The Scottish Highlands
Posted by: lucie
Below the radar
Posted by: lucie
Oh, the phases of an MBA. First the intense core classes, cramming the basic stats, economics, organizational behavior, operations and other stuff into your head. Seven exams in 7 days before Christmas break. Then strategy plus three options, 4 more exams and papers, a few weeks' break and suddenly this weird intensity: one week of strategy with a visiting professor who usually takes 5 months to teach the same course. Class 9-5, working with teams to prepare presentations and reports from the end of class until 11 or midnight. Then a week where we all run fake car companies and compete against other teams.
The upsides: I learned more in that strategy class than I had learned all year, and actually enjoyed it. And I saw this amazing side of my boyfriend, who is usually amazingly and suitably laid back because he doesn't have to think very hard to get great marks, but totally came to life when we had a professor who actually demanded performance. He's even smarter than I thought he was, which was pretty hot.
The downside: these were the last classes we did as an entire MBA cohort, and unfortunately they brought out the worst in people. It was sad to end on such a competitive note. The industry simulation was especially bad, with everyone trying to do hostile takeovers of each other's companies and generally conducting themselves incredibly badly.
More upsides, though: my team (of which I was the fake CEO), we kept our heads down, stayed out of the melee, and actually kicked all the other team's asses while investing lots of our fake money in fake employee training and benefits, higher fake employee pay than everybody else, supporting fake nonprofits that researched alternative fuels and taking extra special care of our fake customers. We also had awesome fake branding and fake values, including "respect for all people, including our employees and future generations." It was a sweet victory despite the fact that we were probably the only team that didn't really care about winning. Champagne for everyone. And I found the new Guy I Would Start a Business/Organisation With (since James appears to be ruling the legal scene in North America and shan't be available). We toasted our vague future and the need for a suitable idea. But we make a good team.
It's amazing how the structure changes, how the business (meaning busy-ness) comes and goes, and how sadly little I write. It's part school and part boyfriend. Occasionally I dream up an entry but it rarely comes through, and when I do write it tends to be lamentably dry. I haven't yet had a chance to reflect here on being in a relationship with someone who loves me so much, so well, and with so much commitment that I'm still learning how to accept it. It's been something like seven months now. He is amazing. I also haven't had a chance to mention that he doesn't know this blog exists and I feel like that's something of a betrayal; yet it doesn't feel that important because I hardly have a chance to write anymore. With more free time, this will demand more thought.
The grad student lifestyle is fun. Sometimes it's difficult to imagine what "real life" will be like when we all get back to it. It will probably arrive far too soon.
Hear Ye Hear Ye, God Save The Queen
Posted by: lucie
La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Posted by: lucie
