The semester is now well underway! I have settled into my new place and am enjoying the life of a 2nd year MBA student. The core team that I pilot has been awesome and I have really enjoyed getting to know them and watching them go through core (they took their first midterms last week!). As part of their orientation we all went to a retreat center outside of Boston and did a Ropes course as well as lots of other activities including some ingenious raft building (they did get a little wet). My classes are going really well – I have what I describe as the “Sloan Schedule” as I am taking some incredible courses that are taught by many professors who are the experts in their field including System Dynamics taught by Prof. John Sterman and Industrial Economics with Prof. Robert Pindyck. Plus, every Wednesday I get to attend a class on leadership taught by the former CEO of GE, Jack Welch, which as you can imagine is an incredible experience.
The core team of 1st years that I pilot after completing the Ropes course.
C-Functions and More
But aside from classes, what have I been up to? A lot. :) I am currently TAing one of the core statistics courses at Sloan (Data, Models and Decisions aka DMD) which has been a whole new world of giving recitations, holding office hours, grading papers but most importantly meeting a lot of 1st year students. Also, C-Functions have started again! C-Functions (which stands for Consumption Functions) are held almost every Thursday night and are put on by different clubs around Sloan. They usually involve dancing, food and beverages, and cultural activities. So far this year we have had the Japan C-Function, the SWIM (Sloan Women in Management) C-Function and then two off-campus C-Functions where we meet at a local lounge to explore Boston a little. The SWIM one was hilarious in that it was an 80’s theme with plenty of outrageous clothing to go along with it. We had a great 80s cover band and pretty much danced the night away with classic moves such as the lawn mower and sprinkler. As an officer of the Student Activities Board I help out with the C-Function schedule and logistics for the year. I think one of the great aspects of these events is that they are entirely student run – students choreograph and perform the dances, order the food, choose the theme, budget the money and everything else in between. Plus, they’re really a lot of fun.
My roommate Bethany and I looking totally rad in our 80s outfits.
Seeing the Sights of New England
Also this semester I have done a little bit of traveling around the Boston with several of my friends which has been great. Over Labor Day weekend a bunch of us stayed in a house on Cape Cod. The weather was gorgeous as we basked on the beach, ate lobster and explored the cute little towns. Then over Columbus Day weekend I went apple picking in northern Massachusetts and went through a corn maze in New Hampshire. Finally this past weekend one of my roommates, Kristen, and a friend of ours, Liz, drove up to Montreal. First of all, let me just say that the trees were amazing – I now understand why people rave about the colorful leaves in the fall. Montreal itself was great and we did plenty of sight-seeing around the Old City and up to the top of Mont Royal for its panoramic views. And on our way home we made a very necessary stop at the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont. Yummy.
Me, Kristen and Liz on Mont Royal with Montreal behind us.
Sloan Innovation Period
Now this week is SIP week for all MBA students which stands for Sloan Innovation Period. Basically all regular classes are canceled and students take various workshops about unique topics that interest them taught by faculty and guest speakers alike. This week I’m taking five workshops including “Corporate Sectors in China and India” and “An Introduction to 3rd Party Conflict Resolution.” So I’m excited about my SIP classes and happy to be back at Sloan in my 2nd year.
