Well, it’s the last day of 2008. I just want to take a brief moment to look back on a few things that happened this past year.
1) We started school on May 19, 2008 and had classes for an entire week (6 days)! That was a crazy week where we got to meet everyone, meet our groups, start classes, and get ready for our first midterm (Accounting midterm came quickly after that first session). I remember sitting in the big room on the 4th floor listening to our new classmates introduce themselves…we found out that we had a fighter pilot, martial artists, etc. Our class has a good mix of people (that are really competitive).
2) We had a great term 1 where we got to enjoy the un-PC humor of Prof. Smetters, take lots of accounting exams from Prof. Lambert, and talk about managing people with Prof. MacDuffie. I learned stuff like MR=MC, cournot, nash equilibrium, adverse selection, depreciation and amortization are not sources of cash, and that FAP means many things (mostly bad). I also learned that every group has at least one slacker.
3) Our classmates are pretty cool. I’ve had the priviledge of hanging out with most of them over various meals and drinks and every single one of them impresses me with their knowledge and personality.
4) We’re going to Spain for our international trip next year!
5) We have a good core group of social people and Suki is great at organizing events.
6) A Wharton MBA takes a lot of work. If you get an A at Wharton, you probably failed at work and home. If you get an A at work, you probably failed at Wharton and home. Basically, you can only get one A among the 3 aspects of your life (school, work, family) so pick your poison.
7) The Wharton West food is starting to get repetitive. I still like the salads and the overall quality is decent but I could go for a change.
8) Macroeconomics is all about being good at algebra and not making calculation errors.
9) Leadership is all about climbing big mountains and being able to write really fast in 2 hours.
10) OPIM is all about breaking pieces of chalk on the board and learning how to use solver and Crystal ball. Too bad you can’t use a computer on the exam. Ziv is one pretty smart dude though.
Well, that’s all I can think of. I believe that 2009 will be an awesome year at Wharton. We finish most of our core classes this term and we start the fun stuff (electives) next term. By the end of 2009, I’m sure I’ll be itching to finish and graduate but it’ll be a great year! Here’s a non-alcoholic toast to 2008!
(posted by RVD)Bookmark this article!
2 responses so far ↓
1 Fink // Jan 6, 2009 at 10:55 am
Great post, I think that you hit the nail on the head for the past two terms. Though I would add:
- a “quick question” is NEVER quick and only occasionally a question
- While there is competition, I would classify it as friendly competition. I don’t think anyone wants to see someone fail, we just all want to succeed and use each other as benchmarks. I’ve never asked for or been asked to provide help and not gotten (given) it. My take, FYIW.
- You do miss some of the comraderie by NOT living in SF. I really wish that I lived in SF and not OC (okay, I’m jaded and this is one of many reasons for that…) If you’re traveling, stay the occasional Saturday night after class. Well worth it.
- You WILL gain weight and generally be less healthy during the program (unless you’re hanging with the basketball crew). I thought that an MBA would round me out, but may I’ll be more round than I expected when we graduate. **okay, I am always with the social crew, so I may have the occasional non-non-alcoholic toast and late night food cravings**
- I completely concur about the home/work/school balancing act. After 2 terms, I have yet to find a healthy balance: Term 1: too much school, Term 2: too much something (not sure what but I seemed to struggle on all 3 fronts)…You need a VERY supportive partner to get through the program. You think that it’s easy before you start and while it’s doable, it is REALLY hard. I find that it’s tougher as the program continues, which was unexpected.
- You will be tired and long for lazy days. Before the program, I hated a day with nothing to do. Now I long for them. I can’t remember the last morning when I woke up feeling well rested.
- Suki is a whilring dervish of party energy and infectious giggles.
2 RVD // Jan 6, 2009 at 11:30 am
yes, you are correct in terms of competition. It’s competitive when you see the mean and standard deviation after exams but I don’t really notice it day to day. I’ve always received lots of help when I needed it. I haven’t necessarily provided that much help because I rarely know what I’m talking about but I’m happy to try.
I did gain weight but after my recent healthy living turnaround, I’ve actually lost some pounds. That’s a good thing. I’ve done it mostly by cutting out soda + alcohol. I may eventually decide to just cut out beer and stick to hard liquor (heh). There is the basketball and morning running crew but I’ve never been a part of that.
I fully agree with staying over on Saturday night if you’re not local. I’ve done that a few times and it’s definitely well worth it. 2 years goes by really quickly.
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