Out With the Old, In With the New

After a much-needed but shamefully unproductive break, I am back to the grind. Classes started on Thursday the 8th. There are no Friday MBA classes, so essentially, I had a one-day week, which is at once difficult and a breeze; one day is really easy to rationalize skipping, but it also gently eases students back into school mode.

As a kickoff to internship season, the Career Management Center (CMC) hosted an internship reception in Atlanta on the Friday after classes started. Our CMC staff arranged for recruiters from more than ten different companies to come to the Terry Executive Center in Atlanta to talk with us. By ‘us’ I mean the 56-person first year MBA class. There were reps from great companies like Chick-fil-A, Turner Broadcasting, Carter’s, and Unum, just to name a few.

Two of my favorite classmates, Meredith and Erin, and I carpooled, not only to save on gas and boredom, but to ensure that none of us chickened out. Admittedly we’re all very sociable and outgoing young women. Meredith is the consummate hostess and is always planning a non-school related gathering of some sort. Erin was a wedding planner in her past life – her career practically hinged on her ability to sell and charm. I too am rarely at a loss for words and am typically at ease in most social settings. But for some reason, faced with an official “networking” function, all three of us clam up.

From talking with classmates and other friends, I have learned that this is the norm. Only a select few actually like networking, even those who are really good at it. But practice definitely makes perfect and having one semester of MBA school under my belt has undoubtedly made a big difference for me. My palms still got clammy but I’ve mastered the discreet hand-in-pocket move to temporarily alleviate the problem prior to offering a firm handshake.

I am eager and excited about both the semester and the internship search. I know neither will be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. Read more!