Life In and Out of the Classroom

Ganesh Harinath
MBA Class of 2008
BS - English/Philosophy, UCLA
Position prior to Smeal: Finance Assistant, Teledyne Technologies Incorporated
Interesting Fact: I love punk rock music and would have been a musician in an alternate universe. I currently play eight instruments, but not at the same time. Even I'm not that good.

May 13, 2007

Hidden Victory

My team successfully presented during our executive panel presentations Friday, and all went well. We found out that we did not win, but we were happy with our efforts nonetheless. That night, many of the students in the program headed down to Zeno’s, a local establishment, with an alum who is a Vice President of Coors.  He was back in State College as a finalist judge for executive panel and wanted to connect with the students in a social setting.  Our alumni are pretty awesome – they do things like this somewhat often, and I really can’t complain.

Denouement

Well, the year is officially over. I have the next week or so to finalize a paper for my marketing practicum course and then I have to move out of my place and into an apartment in New York.

Reflecting on this first year experience, I can see a lot of personal and professional growth. The way I view the world is forever changed – my sum of experiences forever altered and amended in such a way that I carry a deeper appreciation for all the things around me. The way I choose to acknowledge it is sort of like blinking. We never really think about the unconscious act of blinking until someone mentions it. Then, all we can do is focus on it. In much the same way, business occurs all around each of us everyday. It is only when we are given the tools to understand the ramifications of business that we can begin to really perceive it in a meaningful way. I am now at that stage, and am grateful for the journey there.

I’ve learned a lot this year and have made friends that I know will remain friends for the rest of my life. I am really looking forward to getting out there and putting these new-found skills to the test as I engage in business in New York. While I will miss everyone, I know I will see them again next year, along with a fresh batch of students ready to gain all the information they can. What an exciting time for them, and for the rest of us as well.

…And Have A Pleasant Tomorrow

On a more personal note, I’ve really enjoyed the Smeal MBA blogging experience. While I may have been edited here and there, I still appreciate the retrospective nature of these little electronic musings, and can only hope that someone out there finds it useful, if not entertaining! To all the prospective students pondering their options, and to all the admitted students I’ll be meeting with next year, please feel free to drop a line if I can be of any service.

Signing off…

Cheers, -g

May 5, 2007

Post-Finals Finals?

Having just finished up sitting for a few finals and turning in a few papers, I think the worst is behind me. But I am wrong. There is more! I am currently worrying about the marketing practicum presentation I have to make next week, as well as executive panel presentations a few days later. For those who don’t know, executive panel is the capstone for our first year of the MBA program. Alumni come back to judge our study teams as we make presentations about a case; we are to use all the information we learned during the first half of our education to analyze and dissect the case, and then make the best presentation we can. Should be a challenge; but I’m looking forward to it.

Summer Plans

This summer, I am going to be working for IBM in their Market Intelligence division. I am excited about the opportunity and am really looking forward to being in New York for the summer.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

April 28, 2007

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

The cold and flu season has once again reared its ugly head, and I have fallen victim to yet another round of coughing, sneezing, fever, and body aches. Though, to be honest, this is the most sick I have been in recent memory. I haven’t been able to do much but sleep and blow my nose for the last 48 hours or so. For those of you waging your own internal immunity war, I wish you all the best of luck.

What makes this most recent bout of illness worse, still, is that I can’t get checked out by a doctor until Monday at 8 :00 a.m.

What’s The Deal With Comedy?

A few of us went to go see Jerry Seinfeld earlier this week as he performed to sold-out shows here in State College. I was primarily impressed that he even considered coming to what I consider a relatively small venue such as State College. However, as many have noted, fans are fans: no matter where they are. Besides, back-to-back sold-out shows are nothing to sneeze at; unless, of course, you’re sick.

Final Finals Stretch

Now begins the last finals stretch of the first year. I am a bit excited, but want to reserve my elation for the day after each of my numerous assignments is turned in and everything is complete. Until then, time to sack up and try to focus.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

April 22, 2007

Blue and White weekend is an annual tradition at Penn State where alumni and current students unite to enjoy a friendly football scrimmage and take part in tailgating activities. This past weekend was a great time, and we all had a blast. One ‘spin’ on this annual favorite was the advent of wearing maroon and orange as a show of support for the Hokies at Virginia Tech.

I was very impressed by the willingness of Penn State students to take part in such a display. The community in the MBA program, then, feels like something of a microcosm of the overall tendency of Penn State, at large. And that, undoubtedly, is a good thing.

Our hearts and prayers are with those affected by the recent tragedy. No matter what colors we wear to show school spirit, the colors we associate with our congenial humanity are what truly count. And, this past weekend, those colors were maroon and orange.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

April 15, 2007

MBA Games at Duke

I spent this past weekend in North Carolina, at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. During the last two days, I competed in several events dubbed ‘MBA Games’ in conjunction with the Special Olympics. Five of my classmates and I made the 20 hour round trip drive out there to enjoy the 70 degree weather and take part in the philanthropic spirit of the games. Our special Olympian, Taylor, helped round out our rag-tag group of athletes as we competed against such schools as Wharton, NYU, and Carnegie Mellon. We had a great time, and placed in the top ten overall! This was Smeal’s first visit to the 19^th annual games, and I was glad to be a part of the inaugural experience.

What Could Have Been

This weekend also gave me a good chance to scope out how ‘the other half’ lives, and see what might have been had I accepted with another east coast MBA graduate school. While name brand and ranking matter quite a bit to some, I have always been a fan of culture as a competitive advantage. Here, the  trade-off seems to be meeting students who have no idea what their classmates’ names are, have no clue about the personal lives of their peers, and honestly cannot even introduce me to the person sitting across the hall because they are not sure they are in the same program. Shocking, in my opinion; but different strokes for different folks. Suffice to say, I feel I made the right decision for me. Opportunity costs exist, at every point, but personal value affixed to those costs is really the crux of any informed decision. And that’s just the way it is.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

April 7, 2007

Snow

I was supposed to attend a concert in Pittsburgh last night. That is, until Mother Nature reared her ugly head. How do I feel? Disappointed to say the least. I purchased these tickets back in early March, and have been looking forward to it for the longest time. Well, the band is Bayside, and I already have an autographed poster on my wall. So, really, what more can a kid ask for.

Ramping Up

Things here are really starting to pick up steam. This module, I am taking two intro courses, both for my intended portfolios: Marketing and Finance. So far, the courses have not left me wanting. They are both very intense, and I feel as though I am learning a lot of very tangible facts I can definitely apply for my internship this summer.

In the Putting

During a job interview, I was invited to take a tour of the company’s plant. While on the tour, I engaged in a conversation with the tour guide about their company’s supply chain. Now, I didn’t get the highest grade in my supply chain course last module, but I did learn a thing or two. I was able to carry on an intelligent conversation with this employee for the duration of the hour long tour. It was actually pretty awesome. Who would have thought I would actually learn something while here? Oh, wait. Right. That’s the point.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

Just Some Friends You Haven’t Met

This past weekend was the visitation weekend, and many prospective students joined us for an informative and packed schedule of lunches, mock classes, campus tours, and social outings. I recall my own visitation weekend, and how it was the single event that had the greatest impact on my decision to join the Penn State family. I realize now the importance of this weekend in helping these students decide what the Penn State program has to offer, and if they would be a good fit. To me, it’s the business of honesty, integrity, and family – it’s not a personal offense if any of the prospective students that I spoke to decide not to come here. We all have to do what is best for us. If Penn State happens to fit into that picture, then all the better.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

Gulliver I Ain’t

Well, it’s back to basics time here at Smeal. My finals from last mod a now distant memory, I have spent the last week or so readjusting to the grind and forgetting that only a few short days ago I was on a beach in Ipanema sipping a drink out of a pineapple and hanging out with my boys in the program.

I wonder if they have flights out of State College that land directly in Rio?

But, seriously, I had a great time. My immersion trip took me to Santiago, Chile, where I spent the week with several classmates. We visited a series of companies, and examined some of the financial systems within Chile. Our faculty guide, Dr. Sheehan, linked us up with one of his Ph.D. contacts from back in the day – he ended up giving us a quick morning chat about his experiences as a CFO in Chile. Just goes to show, the Penn State network stretches across schools and continents.

As a quick thumbnail, we also spent time with representatives from the US Commercial Service, Chile Foreign Investment Committee, CCU [a Chilean brewery], Arauco [Chile’s largest wood and pulp manufacturer], El Teniente Copper Mine, the Central Bank of Chile, ENTEL [a leading wireless provider]… and even more. So, as you can imagine, it was a very packed schedule.

Needless to say, I was a bit conflicted when I left the immersion trip for my spring break trip – but though I learned a lot, I was ready for my vacation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Anyway, now it’s back to the grind. And time to get it done.

Cheers, -g

February 24, 2007

Passion

This past Tuesday evening, I made the drive out to Allentown, Pennsylvania with one of my classmates. My favorite band, Everclear, was in town; I figured this was my best chance to see them anytime in the next two years, so I carpe-d that diem. It was about three hours each way, and the concert itself was loud and obnoxiously punk – anyone who has been to a punk concert knows what I mean. But mosh pit and over-priced merch aside, I had a blast.

I got into town around 4:00 a.m. that night, and had to be up at 7:00 a.m. for class at 8:00 a.m. I also had a couple of job interviews that morning, as well as a massive presentation worth most of my grade in several classes. So, that was a pretty rough day.

But, I was reminded of something very important as my internship interviewer asked me what I like to do with my free time: I am extremely passionate about music. In response to his simple query, I was very easily able to mention my passion for music… Passion is just suffering. That’s all it is. The things we are passionate about are the things for which we are most likely and willing to suffer. Hence, I do not regret any of that evening or any of the difficulty of the next day. Instead, I choose to revel in the passion I have for music and treat that evening as a testament to that passion.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

February 18, 2007

Balancing Act

This week has been a blur. I just took a two hour nap in my office. It’s nearly 7:00 p.m. now, and I have hours of work ahead of me. All I know is that I managed to make it to the building this morning at 8:45 a.m. in anticipation of doing some yoga at 9:00 a.m. So, it has been a long day. The rest of the week will be equally challenging. I plan on going to a concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening. The next day I have two job interviews and a massive cross-course presentation to give. It will be a challenge, to say the least. Okay, back to the grindstone.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

February 10, 2007

Worming My Way Into the Big Apple

The past few days, I traveled with many of my program-mates to Manhattan for an alumni meet and greet, as well as some career-related informational tours within the retail industry. It was an awesome experience to travel to the city and meet so many diverse alumni with unique jobs and perspectives. The alumni event was on Thursday evening.

On Friday, I spent the day traveling around Manhattan to meet with executives from Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s. We received a private tour of Bloomingdale’s, before the store opened for the day. It was a little eerie to walk around the empty facility with just my classmates and a tour guide. But at the end of the experience, I felt as though I had gained a lot of information I could really use to make an informed decision about the retail industry in general. After the tour, we all sat down to a late breakfast with a Bloomingdale’s VP and engaged in some discussion of the retail industry.

Miracle on 34^th Street

A quick subway ride later, we were at Macy’s on 34^th street. There, we engaged in a series of discussions with several members of the corporate staff, including many executive VPs. Even though these folks were in the throes of year-close [which as any one who has worked in a corporate HQ knows is a huge deal], they still took a few hours to give us detailed insight into Macy’s, and the retail industry in general. I was incredibly impressed both by the industry, as they explained it to us, and the time-investment they gave to us MBAs. The Penn State connection was the only way I would ever get my foot in the doors of these headquarters, and I was very thankful for the experience. Even better, they gave us gift bags to thank us for our time, and accepted our resumes directly. In a word: Outstanding.

Reality Bytes

The trip to NYC was all well and good, but now it’s back to the reality of being glued to my laptop for the next several days and weeks. The module is quickly drawing to a close, and so too are the number of expendable hours I have. This is the nature of the beast. Hopefully I can make it out no worse for wear, as I have my immersion trip to Chile and my spring break in Brazil to look forward to!

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

P.S. Hi Mrs. Fogarty – glad to know my teammate’s mom enjoys my blog.

February 3, 2007

Getting My Fill of Phil

I recently decided to take advantage of my proximity to all things Pennsylvania. After the first ten minutes, I realized that there’s very little near State College. So I did what any rational college student would do – I took a road trip. 

This time, my travels took me to scenic Indiana, Pennsylvania, where I boarded a bus for Punxsutawney. Once there, I reveled in the amazing-ness of 25-degree weather in anticipation of a glorified rodent sticking his head out of a tree stump while men in three piece suits and top hats patted each other on the back. Needless to say, I was fairly unimpressed. But, I still had a blast. I got to hang out with several of the boys in the program, and let off a little steam after a challenging couple of weeks. The all-night endeavor left me fairly exhausted, and I am still getting back onto a normal sleep schedule.

I had a blast. I will never do it again.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

January 27, 2007

Reality Check

I found out earlier this week that one of my friends from undergrad died in the war. His outfit was deployed in Mosul, Iraq, and he was killed by an IED [Improvised Explosive Device].

Needless to say, this news has – to put it lightly – distracted me from business school. But, that is part of life. I explained this fact to my team so they could perhaps understand if I seemed distant or aloof during our meetings.

My personal political beliefs have become more and more ensconced as time goes on. Incidents such as these only serve to further the conflation of anger, resentment and sadness I feel regarding our nation’s position and reputation in the global theater.

So, life goes on – but not for some. As for the rest of us, we learn from these experiences, and allow our departed the honor of living on in our hearts and minds.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

January 21, 2007

Screen Door Factory

On Friday, several of us marketing focused kids took off for Wilmington, Delaware,  to visit the DuPont plant. While there, we were greeted by several upper level executives, treated to several presentations, had an opportunity to have lunch and have open discussions with some key members of their staff, and attend a whirlwind tour of their experimental facilities. All in all, it was a really awesome experience.

One of the main draws of the Penn State program for me is the alumni networking that a program like the one at Penn State offers. Even though this outing was mainly student driven [both literally and metaphorically], the faculty still showed support and helped guide the process. Additionally, all the Smeal alumni I met while at DuPont seemed genuinely excited about the opportunity to share with us their experiences. It is impossible, in my estimation, to fake that kind of enthusiasm.

Odd Mod

So far, the new mod has lived up to its billing as one of the more, if not the most, challenging. With little time to breathe, I am thankful that I was able to square away a few key details before the school term commenced. But, it’s never enough, and eventually I will almost certainly be sucked into the abyss of business school.

Well, it’s what I signed up for. And at least I know to expect it. So maybe this time, I will be able to make it out even better. Guess we’ll see soon enough.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

January 13, 2007

View From, Abridged

 Well, it’s back to the grindstone for me. I came back into town on Thursday of this week, and have pretty much spent all my time getting stuff in order for the pending term. I had to purchase my ticket for my immersion trip, which was a real bear. And school books and course packs? – don’t get me started on those expenses.

When I left Los Angeles, California, it was a sunny and clear 83 degrees. When I arrived in Albany, New York, before departing for State College, Pennsylvania,  there was 2 feet of snow. Thankfully, State College is just a little wet from the rain and there is no snow to report. At least, not yet; but I’m hanging in there, nonetheless.

So, in this – the calm before the storm – I have had a chance to reflect on my experiences from Modules I and II [aka semester one]. All in all, I had a pretty all-around growth.

When I was in undergrad, I learned all too late that the major you chose wasn’t the kicker – it was the thought process that higher education helped formulate that mattered. Even now, in graduate school, I can see how this is yet again the case. Work experiences aside, we all are pretty similar in that we are all people. As people, we are merely the sum of our total experiences; not much more or less. If graduate school can then be a vessel for delivering new and enlightening experiences or if I can somehow gain perspective on life in addition to the formulaic information I am required to memorize and keep in my personal skills tool kit, then so much the better for me. I think.

Either way, I’m about 25 percent through. So, cheers to that.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

December 18, 2006

Lazy… Saturday?

Since last night was the last night of the regular term, many of us went to a small gathering to celebrate the end of the turbulent mod. As a result, I have very little inclination to do anything but drink Gatorade and watch HBO all day, today. This is the toughest part of… well… life. One thing I’ve noted in my experiences is that the people who can force themselves to get work done, who don’t complain or give up, who find motivation when they’re otherwise exhausted: these are the people who succeed. I have my moments. I guess today just isn’t one of them. And sometimes, that’s OK. That’s the upshot of being human; I recognize that.

Now if only my professors did…

Brick

The basketball team lost last night. This means we are out of the championships. Sucks. The team did a great job this season, and I am proud to have been a part of the success. But, at the end of the day, sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you.

Or something.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

December 9, 2006

Team Ate

My team had a farewell dinner tonight to celebrate completing our last assignment for this module. It is the last time we will work on a graded assignment as teammates. We’ve definitely come a long way, and had our fair share of ups and downs; mostly ups. Although we’re not perfect, I will miss them each in a special way. The sheer number of hours we’ve spent together crammed into a team room or preparing for a presentation testifies to the closeness we’ve achieved as teammates and as friends. It’s a good sign that we’re all still alive, at least – that says something in and of its self.

It’s interesting to me that so many other teams had relatively negative experiences. I am a firm believer in the idea that, at the end of the day, your team experience is what you make of it. I have been fortunate in that my team seems to have felt similarly. Or, at the very least, they’ve certainly acted similarly; either way, no complaints.

Final, Weak

We have finals in a week or so, so this next week is really going to suck. I have a ton of papers to grade for the students in my TA sections, and I also have entirely too much reading to catch up on before I can be prepared for my finals. Oh well. Here’s to the weekends ahead, followed by winter vacation!!

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

December 4, 2006

And They Ain’t Lion

My old alma mater, the UCLA Bruins, took on the USC Trojans yesterday in what is one of the greatest rivalries in [west coast] college football. It was an amazing game to witness. My Bruins managed to snap the USC winning streak and crush the Trojans in what was an amazing game to watch. I can only say I wish I were there in person; opportunity cost of business school, indeed.

The fun part was that a bunch of kids from the program came out to support me in my passion. Some of my classmates I play with basketball with, as well as a few second years that went to USC were there to bear witness to the Bruin victory. The community here is really quite cool; everyone supports each other, and everyone is willing to hang out randomly. This seems like such a minute or insignificant detail, but I assure you it is not.

When I was picking schools, I chose Penn State because of the community and involvement of the students. While I will always be a Bruin, I think I’m starting to feel a little Lion in me. And that’s OK.

‘Til next time.

Cheers, -g

November 17, 2006

The Plane Truth

My sister and mother just called me to say goodbye. They, along with my sister’s husband, are leaving for India for my cousin’s wedding. This is the first trip my mom and sister are making without me in my entire life. Granted, I’ve only been to India a handful of times, but still I feel as though I am missing out. My distant [by miles, not blood] relatives are relatively unknown to me. The only family I have living in the states are my immediate family plus my brother-in-law. That’s it. So, naturally, I would like to be with them during this trip so I can spend more time with those related to me. However, the timing is not right given that I have class and assignments to worry about. For those of you with local family this holiday season, don’t take it for granted; I know I don’t.

Cold Turkey

I don’t have exact plans for this Thanksgiving break. My family, as I just mentioned, will be traveling during the holiday. Besides, as also mentioned, I have a lot of work to catch up on during this time. So, I am planning to just relax and maybe spend some time with my roommate during the holiday. Incidentally, I’ve seen my roommate maybe once or twice a week, tops, during the last month or so. He’s an engineering Ph.D. student currently defending his thesis, or dissertation, or something similar. My Smeal family has been very gracious in offering to either have me come to their homes in the local area or travel with them to nearby states and cities to spend the holiday with their families. What a great feeling to know that you have people near you who care about you. Truly, my classmates are like my new family. I appreciate their kindness and thoughtfulness.

Well, tomorrow is the last football game of the year. I will have gone to every single game, a feat I did not even accomplish during any of my four seasons at UCLA. Go figure.

Cheers, -g

November 11, 2006

Reign Supreme

Looks like this weekend’s forecast calls for severe thunderstorms. Awesome. I don’t understand why it rains on game day, but it’s gorgeous all during the week. That doesn’t make much sense to me. If I had done better in statistics, I’d attempt to explain what the probability of same was.

Hammering Out Volunteer Time

One of my classmates [and fellow bloggers!] coordinated some volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity this Friday, November 10. We spent a few hours working to renovate a warehouse in Bellefonte [a nearby town] in order to prepare it for use as the hub for local Habitat for Humanity supply distribution. The main folks in charge complimented our Smeal family greatly when they told us that our day’s work was the greatest progress they had ever seen in such a small amount of time. I loved working with Habitat in my days as an undergrad at UCLA; I’m glad that the event was successful. It reminded me of home, in a good way.

Kicking Off the Habit

The eternal struggle for me is deciding whether to spend my Football Saturdays at home, working, or at the tailgate, having fun with classmates. Saturday is the one day I normally dedicate to just hanging out, and doing nothing. Seems I could use the time more wisely. Oh well. Gotta work hard and play hard, as I see it.

Bring on the football.

Cheers, -g

November 3, 2006

Hollow Win

This blog starts with some good news. The MBA basketball team I help coach is now 4-1 this season. However, our last victory occurred as a forfeit. To quote 21st century philosopher Homer Simpson “Default: the two greatest words in the English language.”

Tuesday evening, several MBA students headed down to Tony’s Big Easy to celebrate Halloween, in style. By in style, I mean several people dressed to the nines, people like me dressed haphazardly, and a few just came as they were. It was nice to see many of the second years out and about. Unfortunately, many second year students do not mingle much with us lowly first years. I can understand why, but still wish to the contrary. After all, it’s proven that having connections in the ‘lower end’ of the management cycle is the true key to understanding and attaining a desired vocational position. Why would a CEO talk to you when he has junior VPs who can do it, instead?

I am going to take advantage of the away game tomorrow to get some shopping done. As a ‘typical’ male, I can’t stand shopping. But, even the most reticent of shoppers must crumble in the face of 30 degree temperatures. Have I mentioned, yet, that I’m from LA? I should probably invest in a sweater; and something better than Rainbow© sandals.

It’s going to be a long season.

Cheers, -g

October 30, 2006

By virtue of my virtu

This past weekend, I spent a few days and nights with some classmates in New York. This is the only weekend we have free before the second mod claims our academic souls yet again; I suspect things will be pretty involved until December, when we have our winter break.

It was a really fun weekend involving lots of new experiences and great memories to last us the coming weeks and months. It was really great meeting fellow Penn State alums in the New York area who were watching the game at the same Sports Bar as we.

Oh well. It is now Sunday evening, on the eve of Mod II, and I am beginning to wish for another vacation already!

This next week should be an interesting and fairly fast-paced one; here’s to enjoying the experience.

Cheers, -g

October 16, 2006

School Daze

When I was in undergrad, I was pretty busy – I was king of extracurricular activities, and had a pretty full social life, to boot. Later, in my working life, I would put in 10 hour days, go out at night, and still make it to the gym.

But the busy-ness here at Smeal is nothing like I’ve ever experienced before – not for what it is, but for the intensity of each activity grabbing my attention. There’s nothing you can skate through; it just doesn’t work that way.

A lot of the time, my days here are pretty full. To illustrate, I’ve included my schedule from Thursday, 10-12-06.

0000-0215: Finish studying for my two quizzes today; walk back home from my classmates’ apartment.

0230-0720: Sleep. Sort of; I have low-grade insomnia.

0745: Walk outside in time to see my bus leave, without me, for the third day in a row.

0802: Arrive in class, out-of-breath, but barely late. Can’t feel fingers as I left my coat at home and it’s about 40 degrees. Note to self: I’m not in LA anymore.

0920: Professor DeSarbo announces a break for the Statistics class – I celebrate by working on my schedule, having an impromptu TA meeting and running back to class.

1000-1030: Coffee Buzz [the daily half hour break we get, where we can socialize and load up on caffeine]. I spend this time finishing up my slides for the sections I TA through my Graduate Assistantship Scholarship.

1030-1230: Management class with Dr. Gioia. I spend most of the time worrying about the imminent quiz, but still manage to make some decent contributions.

1234: Flee the business building to make it to my TA section on time; it’s a bit of a walk.

1255: Arrive to my section only to realize I’ve forgotten my slides I worked on. I write them, again, quickly.

1302-1415: Teach; realize my section did not end early, so I missed the 1400 deadline to take Dr. Gray’s online teams quiz. It’s ok, I can take it at 1930, also.

1430: Arrive back in the business building in time for my next section.

1431-1545: Teach; realize my section is as tired as I am.

1546: Arrive to accounting review, 46 minutes late. It’s OK because Dr. Fischer cancelled the review. Glad I ran to make it.

1546-1640: Cram for my make-up management quiz I missed due to TA-ing my sections; eat some food from the Creamery.

1640-1720: Impromptu meeting with one of the second years about running for office on the MBAA (MBA Association) next year.

1720-1755: Study; sort of.

1801-1825: Take and finish management quiz.

1826-1839: Walk hurriedly, in the drizzle and cold cold wind, to the Mercer Info Session at the Nittany Lion Inn; it’s further than the class where I TA-ed, earlier.

1840-1913: Network; collect and distribute business cards.

1913-1923: Practically run back to the business building to cram for 5 minutes before the online quiz.

1930-2000: After a pointless review of my notes, I take the closed book Teams Quiz.

2000-2014: Walk back home with some classmates. On the way, I return missed phone calls and make plans for the evening.

2015-2234: Watch Dead Poet’s Society with my team for our final presentation next week. It’s just as good as I remember.

2235: Kick them all out, and change to go play basketball.

2250-2325: Play basketball in preparation for tomorrow’s IM game; we’re undefeated this season, and I’m the assistant coach. Good stuff.

2326-2340: Go back home and get changed, again.

2340-0000: Go to Sports Café to begin my relaxation and preparation for the next fun-filled day…

Editor’s note: I got a solid 4.5 hours of sleep last night.

Days like this aren’t typical, but they do occur; often. It’s like this at any good business school. You can’t expect to run a corporation one day if you can’t successfully manage your time; and like any job, the best way to learn is trial by fire. While it may seem tiring, I assure you that the rush, the feel of accomplishment and the overall quality of each of these interactions makes it more than worth my time.

If only I could get more sleep…

Til next time.

Cheers, -g

October 6, 2006

Soothing the savage MBA

This past Sunday, one of our classmates treated a handful of us to an intimate concert. A former concert pianist, he shared his incredible talent with us. One of the professors hosted us at her home near school, cooked us dinner, and helped us forget about school for a while as our compeer regaled us with his favorite selections of classical music. What an awesome reprieve from the perils of academia.

Weather or not

In other news, I am finding life out here to be more and more interesting. Besides having to consistently remind people that I am not an international student, the only gripe I’ve had is dealing with the weather. Happy Valley seems to have one of the most capricious weather systems I’ve ever encountered. This perhaps explains why the meteorology program here is top notch. But I am admittedly skewed on this front; Los Angeles is not exactly known for its varied seasons. Where I’m from, there’s pretty much sunny and rainy, and not much in-between; and not much of the latter, for that matter.

No accounting for bad exams

Thankfully, the accounting midterm is behind me; I took it last night. That was a debacle of an exam, but the last-minute cramming seemed to pay off. I hope. Whatever, it’s over; time to focus on the tasks ahead, and preparing for finals in two weeks. The down-side of a seven week mod is the fact that it is a seven week mod; who knew.

Thankfully, some of the Chinese students are throwing a mid-autumn festival party this Friday night. It has something to do with the moon – I don’t pretend to understand it, conceptually. But, I am looking forward to learning about their culture, hanging out with classmates, and basically just taking it easy. What a concept.

Til next time.

Cheers, -g

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