MBA/Business School @ wonderchild.blog-city.com

Finally a breather

Damali — Tue, 08 Feb 2005 04:59:00 GMT

So this week is going to be easier. No on campus interviews for me, although I will be traveling at the end of the week.

I went to NYC for an interview last week and decided to visit my old office. It's funny b/c after like 10 mins it felt like I never left. Even my visitor's pass still said employee on it. Those were a great group of people. Luckily the company I interviewed with (one of the top 3 consulting firms for those who are keeping track) has fabulous people. That company is my first choice. They remind me of Tuck in the fact that the people are brilliant but completely down to earth. It's like you want to go grab a beer with these people.

It was nice ot be back in a city again and get the feel for nyc. I still can't find good black pumps for interviews. what's up with that! I know exactly what I want. A pair of comfortable, black, leather, plain but classically styled with a mid-size heel and a more square toe. the kind of shoe that never goes out of style.

Ok for those of you reading this blog for MBA purposes, let me give you an overview of my core classes so far

Fall Term A&B

Analysis for General Managers - basically cases. The prep work isn't that hard. Read the case, read the required articles. read the case again and think critically. Really fun to have discussions in group

Accounting - No accounting background? Welcome to your first challenge. Accounting is hard. Especially if your prof wants to focus on the analysis of the numbers. Good for honing your analysis skills. Bad for feeling confident about your abilities. Your options to succeed are hope for a great professor (like I had) or get a tutor early on. Hopefully you will have a CPA in your group

Decision Science (or Excel Modeling for Dummies) - who knew Excel could do so much. Ok, if you were a real financial analyst or you worked in banking, then you knew. I had a real challenge in this class. The cool thing is even if you don't do well relative to your peers, even at other schools modeling is scondary so you will likely be the Excel guru in your job. Key take-away is when building models, start small. think broad before you touch excel. Then have fun running long simulations with Crystal Ball.

Leading Organizations - What should be my favorite class given what I want to do. Since it's a soft class most people tend to blow it off. Don't. Everybody who get's an MBA will at some point be managing people. If you have never managed people - it's a hard thing to do. This class is one of the most important.

Statistics - hard b/c it's easy to understand the concepts. harder to remember when and exactly how to apply them. one of those classes where it's easy to make a mistake. keep up b/c the concepts from one class build onto the other

Capital markets - the best class to teach you what to do with your money. I thought I understood stocks before, but now I really understand stocks and the markets. The broader concepts are easy, but the specifics are harder

Economics - the microversion still isn't as sexy as the macro version. a lot of price and demand. Depending on your school you may actually use calculus to understand your demand curves and marginal revenues and costs. Just remember that max profit is when MR=MC

Managerial Communications - essentially how to write and present. Although people made fun of this class it is absolutely necessary. It's one of those classes that alums tell us the value of it. I can definitely see the value when we get executives who have black on white slides that serve no purpose.

One of the thing that sucks about b-school is actually having to go to class. Some classes sessions are useless. The class themselves are interesting, such as marketing, but having to wake up and go to class is pretty much useless. at least one good part is that it gets you up and out of bed.

Oh the spam

Damali — Mon, 24 Jan 2005 16:13:00 GMT

So what happened to Monster.com? I guess the decrease in classifieds has finally hit monster. I have never seen such spam for work at home opportunties and home assemblies. I know how much it cost to post an add to monster and it used to be cost prohibitative but now you see spamming for positions in literally every section in every state. I did a search for MBA internships and there were only about 20 real job postings and 200 spam postings.

Why do people still fall for spam? I mean spam looks like spam.

So now the interviewing cycle begins. This begins the week where the lemmings run over the cliff. Part of what makes this interesting is how crazy and stressed people get over the whole process. Look at the numbers. Only about a 1/3 of the class will get jobs through an on-campus process. This correlates about the same across all of the top b-schools. That means chances are you will have to find a job on your own merit and through your own work. Wow what a concept. networking to get a job. that's why I am not really stressed. I know I go to a top b-school. I will get a job. Only occasionally has a recruiter called me randomly b/c they found my resume. More often than not, it's been me finding companies that specialize in what I want to do and tracking people down. or emailing and harassing the hiring director.

What I love about my business school is only at Tuck can you go to a professors house for dinner with 12 of your classmates and stay until 1am. it was one of the best saturday nights I've had in awhile.

Bienvenue

Damali — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 04:59:00 GMT

so this past weekend probably half the school went up to montreal for a series of hockey games.

What can I say except Bienvenue Oh Canada!

It was sooo much fun. I can't say I did many school-sponsored activities and I only caught the last half of the last hockey game, but I had a great time partying, drinking and generally causing a ruckus in montreal. It was fun to meet new people and hang out with my girls at a club where I didn't know anybody. And the food is off the hook.

Also, thanks to a still pretty cheap dollar you can get a pretty good deal on stuff. Generally the prices are the same, but thanks to the exchange rate it's like an automatic 20% discount. We also stayed at the Ritz Carlton and it was my first time staying there. The rooms were nice and the staff was great. It was also centrally located and extremely reasonable rates. I would recommend going to the city in the spring or summer because lawdy it was FUCKING FREEZING!!! This from a girl who knows cold weather as this will be my 5th winter in hanover.

So interviews are next week and I am starting to freak the heck out. Since I want to do consulting you have to do these things called cases. For those that have never done a case interview let me give you a sample:

Interviewer: We have business XYZ. They suck. What should you do?

You: Well they suck because of revunue or costs? What would you like to explore

Interviewer: You tell me

You: Well let's explore costs. They have fixed costs for sucking and variable costs.

Interviewer: Costs are irrelavant

You: Well let me try this 4 P's framework

Interviewer: No, that's not applicable here

You (sweating profusely): Well how about five forces

Interviewer: DING!!!

And bam, all your dream summer job hopes down the drain!

Interviewing sucks. Job hunting sucks. First you make the first cut with your resume and then it's a matter of does the interviewer think you suck or not and then it's does the partner think you suck or not. It's mad stressful and whoever said that winter term work was easier than fall term work lied. It's all lies!!!

Well I am off to try to get some sleep!

Au revoir!

New look

Damali — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 05:56:00 GMT

so, you can see that I've updated the site a bit. There's a lot that is going on on blog-city and I am trying to take better advantage of it.

So here we are ladies and gents. A critical point in my Tuck career. I have 7 and half hours to cram my brain with knowledge of economics and take the midterm. I've already decided that this is going to be a freebie and have already emailed the prof.

Will she make it ladies and gents? What will happen to our action hero as she prepares to reap the rewards of her procrastination.

For those reading this deciding if they should go to school let me share some more tidbits I've learned. B-school is for well disciplined folks, i.e. type A, or for folks who are looking to become more disciplined (like me). If you are completely laidback, then at least my school isn't for you.

but I digress and I further make myself bad by typing this blog

Off our superhero goes!

Feeding chickens to a dragon

Damali — Wed, 20 Oct 2004 21:23:00 GMT

Sorry, it's been a long time since I've blogged. It's been an intense couple of weeks.

First, Wonderchild had a birthday. I am officially in my late 20's now!!! I am still in the stage where I am excited about getting older.

I want to send a shout-out to Madgirl, CT from UT, DT from the ATL and the rest of the new york/Tuck crew.

Well what to say.

First, let me get this off my chest. Racism (which I now call prejudice is NOT DEAD). No matter what you want to think it isnt. People pre-judge and some of that is based on Nationality, some of that is based on gender, some of that is based on race.

I do it, we do it and it's always happens. Can we stop this? Realisitically no.

So a couple more observations from the business school front. It seems that most of the men I meet are Republicans while the women are Democrats. Maybe it's because the women tend to be more vocal about things and more socially liberal.

Also, I've started watching America's Next Top Model again. This show is great. The cat fights. The big girl is representing for all of use fuller figured gals!!!

Woohoo.

What else can I say about school. Honestly, I am loving it. That's not to say that I don't get tired of being around these people and look for down time but it's a great experience.

No fat people

Damali — Mon, 06 Sep 2004 19:29:00 GMT

Ok to be blunt, I've noticed that there are almost no fat people here at b-school. I am not sure if that is a function of the school I go to, very outdoorsy and althletic or just a function of the kinds of people who go to b-school. That is, people that go to b-school tend to be more ambitious, focused and definitely take a certain level of pride in thier apperance.

It is interesting when I realized today that I am the biggest girls here in terms of size. Everybody else is like a size four to eight with maybe a couple of 10's and I am huge with my mid-teens!

Anyway, I am in the middle of study group on a break. My advice to folks is start early and manage your time well. Try not to get caught up in the fact your campus has wireless and that you can get your instant messanger from class!

arrgh the work!

Damali — Mon, 06 Sep 2004 03:32:00 GMT

ok, now you hear about how much work you have to do in schools, but it is nothing compared to the reality when you get the syllabus and after you've spent three hours prepping a case.

My advice to folks is to work to your own pace. Don't try to keep up with the person who can golf or ski every afternoon and then somehow come to study group with beautiful spreadsheets. I came into this thing knowing I am a slacker and knowing that I have to keep up everyday. That's why I am trying to get a head start now.

I cant believe how much I have to do even before classes start. I couldn't imagine if I actually tried to prep the classwork the day before. Plus company briefings, meetings and everything else.

It's crazy!

I have arrived

Damali — Thu, 02 Sep 2004 03:17:00 GMT

into the middle of nowhere. I mean that literally. I am finally moved into my residence hall (not dorms) of my business school and have started my first week of orientation here at Tuck.

It's been a fun week. I've met a ton of people although that whole where are you from, where do you live and what did you do before Tuck gets old pretty quickly. I've been in and out of the social scene mostly b/c it's been revolving around bars and beer, something that you definitely have to be in the mood to do.

I've been trying to get my room straight and organized. It's definitely coming along with that homey feeling.

What else can I say? One thing that I really enjoy about the school is that everybody wants you to succeed. The janitor, to the dean of the school. They only want the best for you. I've decided to spend this weekend getting a head start on the work we have b/c let's face it, time management is not my strongest skill. I've learned alot about myself and my time since I've been of school the last time. I have some tricks in the old bag.

Anyway, I am exhausted since I spent the day hiking trails and cleaning trail signs.

Until later.

How to Apply to Business School

Damali — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 14:54:00 GMT

Ok, before I write about my first grown up vacation to St. Martin, I thought I would share some tips on applying to business school. If you think you are going to be applying to schools here are my tips! 1) Get your GMAT out of the way early. You don't want to be writing essays and still studying for your GMAT. Also, most people take the GMAT twice. If you wait until the last minute and you don't get the score you want then you don't leave yourself an out. Start studying now. Whatever method you choose to study, make sure you go to MBA.com and register for your GMAT, download the free PowerPrep software and buy the 10th Ed. Essential Guide to GMAT. You can only buy that book thru mba.com. As for what consitutes a good score? That depends on the school. Each school will publish the mid-range of GMAT scores. At a minimum you need to fall within the bottom part of that range. If you have a poor GPA (like I did) or some other perceived deficiency in your application then there is that much more pressure on getting a better or higher score. 2) Start thinking critically about the following things for your application essays - short-term and long-term career goals and how/why do you need an MBA to achieve them. Some leadership experience, preferably professional and preferably where you broke through some barrier or got people to do something they didn't previously want to do. Start thinking about a time you failed and how you overcame that failure and what you learned. It will be extremely helpful if you can put these thoughts down on paper and start getting your thoughts together rather then just thinking about them in the abstract. These are the topics I've seen across many schools and the common essays I had to write in one form or another. A couple of other things about essays and stats. Let's be real - everybody will have the same stats, i.e. GMAT, GPA, years of work experience. What is going to set you apart is your essays. Your essays will state what you have to contribute to a class and why they should accept you. Be personable. Don't write what you think adcoms want to hear. Take a risk. Think about an adcom reading 100 apps. What is going to make her sit up and take notice of your application? 3) Get your recommendations together now. You don't need to get the most senior person at your job, but you want someone who is going to write something meaningful about your experiences. You definitely need one recommendation from a supervisor, preferably present. I know this can present a challenge for those of you who don't want to let your current jobs that you are leaving or thinking about leaving. You have to call it based on your experiences, but what I've found is that companies are way more supportive then you think they are. The second recommendation you should use your best judgement as well. It can come from another supervisor, a coworker or someone outside of your job, but ideally it should be professional. What you don't want your recommender's to say - Johnny shows a lot of leadership qualities. I loved working with him. What you do want your recommender's to say - Johnny managed a project that was way beyond his job description. He was able to push through and get the job done. He is in the top three percent of employees I have ever worked with. Make sure that your recommendations are meaningful and state specifics, not generalities. 4) Make a list of schools you want to attend and don't be a rankings whore!!! Rankings definitely have their place, but you will get the most out of your b-school experience if you go somewhere will you will fit in! Also, you want to try to visit all of the schools you are going to be applying to. Somewhere you will have to write an essay on "Why this school?" or answer the question of what you can offer the school. You want to have something more meaningful to say then well-ranked, great reputation, tight alumni network. 5) Think about what areas of your app you might need improvement on. Low GPA? Make sure you get a higher GMAT score and take some classes at the local college, particularly in quantitative areas. If you were not a quant based major or your job isn't quant intensive then it's not a bad idea to take some classes anyway. Remember that first year is going to be a BEAR in terms of quant and they want to make sure you can handle it. These are just some of the ramblings I have for applying to schools. If I think of anymore then I will definitely put them down.

Let the Begging Begin

Damali — Mon, 19 Jul 2004 18:22:00 GMT

Ok, so I am starting to panic on how I am going to raise this $2500 for my laptop computer! I think that I am going to be able to come up with most of the funds but the rest of them are going to escape me. I am now fully begging for money for school. If you would like to contribute, please use http://www.paypal.com and send any donation to wonderchild@yahoo.com as the receipient

Anybody who donates will get a place of honor on this blog and a sincere thank you note from me. I will also offer an exchange of business consulting or LSAT/GMAT and some GRE tutoring for free in exchange for donations.

Or you can do it out of the good will of your heart to help a poor, young, black female try to make it in the world. Anything would help $1 or $100.

Remember that for every positive act you put in the universe you will receive one back!