The Times They are A’ Changin

These are crazy times. The presidential elections loom, the U.S. economy is experiencing historical tumult – business as usual is anything but.

I can’t think of a better time to be in business school. Here, I am surrounded by professors and classmates who help me make sense out of all of the rhetoric spewing from the talking heads on every news channel, quoted in every article in the Wall Street Journal. Lately most of my classes begin with some discussion of the current economic climate. It seems that the more I learn about the workings of the economy and the stock market, the more questions I have and the more help I need in understanding what it all means. Thankfully, just last week, a group of UGA business professors hosted a panel discussion about the economic crisis.

Opinions are varied, of course, but the best part of being at Terry is that students are encouraged not to adopt the views of a favorite professor or most admired classmate, but to critically analyze what we see, hear, and read and form our own educated opinions. That mentality also translates into the assignments we complete as students. We’re not graded on whether or not our views are aligned with that of our professors, but on the clarity of our argument and the quality of our supporting evidence.

On the downside, I now laugh at statistics jokes about sample size. I’ve found myself making economics puns. I haven’t watched reality TV in months. It is also difficult adjusting to the extreme reduction in monthly income, but one can endure anything for just two years, particularly when the ROI is right. Right? Read more!

Grades are just numbers. Right?

It’s too soon to tell how this whole grading thing will pan out. Are grades important? Do our professors curve? I really don’t know. We are a remarkably diverse class in every sense of the word, particularly for a class of only 56. Of course we have people from different countries, ages, and genders, but our career backgrounds span everything from analysts at Goldman Sachs to wedding coordinators, IT professionals to entrepreneurs. There is a handful of students who could probably teach some of the classes. So are we all held to the same standard? Hard to say.

One of the most astounding things I’ve experienced since coming to Terry is the willingness of my classmates to help each other. Again, influenced by inaccurate stereotypes, I was pretty much expecting everyone to be hyper-competitive and cutthroat. That is not the case at all. Just last week one of our most financial accounting-inclined classmates hosted a pre-exam accounting review for those of us who just weren’t getting it.

I failed to take advantage of my classmates’ ability when preparing for our finance exam last Thursday. Thinking that I could manage better on my own, I somehow failed to work back through our last problem set from the final lecture prior to the exam. Naturally, just as the professor had hinted, a replica of that very problem appeared before me on page 6 of the exam.

I’m slowly learning that the entire MBA experience, not just our explicit team assignments, is about learning to function as a team. Had I not thought myself above collaboration, I probably wouldn’t have choked on the last problem. The workload is intense, but it’s certainly doable, particularly if you discuss and collaborate with your classmates. Always within the bounds of academic honesty of course. With that, I’m off to join my study group. After all, there are two types of smart people in this world – those who know the answers, and those who know where to go to get the answers. At least for now, I believe I am the latter. Read more!

Exiting the Honeymoon Stage

Almost every new relationship, be it romantic, platonic, or professional, begins in the idyllic but fleeting honeymoon phase. Everything is sunshine and smiles, with the smug confidence that comes from knowing that this new relationship will never experience the problems of others that have come before it. At least for me, entering the MBA program at Terry was no different.

Though initially a bit apprehensive about joining the program, I immediately fell in love with my class as a whole after just a few days of orientation. My classmates were all shiny and new, decked out in their best business casual, working the room like pros. The stereotypes that I’d anxiously expected to meet just didn’t seem to be there. Sure, there was a sprinkling of the All-American, ambitious, possibly arrogant white male, but far fewer than I’d expected and half feared, but even they turned out to be pretty great guys.

Those first few weeks went by in a blur of networking lunches, panel discussions, information sessions on classes and clubs, and naturally the ropes course adventure. But now, the dust has settled and the reality of this transition has set in. Now is when the fun begins. Read more!