The Dream Hunter

midterms!

2008-10-14T23:57:00.006-04:00

It's midterms for the class of 2009 this week and next week is exams for the class of 2010. That on top of interviews and job searching can be very stressful!

So here's a quick positive thought for everyone going through midterms and projects and everything right now! Besides, similar to what the graph above depicts, one of our professors discussed how too much work and stress can decline performance.

Not a lot of text since time is very precious now, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? :)

the week in review

2008-09-30T23:42:00.005-04:00

Last Friday

Goizueta Advanced Leadership Academy (GALA) opening.

Monday

Our first Dean's Speaker Series event, featuring Stuart Lawson, CEO of HSBC Russia. He talked about doing business in turbulent times and in foreign territory and culture, then broke out with students for some more Q&A.

Wednesday
Information session for this school year's International Lead Week modules. This batch will offer:

Business Challenges in the Middle East: Developing vs. Rich Economies (Cairo and Dubai)
Business Environment in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo)
Multinational Corporations Doing Business in China (Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu)

Saturday
Volunteer day with Hands on Atlanta.

In the midst of that, company presentations and our annual Goizueta Career Connections on Friday. There are some changes compared to last year's GCC, which look promising.

return from oblivion

2008-09-30T22:50:00.005-04:00

I'm back! For the few (or none) who missed me or wondered about where I was, well, I will make it up to you.

What have I been doing the past few months? Moving, working over the summer, worrying over the economy (and the prospects of securing a job post graduation), that sort of thing.

What's new? The general consensus from our class is that the new 2010 and one year 2009 classes are fantastic. We've also been working on getting better integrated with our Evening and Executive MBA classes, which are both also amazing.

We're about a month into the fall semester, and again, already been feeling nostalgic about it being my last year in school. Be forewarned! These bouts of sentimentality could pop up every so often this year. On the upside, it made me think that I'd better start posting again; so hello to you, to a new school year, a new class, and new posts!

In celebration of the occassion, I hope you're liking the new template! I know I am! If only the buttons on top could be customized though... I'm just too lazy to make new ones. Hover labels will have to do. :)

checking in before the summer starts

2008-05-05T10:25:00.003-04:00

Back from being MIA for months. School has been insane the past few months, and so has other activities, what with the summer (and internships) coming up, and the Class of 2008 graduating next week. My next post will definitely have more on what's been going on these past few months on the academic front.

In the meantime, yours truly has been feeling a tad reflective as I look back on first year. Yes, a whole year has gone by! While the start was more than challenging -- adjusting to life as a student, new city, new people, trying to find an internship -- it was definitely worth it. I am sad that it's actually already half over. The past few weeks have been long, but at the same time too short despite the measly number of hours of sleep we all got.

To the Class of 2008: Congratulations and good luck!

To the Class of 2009: Good luck over the summer!

And to both the Classes of 2009 and 2010: See you in the Fall!

And by the way, happy Cinco de Mayo!

welcome to GBS!

2008-03-26T11:47:00.001-04:00

It's been a long time, I know! Things have been hectic, but no excuses! This post is all about something exciting -- Welcome Weekend!

Just so y'all know, everyone has been working hard for weeks, despite insane schedules, to make sure you get a really good experience of what the school is about. It's a great chance to meet current students, faculty, and adminstration, who are all committed to bringing in the best class we can. :)

this march

2008-03-05T21:11:00.002-05:00

Quick post before I head off. I know I've been remiss with y'all with my posts.

This time of the year is "Leadership March" where the class of 2009 (incoming second years) get to go for the various leadership positions in their organizations and in the school. Leadership March was kicked off with the elections for Grad Senate and for the GBA. By the way, congratulations are in order for the winners! :)

And on a happier note, it's Spring Break! Formerly known as "reading week" I am told, but seriously, we read all semester long as it is. Time for a little r & r!

2008 first week of school

2008-01-19T19:44:00.000-05:00

Since I now have better information, here's the complete rundown of the Spring 2008 LEAD weeks:

Atlanta-based

Valuation
Strategic Sourcing
Relationship Economics
Syndicated Data Analysis
Business and the Community

International

China

Israel
Southeast Asia

Also this week, GMSC every afternoon, so it's going to be a busy busy first week for people involved in that! Ah, back to school. ;)

And tomorrow, Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday!

happy new year!

2008-01-18T22:42:00.000-05:00

I'm back! :)

Not much happening now since it's still break, but in the meantime, some international LEAD weeks are still ongoing and I believe that i-banking interviews just wrapped up (congratulations!). The Atlanta-based LEAD weeks start next week after MLK holiday, so I should have more to write about then.

For now, we shall celebrate a bit of our diversity by sharing with y'all a video of the new year's eve fireworks from Taiwan 101 (I've learned that it's a building, in Taiwan of course, with 101 floors). Enjoy!

happening over the winter break

2007-12-19T19:17:00.000-05:00

So after the insane final exams and the partying that ensued, we are now 25% MBAs! ;) Safe trip to everyone heading home for the holidays, and good luck to those prepping and interviewing over the break.

Also, LEAD Weeks for Spring '08 will be kicking off soon, and here's a rundown of GBS's activities in January. (If I forgot anything, I apologize.)

India
China (and Tibet)
Southeast Asia (Vietnam and Thailand)
Israel
Syndicated Data Analysis
Business and Community (non-profit work)
Valuation

Happy holidays everyone! :)

the home stretch

2007-12-01T23:20:00.000-05:00

In contrast to last week's post, which was about socials, today's post will be about work. It's the last 2 weeks of school so of course everyone is neck-deep in work, and the resume drops are still ongoing (a number also already have interviews). We had another Super Saturday yesterday, so I think the prospectives saw many students working over the weekend (ooh, fun). ;)

Also in the vein of schoolwork, we're done with the bidding for next semester's classes. Yes, it was a bidding, but as far as I know, people were still able to get the classes and schedules they wanted. It was helpful getting guidance from the 08's, professors and program office in terms of which electives to pick up and bidding strategy.

Having said all that, I will be on blog-leave for the next 2 weeks to buckle down on schoolwork. Just wanted to check in with you. :) Try to avoid the rush and get your Christmas shopping done as early as possible!

The soundtrack for everyone working for the weekend..

fall semiformal + international potluck

2007-11-20T08:09:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks we had a couple of social events (thank goodness, because an MBA is not all work.. Lots of work, but not all work). ;)

We had the fall semiformal, which was a James Bond-themed event, as well as the international potluck, some pictures of which I am sharing with you. :) Good times!

workshops galore

2007-11-16T05:04:00.000-05:00

This week we had a variety of workshops, which were hosted by the CMC, clubs, companies, or some combination of these groups. The ones I either attended or know of are:

Cover letter writing (all)
Business communications (all)
Behavioral interview (general)
Crack the Case (primarily consulting)
Mock interviews (consulting)
Mock interviews (marketing)
Debt capital markets (finance)
Valuation: Comparable companies (finance)
International student job search
Working Across Borders roundtable event

Those I either personally found particularly helpful, or got feedback that they were, are in bold. Not that anything was not informative, but these were more so.

I know, not an overly entertaining post. ;) But hey, at least you know that there are a lot of seminars available for your benefit.

alum in the news, leading change, and ambassadors

2007-11-14T18:08:00.000-05:00

We were just talking about it in class, and came across this article. Why does it matter? Just trivia, really, but the new Chairman of NYSE Euronext, Duncan Niederbauer, is an Emory MBA. :) Pretty cool.

While on the subject of change (haha! Ok, I needed a segue), yesterday we had speakers from Delta, who were downright amazing. We're discussing leading change in our LPO (Leading People & Organizations) class, and they came to talk about turning Delta around from both Finance and Marketing standpoints. They covered a lot of material, but everything was relevant and they were so engaging that the time just flew. Hands down, they were awesome awesome awesome.

The school has also recently had some ambassadors (Belarus, Greece, Venezuela) over for lunch-and-learn type of events these past few days, and I was able to attend one, which I found to be very insightful and I'm definitely interested to learn more.

my late preface

2007-11-08T06:56:00.000-05:00

I realize this may be a little late, but I never got around to why I am writing this blog (inspired by a comment from Running Turtle).

All the b-schools (and even companies when you're looking for a job) talk about finding the right "fit". We have events like Super Saturdays and Inside Goizueta (that's today til Saturday, by the way), but I know you're working and probably live far away and it's difficult to find the time to visit.

I personally found that getting in touch with students gave considerable insight into the kind of people each school attracts and accepts (these are the people you will be with all the time for 2 years!). I also found that blogs are a good way to get some insight into life at that particular b-school.

Having said that, I hope that I'm giving a fair representation of what I think* it's like as a Goizueta student in general (and not just my own interests at school). I know I don't update that often and I miss letting you know about a lot of stuff going on, and I'm working on that. Also, if there's anything you'd like more information on, feel free to let me know! :)

I know Goizueta doesn't have a lot of student bloggers (perhaps a product of our small class size), so if you want a different perspective, I have links to their sites in my sidebar. :)

* Disclaimer: My opinions are not a reflection of the school's

quick status check

2007-11-05T21:34:00.000-05:00

A few short updates before I rush off to do a million other things. Because I care about YOU, yes, all you... er, people who happen to stumble across my blog. ;)

New York Treks + Job Search
They seemed to be very fruitful, but that's just the start, and now there's a lot more work to be done. Applications are starting to kick off for Investment Banking and Consulting, so good luck to all!

Midterms
I think they generally went well for everyone. Having said that, that also makes it a lot harder because the curve is that much higher (darned overachievers). ;p And even if they say that grad school is not about grades anymore, it's a challenge to let that mentality go.

Breaks
Happier thoughts -- Thanksgiving break is just around the corner, and gosh, then it'll be Christmas. Times flies so fast!!

I hope everyone had fun at your respective Halloween celebrations!

flying north for fall

2007-10-29T08:47:00.000-04:00

It's time for the Marketing and Investment Banking Treks to New York City. I'd like to say that it should be fun, but looking at the schedule and all the preparation, I think it's safer to say, "Should be tiring!" ;) Well, I hope the treks are fruitful for all the participants and the reception at the NYSE should be a great experience. For those who aren't participating, it's a great long weekend! :)

barriers to entry

2007-10-25T06:44:00.000-04:00

So I promised that I would write something about NSHMBA, and here goes.

It was both good and bad. What do we go with first?

Let's get the bad out of the way... It is really difficult to be able to get even an interview as an international. I think everyone knew this coming in, but it didn't really sink in until I had been sent off repeatedly in a span of a few hours. A lot of companies would ask immediately if I had authorization to work in the US, and once I said I did not, would apologize and say that they are only hiring US citizens.

This was immensely frustrating because I know that a lot of internationals (myself included) have so much to offer - skills, experience, personality - but we won't even get the chance to show that. We can't get our foot in the door, because it's closed in our faces from the get-go. :(

At first I was discouraged, but now I just keep going. It'll definitely be a tougher uphill climb, but one that we just have to do if we want to get to our goals.

Ok, now the silver lining. Yes, there is some! You still get to network with people, get a couple of interviews and find out what questions people ask, practice your pitch and get a feel for the whole recruiting process.

I say this not to discourage anybody, far from it! I hope that we just learn to be better prepared and know what obstacles there are so that we can put in the effort necessary to overcome them. We just have to keep moving forward. :)

overloaded

2007-10-14T21:27:00.000-04:00

Last week was all sorts of crazy stress. Preparation for the National Hispanic MBAs conference and flying to Houston, spending hours walking, standing, and networking (will post more about that next time). Homework (it never ends) and regular classes. Company office hours. The Mentor breakfast. Plus the big Goizueta Career Connections (whole day and night!) event. And not to mention that it's our midterms this week.

Despite people complaining about the timing of the GCC, I understand that it must've been very difficult for the CMC to bring together all these people at the same time, and in the end, I think everyone appreciated the effort and thought it was a great event. :)

Good luck to everyone (Goizuetan or not) taking exams! :)

in the midst of the mad rush

2007-09-27T06:11:00.000-04:00

It feels like it's been weeks and weeks and weeks. Company presentations nearly everyday, meaning we've all been researching and networking (or trying to) til we drop at the end of each day (or early the next morning). My resume has gone through a lot of revisions, yet still needs work. And we're already on interview prep.

A number of conferences, conventions and treks are also coming up (National Society of Hispanic MBAs, the Career Expo for Women, and our NYC Trek) so that's been demanding more in the job hunt area.

On top of all that, midterms are coming soon, so it's time to start preparing (well, I have to find time to start preparing anyway). ;)

*phew* It's a wonder I get anything done, seriously. But the great thing is that people are generally helpful and we still find time to get together outside of school to unwind. :)

For some laughs, here's a pretty cute little clip we saw in class a few sessions back about an MBA at work. :)

Enjoy the weekend! :)

looking forward to great changes

2007-09-21T23:06:00.000-04:00

As a member of the class of 2009, I'm kind of disappointed that these changes won't apply to us (they'll be implemented for the class of 2010), but am excited about where they will take the school. :) It's definitely a good thing to know that the school is driven and committed to putting our brand further out there. :)

So what are these great changes? In brief:

More electives in the first year!
Changing the schedule of LEAD weeks such that classes can include a travel/domestic module during the semester
Expanding the global component of the program
Practicing Management, which is an integrative course for multi-disciplines and functions, and from what we've seen, promises to be awesome - both interesting and practical

These are also in the wake of receiving a large gift for the Center for Private Equity and Hedge Fund Research and the leap in our WSJ rankings.

Yup, change is good. :)

the king comes for a visit

2007-09-18T10:10:00.000-04:00

As part of the Dean's Speaker Series, we had a talk today from Burger King's CEO, John Chidsey, who also happens to be an alumnus of the school (JD/MBA '87). It was amazing to hear about his career, the decisions he's made and the situations he's faced, and I think we were all pretty impressed by him and the experiences he's had. Though I must admit that boy, did he talk fast. ;)

Some other events this week include a recruitment event by the MBA Tour hosted in school, and as I mentioned in a previous post, a whole string of company presentations.

getting a running start in b-school

2007-09-14T12:01:00.000-04:00

An article by this title came out recently in BusinessWeek, and it was pretty helpful advice, as I think we (the first years) are all going through the same hurdles.

In summary, it discusses 10 tips in starting your life as an MBA:

Get reacclimated to being a student.
Don't overcommit.
Avoid the herd mentality.
Be a team player.
Sit in the front row or an aisle seat.
Get to know your professors and teaching assistants.
Strategize early for career events.
Take some time to breathe.
Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Don't be a perfectionist.

In my case, I think this is especially important since I underestimated just how much time and effort goes into the whole MBA process, and this first sem is just so critical. Good things to keep in mind. :)

rocking recruitment

2007-09-13T06:20:00.000-04:00

I'd heard this song a few times before, but today it made me think of recruitment, which has already kicked into high gear with everyone ready (or hoping to be) with their pitches, resumes, and research. It's going to be a mad rush!!

So sing along -- "I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame, I'd even cut my hair and change my name, 'cause we all just wanna be big [consultants/ ibankers/ brand managers/ insert your desired profession here]...!" ;)

Kidding aside, it's crunch time. There's already a lot of work to do for classes, and having career prep on top of that is a lot. The other thing is that companies for specific industries come at around the same time, so my battle plan is picking and choosing the companies that are my priorities and that are open to hiring me in the first place (ah, the burdens of being an international).

it's the first day of school!

2007-09-09T07:14:00.000-04:00

It's actually been the first week of official classes, and I can already see that I there is no way I can do everything so I will have to pick and choose. See, until this time, I could not imagine how I could possibly not have enough time. Well, it's possible. It's just one of those things where you have to really know what you want and not lose sight of that.

It's definitely been cool though, and the professors look to be awesome (and some of the hard quant stuff are quite fun). :)

for the women!

2007-09-04T11:11:00.000-04:00

Some events that might interest the current and future women MBAs out there. :)

There will be a case competition that will be hosted by the NAWMBA (National Association of Women MBAs). Registration is currently ongoing. You can find more details about this here.

The Forte Foundation will also start their forums this month, and Goizueta will be one of the presentors. You can learn about the schedule and more here.

practical management

2007-08-31T17:51:00.000-04:00

This week was our first LEAD Week, and it was designed to get us ready for the academic sessions. It's been busy, but (and I may be a nerd for saying this) it was fun!

Each section had different topics and cases, and the methodologies included case discussions, presentations, actual negotiations, and hands-on production lines. We tackled situations like developing new accounting systems, new market entry, pitching to a VC, leveraged buy-outs, mergers & acquisitions, and how these all pull from multiple disciplines. Our final project is to create a framework on how to assess several acquisition targets.

The point of the week was clear: that you cannot tackle any problem from a single discipline. I think we all know that, but the exercises focused on application, so we weren't limited to just one perspective, even if for example, we were discussing an accounting case.

The past two weeks have also been cool because they were led by the (interim) associate dean, Steve Walton, who is an incredibly dynamic professor, and whose openness and commitment were impressive.

It's a long weekend, but there's a ton of work, so I'd better hit the books!

Happy Labor Day weekend! :)

Heehee! Ok, they aren't working us that hard! Yet. ;)

diversity

2007-08-29T21:27:00.000-04:00

I realize it seems like such a cliche word to use, that sometimes it seems like it's used just because it sounds good, but we really spent the time to openly discuss issues on race, gender, sexual orientation, political views, religion, socio-economic background, and any other way that diversity can be defined. One statement we discussed was "Valuing diversity means compromising things I might feel strongly about." It was intersting to see how people can listen to and respect what others are saying, but still have a drastically different view.

With regards to race, I've found the community to be supportive of internationals and are very interested in learning more about where we are from, as well as going out of their way to help us adjust to the US.

On Monday we had international highlights, where people get to show the rest of the class about their respective parts of the world. It was definitely informative, amusing, and touching.

Countries that are represented in our class are:

China
Japan
Korea
Taiwan
Vietnam
Philippines
India
Pakistan
Argentina
Colombia
Peru
Uruguay
Venezuela
Brazil
Ecuador
Israel
Canada
Egypt
Ghana
Nigeria
Kenya
Germany
Trinidad & Tobago

And of course, the US. ;)

Approximately 40% of the class is international, and 30% are women.

building our community

2007-08-27T23:12:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday and Friday has definitely been an experience. We had our team-building activities at WinShape, but it was definitely unlike any other team building I've ever gone through.

It was team-building, community strengthening, total buy in into who and what Goizueta is (and not just words on walls or paper but real character), why that's important, and what that means to each of us. And no, it wasn't just touchy-feely stuff. ;)

I don't think I'm doing a particularly efficient job right now of telling you abou it, but I will say that after attending it, I have a much better feeling about the school and the community I have chosen to be part of, and that there's a greater sense of belonging (another student echoed these sentiments). And needless to say, that is really great. :)

ready, set, network!

2007-08-21T08:42:00.000-04:00

Networking, so we've been told, plays a great role in the US job search. While most every country has its own concept of networking, it may not necessarily be the same as in the US. Either way, a lot of emphasis is being placed on networking, and is definitely a necessary skill in the MBA world and beyond.

That being said, as early as now, we've had some sessions on networking, interviewing, and a speed networking event. These have all been very helpful, not only in the insight they provide, but also in that they start getting us into the groove of networking so that we can pretty much hit the ground running.

Here is an article on the "do nots" of networking, and here is one on speed networking; both from BusinessWeek. :)

And by the way, despite what the cartoon above depicts, we've been taught that networking isn't about developing a utilitarian point of view, but branching out and developing lasting relationships. Knowing your contacts well will also put you in a better position to develop a mutually beneficial relationship, where you know what you can also bring to the table and not just be a parasite or even predator (as some may be inclined to think of networking MBAs). ;)

out and about in atlanta

2007-08-16T08:08:00.000-04:00

Last week was tour week for the internationals! :)

Centennial Olympic Park for a free concert

CNN Center for the Inside CNN tour

Georgia Aquarium

The New World of Coke

High Museum of Art for the Louvre Atlanta and Annie Leibovitz exhibits

growth is discomfort

2007-08-16T06:18:00.000-04:00

This week has been orientation week for the internationals, and while some of the presentations will be repeated next week for all students, the majority of the topics were specifically designed for non-Americans. Just to recap...

Day 1

General introduction and we got to meet all the other internationals, the staff and some 2nd years, and tour the business school. We also had goal setting -- both short and long term. I think the most interesting point of the day was, however, the discussion of a fable on assimilation and acceptance and what it meant for different cultures and people. We capped off the day with a dinner of traditional Southern comfort food at a local restaurant. :)

Day 2

We started with an introduction to the case method by discussing a case that had been assigned as homework, followed by a Q&A session with a panel of professors who teach the core courses. The panel mainly discussed expectations and academics in the context of international students. We then headed off for Emory network and systems training and business library training. At the end of the day, we made our way to Turner Field to watch the Braves vs. the Giants (which the Braves won).

Day 3

The agenda revolved around the International Student & Scholar Program (ISSP) and basically covered life in Atlanta and Emory, visa, work authorization, and Social Security. In the evening we had a speed networking event with GBS alums, the vast majority of whom were American, and it was a great opportunity to practice our pitches and get immediate feedback on that as well as our appearance, speech, and other things that impact one's impression of you.

Day 4

We had a whole day's session with the Career Management Center (CMC). It started with presentations on how job searching and recruitment work in our various parts of the world, and from there we went to job searching in the US -- networking, interviewing, dress, etiquette, and the system that the GBS employs to facilitate the job search.

Day 5

Involves presentations from our class, a panel and reception with alums and current students (2nd years), followed by an optional tour to either the High Museum Jazz Night or the Stone Mountain Laser Show. :)

To end this (rather long) post, one of the professors talked about how growth is discomfort, which I think has been a recurring theme for the week, and will continue to be so, particularly for internationals. We're all coming to a new place and having just SO much to adjust to, but we have to make the most of this investment, and yes, it will entail a lot of work and sacrifice and stepping out of that comfort zone. If we aren't uncomfortable, then we haven't stepped out far enough, and we aren't growing as much. Thankfully, Goizueta seems to be such a community-centered environment that people are truly interested in shared success and are working towards minimizing the discomfort and maximizing the rewards. :)

asian conference

2007-08-14T17:10:00.000-04:00

The Career Management Center released some news about the NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals) Convention and Diversity Career Fair, which will be held this weekend in Atlanta. Exciting. :)

You can read more about the convention here and you can view the full list of exhibitors and employers here. :)

music fest!

2007-08-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

As a non-American, things like these are quite rare, but here in Atlanta, there are concerts galore. :) Just to give you an idea, the last few weeks have had concerts by John Mayer, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Justin Timberlake. In the coming weeks, Atlanta will be hosting Michael Buble, the Gipsy Kings, Clay Aiken, Macy Gray, Incubus, Hootie and the Blowfish, Aretha Franklin, Dave Matthews Band, the American Idols, Stevie Wonder, The Cure, Nickel Creek, Maroon 5, and the Smashing Pumpkins... to name a few! *phew*

settling down and starting up

2007-08-08T20:59:00.000-04:00

So I know it's been a while since my last entry. I'm already in Atlanta, and have been going around doing the little (and not-so-little) things to get myself settled. The school has been incredibly helpful - in particular, the MBA program director, Harriet Ruskin, has been amazing in helping the international students with everything from where to get better prices for groceries to what to expect from the program and everything in between. :)

Last night we also had our first official meet and greet with other international students, as well as some of the upper classmen, and I think we had a good turnout that presented an interesting mix of cultures and professions. There were people from India, Korea, China, Japan, Canada, Colombia, Brazil, Philippines, Taiwan, Israel, Peru, Germany, Kenya, and Nigeria. But I don't think it was possible to remember everyone's names (or even meet everyone!) It was a good start though.

guess who's coming to emory

2007-07-14T06:40:00.000-04:00

It's the Dalai Lama! :) It would just be so interesting to see him and listen to him speak.

You can find out more about his visit to Emory here.

revving up my career

2007-07-14T06:21:00.000-04:00

My only point of comparison is the help that I got from my undergrad, which, although it is one of the 3 (I'd like to think it's in the top 2) best universities in my country, for one reason or another, did not give as much as I am getting now from Goizueta. And the program hasn't even officially started yet!

I've gone through the resume guide and the other resources that are essentially supposed to help me know what it is I'm good at, what it is I'm looking for, and how to get all of that. The thing that I love most is that they provide details for specific careers and each particular aspect of your career and that it all makes me feel that it's going to help me as an individual, not just in general as one of many MBAs.

the reward for studying

2007-07-03T09:01:00.000-04:00

Is more studying! ;) I got the information on waiving exams recently, and I've gone over the syllabus of each possible course. The core courses that can be waived are the following:

Financial Accounting
Economics
Decision Analysis
Leading People & Organizations
Finance
Marketing

Among all these, I think the one I have the best chance of being able to waive is Financial Accounting, though I still haven't decided.

to waive

I gain an additional elective in the Spring, which will be great because there are so many courses that look interesting and that I'd really like to take. This will also let me maximize my MBA by focusing on learning more and new things.

not to waive

I can build a really good foundation with the course, and if grades are a consideration, hey, it just might be easier for me to get a higher grade. It also means that I can spend what's left of my free time doing something other than (more) studying.

Although it looks like I'll most likely go for it and take the waiver exam and hope for the best.

the journey of a thousand miles...

2007-06-22T23:33:00.000-04:00

Or more accurately, 8,708 miles (from my hometown to Atlanta... Geez, didn't realize it was that far!), starts with a single step.

Here I am -- about 5 months after being accepted into Emory's Goizueta MBA program, 2 months after deciding to take my MBA there, and 2 weeks before leaving the cozy comfort of Asia into the unknown.

I am in the midst of packing, reading, and studying. Though it takes some effort to get back into the groove of studying. Some people think that it's best to really relax before school starts, but I have a sneaking suspicion that most other matriculating MBAs are doing some kind of prep work, so I am being victimized by my own imagined peer pressure. ;) Will know in a few months if it actually pays off.

I just finished reading "Banker to the Poor" and "Taking AIM: Asian Management Breakthroughs", and am currently on "Basic Financial Management" and "Getting to Yes", after which I will move on to "Good to Great".

I'm also going through one of HBS Publishing's eLearning programs - Quantitative Analysis. It's pretty good so far. The course is supposed to take you through the following:

Data Description
Sampling and Estimation
Hypothesis Testing
Regression Basics
Multiple Regression
Decision Analysis

...And provides exercises and assessment tests. :) Not bad. I must also say, it's actually presented in a fun way. :) Already, I am brought back to my undergrad statistics class and am remembering what the heck things like confidence intervals and coefficient of correlation are, and how to compute for the standard deviation. That being said, I'd better get back to it! ;)