OwenBloggers: Alex - MSF '08

Owen vs. Vanderbilt

I guess this post is addressed to admitted students that are considering the school.  Let me first start off by saying congrats! It's quite an accomplishment given the volume of students that supposedly applied (apparently 600 applicants for about 30 spots).

***Edited Section****

Having met with fellow-owenbloggers, I have decided that I will edit this section accordingly.  Let me preclude this by saying that I am unapologetic in the message that I tried to convey with the post which I reiterate here:
I notice that people tend to stay very close to the school and fear going off and exploring the University. Given the large endowment and the bevy of resources, I am shocked by the monotony of what I see as daily life at Owen. As some may know, I take an undergrad class (third year Japanese) at the University and am having a wonderful time.  My teachers as well as the students have been more than helpful in showing me places to go/eat on campus.  Incidentally, the Jewish Center supposedly has a great salad/vegetarian bar.  Thus, I encourage more exploration and breaking out of what is routine.  Again, I am unapologetic in the message, however, I admit that the delivery of the message could have been better.  That said, the fault lies on me as the writer in how the message is delivered.

And while I do not look to please everyone's reading palette, I will be more conscious in future blogs, rest assured. To the Brown Alum who chose to post a comment:

"As Brown alumnus, I understand where he is coming from. Brown is more than the ranking or the prestige of the Ivy League. Brown is an institution that goes far and beyond to foster new thoughts and to create a highly open environment to new ideas. Now I can understand how different or difficult it may be to transition from such an environment. Where ever I go, I will continue to have an unbiased admiration for the Brown curriculum, regardless of my graduate institution.  "

- thank you for your unwavering support.  To the others that wrote me emails and texted throughout today, thank you also. Again, I stand by my message 100% however, the delivery was poor and hence, the revision.   In no way am I upset with what I have learned from the faculty at Owen, however, I am bothered by a few things that I see happening around me and feel that expressing it via this blog is a sensible way to call attention to such things.  That said, I see how some people may interpret the message differently given the sub-par delivery for which, I take fault.  I will be more conscious  next time with my thoughts.

****End Revision****

Alright, that's all for now. I hate the patriots and the giants so there's not a whole lot for me to go on this superbowl.  In particular, I dislike randy 'mandy' moss and his character so forgive me if I'm unenthusiastic .  Once again, congrats to the few that made it into this year's MSF class that's quite an accomplishment given a 5% admission rate.

Now that we're halfway done...

Some candid reflections of the 'Owen Experience'

This post is what it says.  It may sound harsh and possibly belittling but thankfully, I'm not monitored by anyone and not bound by any 'code'.

Think carefully about the MSF program if...
1) You like the semester system: Brown was on semester system and so is Vanderbilt University. Personally, I loved it. Why? We could take time and really drill down in a subject.  Here at Owen, we have 8-week quarters.  It starts off fast and ends before you know it.  During those 8 weeks, we get blitzed with a large amount of material that we are required to digest.  I'm not a big fan of the quarter system as I think there's not enough time to really consider what you learn and see its application. Just my humble opinion though.

2) You like research: It's surprising that for a research institution (keyword: RESEARCH) that individual research is hardly promoted.  In fact, almost no where in the marketing literature is it mentioned.  I find this surprising.  If you're used to doing your own research (i.e. reading about things that you  have a genuine interest in), I'm not sure you'll get much benefit here.  Currently, I'm doing research with three other classmates into pricing credit default swaps (sound confusing? it is).  If you want to study something here you really need to take the initiative and get after it because frankly, its not promoted.

3) You are studying another language and have a desire to (god forbid) use it: When you first get to Owen, your first quarter is already determined for you.  If you're lucky, you'll have a gap to fit in your language class. If not, it's individual study.  Given the time commitment required for languages, your best bet is to wait it out a semester and try again next semester.  This is currently what I'm doing now.  I had to wait to take third year Japanese. 

If this post angered or sounded like a rant, it was not meant to be.  It is simply my humble opinion on the situation and where I think it could get better.  From the meeting yesterday among the Dean, MSF numbers for admission are up 100% this year (600 new apps).  Good lord.