tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62069245864511212312024-03-14T04:58:12.094+02:00Quantum LeapA voyage in MBA landOrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-21812999711023303712010-05-23T05:49:00.002+03:002010-05-23T05:57:44.264+03:00The Night Before40,000 people are the new addition to the Charlottesville population count. At least for this weekend - graduation weekend. <div><br /></div><div>The historical ceremony on the lawn has been cancelled due to the weather. The Darden ceremony will not be outside and we will be moving to the basketball court in Northgrounds Gym. </div><div>This was the essence of the article on a Darden news website. The date was 5/23. It was published, however two days earlier. It caused quite a scare. I'm assuming it was the result of a quick finger on the publish button rather than the save button.</div><div><br /></div><div>Only twice in the last twenty years was the ceremony performed in sever weather conditions.</div><div>The whole town is crossing its fingers for the announcement tomorrow morning. Tomorrow at 8:00 am we will have the final answer and know if we would be denied of the privilege of graduating on Thomas Jefferson's lawn and then at Darden under the sky.</div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-56928500565608170842010-04-16T01:05:00.002+03:002010-04-17T04:27:22.224+03:00Live ReportI have decided to try a special kind if post today. A Live report. Courtasy of my Blogger iPhone App.<br /><br />18:15 First stop: Cold Call.<br /><br />Walking there I can hear the music playing. Apparently today the LASA band is playing. Just got a phone call reporting that sone food has been set asside for me.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5460585436318637426"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S8flhd1xnXI/AAAAAAAACiM/qldAf-fCKKI/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="210" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5460585441300549538"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S8flhwZjj6I/AAAAAAAACiQ/roK49VIXjoc/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="210" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5460585452647111282"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S8fliaqyWnI/AAAAAAAACiU/WggygysUDdc/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="210" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><br /><br />Good Mexican food. Good friends. Good music. Makes me sad that we are leaving this place soon.<br /><br />19:15 Marketing and martinis.<br />The annual marketing club event. You can guess the theme. My friend and i were champions of Cornhole a game i just learned last week.<br /><br />20:15<br />Japan and Korea party at the Jefferson Ridge club house.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5460585462622508930"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S8fli_1G14I/AAAAAAAACiY/tI7i_9qMYv0/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="210" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5460585464084253474"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S8fljFRnSyI/AAAAAAAACic/B0G7nOAODX8/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="210" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><br /><br />Saki Bombs, kareoki and Japan/Korean food. I never knew there was such a thing as octapus balls. There's a bet going on about what time the first person will go in the pool. Had the chance to mass sing "That loving feeling" before we left.<br /><br />11:30<br />J's birthday party. LASA style. Had to give up TNDC tonight. Thankfully, prioritizing is one of the most important aspects you learn at Darden.Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-55500076403208602242010-04-10T06:03:00.001+03:002010-04-10T06:03:43.407+03:00Whitewater RaftingTwice a year our Outdoors Club organizes (among other things) a rafting trip in West Virginia. We left yesterday and arrived in our cabins at night. WV is an amazing state for those who like the outdoors and the scenery was breathtaking. <br /><br />This whole week we had temperatures of 31 Celsius, but yesterday afternoon it started to get chilly and I spent the night locating and sealing the holes in my blanket wrap project. <br /><br />We dressed up heavily with wetsuits and set out to explore New River - one of the two oldest rivers in the world. <br /><br />We lost nobody although some people did end up swimming the waters. It was a lot of fun and good organization by the new First Year leadership of the club. <br /><br />We were back in town just in time for the epic section D animal house party in an old (used to be) fraternity house. <br /><br />And then there were only three weeks left...<br /><br /><br />Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-15840912698979029872010-04-04T20:15:00.003+03:002010-04-04T20:47:35.654+03:00From Military to BusinessWhile it has been a while since I finished my military service and I had finished my transition to the business world a long time ago, some of my Darden friends will be taking their first steps in doing so in about a month.<div><br /></div><div>Darden is one of a few schools, along with MIT and NYU that are exceptionally military friendly. The <a href="http://web2.darden.virginia.edu/student/html/standard.aspx?menu_id=26&id=74">Darden Military Association (DMA)</a> provides the support and experience required for a smooth transition to the private sector and civilian life. Part of the perks is getting to meet some of the more interesting people who have taken this track.</div><div><br /></div><div>This week the DMA hosted a breakfast with Kevin Sharer - CEO of <a href="http://www.amgen.com/">Amgen</a> and had the opportunity to discuss the transition described above combined with Kevin's life story (he insists his name is Kevin and not Sir) and contrast it with some <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/mar2008/bs20080313_191970.htm">background reading</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I found Kevin to be an honest, straight to the point, what you see is what you get type of person. When asked about his transition and his life flow that led him to his current position, he replied that "this is usually the first question I get and what you meant is <i>"this guy has a cool job. I want to be like him. If I find out what his formula was, maybe I can do the same"</i>". He then continued and explained that if he told us his story, we'd conclude that he won the lottery. But if we hear other people at similar positions' stories, we'd conclude they wont the lottery as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>The truth is that life just happens regardless of plans and what we may think they will look like for us. It was nice, however, to hear that he thought (not surprisingly) highly of our military experience that besides leadership traits, has provided us with a high tolerance for ambiguity and independent and adaptive thinking.</div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-21886862587151517102010-04-03T18:12:00.004+03:002010-04-04T20:14:48.583+03:00Farmer's MarketToday the Charlottesville Farmer's Market has finally returned. For me, this marks the official beginning of spring.<br /><br />Fresh free-range farm eggs, cheese tastings and the wonderful smells followed by a stroll in the historic downtown mall sipping an iced- mocca on a warm sunny day.<br /><br />No better way to start the weekend.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5455935022751978834"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S7df_xS-lVI/AAAAAAAAChg/C5wKtuXtvR0/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="209" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><br /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5455935047542547794"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S7dgBNpgpVI/AAAAAAAAChk/-V9lAqQKk20/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="281" height="209" style="margin:5px" /></a></center><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw045Sy1qxV70vEF4uIAfsB97YpNrG3n5dJ9XvQiVfoKK_jS86-Q-1E1fkMANunwdCOsj7LuxfGkpT_KJXzUQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-77381845895669005622010-03-20T12:17:00.000+02:002010-03-20T12:20:55.373+02:00You only get what you giveIt's hard to believe, but my two years at Darden are almost over. They tell you these are the best two years of your life. <br /><br />They are. <br /><br />After a wonderful spring break spent in the San Francisco Bay area, Phoenix and sunny Florida, I landed in Charlottesville airport and almost kissed the ground. I realized how much i love this place. It was good to be back.<br /><br />The week started started at a typical Darden pace with the finesse of a locomotive trying to bring a car to 88 MPH by running into it. Before I knew it, the week was over and I now have only 6 weeks left here. So sad. <br /> <br />I met professor I hold a lot of respect for on my way home yesterday. I mentioned what a great experience these two years were for me and how sad I am that it will all be over soon. His response was that it was a great experience because I was so involved. "The program is as good as what you put into it". He mentioned how he felt that in every discussion we've had in class, I was always there, in it and had something to say. It was flattering to hear that. He was right, of course. If you just come here for the boat ride, you'll make it across, but you'll miss out on so much.<br /><br /> As you begin you MBA journey in a few months or start your second year you'll have a lot on your plate, but try and keep that in mind. Give it everything you've got. Take on leadership roles, make friends, build houses, learn and have fun while you're at it. It will be over before you can know it. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-9855171963261202082010-02-21T07:57:00.002+02:002010-02-21T22:12:35.342+02:00SHE Auction<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S4GTSH8i6FI/AAAAAAAACgQ/uBmRSYny4W8/s1600-h/IMG_6361.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S4GTSH8i6FI/AAAAAAAACgQ/uBmRSYny4W8/s400/IMG_6361.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440791764420192338" /></a><br />Every year the National Association of Women MBA (NAWMBA) organizes the SHE Auction. The Shelter for Help in Emergency's goal is to eliminate domestic violence and the auction is a great source of donations. This year the event was held at the Boar's Head Inn, which is a good enough reason to attend by itself. A red carpet greated the guests along a reception of two of our more entertaining second year students. Various items were on sale in a silent auction from artistic photographs to a basketball signed by the Cavaliers. During dinner, a live auction was running selling the higher priced items such as a flat in London that went for a thousand dollars per night and a famous dinner made by a few of our professors.<br /><br />This is one just more example of Darden students giving back to the community during the two years they are here ( and having fun while they're at it).<br /><br />A few items has some fierce competitors. My main rival for the basketball did not want it to get on the hands of a non-double 'Hoo.<br /><br />The evening ended with dancing to the wee hours of the night.<br /><br />While the dancing was still going on, a few of us second years retreated to the inn's old-fashioned bar.<br /><br />As for the basketball, I joined forces with my friend and after sending his girlfriend to bid for us, I now have a 50% stake in a basketball investment.<br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-39830208565949483112010-02-17T21:56:00.003+02:002010-02-17T22:47:25.534+02:00Women's Leadership Week<p class="MsoPlainText">This week is women's leadership week. </p><p class="MsoPlainText">The week was full of interesting events and speakers. Today I participated in a discussion about "women and the labyrinth of Leadership: Why women don't make it into the c- suite" moderated by professor Ed Freeman. On the panel were four women in leadership roles and a man for diversity's sake.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">I was looking forward to a discussion led by Ed Freeman, who always seems to get discussions to a new level, forcing people to defend their positions, drilling in behind the blunt statements to carve out what people really think. Not this time though. Today, Prof. Freeman was very low key and so was the discussion. </p><p class="MsoPlainText">The panelists asked us to be honest and even provocative. Sadly, we were not.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Questions such as "what advice could you give us as we enter corporate America" after stating how difficult it was to adjust post undergrad were politely addressed by the panelists with an "every company has a different culture". Thank god men don't need to adjust because we all come genetically prepared, love football, NASCAR, Golf and drink a gallon of Guinness before we brush our teeth in the morning. </p><p class="MsoPlainText">In my past, when I was young and pretty, I used to be razor focused. I went into a meeting, knowing what the agenda was and I would get to it. Why waste time on irrelevant chit chats, right? My boss commented on this and told me to loosen up a little before meetings, maybe crack a joke or talk about other things outside of work before starting a meeting. I am so glad I took his advice. It was something I had to learn and I'm grateful for the feedback. I was surprised to hear a similar story today from a female student who thought she only got this feedback because she was a woman.</p><p class="MsoPlainText">Don't get me wrong. I am not doubting the fact that there are still people in the world who are prejudiced based on sex. I just think that this group of people contains women as well as men. </p><p class="MsoPlainText">The discussion almost started to be interesting when another female student raised the fact that women often overcompensate and then stopped herself from using a word that is used to describe female canines, but nobody wanted to leave the comfort zone of discussion. </p><p class="MsoPlainText">It was disappointing to see such a shallow discussion in a school known for it's invigorating discussions.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><br /></p> <p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-61024507197838634082010-02-06T23:12:00.001+02:002010-02-06T23:23:23.579+02:00Emergenski<br />A state of emergency has been declared in Charlottesville due to the expected snow storm. Last time it snowed at least that much was during winter break. I remember bathing in the sun on the beaches of the red sea, looking at the facebook photos and statuses of snowed in people, who were stuck at home for a few days.<br />This time around people wanted to be prepared. So, they stormed the shelves at all the supermarkets and bought everything. After all, nobody wants to get stuckat home watching the super bowl without beer and food. So now, in the event of a nuclear war, the city can now sustain the state of Virginia.<br /><br />While everyone was preparing for the snow, and signs warning against driving were posted, 75 Dardenites were driving to Snowshoe in WV for the outdoors club ski trip.<br /><br />Some people on the site told me yesterday that these are the best skiing conditions they've seen. The wind and snow did force us to dress like one would, climbing the everes, but as one of my friends put it, it was west coast skiing on the east coast. <br /><br />The evening in the cabins may sometimes confuse you into thinking this was an undergrad event and just this morning I woke up to find the front doors were barred by two big snowmen.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5435244025205120098'><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S23dpM3qXGI/AAAAAAAACfQ/KUcE3kubN7o/s288/iphone_photo.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />4 of us had to leave our cars on the mountain last night due to the road conditions and one car was rescued and took four hours to get back.<br /><br />All in all it was a fantastic way to spend the emergency weekend. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-5735879707973282982010-01-30T05:27:00.000+02:002010-01-30T19:17:10.999+02:00The First Israel TrekIsrael is the first in Nobel awards per capita, the first in R&D investment per capita, and the third in patents per capita in the world. These are some of the reasons that brought together the first Israel Trek at Georgetown university today with participants from the business schools of Georgetown, George Washington, Meryland, and Virginia. <br /><br />The venue was the new and beautiful building named after former priminister of Lebanon-Rafik Hariri. <br /><br /><center><a href='http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5432583123795491954'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S2RpkWqcvHI/AAAAAAAACfE/bdEh3AEtDwQ/s288/iphone_photo.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br />According to Professor Gal Raz from Darden, after attending presentations with some of the Israeli Defence industry presentations showing tanks and missiles, this is a sign that peace is definitely on the way.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://picasaweb.google.com/orenroot/QuantumLeap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMnNxa-Bgpqx4wE#5432583138408214210'><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/S2RplNGZLsI/AAAAAAAACfI/ldZyWU4oT7s/s288/iphone_photo.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />We were honored by an opening by Georgetown MSB's dean- Dr. George Daly followed by Ralph Robbins - the Executive Director of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board from the office of the governor and Asher Kotz - Manager, International Business Development of Fairfax County Economic Development, all of which were impressive in the strategic position they were holding Israeli companies in and especially surprising was the number of Israeli companies and startup as a whole (around 6000) in the area. It would seem that Virginia is seeking to be the Silicone Valley of the east and doing a pretty good job at it. It was great to see the people involved and the school's recognition of the importance in embracing and nurturing relationships with some of those companies that included Rafael, NICE systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit, Babylon and more.<br /><br />I found it ironic that the Elbit representative was so keen on speaking to Americans, yet not so enthusiastic in the Israelis, even those with an American citizenship.<br /><br />All in all it made for a very interesting day. We left with a broader network, a few new friends and a mesage from Asaf Vitman - Ministrer for Economic Affairs, Embassy of Israel - who has asked us not to forget to bring all that we've learned back home someday.<br /> <br /><br /><br />Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-58456200191583858852010-01-22T06:30:00.002+02:002010-01-25T18:22:19.507+02:00Lessons Learned"it's actually possible to get to know 300 people" is a part of the answer I used to give to the why Darden question. The same answer I got a year before. Today in class we've had a Darden grad from the 80's. After hearing how he made millions and analyzing some of his business decisions we've had the chance to get some advice from him. As it turns out, he got all of his jobs from his fellow classmates. He then told us to take a look around because these are the people who will be our network for life. These are the ones we'll reach out for advice, support and business opportunities.<br />It's easy to forget this sometimes and stay in that close circle of friends padding your comfort zone. I hope that I will not look back one day and feel I could have done better on this front.<br /><br />I almost forgot, there was another alumnus from '95 that had mentioned that nothing matters in the long run, but LO* and Marketing. I've heard this so much that I'm actually starting to beleive it. Good thing I am taking every marketing class at Darden.<br /><br /><br />* LO - Leading Organizations formerly known as Organizational Behavior (OB)Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-83764864577842193552009-11-30T06:01:00.005+02:002009-11-30T06:17:02.934+02:00My Extended Family<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>People told me the full time MBA years will be the best of my life. <div>They are.</div><div>Some of my friends are anxious to get back out to the world, get in the game again and restart their lives. I remind them that never again in our lives, will we have so many friends all around us, all the time. Friends that rather than having to develop and maintain a career, develop and maintain relationships. It's just part of the syllabus of b-school. It's what we do.<div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>This thanksgiving I celebrated with a group of my friends and some of our families. Though I missed thanksgiving with my family, I'm glad I had my extended family to celebrate with. This year I am thankful for the opportunity I have been given to experience these two years with a fantastic group of people.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/SxNHKC9sDjI/AAAAAAAACds/EOH0XjnO5v0/s320/Thanksgiving+2009+014.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409745815321972274" /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-87364708020889101562009-11-25T15:28:00.004+02:002009-11-25T15:48:33.162+02:00Fakesgiving<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Fakesgiving (noun) - is a Thanksgiving dinner on a day other than the fourth Thursday of November.<div><br /><div>In recent years I've tended to have more than one Thanksgiving dinner during the week of Thanksgiving because my aunt prefers to do it on the weekend or because my parents are divorced and rather than having one Thanksgiving with the kids every other year, we just have two (on different days mind you). Last year we had a Darden Thanksgiving, where a large group of friends gathered at the beautiful apartment of one of our friends and on Thanksgiving day, my dad came to visit his two sons in the States, so we had another one in NYC and a third one at school. That's a lot of food.</div><div><br /></div><div>This year, thankfully, we only had one Fakesgiving - th</div><div>e international Thanksgiving dinner that Darden sponsors every year. An event bringing together the international Darden community and embracing them with this wonderful custom of giving thanks (and eating delicious food).</div><div><br /></div><div>Interestingly enough, the only speech this year was a short one by Marsh as opposed to last year's five or so speeches from international representatives.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/Sw01X3vdEqI/AAAAAAAACc8/cgLJ8UXWuoo/s400/123.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408037411758084770" /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-29866090922225854912009-11-21T23:36:00.002+02:002009-11-21T23:43:04.539+02:00Brand Challenge - Take 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre; ">Yesterday the first years conducted the annual Brand Challenge, where different brands are presented and laid out for the tastings, drinking and trying.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre;">Somehow it seemed that it was better than the brand challenge we had last year. Perhaps it was because we weren't presenting this year and all we had to do is sip the Vodka's, taste the tomato sauces and sit in the Ford Fusions.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre;">In any case, it was a lot of fun and the first years did an excellent job.</span></span></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-19902274723528414662009-11-21T05:28:00.003+02:002009-11-21T05:44:36.030+02:00Wacky B-School TraditionsBusiness Week reviewed some <a href="http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/11/1119_wacky_business_school_traditions/7.htm">wacky b-school traditions</a> and for some reason they've picked Darden's section B bird tradition as our "wacky" tradition. Most b-schools (including Darden) practice most of the reviewed traditions anyway in some form or another (unless they are completely lame).<div>Granted, the bird tradition is one that no other school has, but it's nothing compared to section D's traditions. Also, a mustache competition is clearly best practiced in a southern school.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-37808495300461294892009-10-22T07:37:00.004+02:002009-10-23T00:02:04.074+02:00Conspiracy Theory<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://googlemodules.com/image/screenshot/DFCB31BB-2897-8614-EB95-9D709009E439.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 406px; height: 417px;" src="http://googlemodules.com/image/screenshot/DFCB31BB-2897-8614-EB95-9D709009E439.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://googlemodules.com/image/screenshot/DFCB31BB-2897-8614-EB95-9D709009E439.jpg"><br /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The first year's curriculum was extremely rigorous filled with core classes you cannot skip that teach you all the basics you need to know about business. Marketing, operations, finance, strategy organizational behavior (psychology for a dime) and career management.<div><br /></div><div>During the summer internship, I have found out that I was more than prepared for the job.</div><div>And then, there's second year. Why do we need the second year? Well, there are plenty of courses to expand your horizons from leadership and strategy courses through corporate finance, taxation and post merger integration (coming up in Q4!).</div><div><br /></div><div>There are good school with a one year program so why do we have 2 years?</div><div>The real reason is that the programs were more expensive here in the States so in order to give the students their money's worth they got two years.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. </div><div>If I could, I would make this a 3 year program, though I'm not sure my liver can take much more of this. These are the best years of my life.</div><div><br /></div><div>My wife has a theory. She thinks we are left here to help the first years. We take on leadership roles and help them with school, the job hunt, cheering them up, being career coaches, peers, club leaders etc. Just as we were "raised" by our second years (I like to call them third years now) we are now doing the same to our first years. It feeds the continuation of the culture and reduces the load requirement for staff to do that and gives us the excuse we need to stay here another year, so why not?</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-59127207304783377342009-10-20T23:24:00.004+02:002009-10-21T00:16:45.722+02:00Diversity-ismA few weeks ago, a little before Q1 was over the DSA (Darden Student Association) organized a diversity panel, where the community was to meet and discuss the topic. I am a bit of a cynic when it comes to such discussions, but as a president of two affinity clubs I was asked to attend.<div><br /></div><div>The panel was composed of people from different races (yes, there were white people), and even women! Unfortunately not all major religions were represented and all panelists were heterosexual(as far as I know).</div><div><br /></div><div>As usual in such discussions nobody wants to talk about the pink elephant in the room so we ended up talking about "diversity of opinions" and such.</div><div><br /></div><div>The was one moment of honesty when a fellow student, who is also African American mentioned the phenomenon of people assuming that some non-white people got into business school, or a job or college because of their race. With that comes, of course the opposite side of people who feel they are not worthy and that the only reason they got in was due to their skin color. </div><div>This is the point where people start feeling uncomfortable. That's when the discussion finally got interesting, but unfortunately the discussion was diverted and the topic was not fully discussed.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I was working for SAP in Israel, a representative from a large enterprise customer that you most likely now and use it's products came and talked to us about our products and how they are used in their company. At one point, he showed us a screen where he was asked to fill in his personal details like name, address etc. Then he filled out a field called "Race". We were all shocked. There were whispers going along and everybody was simply stunned that a company would ask you for your race. It just felt wrong to ask people about race. Considering race when hiring a person seemed like racism to us. </div><div><br /></div><div>I believe in a merit based system and don't believe race is a good predictor for performance of a person. I've been in the united states for a year and had my share of conversations with friends from different backgrounds and races and I do understand the poor history of the united stats that this comes from. I know there are white people that can't afford to go to college. Some of them are in my class today. Some got scholarships, some funded their way by serving in the military.</div><div><br /></div><div>We keep feeding the segregation and keeping it alive with affirmative action, but at some point if we want to move forward we would have to let it go. I would suggest that Darden leads this change and remove race from its applications. In fact, I thought I was an African American when I filled out the B-School applications because one side of my family if from the US and the other from Libya. Then I was told that north Africa counts as white. "You'll have a school full of white people" a friend told me. I think if our financial aid system worked according to financial need we would be giving everyone a fair chance at this. I even think this should be pushed down to colleges. Give financial aid based on economic status in college. After college we're all at the same plain with the same opportunities and what we do with our lives is up to us and not our skin color.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-58143500248665427432009-09-10T17:13:00.003+03:002009-09-10T17:48:36.570+03:00A Warm Spring EveningOne warm spring evening as the school year was coming to an end the class of 2010 assembled in the fall sections to discuss job leads. It was an idea by some fellow students who thought we could help one another in what was an extremely tough year for recruiting.<div><br /></div><div>I don't think any of us had any expectations from the meeting. I was a little skeptical myself and I had already accepted my offer at the time but I came to support my peers. It started off slow and then it got very emotional as people shared their frustration of trying to recruit for 9 months with no success. </div><div><br /></div><div>For some, it came as a surprise discovering they are not alone. Other's, who had received their offers pretty early in the process, got a first glimpse of another side they were not aware of, or not aware of the seriousness of it. "What are you looking to do" was one <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">student's</span> question. - "Anything" was the answer that shook people up as they realized how desperate some people have become. It was not only an international problem or a career switcher problem. It was all around.</div><div><br /></div><div>Something amazing happened in the minutes that followed. One after another, my classmates came forward with leads, connections, friends from college. That night a lot of emails were sent out and phone numbers were exchanged. It was heart warming.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've had a chance to compare with friends in other schools this year. I am proud to say that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Darden</span> class of 2010 did extremely well on their internships. </div><div><br /></div><div>A lot of prospective reach out to me and during our conversations they ask about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Darden's</span> strength. The first thing that comes to mind is the strong alumni network. As a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Darden</span> alumni once told me when I was debating between schools: "your chances of getting an alum to return your call and bend over backward are highest at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Darden</span>". They are. It originates from the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">pressure</span> cooker we're all part of during our first year. </div><div><br /></div><div>I then tell them a story about one warm spring evening.</div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-10581957295392993312009-08-29T15:13:00.003+03:002009-08-29T15:47:37.157+03:00Mid Point PerspectiveYou were an ace at your company, promotions, money, fame and glory. Then you get into a top b-school, maybe even a few. You're about to embark in the journey of your life. You have so many o options for career paths. You may want to switch a career, or keep the one you had, you may even start your own company after school. Life is great, the world is your oyster.<div><br /></div><div>Then an intense wave hits you and you try keeping your head above the water holding with one hand a 50 pound weight with "academics" printed on it and another with "recruiting" on the other hand, while your legs carry the ones with "socializing" on them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Somehow along the year you may begin to lose the perception of what was it about you that was so special as you get beat down to a pulp made out of dried up silly putty. You'll get confused and may even lose sight of what it is that you really want to do as they tell you to expand your horizons and look at all the options. Then, just as you thought it will never happen, you get an offer for an internship, maybe even two and before you know it, the year's over.</div><div><br /></div><div>You may think that you are not prepared, but you surprise even yourself when you see how well you are and how much you've learned this year. You feel good about yourself and even better if you came back with an offer. </div><div><br /></div><div>Reporting from the mid point, these are just m<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">y</span> two cents. </div><div>Discounted 9 months in order to adjust to a first year perspective, it comes out to around 1.3 cents.</div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-65310044250689211582009-08-20T19:54:00.002+03:002009-08-20T19:59:45.030+03:00The Power of the Passionate ForgottenRobert Scoble wrote about the power of the passionate in his blog (<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/130/scobleizer-passion-play.html">http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/130/scobleizer-passion-play.html</a>)<br />Specifically he wrote “Amazon has launched a See a Kindle in Your City program that lets you find a Kindle user near you and arrange for the passionate to show the nonpassionate what it can do. If Kindle is going to sell 4.5 million units by the end of 2010, as Citi analyst Mark Mahaney predicts, Kindle's first fans will be the ones whose feedback makes subsequent versions better and persuades rail commuters, frequent fliers, and vacationers to be customers.” <br /><br />I’m an early adopter. I got the Kindle almost a year and a half ago. My wife and I have used it a lot and everywhere. We even have our cases and school books on it. We’ve done the Kindle – college experiment that Amazon and our school is doing already a year ago and declared it a success. Moreover, we’ve been marketing it like crazy and infecting other users everywhere. Airports, gym, coffee shops. Many a times my wife has told me of and old lady asking her what it was and giving a marketing speech about the features and paper-like convenient screen. We would joke that Amazon should pay us for this. Who knows… maybe they will after they hire us as product managers.<br /><br />The release of the Kindle DX two months after the release of the Kindle 2 has cause much remorse over the purchase of the Kindle 2 for a lot of users, who have asked Amazon for an upgrade.<br />One customer said: “They have been basically stonewalling all my attempts for the last few days to find a way to exchange the Kindle 2,” she says. “This is not right. It’s not the way early adopters should be punished.” (<a href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/kindle-dx-leads-to-buyers-remorse-for-some-kindle-2-users/">http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/kindle-dx-leads-to-buyers-remorse-for-some-kindle-2-users/</a>)<br /><br /><br />In a letter to iPhone custoemrs Steve Jobs wrote:<br />“…even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.”<br /><br />Amazon has lowered the price of the Kindle from $399 (Kindle 1) to $299 (Kindle 2).<br /><br />“Ultimately they are two different products though many people don’t really understand the difference” says another customer who has managed to use the company’s 30 day return policy and get his DX.<br /><br />The DX and the Kindle 2 are different products, but how different is the Kindle 2 from the Kindle 1? Is it just a thinner package for the Kindle one, with a software upgrade that allows text to speech?<br /><br />If Apple branded the reduced price iPhone as “iPhone 2“, maybe there would have been less angry letters from customers (iPhone 3g? 3gs?). Perhaps Amazon learned from Apple’s mistake and did just that?<br /><br />As an early adopter, I understand that what you buy today will be cheaper tomorrow and I did not send Amazon any angry letters.<br /><br />A few weeks ago, our Kindle stopped working. It’s actually working, but the screen has a frozen picture on it. I called Amazon asking for any repair service (since the warranty was only good for a year) and they offered their repair program: I return the device and get a refurbished for $180.<br /><br />I was surprised considering you can get that on eBay for the same price.<br />I emailed them and mentioned that as an early adopter, although I did not ask for anything when they cut the price by $100, I am asking now, that they at least give me the Kindle 2 for the $180 I have to pay since there’s no repair service.<br /><br />Unfortunately, their reply was not very helpful. They suggested I sell my (broken) Kindle and buy a new one.<br />Perhaps Amazon needs to learn another lesson from Apple…Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-17786910664709186432009-07-27T06:17:00.006+03:002009-07-27T06:54:11.475+03:00My Summer<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">I</span>'ve been given a nudge by a friend to get off my lazy behind and start writing again, so here I am. Thanks PH.</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/Sm0keXShWbI/AAAAAAAACbU/gnGqn6ssdbQ/s320/IMG_2304.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362982835334502834" /><div>A Second Year tradition is for the whole class to rent some be</div><div>ach houses in the Outer Banks and hang out together before parting. A few of us first years decided to make it a first year tradition as well and spent a week in Nags Head once school was done with back in May. There were around 15 of us in a 10 bedroom, pool, two hot tubs, a game room, a theater room and a beach outside our back yard. We had so much fun in the house with each other that most of us stayed in for most of the week and didn't join the SY activities. It was the best week of the year. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>After beach week, we flew to back to Israel to visit all the friends and family. We were running a hectic schedule of friends/family for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. It was a lot of fun and great to see everyone after almost a year of being gone, but a lot of work as well!</div><div><br /></div><div>The next phase of my summer began slightly after coming back to the States: My Summer Internship. I am spending the summer in Bank of America's MBA Leadership Development Program in Charlotte, NC. I thought Virginia was the south. It's so not. When Tea means Sweetened Iced Tea and when you want hot tea, you must specify "hot", when "Thank you" is replaced by "Appreciate it" and "You're welcome" by "Ah huh", when you're greeted by "How y'all doin' today" and when you leave by "Y'all come back now" - you know you're in the south</div><div>. Don't get me wrong - I love it here. People are so nice and hospitable, strangers on the street say "hi" and people drive as if cutting people off is not one of the ten commandments and don't try to run over pedestrians and actually will give you the right of way even when you don't have it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a nice place in a complex with all the amenities I could need for the summer, but I do miss Darden and my friends there. Working again has made me appreciate even more this past year at Darden. I actually wish the program was three years instead of two.</div><div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/Sm0iP7q_03I/AAAAAAAACbE/CUUjKwtD3lU/s320/IMG_2438.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362980388379546482" /><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/Sm0irBmSK8I/AAAAAAAACbM/9hwuEMv4VBI/s320/IMG_2440.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362980853826857922" /><br /></div><div>The class of 2009 has left us to restart their lives and we are now left to carry the torch as rising second years, guiding the incoming class of 2011 in their new journey. </div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-86250611814501373382009-05-07T01:05:00.003+03:002009-05-07T01:32:52.362+03:00Amazon Kindle @ Darden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/SgIL5d-HhuI/AAAAAAAACRc/-xFD2Hl2R8A/s1600-h/kindle_dx.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yziw-SrkbMc/SgIL5d-HhuI/AAAAAAAACRc/-xFD2Hl2R8A/s320/kindle_dx.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332837990685705954" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-weight: bold; line-height: 33px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/blogs/mba_admissions/archives/2009/05/amazon_chooses.html">Amazon Chooses Darden as First Business School to Use the Kindle</a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">was today's article title in businessweek. </span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial; line-height: 33px;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; ">You might have heard word <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/print/technology/content/may2009/tc2009054_280910.htm" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">yesterday</span></a> that a select number of universities had been selected to participate in Amazon’s new Kindle school initiative. What you probably didn’t know is that one of those universities is a top business school." reads the article.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">The new Kindle will be used as of next fall (lucky class of 2011) in and outside of class. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">This is a great initiative in terms of sustainability not to mention convenience. As an avid technologist, I've already been using the V1 Kindle since it first came out. It's been very helpful this year when Darden gave us a choice of using online PDFs rather than acres of cut forests. It's great and convenient on the treadmill and would be even better with the text to speech feature. The only disadvantage so far was that the conversion of PDFs was not up for the challenge of graphics. Hopefully now, with the native PDF support, that would not be an obstacle anymore.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Hopefully, Amazon and Darden would take the extra step and provide it to current students as well as provide all of our cases in e-format so we could save more trees and make my room less of a mess.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">If we calculate the printing expenses saved over 2 years and add the value of this CSR to sustainability, I'm pretty sure it's worthwhile to provide us all with Kindles.</span></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-20574813395069985732009-05-01T19:11:00.003+03:002009-05-01T19:21:33.262+03:00EOYIt's the end of the year as we know it.<div>Amazing how quickly the year's gone by. </div><div>Classes are over and I got 3 exams and one big @$$ paper to write and then it's over.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got to take our elective's exams today already and they are waiting at home and hopefully are going to get done before the last moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's a lot going on in Darden this weekend. </div><div><br /></div><div>The class of 2011 are here for Darden Days and there's plenty of community events planned for us all. It seems like the last Darden Days was just yesterday when I was here.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-5611941749658687432009-04-29T08:31:00.005+03:002009-08-21T06:20:20.883+03:00Packing Heat<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;color:black;">Former president of Mexico - Vicente Fox - spoke today in front of the Darden students as part of the leadership speaker series that brings key leaders to Darden.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;color:black;"><o:p> A major point that president Fox kept stressing is the importance of free trade and partnership the two neighboring countries should have and that walls never work. He actually brought it in as a funny anecdote after telling us about the walls of the world that did not work.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;color:black;"><o:p> I found it very interesting that when asked which three leaders he admires, he responded immediately: "I have four" and then moved on to name leaders that have used non violence methods to lead to a social change. Even if this was a premeditated answer, hearing the names of Ghandi and Martin Luther King moves something inside.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;color:black;">I was surprised that they let us all in the auditorium with our bags and without checking them. I told myself that this is Virginia and not Israel and that there's almost no chance that a student would suddenly take out a gun.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;color:black;">I'm not sure if he was a Darden student because his face was covered, but one person stood up suddenly with his mouth covered by a black piece of cloth, a shirt with some writing about it and a sign that friends later translated from Spanish that said: "no police in the state".<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;color:black;"><o:p> The president calmly said something to him in Spanish and the student calmly left.</o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The translation, I was later told was: "We can talk later, please sit down" and then "see you in Mexico".<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;color:black;"><o:p> Overall, it was an interesting experience and former president Fox is a very interesting person.</o:p></span></p>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6206924586451121231.post-44805281177308336612009-04-23T08:33:00.002+03:002009-04-23T08:59:42.251+03:00Raising Second YearsI've just finished bidding on all of my courses for second year.<br />Last year, I've read a Darden blogger's post that told the tails of bidding for SY courses and mentioned that it may sound weird that we have to pick all of our 2nd year courses now, at the end of first year, but in fact it makes a lot of sense and he also mentioned we can change the choices we've made afterwards.<br /><br />Well, I'm here now, and it doesn't seem weird at all. In fact it makes perfect sense. By now, we should all know (more or less) what we want to do after we graduate, so we know what we'd like to get out of next year to best prepare us for the job and life after school.<br /><br />Perhaps next year, someone else would be writing about a post he read a year back about choosing SY courses.<br /><br />We use a bidding system to get our course picks. We receive a number of points and use them after devising strategies and predictions using game theory, psychology and dark magic to predict what our peers would do, and try to get our ideal schedule. I have less points because the school deems it fit to put me at a disadvantage because I've gone on a GBE (Global Business Experience) to Sweden this year and that counts as a course credit for next year.<br /><br />I can't believe how fast the year's gone by. In two weeks, we'll all be raising second years. Our second year friends, mentors, spirit guides will all be gone to their new lives post MBA. It's a little sad. I think I'll miss those guys.<br /><br /><div>Our professors have been working us really hard here the past few weeks. It kind of feels like Q1 again with all the presentations, deliveries, team projects, late nights and a high ratio of Pizza to healthy meals. They say that in a tough economy, the marketing department gets the first cuts. Well, in my time shortage case, the Gym, sadly, got cut. I will have to find time for that somehow since immediately after our last exam, we're heading to Beach Week!</div><div><br />This weekend is full of events here at Darden. It's the reunion of a few classes of past. Friday evening is the Darden Follies!<br />And Saturday is the annual <a href="http://www.foxfieldraces.com/">Foxfield Races</a>!</div>Orenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14694968915685122158noreply@blogger.com0