Hello readers! This is Diana Lozano, a first-year MBA student at the Olin School of Business (Washington University in St. Louis), joining other fellow MBA students as we try to convey the reality of the MBA experience. I'm originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Yes, the weather there is quite different from the one in St. Louis, especially today as a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow have been falling since morning. What a trio!
Tomorrow it will be a week since I returned to campus after spending most of my winter break bedridden with a nasty case of bronchitis and sinusitis. I bet many of you can relate as the flu and other illnesses are wreaking havoc this season.
Last week I began my second semester, which is split into what Olin calls "minis". These seven-week long classes allow students to sample many more classes than they would under a traditional semester class schedule. During Mini A, I'm taking Cost Accounting, Valuation, and Global Management Studies, rounded off by Competitive Industry Analysis, a semester-long class. In Mini B, scheduled to begin the first week in March, I'll be taking Brand Management, Financing, Contemporary Marketing Channels, and International Marketing Management.
My class load in the first mini is a bit lighter since I'll be working diligently on securing a summer internship in marketing brand management and on extracurricular activities such as the John M. Olin Speaker Series and ARCh of Olin (more on both in coming entries).
Yes, I mentioned internship search. For us first-year students this process starts taking shape in the Fall, mostly through company information sessions, and career fairs at the NSHMBA and NBMBAA conferences, for instance. Over winter break, I submitted a number of resumes and cover letters to companies offering summer internships. In fact, I have to go now to finish my Cost Accounting homework for tomorrow's class (cold calls!) and take care of some last-minute details for an 8:30 a.m. interview. Wish me luck!
Until my next entry...