Dang, these weeks seem to get longer and longer as the summer gets closer. I'm ready to just finish up these courses and put what i've been learning to use in my internship.
Yesterday, I had a final exam for our 2-unit Managerial Accounting and that joint was a BEAST! I think it is partially my own fault that I found it to be difficult because I didn't have time to put in enough time studying for it because of all of my other class work. I did spend all day hitting the books for it and I felt somewhat comfortable with the material, but the questions just hit us all out of nowhere. I asked several of my classmates about how they thought they did and everyone was thikning that they bombed it. THANK GOODNESS for our grade non-disclosure policy because it makes it so that we can actually focus on internalizing the material instead of simply cramming it in to do well on a final. While there are people who are trying to get the highest marks in every class, I know that's not how I'm trying to carry it, so I'm just chillin' and getting a lot of learning done in all of these classes. Surprisingly, I was really diggin' that Managerial Accounting class because the professor was a riot and I found the course content to be much more important and applicable than I expected. After thinking that this would be my last Accounting course ever at the GSB, I am actually considering taking one or two accounting electives next school year.
Now that this Accounting course has finished, I've got the brand new Technology in Markets course starting on Monday afternoon. I'm really excited about this because tech is like homebase for me and the course professor is a really good teacher. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to provide as much learning input for others in the class as I'll get from them. Given my background and my interest in Technology, I should absolutely murder this course and get an H in it, but I may just fall back a little and use the second half of the quarter to put more effort into my other classes as I move into the home stretch toward the end of the quarter. We'll see how that goes...
Starting tomorrow afternoon, we'll be having our second Admit Weekend and those of us on the committee have been working really hard to put on a good event for the folks who are coming. i'm excited to see all of the admits come because they all have so much energy and enthusiasm that it re-energizes me for several days afterward. Last time around, I was able to meet a lot of really cool cats who check out this blog regularly and it was interesting to hear their perspectives on the things that I write...I wonder if any of the folks coming this weekend also read this joint. Anyways, I'll be sure to put a summary of how it all went down in a few days.
"Wow!!!"...That's all I can say right now. Earlier this afternoon, we had Jack Welch (former CEO of GE) come speak at the GSB and I'm still in awe of that man. I know it sounds weird, but I considered that man to be a business visionary before I got here and, after doing a case in our Strategy class describing what he did at GE in detail, I was even more amazed. The demand to hear his talk was so big that they had to make admission to it by ticket only (we had to sign up for 2-3 weeks ago) and they hadto move the talk from Bishop Auditorium at the GSB to Stanford's Memorial Auditorium...he was definitely worth all the hype. That guy is just so real!!! He was talking about his new book and he stated a lot of things about "how it goes in business" that really surprised me. It wasn't his statements that surprised me but moreso that he was actually willing to say them. I won't give anything away because the things are in his book, but something tells me that this one is definitely a must-buy. We've had corporate executives speak here many times this year, but Jack Welch had folks more excited than I'd seen people be in a while. I hope I can make some major waves in the busines world and come back here to speak one day while geberating a small percentage of the excitement that Welch did.
Before I go, I've got a few more shout-outs:
- A big CONGRATULATIONS shout out to my man Christian who just found out yesterday that he got into the Yale School of Management!!! For the past few months, he was talking about the possibility of deferring business school for a year because his company was giving him so many opportunities, but that all went away once he got the good word from Yale. I know he's ready to hit New Haven and make some waves, so I wish him the best of luck in that.
- A good luck shout out goes out to my man G. Williams who is a GSB waitlister that I met in person for the first time on Sunday afternoon. We first interacted over email when we exchanged messages in preparation for his GSB interview. He was back on campus for a class visit on Monday and to submit some extra application materials to help get that good word from the Admissions Office. After talking to this guy, I've got my fingers crossed for him because I KNOW that he'd be a great asset to the school. He's done a lot in his life and career so far and i think he'd add a lot to the classroom and to the community as a whole. If I was able to get in this joint, then they HAVE to let him in because he's so on point that I can barely put it into words. G. Williams, if you're reading this, good luck with all this, pimpdaddy.
I just got back from one of the most enjoyable social outings that I've had since I got here and it wasn't even a big knock-down, drag-out event. It was simply a birthday dinner for one of my classmates...but, before you start laughing, let me explain more.
I don't know how this started, but, for the Class of 2006 at the GSB, birthdays become a huge event that will bring 20-25 people out minimum for a gathering, which can end up being anything from a dinner in Palo Alto to a wild night out clubbing in SF. Tonight's joint was a birthday dinner for my man Majid at an Indian restaurant a few minutes from campus. I thought there would be around 25 or 30 people there, but, when I arrived, I found that there would be about 100 people coming through to hang out at the beginning and at least 80 of those would be staying for the dinner. As the area at the bar filled up with people, I marveled at how many folks had come out and how diverse the group was. There were folks of several races/nationalities there and the common theme was that we were GSB students. The diversity around here that you may have heard about is real.
The highlight of the evening was a great conversation that I had with my man Felipe, who came to the GSB from the Dominican Republic. We started out by talking about our summer job experience and then the convo moved into talking about race and the role it plays in the DR. After that, the convo went all over the place and ended with him telling me the story of how he spent his first 14 years in Cuba, escaped to the DR with his family of 5 and started out destitute, and spent the next 12-13 years finding his own path to success. He also told me about what it was like to live under Castro's rule and about some of the policies that have been in place over there since he took over 45 years ago...it was like something out of the book "1984". By the time we left the restaurant, we had been talking for an hour and a half and I was floored by both the inspirational nature of his story and his willingness to tell me about it. I came up from humble beginnings myself and have had to fight many adversities in my journey to the GSB, but hearing Felipe's tale gave me a whole new perspective on things. He said that I was the first person here that he's told the whole story to and I encouraged him to tell it to more of our classmates because I think a lot of people would learn a lot from him. I knew that this dude was a cool cat from the time that i met him, but, after the convo that we had tonight, I realized that he was a focused and humble young man who is going to do big things to help people back in his country in addition to making waves in the business world. These are the types of conversations that I came to business school to have. I want to learn as much about as many of my classmates as possible so I can learn and expand my own mind in addition to building real bonds that will continue past graduation. Wow, our Admissions Director Derrick Bolton and his staff have done a fantastic job of putting together my class.
Before I close out this entry, I'd like to give a few shout outs to...
...a young lady named Houda (I hope I spelled that right) who is a Round 3 applicant to the GSB and a friend of my classmate Amanda (who just so happens to be from the greatest state in the U.S....VA REPRESENT!!!). I was interoduced to Houda and told that she reads this blog regularly and she spent a few minutes telling me how much she is entertained by my stories...I bet she'll be surprised to see herself mentioned in this joint :-)
...my man Brian G. (Round 1 admit) who emailed me today to let me know that he mentioned me in a speech that he made to some DC area Princeton admits. I won't bore you with the details, but, when i saw his emails, I swear I couldn't keep myself from grinning for a solid half hour. That Princeton network is too clutch for words.
...two of my classmates, my man Ed and my girl Eugine, who got engaged this past weekend. They met here during pre-term, started dating back in September and (in Ed's words), "After a whopping 7 months of dating", he surprised her with a proposal. She was totally surprised and their story has been the big buzz around here for the past week. They're getting married in South Korea in the summer and I wouldn't be surprised if 50+ of our classmates are there for the event.
OK, I know I've been really bootleg about updating my blog recently, so I'm going to try to make up for it with a good amount of content in this entry. It's been tough to find time to write lately because the workload has been really heavy so far this quarter. Taking 23 units when most of the other people in my class are taking 15-16 units is a BEAST!!! To make matters worse, I'm actually considering picking up a two-unit Sports Marketing class that starts in about two weeks. I know that I'd probably run myself into the ground by adding another class, but I already don't have time for sleep with my current schedule, so adding another class can't do much worse for me. I want to do as much learning as possible in these two years and stacking up classes is a good way to do so. Also, I'm trying to get as many GSB classes in as I can because the Ed School classes that I have to take put me at risk of having to sacrifice business school classes next year. It would be incredibly stupid for me to add this extra class, but I get closer and closer every day to going ahead and doing it.
As I talk to classmates, one central theme is seeming to emerge: we're all exhausted. The quarter system has a way of just weighing on a person. It's great to have the classes go by quickly and to be able to take more classes over the course of an academic year, but one consequence is that the classes load us up with work for each class session. It isn't uncommon for a person to have 100-200 pages of reading for a single day's worth of classes and, in my case, I've got that on consecutive days (Tuesday and Wednesday). Also, I think the summer internship search took a lot out of people and, for many of my classmates, that search is still going on (but that's mainly because a lot of people just now started their job search). Finally, we've had some traumatic things go on around here in the past week that have a lot of folks upset, so all of that has combined to just have folks wiped out. I hope that we can all recover because several classes have midterms/finals (finals for the 2-unit courses) next week and we all need to be as on point as possible.
Another theme of my Spring quarter so far is that I'm finding it increasing harder to spend time with a lot of the folks around here that I consider to be my "peoples". Academic operations switched up all of the class placements for students and I've ended up not having classes with a lot of my friends that I'd grown accustomed to seeing on a regular basis. I just had dinner tonight with my man Chris who I never get to see anymore because he's married and lives off campus, but it was great to spend a couple of hours catching up with him. I've also been trying to set up lunches and dinner with my other peoples that I haven't been able to connect with much, but that's getting harder to do with all of the classes, group meetings, and organizations that I'm involved in. One thing that does make me smile is that my peoples are actively trying to hang out with me too...that may seem like a small thing, but I find it to be significant because it shows that my classmates are just as concerned with the softer things like maintaining relationships as I am. There are some really good people here at the GSB with me and I really think some lifelong friendships are being forged here.
One last thing...if you are a hip-hop fan, I've got a CD that you should check out. It is entitled "Connected" and it is by a group called Foreign Exchange that is made up of a DJ named Nicolay from Europe and a rapper named Phonte from Durham, NC. Phonte is one of the three members of another rap group called Little Brother who made the best CD that I bought in all of last year. Nicolay put together some of the smoothest beats that I've heard in years and Phonte spits FIRE!!! The whole CD has a mellow, jazzy sort of vibe and it is real hip-hop, not this wack commercialized "hip-pop" that is all over the radio nowadays. They've got a single out from the CD called "Sincere", which should give you an idea of how the whole album flows and you could probably download other tracks too. I'm a big fan of supporting artists who make good music, so y'all should definitely check this joint out.
It looks like my summer job process is finally finished. I thought a lot about my options for the past week and made the choice to spend the summer working at Accenture in NYC. I sent off all my paper work to Accenture and informed Mcmaster-Carr of my decision. After thinking through both options, I saw the consulting option as the best one for the type of work that I want to do after school. Plus, being in NYC puts me closer to my family in VA, which is really big because I want to be close to my sister who is expecting her first child with her husband. I'm now trying to find apartments to sublet and that's turning into another battle altogether. I'm hoping to share a 2BR place in Manhattan with one of my classmates who'll be at Lehman, but I haven't found any places that are in good locations, so we may end up having to get separate 1BR apartments. I'm mainly just trying to find somewhere nice to live that won't cost me an arm and a leg so I'll be able to save up money during the summer.
Now that the job search is over, I should have more time to focus on other things, which is relieving because business school has been an exercise in time management so far. I wish I could add another 4-6 hours to each day. Coming in to this school year, I thought that I'd be able to handle classes, GSB activities, keeping in touch with people, and helping out with initiatives that I was previously involved in, but I've quickly learned that that wouldn't be possible. I knew that the first quarter would be tough because I was getting acclimated to being in B-school, but I had no idea that the job search and a heavier than normal courseload would take up so much of my time in the Winter quarter. Now that it's Spring quarter and I'm taking an even heavier courseload in order to fit in some Education school classes, it's getting even harder to find free time to stay above water. I can't wait until this summer so I can have time to take a bit of a break...I now I'll be working hard in my internship, but, at least I'll be able to go home to get away from the work. When one is in the middle of the school year, the work is always around, whether day or night and at school or home.
When I first got here in September and even as far back as Admit Weekend, I heard about a bunch of classes, like Corporate Finance, Investments, and Supply Chain Mgmt, that were supposed to be the clutch classes to take. People told me that these classes were some of the most popoular and important ones that are available and that every student should consider taking them if at all possible. I'd like to add one more class to that list, Leadership in Diverse Organizations.
I immediately became excited about this class when i saw it in the course catalog at the end of last quarter because of all of my past work in diversity and strong interested in it. Now that I've been in the class for two weeks, I can honestly say that this is a class that all GSB students should take. It is taught my Prof Debra Meyerson who has spent many years researching diversity in the workplace and in society and she's incredibly passionate about the topic. The class meets for only one lecture per week (it's a beast though...4 hours long) and then we have to meet for 90 minutes each week in our 6-7 person study groups to discuss assigned questions. I had my first study group meeting last night and it was fantastic. There are 4 MBA2's and another MBA1 (of many different races) with me in there and we shared stories of instances when we've been in the "token" role and how it made us feel. It was surprising to hear their perspectives and I left that meeting feeling like I'd have a great quarter sharing and learning from those folks. If you are planning on coming to the GSB, I hope you'll consider taking this class because I think you'll get a lot out of it.
In other news, I just got a call about 2 hours ago from a company called McMaster-Carr with another summer internship offer. A lot of people haven't heard of them, but they're an industrial supply company that is incredibly successful (still private and very profitable) and has a great culture. The position would be a mixture of Operations and Strategy and would have me helping them come up with a strategy to optimize their distribution network in their warehouse operations. I'm excited about the opportunity because it would be a great learning experience, but I'm even more excited by the fact that they are so interested in me...when I was talking to their people, they seemed to be all about me and what i was looking for, which was refreshing. The internship would be right outside of Chicago and, since i've never been to that area other than driving through it on my way out here, I'd get a chance to experience a whole new city. Wow, it's good to have choices now, especially after all of the humbling "Heck Naw" messages I got from other companies during this process. I'm hoping to make my decision over the next few days, so I'll let you guys know what's up when i figure it out.
One more thing. I know that this is a pretty personal topic, but I've got a tip for the fellas...please get checked for prostate cancer. My uncle had to have prostate cancer surgery earlier this morning back in VA and, since my mother told me about his condition, I've been looking into it a bit. It is sneaking up on men every day (even men in their 20's and 30's) and it is a totally treatable form of the the disease. The doctors have said that my uncle is going to be alright because he caught it early, but my mother is about to go to the funeral of a guy who caught it late and died 5 weeks after finding out that he had it. Please take care of yourself on this, fellas.
At the GSB, we refer to classes that are in departments outside of the B-school as being "Across the street" and, earlier today, I had my first "across the street" session. The class was an Education school class called "The Politics of Education", which is the first class I'm taking toward the MA in Education degree that I'm pursuing, and covers issues having to do with politics and policies that are encountered in the education space. It is taught by Prof Michael Kirst who is a heavy hitter in the education space and it filled mostly with Education PhD and Master's students. In fact, there are only 6 of us who are joint degree MBA/MA in Education students. I must say that it was a totally different experience than I've seen in any of my classes at Stanford so far. In the business school, people are very insightful with their comments, but the passion of those comments were nowhere close to what I heard from these Ed School kids today, which doesn't surprise me because it isn't easy to get passionate about talking about financial statements or the CAPM Model. The class discussion was about the Headstart organizations and changes that George Bush would like to make to it and the other students were giving great comments about both sides of the issue. I have a feeling that I'm really going to like this class and the other Education classes that I take.
One last thing before I run off to class...I just got a call from Accenture about 30 minutes ago with news about my status...and it was finally some good news. They gave me an offer to spend the summer working as a Strategy Consulting intern in their NYC office likely working on their COmmunications and High Tech team. I'm still smiling from getting that news and, because it is the sort of work that I want for the summer, I'm leaning toward jumping on this while it is still on the table (it is late in their recruiting process and they'd like a response soon). I'll give more information as I get it. :-)
When I sat down at my computer to type this entry, I intended to talk about the first week of Spring classes, but something else more important should be mentioned first. I had my TV on as I was at my computer and I heard the news that the Pope had passed away. The CBS news telecast said that he was the last great figure from the 20th century to pass away and that's when the magnitude of this hit me. That man was in his position for 26 years (I'm only 27) and he was loved by everyone that he came in contact with...that's an amazing legacy. I'm not Catholic, but as a religious person, I can respect what he meant to the 1 billion Catholic people around the world. My condolences go out to them in this time of sorrow and I guess one can take solace in the fact that he's now moved on to a better place after his longtime illnesses. RIP to Pope John Paul II.
Yesterday was the end of our first week of Spring quarter classes and this has been one long week. Instead of having our usually break from classes on Wednesday, we had classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, which damn near knocked me out for the count. It was nice having Monday off, but that usual midweek break goes a long way toward giving me extra time to prepare for the second half of the week's classes. I don't know how people at other schools can do 4 straight days of classes every week...it's probably nice to have 3 day weekends every week, but, if I were in their shoes, I'd probably be so daggone tired by the end of each Thursday that I wouldn't be able to enjoy having Friday through Sunday off. This quarter might be particularly tough for me because I have two education school classes on Wednesdays now instead of having the entire day to study for Thursday's courses. I'm hoping to start a change in my study habits this weekend to lessen the effects of that by getting through all of my readings through Tuesday by the end of the weekend. That way, I'll be able to get ahead on all of my readings and will have less worry about that as the week progresses. *crossing my fingers in hopes that it'll work*
Also, I had my second rounds with Accenture yesterday in their SF office. Taking that trip with me were my roomie Detavio and one of our other classmates Mano. We each had three interviews and, after trading notes on how things went, we decided that we'd all pretty much had the same experience. We'd done well with two of our interviews, but thought that we'd bombed our interviews with the other interviewer, who was the same person for all three of us. It was wild how it went down...my first two interviews were great and I felt like I handled the cases very well, so i was pretty confident going into my third interview. Then, all of that became shaky when the 3rd interviewer hit me with a question about natural vs. non-natural monopolies...after that, he gave me a case that wasn't too bad, but I was still off-balance from his initial question so I think my performance on that case was shaky at best. My classmates told me that they'd had the exact same experience with that interviewer. I've learned throughout this whole process to not think too much about the possible outcome of these interviews before I hear the final word. All that does is create extra worry and, given that I know I did the best that I could, the only thing for me to do now is hope that the interviewers were impressed. Eh, if I don't get it, then it wasn't meant to be and I'll charge it to the game...if I do get it, then 'll have a reason to celebrate a little in the midst of all the classwork I'll be swimming in next week.