OwenBloggers: Isaac - MBA '08

Here's what my week looks like...

Just in case you thought you would have a lot of free time in B-school. This mod is turning out to be more "fun" than the last.  And by "fun" I mean the opposite of fun.

Technorati tags: Owen, MBA, B-school

Finally! A peaceful weekend.

 Finally got some quiet time this weekend.  First week of MOD II was last week, and although we had 2 projects due today, I still managed to stay ahead and get some free time this weekend.  It's amazing how much your perspective changes when you enter B-school.  My last job was high stress and high workload, but I still had some free time at night and on the weekends.  B-school takes all that away--- you're left with maybe one day of the weekend that you can have to yourself.  Many times, you're working 7 days a week.

I got lucky this week and didn't have any work Saturday.  It was homecoming weekend, but I really don't care about that kind of stuff, so Kim and I got to spend all day together. We went to see The Departed, good flick, but really violent towards the end.  Kinda ruined it for me.  Not to mention movie prices are up to $9.50 per person; when did that happen?

This week is not too bad, the finance knurds are off to Wall Street Week, some conferences are coming up this weekend, so it's really nice and quiet around here.  I hope to get caught up in Operations and Accounting II.  A friend just reminded me the midterm in Accounting II is in 2 weeks; yeah, we've had class 3 times and we're already getting ready for the midterm.  There's a special place in hell for the person that came up with the MOD system. 

Taking a day off this weekend, going to the movies, or just spending time with your friends are so vital in B-school it's not even funny.  You could burn out quickly if you don't take some time to recharge and de-stress.  Go to a concert, go camping, get out of the library (which, coincidentally, is where I'm writing this...). 

Ferris Bueller said it best: "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it...". 

 

Technorati tags: Owen, MBA, The Departed

I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse

 

Long ago the partnership was formed between professors and book publishers.  This syndicate operates in broad daylight, preying on the helpless masses of students who have no choice but to "pay for the protection". 

 

Ok, so I just dropped $500 on books for this mod.  Five-Hundred Dollars.  No, I didn't need a moving service to get them back to my car.  No, they didn't come with a personal tutor.  No, they were not plated in gold and encrusted with rare jewels.  They were just books.  From the looks of it, averages books at best.  When did it become acceptable to charge so much for books?  5 books; some as much as $150.  Now honestly, the information contained within is not terribly new or innovative; it's a textbook.  One of my books is a 12th edition... they must feel like they need to slap a new edition on every year just so the students don't realize the used books from last year are the same regurgitated information.

I think when publishers are setting book prices, the must snicker underneath their breath and throw a dart the ole' pricing dartboard.  Then they cackle loudly and order their secretary to grab another wheelbarrow of cash and caviar.

When to visit B-Schools

I was reading through my posts, and I realized I really don't have a whole lot of pointers for incoming students.   So here's one that I can share from my own experience. 

Your B-school campus visits a great way to get that hands-on feel of the schools you're looking at.  There are really two parts to the trip; one, you're going to have to interview as part of the admissions process, and two, you're going to get to sit through a class or two and meet some 1st and 2nd year students.  I can't say which is more important--- doing well in your interview or getting a good feel for the place.  Some of my colleagues had such bad experiences during their campus visits to other schools that regardless of the how well they did in their interview, they weren't going to be a good fit for the culture.  I think both aspects of the trip are important.

So, since both the interview and the visit are keys to successfully screening and getting in to a school, how do you know when to go? 

My suggestion would be to avoid three times:

1. Exams.  This was my mistake when I looked at Owen.  I came the last day of regular classes.  All the students were uptight about the impending tests and the classes were all review sessions.  I didn't get a really good feel for a typical class, so when I actually got here, it was a little different than I had imagined. 
2. Just before holidays: Admissions officers are human; if you have an interview scheduled for the afternoon before thanksgiving break, you're going to run the risk the person on the other side of the table is thinking more about the long lines at the airport or worrying about their inlaws coming in to town.  You want to resonate with the interviewer- you'll want their undivided attention, and you likely wont get it if you're the last person they meet with before the vacation. 
3. Late in the week.  B-schools tend to wind down as the week goes on; I'd highly suggest getting in on a Monday or Tuesday to see what classes are really like. If you show up on a Thursday afternoon, at least at Owen, we move from a class "mode" to the weekend "study/play" mode.  Mondays are entirely different animals from Thursdays or Fridays.  I guess you should see them both, but the best picture of the classwork will be painted by coming early in the week.

So these are my tips.  If you have any others, or if you disagree, just leave me a comment. 

Back to school...

Business school is a lot like the plot of the movie Billy Madison.  You're in a set of classes for what seems like 2 weeks, covering all the material you thought you would learn in about a year, you take a round of tests, and you move to new, more challenging classes.  Billy moves through his classes so quickly, he covers grade school to high school in like 6 months. 

It was humorous in the film to watch Billy go from eating glue in kindergarten to learning 11th grade algebra in such a short amount of time, but to be honest, B-school moves a whole lot faster.  The only difference is Adam Sandler's character had a heck of a lot more fun than I'm having. 

Just last week I finished classes for Accounting I, Stats, and Econ.  I had from Thursday to Sunday off (although I had to work on a mock business plan...), and now I'm sitting in a whole new round of courses that build on what I learned in the first MOD.

Now I'm in Accounting II, Finance, Operations, and Marketing.  It's scary to think that in 3 weeks I've got midterms in some of these courses.  Really scary.

But you know what, you cant be scared... you gotta get out there, learn what you can, work hard, and find that ****-ing dog!

Technorati tags: Owen, MBA, Vanderbilt, Billy Madison

Well that wasn't very pleasant

Ok, so my hiatus from posting is over... and let me tell you, that was not fun at all.  I had 3 finals (accounting, econ, stats), all 3 were monsters; MBA tests are hours long (my shortest was 3 hours) and pretty much cover every piece of information you've crammed in your head over the past 9 weeks. 

Since last Tuesday, I've been putting in 14-16 hour days (7 days a week).  I come home, fall face down in bed, get back up at 7, repeat.  Luckily, we don't have classes during the week of finals, so it's non-stop review and study sessions.

We start our next quarter Monday (what a generous break).  I'm going to try and relax with my wife this weekend before getting back on the horse Monday.

Scared out of my wits

I'm sitting in Walker Library completely terrified of my Accounting final tomorrow.  Deferred Taxes, Bonds, Capital Leases, Cash Flows--- all covered in 3 weeks.  Think two chapters in a dense textbook per week.

If you have any delusions of B-school being all networking and cocktail parties--- wake the hell up.  It's Friday night at 10:30; I've been here for 14 hours today alone, and I'm nowhere near ready for a final that's about 40% of my grade.  Another final on Monday, then another Wednesday, and 3 major papers to do before the end of next week.  I've been busting my A$$ all week getting prepared, and I'm still way short of the command of the material I'll need for the test.

What on earth have I gotten myself in to?   

Preparing for Finals

So, MOD I is pretty much over; finals start Saturday.

What is it like during finals, you ask?  First, no class.  Classes end Thursday, but we have a week of just exams.  One great thing about Owen is that it seems everyone tries to work together for your benefit... Case in point, the exam schedules.  You've got an exam Saturday, then Monday, then Wednesday.  Administration and the professors take into consideration there's no way you could prepare for 2 exams for the same day, and try to give you a day in between tests. 

Probably wont help me much though... it's going to be a rough ride.  Still a couple days before my first exam and I've already had several people come up to me and say "are you ok?  you look really tired".  I'll be here studying Accounting until midnight or better, then work on about an hour of LTO final paper before heading home.  Even when we don't have class, I'll be here at between 8-9 to begin a full day of studying lasting well after midnight.

Most of your study occurs in groups (if you haven't figured that out yet) because there simply isn't any way a single student could learn and comprehend every part of a course--- it happens too quickly.  You rely on the others around you to teach you the remaining concepts you didn't catch.  I've got some great friends here, and we've got a very symbiotic relationship.  I don't know how you could make it without a solid group of study partners.

 

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Group Think

Think you're ready for business school? 

• Gmat Score?  Check...
• GPA?  Check...
• Work Experience?  Check...
• Proven Ability to Succeed?  Check...
• Group Think...  i'll get back to you.

Most of you B-school buddies will have great Gmat scores, awesome work experience, and great undergrad performance.  That will get them through about half of B-school.  The other half will be a little more challenging.

If you've been working in a company where you're more of a "cog in the wheel", and didn't spend a lot of time depending on teams to get projects accomplished, you'll want to work on your group dynamics.  In B-school, fully half of your major projects will be done in groups of 2-5 people.  You'll end up studying with others about half the time... if you struggle working effectively in teams--- get over it.  It's something you're going to have to get used to.  If you can't find a way to work with others, your grades will suffer accordingly.

 

Technorati Tags: MBA - Owen - Vanderbilt

Finals... yes, I said, FINALS... are already here!

Ok, so like a lot of B-schools, Owen is on the MOD system. You take 5 courses for what seems like 2 weeks, but it's really something like 8, then you move on to another set of 5 courses.  For the quantitatively challenged, that's 10 courses in the span of a single semester. 

It's a huge change from what I remember in undergrad.  We've basically blown through 6 months of coursework in a fraction of the time.  And you've got to know the material.  All of it. 

I'd be willing to say I'm more stressed about this next week's tests than I have been any other academic challenge to date.  My wife is an amazing person to put up with all this--- I've promised her we can take that honeymoon sometime real soon.