OwenBloggers: Sharran Srivatsaa

Owen Transitions, Part 1: Changing of the Guard

With only a few weeks till graduation, this is a time filled with transitions.

I have officially relinquished my position as the President of the Owen Student Government. OwenBloggers' very own Ryan Dix is taking over the reins along with a new executive board comprised of members from the class of 2009. This is a great tradition at Owen because it allows for graduating second years on the Owen Student Government to transition their responsibilities to the new executive board while a whole academic module to spare before graduation. This gives the outgoing board a chance to enjoy their last seven weeks after having served the student body for a year, and at the same time it allows the new board members to get acclimated to their new roles while still having access to the members out the outgoing board for advice and guidance.

This is also the standard operating procedure for the other Owen student clubs and organizations. Isaac, Sam, and I, transitioned the leadership of OwenBloggers to Jared, Colleen, Matt, and Neeraj in early January. Everyone talks about the strong tie that founders have towards the organizations that they have built from the ground up, but my range of emotions were on the other end of the spectrum. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with good friends and take OwenBloggers from an idea to what it is is today... and I am excited for the new leadership team to infuse this community with their new energy, excitement, and ideas, while taking OwenBloggers to new heights.

We are in the process of transitioning Project Pyramid to the next year's leadership team. This upcoming year is going to be an important year for Project Pyramid as it goes into its third year as one of the only student-driven MBA organizations in the world that has a cross-campus mission of using interdisciplinary thought to explore the business responses to the alleviation of global poverty. You can read more about Project Pyramid here and read about the amazing things that they are doing on the Gold Pyramid Blog, right here on OwenBloggers.

The Owen Corporate Ambassador Program (OCAP) has had a very successful first year. The mission of OCAP is to be the student ambassadors to alumni and corporate executives while working with Alumni Relations, Corporate Relations and the Dean's Office. We already have recruited, chosen, and trained five new members of the class of 2009 to serve as Corporate Ambassadors for the next academic year. Through OCAP, I have had the opportunity to travel with Dean Jim Bradford to alumni receptions across the country. host corporate executives and recruiters, connect with alumni, and have coffee with Presidents and CEO's. I am very thankful for the opportunity to be an Owen Corporate Ambassador and to be able to work closely with Sylvia Boyd and Peter Veruki at Owen Corporate Relations. Sylvia and Peter together know almost every single Owen alum, and if they don't, they are actively working towards doing that. My hats off to Sylvia and Peter... being a Corporate Ambassador has been one of the highlights of my Owen experience.

The changing of the guard is a nice way of kicking us out in style. I am enjoying seeing the members of the Class of 2009 take charge of the many initiatives that we recently called "our babies." My extra-curricular and community activities at Owen have tremendously shaped and molded my Owen education... I have pitched ideas over coffee, attempted to save the world, interacted with wonderful people in the Owen administration, and most importantly made some great friends.

The guard might change, but the rhythm of the samba will live on.

Technorati Tags: owen,vanderbilt,mba,owenbloggers,project pyramid,dean bradford,ocap,osga

Chat with a Prospective Student

A prospective student from India and I had been exchanging emails on potential times when we can connect to talk on the phone. It was a little challenging to synchronize schedules so we decided that we would talk over Google Chat as and when possible. We got a chance to catch up and chat today.

She threw some tough questions my way... and those were similar to the questions that I had when I was looking at MBA programs. Here is one of the questions that she asked me... and a summary of my answer:

How are career opportunities at Owen different from those at other schools?

This is a tough question and I can only give my perspective... I am very fortunate. I believe that I got the "best" internship and the "best" full-time job for me. I would have probably gotten the same job if I had ended up at one of the Ivys. US News ranks it as one of the Top 3 most desirable companies to work as an MBA, so I am very grateful.

Now this is what I told her... In my experience, the students who I have seen who have been successful in their job search are the ones that have a story. A story that show where they are coming from, why they are here, and how all of it ties into where they want to go with their post-MBA lives. Recruiters have told me that it is challenging to tell one candidate apart from the other, and having a story that can uniquely identify you and show your fit with the company and the career path makes you a very attractive candidate.

For finance careers on Wall Street, it seems like schools that are away from the Street are at somewhat of a disadvantage. This goes for any school outside the NYC area. I have heard this from many interns this summer and I think we have a challenge just like other schools. But I feel like there are two things that set up apart:

1. Owen has an amazing finance faculty. We have experts in almost every branch of finance and I feel that is one of Owen's biggest Assets. Hans Stoll created the put-call parity. Bob Whaley wrote the textbook on Derivatives. Craig Lewis is a rockstar in valuations. Nick Bollen's research in Hedge Funds has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. Dewey Daane was a Fed Bank Chairman and the last appointment of JFK. Bill Henderson is an authority in taxation. Associate Dean Bill Christie's research changed the way trading happens today on the exchanges. We have new professors who have just joined us who I have yet to take a class with, but they were recruited specifically because of their research and teaching excellence. I recently took a law school class that has a direct impact on my finance learning and I am happy about the opportunity that I had to do that over at the Vandy Law School.

2. We bring NY to you. Rather we take you to New York during Wall Street week. Owen collaborates with its alumni and corporate contacts on Wall Street to setup an entire week for students to visit different companies in the financial world in New York. The Owen alumni around the world play an integral part in supporting the school and in the recruiting. I spoke with about 30 alums before I even had my first interview... and these people take time out of their days to support Owen students. Dean Jim Bradford and Peter Veruki (Director of Corporate Relations) are constantly developing our relationships with companies around the world, and I know this first hand as I serve as Owen's Corporate Ambassador.

Owen also has regular visits from experts who run seminars on valuation, financial modeling, etc. every semester which give students a chance to learn about how exactly things are done on the street and a way to build their skills before they actually get there. The Finance club does a whole program with sector leaders specializing in each of the different areas of finance. These sector leaders help with resume reviews, cover letters, mock interviews etc. The school really goes out of its way to give students career resources and tools. I appreciate that and definitely took advantage of it during my career exploration.

Powered by Qumana

Whatever. If something sucks, it sucks.

Today one of my colleagues ripped on me, in the presence of numerous other folks, and plainly stated that he/she was ticked off at my lack of support for one of the administrative entities of the school on a particular matter. First, I am glad that this was said... 1. I serve in some official, elected capacities and it is my responsibility to hold up my end of the bargain 2. It takes courage to say "what the heck," especially in public and at the right time... and most importantly 3. It is the right thing to do... if not it would get brushed under the rug and there would be all that harboring-negative-feelings-crap, which I hate.

Then I got to thinking... should I be all PC and support the administrative entities of the school (maybe it be faculty, staff, deans, admissions, career management, library etc.) at all times, no matter what I thought? I think I am blessed with enough common sense to not bash the school... but if I am having a discussion with three friends in the hallway and we talk about how one of the recent projects done by one of the schools administrative entities sucks, well... if I think it sucks, I will say that it sucks. That's the friend and Owen student in me talking. Now what is unacceptable given my role on campus as a member of the student government is that I don't do anything about it... that is wrong. And I try very hard to make sure that never happens. But that is a discussion for another time.

The Owen Student Government is a body has elected officers... elected by the students. The interest and development of the student body is my primary responsibility and I feel very strongly about it. I see it as my right as well as obligation to call a spade a spade... if something sucks, it sucks. Well, I probably shouldn't say that it "sucks," (i.e. I should probably substitute it with another word) but I am going to call it as I see it... and its going to offend a few people in the bargain, but I am sorry that I cannot deal with mediocrity, especially when excellence is clearly within reach.

So how does this quasi-rant help potential students: The Owen culture is not one of accepting what is given to us. We try to challenge it. I try to challenge it. We should challenge it. Change is challenging in an educational institution, and at the very least it takes a whole academic year for a new initiative to get rolled out just because that's the way everything works. But that should not change the way we look at problems and potential solutions. This is a school that embraces change... and is constantly looking for ways to make this place better. That is one of the fundamental reasons why I love Owen. Please...call a spade a spade when you come to visit. Tell us what you like about Owen and also share your ideas that will help us make this a better place to live and learn. For that matter, send us an email right now... to owenbloggers at gmail dot com and tell us what you think. We want to hear from you. If something sucks, we want to know.

Powered by Qumana

Whatever. If something sucks, it sucks.

Today one of my colleagues ripped on me, in the presence of numerous other folks, and plainly stated that he/she was ticked off at my lack of support for one of the administrative entities of the school on a particular matter. First, I am glad that this was said... 1. I serve in some official, elected capacities and it is my responsibility to hold up my end of the bargain 2. It takes courage to say "what the heck," especially in public and at the right time... and most importantly 3. It is the right thing to do... if not it would get brushed under the rug and there would be all that harboring-negative-feelings-crap, which I hate.

Then I got to thinking... should I be all PC and support the administrative entities of the school (maybe it be faculty, staff, deans, admissions, career management, library etc.) at all times, no matter what I thought? I think I am blessed with enough common sense to not bash the school... but if I am having a discussion with three friends in the hallway and we talk about how one of the recent projects done by one of the schools administrative entities sucks, well... if I think it sucks, I will say that it sucks. That's the friend and Owen student in me talking. Now what is unacceptable given my role on campus as a member of the student government is that I don't do anything about it... that is wrong. And I try very hard to make sure that never happens. But that is a discussion for another time.

The Owen Student Government is a body has elected officers... elected by the students. The interest and development of the student body is my primary responsibility and I feel very strongly about it. I see it as my right as well as obligation to call a spade a spade... if something sucks, it sucks. Well, I probably shouldn't say that it "sucks," (i.e. I should probably substitute it with another word) but I am going to call it as I see it... and its going to offend a few people in the bargain, but I am sorry that I cannot deal with mediocrity, especially when excellence is clearly within reach.

So how does this quasi-rant help potential students: The Owen culture is not one of accepting what is given to us. We try to challenge it. I try to challenge it. We should challenge it. Change is challenging in an educational institution, and at the very least it takes a whole academic year for a new initiative to get rolled out just because that's the way everything works. But that should not change the way we look at problems and potential solutions. This is a school that embraces change... and is constantly looking for ways to make this place better. That is one of the fundamental reasons why I love Owen. Please...call a spade a spade when you come to visit. Tell us what you like about Owen and also share your ideas that will help us make this a better place to live and learn. For that matter, send us an email right now... to owenbloggers at gmail dot com and tell us what you think. We want to hear from you. If something sucks, we want to know.

Powered by Qumana

All positive eh?

So I recently got some feedback that everything we write has a positive spin on it. Things like, "classes are hard, but I am learning a lot" or "my team sucks, but its good for me to work with different people" etc. Although there is a level of truth to this and this is why we come to school (to take the tough stuff and develop personally and professionally), I will write completely about negative feelings in this post.

I have never been more swamped. This past module has continuously felt like I have been spinning my wheels and not really getting anywhere. I have a fully booked calendar with classes, organizations, career counseling and group meetings. I would say I have the least amount personal time this semester  and it always feels like I am rushed and that I am scrambling. Thank heavens the job search is done. Last year I made it my business to take one day off. I took one day a week for myself, where I did not schedule any meetings and use the time to get caught up on my life... may it be putting my notes in order, sleeping in, making personal calls and answering personal emails, laundry, read, catch up on my TiVo etc. This semester I have not been able to do that for myself and I have been working at the same rate and that is burning me out quickly. I was able to stay in good mental and physical shape all last year because I was able to have this personal time, but I am unable to do that this year and that is really burning me out much more quickly. So what? Heck, its not fun.

And I know we are better off that the Northeast and the Midwest when it comes to the weather, but I after living in the tropics over the last 5 years and most of my childhood, I think my body has gotten more Clark Kent-ish, i.e. deriving a lot of strength and inspiration from the sun. These days Nashville has been bloody cold, and it is absolutely depressing. As I walk out of the building dressed in more layers than a Samoan living in the north pole, the first words out of my mouth are definitely not, "Yay Hurray!" Yuck.

I am ready for winter break.

Powered by Qumana

All positive eh?

So I recently got some feedback that everything we write has a positive spin on it. Things like, "classes are hard, but I am learning a lot" or "my team sucks, but its good for me to work with different people" etc. Although there is a level of truth to this and this is why we come to school (to take the tough stuff and develop personally and professionally), I will write completely about negative feelings in this post.

I have never been more swamped. This past module has continuously felt like I have been spinning my wheels and not really getting anywhere. I have a fully booked calendar with classes, organizations, career counseling and group meetings. I would say I have the least amount personal time this semester  and it always feels like I am rushed and that I am scrambling. Thank heavens the job search is done. Last year I made it my business to take one day off. I took one day a week for myself, where I did not schedule any meetings and use the time to get caught up on my life... may it be putting my notes in order, sleeping in, making personal calls and answering personal emails, laundry, read, catch up on my TiVo etc. This semester I have not been able to do that for myself and I have been working at the same rate and that is burning me out quickly. I was able to stay in good mental and physical shape all last year because I was able to have this personal time, but I am unable to do that this year and that is really burning me out much more quickly. So what? Heck, its not fun.

And I know we are better off that the Northeast and the Midwest when it comes to the weather, but I after living in the tropics over the last 5 years and most of my childhood, I think my body has gotten more Clark Kent-ish, i.e. deriving a lot of strength and inspiration from the sun. These days Nashville has been bloody cold, and it is absolutely depressing. As I walk out of the building dressed in more layers than a Samoan living in the north pole, the first words out of my mouth are definitely not, "Yay Hurray!" Yuck.

I am ready for winter break.

Powered by Qumana

All positive eh?

So I recently got some feedback that everything we write has a positive spin on it. Things like, "classes are hard, but I am learning a lot" or "my team sucks, but its good for me to work with different people" etc. Although there is a level of truth to this and this is why we come to school (to take the tough stuff and develop personally and professionally), I will write completely about negative feelings in this post.

I have never been more swamped. This past module has continuously felt like I have been spinning my wheels and not really getting anywhere. I have a fully booked calendar with classes, organizations, career counseling and group meetings. I would say I have the least amount personal time this semester  and it always feels like I am rushed and that I am scrambling. Thank heavens the job search is done. Last year I made it my business to take one day off. I took one day a week for myself, where I did not schedule any meetings and use the time to get caught up on my life... may it be putting my notes in order, sleeping in, making personal calls and answering personal emails, laundry, read, catch up on my TiVo etc. This semester I have not been able to do that for myself and I have been working at the same rate and that is burning me out quickly. I was able to stay in good mental and physical shape all last year because I was able to have this personal time, but I am unable to do that this year and that is really burning me out much more quickly. So what? Heck, its not fun.

And I know we are better off that the Northeast and the Midwest when it comes to the weather, but I after living in the tropics over the last 5 years and most of my childhood, I think my body has gotten more Clark Kent-ish, i.e. deriving a lot of strength and inspiration from the sun. These days Nashville has been bloody cold, and it is absolutely depressing. As I walk out of the building dressed in more layers than a Samoan living in the north pole, the first words out of my mouth are definitely not, "Yay Hurray!" Yuck.

I am ready for winter break.

Powered by Qumana

Social Impact at Owen

We have many great initiatives at Owen. We are doing some very exciting things to contribute to a greener world. We have a whole new system of low-flush restrooms. The entire building has energy efficient lighting. Isaac and I created the Green Room last year... a printing resource room that has energy efficient printers, recycled paper, full-duplex printing, no cover pages, and handy paper recycling bins. We use recyclable cups at our social events and we got some very cool social event glasses that students are using instead of using the plastic cups. Recycle bins all over the place. Recruiters and companies cannot spam our mailboxes with recruiting flyers. Baby steps.

What I am particularly excited about is the new set of positions we have created as part of the Owen Student Government. We have a first and second year position on the student government executive board that focuses entirely on Social Impact. Daniel and Jeff and doing a wonderful job building a strategy to integrate the students, clubs and organizations, recruiters, and alumni... all using the power and responsibility of Social Impact. These guys just shared the strategy and timeline they have built with me and I am so impressed. The goals for integrating Social Impact into the student government was to have a central clearinghouse and repository for social impact activities related to Owen, to make a formal commitment to recognizing and supporting the impact that we can have on our community, and most importantly to allow the students to be stewards of the community.

Jeff and Daniel, thank you for doing such an amazing job. I am proud of our team and I am excited to see the new initiatives that you are going to roll out over the next six months.

Powered by Qumana

Christmas Home Stretch

I cannot believe it is December already.

I normally don't get nervous about final exams. I try to put in the work during the term and normally the final does not seem to hard. These last few weeks have somehow flown by and I don't know if I am really ready for my finals.

I am definitely nervous about the final exam I have at the Law School. Vandy Law is a different beast... with many horns, many teeth, many trunks, many fire-spitting orfaces, and many claws. I dont even know how the exam software works there. The professor bascially told us that we could bring in any material that we wanted... open book, open notes. He also very clearly said that he would even give us parts of the questions beforehand but was confident that it would not help. Okay, if that does not make you uncomfortable, I dont know what will. I am going to have to crack down and study for this puppy.

Today I got together with the wise men to talk about schedules. We looked at everything that was due for the rest of the semester, and blocked off times on our calendars to meet and crank it out. Sometimes I dont know what I would do without my Outlook calendar. I would definitely not make it through the semester without my study friends.

Owen is an interesting place. Some people work in groups, some work individually, some use a blended approach. But I have noticed that there are very few students who study individually. There is a very strong culture of studying in groups at Owen. Professors encourage collaboration, not sharing of answers. Most of the classes are built around group work, so I have very few assignments which I have done individually. Everyone learns differently... and I am a big fan of group work. The hardest part is finding the right teams, but when you do find the right team, the learning is rich and is filled with many different perspectives. The true spirit of a diverse skill set comes to bear when different team members contribute in different ways to the same assignment. Its awesome to see someone else do something better than you, and as a result it affects your grade and your learning positively. If you have a dysfunctional team, good luck. But that's why you get to pick your teams after the core classes. But I must say that I have always had great teammates.

I cannot wait for the semester to be done. I want to be able to read for pleasure, workout everyday, see if I can get back on the tennis court and watch football. I am pretty sure I will be doing a good chunk of wedding planning, which I am actually excited about.

I am also using the rhythm of the samba to fight the flu. Sun Tzu would be proud.

Tags: sharran, srivatsaa, owenbloggers, vandy, owen, ogsm, mba
Powered by Qumana

Forced to Focus

As I sit at the most coveted table at the Starbucks across the street from Owen, listening to some old Matchbox 20, I stare right into the java jacket of my neighbor's Eggnog Chai... deep in thought, more like lost in thought. I realize that I am so darn tired. I still go from 6am to midnight every day... but these last few weeks have been very different. Everything that is on my plate has demanded an extraordinary amount of focus... that is if I want to get through all of it in decent time and still do a good job with every task. My pathological disgust for mediocrity only drives me to focus harder.

But before I lose focus, I want to tell you about a class that demands unwavering focus every single second...Corporate Valuation Management.

Fondly called "Corp Val" and taught by Professor Craig Lewis, it is considered the most demanding class at Owen. A right of passage, if you will. The class is a deep dive into the valuation of companies and is every aspiring Investment Banker's dream and nightmare rolled into one. There are many classes that I have taken at Owen that have had interesting material and/or taught by engaging professors... but you could still find a few minutes during a 90 minute class period to tune out before you needed to tune back in. (Its hard to tune out in T-Love's class because he is always switching it up) You cannot afford to tune out even for a single minute in Corp Val. I am constantly learning, writing, or trying to get un-lost in the class. Craig is such an amazing professor. There is no redundancy or padding in his lectures, everything he says is right on... measured, organized, clear, context-sensitive, and extremely useful. My head hurts after Corp Val because it is 90 minutes of unwavering focus.

The class is amazing. We definitely have an advantage taking it as second years because we have had the core classes, we have had our summer internships and everyone on my team has multiple job offers (i.e. more relaxed than the gunner first-years), we all know each other and are flexible with each other's schedules since we know each others significant others/personalities etc., and we are a lot more efficient than we were a year ago... i.e. we can sit down a bang out the tough parts in an hour or two and then break away to write up the rest of the assignment. We do have a dream team, but sometimes we feel like the Lakers. The class is demanding... the assigned reading is technical, there is a deliverable every class, your understanding of the material better be sound because you can get cold-called, and the lectures demand every ounce of focus you have.

Isaac and I joke about how we would take Corp Val with Craig if it was offered every module. And he is just too nice a guy with an amazing understanding of the material from both a practical and academic perspective. My advice to you if you are an incoming student.... 1. Take Corp Val before you graduate no matter what your concentration is 2. Pick your team wisely and hopefully it is people who you like spending a lot of time with... make sure you have a breadth of talent/skills and one person who definitely knows his/her statistics.  3. Make sure you don't take it during a Mod when you are going to be away multiple weekends 4. Do not take it after lunch!

The rhythm is back...

Technorati tags: sharran, srivatsaa, owenbloggers, owen, mba, vanderbilt, corp val

Best of Nashville

Glenn sent me Nashville Scene's "Best of 2007" ranking...

Best Place to Meet Intelligent Men

1. Vanderbilt University
2. Nashville Public Library
3. Borders (tie)
3. Trivia Time (tie)

Best Place to Meet Intelligent Women

1. Nashville Public Library
2. Vanderbilt University
3. Trivia Time

Check out the full rankings here... I would say for most of the sections I tend to agree!

One of my good friends also sent me a link to the last lecture by Randy Pausch, professor at Carnegie Mellon. Its kinda sad because the guy's days are numbered but he is a great speaker... definitely worth your time.

Technorati tags: sharran, srivatsaa, cmu, nashville

Golf for Business and Life

I spent many years at some of the most beautiful golf and tennis resorts but I never took full advantage of the free golf. Every single time a golfer looks at my Kaplaua shirt, he/she shrieks in excitement... and then proceeds to bang his/her head against the wall when I tell him/her that I only played the Plantation course once in my 2.5 years there.

Vanderbilt runs an awesome class called Golf for Business and Life. The program runs on a group instruction format and we get access to some amazing golf pros who walk us through fundamentals, etiquette etc. I like it because it gives me a chance to get out on the course once a week, to practice at my own speed, and to have personalized instruction from time to time. I particularly enjoy my Tuesday afternoons because the Vanderbilt Legends Golf Course is about a 20 minute drive from campus. I hardly drive my car (well, unless I am visiting N) in Nashville, so this gives me a chance to get away from campus and enjoy the lovely outdoors before it gets too cold to wear a polo shirt.

I was a decent golfer to start off, but just getting out and playing once a week has made me so much more comfortable. I still love tennis... and I am glad N does too. I somehow need to hit a lot more balls per minute... and I am not so fond of the little, white sucker just sitting there staring at you... I prefer whacking yellow fuzz.

Technorati tags: sharran, srivatsaa, owen, ogsm, vanderbilt

Golf for Business and Life

I spent many years at some of the most beautiful golf and tennis resorts but I never took full advantage of the free golf. Every single time a golfer looks at my Kaplaua shirt, he/she shrieks in excitement... and then proceeds to bang his/her head against the wall when I tell him/her that I only played the Plantation course once in my 2.5 years there.

Vanderbilt runs an awesome class called Golf for Business and Life. The program runs on a group instruction format and we get access to some amazing golf pros who walk us through fundamentals, etiquette etc. I like it because it gives me a chance to get out on the course once a week, to practice at my own speed, and to have personalized instruction from time to time. I particularly enjoy my Tuesday afternoons because the Vanderbilt Legends Golf Course is about a 20 minute drive from campus. I hardly drive my car (well, unless I am visiting N) in Nashville, so this gives me a chance to get away from campus and enjoy the lovely outdoors before it gets too cold to wear a polo shirt.

I was a decent golfer to start off, but just getting out and playing once a week has made me so much more comfortable. I still love tennis... and I am glad N does too. I somehow need to hit a lot more balls per minute... and I am not so fond of the little, white sucker just sitting there staring at you... I prefer whacking yellow fuzz.

Technorati tags: sharran, srivatsaa, owen, ogsm, vanderbilt

Samba goes to Law School

While my most of my fellow business school students (yes Tony, I know you are taking Mergers & Acquisitions) are grooving to the MBA tune, I have ventured across the conceptual divide to take a class at the Vanderbilt Law School. Here are some random thoughts:

1. They don't speak English at the law school.
2. I thought it was a great idea to take a class in Estate and Gift Taxation as it would give me a good foundation to speak with ultra high net-worth clients when I am in the wealth management world post-graduation... but now I have realized why we all need Trust and Estate lawyers
3. I am an avid reader. I have read most of the classics and have finished every book I have picked up except for War and Peace... I am still working on that. I even read text books on compiler construction and android epistemology in college... but nothing comes close to the utter lack of comprehension I experience when I read my law school text book.
4. The law class is harder than all the business school classes I have taken... and for those who think I am slacking this module... take a hike.
5. I am so impressed with the law school faculty. Our professor for the course makes the material so enjoyable... I love going to class because it is a completely different way thinking and teaching. He is a distinguished trust and estate lawyer... he cleverly breaks down the material by filling each part with stories... all while backing it up with the statues.

I wish I had a career counselor who would have advised me to get a JD/MBA. I strongly believe that it arms you with the ability to understand the world from the perspective of an economist while being able to articulate thoughts and ideas based on the lessons that we have learned from years judicial history. Law school provides some much needed conceptual context that most of us in the business school could definitely benefit from.

L to R: Jose, Yujin, Samba, Kat, Markus - and no, the picture has no relevance to this blog entry.  

The samba has definitely lost his rhythm...

Technorati tags: sharran, srivatsaa, vanderbilt, vandy, law school, jd/mba, mba, owen

What's in your wallet... er, locker?

Adapting the good things from high school… and the gym, every Owen student gets a locker in the building. It is super convenient and I would recommend using it wisely. I have seen people put shelves etc. in it - which I think is a great idea but turns out to be too much effort for me.

Things that I keep in my locker:

1. Tie and Blazer: I always have a blazer and a tie in my locker. You never know when you will need one… and it has come in handy many times.

2. Fleece: The library and the classrooms can get very cold sometimes… and not only has the fleece helped me but I have even lent it out numerous times. So you are welcome to borrow my fleece if I am not using it ;-)

3. Pillow: Yes I have a mini pillow in my locker. Its great when I can take a power nap in a library room from time to time.

4. Earphones: I like working on the main floor of the library and it is a good idea to have your earphones to drown out the noises so that you can be uber productive.

Some of the other things that I have seen an a locker: shoes, gum, glue, shoes, more shoes, mini ironing board, iron, chopsticks, granola bars, soup cans, umbrellas, beer, tequila (Jose...busted!), textbooks, binders, 3 hole punch, laffy taffy, brawny, wig (yes a wig), socks, a case of red bull, and of course a pink shirt.

If you have the extra czash, I would recommend getting a second AC adapter/charger cable for your laptop. That way you can leave one in school and have one at home. I would highly recommend this if your laptop is not a widely used model… i.e. if it is not the school's standard issue or a mac… because you can always borrow those.

Samba is back in two wzeeks!

What's in your wallet... er, locker?

Adapting the good things from high school… and the gym, every Owen student gets a locker in the building. It is super convenient and I would recommend using it wisely. I have seen people put shelves etc. in it - which I think is a great idea but turns out to be too much effort for me.

Things that I keep in my locker:

1. Tie and Blazer: I always have a blazer and a tie in my locker. You never know when you will need one… and it has come in handy many times.

2. Fleece: The library and the classrooms can get very cold sometimes… and not only has the fleece helped me but I have even lent it out numerous times. So you are welcome to borrow my fleece if I am not using it ;-)

3. Pillow: Yes I have a mini pillow in my locker. Its great when I can take a power nap in a library room from time to time.

4. Earphones: I like working on the main floor of the library and it is a good idea to have your earphones to drown out the noises so that you can be uber productive.

Some of the other things that I have seen an a locker: shoes, gum, glue, shoes, more shoes, mini ironing board, iron, chopsticks, granola bars, soup cans, umbrellas, beer, tequila (Jose...busted!), textbooks, binders, 3 hole punch, laffy taffy, brawny, wig (yes a wig), socks, a case of red bull, and of course a pink shirt.

If you have the extra czash, I would recommend getting a second AC adapter/charger cable for your laptop. That way you can leave one in school and have one at home. I would highly recommend this if your laptop is not a widely used model… i.e. if it is not the school's standard issue or a mac… because you can always borrow those.

Samba is back in two wzeeks!

OwenBloggers Summer Advice: 5 Orientation Fortune Cookies

Hope y'all got to read Tony's post on Orientation Do's and Dont's. I read his post and 20 minutes later I bumped into him at lunch... haven't seen the kid all summer and he works a block away from me. Swayzee.

Orientation is going to have a little different feel that what our class experienced last year. Its going to be a lot more hectic for two simple reasons:

1. Its been cut down from 2 weeks to 1 week (you are welcome)
2. The incoming class is going to have about 50+ more students this year, so get ready!

In light of those two reasons, here are a few Orientation tips:

1. Go to all the sessions: A lot of the students, staff, and faculty have been working on the structure and content of orientation since the beginning of the year. We were ruthless in how we cut out things from the schedule that we thought were not completely useful. I am sure you are going to dislike some sessions…but treat it as your time to get acclimatized… its only a week, we had two.
2. I hate to do this in a public forum but I think this needs to be said… make an effort to interact with your classmates from different cultures. So if you are an international student, make an extra effort to connect with the domestic students… and vice versa. The reason I say this is because most international students arrive 2 weeks early for USBCC/International Student Orientation. Its very easy for everyone to stay in comfortable groups formed from this time…
3. Orientation is the only time when you can randomly walk up to people and say Hi… without feeling awkward. You might be introducing yourself to the same people more than once…especially when you under the enchantment of certain beverages… trust me, it happened to us all.
4. Ask better questions… seriously, I was sick and tired of telling people where I was from and what I used to do before Owen. But please don’t bore your classmates with the same questions… be creative. Stand out. You might not be able to keep everyone’s hometown and prior career straight – but I am sure you will find it easier to remember the more unique traits of your classmates.
5. If you have not quit your job yet – please put in your two weeks now. You are going to be so slammed and it takes a while to get into the rhythm of school. I would try to get settled at least a week before orientation and get into a sleep cycle that you are going to follow when start school. (wake up before 7 and sleep after midnight).

Leave me a comment if you have questions and I will be happy to write about them. I will be around during Orientation, so I look forward to sharing some buckets of samba with you across the street.

OwenBloggers Summer Advice: 5 Orientation Fortune Cookies

Hope y'all got to read Tony's post on Orientation Do's and Dont's. I read his post and 20 minutes later I bumped into him at lunch... haven't seen the kid all summer and he works a block away from me. Swayzee.

Orientation is going to have a little different feel that what our class experienced last year. Its going to be a lot more hectic for two simple reasons:

1. Its been cut down from 2 weeks to 1 week (you are welcome)
2. The incoming class is going to have about 50+ more students this year, so get ready!

In light of those two reasons, here are a few Orientation tips:

1. Go to all the sessions: A lot of the students, staff, and faculty have been working on the structure and content of orientation since the beginning of the year. We were ruthless in how we cut out things from the schedule that we thought were not completely useful. I am sure you are going to dislike some sessions…but treat it as your time to get acclimatized… its only a week, we had two.
2. I hate to do this in a public forum but I think this needs to be said… make an effort to interact with your classmates from different cultures. So if you are an international student, make an extra effort to connect with the domestic students… and vice versa. The reason I say this is because most international students arrive 2 weeks early for USBCC/International Student Orientation. Its very easy for everyone to stay in comfortable groups formed from this time…
3. Orientation is the only time when you can randomly walk up to people and say Hi… without feeling awkward. You might be introducing yourself to the same people more than once…especially when you under the enchantment of certain beverages… trust me, it happened to us all.
4. Ask better questions… seriously, I was sick and tired of telling people where I was from and what I used to do before Owen. But please don’t bore your classmates with the same questions… be creative. Stand out. You might not be able to keep everyone’s hometown and prior career straight – but I am sure you will find it easier to remember the more unique traits of your classmates.
5. If you have not quit your job yet – please put in your two weeks now. You are going to be so slammed and it takes a while to get into the rhythm of school. I would try to get settled at least a week before orientation and get into a sleep cycle that you are going to follow when start school. (wake up before 7 and sleep after midnight).

Leave me a comment if you have questions and I will be happy to write about them. I will be around during Orientation, so I look forward to sharing some buckets of samba with you across the street.

The pink elephant dances to the rhythm of the samba

1 year down. I am spent. But I feel awesome.

This past year has been filled with all kinds of joy and junk. I have learned more in this past year than I have during any other period in my life. For all of you getting ready to come to Owen or go to business school elsewhere, here are a few things I wish I had known before I came to business school:

1. Everyone gets through business school... how you get through is what is left to be decided. Right from the first day you have to make choices... and the more things you say "yes" to the more things you will have to say "no" to. For example, if you say "yes" to a full range of extra-curricular activities, your grades will probably suffer. My point: have a rough sense of what you want out of your business school experience. This will act as a filter and allow you to make choices that are right for you.

2. Extra-curricular activities are not like the ones that you did in undergrad. These are a lot more involved and demanding, and you cant get away doing a poor job. Well you could, you would just let down a lot of people and that is no fun. So add things to your plate carefully.

3. Study your brains out. Ask for help. Find people with like-minded goals and from a study group to keep you in line. Study your brains out. Ask for help. Did you hear me? Study your brains out.

4. You don't have to party hard, but show up for social gatherings. I would recommend that you show up for every social gathering, even if it is just for a part of the time. Nobody is going to force you to drink, hang out with a Sprite and get to know your school mates. And there is absolutely no freaking excuse for you to EVER miss a social gathering at school... remember, at least show up.

5. Be selfless. Everyone is at school to move forward in their lives, its just not you. The best thing that you can do is always be available and accessible to help anyone that you can in anyway that you can. Don't hold back your answers to the Stats homework. Share your contacts with your classmates. Show up at their parties. Don't be selfish, everything will come back full-circle.

Oh, and everyone is going to be stressed... so smile.

Chill with people who change the world

I like learning new things and the learning has been awesome over the last academic year. I am starting to like different topics within each functional area. I like the consumer preference side of marketing, the queuing theory side of operations, the strategy and alignment ideas of human capital, and the options/derivatives side of finance.

Options are amazing. I feel like if a person can understand options, they understand the markets inside-out because options tug at the very root of the speculative spirit of the financial world. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to hang out with Dr. Hans Stoll on the tennis court. (this is the time you go... whaaaaa? noway!)

Hans Stoll is the guy who came up with the Put-Call Parity. You can read about the Put-Cal Parity on Wikipedia here but it is one of the coolest things that the options world has seen. Hans is a great guy... and has a mean serve. I am going to take a couple of his classes next year. Pretty cool.

Map of US Internship Placements

Isaac wanted to take a break from studying for our Macroeconomics final and play... so he came up with a recent map of domestic internship placements for the class of 2008. Enjoy...

(click to magnify)

10 Pearls of Advice: What I wish I had known

Some lessons looking back over the last 4 Mods...

1. Without a dependable study group, I would have probably quit in October
2. The only way I got through Mods 1 and 2 was staying two weeks ahead of the class in terms of reading and assignments (wherever possible)
3. I am so thankful that my class schedule allowed for flexibility during Mod 3 because I spent the entire 7 weeks on career management. If you know which Mod is going to be loaded with internship search, weight your classes accordingly
4. Decide what you want your transcript to look like... if you know that you are going into a field that is not going to scrutinize your GPA, don't sweat it... work for the B. My point - if you know you want a vowel-based transcript, say "yes" to school work and "no" to the extra-curricular stuff... because its hard to juggle them all AND do them well... and worst of all it will kill you. I speak from experience.
5. Force yourself to get six hours of sleep... the super-human spirit at school carries over into our personal lives and sleep deprivation is not cool. If you get at least six hours of sleep a night, you will do amazingly well at bskool.
6. Do not ever eat Pizza... in fact, give up pizza for the two years you are here.
7. Take 1 day off a week. Block off your schedule. Don't care about what people say. It is your day. Do whatever you want. Study. Sleep. Whatever. But don't schedule anything for that day. Let your body, mind, and spirit get rejuvenated.
8. Take full responsibility for your internship search. Put the CMC, your peers, and your contacts in a position to help you. Work on your career from Day 1... think of it as a project that does not end until you get that internship offer. This means that if you don't know what to do when you grow up, please don't try to figure it out on your own... please, please, please get help.
9. Go out with the Owen gang. You don't have to drink... just go out. Amazing friendships are built at the local watering holes... and 10 years down the road the beer you bought me might come back to you 10,000-fold :)
10. Optional reading is exactly that... optional. Don't be an overachiever and try to read everything... you cannot. I thought I could - but I could not. Dude, there is no way you can do the optional readings in addition to everything else that you have going on. (Maybe if you are super interested in the subject matter, once in a while it might be worth it)

If I had time to blog, I would take a nap

Its a school night...  I am home working on a case and attempting to be a quasi-geek by running regressions to show the quantity theory of money (inflation and its relationship to growth of money etc.) and an email pops up from a cool friend:

I was surfing the OwenBloggers website and noticed you haven’t posted anything in almost 2 weeks!!  What’s up with that?  I think you should stop slacking off!!

In light of my new celebrity status, I better get back in the blogger saddle. This is what is on my mind right now...

1. I miss my lovely cousins. K and A are in Shanghai on spring break. I think this is going to be the first summer in almost ten years that I might not get to spend time with them.

2. I was in a five-person round-table discussion with Peter Shutz, former CEO of Porsche. You can read his bio here. The dude is awesome! One of us asked him whether he was spending his time [these days] doing consulting work. To that he responded:

"Consultants listen to your problem and (normally) tell you what to do to fix it. I listen to your problem and tell you a story. I am not a consultant. I am your friend, I am your mentor."

 

 

3. I will get a chance to attend Dr. Mohammad Yunus' address at the Vanderbilt Senior Day on May 10 with Dean Jim Bradford, Prof. Bart Victor and Project Pyramid Co-Founder Rehan Choudhry.

There is some amazing stuff happening in the Microcredit/Microlending world... check out this PBS:Frontline story.

And if you missed the World Premiere of OwenBloggers: The Movie, we have released a couple of clips on the OwenBloggers Video Gallery. Check out the trailer first...

And if you are wondering what the weather in Chicago is...

The best recent blog idea that I didn't write about...

It was supposed to be called, "6 seconds into the world you don't understand..." but then I really had no idea how to begin or end it.

This video is six seconds long, but if you have been to India, you know exactly what I am talking about... you can write essays about what you see in this video, about the sounds you hear... one of those people riding the motorcycle might be answering your next customer service call, or doing your next medical transcription, or writing a piece of software for a pacemaker that runs in your grandpa's heart...

But all that you see is a noisy, busy, mess... a street with no markings, with vehicles flying by for six seconds.

Sammy?

Technorati Tags: sharran - srivatsaa - owen - vanderbilt - vandy - india

My lunch with the CEO of Wal-Mart

Yesterday I had lunch with Wal-Mart North America's CEO Eduardo Castro-Wright (Corporate America's Rising Star by Fortune) as a part of Owen's Distinguished Speaker Series. This is one of the favorite parts of my Owen experience, a chance to connect with business leaders from around the world in a smal