« December 2008 | Main | February 2009 »
January 25, 2009
Uganda bound!
The projects have been announced, and the teams have taken shape. We submitted our top MAP choices about two weeks ago and the MAP office has been hard at work, matching us to our project assignments. No one knows exactly how the process plays out, but in the end each MBA1 was assigned to a project ranked within their top ten, which is pretty impressive.
I am so excited about my assignment! It involves working with a rural hospital in Uganda to analyze areas for procurement and inventory management improvements. The project interested me because I am really enjoying our operations class this term, wanted to work with a non-profit for MAP, and hoped to gain some international experience. The project kickoff is still off in the distance (although not that far, since there’s only three more weeks left in the Winter A term) but our team of four students will be meeting for the first time tomorrow. We are all from different sections, which is great—as much as I love working with my section, it will be a nice change of pace to work with a completely new group.
Lastly, congratulations are in order to the newly admitted students for the Class of 2011. Hope to see you at Go Blue Rendezvous!
Posted by esl at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2009
Building excitement
Sorry for the bad pun, but there is a lot of new building excitement and building excitement for our futures this summer. We started Winter A classes last week. Walking into the new building was a surreal experience, or maybe it just seemed that way because I arrived early for my 8am class and felt like I was still on break. The building’s wintergarden area is expansive and airy, and the first time I tried to do my homework there it almost had an upscale hotel feel to it. The orange--I mean terracotta!—color has grown on me, but I can’t quite figure out the interesting carpet selection. It looks like a mix between a world map and an MRI scan, and has certainly been the topic of many conversations!
This week has been extremely busy with group projects and also marked the start of internship interviews for many MBA1s. Despite the mock interviews with companies, advice from the Office of Career Development, and practice with other MBA1s, my nervousness was overwhelming as I sat in the interview waiting room today. Fortunately, my classmates sensed that and started chatting away with me to keep me distracted until it was time for my interview. That’s the great thing about Ross. You can always count on your classmates for support!
Posted by esl at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)
Winter A.
A little bit of everything is going on -- Winter A has begun, and I've taken on the "suicide load" of 5 classes, recruiting is in full swing, and MAP assignments are being generated somewhere out of sight, and we've achieved our first sub-zero temperatures (at least while classes are in session).
In brief, we're currently planning the following:
1. Spring Break
2. MAP
3. Summer internship
4. The rest of our lives.
To say it's stressful is a huge understatement. We all know the economy is bad and some companies have decided not to sponsor internships this summer (I had an interview canceled just this morning). I personally came here to do non-profit/social enterprise work, but the flood of other applicants being turned away from the likes of banking and consulting has made the competition for this usually self-selecting arena much more fierce. Many of us are feeling the pinch and are dealing with daily unease, wondering what the worst case scenario is and hoping that, one month from now, we'll feel silly to have even worried about it.
But -- to happier thoughts. MAP selections were due last Sunday and the assignments will come out next week. I personally selected WDI projects -- one with the Acumen Fund in India, another with a hospital in Uganda, a non-profit in the Dominican Republic, CEMEX and Hershey in Mexico (separately!). My domestic choices were all in Chicago, which, while not entirely exotic, still very appealing in their own way.
OH -- and I forgot to mention that the new building has opened! It's only been a week and a half and we seem to be taking it for granted already. It's large and glorious; classrooms have large bright windows, sophisticated AV thingamabobs to play with, there's a bunch of comfy seating and a brand new gym for working out when we're short on time. Most people are pretty happy in the new space (there are some of us, though, who sneak back to the old building for some new-found peace and quiet in the emptiness).
Monday is a holiday from school (those are truly rare), and president-elect Obama becomes the full-fledged commander-in-chief on Tuesday. Even with the bleakness and the freeze, there are still many things to look forward to!
Posted by betdavis at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2009
International Woes
As I nervously wait for close list interview results to be posted, I wonder if the 30+ jobs I've dropped for will be enough to secure me some interviews and a summer internship offer.
In the sky light lit lobby of the new Ross building, students are sitting around chatting about upcoming interviews and going over practice cases and questions. Some are disappointed that they didn't get close listed for their top choice companies and wonder how much they could afford to bid for one of the few open interview spots. As companies continue to reassess their summer hiring needs, we continue to get emails of reduced or cancelled campus interviews.
I have been moderately fortunate in getting close list invites and open bidding interview slots, but I have also received my fair share of rejections. However, in the occasional moments of self pity, I remind myself of how fortunate I am to have an American passport. Many of my international counterparts are truly feeling the pinch of the difficult economic environment. Their options were already limited by the number of companies that are willing to hire internationals. But as companies continue to scale back the number summer interns they are looking to hire, it seems that my international friends will have to search far beyond U.S. borders for a summer internship.
To those that have interviews, I wish you luck and the ability to respond to recruiter questions with ease and charm. To those that are still waiting for interview offers, I hope that you will stay positive and cast your nets a little wider.
Posted by monicaea at 03:56 PM | Comments (0)