Wharton has helped me build up a tolerance to the sting of personal failure), I am still very disappointed. Follies is probably THE ONE THING I wanted to do while at Wharton. And now the dream is just gone forever. When I broke my foot last spring, I pretty much lost hope. And then when I got to the callback auditions and realized there were 9 altos going out for 2 or 3 spots, I pretty much knew it was over for me. My forte is singing. But dancing is a challenge given my still hobbled state. I tried my best this weekend. I danced with my walking boot the best that I could. I tried to pirorette and pas-de-bure. But my best wasn't good enough. Some of my friends have suggested getting involved behind the scenes, and I might do that, although I'm not sure. What I hoped to get out of Follies, was to overcome my fears and a bit of my reservedness and shyness. It really sucks to know that dream is over. I'm really disappointed.

So needless to say, the last two weeks have been full of distractions, which does not bode well for my academic performance. When I woke up with painful bump on my head this morning, I seriously considered skipping class today to wait out the bad luck cloud that seems to have settled over my head. Someone told me today, that all the bad luck in last few weeks means I'm coming in to a really lucky period. I hope she's right. Because with the recruiting season ramping up, it would be nice to have some good luck on my interviews.

2005-09-29T17:22:00.000-04:00

Long time, no post. I know people get annoyed when I whine about how little time I have, so I'll skip that. But let it be known that recruiting is kicking my ass. I'm starting from ground zero, since I didn't go to any consulting events last year (note to future classes - focus can be good, but see what's out there because you never know what will happen over your two years at business school). So in the next month, I'm trying to gain traction with consulting firms, and trying to figure out what the heck people mean by "crack the case." And I'm kinda trying not to fail out of Wharton along the way.

This year, I'm a graduate assistant in admissions. So I've been a few recruiting events this year. Two weeks ago, I went to NYC for the MBA World Tour, which was INTENSE. It was 4 hours of just running my mouth about the admissions process. Again, I was a little weirded out that people were nervous around me (how can y'all be nervous around me?? I mean it's just me!) . But I truly enjoy going to these events. I feel like since I'm so unlike the stereotype of a Wharton student, that I allow prospective students to see that there could be a place at Wharton for them. I think that's a good thing. One of the major things I'm working now is Prospective Days, an admissions event focused on women and students of color. The team is working hard to make it an amazing weekend.

I'm very happy with my class choice. I feel like I have a good mix of classes. I am SOOO glad I'm not just taking finance classes. I'm learning a lot of new things, and it's interesting to go more in depth into certain topics, like marketing research and consumer behavior. One of the great things about second year is that you get to take classes in subjects that interest you, and because your classmates are interested in the subjects, the class discussions tend to be richer and more thoughtful.

I'm just now feeling like I've got a handle on the workload, so I'll post more often. I've got another EIS (Employer Info Session) in 15 minutes, so time to put on my game face!

2005-09-11T16:43:00.000-04:00

School started last week, and my life has quickly accelerated to it's regular frantic pace. I'm taking five classes, and so far they seem interesting. I'm taking Advanced Corporate Finance, Customer Behavior, Managing Organizational Change, Marketing Research, and Retail Supply Chain Management. I feel like I have a good mix of classes. I'm glad I didn't try to force myself to take a lot of finance classes. I tried to stick with classes I actually wanted. There's a surprising amount of group work. I don't know why I thought we wouldn't have group work during the second year. Having to run around forming a group for every class, makes me appreciate the ease of my Learning Team. I guess you don't know what you got til it's gone...

Seems like the MBA Program Office has done an excellent job of scaring the first years TO DEATH about their academic survival. The Foam Party, a Wharton tradition which is usually heavily attended by incoming classes, was virtually empty. The White Party on Saturday night also had a light attendance. Maybe the first years are just partied out. Maybe they're scared of the MGEC exam that is quickly approaching. Or maybe they are just partying somewhere else. I hope it's that the 1st years are just to cool to party with us. While taking care of academics is important, I think it's important to strike a good balance. I mean afterall, you won't look back on your 2 years in b-school and think fondly of how hard you studied for the MGEC exam. But maybe it's just me...

Party on, y'all.

2005-08-29T10:54:00.000-04:00

The MBADiversity Symposium went really well. (Hats off to KD for doing such a phenomenal job organizing this, you rock.) It was weird though. I've done prospective students events before, but this was the first time when it was just me representing the school. I sat on a panel about admissions, and people asked some thoughtful questions. The weird part was after the panel. As people approached the booth, they seemed nervous. That was just weird to me. I'm a pretty friendly person and I usually put people at ease. But I guess they were nervous because I was wearing my admissions hat. They asked great questions - but at times it seemed like they were searching their brains to find the perfect question. You know the one that makes them seem smart, insightful, and thoughtful. They were trying to make a good impression. On ME. That's weirdly funny to me. I mean, it's just me. It was like a reverse Employer Info Session. It's SO strange to be on the other side of the recruiting relationship.

I flew down to Atlanta and back on the same day to avoid the whole luggage thing (While I'm walking, I'm walking with crutches still). I flew Delta. At first I was really annoyed with them because getting my seat moved to the bulkhead (a perk of the walking cast) required several calls. But on my ride back I noticed a couple of things that move them back to the good company column. In the boarding waiting area, there were screens that showed when the flight was departing, and notices about traveling with children, etc. The screens also had upgrade lists, which listed the people, in priority, on the Standby list as well as how many seats were open. The thing that interested me was the offer to upgrade to first class for $75. Now who doesn't love first class. And given the fact that I hadn't paid for my ticket, $75 didn't sound too much to pay to upgrade. So I did. I got a nice cushy seat and Delta got $75 more of consumer surplus, plus whatever revenue they captured from the standby passenger who eventually got my original seat. Seems like a great idea to me. The plane is going to fly from point A to point B. Why not find ways to get the customer to give you additional revenue? I started trying to come up with ways the airlines could sell additional services to get more $ out of people. Like, they could launch a subsidiary to sell (good) sandwiches before you board the plane. People seem more willing to pay someone else $10 for a Reuben than to pay the airlines $10 for a sandwich on the plane. I suspect it's because it feels like price gauging on the plane. But if a separately branded "partner" sold sandwiches right before you got on, maybe people would buy it. Just an idea.

Anyway, I promise to write about the internships soon. I'm starting my countdown until classes begin. I'm ready to get back into the swing of things.

2005-08-26T21:12:00.000-04:00

With summer quickly drawing to a close, there's been a flurry of activity, with end of internship deliverables and all. I've had an interesting summer - and I'll write more later. One of my internship experiences was much better than the other. But again more later.

Not only have my internships intensified, but some of my extracurricular activities have started to creep up and demand my time. In fact, tomorrow, I'm headed to the MBADiversity Symposium in Atlanta. I'll be representing Wharton, so it should be fun to interact with applicants and students and alums from other schools.

Anyway - more later. I have to catch up on my sleep, since I haven't had a more than 3 hours of sleep in the last couple of days. With weeks like this, I'll be retrained just in time to return to school in a couple of weeks.

2005-08-10T09:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a good day. I took my first step on my formerly broken leg. Woo hoo!

It may not sound like a big deal, but after spending the summer on crutches, I'm REALLY glad to be moving off the crutches. Progress is gradual but it is gradual. My doctor was surprised how well my foot healed. He told me yesterday that when I broke my foot in May he seriously doubted that I would be walking by the start of the school year next month. So thank God for small (or not so small) miracles!

Baby steps y'all. It's all about the baby steps...

2005-08-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

I've been back in Philly for a little more than a week. It's nice to be around my stuff again. I missed my stuff. My mom has been staying with me, as I'm still on crutches. So between working and some school extracurriculars that I've been working on in the summer, we've been redecorating my apartment. I have to say, it looks like a grownup lives here now.

I actually could host a dinner party or something. My internships are winding down. My work with the startup will probably end in the next couple of weeks. I really loved the freedom of being able to contribute to something from nothing. My strategic analysis position will probably run through the end of the month. I'm truly enjoying the work. I'm doing types of analysis that I've never done before and creating financial models from scratch, which I've also never done before. It's been challenging to figure this stuff out. I even had to lug out my finance and accounting books to help along the way. I just hope the work I've produced is up to par, and that I haven't tarnished the Wharton name this summer.

Although I've enjoyed my work this summer, I'm ready to get back to school. One of the extracurricular activities that I worked on this summer included bringing some of the rising 2nd years back to Philly at the end of July. I was so happy to see everyone. I missed them! I know people think this is cliched to say, but I really enjoy being around Whartonites! And as fun as work is (I mean, how can you beat a fight over where the interns sit?!!), I think school is better. Although I am poorer. I guess you can't have everything.

My mom and I went to see a few movies last week. We saw The Island, which was entertaining - although there was a 70 story fall that the main characters survived with few scratches that almost ruined it for me (stuff like this that defies the laws of physics in SUCH a major way distract me...) And we also saw Must Love Dogs. Now I'm all for a good chick flick, but this movie SUCKED. I wouldn't even recommend watching this on cable. Horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE. The dialog was awful. And the story was boring. So two thumbs down from me.

I was downloading some old 80s songs (because I love 80s music - especially when drunk), and ran across this 80s Music Quiz. Looks like I know how to rock the acid wash jeans...

2005-07-19T18:53:00.000-04:00

I spent my weekend indulging my inner child. I poured over Harry Potter and went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The movie was entertaining. Johnny Depp was excellent (and still beautiful). His Willy Wonka was somewhat reminiscent of Michael Jackson, although I hear he denies the character is based on MJ (it's based on the lead from Marilyn Manson supposedly.) I just finished Harry Potter, and it was excellent. But very sad. Very, very sad. If I had children, I don't know if I would want to read it. But I think the sad ending might hold an important lesson for kids. But what do I know - I'm not a parent. Not to give anything away, I'm hoping given Rowling's other nods to other fantasy writings, a resolution may relieve the sadness. Can anyone say Gandalf?

I've been paying more attention to television and magazine ads lately. Partly because the TV is on constantly (it simulates human interaction - hey, you take what you can get). But mostly because of my interest in marketing. I like trying to discern the messages the marketer is trying to convey through the ads.

One cool ad that's on the airwaves now is the Coca-Cola Zero ad. It evokes the memory of the old Coke ads with the people on a hilltop singing "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" and putting flowers in their hair. OK I'm not sure about that last thing, but you get the picture. It was all multicultural hippies, flowers, and Coca-Cola. Now the new ad says "I'd Like to Teach the World to Chill" and instead of a flower covered hilltop it's on top of a building in a dense urban area. Well that dense urban area happens to be Philadelphia, and that may be why I like the ad. It's probably not the most effective. It doesn't tell you why this Coke is any different than the other 20,000 Coke varieties. But that may be because Coke marketing is all about the BRAND not the varieties. But I do think they are missing an opportunity to tell people what the heck Coke Zero is. Coca-Cola Zero is a zero calorie soda that doesn't taste like diet soda. This stuff tastes pretty good. It's a great alternative for people who don't like the diety taste of Diet Coke. But Coca-Cola doesn't tell you what it is. I guess they want you to figure it out.

Another interesting ad, or rather series of ads I've noticed is the IBM Consulting ads. It features these scruffy looking men around a round table, like the knights of the round table. They are trying to vanquish a witch or some other medieval evil. In between shot changes, you see a modern boardroom. Throughout the series the scruffy looking knights seem baffled by the solutions to solve the medieval evils. One solution is a person who reads white papers, and the scruffy looking knights don't know anyone who reads white papers. Cut to the IBM Consulting name with an announcer saying these people, "The Other IBM" can solve your medieval evils. I'm not sure about this ad. It's clever. But is it a good idea to compare your potential clients to medieval troglodytes who don't even have the mental capacity to read a white paper? Maybe it's just the corporate people I've dealt with, but most business people don't see themselves as idiots. I don't think they want to hire a consultant that might be condescending, which is kind of the feeling I get from the ad, as clever as it may be. But maybe I'm reading too much into the ad. Maybe the target market won't interpret it that way.

After all what do I know. Just enough to be dangerous really!

2005-07-15T11:37:00.000-04:00

T minus 12 hours and 24 minutes until Harry Potter.

Yes, I'm a total dork for knowing how many hours are left until Harry Potter is officially released. You can call me whatever name you like; I'm looking forward to starting the book tomorrow. When the last book was released in 2003, many of the stories in the media contained spoilers. In fact, I distinctly remember yelling out "NOOO!" in horror after reading a spoiler at work on MSNBC the week before the last book was released. I hate knowing what's in a book before I read it. It ruins the surprises. So I've been diligent about not reading or listening to anything about the book. So all I know is the name of the book, that someone dies, and that it's available in a little bit over 12 hours. I know I'm a dork.

Work is getting really interesting. Beside the subject matter, I'm fascinated by the politics of large organizations. And I'm not just talking the petty, "my intern gets more resources than your intern" crap, although that's fascinating as well. I mean, do adults ever mature beyond the stupidness of high school? I'm starting to realize we don't mature - we just make more money. But what the really fascinating stuff is the strategic decisions that go on. It's interesting to be in on conversations about competitors and how strategic decisions will affect the company and its competitive environment. I feel like I'm in a big game theory matrix. And what I've learn is that people are never rational. Fascinating stuff. I'm really enjoying it. Guess that gives me another geek point. Oh well...

T minus 12 hours and 13 minutes til Harry Potter....

2005-07-12T14:16:00.000-04:00

So my jobs are coming along. Both require LOTS of reading. Since I've never worked in either industry, I need to get caught up on industry lingo, happenings, and hot topics. So that means a lot of reading.

I'm actually enjoying getting up to speed in different industries. I like learning about the nuances of each field. The mechanics of the analyses that I'm doing in both jobs are similar. Knowing the elements of a competitive analysis or how to calculate a NPV is the same no matter what the industry. It's the assumptions and data - the meat of the analysis - that change. Given how much I'm enjoying working in different industries, I'm actually considering consulting as a full time option. But who knows - we'll see...

And in broken foot news - I had the four external pins removed yesterday (or should I say yanked out of my foot - OW is an understatement...). Soon I'll be able to lightly bear weight on my foot. And anyone who's ever spent any extended amount of time on crutches knows that development is huge. So I'm pretty happy about that. I might need another surgery on one of the bones that isn't healing well. I'm a little concerned about missing the beginning of classes in September if I need surgery. I pray I don't need another surgery. That would suck. But I'm trying to think positive and send mending thoughts to my foot.

Maybe I should go an buy a pair of shoes? Isn't it cruelly ironic that my good luck charm is cute shoes? **sigh**

2005-07-10T18:07:00.000-04:00

I haven’t really lived in Texas since college. And even in college I spent most of my time in the Northeast. As a Texas native with a more liberal leaning than most Texans, I wanted OUT when I was 18. So I went far away to college, and settled down in the northeast.

But absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I actually love Texas now. I love the people, the culture. I love the Texan twang. I love going to the Rodeo in February. I love TexMex. I love Texas BBQ (it’s ALL about the beef people – you betta recognize…)

But there are parts of my home state that I don’t miss. Intolerance being at the top of the list. I remember when I first heard of the dragging death of James Byrd, Jr. in 1998. I wasn’t surprised. Stuff like that still happens in rural Texas. As a woman of color growing up in Texas, I learned early on there are parts of the south where it just wasn’t safe to go out at night. I know it’s sad to live life thinking that draggings and lynchings are a part of life. But it’s an unspoken reality of the American South.

But as the year’s go by, things get better in Texas. I guess as people are more exposed to other cultures they realize their bigotry is misplaced. Their stereotypes are wrong.

But sometimes, the more things change, the more things stay the same. The Minutemen movement in Texas reminds me a lot of the Klan – they have similar rhetoric. I guess it’s true history repeats itself. Vigilante justice is never the answer. Let’s face it; it wasn’t day laborers from Mexico who flew those planes into the WTC. This isn’t about homeland security. This is about cultural intolerance. There’s got to be a better way of protecting our borders from bad people while allowing people to immigrate to the US. Immigration is core to the American Dream and the fabric of our country. Closing our borders now is like denying who we are.

On a less depressing note, I went with my mom to see some movies this weekend. We saw “War of the Worlds” and “The Perfect Man.” “War of the Worlds” scared the crap out of me. The special effects in this movie are AMAZING. Stephen Spielberg did a fantastic job on this movie. I was even able to see past the annoyingness of Tom Cruise. “The Perfect Man” was cute – definitely a chick flick. I’d definitely say wait for the DVD. In fact the best part of this movie was the previews.

There were quite a few I’m looking forward to – most of them chick flicks (“Pride and Prejudice” and “In Her Shoes” both look particularly good.) I was most excited to see the trailer for “RENT.” Some of the actors they picked for the flick can really blow. I love musicals. “Chicago” is probably one of my favorite movies, and I enjoyed “RENT” when I saw it a few years ago. While I’ll probably miss most of the movies that come out in the fall because of school, “RENT” will be one of the ones I will not miss. (That and “Harry Potter.” of course!) Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. How DO you measure a year in the life?

2005-07-07T10:58:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful day.

The sky was a color of blue you'd find in a box of crayola crayons. There was a warm summer breeze. The sun was shining, cheerily saying GOOD MORNING WORLD!! I remember how the American flag on the side of my office building billowed in the breeze. I remember thinking, "Thank you, God, for such a beautiful day." And I remember feeling calm and at peace with my life.

And then the beauty of the day was shattered when a plane flew into a building not too far away.

This morning when I turned on the news and heard about the attacks in London, I remembered the panic of a day in September when life in America was changed forever. I remember the panic. And I remember the eerie quiet that captured my world after the cities emptied.

My thoughts and prayers are with people in London.

2005-06-28T10:43:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when it rains, it pours.

When I switched my career focus from finance to marketing and strategy jobs, the reception from recruiters improved significantly. Even though I have no direct experience in theses areas, these recruiters seemed more interested in my indirect skills, like financial analysis, writing, and modeling. So with that interest, I was able to generate more traction with potential employers. Now I have two jobs. (Any one else remember "In Living Color?" Hey, Mon. You lazy! You only got two jobs!! But I digress...)

In addition to the position in brand development, I am also working in strategic analysis for a major media company. Much of my time in this position will be spent doing strategic analysis on competitors, modeling, and doing fun stuff in excel. I'll also be working from home in this position.

The thing about working from home, is that actual work doesn't take as long as it would if I were in the office. You don't have to commute. You miss all the time consuming recaps about so and so's weekend escapades. And you don't have to hear repetitive stories about other people's children and how smart they are. Now, don't get me wrong - I love the kiddies. I just don't know if I want to hear a play-by-play every morning about little Johnny's run to capture 16th place in the local spelling bee. So without all the filler, work just takes less time when you work for home. And so I have enough time to do two jobs.

I'm really glad to have both opportunities. I believe both experiences will position me well for my full time job search (yes - I'm starting to think about this already!!) I'm already learning a great deal from both jobs.

I am a little weirded out by the fact that these companies trust me to do work in areas I've never worked. It's as if the they think that the first year of an MBA program endows special powers on an MBA candidate. It's a little scary actually. So right now my days are spent reading a lot so I don't sound like a blathering idiot when I speak to my bosses and colleagues. I hope I live up to expectations.

2005-06-27T13:24:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I wish I lived in a reality tv series. Not so I could be caught on camera and embarrass my family. No, I wish I could be on a reality series, so I could vote people off the island and out of my life when the start to act like absolute LOONS. Like that Johnny guy on Strip Search. Never in all my reality tv watching have I seen this level of crazy. That guy is absolutely insane.

Speaking of crazy, I'm getting sick of Tom Cruise. Now I'm generally up for watching people make absolute fools of themselves. But he just needs to shut up. If I see him jump on a couch one more time, I think I'll scream. He's so annoying - and now he thinks he's qualified to talk about the validity of using medication. That's probably when he crossed the line into annoyingness for me. When he started villifying sick people for getting the help they need. Shut up, Tom Cruise. Just shut the h--- up.

2005-06-21T13:25:00.000-04:00

One of the things I do to pass my time when I'm not working, is peruse the S2S and BW boards. I was reading a post about Harvard and saw a post from Alex Brown, the formerly omnipresent Wharton adcom that made S2S what it is today and is, (in my opinion) one of the main reasons Wharton's admissions process (love it or hate it) is so transparent. I truly believe that transparency reflects a lot about Wharton's culture. But I digress.

What really caught my eye in the post was Alex's signature. It turns out Alex has moved on to Clear Admit. When I was applying to business schools, I had a consultation with Graham at Clear Admit that was extremely helpful, and the Clear Admit Blog has always been a great source of up-to-the-minute b-school admissions info. I'm sure the addition of Alex to the ranks should be great for Clear Admit. Congrats, Alex!

2005-06-13T18:35:00.000-04:00

Well I finally have a job! Woo hoo!

I was lucky enough to get a job that I can do remotely, and I'm extremely grateful for that. It's a brand development job with a start up.

Now, you may be saying, "Brand development? Where the heck did that come from? Didn't you want to do investment banking?" After some soul searching and some research, I've decided to pursue strategy and product development.

How did I arrive here? Well up until April I pursued banking. I applied to boutique firms, and then I shifted my focus to public finance, thinking that my nonprofit financial background would find a friendlier reception. As the banking opportunities dried up, I looked into corporate finance at a corporation. But the positions seemed boring to me. But I figured since I've been a finance girl since undergrad I should continue to pursue that path.

Then it was time to pick out electives for next year. Because I was a finance major, I looked at the finance classes. I wasn't interested in many of them. And so I gave myself permission to switch majors. So based on the classes I’ve loved this year and electives that interested me most, I added Marketing to my majors. I may still try to double major in Finance.

Why Marketing? My favorite class this year was marketing strategy and what I loved about that class was the SABRE simulation. We had to make strategic decisions about product placement, advertising, channel promotion, product development, etc. I really loved the creative aspect of the project. And the creativity coupled with the analytical aspects of marketing are what interest me most. I initially picked finance in undergrad because I was good at it. Not that finance isn’t kind of interesting. But what really perks up my ears is creating and developing stuff. What I realize now is I can crunch numbers and be creative, too. Switching will allow me to do something that appeal to a more multidimensional me.

So I decided to pursue jobs in marketing and product development. The funny thing is, in comparison to my struggles to get a position in finance, an area where I have experience, seeking a marketing job has been MUCH more fruitful. I have my theories why- maybe because it was late in the recruiting season, maybe because I have quantitative skills, maybe because I was more passionate about these positions. I’m not sure why. But I do know that the interview process for these positions confirmed my switch. Not because I got more interviews, but because the interview questions were much more interesting to me. The interview questions made me excited about the projects I would potentially do this summer.

I’m glad I switched. I don’t know what this means for my full time job search. Hopefully it won’t be as rocky of a job search. But even though it was rocky, I wouldn’t change the experience. Because it allowed me to learn so much about myself and through the experience I discovered a better path for me.

So I have a job! Woo hoo!!!

2005-06-11T16:51:00.000-04:00

After I lost my phone in March, I got the cheapest phone available, a Motorola V180, to replace a phone I LOVED, a Samsung E105, because T-Mobile didn’t carry the phone anymore. I will NEVER AGAIN get the cheapy cheapy phone. The Motorola V180 sucks big time. Reception sucks, the phone scratches easily, and it feels like cheap plastic like you’d find on a toy. Well I didn’t realize the magnitude of the phone’s suckiness until I broke my leg. Before my mom arrived to take care of me, my wonderfully terrific, awesome friends were taking care of me. Well one morning they stopped by my apartment to bring breakfast, and guess what? They couldn’t reach my cell phone. Now I assumed they forgot about me. They assumed I fell in my apartment and was lying unconscious. Finally, after a half hour of calling me, they screamed up, I let them in, and all was well. Well except for the cell phone. It just didn’t ring. And the ringer was on. So I tried to make a call and nothing. So I rebooted the phone and it started working. (Who knew phones needed to be rebooted nowadays?) It was then that I knew I HAD to get a new phone.

So after a bit of research, I decided I wanted a Samsung X475. It was cute. It was in my price range, and I loved my last Samsung. Well, T-Mobile didn’t have the phone in the upgrade program, so I’d have to pay full price for the phone at a store if I really wanted it. Since my phone was still sort-of working, I decided to wait.

Well while I was waiting, I learned that T-Mobile was getting a cool new phone, a Motorola V330. It has a camera, which I’ve never had on a phone before. It records video, has voice dial, it has Bluetooth, and EDGE. Now of course because it has all these bells and whistle, it was WAY outside of my price range. And I hadn't really been pleased with my Motorola phones. (Every phone I've owned and that has ever been crappy has been a Motorola.) But I was really intrigued by the prospect of having a Bluetooth phone. So I bit the bullet and got the phone.

I just got a Bluetooth headset to pair with the phone and it is so COOL. I absolutely love it. I can position the phone to get the best reception and then use the headset to talk. It’s so cool.
Now I’m all about Bluetooth, which I never really got before. I just got a Bluetooth adapter for my laptop and printer. And I’m thinking of upgrading my Palm to Bluetooth. I don’t use my Palm much because I always forget to sync it with my laptop. And whenever I do remember, I can’t find the cord. So I don’t sync my PDA. The problem is while I tend to remember the events and meetings I need to attend, I NEVER remember the room the meeting is in. So usually about 1 minute before the event, I’m running around Huntsman looking for an open computer so I can find out where the heck I’m supposed to be. If I could remember to sync my Palm, the Palm would be perfect in those situations.

If I had a Palm with Bluetooth, I wouldn’t have to use a cord, and because it’s more expensive and way cooler, I’d probably remember it better. At least that will be the theory I’ll rely on to justify another expensive tech purchase.

2005-06-10T11:38:00.000-04:00

When I first saw the trailers for the Mr. and Mrs. Smith movie, I thought hey that looks like "hey, that looks like a good movie - kind of The War of the Roses meets Mission Impossible." And I was pretty sure the movie would be a major blockbuster.

But then Brad and Jen had to go and break up. And there were rumors of husband stealing by Angelina Jolie.

So now it's not clear how the movie will do. But I've got a theory (and no it isn't bunnies...) If people believe that the Brad and Angelina relationship has been confirmed, it's doomed for failure. (See Jersey Girl (which was a half way decent flick), Proof of Life, Eyes Wide Shut, and Vanilla Sky for examples.) Why - two reasons. 1)People get sick of hearing about hollywood couples and 2) The middle of the country doesn't think too kindly about infidelity. BUT if people believe that the Brad and Angelina relationship is just unconfirmed gossip, the movie will do REALLY well. Why? Because people will go to the movie to see the chemistry in order to determine if there is a Brad and Angelina relationship. I personally believe they have mastered tetering on the cusp of innuendo and confirmation, so the movie should do pretty well.

On an unrelated note, I have been pleasantly surprised by the reality TV offerings this summer. Yes I am a reality TV junkie. Yes I know this type of television is worthless and has contributed to the degeneration of the moral fiber of our country. Oh well, I find this stuff damn entertaining. Some of my favorites of the new stuff include "Hell's Kitchen," and "Beauty and the Geek." And then there's the old standbys, "The Supernanny" ('This behavior is UNACCEPTABLE'), "Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II," "Trading Spouses," "Bridezilla," and of course, "Queer Eye." I'm not too fond of "Hit Me Baby One More Time" (boring as all hell), "Dancing with the Stars" (also boring as all hell), "Fire Me, Please" (what's up with the laugh track), and "Britney and Kevin: Chaotic" (okay, I haven't actually seen that one but I'm not really trying to watch THAT train wreck). I'm looking forward to new installments of "Real World," "Average Joe," "I want to be a Hilton," "The Cut" (I missed it last night), "The Surreal Life," "Welcome to the Neighborhood," and "Big Brother" (which is boring but damn addictive!)

Sorry to ramble on about things completely unrelated to school, jobs and the like. This is the life of an invalid! Sad but true. I should have more interesting things to talk about soon - but more on that later.

2005-06-08T23:55:00.000-04:00

Oooo – I’ve been tagged! The Ice Man has taken time out of his escapades in Las Vegas to pass the torch.

Okay here goes....

Last Five Books Read
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – I just started this one. When I went to see “Star Wars” a few weeks ago (which was VERY good in all it’s corny glory), I saw the trailer for this movie,. Given my love of all things related to Harry Potter (new book July 16th!) and The Lord of the Rings, I thought I might like this book. It also has a lot of religious imagery, and I like religious fiction. So far, it’s been a quick read, and a perfect escape for being cooped up with a broken foot. Technically, this book is actually a collection of a seven book series. I’m on book 3. It’s been a good distraction.

State of Fear by Michael Crichton – After I saw the movie “Jurassic Park,” I read the book and fell in LOVE with Michael Crichton’s writing. I’ve read every one of his books except Eaters of the Dead, The Great Train Robbery, The Terminal Man, and his nonfiction stuff (I hate nonfiction). About every few years, he publishes, and I’m usually one of the yahoos who rushes out and buys one of his books. I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. Somewhere around the middle it kind of loses its direction. It starts to feel like some unorganized rant against the media. I had to force myself to finish the book.

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown – I loved Da Vinci Code, although I agree the ending wasn’t very good. But beyond the ending, which really wasn’t all that bad, I thought it was an EXCELLENT read. So I was very excited to read my second Dan Brown book. Man, can this guy totally screw up an ending. While the book was pretty good, the ending TOTALLY ruined the reading experience. It was like I suddenly descended into crazy world in the last 100 pages of this book.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo – My mother had been trying to get me to read the progenitor the of “Godfather” movie trilogy for years. So I bit the bullet and read this very gory but pretty good book. At least I know what “going to the mattresses” means. Reading this book has helped me understand boy speak just a little bit more.

Winner Take All Society by Robert H. Frank and Philip J. Cook – This is a book about how competition can lead to waste in our society. So much in our society is set up around competition. The winners of competition (whether it be winner of the Indy 500 or who gets the IB gig at Goldman Sachs) get big payoffs. The big payoffs attract more people to compete in competition. For instance, thousands of kids around the US are vying to become professional athletes. But less than 1% of them will actually make it and only a small subset of those who make it actually get paid big bucks. So for the other 99%, society would be better served if they focused their efforts elsewhere – but the tournament payoffs discourage logical reallocation of resources. We actually read an article in Managing People at Work that supports the books premise – the article said that competition is not always good in the workplace because it can be discouraging to those in second place. The book is okay. I don’t really like nonfiction (did I mention I hate it?) and when you add in the fact that this book is repetitive and the logic is somewhat flawed, this booked was doomed to make on FMG’s list of unfinished reads.

Favorite Five Books
The Eight by Katherine Neville – I love love LOVE this book! It’s got everything I love – adventure, intrigue, parallel story lines, puzzles, a love story, AND the French Revolution. It moves incredibly fast and is full of riddles. What more could a girl ask for? J’adore ce livre..

Tara Road by Maeve Binchy – Maeve Binchy is an incredible author. I’ve also read Circle of Friends and Copper Beech, which were both pretty good. The reason why Tara Road is one of my favorites is because the characters are so well developed, and I felt really involved with what happened to them throughout the book. At one point, I became so angry at one of the characters, I threw the book across the room. Whenever I’m that passionate about a book, I know it’s a damn good read. And Tara Road is a damn good read.

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III – You may have seen the movie with Jennifer Connolly and Ben Kingsley, and it’s a pretty decent movie. The book is infinite-times better. Again the characters are VERY well developed. And there’s no clear protagonist and antagonist. It’s just a book about life – and how one little thing can screw things up for you. This was another book that I threw across the room, I was so wrapped up in what was happening with the characters. And just an amazingly well written story. It’s probably my favorite book.

Sphere by Michael Crichton – Michael Crichton is my favorite author, and of all of his books, Sphere is my favorite (followed closely by Jurassic Park and Disclosure.) I guess I liked this one because it was so imaginative. As with all his books, it’s a fast read, very suspenseful, and even a little scary sometimes.

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling – Technically I guess this counts as five books, and I know it’s a little juvenile, but I absolutely love the series. I’m one of the goobers who preorders the books so I can start reading the release date. And once I get the book, I read it straight for 2 days, only taking breaks to go to the bathroom and to eat occasionally. Ya, I’m a Harry Potter nerd. But at least I don’t have any Harry Potter collectibles. Well, I do have a Harry Potter Christmas ornament but that’s it I SWEAR!!! (Only 37 days til the Half Blood Prince!!)

So that’s it, I guess. And because like Wakechick, I HATE chain letters, I will spare y’all by not passing the tag. Sorry but all the vicodin and percoset has made me cranky, lazy, and uncooperative! If you feel so inclined, please tag yourself on my behalf.

2005-05-29T16:03:00.000-04:00

The saddest part of breaking my foot has been all of the things I’m missing. When I fell, one of the first things I thought of was the fact that I wouldn’t be able to go on GIP. I was really looking forward to that trip. I hadn’t left North America since I was 9 years old, and I had never been to South America.

Beyond the fun of the trip, GIP symbolized something. It was an example of the new life I started when I went to Wharton. Because I worked for a nonprofit where I didn’t make much money, I didn’t travel much, except back home to Houston to visit my family. While I did get to go to different cities because of work, for the last few years most of my leisure travel was to the Lone Star State.

Going to Wharton has meant more than just earning a masters in business administration. More than building a new network and more than getting a new job. It was a fresh start. A chance to live and do the things I always wanted to do. Like sing on stage, like take a road trip across country, like travel abroad. I’m not saying that I couldn’t do these things without coming to Wharton, but for some reason, attending business gave me permission to spread my wings and do things I only dreamed. Going on GIP was one of those dreams.

So what do you do when a dream’s deferred? Well – I’m getting caught up on all the things that I missed. I didn’t have much time for the news beyond the front page of the paper. So now that my life is TV and books and movies and more TV, I’m learning about all the stuff I missed – like Michael Powell resigned from the FCC, and Howard Dean is head of the DNC, and CNN axed Crossfire, and Paige Davis got kicked off of Trading Spaces. (I’m really upset about the Trading Spaces thing!)

And I’m still trying to get a job. Because of the extent of my injury, (I have a lisfranc fracture – which is what Duce Staley from the Eagles had and then some) I can’t work until July. That makes an already trying job search all the more difficult. I have a couple of good leads, and I guess if they like me enough, they’ll let me start in July. I guess I just have to have faith.

And I will travel. I will go somewhere. I’m thinking African Safari for Spring Break. Or maybe a weekend in Paris for Fall Break. Or India GIP over Christmas Break. I’m not sure where I’m going but I’m determined to go somewhere.

So maybe this set back will make me appreciate my life at Wharton even more. Maybe I’ll take greater risks. Maybe I’ll push myself even further outside my comfort zone. Maybe it’ll make me realize that my self-discovery does not need to be limited to my Wharton experience.

At least I’ll have time to get caught up on the guilty pleasure that is reality TV.

2005-05-13T09:22:00.000-04:00

All in all, my first year at Wharton has been phenomenal. I've met people who will be friends for life. I've learned so much, and this time around the knowledge seems to be sticking! I've also learned so much about myself: my weaknesses, my fears, my strengths. I would never change my decision to go back to business school.

But that being said, there are some things I wish I had known this time last year. It might have made my transition back to school a little less rocky.

I wish I had known that recruiting would take up half of my time in the fall semester. Coming in, I had absolutely no clue about the time required to (not) find a job. In the fall I focused on Investment Banking only. I didn't recruit with any other industries (although now I wish I had). IB alone took 20-35 hours a week. When you add class time, study time, extracurricular time, and just plan old take-care-of-business time, I had about 2 to 3 hours left to sleep each night. The intensity of the recruiting schedule hit me like a ton of bricks. And contrary to what the career management office might tell you, if you don't have banking experience and you skip an event at a top tier bank, you can forget getting on their interview list. So I pretty much had to go to everything.

I wish I had known that banking wouldn't work out for me. Hindsight is 20/20 right? So looking back, there were clues that it wouldn't work out. Whenever I would tell a former banker that I wanted to do banking, they would cock their head to the side, shake their head, and say, "You don't seem like the banking type. You're too nice to be a banker." I interpreted that as "You can't hang with the bankers," and "You can't do that job." But that's not what they were saying. They were questioning my fit for the job. If I had been smart, I would have put my ego aside, heard what they were saying, and realized that the people interviewing me would feel the same way. If people don't think you'll fit, you're not getting the job. It's not a judgment about ability. I wish I had realized this sooner. I think I would have saved myself A LOT of grief.

I wish I had known that I would have to work HARD to excel here. I've always risen to the top. I worked for my accomplishments, but there have been few things (at least academically) that I couldn't do reasonably well. So when I got here, I rested on my laurels. After all, I had learned so much of these subjects before. I'd done marketing, accounting, finance, etc. So I expected it would be relatively easy for me to understand. So first quarter, I just went through the motions. I showed up, did the minimum required. And it totally bit me in the ass. I quickly learned that if I wanted to do well here, I was going to have to WORK. I'd have to do practice problems, and do all the readings if I wanted to master this stuff. I'm glad I learned that because, I think I learned MUCH more in quarters 2-4 because of my improved effort. I just wish I had gotten my wake up call sooner.

And there are some things that I were different at Wharton.

I wish the Career Management Office provided more support post-DIP week. After the Dedicated Interviewing Period, I felt like the CMO just dropped us. Sure they had sessions to give you tips on getting a job, but those tips were basically "Look on our website for jobs" and "Use the WAVE alumni database to make contacts in the companies." Well, duh. What would have helped me would have been sessions on different industries so I could figure out what to do next. They had them in September, but in September I was focused on banking. Sure that was my decision, but the nature of the process kind of makes you choose early. For people like me who were focused on something that didn't pan out, it would have been helpful to do these sessions again in March.

I wish some of my fellow students were able to hold their liquor better. These people are the minority, but there are a few who clearly were never really around alcohol - because now they act like they are 21 again. So either they didn't party with alcohol in undergrad (they were studying while the rest of us are partying) or they are alcoholics. The jury's still out. But I wish this small group would learn how to drink and have fun without acting like complete asses.

I wish people here respected nonprofits more. When I mentioned that I worked for a nonprofit, it's like the people I was talking to instantly shut down, and start looking for someone more important to talk to. I quickly learned to leave "nonprofit" and "community" out of my elevator pitch. I've been SHOCKED by some of the stereotypes people have of nonprofits. People assume that nonprofits are all poorly run. That's completely untrue. There are well run nonprofits and poorly run nonprofits - just like in the for-profit world. And I wish MBAs didn't think it was up to them to save the nonprofit world from itself - that's just presumptuous. And because I worked at a nonprofit for part of my career, people assume that I'm an idiot, I know nothing, and all I have are soft skills. But many of the classes I kick ass in are "quant."

I wish that Au Bon Pain in Huntsman Hall could be replaced by a competent vendor. That restaurant has to be the most inefficient "quick" (and I am clearly using THAT term loosely) service I have ever seen. "How to fix ABP" would be an excellent OPIM project - maybe that would get me more excited about OPIM!

And there are things I wish I had done differently.

I wish I went to more parties.

I wish I had dinner more often with friends.

I wish I had met more people.

I wish I had studied more.

I wish I had learned more about careers in product development, strategy, marketing, and consulting.

I wish I had taken more time to find a career that fit me well.

I wish I had gotten to know my professors better.

And I wish I had won just one session of Cohort Bingo.

The cool thing about this process, is that I have a whole new year coming up to do so much better. I'm sad that I only have one year left, but I'm excited because I know my second year will be better than the first. The best is yet to come!

Oh, and no I still don't have a job.

2005-05-12T12:19:00.000-04:00

I am officially done with my first year of Wharton, albeit a week late. I just finished my marketing strategy or "markstrat" test (which was SURPRISINGLY difficult - advice to soon-to-be first years - Study for that test... no matter WHAT the professor tells you) and put all my books away. It feels wonderful to not have to worry about what to study next. Now I can focus on getting a job.

I suppose it's a good thing that I still don't have a job. The severity of my injury is such that my doctor says I can't work until July. So at least I'll get a vacation. The ironic thing is now I'm getting calls for interviews. Go figure.

2005-05-04T20:55:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy two weeks.

Classes ended. I was sad to realize I wouldn't spend anymore time with my cohort. I really enjoyed having classes with Cohort L (Give 'em L!!). It was a good batch of people. I felt like I was losing apart of my family. I will definitely miss their smart ass comments in class.

I spent last week looking for a job and working on my many extracurricular activities. I studied a little but not too much - I spent more time around the second years who will leave soon, trying to soak up their company while I still could.

Finally on Monday morning I decided to get cracking on the books. I left my apartment a little before 8 AM to get prime real estate in the study lounge. On my way out of my building I took a tumble down the stairs and popped a ligament on my foot. Apparently this ligament holds all the other bones together so my entire foot shifted out of place and I managed to break several bones. I had surgery to put my bones back into place on Monday and missed most of my finals.

Besides the suckiness of breaking my bones, I'll miss out on my Global Immersion Program (GIP) Trip to South America. I was really looking forward to this trip. We were going to Argentina and Brazil. I'm pretty bummed about that. AND I was still looking for a job. Ironically I've gotten 3 calls this week about jobs. Now I have to deal with a leg that needs to be elevated and hurts like hell. And on top of all that - I broke the same leg 2 years ago and it took forever to heal. Last week was the first week when the swelling wasn't a problem.

Oh well. So my summer is beginning much differently than I thought it would. I guess that just goes to show you the importance of carpe diem. (That and the mighty power of morphine....)

2005-04-17T14:01:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I get home pretty late. There's been quite a few occasions this year where the WSJ was on my doorstep when I got home from a late night. Well last night takes the cake, because when I got home this morning the sun was rising. It was a FUN night.

This weekend was Wharton Welcome Weekend, the only time of the year when three classes of Wharton MBAs are roaming the corridors of Huntsman Hall. It was great to meet so many new admits, and many seemed excited to become part of the Wharton Family.

Wharton isn't for everyone though. I spoke to a few admits who felt like something was missing here. I believe that you should go to the school where you feel at home. If you feel something is missing, Wharton may not be the right place for you. And that's okay - go where you fit in best.

This week is the last week of the first year of classes. I'm a little sad to know I only have one year left. Despite the ups and downs (and no, I still don't have a job), this has been one of the most transformational years of my life. I almost wish I could take on another year or stay at Wharton forever. It's truly an amazing experience.

2005-04-08T13:13:00.000-04:00

So first, let me answer the question I am asked most often nowadays. No - I still don't have a job.

The funny thing is I'm not panicked. Maybe it’s because so much is going on at school right now. There have been many transitions at Wharton as the second years hand over the reigns to the first years the last two weeks, so my afternoons and evenings have suddenly gotten very full. And there's the marketing class that requires a lot of team work so I spend more time with my learning team. And then there's OPIM, which continues to be the bane of my existence. So there's a lot going on.

But I still don't have a job. Now don't get me wrong - I am a bit worried. Whenever anyone mentions that we only have two weeks left of classes, I suddenly feel a bit nauseous. But panic isn't how I'd describe my mood.

When I ended DIP week without a job, I promised myself I wouldn't panic until April 1. I thought, "Surely I'll have a job by April 1.” Well I don't.

Maybe I'm not panicked because I have a good feeling about my most recent interview. On Friday (April 1), I interviewed with my first employer after undergrad. The position is a completely different function, but it a job I've often dreamed of doing. I think the interview went reasonably well, and I just feel good about it. It's somewhat ironic that I got the call to interview on the March 31, the day before my panic drop date. I pray this one comes through. Wish me luck!

2005-03-24T01:34:00.000-05:00

In a few hours Wharton R2 decisions will be released. Good luck to everyone waiting.

I remember how nervous I was 364 days ago. Thinking about this time last year made me think about a post I wrote last year. I thought I'd repost it. Good Luck y'all.

"There are a couple of threads on the S2S that express some anger about Wharton's selection process. There are some pretty bitter folks out there. And while I don't agree with throwing the equivalent of a virtual tantrum over an admissions decision, these threads (which I have chosen not to link to it will only perpetuate negativity) have got me thinking about the whole admissions process.

As applicants, I believe it is our job to use the application to provide a reflection of who we are. We need to express passionately the career choices weve made, what we want to be when we grow up, and how earning an MBA from ABC Business School will help us achieve our aspirations. We need to let the admissions committee know that if admitted a) we can do the coursework b) we will contribute to the school community, and c) we will be employable when we finish our two-year stint at business school.

On top of these messages, we need to express them in a way that will make the admission committee want to admit us. In other words, we need to be interesting. We need to paint a picture of ourselves that makes the adcoms say, "You know what, I think this person is pretty cool. I don't think I would mind sitting next to them at 3 AM working on a group project."

How do you do all this in a business school application? I wish I knew definitively. I believe you do it by creating themes in your essays so that a reader can walk away with a quick two-sentence blurb that sums up who you are. I think it's about showing passion, commitment, continuous improvement and development, drive, and ultimately that elusive thing called fit.

So we applicants pour our heart and soul into the application. We write incredibly personal essays. We reveal our motivations and aspirations. We reveal things that even our closest friends may not know. We reveal a reflection of ourselves. And then we click the submit button.

And then it's out of our hands.

Hopefully we'll get to interview, which will help reiterate the package we presented in our application. But once you've done that - everything else is out of your control.

So we submit.

And we wait. But it's out of our hands.

Once you've created the package, it's up to the admissions committee to determine that you fit in the class they're trying to create. They evaluate the strength of our applications relative to the rest of the applicant pool. They try to put together a class that will embody the school's culture and mission.

When rejection comes, if it comes, it hurts. Because those packages and what we reveal in them make us feel vulnerable. After all these applications are reflections of who we are and who we want to be.

But it is not the person that is rejected. It is the package, the paper image, that is rejected. It's not you it's the paper you that is rejected. But it still hurts. It still stings. It definitely blows. But it just means it wasn't meant be. At least not this year.

So you learn from it. You improve. You become better. You move on.

And that's just about all you can do."

2005-03-21T20:31:00.001-05:00

I lost my cell phone (my only phone) somewhere in New York City.

I think it may have fallen out of my pocket in a cab. All I know is some absolute total LOSER used my phone to call twice to some place in Brooklyn. No attempt to find the owner - just "woo-hoo free phone call!!" I have half a mind to call the number the person called and cuss them out. But I know that the receiver of the call (a 13 minute call I might add) didn't use my phone - the loser phone finder did. It is SO tacky to use a found phone like that. Loser.

So I had an interview today. Not sure how it went. That's my last live lead, so I have to stir up so more leads so I can have a job this summer. I hate looking for a job. It takes SO MUCH time. I will be so happy when I have a job.

The last quarter of the year is off to a roaring start. This quarter we have a major marketing project with out learning teams. It's a simulated market (SABRE) where we compete against five other teams and we have to make marketing strategy decisions to optimize profits. We will be evaluated on how profitable we are in comparison to other similarly situated teams throughout the first year class and the executive MBAs in Marketing Strategy this quarter. Even though it's a lot of work, (we spent about 7-8 hours on the project this weekend) the project is pretty interesting and it's the most fun project we've worked on this year. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how we do in the first round of the simulation.

2005-03-09T23:43:00.000-05:00

When the local news in Houston reports about the HBS / Apply Yourself hoopla, you know the story has reached a whole new level.

So HBS decided the peekers get an automatic ding. Word on the street is that MIT, CMU, and others are taking a similar approach. The ad com reaction I admire most, however, is Stanford's. Stanford basically knows who peeked. They have asked those people to identify themselves and explain their actions. There's a couple of reasons why I like this approach. 1) it gives the applicants the benefit of the doubt - you know, innocent until proven guilty and 2) it recognizes that applicants are human and that one mistake should not keep a person out of business school. It's what you learn from the mistakes you make that matters. Stanford is giving these applicants the opportunity to shine and rise above adversity. That's pretty damn cool.

My heart goes at to those who were automatically dinged. That really sucks - especially since I keep hearing stories that wives/husbands followed the link. It seems unfair to punish these applicants without giving them a chance to defend themselves. Hell, even Saddam Hussein got a chance to defend himself.

I guess curiosity does kill the cat...

(Just saw this link one the BW and had to laugh - Free the HBS 119!!)

2005-03-08T17:52:00.001-05:00

I feel like such a dork. Everywhere I turn I find ways to apply some of the lessons I've learned so far in school.

At the post office today, the line was almost out the door at 1:30 pm. Around that time they added another clerk to serve the line. Because I forgot something at home, I left and came back around 3 pm and the line was still out the door. Well, then OPIM started running through my head, and I started trying to figure out how to cut the wait time. I kept watching the door to estimate interarrival time and paid attention to the average service time. In the end of the day, a discussion with one of the staff members helped illuminate a possible cause to the longer than average line. (My theory: today the passport fee went up $12, so demand for passports increased significantly yesterday. Because that service takes a longer time than other services and there were more people than normal, the line was VERY long yesterday. Because of the extra long lines some customers were lost yesterday (hello Erlang loss!!) and flowed over to today. The post office will probably have long lines for the rest of the week. If some one had anticipated the increased demand for passports, and added extra staff to handle it - wait time for the rest of the week would be better.)

And then I found myself quoting my law professor when someone tried to insist that because there is no written contract - we don't have a contract. Umm not true, I told them but I said I would send them the fax they requested. (The person didn't like when I told them that - they said I lacked "civil respect." WTF is civil respect?)

And then there was the article in USA Today yesterday that was about the ramifications AT&T merger with SBC. The article talked about how AT&T used the media to appeal the public to get a fee waived on their calling cards. I immediately started thinking about the media interest framework presented in our public policy class.

So I think it's official. I'm a total dork. But I think its cool that some of the stuff we're learning has real life applications.

2005-03-05T18:49:00.000-05:00

Thank GOD for Spring Break.

With the rough recruiting season, and a couple of exams in recent weeks that THOUROUGHLY kicked my ass, I'm VERY glad to get a break from the hallowed halls of Huntsman. It's weird to think the class of 2006 is 3/8 of the way done with our Wharton experience. It's starting to feel like it's going too fast.

The latest scandal in the MBA App Blogosphere has been QUITE amusing. For those not in the know, apparently the Apply Yourself software that MANY of the b-schools use for business school apps had some sort of loophole where the crafty applicant could see change the URL and see her/his application status before the notification day.

The scurry to see the decisions early prompted HBS to post this statement on the BW. (And for more info on the brouhaha check out Clear Admit's series of post for the blow by blow- thanks to bskewl for pointing that out ). The sad thing is that if you manipulated the URL, you might have screwed yourself out of admission. Many of the school's are throwing around terms like unethical, hacking, and tampering.

I don't know how I feel about that. I doubt the people who checked early even thought about the ethical consequences. I remember how anxious I felt during the admissions process last year. I remember checking all kinds of sites to get any tiny piece of information. The schools could lessen some of the anxiety by having more transparent admissions process. Some of the schools affected have these black box processes. You send your application in and then nothing for three months until DING. Maybe applicants would be less inclined to peek early if they had more information about the process.

How much would it suck to get dinged for looking at your status a few weeks early? Is it unethical to check one's OWN status early? While the schools are managing the process, it is YOUR application, right. Isn't it a reciprocal process? Don't both the school's and the applicant own the outcome? I just think the schools in question should approach the idea of denying admission because of this carefully.

Would I have looked early if the same thing happened last year? Probably not. But not because I would be concerned about ethics. I never open my Christmas Presents early and in my experience peeking early has always lead to bad news, like bad peeking karma or something. But would I think that someone who peeked was an unethical future business leader? I don't think so. I guess I just don't put peeking at one's application status on the same level as the things like misrepresentation, lying, stealing, etc.

Anyway, it's been interesting to watch. I'm glad I'm not one of the peekers!

2005-03-01T20:51:00.000-05:00

I had my first 3rd quarter final today in BPUB or as I like to call it "Law and how to get around it by distracting those pesky activists." (And people wonder why so many MBAs get involved in ethical scandals - but I digress...)

BPUB has been one of the more challenging classes this quarter. Not because the material is difficult to grasp. It's because the profs raised the bar a bit. This group of professors is NOTORIOUS for brutal cold calls and the exams were closed book. Now closed book exams are just not done at Wharton.

I have mixed feelings about the approach. I HATE memorizing stuff (and frankly with the invention of the printing press and all I fail to see the point - hello! that's what books are for...) Higher expectations can lead to better performance from students - I definitely expended more effort once I realized our Prof's expectations were higher. But if the bar is perceived to be too high, people give up. And with DIP occurring this quarter and people stressed about the job search it was easy to give up. I just don't know if raising the bar achieved the desired results.

So that final is down and I only have one more to go on Thursday evening. I've been lucky this year because my hardest exams are always saved for last. I have OPIM on Thursday. I'm glad I have 2 days to study for that one. Me and OPIM don't get along very well...

2005-02-28T22:37:00.000-05:00

OMG!!! Did you SEE the Bachelorette tonight??? She broke up with BOTH of them!!! Holy Crap! Who saw that coming? This has to be the juiciest Bachelor/Bachelorette finish EVER. I barely watched the show (it's not one of my favorite reality tv shows) - but I'm so glad I saw the finale. SCANDALOUS!

Oh and I had an interview today. Ya that was funny. Note to self - never do an 8:30 back to back interview without coffee. Maybe I'll be a camp counselor this summer....

2005-02-25T20:07:00.000-05:00

It's never a good sign when your scheduled 30 min interview only takes 15 minutes. My interview I had today was only 15 minutes. After the interviewer described the job briefly, he said, "So, what questions do you have for me?" And I knew it was over then. So I think it's safe to say I still won't have a job before Spring Break.

Career Management recently sent out some stats from last year that made me feel a lot better. Apparently only 18% of students got their jobs through DIP (not the 50% tossed around in Huntsman Gossip). 4 out 5 students will not have jobs after DIP ends. And less than 50% will had something by the end of February. So I don't feel like a such a failure. I guess misery DOES like company.

I have two interviews scheduled for the next few weeks. And I feel like I'm off to a good start on my independent job search. I've promised myself not to start REALLY stressing until April. I know I'll get a job somewhere.

In other news- this week has been interesting. Some loser stole about $30 out of my print account. I'm thoroughly annoyed about that. Sometimes the computers don't log out completely so some jackass used my account to print 300 pages of something. I hope the person who stole my $ gets what's his or hers very soon. You'll get your comeuppance. You wanker.

2005-02-18T22:10:00.000-05:00

So I still don't have a job.

The Dedicated Interview Period ending two weeks ago. Since the end of January I've interviewed with 7 banks - no job yet. And even though I knew going into DIP week that only half of the class would finish DIP with offers, I guess I didn't fully entertain the idea that I would be part of the half without offers.

And the worst part is I have to keep recruiting. I hate recruiting.

But I think something good came out of my DIP failure. I've been thinking a lot about my choice to focus on Investment Banking for the summer. When I started recruiting, I was interested in IB and Public Finance. I was leaning towards Public Finance, but then people starting telling reasons why that was a bad idea. And then they told me I HAD to do IB at a top bulge bracket firm in NYC. Or else my experience would be for naught. And although I don't usually get caught up in the herd, I listened. And because of that - I think I screwed up my recruiting efforts. I blame no one but myself.

The unfortunate thing about B-school is recruiting starts early. There's not enough time to explore and try different options. So you have to decide quickly. And it's easier than one would think to get swept up by the herd.

So what now? I'm still looking into some boutique IB firms, but I'm primarily focusing my efforts on public finance, venture philanthropy, and other "social interest" finance options. I don't know where I'll end up - but I know I'll get a job. And I believe it will be a cool job. I'll end up where I'm supposed to be. I just have to have faith!

2005-01-27T17:21:00.000-05:00

DIP week starts tomorrow and the tension in Huntsman is palpable. People are STRESSED. It's like the fate of the world hinges on getting a job this summer. Now don't get me wrong, I'm nervous. But I think I'm the good kind of nervous that gives you adrenaline highs and motivates. Being too stressed decreases one's ability to form recognizable sentences. I think that may be an important skill in interviews. Maybe, JUST maybe.

Only 50% of students get jobs through the DIP week process. And according to a second year, last year some of the Banks and other companies came back after DIP. Before the year is done, 99% of people get a job for the summer. Yes, there's a lot of pressure - I mean if I don't get a job next week I would be stressed and bummed that my recruiting season would be extended. But if I don't get a job during DIP, does that mean all the choices I have evaporate? No, something tells me, that I (and my fellow Whartonites) will be alright.

Because people are cramming for DIP, class attendance has fallen off precipitously. All of the professors have these sheepish looks on there faces like they're grateful that SOMEONE showed up to class. And that brings me to something that has me slightly perturbed. I feeling a little annoyed that we have so much operations management in the core.

Now I normally don't complain about the curriculum because even though I don't see how all the classes we take apply to me now, one thing I've learned is that you never know what skills you will use in your career. For instance in undergrad, I thought statistics was a waste of time. When I started working, I quickly realized I should have paid more attention in statistics. That was part of the reason I came to Wharton. But do we really NEED a semester and a half of operations management? Not that I don't see the value in OPIM - I do. But our operations classes all seem to have an engineering/quant feel to them. And while I know this is Wharton and I know we are all about the numbers, I just think 3 quarters of this stuff is excessive. Particularly since we have only a quarter in things like law and managing people at work. I mean, our OB (managing people at work) class was so rushed we didn't even cover things like managing diversity. I don't fault the school for being so quantitative, but I do think we could do a better job with BALANCE. But that's just my opinion. What do I know?

So I suppose, I've complained enough. Afterall, I have big, big plans to get to. I still have to go to pub AND leave in time for The Apprentice. Yes, BIG plans. I mean, a girl's got to have her priorities!

2005-01-23T19:06:00.000-05:00

All I can say is E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLESSSS!!! Even though I'm not from Philly, I have to say I'm so happy the birds finally made it back to the Super Bowl. I know the town must be going crazy.

I have to guess about Philadelphians' reaction to the news because I'm still in Houston. The earliest flight I could get on was at 7P tomorrow. I had a lot of things scheduled for tomorrow, but I guess during the down time I'll spend more time with family and focus on studying for class and interviews. In a little over a week I'll have my first face to face interview (I have a phone interview tomorrow). I am NERVOUS. I have A LOT to learn in the next week. Unfortunately there is a little thing called class that I have to worry about. Maybe we need a Pre-DIP week to let us prepare for DIP? At least I only have 2 more weeks of anxiety.... at least I hope and pray I only have 2 more weeks of anxiety....

2005-01-22T23:06:00.000-05:00

The Houston trek was fantastic. We met with several banks and a couple of consulting firms. It was interesting to see the stark differences in culture as we went from bank to bank. And some of the Houston offices had cultures that were VERY DIFFERENT (I mean Stepford wives vs normal different here…) than the Houston offices. I guess that’s why visiting is so important. There were 2-3 banks I plan to pursue aggressively the possibility for a Houston assignment.

The weather in Houston was phenomenal and I must say I’ll take 75 degrees over 10 degrees any day. But it seems that the crappy weather in Philly may keep me from returning on schedule. As I write I am in the air headed back to Houston. While we were mid-air, the Philadelphia airport shut down because a plane slid off the runway (how scary would that be??) so we’re headed back. While I’m glad I’m missing the first blizzard of 2005, I do wish I was in Philly so I could get back in interview prep mode. All I have to say to people stuck in Philly – be careful of the ice! It can totally kick your ass…

2005-01-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

The dust has settled and the interviews are out. So far I have 6 and a half interviews (I'm an alternate for one). So I think I'm in a good position entering DIP (Dedicated Interview Period) week. Although I was bummed about one firm that dinged me - I realize everything happens for a reason. And I'm excited about the other firms I'm interviewing with. Now I just have to practice and do some research.

I'm in Houston on the Houston Trek. We're visiting a few banks, investment management and consulting firms. Since I'm originally from Houston and my birthday is tomorrow, I couldn't pass up this trip. The trek is a joint venture with Rice University. This will be my second activity with other b-school students away from Campus. It will be interesting to see how the Rice students behave. Wharton students can sharpen their elbows during recruiting events, and I can't wait to see the Rice students in action. Nothing brings out an individuals true nature like dangling an investment banking offer in front of them.

2005-01-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

What DOES happen to a dream deferred?

This weekend has not lead to major boosts of my self esteem. One of the banks at the top of my list decided I was not worthy of an interview. The rejection has lead my anxiety to rise to levels unseen since my business school application.

I found out through the grapevine that the interview list had gone out and I was stunned. I really thought I'd make that one. It would be nice if the banks would at least send you a ding email. As much time and effort that the IB recruiting process takes, it would be the least they could do. There's no reason for someone to find out through the grapevine that they didn't make the cut. Imagine if you didn't get dings for business school. You just heard that other people made and since you didn't hear anything you had to assume you didn't make it. It would suck wouldn't it? The European offices send out dings before they send out acceptances. That's a practice that I think the US office should think of enacting such a practice.

Given the similarity of this process to the business school process, I've begun to reflect on the lessons I learned from my dings last year. Last year I learned that yes rejection hurts but it's not you that gets the ding it's the application. I guess the same thing here: the person I presented was rejected. And another thing I learned is that sometimes choices are removed as options so that we don't make the wrong choice. I guess the same thing applies here.

It just sucks - especially when I think of the effort I put forth. Rejection sucks.

But it's not all over yet. There are still some banks who haven't made their decisions. I will continue to pray that the right opportunities will be available to me. That's all I can do really. That and go shopping for shoes tomorrow :)

2005-01-13T21:09:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how quickly my apartment converts from a somewhat neat bachelorette pad to tornado zone. My apartment is such a mess, if someone showed up at my doorstep, I wouldn't let them in. Not sure when I'll get the time to clean up.

Not only is there a lot of class work (we have to build a light - that's right a friggin' light a la 8th Grade Science Class. I hated Science Class - but I digress) but there is also a lot going on this weekend. Our Career Management Office is running an Interview Bootcamp to help us prepare for DIP (Dedicated Interview Period) week. And there's the Social Impact Management Conference at the same time (isn't funny how they picked the nonprofit conference to conflict with... I'm not saying anything, but I'm just saying).

And recruiting is in its final stretch. Thank GOD. I am starting to get stressed. I suddenly realized I had two weeks left to do my final bit of schmoozing and learn all the technical stuff. On top of that, there's this constant buzz around Huntsman Hall about closed list events and interview lists. Although I'm on the list for one of my top picks, I haven't heard from my other banks. And I heard murmurs that there was a closed list event I was excluded from for one of the banks I'm really interested in. I thought I had managed that bank well, but I suppose I didn't. I'm trying to keep my spirits up and assume the best - but it's hard.

I did have a dream about mice and water a couple of nights ago. I had a similar dream right before the Wharton R2 decision date last year. I looked it up in a dream book and apparently it meant that I was worrying about something I shouldn't worry about because I would overcome it. So I guess I shouldn't worry - it will all work out for the best.

Oh and on another side note, over the break I discovered a new source of yummy goodness. Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. That stuff is FANTABULOUS. Whenever I find it (and I must say the pickins are much slimmer in Philly than Dr. Pepper friendly Texas), I hoard it. I mean buy at least 5 bottles at a time hoard it. I love this stuff!! It's VERRRRY tasty.

2005-01-11T18:02:00.000-05:00

Classes are in full swing again, although I have to say I am not. I found myself feeling slightly annoyed with my professors when they said we had readings to do and cases to prepare. Don't they know this week is about hearing what people did during Winter Break?

So far I'm liking my schedule. For the most part the classes were interesting (although Finance was a little slow today). What I really like is the fact that I have one class on Mondays and my Wednesdays are completely free. Tuesdays and Thursdays are booked solid, with no break, but I think its worth it to have Wednesdays off. We'll see how I feel next week.

I'm also getting back into the interview prep habit. Huntsman Hall is all a buzz with nervous questions about close lists and events. People keep asking, "who have you heard from" trying to fish out whether they have been left off of someone's interview roster. I'm not nervous yet about the interviews, although I keep hearing horror stories about what I'm supposed to know and what I'm supposed to be able to pitch. All I can do is study the technical questions, prepare, and hope for the best. I am SO happy this all will be done in less than a month. Well hopefully, I'll be done!

On an unrelated note, although I'm not one to follow sports, I've been paying attention to the Eagles run this season. I was so happy for the Philly fans because they finally got their awesome season. They all seemed so happy to actually win most of the time. And then, TO got injured. Talk about fair weather fans. All I can say is Eagles fans need a swift kick in the pants. They keep poo-pooing the teams ability to deliver. What the HELL is that about?? Where's the fan support?? Where's the faith? Since was football a one man game?? Didn't they see Friday Night Lights??? Well, y'all get no more sympathy from me. So what if y'all never win - you don't deserve it cuz you suck as fans...

2005-01-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

My break has been absolutely FANTASTIC. I have accomplished almost everything I set out to do, which is quite unique for me on vacation. I was able to do some consulting work, make some calls and visits to bankers, read tons of prospective student essays, and study for my job interviews in a month.

AND not only did I do all that - but I also slept. OH did I sleep. The bags that had taken up residence under my eyes seem to have take a vacation from my face. While I'm sure they'll be back next week, it's nice to look fresh-faced again.

I've also been reflecting on my first semester. Wharton constantly surprises you. One of the biggest re-adjustments was getting used to the idea of being average. Like most of my classmates, I was used to rising to the top. Before Wharton, I can't remember a time when I applied myself and I didn't excel. Wharton is challenging because you have to figure out how to master the system while chaos swirls around you. Now I haven't mastered it, by any means, but I think I've figured it out. It's all about giving up sleep. If you had told me last year that I would come to regard a night of five hours of sleep as A LOT of sleep, I would have thought you were crazy. But I've come to discover is all you really need is 3 hours. Yep 3 hours is good...

I was also surprised by the time investment banking recruiting requires. In the beginning I was spending 20-30 hours a week on recruiting. I'm actually surprised I went to 95% of the events. There were so many nights when the thought of smiling through another reception with yummy crab cakes made me sick. But I went anyway. Even when I didn't want to go, I went anyway. Hopefully, my diligence will pay off with a job. I'll know in less than a month, thank goodness.

And I completely did not manage my money well. I had no idea how often I would need to make treks up to NYC. And I didn't realize how inadequate my wardrobe was for recruiting. And I completely under budgeted my car insurance cost. Now THAT killed me.

During the spring semester, I hope to continue to work towards a balanced experience. I will work on spending less money. I will continue to push myself beyond my comfort zone. I plan to have more fun. MUCH more fun. I know it's going to be a good year.

2004-12-22T15:52:00.000-05:00

I'm SOOO DONE! I finished my last final and I am officially done with my first semester at Wharton. This has been the fastest and slowest 4 months of my life. At times I felt like time was dragging by but at other times, time raced at break-neck speeds. I am happy to have a break though.

Congrats to all those who heard good news from Wharton yesterday. The day I got into Wharton will remain one of my strongest memories. That was a good day! For those who didn't receive good news - hang in there. Remember it's not you that was evaluated; it was an application package. But it sucks getting bad news. It just plain sucks.

Lots of things surprised me about Wharton. I didn't realize I wouldn't automatically excel. I had no idea that recruiting would take up so much time (and money). I didn't think I would have an end of semester money crunch. I had no clue how awesome most of my classmates would be. And I didn't know how much I'd love this crazy place.

But now I need a break. I plan to do a whole lotta sleepin' and a whole lotta watchin' cable. I can't wait to get my Trading Spaces and Real World fixes. Merry Christmas!!

2004-12-15T16:57:00.000-05:00

One down, four to go. My accounting exam was today, and something tells me that the test was deceivingly simple. If I screwed up that test, I have no one to blame but myself since I really didn't hunker down until the wee hours of this morning.

I have an ethics paper due (that's worth 50% of my grade) in less than 24 hours that I haven't started. It's only 1500 words, so I think I should be able to pull together some form of regurgitation that will allow me to pass the class.

And on Friday I have a final in Competitive Strategy, which is a case final. My challenge with written finals is making sure I manage my time well during the test.

Next week I have OPIM and Managing People at Work exams, but that's next - no need to worry about now ;) All I know is I am SO glad I pushed finance and I am SO glad I kept up with the reading this quarter. I think it makes my study period much less stressful. I've actually seen Oprah a couple times. And that's what really matters - being home in time to see Oprah.

2004-12-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

No more pencils! No more books! No more teachers' dirty looks!

Classes are OVER for the semester. We have finals but they are spread out really well, so it's manageable. My last organized recruiting event for the semester was yesterday, so I can't help but smile. I feel like I have all this time on my hands. I am actually in my apartment before dark, which is a beautiful thing let me tell you.

I can't wait to go home for the holidays. I completely forgot to include recruiting expense in my budget, so I'm almost broke. Yesterday, instead of pouring over my books like a good student, I went into my old office to do some consulting and to re-train people on stuff I trained them on in August. I'm not complaining. Anything that helps me pay my rent in January is a good thing... well, almost anything ;)

I suppose I should get back to studying - I am the queen of procrastination!

2004-12-07T20:34:00.000-05:00

Thank GOODNESS the workload is letting up. We have finals, yes, but many of them are written, and I'm less worried about them. AND unlike the first quarter, finals are spread out over more than a week and there's reading days. So less pressure there.

MUCH pressure on the job front, though. Resume drops need to be done by Thursday at midnight. To apply for summer internships, we post resumes and cover letters to specific positions in December. For the vast majority of Investment Banking jobs, to get an interview, you need to get on the "close" list. What that means, is that the Bank will decide by mid January which students will be interviewed. For many of the banks, if you don't make the close list, you don't interview during the Dedicated Interview Period (DIP week). And, pre-selection choices aren't made on the strength of your resume alone. Many of the banks want to see that you tried to get to know them and that you "fit." So getting an interview depends on how well you schmooze in many instances, which I guess makes sense since it IS a small part of the job. (Notice the rationalization of cognitive dissonance working here...)

Someone asked what the pros and cons are in Investment Banking. Since I haven't actually worked in IB, I can't fully answer that question. I'm interested in IB because I really enjoy working with companies and organizations on their capital structures, and working with capital structures to make it possible for them to do new things. I also like an intense work environment, where I get a chance to think on my feet and learn new things quickly. I hear the pay ain't too shabby either - but I don't know if I believe it - you know how that Wharton rumor mill is.... Some challenges would be the hours - who in their right mind WANTS to work 100 hours a week, with no weekends off? Nobody, that's who. But I think if you like what your doing and you like the people you're with at 2:30 AM trying to perfect a pitch book, I think its tolerable. And the crappy hours get better the more senior, experienced, and efficient you become. It's really just 2-3 years of crappy, crappy hours. I would also think that if you lose sight of the meaning of the menial parts of your work, then you may find the job extra challenging.

2004-12-05T17:25:00.000-05:00

This past week has been fun. Coupled with next week, these weeks are the hell weeks of Q2. There is a major project due in EVERY class this Monday and Tuesday. Add on top of that IB Days on the Job, recruiting events, and extracurricular activities, and it means 2 weeks of no sleep.

Despite that, Whartonites still take time out to have fun. Last night was the Winter Ball, Wharton's version of prom that supports the activities of the Wharton International Volunteer Program. The ball was held in 30th Street Station, Philly's Railroad Depot, and featured a live jazz band, and, probably more importantly, an open bar. Since it was black tie, everyone was looking pretty snazzy. Once again I had a few too many Apple Martinis - it was a pretty fun time.

Next week, formal recruiting events come to an end. I can't say I'm sad to see them go. Investment Banking recruiting is INTENSE. I had no idea how much of a time commitment it was. There were weeks when I spent 30 hours trying to get a job. Looking for a job IS a job. I just wish I'd understood that commitment before I signed up for other stuff. But it's almost over. On Thursday, I'll submit my resume and cover letter to about 8 banks. Then if I'm lucky, I'll be pre-selected to interview in February during the Dedicated Interview Period (DIP week). We'll see - I just want to have a job for the summer. Is that too much too ask?

2004-11-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

Ugh I was so unproductive during the break.

And I had plans. Big big plans. I was going to do all my class work, write all my cover letters, AND do some consulting work so I can pay my rent next month. I was going to do all this PLUS shopping PLUS relaxing PLUS visiting friends.

Well, I managed to do the shopping and relaxing and visiting part but nothing else. So unproductive...

But you know what, I don't feel that bad about it actually.

All during November, I felt this disconnect - like my life was falling apart. And maybe it is. Maybe I am going to horribly in my classes. Maybe I won't get a job. But you know what? I feel OK about it. Maybe I've gotten used to my life being in a constant state of disarray. Or maybe I've accepted that I've dropped several balls this month and that's OK. Or maybe its the tryptophan talking.

Maybe business school is really supposed to teach you how to thrive among the chaos.

I've got the chaos part down pat - now if I could only get a hang of that thriving part...

2004-11-17T20:47:00.000-05:00

During the learning team retreat, one of our leadership fellows told us about how one learning team held people accountable. If a team member messed up, he or she had to where a t-shirt, a la The Scarlet Letter declaring, "I let my learning team down." I think I deserve one of those t-shirts.

When people talk about drama on their learning teams, they often blame others in the group for the drama. Well this time the problem is my fault. I am a little overextended (I COMPLETELY underestimated the intensity (insanity??) of IB recruiting) and I have to admit that learning team stuff was not always my top priority. What I didn't realize was how that made the team feel. I guess it never feels good when you think you don't matter to someone. I never meant to send that message. But I'm glad I got that feedback. I learned I need to be more conscious of how my actions and attitudes affect others.

Things are still crazy, but I'm less stressed about it. Stressing does absolutely nothing but cause grey hairs! I'm beginning to come to terms with the chance that I may not always be completely prepared for cold calls. And you know what? If I get called on and I don't know the answer, life will go on. I'm also learning that JIT delivery of class assignments is a good thing.

I still feel behind in my recruiting efforts. Some people seem to have themselves so together on all fronts (professional, personal, social, academic). I don't know how they do it. Maybe they have a twin and they switch back and forth? Or maybe they sold their souls to the devil? I just don't know how they do it. I'm telling you, there's money to be made on that human Xerox machine. All you engineers should get on that.

2004-11-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

Despite assurances from second years, I think the second quarter is more hectic than the first. Maybe it's because all of the activities I volunteered for last quarter are picking up, or maybe its because recruiting has gotten more intense. All I know is I barely have time to do anything. My apartment looks like a hurricane went through it. I have piles of laundry to do. My refrigerator is getting bare.

So basically I'm a little overwhelmed. I feel like I'm trying to do everything, and in doing that, everything isn't done completely. It's like I'm juggling a dozen eggs - and I keep dropping them.

What I need is an assistant - someone to clean up my apartment, cook for me, do my laundry, and write my thank you notes. Or a Xerox copy of myself. Ya that would work, too.

The 31st annual Whitney M Young conference was this weekend. Since I was involved with the conference planning, it was a pretty intense weekend. It's a 2.5 day conference, which is longer than the typical Wharton conference. Many of the AAMBAA alums come back and participate on panels. It was a fun but extremely tiring weekend. One of the highlights of the weekend was a speech by the Rev. Al Sharpton. No matter what your political leanings may be, I have to tell you he's a phenomenal speaker.

But now it's back to work. I already dropped the ball on one of my assignments due on Friday, so I need to get on it - or at least look into that assistant!

2004-11-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

The second quarter is moving full steam ahead. We were expect to hit the ground running, with reading assignments expected by the first class. This quarter's professors also seem more willing to cold call students, which is a small source of anxiety.

This quarter, I'm taking managerial (cost) accounting, operations management (OPIM), managing people at work, competitive strategy, and ethics. My OPIM and accounting classes are surprisingly aligned. Every class, the profs mention some theory or concept that we covered in the other class. Accounting in general draws upon the concepts we learned in other classes, which is pretty cool.

I'm struggling with OPIM. Our operations management is basically fancy optimization problems in excel - so how can you maximize (minimize) profit, output, whatever given your resources and constraints. I am an excel queen so I love that part. The optimization/algebra part is a bit tricky. I'm going to need lots of practice to get this class.

Recruiting is somewhat less hectic that it was first quarter. Close lists are being formed, and people are narrowing down the field. I also think most of the people who were attending events because they didn't want to miss anything (you know, the "I'm not interested in I-banking but I might as well go to the Info Session" people) are started to become focused. Which is good for everybody. I think I've narrowed down my list to a few banks. Now I plan to do hard core research and talking to second years. I'm a little bit behind, I know. Many of my class mates were researching and talking over the summer. But I guess I have to do things my way if I'm to maintain my sanity.

2004-11-02T20:12:00.000-05:00

Today was the first time I voted in Philadelphia. Philadelphia's voting processes has to be one of the most inefficient and asinine on the planet. I headed to the polls around 8 AM, thinking to myself that they (whoever "they" are) always suggest that you go early to vote. Well the line was out the door.

No big whoop, right? Wrong.

It's turns out the 100-150 people in line were in for a 1-2 hour wait. Why? Because they system to sign in to vote is ass backwards. First when you approach the sign in table, they ask for your name. They look in an index card box for a card with your name and address. Once the card is found and you verify that the name on the card is you, the card looker-upper passes the card to the next person, who writes your name down on another card. They then pass this new card to another person who writes down your name in a log (after taking a minute or two to inspect the index card... for what I don't know). Then you sign your name in the voter log. They write down your friggin name TWICE. Why??? That's absolutely stupid and the process completely slows down voting. Ass backwards, I tell you. Ass backwards.

It will be an interesting night as the networks try their best not to have embarrasing calls cum the fiasco that was the 2000 election. In Philly, it seems voter turnout may set some records. It's amazing how a little thing like the electoral college deciding the president instead of the popular vote can make people finally realize that every vote matters. In Florida, it came down to 537 votes the last time.

Last time I checked, MSNBC had the Bushinator winning the popular vote, but Kerry was ahead in the electoral college allocation. I can't wait to find out what the verdict is tomorrow morning.

Oh and for your entertainment, once again the gentleman at jibjab.com deliver the funnies with "It's Good to be in DC."

2004-10-30T14:52:00.000-04:00

Well the first quarter is done and the second quarter has just begun. You never really get a chance to breathe here.

Finals for the most part were absolute bears. I think I did reasonably well in my econ class, but everything else was a challenge. Final grades don't come out until next week, so we'll see. My first quarter experience has led me to reevaluate the way I manage my time. Last quarter, after the Employer Info Sessions (EISs), I would usually go home - with the intention on working, but I usually ended up being somewhat unproductive. The new rule is that I will stay at Huntsman until at least midnight. I also plan on being more efficient with my time in between classes. We'll see how the new plan works out.

Yesterday, I participated in the Prospective Student Day, a recruiting event for women and people of color. (Shout out to all those who came out!) It was weird - it was like a reverse EIS. After the panels I was on ended, prospective students would come up to the front of the room and line up to speak with me. I wasn't expecting that. People actually wanted my advice - very weird! (And oh, for those at the Interview Panel, here is the accepted.com link) There are a lot of great and interesting people applying to the class of 2007. I wish you all luck!

2004-10-19T20:45:00.000-04:00

It's finals week here at Wharton. The first quarter has ended. Starting today I have a final every night. That's the bad news. And I think I just BOMBED my marketing Final. That's the worse news. The marketing final was an absolute bear. It was a case study that we didn't see before the test. We had 3 hours to analyze the case and do a complete write up - the whole 5 C's , 4 P's, quant analysis, bla bla blaaa. I didn't finish. I really misjudged my time. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

I have accounting tomorrow evening. I'm not looking forward to that one. I have a lot of studying and practicing for that one if I'm going to get a decent grade.

And there's stats on Thursday - not looking forward to that one either. Never in my life have I been so excited for a class to end. Stats was the most confusing class this semester. The only good thing about the test on Thursday is that I never have to read another confusing (yet astonishing) fact about statistics again.

And then I'll finish up the week of fun with a MGEC (econ) exam. MGEC is my only chance to get a good grade. So I'm not too worried about that one. But you can't really not worry about exams here. The means are always super high, and the standard deviations are always super tight. It's really hard to excel here.

But I know this experience isn't just about excelling. I'm just sick of being average all the time.

2004-10-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

On Friday, I went up to NYC for a day on the job (affectionately known as DOJ) at an investment bank. There were three organized DOJs, but I only went to one because I had a conflict. The bank I visited had a Q&A session with IB associates, followed by a cocktail reception. It was interesting to hear what people liked about their jobs and what motivated them to choose the industry/product line that they did. From what I can glean, the bank's culture seems pretty happy. The people were tired, no doubt - that's a given when you work 80-100 hours per week. But they seemed to be really passionate about the work that they do, and they seemed to like one another. I liked that.

I'm beginning what's shaping up to be an all nighter. My learning team has been very efficient about dividing work up, and now my number is up. We have a bear of a stats project due tomorrow, and we have to write six pages about a multiple regression. That's right, SIX single spaced pages. That's a lot of writing about stats. I'm not sure if I will be able to fill 6 pages. And then I have an accounting case that I haven't even started. And I also have a marketing case to prepare for - but from what I hear its an interesting read. It's about Tiffany and Co. (diamonds!) and corporate responsibility. On Monday, Mike Kowalski (the CEO of Tiffany, not the guy from the Monsters Inc) will be holding a video conference call with our Marketing classes to get our take on the facts presented in the case. I think that's pretty damn cool.

So I'm in for a long night - bring on the caffeine and Red Bull (because it gives you wings!!)

2004-10-12T23:04:00.000-04:00

OMG.

Finals start in one friggin' week. I can't believe how quickly the first quarter flew by.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I sort of rested on my laurels in accounting, and my current grade reflects my effort. The only good thing is that 42% of my grade will be decided in the next week so I can still pull it out.

I've gotten some feedback that I shouldn't worry about my grades, and that my main focus should be job huntin', having fun, *insert your poison here*. But one of my goals when I came to Wharton is to have a good balance. There are basically four areas crying for your attention in business school: academics, professional, extracurricular, social/family. My goal is to have a good balance in the four areas. I know grades aren't the end all be all - but the truth is my accounting grade indicates I didn't master the material. And mastering the material is important to me.

Oh and I hate EISs. They absolutely suck. It's like a meat market. The good thing is that if you eat enough crab cakes from the Inn at Penn, you don't ever have to cook. The bad thing is that it's important to make meaningful connections at the EISs - I just don't know how you do it.