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06 Sep 2014, 08:01
| FROM Reaching the Thirties: Ready to Start my Second Year at Fuqua! |
I’ve been in Durham since August 16 and I couldn’t be happier to be back! There has been a lot of things going on since the day I ended my internship at Deloitte. The summer was great and I had a very successful internship. I still have to write a post about it, hopefully soon. … Continue reading →
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06 Sep 2014, 08:02
| FROM uwengdori - Current Student: Rotman Orientation Aug 26-28, 2014 |
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Rotman Orientation Camp Aug 26-28 was a fairly busy daily for me entire days. We had our very first Rotman Orientation Camp (different from the one held by Graduate Business Council). I only found out about it one day before the start of the event, but I managed to make all the necessary contacts and participate.    Just two weeks ago, I never imagined that I would be able to take a part of this class together, which is why it made me feel nostalgic, happy, and resolute as well in some way. Starting off with the introduction of the Fulltime MBA by Mihnea Moldoveanu, associate dean of the Rotman MBA, the class started to jump into what the Rotman MBA is truly about.  I actually felt somewhat relieved and became very attentive (more than before) when he demonstrated some of the examples of MBA problem solving using engineering examples. Coming from an engineering background, I could understand his words and what he meant to say more easily.   In the afternoon of day one, the class, divided into teams, has completed an interesting exercise called a reciprocity ring. Basically, how it works is that you share your current needs/wants (ex: I want a cat, I want to learn how to play piano) and your first point of network (your class) will try to come up with solutions altogether, and if not, their friends will try to help, and if not, even their friends of friends will help! While it may not sound very useful, you would not believe what kind of solutions and network surrounds you.   While walking back home, I noticed a bike share, something that reminds me of the one I saw in New York. Although I haven’t found a need for it yet, hopefully I can try it sometime.  Lunchtime is always exciting.    The main advantage of the Rotman MBA is definitely the summer internship with a well-equipped career centre which is there to fully support your career development needs. To prepare, we had a chance to attend a session ‘2-hour job search’ by Steve Dalton, an author of the book ‘2-Hour Job Search.’ His job search, filtering, and networking methods were indeed very interesting and insightful with a few tricks that I can hide up my sleeves.   Followed by current second year student career panel, we had chances to hear what to expect going forth.   UT Bookstore. I have a feeling I will be visiting this place quite often.  What happens when you mix some of water to the wine, then pour mixed wine substance back into the water?  https://joshatrotman.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/2014-08-28-11-44-41.jpg  How I design my MBA. How I maximize its value and get the best outcome is totally up to me.  Just don’t hand over your joystick to someone else.    https://joshatrotman.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/2014-08-28-16-52-13.jpg   So the long three day orientation is over and while admitted candidates also have options not to attend this orientation, my personal opinion: it should be mandatory to attend, and here’s why.
 
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06 Sep 2014, 15:00
| FROM Defying Gravity - The MBA Journey: Round 1 Applicants -- Do this |
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Eek, it's almost time to finally press "Submit" on your application! You're stressed and tired and likely feeling anxious. Take a moment to breathe. If you've been focusing on your app for multiple hours, walk away for a bit. Spend some time re-focusing your energy, then come back later to proofread. Make sure you are telling a compelling story that shows how you will contribute to the HBS classroom experience and one that highlights your leadership potential. The admissions committee isn't looking for the next great author, so your writing doesn't have to be award-winning... but don't be sloppy. Watch out for typos and check your grammar. Consider having a friend or colleague review your essay. After that, take Dee Leopold's advice and "don't overthink it." Press "Submit," and then go celebrate. You deserve it. |
07 Sep 2014, 15:00
| FROM From Bench to Board (Fuqua): Advice to First Year MBAs: Engage During Recruiting Events |
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This is the first post in my new series, Advice to First Years. These are based on my experience as a recent first year MBA student at Duke Fuqua. The focus is on how to get the most out of the first year during the MBA. The intended audience for these posts are all first year MBA students and is school agnostic. However, I will be using several examples from my experience at Duke, although there should be similar opportunities at all schools. This can help prospective students as well, giving an additional perspective on what the first year MBA is all about. Continue reading » |
07 Sep 2014, 22:01
| FROM uwengdori - Current Student: First week of Rotman |
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The first week of Rotman has finally ended. It was just first week, literally, but was already full of action.  It was great to see new undergraduates coming in. Reminded me of my frosh year 9 years ago.  Almighty engineers   Very first GBC party. Due to unexpected bad weather with rain and thunder, I had no choice, but to skip.     Welcome to Yonge Street.     So this was the recap of my first week in photos, and this is what I think about my first week. Here’s what I found was different from undergraduate 1. Teamwork Most of the assignments are group work and due to a lot of deadlines coming ahead, you have to be extremely organized, but also continue to communicate with your group members. Emphasis on collaboration and integrative thinking are definitely pluses because unlike classrooms, real world out there is totally different with various unknown variables. It is great that Rotman curriculum allows you to prepare for it in advance. Yet of course, this means it might not be as appealing if you prefer solo work. 2. Professionalism You are now a representative and an embodiment of your school. This, of course, was emphasized in undergraduate, but you don’t really know because you are too young and haven’t experienced the significant of networking yet. Once you starting going to a business school, every action and word you make and speak means something and will leave a print. 3. Old Seeing these new frosh students excitedly running around the St. George campus, it really makes me feel old. Of course, this is meant to be a joke.  
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07 Sep 2014, 22:01
| FROM uwengdori - Current Student: 2015 Rotman MBA Admission Essay Tips |
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One of the most crucial parts of the MBA admission application is an essay. This is an opportunity to tell the adcom who you are and what you want them to know about you which aren’t clearly addressed in your career and academic grades. Luckily, a very helpful admission essay tip has been posted by the official MBA admission blog, so please check it out. My personal tip when it comes to essay is that when the admission committee has posted the essay tips, they actually do mean them (no need for you to look for separate essay guides or even pay for them online!), so please take them as the tips have been prepared to help you prepare a better application for the Rotman MBA admission. https://inside.rotman.utoronto.ca/admissions/2014/09/04/tips-unlock-2015-rotman-admission-essays/  
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08 Sep 2014, 21:01
| FROM uwengdori - Current Student: Managerial Economics Quiz Tomorrow |
 Finally. The very first graded component of the Rotman classes is tomorrow – managerial economics quiz. Am I ready? Not so sure until I actually receive my quiz paper. I just hope that I can make it through. Meanwhile, here’s what I learned about preparing. 1. Read ahead It’s only the first week of class and there is a lot of work to be done. Always try to be diligent with how you spend your time. 2. Organization is key. My ‘buddy’ told me this actually and I now believe it to be true. There is a lot of events and due dates going on simultaneously and it’s easy to miss what’s going on.  
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09 Sep 2014, 00:39
| FROM Timbob: A lull of sorts |
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Time is moving on steadily, and it’s now only just over a month before I leave for Boston. Until recently time was really dragging on, but things have suddenly started to accelerate – I’ve still got lots to do packing up my life in London before I move on and there don’t seem enough days any more! Since my last post, I’ve managed to secure a Visa, a place to live in a brilliant location in Cambridge just across the water from HBS, and received a whole host of vaccinations to my now-swollen upper arms (Massachusetts State Law requirements for students are a little bit OTT…). I’m now in a position with my flights about to be booked, that all my paperwork is basically done and now just need to get on the plane. It’s just what I leave behind that would be the problem. Recently (more in a future post) I had the opportunity to meet some current HBS first years (or RC’s – Required Curriculum’s – as they’re known at HBS) and got the unofficial ‘what they don’t tell you on the internet’ guide. The advice boils down to three main areas;
 
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09 Sep 2014, 00:39
| FROM Timbob: Pre-MBA: The fun begins |
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I was aware ‘professional London’ is a pretty multicultural community, but the last few months have really made me realise how much. With just over a month to go before we start arriving on campus for registration, fellow HBS ‘admits’ have started to leave on last minute trips abroad – holidays, or more often, trips home to family. Our group in London contains a surprisingly (at least for me) few Brits in our group, and is already a wonderfully diverse group. I think I’ve counted a few more British candidates coming from other international cities as well, rather than from the UK. This has been gathered from our own small group of the incoming ‘Class of 2016′ – every couple of weeks during the spring there has been a small get together or event somewhere in London, and there’s been a steady stream of people to meet, especially as the later rounds of admissons get their decisions and join in. I think it’s possibly the first really useful outcome from Facebook I’ve yet been involved in…  Our group’s latest drinking spot, a nice way to say goodbye as a group to London Professionally, the group is rather less diverse (unsurprisingly in London, as the dominant industries – finance and consulting – dominate) but this is more than made up from a real mix of experiences and personal interests once you get past the stock ‘so, what do you do?’ question. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable spring, enough to concern me that all this MBA nonsense is going to get in the way too much of having a good time (but I suspect not)! Cheers to the HBS London bunch, can’t wait to see you all in Boston!  
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10 Sep 2014, 05:01
| FROM uwengdori - Current Student: Welcome to CLUBS FAIR! |
https://joshatrotman.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/2014-09-08-17-15-56.jpg     That is a lot of people. Rotman’s very first GBC Clubs Fair took place this week. With all the studying and workload that you need to handle, it is definitely important to find a way to do something fun to do as well. Well, based on certain clubs, it could either give you more pressure as for example, if you join an academic club, it could feel like an extension to the coursework. You know what I mean. I had chances to grab some pizzas and walk around the Desautels Hall. Everyone looked excited and was debating which one to join. I also have a few in mind, so I am thinking which one would help me make the best out of life at Rotman.  
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12 Sep 2014, 05:00
| FROM Hamm0's Blog: Comment on The Joys of Funemployment by Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz | Stacy Blackman Consulting - MBA Admissions Consulting |
| […] slogging away at the office ’til August to save every last penny to finance the endeavor. Hamm0 points out that the long academic to-do list from Cornell’s Johnson School and myriad other […] |
12 Sep 2014, 05:00
| FROM Hamm0's Blog: Comment on The Joys of Funemployment by Stacy Blackman’s B-School Buzz | The GMAT Club |
| […] slogging away at the office ’til August to save every last penny to finance the endeavor. Hamm0 points out that the long academic to-do list from Cornell’s Johnson School and myriad other […] |
17 Sep 2014, 20:01
| FROM uwengdori - Current Student: Caffeine, Carb, and Protein |
    
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17 Sep 2014, 20:01
| FROM uwengdori - Current Student: Business Design Bootcamp |
Coming from an engineering background with user experience design focus, their emphasis on design aspect was very refreshing and it was one of the main reasons why I wanted to be at Rotman. Last Saturday, I finally had a chance to attend designWorks’ business design workshop.    The main purpose was to design something based on three pillars: empathy, prototyping, and business strategy. Of course, user-friendly products are important, but incorporating business aspect of it into the cycle was definitely something I particularly found interesting about.   Lot of post-its. If you have an idea, start writing. Sky is the limit.   Thank you, Whole Foods.     This is the one prototype my group created using a persona user story. I drew cartoons ever since I was a kid and I think I still got it.  and of course the rock paper and scissor event, which is when unfortunately my cellphone battery ran out. My thoughts: IT WAS AWESOME!!! One main misconception about MBA is that it is usually all about finance, management consulting, investment banking and all the money-related careers, but with a world becoming so complex, you need become a creative thinker. If you are able to express ideas more visually and understand technical people’s ideas, even better. I am glad Rotman studies and clubs’ emphasis on design are very serious and this is one of the strong components that differentiates Rotman from other MBAs. What I also realized is that, you know how we always talk about “let’s be creative”, or “be innovative”. We use these words so easily, but once we start brainstorming and sharing ideas, we get stuck. What does it mean to be creative and innovative anyway? Do not jump into solutions right away. Think about what needs are necessary to be met.  
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17 Sep 2014, 21:01
| FROM uwengdori - Current Student: Clubs Kickoff |
    I won a t-shirt during raffle for the first time. Free tshirt! I am starting to love BDC even more haha! So, many Rotman clubs started their kick-offs this week. No, they’re not typical undergraduate clubs. They are embodiments of Rotman school body and have various workshops as well as chances to directly talk to prospective employers. Clubs are big deals at Rotman and to manage both school and clubs, about 1-2 clubs should suffice. These are what I’ve joined so far:
But of course, these are also supposed to be fun, so let’s not forget that.  
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17 Sep 2014, 23:00
| FROM From Bench to Board (Fuqua): Advice to First Year MBAs: How to Not Get Overwhelmed |
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The first year of an MBA program can feel like a huge buffet. There are just so many activities to choose from. Should I go to that recruiting event? Or that club activity? How about the end-of-term party? When you combine this with the uncertainty of summer internship recruiting and the competition in the classroom, it can feel very overwhelming. Continue reading » |
21 Sep 2014, 18:01
| FROM Defying Gravity - The MBA Journey: The busy life |
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Things are starting to ramp up. It's weird, I thought that my first 3 weeks of HBS were hectic. I can't remember the last night I actually was able to get 8 hours of sleep. Everyday seems filled to capacity -- from time spent in class and with my discussion group, to preparing cases, to study groups and review sessions, to dinners with my sectionmates, to countless parties. Yet, I'm realizing that this has likely been the most relaxing time of my first year, because now, clubs are kicking off. Amongst the 90+ student clubs at HBS, I have to decide which ones I want to join, and whether I want to run for an officer position. Right now, I'm thinking about joining the Social Enterprise Club, and there are several more that I'm considering, including Board Fellows, and the Harbus Foundation. In addition to those activities, we're now also gearing up for recruiting. This coming week, there's an event called Career Teams. Apparently about 600 first year students participated last year and it's supposed to be incredibly helpful. Plus, our officially-formatted HBS resumes must be submitted to the career development office soon. These resumes will go into the large Resume Book that is seen by employers/recruiters. So anyway, despite the fact that I'm severely sleep-deprived and I know that things will only become more intense, I'm still ridiculously excited about what's ahead of me for this first year at HBS. |
21 Sep 2014, 21:00
| FROM uwengdori - Current Student: Days at Rotman |
    View from the Rotman 3rd floor group study rooms   After rainy morning, sun has come up. Personally, I prefer rainy days more than sunny days, but it was good to see really clear blue sky in awhile. Some of the study rooms have windows available, so let’s not forget that. One of my favorite places in Rotman is definitely the 3rd floor study cubicle room. First, it’s for Rotman students only that require special key access, and don’t need to try to find a place to study in Robarts library. Besides, it’s really clean.  
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23 Sep 2014, 12:01
| FROM The Oxford Comma: Summer Term: Weeks One and Two (summer electives) |
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As mentioned earlier, I decided to stay back in Oxford to work on a strategic consulting project (SCP). However my team and I decided to take a week off before starting the project so that we could recover from the end of the Trinity term. There is still quite a bit of activity at the business school as the first of the two elective sessions took place during the first two weeks of the summer term (The second session will take place during the last two weeks). Some interesting electives were being offered and I decided to audit a couple of the courses. The electives are taken along with the executive MBA’s and it is an interesting experience. In keeping with the theme of my last two posts, I am including my impressions of the two electives. Private Equity: Private Equity was also offered as an elective during the Trinity term. The course takes place over the first two weeks and the content is identical to the one in the regular term. The only difference is in the assignments, which are slightly less rigorous. Hence if you are interested in learning about Private Equity but are not a quant, taking the course in summer may be worth considering. T Be warned that the professor is quite a critic of the business practices in the PE industry and if you are looking for cheerleading of the industry, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, there is quite a lot to be critical of and even though I have no interest in doing PE, I found the course to be quite informative. The professor is excellent and the guest speakers were quite good. Highly Recommended. Business in Africa: Business in Africa is a summer only elective. I decided to audit the course as I had heard many excellent reviews of the Business in China elective that ran in the Trinity term. This course was not as well received. Though we had an expert on the subject, the course needs more work. The first few lectures were good, but each subsequent lecture declined in quality. Since it is the first year this course is being run, I am hopeful that it will be improved upon. One interesting point in the course was that there were certain moments at which I felt that the knowledge I had acquired in other courses was coming together nicely during this course. For instance, we had a lecture on the private equity industry in Africa and I found the concepts learned in the PE elective to be quite useful. Another lecture involved looking at Walmart’s expansion in Africa, and we used frameworks from the Strategy core course to analyze the case.  
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23 Sep 2014, 12:01
| FROM The Oxford Comma: Summer Term: Weeks Three to Six (scp, job hunting) |
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It’s been a while since I have posted and I have a lot of ground to make up (The 2014-2015 class kicked off their pre-course this week!). I hope to catch up and wrap up within the next two weeks, so stay tuned. Strategic Consulting Project Got started with the SCP and it looks quite challenging. The project is centred around the multi-channel capabilities of UK based retailers. Multi-channel refers to the multiple ways in which consumers get information and eventually shop for products. Most consumers expect retailers to support this and retailers have been scrambling to respond. Hence we are trying to figure out which retailer is doing it the right way and who needs to catch up. As part of the project, we are frequently attend meetings with Gartner analysts and with experts in the retailing sector and this is quite exhausting and time consuming. There are also tons of academic papers and research reports to digest. We are also relying very heavily on classmates who have retailing experience (great way to get all the dumb questions out of the way). Oxford is home to the Oxford Institute of Retail Management and we are leveraging their expertise as well. One thing that has become clear is that there is going to be little or no time to job hunt. Hence if you think the SCP will afford you a lot of time for job hunting, think again. Nearly every SCP team that I have spoken to has been surprised by the intensity of the project. There is also a presentation and a report of 15,000 words that you will need to submit as part of the SCP evaluation process. This may or may not be separate from what you will submit to the project sponsor and will vary from project to project. Job Hunting I have had a few emails from prospective students asking me about job prospects post MBA. It’s a fair question given that most of us quit stable jobs and come here with the expectation that our careers will get a boost. Well I have to say that I have been disappointed by the small number of employers who visited campus this year. Things started off well during the first term, but then it tapered off during the next two terms. I would have expected the opposite as recruiting generally picks up as you get closer to graduation. Now I have to note that the following observations apply to the middle 80% of the class. If you are in the top 10%, you will have no trouble finding a job and if you are in the bottom 10%, you will struggle no matter what the school does. Also if you are interested in consulting, you don’t have to worry as most of the big names (Mckinsey, BCG, Deloitte, ATK, LEK) will visit the school. SBS is also quite strong in entrepreneurship and in the social sector. But for everyone else, it is quite hard. Apart from Amazon, which recruits at pretty much every business school in Europe, we really have not had any big names visit. What’s disappointing is that most employers will visit Oxford and hire the undergrads but not the MBA’s. Right now we are about four weeks from graduation and I would estimate that around 10% of the class have jobs. To some extent this is due to the diverse class profile. A sizeable percent of the class, especially those from the USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia want to return to their home countries and look for jobs there. It’s typically the Europeans and the Indians who are looking for jobs in the UK and in Europe right now. The visa issue is also a major problem as many jobs will require that you have work authorization to even apply. This was an issue even with some employers such as Uber, and Wipro who visited the school to recruit. Some of these issues are not the school’s fault but the school is doing precious little to address issues that are within its control. For those looking without the school’s help, having someone inside the company who can refer you is pretty much the only way to get an interview. Hence if you know people who are currently in a company that you would like to work for, I would advise you to start networking with them as soon as possible. If you dont know anyone, you will have to network hard once you get here. I also think it’s wise to apply to the consulting companies who visit the school even if you have no interest in being a consultant. First, you will have a good backup plan if all else fails and second, you will gain some valuable interviewing practice. Consulting companies recruit fairly early and the case interview format that they use is also used by every MBA employer out there and hence, the sooner you prepare for it the better. I will have more thoughts on the jobs situation in future posts.  
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