< oldman2011 >

:)

2005-02-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Aspenxtrm for the comment. FYI--this is certainly an unusual event...the first that I have encountered at the Johnson School.

At 4:46 PM, Anonymous said...
Good Lord, I really, REALLY hope that the above commenter (with the 10 page rant) doesn't represent the reading and cognitive skills of most MBA students. Old man went out of his way to say that he did NOT mean to imply anything of the sort he is being accused of. Even specifically stated to that effect. And yet, despite that, someone STILL managed to take things out of context and goo soo far off the deepend that they aren't even still in the pool! Come on people, this is insane.When I was up at Cornell, I met some very, VERY impressive people. Peaple that seemed to be my kind of people, which are those that like to have fun, don't take themselves too seriouslly, and, is they do get annoyed about something, have good enough interpersonal skills that they will go talk to the offending person. I mean heck, 90%+ of the time it's just a simple misunderstaning...so why waste the time and effort getting upset. I wil not be attending Cornell this year, (not due to this incident of course, I had already decided another school was a bit of a better fit) but if I was, I would take care to talk with more students to ensure this kind of insane behavior is the anomalyI believe it to be.

(italics added)

let it die, man

2005-02-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

(see the new tagline above for context)

Ok, I'm back for one more post. It appears that there is a growing group of idiots that either can't read, accept, or believe my explanations that I have given. As most of you know, I'm not really an ass, I truly have nothing against any group of people, and I certainly never accused anyone of anything. But, it is TRULY AMAZING how people (supposedly intelligent, to boot!) can misinterpret something, twist it, and spit out some ridiclous piece of garbage like this:

I am a first year Johnson who fits your description of "non-white males born outside of the US." I am posting because I understand that you took the time to write about this special group that I belong to. I am truly sorry that "we" are taking your jobs. The nerve of us to do this considering we are male and not white and not even born in the states. I am truly sorry. I realize that it is fair that, despite being a US citizen, my gender, my place of birth, and my race should still be factors on why I get certain jobs. I will be certain to communicate this to other "non-white males born outside of the US" in Johnson so they stop doing such horrible things like doing well in interviews. I agree that if you are female or white or born in the States, you should get first priority at all offers. But I don't blame you if you didn't mean to include citizens becuase you can't tell those "Internationals" apart if we don't stitch our passport or greencard to our forehand. I will make that recommendation to all ethnic student organizations so that we start wearing arm bands so you know who we are in Sage.Yes, together we can stop the woman and the "non-white males not born in the US" from taking away good jobs.

Any literate and reasonable individual who actually read the postings in question could tell you that I never said anything of the sort, nor did I imply it. Had I gone into this level of detail, I may have said something more like "this group of people is definitely doing well in terms of job placement". There is a HUGE difference between that, and what this clown is accusing me of, which is saying that a particular demographic is stealing all the the jobs and that another should be given priority--which is stupid, bizarre, and laughable.

So, to this anonymous joker, I say:
"Anonymous joker, you histrionic philistine, I don't know how many times I need to clarify. If you can't intelligently read all of my posts, and you can't understand them, or if you just don't believe me, then you can kiss my ass. I didn't mean anything of the sort. You have the right to be extremely easily offended, and if you were (pretty obviously you were), then I'm sorry--but I didn't do anything wrong. I don't appreciate morons like you freaking out over stuff like this--and going on a mission telling everyone some overly dramatic and fabricated story like you have posted above. Spare me.
I don't understand why you have to hide behind the anonymous identity, either. If you have a problem with me--man up and email me (ooh! I said "man", is that insensitive, sexist, or otherwise offending!?!). One of two things will result from your email to me: 1--you'll realize that I didn't mean anything offensive by my posts, that you overreacted, and that life goes on, or 2. You'll continue to act like an idiot, but at least you weren't seen by all as being an absolute wuss. Either way, you'll be better for it."

A brief explanation

2005-02-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." ~Aaron Levenstein

Statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth.
~Unknown

Ok, as what I intend to be my final blog entry, I wanted to address several items.

- Thanks to all of my readers. I actually had no idea that so many people read the blog regularly, and the positive feedback that I have received over the last few days really made me feel good. People seem to have really appreciated my non traditional approach to detailing the b-school experience. Thanks, everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Something I want to clear up right now: CORNELL HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ME SHUTTING DOWN THE BLOG. Rather, I decided to shut it down for a single reason. That reason is that someone took my numerical report in a manner that wasn't intended. When I started hearing about how upset this individual was from my classmates, I knew that the game of "telephone" had begun. I was afraid that once someone had "heard" about it, which would no doubt be colored by the opinion of the storyteller, that word would spread quickly that I was some bitter, incompetent, minority-hating ass. None of which is actually true (except maybe the incompetent one, on occasion). Essentially, shutting the blog down was a stop leak...preventing the dam from bursting.

- I have no ill feelings for Cornell. Looking back, I can see how maybe some people could take my comments as "dissatisfaction with Cornell", but really, that isn't the case. The statistics that I reported had nothing to do with the school. I feel as if a lot of prospectives think that the school you attend is what lands you the job. I don't feel that way--I think the school gets you the interview, and you get yourself the job. Cornell has not let me down in this regard.

- I've said this dozens of times before, but since I removed the originals from the site, I'll say it again...One of my readers put it nicely and said that undoubtedly some companies' company photo probably looks like it was taken in 1950...with nothing but white males. An "act of diversity" actually then means an act of nondiversity--in order to effectively diversify the workforce, they have to hire in a homogeneous manner during some recruiting seasons in order to maintain balance. Too bad I hit the wrong industry in the wrong year...

- It makes me sad that someone I considered a friend took my post the wrong way, and they now think I'm a jerkoff. We've all had that experience--you say something, someone takes it the wrong way, and suddenly you've lost a friend (usually in the 5th grade). Stupid, if you ask me. Statistics will do that to people, I guess.

- Just to address the "99% internship placement" comment on my last post...Of course they have 99% internship placement. I never intended my blog to give people the idea that Johnson sucked at placement--because they don't!!!! I'm not here to misrepresent facts. But, to be fair, the 99% isn't right either...not because it is in itself false, but because most readers don't realize what that number represents. Here is a much more accurate breakdown. I have no idea how this compares to other schools, but I suspect they are similar: On average, about 40% of students gain summer employment through "on-campus" recruiting. That means the company sends interviewers here, conducts interviews on campus, and extends offers. The remaining 59% find jobs thru an independent job search or thru other CMC-related methods. For example, last year, 650 companies posted opportunites on the CMC site, but they didn't not fly interviewers to campus.

- People seemed to sense that I was out of luck in the job search--which is far from true. While I haven't exactly been cleaning up, I have a great shot at my #2 company, and I made 2nd round w/ my #3, with another interview tomorrow. I also have several others that may pan out. If, in the event those all fall thru, I will simply keep dropping resumes until I get something. The off-campus recruiting season hasn't even started for most companies--so the game is FAR from over!! Like I said, 60% of students will still be looking for a job after the campus stuff ends.

I think that is all I've got. I won't be posting anymore on this site, but I will receive comments via email if you post them here. If you want a response from me, include your email address or email me thru the BW forums.

It's been real.

wow

2005-02-03T07:17:00.000-08:00

Alright, the blog is being taken down--thanks to the ones that decided to turn this into a circus.

I started with an compilation of statistics--one that wasn't intended to "attack or begrudge" anyone. People took it the wrong way, twisted it into something it wasn't, and just generally freaked out. Granted, the information could be considered sensitive---but I thought that when I wrote, in clear english, that it wasn't intended as such, that people would understand. They didn't. Rather than fight an uphill battle against people who simply don't read what I write, but read into what I write, I have chosen to discontinue the blog. Hope you are happy, all.

interview practice

2005-01-23T17:38:00.000-08:00

In response to a comment...here is a summary of interview prep.

At JGSM, in order to take advantageof on-campus recruiting, you are required to complete at least two mock interviews. The first is with your career assistant (2nd yr student, assigned to you by the CMC, and who shares a similar background and career aspriation). The 2nd is with a career consultant that comes to school for a week and interviews every single student, and of course offers feedback. They also tape these interviews so you can watch yourself stink the joint up.

Those are the required interviews, and they ensure that no one does/says anything really stupid. Most kids choose to get more practice. This year in the marketing association, we held a mock interview event, utilizing common question lists. This was a student & student type of interview.

I have also been involved with two mock interviews w/ a classmate that we just set up on our own. These are useful just to get some feedback on your stories, and to gain valuable experience. I like the fact that it just takes some of the edge off...

the final tally

2005-01-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I wound up with 8 interviews--I have one company left to hear back from, but it was kind of a random company that I honestly don't expect an interview from. So we'll stick with 8.

We've received a TON of snow (over a foot) in the last 24 hours, so a few recruiters that were scheduled for monday interviews are going to be rescheduled due to flight cancellations all over the northeast. For some, this sucks. For others, it is a blessing, since they were just granted more time to prepare for their interview(s).

Just to "keep it real", I went out last night and got back around 3:30 this morning...just to make sure that I go thru this hellish week of interviewing a few hours behind on my sleep...one of my better moves.

Back to researching companies and practicing my behavioral examples...wheeeeee!

2005-01-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

**********************************
8 interviews scheduled as of 1/20
**********************************
...with 2 companies left to report

This is panning out better than I ever expected. I also have two alternates--now the real fear I have is preparing effectively for such a wide selection of companies...and not getting mixed up!!!

Quickie

2005-01-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

**********************************
7 interviews scheduled as of 1/17
**********************************
...with 4 companies left to report

So the headline above says it, as far as the job search is concerned. I've got 5 interviews scheduled next week, over two days. Yep, three in one day, with 2nd rounds possible--upwards of 6 interviews that day. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. I would be excited about this, except classwork is killing my spare time, and I NEED TIME to prep myself for interviews. I've been getting in only about 30 minutes/day average, the way I see it, I need more like THREE hours a day.

I've cut all but the essential reading assignment out of my day (not reading any articles, reserves, etc., even though they are required). I'm in survival mode--text book and cases only. The funny thing is that is doesn't even seem like I cut anything out, even though I eliminated several hrs worth of assignments each day....just kill me now, before I do it.

It's kind of pathetic, really. I worked hard all year to land some interviews, my guess is that I will finish with 8 (and two alternates), and now, I'm unprepared to actually participate in them. And isn't it ironic? Don't you think?

I will be slamming down the vault guide interview chapters, along w/ various interview prep items I have acquired, and reading advertising pages like crazy over the next week.

Ok, sorry for the lame update, but I've gotta get some sleep.

Conclusions on the Job Search

2005-01-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

**********************************
5 interviews scheduled as of 1/12
**************************************

So I was looking for the answer to the question "Is shotgunning your resume more effective than spending time networking at a relatively small number of companies?". As you may recall, I chose to merge these two approaches by networking at a select few companies, then blast my resume out to the remainder.

Fortunately, classmates at JGSM aren't so competitive or secretive or whatever to the point of not discussing this stuff, so I have been able to collect some data from my classmates as well. That is, I have no actual numbers, but I have spoken with several friends and some basic patterns have emerged:

-The more networking, the better. So far, the companies that applicants have really worked for have shown love. There are exceptions, however. Too much networking or simply saying/doing something stupid has dq'd some people. The more networking you do, the more opportunity you have to put you foot in your mouth. An example of this is two people golfing with a recruiter in the JGSM golf tourney, and showing up with zero rounds under their belt. The recruiter wasn't happy about it, and was even overheard by other students bitching extensively about it!!! While this isn't grounds for dismissal, it certainly didn't help when HR asked the recruiter who he likes and doesn't like.

-Prior experience does matter. Recruiters will tell you it doesn't, but the data says otherwise. Essentially, the more closely your past experience resembles your target field, the more interviews you will get. This seems somewhat independent of networking. There are people on both ends of the spectrum...some with 0-1 interviews, and some with almost every company in their field.

-Shotgunning can be valuable. Many people picked up a few extra interviews by submitting resumes for companies that they never talked to. However, these companies are almost never in the students' top-5 list. Good backup, but a bad way to get interviews at the top companies.

So...I guess the bottom line is...network with your favorite companies like there is no tomorrow, don't do anything stupid, make sure your resume makes you look experienced in your chosen field, and make sure you submit a sufficient volume of resumes to land a few surprise interviews.

Easy enough, eh? Not really. When y'all get here and realize that the events conflict with each other, group meetings, classes, etc. and that you have to juggle like 7 or 8 favorite companies with everything else in your life, send countless emails, and possibly go to informationals two or three times per week, you'll see where I'm coming from.

As our friend bskewl would not want me to say, business school truly is like drinking champagne from a fire hydrant.

Update

2005-01-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, I see no reason to continue the job updates w/ the level of detail I have provided thus far--I have all the data I need to draw conculsions. For the record, here is where I stand as of 1/11/2004:

1 decline where I networked heavily early on, and dropped off late.
2 declines where I did nothing (what did I expect?).
1 "interview waitlist" offer, where I showed some interest early, did nothing in the middle, and got on it moderately towards the end.
2 interview offers from companies that I HEAVILY networked with.
1 interview offer where I didn't do anything, but I have lots of interest and interesting experience with the company.
1 interview w/ a company I did some networking with, and fit in really well.

As you can see, I have 4 interviews and a waitlist, with 8 companies outstanding. At my current rate, I should finish with 6-7 interviews.

From now on, I will just keep a running tab at the top of my new blog posts w/ current numbers.

Conclusions in a moment.

1/10 Job Update

2005-01-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

As of 1/10/2005:

1 decline where I networked heavily early on, and dropped off late.

2 declines where I did nothing (what did I expect?).

1 "interview waitlist" offer, where I showed some interest early, did nothing in the middle, and got on it moderately towards the end.

2 interview offers from companies that I HEAVILY networked with.

1 interview offer where I didn't do anything, but I have lots of interest and interesting experience with the company.

So, as you can see, I'm batting .500. If this keeps up, I'll have plenty of interviews to keep me busy, that is for sure. The best part...the three companies I have interviews with are in my Top-6 list.

More as it develops.

JOB UPDATE

2005-01-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the game is on...closed lists are trickling in...I'll begin tracking which companies I got internship interviews for (closed list for now, bids will come later), sorted by how much networking I did. "The Goal" is to get an idea of whether the networking approach or the shotgun approach works better.

As of 1/7/2005:

1 decline where I networked heavily early on, and dropped off late.

1 "interview waitlist" offer, where I showed some interest early, did nothing in the middle, and got on it moderately towards the end.

2 interview offers from companies that I HEAVILY networked with.

Already, I see a trend...

More news as it develops!

just hire me

2005-01-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

Fo' rizzle, just hire me already!

For those wondering about the interviewing process/recruiting/internships or whatever, this post should shed some light on the subject. Or not--I don't really know what I'm going to write yet.

So, there are two basic, generic approaches that you can take to the internship interviewing process. A lot of b-school applicants aren't familiar with the whole process, so I'll give a brief rundown of that first, I suppose. It goes like this:

-Beginning the first week of school (I'm not joking), companies begin coming to campus...often. You go to "corporate briefings", where the companies tell you about themselves, give you a bag full of their products, and start to "scope you out". You then get their business cards, talk with them, brown nose, etc., and ideally, follow up with them on email. You then touch base every few weeks and ask interesting questions. This is called networking. Surprisingly enough, most of the kids won't do much of this, a handful will really do a great job. The results of heavy networking are expected to be positive, but at this point I have no data to present to you (future post will certainly address this).

Ok, now as January approaches, you will prepare resumes and coverletters to all of the companies you would be interested in working for. You submit them online by the "drop date", and within ten days, each company will provide the Career Management Center with a "closed list". These are the people the company wants to interview, based on networking, resume, and coverletter. There are limited spots!!! There are usually more applicants than interview spots, so you can see where networking becomes important.

Another wrinkle is the bidding system. After the closed list is published, sometimes (read: not all that often) a company will effectively admit that it is possible that they don't know everything about you based on a little networking and your resume--and allow a few extra interview spots. These spots are filled by bidding. Each student who did NOT make the closed list can bid a certain amount of points (you start the year with 1000), and the highest bidders get interviews. It is that simple, and I believe the system is VERY similar at all of the top schools.

Now, for the two approaches I was talking about: 1) Network heavily, and only drop for 4-6 companies. This is the "Quality over Quantity" approach. 2) Shotgun your resume to everyone in your chosen field, and maybe even some to other fields.

It seems that most people I have talked to (small sample) are going for approach #1 or a variation thereof. I have personally blended the two as follows: I heavily networked at 4 companies, mildly networked at 3 more. I of course dropped for all 7, but then shotgunned to just about everyone else I talked to, and even to some companies that didn't come to campus. I suppose this is because I really want one of those 4 companies, but at the same time, I have extreme respect for my classmates and by no means am I certain I will land one of those internships. So really, I took the "CYA" approach...it was a lot of work, and my coverletters are a bit on the form-letter side, but the sheer numbers should prove somewhat effective. What can I say? I came from a sales background, and I look at everything as a numbers game!

As some of you may know, I'm heading to Cali tomorrow to visit a company. I'm picking up a classmate in Phoenix today, which should prove interesting since it is snowing like crazy up here (100 miles north of Phoenix). We will then brave the highways on the way to CA that have been closed on and off over the last week. Some parts of I-5 got as much as 7 feet of snow overnight, so...it will be exciting if nothing else.

I'm still trying to get over the extreme housing prices in New York. I'll bitch about that in my next post, along w/ some closed list updates? :)

Post Xmas Post

2004-12-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

So I've been a little busy. I know there are millions of loyal readers out there that now have nothing to do until school/work starts up again (at least seriously), so I'll see what I can do to keep you amused and/or topped up on random Johnson School stuff...

Today is all about coverletters. We have a huge drop due on 1/2, another on 1/5, and the remainder on 1/12. My girlfriend arrives in Phoenix tomorrow morning, and I will pick her up and head out to lunch w/ my sister and cousin (they live in Phoenix). It's been something like 35 days since I saw her, so...I can't wait.
In the meantime, though, I need to started figuring out why I want to work at these companies, and those reasons need to be different from what everyone else is writing...yay. Really exciting.

I've got about 1/2 of these things done, but I'll need to proofread, revise, and start sending them this afternoon. That is, if I can keep my grandma from dragging me across town for lunch, dinner, and three meals in between (I've been there 4 times in the last 2 days).

What else? I sent out my first email on behalf of the JS Marketing Association this morning, making everyone aware of the UNC Case Competition. That is a sweet deal--we send 5 peeps over to UNC, and they mix match you with students from other schools to form teams--very cool networking opportunities. It should be interesting, some of the sponsors include Microsoft and John Deere (you know I want Deere, since I'm from AZ & TX, yeeeeehaaaaaa!)

So, the pressure is starting to come down on everyone for internships. While statistically almost everyone gets an internship in their chosen field, you never want to be the one person in the last 5 years that doesn't, you know? For me, the pressure stems from my woman. I need to get a good internship at a company I want to work for--with major hope that I'll get a fulltime offer at the end of the summer. If I don't, it will mean I'm job searching next year, which is fine in itself, but if that happens, then my woman won't know which state to take the bar exam in when she graduates in October...which means she'll probably just take it in Texas, and then I'll be the bad guy for making her take it again (unless I get a Brand job in TX, which is highly unlikely, although certainly not impossible). Arrrrgh.

And, of course, I've never been through an MBA job interview before--so I don't really know what to expect. I've done several mock interviews, but much like a standardized test class (I took a series 7 class, and many of you may have taken a GMAT class) it always seems so totally different when you get to the real thing. Just writing this is making the blood pressure go up. :)

Back to the coverletters...

A Day in the Life

2004-12-18T11:59:00.000-08:00

Finally got some sleep last night!

Finals ended on monday night at 6:00--and it doesn't even seem like anything has changed. I've been running top speed ever since. Here is the schedule:

Monday Night:
-Stats exam, 3-6:00 pm
-Dinner at Statler Hotel with Marketing Assoc. Execs, 6-8:00
-Drinking games, 9-11:00
-Party w/ 1st yr class at Rulloff's, 11:00-close

Tuesday:
-Laundry, dry cleaning, hotel booking, ticket purchasing, and packing for my trip to NYC
-Drive to Darien, CT 5-10:00 (it was snowing so it took a long damn time)

Wednesday:
-Day in the Life at Pepperidge Farm

Thursday:
-Day in the Life at AMEX
-Drinking across NYC

Friday:
-Day in the Life at Unilever
-Drive back to Ithaca
-Sleep for the first time in 2 weeks...

Now, this wouldn't seem crazy to any of the Investment Banking/S&T people, who spend 1/2 their first semester in NYC kissing ass. But, for a laid-back marketing type such as myself, it was quite an adventure...

Some quick notes on these companies:

Pepperidge Farm: A great little company. The people are great, the location is a little out of the way, but within easy striking distance of NYC (and right on the train lines). No concerns with them, EXCEPT: Southern CT is not the cheapest place to live! (no, really.)

AMEX: A global powerhouse--located across the street from ground zero in the World Financial Center. From the 43rd floor you have quite a view of NYC and the Statue of Liberty. Pretty cool. The people seem great; the job seems good. But, can I even afford to live anywhere nearby on "only" $80-90,000 a year (I have mega loans)? That sounds like a stupid question to anyone that doesn't live in the Northeast, but I'm totally serious. I've never hemorrhaged money like I did in NYC this week...I ran thru $150 in less than a day--faster than you can say "COLA"--and have nothing to show for it. Just some examples: Park at train station, $14. Train ticket into NYC during peak hours: $15. Various cab rides throughout the day, $50. Breakfast, dinner, and drinks: $50. The list goes on. And on. And on. And one more comment about NYC: they say you "don't need a car in NYC". This wrong. It's like you aren't allowed to have a car in NYC (it's almost as if the place was designed to keep you from wanting one). Nor would you want to fight the traffic. This place represents a 100% change in lifestyle from any "normal" place, and I would say about 50% of the change is positive. Not for everyone.

Unilever: Very nice offices in Greenwich, CT. Again, no way in hell you could ever afford to live here. I asked the employees if they lived nearby, and most laughed. None of them lived nearby. Some chose to live in NYC because it is CHEAPER and has a better dating scene. I can't remember if I've ever seen three Ferraris parked in a row before (unrelated, it was street parking), and I also saw an Aston Martin parked under a tree, 1/2 covered in bird crap, because it wasn't important enough to put in the garage. And several Maseratis. We won't discuss the "average" 15,000 sq foot mansions all over the place... Got a great vibe from this place, but I don't like the idea of commuting on hwy 95 to some super nice office, and then go back to my relative ghetto everynight...kinda makes you feel like a poseur.

Anyway, it was a blast. I could see myself working at any of those companies (although they are very different), but I'm very personal-finance oriented (as you can probably tell by now). I'm not sure I'm ready or willing to spend every last penny of my income just to get by (it wouldn't be a problem if we weren't going to have 1/4 mil. in school loans between us upon graduation).

So, now that I'm done w/ all of that, BREAK IS FINALLY HERE!! All I need to worry about now is the resume/coverletter drops due on 1/02. You never really get a break. :)

errata

2004-12-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that the previous post concerning grades and immersions at the Johnson School was not entirely correct. Here is a response I received from JLARTEY (of BW Forum and JGSM S&T fame):

"no immersion requires any sort of grade in accounting… only requirement for anything is a B in finance"

However, I would like to note that while the immersion doesn't require a B, most people understand that if you are pursuing a top investment bank, you'll want an A in the core accounting class--B is worse, and C would likely kill you. Not specific to JGSM, just in general.

More in a few minutes.

CONGRATS JGSM 2007 ADMITS!!!

2004-12-14T23:45:00.000-08:00

The news went out tonite for priority round applicants (not sure if they are done calling yet, but it sure got off to a good start tonite)! Congrats to everyone, especially the peeps I had the pleasure of meeting during their interview visits (from the BW Boards): Sassynfun, TGLIPPA, Chicagohokie, and ITS_ON_NOW.

JLARTEY & I have already been joking about how crazy it's going to get next year w/ all of you in da house. I'm especially excited b/c we've got *at least* two quality marketers in that group! I'm hard at work with the JS Marketing Association, making sure you have everything you need to land some sweet jobs... :)

Speaking of jobs, our first resume drop date is 1/2. First marketing interviews are held on 1/24...I just found out today that I lucked out--I've been chatting w/ 3 of the 6 interviewers being sent by one of my fave companies...and I've met 2 more randomly in the past. Looking good...just don't screw it up, don't screw it up, don't screw it up, don't screw it up...

Most of my spare time during the break will consist of perfecting 10-12 coverletters to send to my top choice companies. This is no easy task. I feel like MOST people think the coverletters are overlooked or thrown out--SO NOT THE CASE. At least the companies that recruit here hold them up there with your resume. In fact, several recruiters have stated that they may be even more important, since it is critical that you show true interest in the company...On a related note, I drafted a basic coverletter and just mailed it to three random 2nd years that took the brand immersion last year...got all three back in less than 24 hours, with great comments. I love this place.

On another note, we got our finance finals back on monday during the stats exam. It was kinda scary--some immersions require you to get a B or better in the core accounting and finance classes. Those that pulled B-'s or lower simply are not allowed into the immersion--which, as you can imagine, would totally jack your chances at getting a job in that particular field (it wouldn't be impossible, just much more difficult). There were some people that this happened to, unfortunately. But, the rule is there for a reason, I suppose...but it still sucks! This is only true for IB, RST, and MFI immersions. FYI, those recruiters ask you for your grades anyway, and anything less than a B would screw you royally, so...

So right now I'm sitting in a hotel room in Darien, CT. I don't know where that is, somewhere nearby Stamford, I think. I *could* be playing poker tonite in Ithaca (big tourney I going on), but nooooooo....I have to try to get a job. :)

Congrats again, class of 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big Day at the Johnson School

2004-12-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

The last final exam of the Fall Term (Statistics) is today at 3:00. I should be studying right now...We also get our Finance exam back sometime today--hopefully they'll wait to return them until after the stats test.

Also in the news is the rapidly approaching Priority Round admission decision deadline. I believe the last day is Wednesday...so calls should begin today or tomorrow, since they can't possibly hope to contact everyone by phone in one day, can they?

Tonite should get CRAZY at Rulloff's (a big JGSM hangout in collegetown). I fully expect 80% of the class to show, and it is Karaoke night every Monday, along w/ various drink specials. Last time I wound up singing "The Humpty Dance"...it was ugly.

Check out the weather link--it is snowing right now, has been for a few hours, and it is expected to continue for eternity.

Another thing I noticed that I like about Ithaca is the small town feel (makes sense, given that it is a small town, right?). My example: I needed to get some dry cleaning done prior to heading to NYC this weekend, but given finals, etc I waited until the last minute. So, this morning I cruised down to my laundry place downtown. They know your name when you walk in! Normally I drop my laundry off on thursday, and they have it ready by monday afternoon, so I was worried they wouldn't be able to get it done by tomorrow for me. Of course, all I had to do was ask. Small things, I suppose...but I like it.

Back to studying...more updates after the exams, when I'm sitting in my hotel room in the middle of nowhere...

Day 2...

2004-12-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

First off, a shout out to my sista Sassynfun (aka Classynfun) for her help on the blog! I needed some help in figuring this whack html stuff out.

As my 1-day old loyal readers may be aware, today was the Johnson School's core strategy final. It was a take-home test, with 6 hours to answer 3 questions. This is on the heels of yesterday's finance final--I'm just glad it is over & break is right around the corner. Am I worried about my grades? HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEECK NO! They call it B-School for a reason...

I might need to have a little something to drink tonite...it's been roughly a week since I played the Bill & Ted's drinking game and drank all that tequila...and my liver is getting out of shape! Plus, it is freezing in my apartment. Ha, actually I don't think a day has gone by since early October when I didn't say "It's frickin' freezing in here, Mr. Bigglesworth!" as I got out of bed...this is odd on two counts: 1) I'm too cheap to turn on the all electric heat 2) it is so cold, I'm actually referring to myself as "Mr. Bigglesworth". B-school will do that to you.

Tonite the 2nd years are throwing a little celebration at Stella's in the middle of Collegetown (2 minute walk from Sage Hall). Apparently some of the second years that have offers already (or just don't care) will be taking full advantage of the Cornell experience and spend their last semester abroad on Cornell programs. We have people headed all over the world, it should be a really awesome trip for them!

Speaking of second years, I thought Friday offered a great example of what makes the Johnson School the great place that it is: I walked out of my finance final, headed upstairs to the atrium, only to find 260 of my classmates already there and it was LOUD. Why the hysteria? The second years had, unannounced, cooked up hundreds of brownies, cookies, cupcakes, etc and brought milk, etc. just for us 1st years. They were homemade, too!! I guess they remembered how they felt last year after their finance finals...anyways, thanks guys!!!

This next week is going to be crazy, even after school ends! I've got my statistics final on monday evening from 6-9, and then wednesday, thursday, and friday I will be in NYC and surrounding areas for various job functions. I will be visiting American Express, Unilever, and Pepperidge Farm...then flying home to AZ to spend most of my break working on resumes and coverletters. It never ends.

The upside is I get to see my woman for a WHOLE WEEK over the break. We haven't seen each other for more than 4 days since the end of July! The long distance thing sucks, but I'd rather have her for 15 days a year than anyone else for more. :)

I also updated the site a bit today, after fighting the html tags for a while. I've got some cool webcams (a few you can actually control and zoom in on various parts of campus, check out the fine undergrad ladies, etc), some weather stuff, etc. Ya know.
I also added some completely random links to whatever I felt like. As I get more time to spend on the site, I'll keep changing and updating that stuff.

Until we meet again...

This is just groovy, baby

2004-12-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

Loyal Readers (all zero of you),

So I got this crazy idea tonite (post finance-final) to create my own blog. Why?
I'll tell you why. Because there aren't very many blogs out there written by current students and aimed at prospectives! And, I want to give all of the Johnson School (Cornell University) prospectives something to read that gves them insight into the school, as well as a feel for the random personal junk that goes on when you move away to go to b-school, the friends you will make, and the good times that you will have. A realistic, comprehensive look, if you will.

A little about me:

-1st year MBA at the Johnson School, just finishing up the 1st semester
-Pursuing a career in Brand Management, but will be providing some random insight into Sales & Trading and IB due to the peeps I hang out with
-Moved here from Austin, TX, and my long time girlfriend is in her 3rd year of law school in Texas...just 10 more months of separation...

I'm still trying to figure this site out, so forgive me if I don't write too much tonite. I plan on tackling this blog this weekend...and making it the fully functional beast that I want it to be.

Drop me a line sometime and let me know the type of content you would like to see on here...