Epilogue

Well friends... my MBA is over and now it is time for this blog to come to an end.
This will be my last post, and to all of you who have followed my little saga - thank you!! I started this blog with the intention of giving my friends a glimpse of 'life as a Tippie MBA', and quite frankly, I'm glad this blog has been able to last till the end!

I always wanted to end my last post with this little cliche - "Blogs never die. Only bloggers do." :)
On that note, here are pics of our graduation ceremony and the party that followed..

It is now time to move on. Take care & fare well, my friends!

Go Hawks!!

And the journey is over

I'm staring out of the window, sipping my coffee and musing over the months gone by. In an hour or so, I will leave for the MBA Commencement ceremony. The culmination of my MBA journey.

It has been a long and eventful journey, and I feel I have grown much as a person over the last couple of years. I have travelled to different parts of the world, met many interesting people and collected a lot of beautiful memories. I have learned a lot - about people, about business and most importantly, I feel, about myself.

Looking back at the time I decided to do an MBA, I had a few clear ideas on what I wanted out of my years in B-school. And I feel very fortunate that I have been able to do everything I wanted to, and much more. True, it has not all been rosy, and those of you who have followed my blog will know that there have been a few unexpected twists and turns - but in the end it has simply been a fabulous experience.

Today, it feels like I have reached a milestone. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, and I'm not sure exactly why. I'm excited and joyous, and a little sad at the same time.

It is now time to get ready for the commencement ceremony.

The final stretch

Another week and I graduate. Wow!

Its kind of a bitter-sweet feeling actually. While I'm certain that I've had my fair share (or more!) of case studies, reports and presentations, and I'm really eager to start working again, I'm going to miss a lot of things here at Tippie. Mostly my friends.
In our two years here at Tippie, we've all made some really good friends. While I'm sure these relationships will last waay past graduation, I will really miss being able to meet up with my buddies just whenever we felt like it. No more TGITs, no more MBA tailgates, no more pizza lunches and 'group discussions' over beer...

I guess this is where I invoke Dr. Suess - "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened". :)

But the final stretch still remains. I've got a final exam, couple of presentations and project reports due before I reach the finish line. Almost there!!

Did I miss a post?

I just realized that it has been quite a few weeks since my last post. First the excuses - the most credible reason would be that I just had a lot going on. And add blogging fatigue (??) to that and my brief absence from the blogosphere is explained! :)

Since we've gotten that out of the way, its time to fill you in on my semester so far. It has been quite eventful in many ways, but my favorite part was Spring Break. Along with another friend, I set out on a road trip to the West Coast. Yes, all the way to San Diego from Iowa City.

Highlights of the trip -
miles covered - 4080 (yes, 4080)
places of interest - Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego, Grand Canyon
visible effects of trip - deep tan & sunburnt skin (I just couldn't get enough of San Diego!)
invisible effects - maxed out credit cards

So many times did I go "wow!" during the trip, it was just amazing! Vegas is like a different planet, San Diego was so chilled out, and the Grand Canyon was breathtaking. And yes, the Rockys too!
I guess you'll understand if I don't want to go on a drive anytime soon. :)

Dumped.. by Corporate America!!

If you could choose the worst time to graduate in recent history, now would be it! With the current economic scenario, MBA grads are also quite severely affected. Across the board, there are fewer jobs, lower salaries and delayed opportunities. And since investment banking as an industry has literally disappeared, many would-be financial whizzes are left feeling blank and cheated.

But all's not gloom. At least not yet! Most of us are still hopeful of finding that one right opportunity and still manage to find cheer in gloom.
Like my friend who, after receiving a verbal offer, called the hiring manager after a few weeks and learnt that the manager herself had lost her job! Or my favorite so far... a friend had a job offer rescinded (which is unfortunate, but since the same happened to me, I'm allowed to make jokes about it!). The job was with a major retail chain, and one morning the HR person calls and gives the bad news with the reason being (and I'm quoting literally) "it's not you, it's us". Jeez, we just got dumped my corporate America!!

Back to IC

I'm now back in Iowa City for the last semester of my MBA. There is something so welcoming about life here at the University of Iowa, that it almost feels like I'm coming back home. Which is true in a sense, since I was away for the better part of last year!

One of the first things I intend to do is to spend time at my favorite coffee joint! It is located just a few blocks from the business building and I just love the whole ambience there - the smell of fresh coffee, the comfortable chairs, the music. And it helps that I get more work done in a coffee shop than at home!

It feels good to be back in Hawkeye land! I really wish I didn't have to miss football season last year. Wonder when I will be able to do a Hawkeye tailgate next...

Final call for...

I'm writing this post as I wait for my flight, at the Schipol airport in Amsterdam. My exchange semester at RSM has come to an end, and now I'm going home for my winter break. As I sit here, waiting to board my flight, I cannot help think of the year gone by. As I started out on my MBA, I knew that I wanted a good international experience. Boy, was that wish granted and how!!

The year started on a great note, with my International Marketing course in Hong Kong and China (to read about it, click here). Continuing on with a fruitful semester, it got better with my summer internship in Washington D.C. and Milan, and has now culminated in an exchange semester in The Netherlands. Wow! That was waay more than I ever expected and I'm feel really fortuntate that this year turned out the way it did.

I'm now ready to go home after what has been a long period of absence from family. Another 2 flights and a 45 minute drive will get me home! Can't wait!

This will be my last post of the year. So here's wishing you all happy holidays and a very Happy New Year!

3 weeks left in Europe

Today it dawned on me that my stint at RSM comes to an end in another 3 weeks. It has been a fast paced semester - easily the fastest 4 months of my life! The sheer number of all the new experiences boggles my mind and I think I need a break for all this to settle in. The people, the places, the lifestyle, the experiences, the memories.. and there are still 3 more weeks to go!

Everything has been happening so fast, both personally and professionally, during the last few months that I literally feel out of breath. As one of my fellow exchange students said, "a week during exchange is like a month in real life!". I totally agree!! :)

PS: Last week I spent a few days visiting Paris with a friend. And I just loved the city!! Paris is definitely the most charming city I have ever been to... and now I know why so many others keep raving about this city.



Paris at night, as seen from the 'Arc de Triomphe'. Wish I had a better camera!!

Windmills!

The Dutch countryside is just so beautiful!






As you can see, a 20km bike ride can be tiring!

RSM Symposium

My personal take is that there's a lot more focus on sustainability in Europe, in general, and in The Netherlands in particular. You live here for a while and the differences are quite apparent - the biking culture (bicycles, not motorbikes!), focus on alternative energy, less use of plastic etc. 

Given this context, I think it is but natural that RSM should have a keen interest in sustainable business practices.

The third annual RSM Symposium was held yeterday and it was an excellent event. It was quite reassuring to hear from the corporate world that sustainability is indeed a focus for businesses today. The session with Prof. Michael Braungart, the proponent of "Cradle to Cradle design", was also very informative.

For more info on the RSM Symposium, click here - http://www.rsmsymposium.com/

I'm now more that halfway through my exchange semester and it is amazing how eventful the last couple of months have been. There has been so much packed in the short time I've been here, I'm excited about what the remaining couple of months have to offer!

The RSM Olympics and the German party

Last Saturday, we had the RSM Olympics as well as the kick off to the RSM party season - the German "Oktoberfest" party.

The RSM Olympics was a day filled with sporting events (as suggested by the name!); the highlight being the football game between MBA '09 and MBA '10. Unfortunately for us, the MBA '09s, we could not keep up the initial momentum we had in the game and the MBA '10 team walked away with the glories.

But all was not lost, as we headed to the German party for a night of grilled sausages, "sauerkraut" and beer. It was indeed a rocking start to the RSM party season! Coming up this weekend is the American/Canadian party and then there is... a lot more!

Interrupting my "fun schedule" are details like class assignments and career search! :)

Tomorrow we have the RSM Careers Fair and an quite a few firms will be here for a day to speak with us. Considering the current economic scenario, it is indeed an impressive of list of firms that we are looking at. Time to get those CVs and cover letters in order..

Boat trips & food festivals

The last couple of weeks have been filled with events to welcome the new batch of RSM MBA students. We had the "Spido" boat trip, the RSM Food Festival, the charity auction, the October birthday bash.. phew!

The boat trip was quite a fun time. I guess that was to be expected anyway - put a bunch of great people on a boat, send it on a picturesque ride, accompanied with good food and drinks and you are quite certain to have a fun time!

And the Food Festival... wow! The sheer variety of mouth-watering food from across the world was just amazing - a testimonial to the diversity at RSM. 

Musings.. at the wrong time.

Writing this post is the last thing I should be doing right now - I'm working on a strategy report that is due soon, I have a team meeting coming up in a couple of hours, I'm behind schedule on my job applications... etc. etc.

But then I came across this poem, and I just had to share it with you.

Moments by Jorge Luis Borges 

If I could live again my life,
In the next - I’ll try,
- to make more mistakes,
I won’t try to be so perfect,
I’ll be more relaxed,
I’ll be more full - than I am now,
In fact, I’ll take fewer things seriously,
I’ll be less hygienic,
I’ll take more risks,
I’ll take more trips,
I’ll watch more sunsets,
I’ll climb more mountains,
I’ll swim more rivers,
I’ll go to more places - I’ve never been,
I’ll eat more ice creams and less (lime) beans,
I’ll have more real problems - and less imaginary ones,
I was one of those people who live
prudent and prolific lives -
each minute of his life,
Of course that I had moments of joy - but,
if I could go back I’ll try to have only good moments,

If you don’t know – that’s what life is made of,
Don’t lose the now!

I was one of those who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer,
without a hot-water bottle,
and without an umbrella and without a parachute,

If I could live again - I will travel light,
If I could live again - I’ll try to work bare feet
at the beginning of spring till the end of autumn,
I’ll ride more carts,
I’ll watch more sunrises and play with more children,
If I have the life to live - but now I am 85,

- and I know that I am dying …  

(To read the original version in Spanish, click here.)

Tippie MBA analysts featured on CNBC and BusinessWeek

"Squak on the street", the morning business show on CNBC, recently did a feature on the Henry Fund - the student run investment fund at the Tippie School of Management. The featured analyst was Gabe Hilmoe, second year MBA student at Tippie, who manages the health care portion of the portfolio. 

Click here to see the CNBC clip.

I had written an earlier post on the Henry Fund. To learn more about the MBA student managed US$ 1.5 million fund (yes, that real 1.5 million dollars!), click here.

On the same note - another Henry Fund analyst, Bill Aldridge, has been featured on BusinessWeek.

Way to go, Hawkeyes!!

And time flies by...

I had my first interview for a full-time job last week. I interviewed with a strategy consulting firm on campus and I had a feeling that it just crept up too fast on me. The semester is in full flow now - classes, networking events, interviews, team meetings, student functions et al. Amid all this, the primary casualty has been my efforts to get to the gym! Its now time to get a little better organized - after all, time management is something I'm supposed to get good at in B-school!

The new batch of MBA10 students arrived at RSM last week and we've had a few events to welcome them. There are a couple of events planned for this weekend too. It is a slight sense of deja vu, since I'd just helped to welcome the new batch at Tippie  last month. I guess its just double the fun for me!

First post from Rotterdam

It's been over a week since I landed in Rotterdam and most of this time has been spent in settling in - unpacking, getting a phone connection, internet, id cards, figuring out the public transport etc. Actually, public transport here is mainly bicycles! Yes, you have the metro and the trams but everyone moves around on their bicycles. Even to bars and clubs. Now thats a biking culture!

RSM seems to be a really nice, friendly place. Similar to Tippie in some aspects - RSM also has a relatively small class size, thus giving a very personal touch to the program. A very striking feature of RSM is the international mix of its student body. With almost 40 nationalities represented, it is probably one of the most international MBA programs in the world.

Looks like this will be an interesting semester. :)

Back in Iowa City, for a while.

It's been a couple of weeks since I returned to Iowa City, after finishing my internship in Washington, DC and Milan. It was an awesome, though hectic, summer but towards the end I found myself missing IC!
It's been only a year since I first came to IC, but it already feels like home. Like I belong here.

The last couple of weeks were pretty chilled out - and that is exactly what I needed! The new batch of MBA students are here now - the Class of 2010 just had their IMPACT week (Read my earlier post on IMPACT here).

And it is still to sink in that I'm halfway done with my MBA!! It has been a fabulous one year - I've learnt a lot, met amazing people, made some great friends and expanded my horizons. I feel truly amazed at how much I've grown over the last year. Which is why I'm feeling a little nostalgic right now, as I start packing for my exchange semester at RSM (Recap: I will be spending this fall semester on exchange at the Rotterdam School of Management)

I leave tomorrow afternoon and though I'm very excited, there is a lingering little thought... of how I'll miss this place. So I guess its a nice coincidence that I get to be at a tailgate before I leave! The Hawkeyes play their first football game of the season tomorrow and since my flight is in the evening, I get to enjoy the first tailgate!! :)

Time to pack..

A sleepy coastal town...

We spent a day in Chioggia (pronounced 'Kyo-jia'), a small coastal town near Venice.




And as we sauntered around the streets, we came across two people shrink-wrapping a car...




We just HAD to stop and see what the whole deal was about.
Apparently, there was a wedding inside the church..





And the shrink-wrapped car was their gift!





So finally, after a lot of effort..



And they lived happily ever after.. (Hope so, at least!)




And then we sauntered off again. In a sleepy little town called Chioggia.

Italy pics - 2 (Venice)

Italy pics

The Duomo in Milan -




Stained glass in The Duomo -




The real thing :)




Lake Como -