Marshall Takeaways

A major blog vacation...

2005-08-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I am officially a blogging slacker. Little did I know that my internship would keep me so hard at work this summer. I've been working my ass off for the past eight weeks (after a month-long trip to Asia) as well as experiencing the typical MBA wine-and-dine sales pitch. My summer internship definitely turned out to be a great experience -- I got real insight into day-to-day life and got to attend some fun events. I'm looking forward to getting back to school and hearing about what everyone else thought about their job.

The issue of the week -- my computer crashed. Blue screen and scary message that says "Physical memory dump complete." Yikes! Everyone seems to be shocked that I didn't back up my data - honestly, I never would have even thought about that. Luckily, I found PC Superheroes and they will hopefully be performing heroic feats on my hard drive tomorrow. I am most concerned with my pictures and music... I have downloaded a lot of live concert bootlegs and have a variety of travel, event and ex-boyfriend pictures that I want to keep (notice that I am not that concerned with school stuff). I like to have the 3X5s to spark memories of the awesome places that I have been and to remind me about stupid relationship mistakes I have made.

Speaking of stupid relationship mistakes... here is a tip from my summer experience. Don't get involved with a fellow intern, even if they aren't in the same group. It makes for an awkward summer when it doesn't work out. Oh, another thing I learned on a similar topic this summer - if a co-worker wants to get together on professional terms, be prepared that it can quickly become "a date" after a few beers. I had a great moment where I realized that the conversation had turned into bull shit first date conversation. What was even better was the "breakup" that occurred -- you know, that weird situation where you feel like you HAVE to offer a reason why you don't want to date someone, when you've only hung out a few times. In order to maintain a working relationship, you have no choice but to pull a pseudo-breakup -- tough to pull off the phone call avoidance when there is a work factor. Sucks...

In the next few days, I'll try to come up with some internship tips that I learned this summer. I'm too concerned with my computer to be creative.

Cry babies

2005-04-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

I'm so sick of hearing the bitcing and moaning from fellow students about school, the administration, basically anything having to do with the MBA program. I can't say that I never complain but at some point, you have to just say that you are going to make the best of it.

From what I gather from articles and talking to other MBA students at other programs, this is not limited to Marshall. It seems that this horrible attitude transcends schools. I think that it is possibly the attitude of our generation, which is REALLY depressing...

If you are frustrated (which you have a right to be), do something about it.

Save Ferris

2005-03-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

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

I'm mad that I don't take Ferris' advice more often. I'm making a pact with myself to start appreciating things and making an effort to be adventurous. I'm looking forward to going to Asia for school in May. I'm even more excited to hit the beaches out there when we're done. Lucky for me, my internship doesn't start until mid-June so I can get some diving in and hang out for a few weeks.

Every MBA student should take advantage of the fact that we get so many breaks. Next year, I am going to be traveling every chance I get. When else will you have five weeks at Christmas and a week in March? I'm already in debt... what's a few extra thousand dollars?

By the way, I got so drunk the other night that I lost my credit card twice. Just thought I'd share that tidbit - this is what happens when you are an MBA on Spring Break. And one other thing, Syracuse screwed me. My bracket is officially busted.

A Slacker Discusses a Scandal

2005-03-19T17:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I totally feel behind on this. And I have no good excuses... Now, it is Spring Break so I have a little more time.

Right before Break, we finished up our Term III classes - operations and management accounting. An interesting scandal broke out in accounting. I am not quite sure exactly how it went down but there was definitey over-reaction, lying and general shadiness. And it seems that there is an international mafia...

Basically, certain students got their hands on a document from 2004 that had the questions from the final. Some were saying that three questions were the same but really I think it was only one. Everyone was freaking out about the fact that the curve is skewed because of this test. Personally, I think this is ridiculous and I am more concerned that certain "student leaders" choose to make Marshall a competitive environment rather than a cooperative one.

I think that a cooperative environment makes for a better learning experience and more fun.

Balancing act

2005-02-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
~ Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

This is my advice to prospective and current MBAs. I have learned so much more from my extracurricular work these last six months than I have in the classroom.

The hardest part is getting over my "can't say no" disease but I think I have made strides recently. Next year, I plan to focus on two or three clubs that I am really passionate about and make a difference. This year I have been a little over-committed... Although I plan to remain over-committed, I want it to be a strategic over-committment. Through my extracurricular work, I have significantly broadened my network, given back to the LA community and learned about specific industries (both what I THOUGHT I wanted to be involved in and what I ACTUALLY want to be involved in.)

I recommend that MBAs use their business school experience to expand their horizons.

Blame it on the rain

2005-02-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

Once again I am proved wrong... It rained on the OC tonight.

On another note - yesterday was a milestone day in Operations. Professor Bassouk, who is a dead ringer for Santa, finally wore closed-toed shoes and had the most beard dandruff of any day.

Random thoughts...

2005-02-22T21:18:00.000-08:00

Seriously, the JKP Cyber Cafe is the most ridiculous operation EVER. Prof. Bassouk would be so proud that I discovered the bottleneck -- the fact that the cashier is also the salad maker. These people are slower than molasses. With a little linear programming, the cafe could definitely operate more efficiently and reach the goal of maximizing profits (remember there is only ONE goal.)

Internship news

2005-02-21T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well, after a weekend of stressing out about my internship prospects, I got a phone call this afternoon that I received an offer. The on-campus process works! I guess this also means that I have to stop complaining about the CRC...

So it looks like I will be working at a big consulting company this summer. I'm much more excited than I thought I would be - I think I am still stunned from the prospective dollar signs. It will be nice to have a little money after six months of being poor.

My tips for a three-hour consulting interview (because obviously I'm an expert now):
* Write stuff down while they talk (it makes you look interested and smart)
* Use a framework, ANY framework, for the case
* Ask questions during the case - what would you need to know in order to make a real recommendation?
* Take your time answering questions - embrace the silence
* Be honest - if you don't know an answer, admit it
* Write out potential behavioral answers before the interview - don't get caught off guard

Yesterday I was complaining about how I never make a dent in my to-do pile... Now after more than 10 informational interviews, two on-campus interviews and a million emails, there is a major dent.

another note...

2005-02-20T23:45:00.000-08:00

MBT earlier touched on the trials and tribulations of being a single female in the MBA program at Marshall. I will add more on that later...(stay tuned for your chance to write in!)
We had our school elections last week. Most of the positions were uncontested. This was in part due to GPA requirements which restrict certain students from holding office. If student government is your goal in business school, I strongly urge you to look into school policy regarding GPA. Not all business schools have this rule. That's all for tonight.

First Blog Ever!

2005-02-20T23:23:00.000-08:00

Well, this is our first blog ever... We will be sharing some insight and thoughts about being a single female in the USC Marshall MBA program. Get ready...

We've been in the program for six months now and the experience has been very different than what we expected. The biggest lesson that I learned early on was that testosterone compounds in the MBA setting. This is sure to be a recurring theme in this blog. My second lesson is that I suck at economics and stats. At least this term, I am taking Negotiatons and Marketing so I am not feeling quite as overwhelmed by quant work. The third lesson is that no matter how much work I do, I still won't make a dent in the pile - it's all about selective reading.

BTW - it is monsooning in SoCal right now for the third day in a row and I am really confused... it never rains on the OC. I feel a little mislead.