I can't believe how quickly this semester went by. A couple of weeks ago, I was excited about my re-discovered tolerance for alcohol, now here it is: the end of classes for Fall '04.
What does end of semester at CBS bring? It brings resume submission deadlines. Everyone who is jobhunting wants to land that ideal summer gig. That means unending coffee chats, presentations, fireside chats, brown bag lunches and best of all, "infomationals". ('Informationals' is in quotes because the truth for us is that 95% of the time, they're opportunities to showcase your passion for the industry, knowledge of the company, charm and skillset. NOT the time to ask how the company makes its money.) I would say I focused more on recruiting than anything else this semester.
End of semester brings finals. Yikes! Thank goodness I didn't have to blow off too many classes for recruiting-related activities. Still, I haven't quite studied in the true sense of the word this semester. I prepared for classes, met with my group (yes, even on weekends), handed in (most) assignments, made valuable contributions in (some) classes. And that was pretty much it. Didn't have time to do more than that.
End of semester brings parties. We had kind of slowed down on the social tip for a minute there. That's all about to change...starting with the on-campus party the night of the final day of classes. I'd say a good 50% of partygoers were feeling quite alright. I don't even want to think about the wild abandon sure to come on the last night of final exams. DJs, tickets, clubs, drink specials have already been sewn up...
Then there are review sessions. Everyone is desperate to figure out the mechanics involved in all of the quant courses. Starting w Corporate Finance, the first exam. Sure, we all understood the (really) high level view. No problem. But now, what exactly are the nitty-gritty steps involved in valuing a company again?? And what the heck was our Prof talking about in Micro Econ? Why did the assignments have nothing to do with what we talked about in class?? Guess we need: review sessions. Essentially, we need to learn the nitty-gritties...and in a hurry.
Finally, there's a very much needed month-long break. We all need to chill out for a second. Well, sorta. Unless you've got interviews early in January. Nonetheless, most students are going to be travelling and having much fun this holiday.
So, there you have it. End of 1st semester in a nutshell.