Wow. In a blink of an eye, half the spring semester is done. In January, I signed up to start blogging for Sloan to share some of our varied experiences. Little did I know how pressed for time I would be between recruiting, class, travel, socializing, and whatnot. I'm very focused on a career in finance as a trader and so many of my posts might talk about what's going on in that effort. As you can imagine, it's a tough year to be seeking a job in the markets, but I think I have some of the best oppotunities as a Sloanie.
Before that, let me share with you what I did over IAP. For those who don't know, MIT gives students January off. They call it the Independent Activities Period. It's a great concept. Students can do all sorts of things like externships (one month internships) with companies all over the world, travel, take special classes, or interview. I spent the first part of my IAP on the MIT Sloan Egypt Trek with about 25 others. As you can probably guess by now, posing as 'MIT' is the thing to do.
I spent most of the rest of IAP interviewing for internships. I don't have anything yet, but I'm confident I will find something soon. A lot of my colleagues have found spots though so it's good to know opportunities are still available to us.
So much has happened this semester, I can't remember them all so here's partial list. I'm taking classes on business law, macroeconomics, corporate finance, options and futures, business in china and india, and quantitative fixed income and fx markets. I'm also taking a special class focused on developing our sales skills, a series so popular a certain other school decided to copy it. Last week, I had the chance to visit the floor of the NYSE. I had lunch with Professor Lo yesterday. He was kind enough to auction lunch for 6 off to my ocean.
I'm really excited tonight as I write this because in about 12 hours I will be boarding a flight for Shanghai. I'm in our China Lab class which sends students to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to work with local MBA students and entrepreneurs. We also have a group going to India. My project is with a logistics company looking for a growth strategy. We're working with this great group of students from Fudan University. Other students are working with furniture companies, restaurants, the largest TV network in China, and many other firms. It's great to see that the MIT Sloan brand is so strong internationally.
I'm going to wrap this post up so I can finish packing and getting ready. Check back with me in about two weeks, and I'll share some great photos and stories about Shanghai.
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