As things have slowed down a bit this summer, I’ve made a lot of progress in a creative hobby that, as I have received compliments on my work, I’m considering turning into a business (of course). Since I only had one class this summer, it’s been pretty easy for me to almost turn my extracurricular pastime into a class of its own – perfecting my technique, reading up on what it takes to start selling my work, etc.
But I’m worried that perhaps I’d be taking on too much if I get this ball rolling, given that I have two more years of school and am keeping busy at my FT job. Sure, I’d start super-small, but do I really want to turn something that is relaxing and rewarding for me into yet another task or obligation once classes start to kick in this fall? Or will it bring me a needed distraction from case studies and group projects? I’m hoping that school will be a bit less stressful this year, given that I know the drill and have done a good job of juggling thus far, but that doesn’t mean I want to slack off on my efforts or focus them elsewhere.
One part of me wants to get my ducks in a row now, before school starts, so that the ball is rolling once classes start (i.e. get my business license, tax ID, create some inventory, etc). The other part says to wait and see how school is treating me, then potentially adjust my plans. But both parts know that it sure would be nice to have some extra book money! Stay tuned...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
MBA Abroad?
A couple of weeks ago I posted this article to the Web site and I've been thinking about it a bit since then:
More U.S. students go abroad for their MBAs
It certainly does sound like an attractive option, both for the duration and the international experience. While one of the reasons I am pursuing an MBA is to make my resume more attractive in the international market, I hadn't really considered this option (though I do plan to take advantage of one of the short study trips abroad offered by my school if I can).
Personally, I think that in today's global marketplace the overseas experience would add a valuable dimension to a person's qualifications. But the comments at the bottom of the article (many of them quite vitriolic) made me wonder - how do U.S. employers perceive an international MBA?
More U.S. students go abroad for their MBAs
It certainly does sound like an attractive option, both for the duration and the international experience. While one of the reasons I am pursuing an MBA is to make my resume more attractive in the international market, I hadn't really considered this option (though I do plan to take advantage of one of the short study trips abroad offered by my school if I can).
Personally, I think that in today's global marketplace the overseas experience would add a valuable dimension to a person's qualifications. But the comments at the bottom of the article (many of them quite vitriolic) made me wonder - how do U.S. employers perceive an international MBA?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
One (Almost!) Down...
So a week or two ago I was going about my day-to-day routine and I realized something that caught me off-guard just for a minute: I was really happy, and I wasn’t sure why.
Don’t get me wrong – while I have my highs and lows, I’m generally a pretty happy person. But lately I’d felt a smile playing at the corners of my mouth when I was just walking down the street, my mood light and optimistic.
And then I realized, of course, that I was just really. freaking. proud of myself for finishing my first year of b-school. (Well, almost – I am working on a summer class right now.) But the scary quant classes I’d been dreading since I first began this entire endeavor were OVER. No more accounting, stats, or econ. Finance is still to tackle, but by the time I take that, it will be comfortably ensconced between classes that I actually choose to take, not core classes that I merely tolerate.
Actually, I am being harsh on the core. It’s not all bad, boring, or math. In fact, I surprised myself by actually getting into it a bit. And this brings me to the point of this post: reflections upon my first year as a part time MBA student. Here are just a few of the takeaways from the past 10 months or so:
• When you’re not in class or studying, you think you ought to be. This is one of those things you don’t realize until you’re actually in school. It is very difficult not to feel guilty when you have a free moment spent doing something other than reading or writing a paper. I am told by 2nd and 3rd year part-timers that you get over it.
• This isn't really a useful bit of information, but something that hadn't occured to me before this year. Most MBA students, even part-time ones, are YOUNG. I like to think I’m still a young woman in my thirties, but the average in my program appears to be late 20s. (Did I just not have it together at that age? I can’t see how I would have fit it in back then.) One fond memory from the past year involves being mistaken for the prof by AV guys coming to fix the projector. I must just look really smart.
• Professors really do matter. A lot of people may have realized this in college, but back then, I was much more concerned with whether or not they seemed cool. Now, back in school by choice, I have come to find that my absorption of the subject matter can depend largely on the way that it is presented to me, and different strokes, as they say, work for different folks. The two profs I had who were what one might call dorky were by far the best illustrators of their subject matter, and as a result I aced two of the classes I’d feared the most. Their geeky enthusiasm made me excited about subjects in which I never thought I’d excel. The one professor I had who I liked the most as a person, a women whose personal anecdotes made me think she was like someone I’d be friends with, just couldn’t connect with me in terms of the actual subject matter of the class. Her laid-back approach just didn’t grab me. While her methods really worked for some members of the class, I later spoke to a friend who’d had exactly the same experience that I did – the prof was cool and smart, but just didn’t possess the knack for conveying what she knew to an audience of newbies. Much of what I got out of that class came from the book, as much as I enjoyed the class time. Lesson learned? Ask around about professors before registering if you can.
• Do what the syllabus says - read, write solid papers, go to class - and you’ll do well. It’s that simple. It may be a little harder to in some classes than in others, but in general, if you put in a decent amount of time and effort you’ll learn a lot and do well. I know it seems basic and logical, but to me was a revelation of simplicity, like how putting quarters in a machine gets you a soda. This plus this equals that, no tricks or secret handshake involved.
There will be other tidbits from my first years and school life to discuss here, I am sure. But the main thing that surprised me this first year? How much I like being in school. As stressful and busy and even overwhelming as this part-time thing may have been at times, deep down I know I liked it.
One down, two to go.
Don’t get me wrong – while I have my highs and lows, I’m generally a pretty happy person. But lately I’d felt a smile playing at the corners of my mouth when I was just walking down the street, my mood light and optimistic.
And then I realized, of course, that I was just really. freaking. proud of myself for finishing my first year of b-school. (Well, almost – I am working on a summer class right now.) But the scary quant classes I’d been dreading since I first began this entire endeavor were OVER. No more accounting, stats, or econ. Finance is still to tackle, but by the time I take that, it will be comfortably ensconced between classes that I actually choose to take, not core classes that I merely tolerate.
Actually, I am being harsh on the core. It’s not all bad, boring, or math. In fact, I surprised myself by actually getting into it a bit. And this brings me to the point of this post: reflections upon my first year as a part time MBA student. Here are just a few of the takeaways from the past 10 months or so:
• When you’re not in class or studying, you think you ought to be. This is one of those things you don’t realize until you’re actually in school. It is very difficult not to feel guilty when you have a free moment spent doing something other than reading or writing a paper. I am told by 2nd and 3rd year part-timers that you get over it.
• This isn't really a useful bit of information, but something that hadn't occured to me before this year. Most MBA students, even part-time ones, are YOUNG. I like to think I’m still a young woman in my thirties, but the average in my program appears to be late 20s. (Did I just not have it together at that age? I can’t see how I would have fit it in back then.) One fond memory from the past year involves being mistaken for the prof by AV guys coming to fix the projector. I must just look really smart.
• Professors really do matter. A lot of people may have realized this in college, but back then, I was much more concerned with whether or not they seemed cool. Now, back in school by choice, I have come to find that my absorption of the subject matter can depend largely on the way that it is presented to me, and different strokes, as they say, work for different folks. The two profs I had who were what one might call dorky were by far the best illustrators of their subject matter, and as a result I aced two of the classes I’d feared the most. Their geeky enthusiasm made me excited about subjects in which I never thought I’d excel. The one professor I had who I liked the most as a person, a women whose personal anecdotes made me think she was like someone I’d be friends with, just couldn’t connect with me in terms of the actual subject matter of the class. Her laid-back approach just didn’t grab me. While her methods really worked for some members of the class, I later spoke to a friend who’d had exactly the same experience that I did – the prof was cool and smart, but just didn’t possess the knack for conveying what she knew to an audience of newbies. Much of what I got out of that class came from the book, as much as I enjoyed the class time. Lesson learned? Ask around about professors before registering if you can.
• Do what the syllabus says - read, write solid papers, go to class - and you’ll do well. It’s that simple. It may be a little harder to in some classes than in others, but in general, if you put in a decent amount of time and effort you’ll learn a lot and do well. I know it seems basic and logical, but to me was a revelation of simplicity, like how putting quarters in a machine gets you a soda. This plus this equals that, no tricks or secret handshake involved.
There will be other tidbits from my first years and school life to discuss here, I am sure. But the main thing that surprised me this first year? How much I like being in school. As stressful and busy and even overwhelming as this part-time thing may have been at times, deep down I know I liked it.
One down, two to go.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
If only I'd waited a year!
Just kidding. But interesting article:
Sonoma State University to Offer Wine M.B.A
(There is a more detailed article here, but it requires a login)
After a recent trip out to California wine country, I can't say I didn't daydream a bit about getting involved in the industry. Apparently the profit margins for a winery are really slim, though - I can see where a specialized MBA would be a plus.
Oh, well... a girl can dream, can't she?
Sonoma State University to Offer Wine M.B.A
(There is a more detailed article here, but it requires a login)
After a recent trip out to California wine country, I can't say I didn't daydream a bit about getting involved in the industry. Apparently the profit margins for a winery are really slim, though - I can see where a specialized MBA would be a plus.
Oh, well... a girl can dream, can't she?
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The First Entry That Never Was
Last year, I started working on this blog (and the associated Web site) with all sorts of ambitions – I was going to use this blog to document my years in b-school, from the first days to graduation, and perhaps beyond. The site was a place where I'd round up the resources that helped me in my research, as well as any other interesting stuff I found along the way. And, of course, I still plan to do all of those things. But boy, did I underestimate my first year! Soon after writing the post below, I got swept up in orientation, the dreaded Math Camp, and, finally, school itself. As a result, my first blog entry never got published, and the site has only just gone live in the past couple of weeks.
But even if it's from a year ago, I think it’s too illustrative of my mindset at that time not to post it. Hopefully another year won’t go by before my next entry!
~ mbagirl
4 Weeks and Counting Down… (from July, 2006)
So I’m exactly 4 weeks away from my first class, and it’s been at least 12 years since I’ve set foot on a University campus. I have to say, I’m both nervous and excited. Really excited, actually. I’m looking forward to meeting the people in my class and just getting started with this chapter of my life.
I am hoping to complete this program in 3 years, which I can do if I register for 2 classes a semester for fall, summer, and winter each year. On the other hand, I’ve already told myself that it’s ok if I want to take a summer off, or scale back to one class in a given semester. I tend put a lot of pressure on myself, so giving myself permission to scale back if my life situation demands it takes off a little of the weight, even if I know that I probably won’t. I just like knowing that option is out there.
Actually, that sort of flexibility is one reason that I chose the program I’ll be attending. At first, I’d set my heart on a Very Big Name program that used a cohort system – in other words, you go through school at a given pace, with a prescribed curriculum each semester (aside from electives) with the same people. At the time, dazzled by the Very Big Name and ivy-covered campus, I liked the idea because it reminded me of law school. Most of my friends are lawyers and I’d listened with a little bit of envy to the war stories of their law school years, while my twenties were a bit more, shall we say, free-spirited. And I really am glad that I took the time to “find myself” - in fact, one of the things I discovered about myself during those post-college years was that I have a competitive and determined nature. So even though I have no regrets, I still have a tiny little ambitious chip on my shoulder that they all went to law school and I didn’t. I felt like Big Name School’s tough cohort approach would most closely approximate the law school experience I’d envied. I didn’t look too closely at the curriculum – I just figured I’d buck up and endure, no matter what.
But after all of that, Big Name school didn’t take me. In retrospect, I know that it was because of what I wouldn’t admit – I really wasn’t a good fit for them, and they weren’t a good fit for me. I had a liberal arts education and a rather… err… varied transcript, and Big Name is a very traditional and rather rigid school. I won’t make any excuses or apologies – when I was young, I wanted to try pretty much everything, from Russian and Religion (solid grades) to Geography and Physical Anthropology (not so much) and my grades reflected it. And math… oh, math. I didn’t actually finish a math class. I tried one semester, but dropped it. I am guessing that math will be a recurring theme in this blog, so I’ll save the background for then (remind me to tell you about my GMAT quant scores…), but let’s just say that the program that I had my heart set upon had a strict math requirement. The truth is, if you aren’t a good fit for the program, they will probably reject you. Business schools, impressed though they might be by your resume and professional credentials (and mine do rock, if I say so myself), won’t accept you if they don’t think you’ll do well in their program. You might very well excel in business school – just not theirs.
So there are two things I did wrong in selecting a program right there – I looked at the name above the fit, and I overlooked the fact that the program placed a heavy emphasis on proficiency in an area where I struggle. My sister pointed this out during a tear-soaked phone call I placed to her upon receiving my dreaded skinny envelope, and it actually made me feel much better. It wasn’t anything I’d done, and I wasn’t stupid or a loser - I’d just picked the wrong program. As a friend and current MBA student pointed out, the admissions process can be like dating: a program (or a guy) that rejects you wasn’t going to be the right program anyway. Lesson learned and point taken, I moved on and began researching programs carefully based upon what I really need and want: flexibility, a supportive culture, a campus experience (as opposed to a satellite), and the ability to focus my studies on more than one concentration - right now it’s Marketing and IB.
What was funny was that once I’d found a program that really seemed like a perfect fit, the application process seemed so much easier… less forced. I felt like my essay just poured out of my fingers, instead of racking my brain for what I felt “they” wanted to hear, who “they” wanted me to be. When the school called me for an interview, the woman on the phone sounded like My Kind of Person, and I sincerely enjoyed our conversation and learned from it. Happily, I was accepted soon after that. And having gone back and done my research and searched my soul for what I want in a business education, I had a good feeling about enrolling
Is finding the right MBA program like love - when you “know,” you know? Or is it just a matter of buckling down in whatever program takes you? I think that I have picked the right program… I guess we’ll see.
But even if it's from a year ago, I think it’s too illustrative of my mindset at that time not to post it. Hopefully another year won’t go by before my next entry!
~ mbagirl
4 Weeks and Counting Down… (from July, 2006)
So I’m exactly 4 weeks away from my first class, and it’s been at least 12 years since I’ve set foot on a University campus. I have to say, I’m both nervous and excited. Really excited, actually. I’m looking forward to meeting the people in my class and just getting started with this chapter of my life.
I am hoping to complete this program in 3 years, which I can do if I register for 2 classes a semester for fall, summer, and winter each year. On the other hand, I’ve already told myself that it’s ok if I want to take a summer off, or scale back to one class in a given semester. I tend put a lot of pressure on myself, so giving myself permission to scale back if my life situation demands it takes off a little of the weight, even if I know that I probably won’t. I just like knowing that option is out there.
Actually, that sort of flexibility is one reason that I chose the program I’ll be attending. At first, I’d set my heart on a Very Big Name program that used a cohort system – in other words, you go through school at a given pace, with a prescribed curriculum each semester (aside from electives) with the same people. At the time, dazzled by the Very Big Name and ivy-covered campus, I liked the idea because it reminded me of law school. Most of my friends are lawyers and I’d listened with a little bit of envy to the war stories of their law school years, while my twenties were a bit more, shall we say, free-spirited. And I really am glad that I took the time to “find myself” - in fact, one of the things I discovered about myself during those post-college years was that I have a competitive and determined nature. So even though I have no regrets, I still have a tiny little ambitious chip on my shoulder that they all went to law school and I didn’t. I felt like Big Name School’s tough cohort approach would most closely approximate the law school experience I’d envied. I didn’t look too closely at the curriculum – I just figured I’d buck up and endure, no matter what.
But after all of that, Big Name school didn’t take me. In retrospect, I know that it was because of what I wouldn’t admit – I really wasn’t a good fit for them, and they weren’t a good fit for me. I had a liberal arts education and a rather… err… varied transcript, and Big Name is a very traditional and rather rigid school. I won’t make any excuses or apologies – when I was young, I wanted to try pretty much everything, from Russian and Religion (solid grades) to Geography and Physical Anthropology (not so much) and my grades reflected it. And math… oh, math. I didn’t actually finish a math class. I tried one semester, but dropped it. I am guessing that math will be a recurring theme in this blog, so I’ll save the background for then (remind me to tell you about my GMAT quant scores…), but let’s just say that the program that I had my heart set upon had a strict math requirement. The truth is, if you aren’t a good fit for the program, they will probably reject you. Business schools, impressed though they might be by your resume and professional credentials (and mine do rock, if I say so myself), won’t accept you if they don’t think you’ll do well in their program. You might very well excel in business school – just not theirs.
So there are two things I did wrong in selecting a program right there – I looked at the name above the fit, and I overlooked the fact that the program placed a heavy emphasis on proficiency in an area where I struggle. My sister pointed this out during a tear-soaked phone call I placed to her upon receiving my dreaded skinny envelope, and it actually made me feel much better. It wasn’t anything I’d done, and I wasn’t stupid or a loser - I’d just picked the wrong program. As a friend and current MBA student pointed out, the admissions process can be like dating: a program (or a guy) that rejects you wasn’t going to be the right program anyway. Lesson learned and point taken, I moved on and began researching programs carefully based upon what I really need and want: flexibility, a supportive culture, a campus experience (as opposed to a satellite), and the ability to focus my studies on more than one concentration - right now it’s Marketing and IB.
What was funny was that once I’d found a program that really seemed like a perfect fit, the application process seemed so much easier… less forced. I felt like my essay just poured out of my fingers, instead of racking my brain for what I felt “they” wanted to hear, who “they” wanted me to be. When the school called me for an interview, the woman on the phone sounded like My Kind of Person, and I sincerely enjoyed our conversation and learned from it. Happily, I was accepted soon after that. And having gone back and done my research and searched my soul for what I want in a business education, I had a good feeling about enrolling
Is finding the right MBA program like love - when you “know,” you know? Or is it just a matter of buckling down in whatever program takes you? I think that I have picked the right program… I guess we’ll see.
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