OwenBloggers: Ami - MBA '09

Did I really just do that?

Last Thursday I gave my final presentation and now, it is that time to hurry up and wait to hear about an offer!  I had 10 weeks from start to finish to get up to speed with my brand (for those of you who don't remember,my primary concentration is marketing), understand my project and get it done. Most of us had to do this. In week five, I was talking to the other interns about this and a friend of mine from Columbia said my favorite thing I have heard all summer, "I am so amazed by the me five weeks from now!" I have to say that she was right...I really am amazed at all of us interns 5 weeks later!!!                                                                               

Almost there...

It's almost August and that means that most soon-to-be second years are finishing internships and planning for the move back to Nashville!I have three weeks left of my internship and about two until the big presentation!  The funny thing is that instead of being too nervous to think about anything else, I am so excited to head back to school! Don't get me wrong, I am really enjoying my internship and am definitely thinking about how I can "wow" senior management and my manager but I am SO looking forward to seeing my friends and eating some BBQ!

For those of you that will be first years at Vanderbilt, get ready for some tough classwork, some amazing people and even better friendships! Also, look forward to some awesome live music and fabulous southern hospitality!

As for you, second years, I cannot wait to see all of you! I am definitely looking forward to "Floatilla II" and hearing about your summer and internships...most of all, I am just looking forward to spending a great second year together!

Just in the Middle and I Feel Fine...

SO it is a about six weeks into my internship and it's great! I think about the last time I blogged and I remember saying that it is scary to get back out there and try to be the rock stars we all secretly hope we are. The truth is that is hard but not because we are not capable but because we forget. We forget that when starting any job it is hard to know how things will be - will the company be what we expect? Will we get along with everyone as much as we thought we would? Are we going to be as good in this position as we were in the last (the one from a whole year ago)?

No one tells you what to expect from your internship because most people don't know; every internship and company is different and more importantly, every person is different. That said, let me tell you what I know to be true: be confident that you will get through it  because you will...no matter how scary it seems.

Internship Time....

We are about three weeks into the summer and it is about that time that most of us are starting our internships. I start mine on June 2nd so it is time to leave California and head to New York. It's very exciting but a little scary as well: going back to the work world and having ten to twelve weeks to prove that you are going to be an awesome employee while trying to gain as much experience as possible and figuring out if what you are doing is right for you in the place you are doing it. Wow, that is a lot!

It's easy to question yourself whether you are up for the challenge but then you remember that there is a reason you are in b-school. Each and every one of us is up to the challenge, we come from great backgrounds and were successful before we came here.  We may be going into new areas of business or to new parts of the country and we may feel a bit uneasy but if we didn't that might be weird. That small amount of fear shows that we care and are motivated to give our best. So I guess it is time to embrace that fear and kick some butt in our new positions...and that truly is exciting!

Goodbye Kat Murray...

When I first met Kat Murray, it was at a tailgate at the beginning of the year. I was just starting to learn about Mattel (where she will be working after school).I was so excited to learn as much as I could and she was really awesome about it. As the year went by and I got nervous about the job search and about interviewing I would talk to Kat and I got to know her much better than "some second-year that helped me with interview advice." I found out that Kat is a roller derby rock star and that she is all about getting creative with her hair (not in a strange way, she just gets lots of highlights)! What didn't change is that she is still awesome!

Kat- Good luck in California- you are definitely going to rock it! I hope you have a fabulous time and you will be missed! Who's going to be "the girl that hangs out with all the first-years" anymore?!

xoxo,
Ami

Getting ready for the summer and Owen still stands out...

It is the end of the year (the last week of school to be exact) and I am amazed that my first year is over! When I first started here, I knew I would make some awesome friends and learn a lot. As you can see from my previous posts, both are very true. Now it s time to get ready for that internship and prepare to get back into the "real world." It's a bit scary but so exciting! We all came to school as smart individuals, eager to take a break from the professional world and even more eager to learn.  Some of us chose to change industries and/or career paths and others wanted to learn more about what they were already doing.

I chose to try something new. I was in marketing and sales but I decided to go into a whole different area of marketing that I didn't have a lot of experience with- brand marketing.  Today, I am about 5 classes into my  marketing concentration and I love it! I cannot wait to apply all that I have learned to my brand internship.

So you may be wondering why the title of this post mentions "Owen still standing out." It's because I know that while I am applying all that I have learned from some amazing professors I know that if I forget or get stuck I can call on them for help too. Earlier I said that going back into the real world is a little scary, knowing I have such caring professors who really want students to learn and succeed and who go the extra mile makes it much easier. This makes Owen stand out to me and as it is time for new students to make their decision on what school and program to choose, I think it is just another thing to think about.

Almost One Year Down...

This weekend was "Welcome Weekend" which is basically when most admitted students for the next year's class come to Vandy to learn about the MBA, MSF or Macc programs and meet potential new students. As a part of the weekend, current students participate in club fairs, panels and attend receptions to talk with admitted students. The weekend was lots of fun but it was funny because it finally hit most of us (in the current first year class) that we are no longer "new."All of the questions I had last year were questions I heard this year except, this time I was the one answering them! It was cool but a little scary. Most of all, I can't believe that a year has already passed by and this time next year it will almost be time to graduate! It was just another reminder to enjoy the time we have here because it goes so quickly!

West Coasters: A friend of mine from CA asked me what I miss most about California besides the food (we don't get everything here that we do there). I told her that (beside the food and family and friends) I miss some of the shopping, the weather and, mostly, the beach but that I don't miss the smog, traffic and lack of greenery. I also told her that TN has some amazing BBQ, lots of pretty areas and really cool events like the CMA's and CMT awards...in the end it all balances out; both places are pretty fabulous!

It May Have Only Been One Point But At Least We Got On The Board!

Last weekend I had the opportunity to experience something that can only happen in B-school - the  Duke MBA Games.  Every year Duke invites schools to participate in raising funds for its charity of choice: the Special Olympics. Many schools from the Midwest, East coast and South agree to raise money in exchange to participate in what is essentially a field day in Durham, North Carolina. This year about 12 of us went - six first years and six second years and it was a blast! Not only did we have the chance to get to know each other better, party (some more) together and make fools of  ourselves but  got to meet MBA's from other schools too.

My favorite part of the entire weekend was during the competition when our team realized that, yes, we were down...actually we had no points...but we were not out! It was one of the last competitions of the day - we had been through the briefcase toss, swimming relays in business suits and tug of war (to name a few) and we had nothing. While we are all tired from the day and lack of sleep, every team member was supportive and positive but at the same time we had come to the realization that  if we could get just one point we could get ourselves on the board and even in front of another team!  And that's when it happened: it was on! Although,at first, we were not thoroughly convinced, the team decided we were going to place in the crab-walk relay. We needed four people- two guys,two girls to participate in the race. We had walk-offs for the four spots. We picked our fastest crab-walkers and pumped ourselves up for the big win!!! it was SO exciting - we placed in the first race and qualified the for the second. When the second race was over, we place third and were awarded one point - the victory was sweet and our team acted like we had just won the gold! We were the happiest team in the entire  gym!

So you may ask , "why was this your favorite moment?" The answer is that  I love that my team had such  heart and I love even more that they represent every student at Owen.  That experience reminds me why I love it here at Owen: even when the chips were down, everyone was supportive and when we won we reveled in it together...even though it took it was only four of us who participated, we were a team and we did it together. 

To Thomas, Rachel G., Marissa, Rachel B. , Dan, Dave, Jeff, Lanny, Jane, Chris and Lisa - Thanks for a fabulous weekend - you guys rock!

Mod 4... it's True What They Say...

At the beginning of the year, administration and the second years told us that things start off crazy but get much better second semester. What they didn't tell us that Mod 3 and (for some) Mod 4 are spent finding an internship and that, on it's own, can be super crazy. I think they were referring to life after you have accepted an offer and are back to focusing on school.

Now that it is Mod 4 and I have the internship-thing taken care of, I find that they were exactly right- life is pretty good. We are all still busy but it is not as crazy with class work; instead we are getting into our new leadership roles for clubs and organizations. It's pretty awesome and lots of fun. Most of all, I feel like we get to really enjoy life a lot more since we are not writing papers, participating in group work or have homework 24/7 (although that had its place too) . As a result, my friends and I have been taking advantage of Nashville. We've done touristy things like going to the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's mansion and land) and checked out local restaurants as well. We have also explored local events like the weekend flea market. I can't wait to check out more! SO for those prospectives coming from big cities (like I did)fear not, as long as you have an open mind and like to explore new things, Nashville can keep you busy; there is plenty to do. That said, it dawned on me today that we only 4 more weeks before the end of the year and I am going to miss this city when I leave for the summer!

Music in Nashville

When I first moved to Nashville, everyone said I would love it because there is so much to do and, specifically, because there are so many venues that play live music. Since I was not the biggest country fan, I wasn't so sure about how that would work out for me. Three mods later, I actually really like country music and love going to bars, restaurants and pretty much any place that has live music. While I miss the awesome Chinese and Indian food I could get in California, having live music everywhere has made it a little easier!