Jen's MBA blog: A Year at Cambridge

Two Roads Diverged....

2005-07-31T23:17:00.000+01:00

Robert Frost's poem about making choices in life was always my favorite. And it's amazing to look back isn't it, and to think how small little decisions you made might have changed the entire path your life has taken since then. I think back to when I was deciding where to go to college...had I taken the offer at Penn, for instance, would I be living there now, near my best friend who did take that offer, outside of Philly and working in healthcare? Would that have meant I wouldn't have ended up working in London at all? And that I wouldn't have decided to do my MBA? And/or wouldn't have taken this amazing opportunity to learn at such an international program with such interesting classmates? Not to mention wouldn't have fallen in love and be making future decisions based upon someone else's decisions as well? And on and on. Wow. Or had I continued in the Medicine track...or had I not taken the London job....

So now I am in one of those places again, with the roads diverging ahead of me. And as Frost says, you always say 'oh I'll come back and try the other option another time,' but in all honesty chances are you will never be at this exact crossroads again and never have the opportunity to try the alternative paths. It is a mixture of excitement and uncertainty, opportunities and risks. So far I am happy with the path life has taken me on, and hope that the next stages go well also (i.e. post-MBA jobs!) Wish me luck.... will it be US or UK? Previous employer or new one? North or South, East or West..... and so it continues...

Punting, a Cambridge Tradition

2005-07-30T23:25:00.000+01:00

Finally went punting today! Well, I have been punting before where someone else is actually doing the physical punting and I do the relax-and-ride role (very taxing one indeed), but today was the ultimate chance to punt all by myself. 5 of us went and rented a punt (about 10 pounds an hour), crossing our fingers it wouldn't rain (it didn't thankfully) and setting out onto the crowded River Cam. Filled with tourists and English-language students and other exchange students, it seemed to be International Day on the river, and we saw all types of punting techniques out there. Rory's theory was that the Italians seem to prefer to try to punt from the front of the boat as opposed to the back which is traditional (not sure if they just didn't notice everyone else doing it from the back, or if they were trying to be different). One Chinese guy apparently just gave up, put his pole in the boat and slowly paddled along with the little paddle they give you! There was much crashing and bumper-boats going, with exclamations and yelling in multiple languages. We learned a few punting tips as the day went on, such as:

Your pole may get stuck if the ground is muddy. This is particularly inconvenient when you have just given a huge push with all of your might and the boat rushes along quickly in the OPPOSITE direction from the stuck pole.
If your pole does get stuck, LET IT GO. Tina almost learned this lesson the hard way, getting tossed across the boat as she struggled with the stuck pole. It is either you, or the pole, so unless you are in the mood for a swim with the geese just drop it, don't fight it, and use your little paddle to get your stuck pole or plead with an experienced punter to pass the pole as they go by.
DUCK under the bridges, and try not to get stuck at 90 degree angles to everyone else under the bridge.
An MBA degree does NOT guarantee mastery of the ancient Cambridge art of punting. Nor does it guarantee successful negotiating skills when maneuvering among difficult punting passengers in crowded rivers... (though perhaps having beer on board might help, will keep in mind for next time) ;)
Parking is a skill that some seem to have naturally (Ryan!). Turning the boat around 180 degrees in the crowded river is another thing... good job Hugo ;)
You are meant to STEER the thing...yes that is right. With a giant pole. Good luck.
Who says boys are better punters than girls??
Ok I admit, my muscles were pretty tired after a while... maybe boys ARE a bit better suited...besides, I really shouldn't complain if they want to show off and push me along the river now, should I?

Actually it was great fun, if you come to Cambridge I hope to see you hopping up on the deck of the boat barefoot, Tom Sawyer style! ;)

new visions of the Underground

2005-07-27T23:08:00.000+01:00

So the other day I was on the tube in London, and I'm standing at one end of the carriage, and, sort of subconsciously, I'm checkin out each of the other passengers...ya know, not really trying to, but you just can't HELP but look at everyone a bit more carefully now can ya, hmm, that guy looks stressed... look at his backpack...etc etc. So my eyes continue along the row of people seated, and suddenly I see the headline a newspaper a guy is reading, and I almost jump as I read: "So, How Do we Spot a Terrorist?" I almost laugh ironically at myself, as this is basically what I had been doing just seconds before...

It's interesting really; yes the British have the stiff upper lip thing of course, and it's true in many parts of a normal day in London you wouldn't know anything has changed since 7 July. but then again, how can you NOT look at people more on the tube...maybe people are not outwardly and openly afraid, but what are they THINKING inside? as for me, a mixture of life-as-usual even though that surprises me to feel it, and minor changes in attitude and awareness for sure. The cartoon in the Independent last Sunday struck me as well: the commuter getting ready to go down the curving stairs under the Underground entrance, and low and behold ahead of him on the stairs is the outline of the Grim Reaper making his way down as well...
Not trying to be depressing, but an interesting commentary. I am though impressed with the resiliency of londoners and i think that is important to the city's ability to deal with everything as well.

Any MBA applicants or students out there?

2005-07-19T22:36:00.000+01:00

Well I thought summer would involve strolling through the park and punting down the river Cam at a leisurely pace...yet somehow I feel as though I have no more time than during term, perhaps even less! I gather it's due to the frequent commute to London, but oh well.

Anyway, I am working to get my summer Individual Project, as described before, underway. My project is entitled "Customer Relationship Management in MBA Programmes." As I have an education management background, I find using business skills and marketing in the realm of education to be very interesting, and so am looking at marketing and CRM for MBA applicants.

IF any of you readers come across this and happen to be MBA applicants or students, you can actually help me with my IP!! You can partake in my student/applicant survey at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=18471219554
Password: mbacrm

And add to my research! Feel free, really. And thanks if you do participate!

Otherwise not so much going on here, just lots of work. Have been down to London a few times now since the bombing and it is a strange feeling to take the tube... strange because in some ways I feel frightened, and other ways completely normal, and even the fact that I feel normal about it seems strange! And all the memorials at Kings Cross are very poignant.
Ok more soon.

Sunshine in the city

2005-07-16T18:14:00.000+01:00

So this year doesn't seem to have had quite the number of hours of sunshine that I remember from summers in London 2001-2003, but what we do get sure is appreciated. Today is one of those gorgeous summer days in Cambridge that makes me smile when I look out the window. Sunshine streams into our bedrooms through the windows that look out on the back garden of Herne Lodge. The garden is full of green, and right now 3 or 4 different colorful flowers and bushes are growing. Not that I know much about gardens at all, but it is a nice feeling to have such a green garden. Even though it is smaller than some yards in Florida, it is so much cosier than the stark square yards with a chain-link or wooden fence and plain grass that are often featured at home. All of the different trees and shrubs and green plants and flowers are comforting somehow. Though I guess part of the Florida challenge is it can be too hot to grow many of these plants!

Anyway, I may have mentioned this thought before, but it sure is a nice lifestyle to be in Cambridge and have the city at your feet with your bicycle and nothing else. To hop on and be off to the shops in 5-10 minutes max, not to mention pedaling past Kings College in the sunshine, and all of the centuries-old architecture. I've never lived in a place where everthing I could need in the town (groceries, clothing shops, restaurants, bars, parks, etc) is a short 5-10 minute bike ride from my house. Or even a 15-20 minute walk on a leisurely day. It's a great experience. Today I wandered the shops looking for Cambridge gifts to send home, amidst all of the summer tourists eating their ice cream and taking photos (and nearly getting run over by bikes). The breeze was fabulous. I think today is so nice because it's not TOO hot, 21-22 degrees instead of 30, but still great sunshine, my favorite weather. My dad calls these days 'California days', with the breeze and sunshine and dry weather compared to Florida humidity. Here's hoping the weather lasts a while...

College Life

2005-07-15T18:25:00.000+01:00

As next year's Cambridge MBA class gets ready to come over in a couple of months, our incoming class has had a lot of questions about college life at Cambridge. What is it all about really? Should I live at a college? What will I get out of belonging to a college? and so on.

So I thought I'd attempt to describe a little bit of what college life is about, and how that affects MBAs at Cambridge.

What does it mean to belong to a college?
The University of Cambridge is made up of 31 Colleges, and if you attend the University you must belong to a College. In fact, most of the buildings on campus at Cambridge belong to Colleges, instead of to the University. The University website has this to say about colleges:
"A College is the place where students live, eat and socialise. It is also the place where they receive small group teaching sessions, known as supervisions."
Colleges do require applications and select their own members. However, if you are accepted to the Judge Business School (Cambridge's MBA Program) you will receive a place in a college. You belong to the college for life, and in fact apparently alumni of a college are eligible to get married in their college chapel later on.

What does a college provide?
Colleges provide housing (often optional for grad students), dining halls and meals, formal meals, sports teams, social groups, activities and clubs, a library, tutors, gardens, and more.

How much time will I have for this during the MBA?
Surprisingly many MBAs fit in a lot of time for college activities. Many of our class rowed for their college team, which often required getting up at 6am before class each day to train. The college Formal Halls are often quite nice events, dinner by candlelight where the college members where their Harry-Potter-like gowns and meet and greet professors and students of all backgrounds. Many MBAs this year invited one another to each other's formal halls and guest nights. In fact some try to attend as many colleges formal halls as possible.

It's also just an opportunity to meet students who are studying different things, and get away from the ''business school" world sometimes if you ever need that. At my college I met grad students studying law, math, sciences, and engineering. You get to go to dinners and be surrounded by people doing very interesting, often very specific things with their graduate studies, which is a unique opportunity.

That being said, it was true in my experience that the nature of the MBA program means that you will spend most of your time with your MBA class, and often they become your best friends and your social network, and we even had some of our own MBA sports teams, and plenty of clubs and activities within the MBA. I have made friends for life in the MBA, and will hopefully have people to visit around the world now too!

Should I take college accomodation?
This is a difficult one to answer. However I think that most of our classmates who were single did choose to take college accomodation this year. The benefits of college accomodation are that it is usually cheaper than private accomodation, and it is often much more central, although it can vary. Classmates with families and spouses more often opted for private accomodation, though some colleges provide married housing.
The quality of accomodation varies a lot from college to college, so my advice would be to talk to people at the college you are accepted to in order to find out a bit about their options.
I was quite lucky at Sidney Sussex College (pictured). I chose college accomodation, and they assigned me to a college-owned house that is a 5 minute walk (no kidding) to the Business School. (perfect for sleeping to the last possible minute before morning classes!!) And it is quite spacious, my room is probably twice the size of my past London room, and a nice garden, good place for parties and dinners. It is true though that some classmates at my college who live right at the college itself have smaller rooms, so there is variety, but the rumor is that they try to put MBAs at Sidney in the house I am in since it's so close to the Judge. Other colleges have shared houses and some more dormitory-style rooms, so check into the situation once you get to that point!

Any questions about the colleges, post a Comment, I'd be happy to answer them.

Love, Big Brother, and MBA programmes...

2005-07-10T21:34:00.000+01:00

So if you put 100 people somewhere for a year, ensure they often spend 12+ hours a day together (classes, meals, projects, revision, sports, pub...), and count how many romances will come out of the whole thing.....

Sound like an episode of Big Brother, or perhaps the latest (quite lame) Celebrity Love Island?? Not quite. I'm talking about higher institutions of learning, reputable business students and experienced professionals....

What I wonder is the average romance ratio of an MBA programme? And if, as it sometimes appears, couples form left and right, does that mean we are all just subject to our location and the people we are surrounded with? Can romance form anywhere if you spend enough time together? Wow such un-romantic notions....

I suppose it could be argued that we are 'at that age' (?), or that we are people with similiar interests and ambitions given the international MBA program (bit more plausible), or that romance can be heightened by surroundings and stress and intensity...hmmm kind of like cheesy adventure movies, 'Speed' with Keanu Reeves and the like, where love happens at the end of a huge car chase and life threatening shared experience, simply as a result of stress???

I suppose there is some truth in the 'you are a factor of your surroundings' argument when it comes to love....but the romantic in me would like to believe that, yes, surroundings are a factor, but deeper things are more important when it comes to real love and lifelong relationships. Alright, there's my sappy thoughts for the moment, as our MBA soap opera continues. ;)

Cambridge Restaurants

2005-07-10T20:18:00.000+01:00

Some of my favs in Cambridge...

Varsity. Greek/Mediterranean. Click here for review.
Great mezze meal, more than you can eat, for about 12-14 pounds! Greek starters (houmous, taramasalata, etc), seafood course, meat/lamb course. Excellent. Dessert menu sounds great too, though usually don’t have room for it! They have a la carte as well, and try the Greek white wine, Retsina.
35 St. Andrew's St.

Sala Thong. Thai. Click here for description.
Good Thai food and dinner packages served on a punt on the Cam!! Our food was excellent, included set menu with at least 5 dishes including my favorite, green curry chicken. Great experience. Read about my experience here, scroll down to 'Queen of the Cam.'
35 Newnham Road

Eraina Taverna. Greek/Mediterranean and other international food. Description here. HUGE/extensive menu. Decent prices. Tucked in the alleyway not far from the Eagle.
2 Free School Lane

Galleria. European, pastas, meats, nice salads. Review here.
Good food. Slightly more pricey. Balcony tables would be nice in summer.
33 Bridge St, at Magdalene Bridge.

The Cow. Pizza. Review here.
Delicious pizzas cooked in the pizza oven. 2 for 1 Pizzas on Tuesday nights can't be beat, especially the Spicy Chicken pizza. Yum.
Corn Exchange St

The Panton Arms. BBQ/kebabs on weekends. Pub description here.
Our local pub, it puts on a fabulous BBQ Fri-Sunday with chicken, shish, and fish kebabs, good quality and nice presentation, with rice, salad, pita and veg on a platter. Delicious and very convenient for me! Nice outdoor courtyard with fountain, meant for a sunny day.
45 Panton St

Saffron Brasserie. Indian. Review here.
Our fav curry house. Love the Chicken Balti and others.
36/38 Hills Rd.

a sad day

2005-07-07T17:43:00.000+01:00

i still remember 9/11, I was in London, and shocked, and it was a strange experience to watch everything happen in my country from overseas, to try to reach people by phone and not get through, to stare in disbelief at the television and wonder what was coming next. I remember we didn't have a TV that worked well in the office and we walked to a pub on charing cross road to watch the footage.

Today I saw footage of the outside of that same pub, blocked off on Charing Cross Road, as the news blared a new terrorist attack, this time bombings in London.

It is an extremely sad and scary day, and I've been glued to the TV and internet for most of it. I have been working 2 days a week in London, going through Kings Cross where one of the bombs was, but luckily was staying in Cambridge today. I also used to live near Edgeware road tube, and my old flatmates were still there, one of them taking a train from Edgeware shortly before the explosion. I am very thankful that all of my friends so far, and our classmates who may have been in London, are ok. We do feel quite safe in Cambridge, but it's so terrible to see London, a city I love, damaged in such an evil way, and the terror and deaths of innocent people. I don't have much else to say sadly at this difficult time...

2005-07-04T13:02:00.000+01:00

Dubrovnik

2005-07-04T12:59:00.000+01:00

Old city walls

Croatian holidays

2005-07-04T12:45:00.000+01:00

When we told our American friends and relatives we were so excited to be off on holiday to Croatia (last week), many of the reactions included "...uh, where's Croatia again?", "....oh. what is in Croatia?" and "is it safe/civilised there?" Leave it to our lovely American lack of awareness about the rest of the world again! It's somehow endearing in an ignorant way though. Not that I am any better; before moving overseas 4 years ago I doubt I knew where Croatia was either!! ;)

But the bottom line is, Croatia is amazing! Very civilised, yes (even very touristy this time of year), and just breathtaking. We spent our time in Dubrovnik and Korcula, both towns with architecture 5-600 years old or more, both walled cities with church steeples and orange tiled roofs that contrast beautifully with the deep blue water of the Adriatic Sea. The colors and views were amazing, and it was a relaxing trip of swimming in the clear, cool water, soaking up sun (my 'bedder'- college housekeeper basically- took one look at me today and exclaimed "crikey, you're brown!", wonderful English quote). They say Croatia gets more hours of sunshine than anywhere in Europe. We also enjoyed the seafood and ice cream (many Italian influences). Will post more photos and a link to more detail soon.

Back to the swing of things with work and individual project now! Hope to find more blogging time after I get into the summer routine. Missing some classmates already!

Last paper done...holiday time!

2005-06-26T19:48:00.000+01:00

Well I did it...I completed my last MBA assignment, excluding our final summer individual project. It was actually an interesting one, as I mentioned I quite liked my global macroeconomics elective, and I had to write about the effects of globalisation on capitalism, the economic unification of Europe, and government policy approaches to growth rates.

Other assignments in the past month included analysing the pros and cons of an IPO, describing the increase in social entreprenuership, analysis of an advertising campaign, and arguing the role of CSR in modern business.

I am off on holiday this week, after an MBA assessment day tomorrow in London, very excited for adventures in Croatia, more soon...

MBA marriage

2005-06-25T23:57:00.000+01:00

Today was a magical Cambridge wedding experience- our classmate Jan married his sweetheart Elsje (hope they don't mind being cited on my blog!) in the same fairy-tale ambience at Queen's College as existed at Queen's for the May Ball I previously described. The ceremony was at Queen's chapel, which was quite a setting, and interesting how the guests sat in the traditional choir rows, so that we were facing one another across the long narrow chapel instead of facing forward, and Jan's sister sang at one point which was very touching. The reception and party were held at Sidney Sussex College, my college, in the gardens, and were also very nice. The party was great fun, one of those weddings where everyone seems to be having a great time honestly and lots of dancing and smiles. They also had a memory book where everyone brought photos and memories and wrote best wishes into a few albums, which was a great momento idea for them. Very nice day overall.

2005-06-22T16:04:00.000+01:00

Fireworks time (a bit blurry)

2005-06-22T16:03:00.000+01:00

Swings

2005-06-22T16:02:00.000+01:00

Courtyard in Queen's

2005-06-22T16:00:00.000+01:00

Entering Queen's Ball

2005-06-22T15:59:00.000+01:00

Pre-Ball cocktail hour

Awoken from the dead

2005-06-22T15:25:00.000+01:00

yes I have arisen. It is 3pm-ish, post-Queen's Ball. The sun is glaring through the windows again, and I have the urge to eat breakfast and lunch all rolled into one. Not that I didn't eat a ton last night...

So, the Ball. It was quite a surreal experience I must say. And a great time. Looking back, with the drinks and the haziness of being sleepy, and the music and lights and strange experience of seeing the sun rise circa 4am, it all begins to feel like a mystical dream, a bit reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. I'm sure that's what they are aiming for, given that the ball is set in historic Queen's college so you are running around in long ball gowns and tuxedos in a setting from the 14 and 1500's with classical music and canapes and fireworks.

Ryan and I met other friends at classmate Rory's veranda at Sidney Sussex College (also my college) for drinks and snacks before hand. You could have bought dining tickets for the ball for an extra 30 quid each, but we had heard of the endless food available all night and decided to forgo the additional dining experience. So we enjoyed champagne and music, olives and hordeurves, and a few of our classmate's parents even came by for the pre-ball cocktails since they were in town visiting.

Then off to the ball, which took over the entire college. I suppose if you were living in college you would just HAVE to go, otherwise there would be no sleeping. There were at least 4 or 5 different large courtyards, a garden area along the river, and many old rooms with different goings-on. There were many tents with musical acts playing, a string quartet, jazz, a girl singing Tori Amos tunes, hip hop, ballroom dancing, dj's playing popular dance music, the Kaiser Chiefs, a band called Sleepwalker that did a great job of keeping me awake for the final hour, and more.

The food and drink were everywhere and endless, which was helpful when trying to stay awake all night. I saw steaks, crepes, doughnuts, hot dogs, ice cream, cotton candy, oysters, oreo banana milkshakes (?), pizza, fajitas, fondue, strawberries and cream, mojitos, champagne, chambord, beer and wine, other fruity cocktails and of course the vodka luge shaped like (take your pick) a male or female body. There was also a casino, a hypnotist, comedians, carnival games and rides, Sheesha, massage, and of course the fireworks show.

It was an amazing experience, and great fun with so many MBAs from the class there, everywhere we went we bumped into more friends, one classmate one the casino grand prize of the night, and many of us stayed long enough to take part in the Survivor Photo at 5:45 AM before walking slowly home in the hot sunshine. After catching up on 7 or 8 hours of sleep, I can look back with fond memories...

2005-06-21T11:36:00.000+01:00

May Balls

An all night affair

2005-06-21T11:27:00.000+01:00

Hmm, when was the last time I stayed up until 6 am? A crazy club night in London? Grad nite at Disney World, senior year of high school? Sleepovers when I was a young teenager? Not even sure.

Well tonight's the big night, wish me luck. Queen's May Ball. These 'May Balls' at Cambridge (though they are held in June) are extravagant events that last all night long, with bands, dancing, different music areas, endless food and drink, fireworks, games, carnival acts, on and on. Apparently Trinity May Ball is one of the most exclusive parties in Britain. A very big deal. A few of our classmates even went to more than one May Ball, quite an accomplishment. I am happy with one, makes it more unique I think. So we decided as an MBA class to all try to go to the same one together, which is Queen's. And I hear they take a 'Survivors photo' at the end, around 6 or 7am. Will I make it for that? we will see...

Be careful what you wish for...

2005-06-19T23:55:00.000+01:00

So, I've been raving about summer being the nicest month in Britain, and on and on to all who would listen, about sunshine and picnics and Pimms (borrowed link, thanks Jason!) etc. BUT then the weather decided to be ironic lately and there have been nights I had the urge for a scarf, it was so cold. And grey. Everyone I know has been complaining about the lack of summer and the ridiculous low temperatures for June!

And yet here we go, this weekend everything spun around and I have sweated my way through jugs of Pimms and sunscreen, with temperatures around 30 celsius. (Well that was the quote, it felt much much hotter, especially in the sun.) So NOW I'm so HOT in my room-with-one-window-and-no-air-flow especially at night! Well I won't complain TOO much because I love the sunshine and my white skin needs some...and laying in Regent's Park today was great.... but I was also ROASTING. There seems no happy medium, I mean couldn't it have been 23-25 degrees with the same sunshine and less roasting?

Ok I am from Miami, and everyone always says 'Yes but you're USED to the heat!!' and my standard answer has become, 'no, we're used to air conditioning!!' In Miami, 8-9 months of the year are too hot to really spend time outside. (except maybe floating on a raft in the pool or ocean). And so we live in air conditioned houses, get into air conditioned cars, and drive to an air conditioned work. Possibly go to an air conditioned bar or other social venue afterwards.

So the SHOCK on the system is not really the heat, it gets much hotter at home, but it is the way the heat soaks into every inch of existence in a place like England that doesn't expect much heat and so is less prepared for it. How do you sleep with no air movement and no sheets? (ok well buy a cheap crappy fan from Argos or Dixons and enjoy the slow moving hot air..) What do you do when you put on makeup and 5 min later are greasy with sweat? How do people not get ill with the stifling sauna-like heat and smelly BO on the tube? How do you study in an unairconditioned environment? Drink at a dark stuffy pub without a/c? Not let all your food go bad after sitting out for 5 minutes, when your fridge is too small to put everything in? etc etc.

Ok enough drama, you get what you asked for, and we all asked for summer. I'm not really unhappy, we count our days of sunshine over here as very precious indeed and I'm mostly griping about my current warm temperature but its a love-hate relationship. I'll go rub aloe on my burnt skin now and lay out my bathing suit for more sun-soaking tomorrow, quite happily I'll add. Hey, I am from Miami you know.... ;)

Last week of lectures

2005-06-16T14:33:00.000+01:00

I can't believe the MBA lectures are coming to a close!!! Amazing how much you can learn and develop in a one-year MBA, and also how fast it goes by. This is the last week of formal lectures. Many classmates are leaving Cambridge soon, invoking a sappy general feeling not dissimiliar from the end of senior year of high school... in fact i have a sudden craving to have a shiny new yearbook to pass around and get signatures next to everyone's pictures, with lots of 'have a nice summer' and smiley faces scribbled about!!! (actually we ARE creating a yearbook, not sure if that is a standard MBA practice or not but we initiated it among the class, thanks Hendrik and Viola et al; it just isn't available quite yet).

We do still have until 1 September before we turn in our final individual project and are considered 'finished' with the MBA. But things will slow down (theoretically) with fewer people around and no formal lectures. Everyone keeps asking one another 'are you staying in Cambridge for the summer?' I am definitely not leaving Cambridge for potentially the best season of the year to be here! Summer in Cambridge that I've seen on brief trips here before can be magical with the green and sunlight and picnics and time on the River, so fingers crossed. Not that we've had much sun so far this year...

So what am i up to for summer? Going to do some marketing work for my previous employer, Kaplan, in London part time, in addition to my IP. The Kaplan London office has a lot of GMAT and MBA prep offerings, as well as medical/nursing and other courses. Sounded like a great idea to work part-time at first, hey make some cash to travel with and good experience, and still should be, but the commuting between Cambridge and London is not sounding quite as fun now. On the plus side I will have no excuse but to read lots and lots of great books this summer on my train rides! Commuting in London, etc, is SO much nicer than in Miami...compare driving an hour in horrible traffic with people honking and cutting each other off, with sitting and reading a great book for an hour...even if the train/tube is crowded there is still no comparison!

It will be good to spend more time in London again though. I love the city, and was very well-adapted living there nearly 3 years. It's funny now living in a small town like Cambridge though, when I go into London I feel a bit more like the "Country Mouse" now, walking around overwhelmed and wide-eyed...so much shopping, so much going on, wow.... kind of fun.

2005-06-15T19:36:00.000+01:00

Hats at Ascot

Hats off to crowds headed to Ascot today

2005-06-15T15:45:00.000+01:00

I stumbled upon a small slice of British culture and 'pageantry' (in my opinion) yesterday, as I got off the train at London Kings Cross and started to see men in top hats and vests with canes all around... a certain alice-in-wonderland fairytale feeling floated through Kings Cross as people paraded down a long green and flowered walkway to get the train to the Royal Ascot. The Ascot horse races are supposed to be the most popular in Europe, and tradition goes back to the first race in 1711. Some random details about the history can be found here.

I've always been fascinated with the idea of the Hats tradition at Ascot, and I regretted not having my camera as I got to see many hats up close and personal. Women with their bright colors and hats that varied from small netting with frills to wide brimmed neon colors, flowers, trim and decor. The BBC website offers official 'tips for hats' in case you are ready to plan your own ensemble this week.

An archway was constructed over the platform heading to Ascot with a plaque and flowers, adding to the excitement of the event for those going, and completed with triumphant music playing in the background.

Final elective of the MBA

2005-06-07T12:14:00.000+01:00

Two weeks from the end of our last term of lectures, I really was not looking forward to STARTING a new course, as many others were finishing. But Global Macroeconomics was scheduled as more of a 'block' course, over the final 2 weeks of term.

You might not expect a nurse/teacher/education manager to have much interest in Macro-Econ, but surprisingly it is one of my favorites. While at first thought the field of economics might seem somewhat remote to the average person on the street, when you really stop and think about the front section of any newspaper or the headline news, SO much of it is about economics. And so this course about differences in growth rates by country, different forms of capitalism, globalisation, currency exchange, etc feels really about a course in modern life, business and politics, and provides insight into the news articles I read each week. Especially given my lack of background in this area before. In 10 minutes with our professor I understood the fundamental idea of corporate governance, and I can now clearly describe the two ends of the spectrum on capitalism, liberal market economies and coordinated market economies, which underpin much about the two major American political parties for instance. It was also interesting to talk about growth rates being a function of available labor (i.e. working population), human capital (i.e. skilled and educated workforce), and capital investment (machinery etc), but overall growth rates being limited by technology. Interesting way to describe the differences that occur.

Ok so no I'm not going to go become an economist after a couple of courses, but so much of this was hazy and unclear before going on the MBA. Perhaps I'm playing a bit of catch up in comparison with classmates who work in finance and other areas, but better late than never I think. Between Global Macro and my Capital Markets course, whole areas of modern commerce are coming into focus for me which is fab. Highly recommend the courses for any future Cambridge MBAs by the way!

2005-06-06T00:40:00.000+01:00

Women in action

2005-06-05T00:39:00.000+01:00

Cambridge Women's Touch Rugby (MBAT 2005)

MBAT adventures

2005-06-01T12:13:00.000+01:00

Recovering from shin splints and a mild sunburn after an adventurous weekend at the MBA Olympics, 'MBAT', which is hosted at HEC every year.

What was the MBAT all about then? My memories are swirls of school colors and chants, sunshine and sweat, hikes across (and up and down) HEC campus, good French cheese, different music at all hours, and views out the chateau over to the rugby fields. It was a chance for 14 MBA programs to both collaborate and compete, a mixture of bonding closer to your own school in showing of spirit, and curiosity and eagerness to talk to people of other programs and make new contacts and friends.

Cambridge was awarded the 'Fair Play' trophy overall, which suits our collaborative and highly-spirited class nature. I think over 70 out of 104 students came along to MBAT, most on a long crowded bus ride from Cambridge (ok yeah I opted for the slightly more expensive Eurostar transportation to avoid mixing feeling bus-sick with playing sports and drinking all in 3 days time!). We had a great time overall and were very excited to be participating in MBAT for the first time. We would gladly recommend that future classes participate and keep up the tradition! Hey maybe they can even invite alumni who are around...might need some extra voices for any attempt to out-chant LBS...

The majority of the class was assigned accomodation at a Chateau on campus, the CRC, which was difficult to get to but very nice. One classmate had the 'best' room according to reception, with fireplaces, a desk, and enough space for our whole class to fit if you ask me....not to mention massive ceilings. And huge windows looking out over the green campus. Overall I thought HEC's campus was quite nice to visit, but I must say a little isolated and probably too dull for me personally to live at. The food in the dining hall was remarkably good for dining hall though. Anyway food and drink was all included in the set fee for MBAT. Many of us are still getting over the fact that all you can drink was actually free....

And how did the rugby girls do in the end? We played hard, we hit hard (oops apparently you arent supposed to be so rough in touch rugby! ;) ), we managed to score one try. We lost one and tied one, respectable enough for our brand new team. Many of us really like the sport now though and want to play some more this summer!

Overall I highly recommend any European MBA-ers in future attend the MBAT, great fun...

TOUCH!!

2005-05-14T13:12:00.000+01:00

Just got back from our second MBA girls touch rugby practice. As mentioned previously, the European MBA Olympics are coming up (MBAT, see www.mbat2005.org). Being a class of only 104, we have, you might say, a small disadvantage competing against teams such as Insead with what, over 700 students per year?? And even LBS with between 200-300 students in each year of a 2-year program. I understand that LBS has a year-round women's touch rugby team that competes in the US and Europe. Hmmm, apparently the matches are drawn out of a hat.... here's hoping we avoid an early-competition clash with LBS!!

So we have 24 girls in the class from which to gather a touch rugby team. I have been somehow named 'captain', mainly because of my encouraging girls to sign up and pushing to create a team, but I've never played rugby in my life. I am proud to say we've gathered a team of 10 girls together though, and are slowly learning the rules. It has been a fun game to learn. The Americans (myself included) have to fight the urge to charge forward and pass forward... we have girls from Britain, America, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, and China.

One of the guys team came along and said "girls rugby practice is more fun than guys rugby practice!" I'm sure the spontaneous laughter after every play was part of the fun... not that we don't play hard! Watch out at MBAT...

week in the life

2005-05-13T21:15:00.000+01:00

So what is an example of a week of Cambridge MBA life?? Well no such thing as a 'typical' week, and in fact I often have a thought of "when I get into a standard routine, or when it is a less-busy week, I will do such-and-such" only to realize that there is no chance of that in this busy year and every week has some sort of 'exception' making it atypical. But it is definitely exciting for sure.

An example of life in the dayplanner this week:

Mon/Tues:
-End of a weekend trip to Rome. (Now that we are in the last term, with electives and more individual work instead of projects and exams, there appears to be slightly more opps for weekend travel.)

Wed:
-Catch up on mountain of emails from trip away
-Go for a long run along Trumpington Rd in the (yes) sunshine.
-Complete summary of a mock hostile takeover bid for Corporate Governance class.
-Prepare for tomorrow's recruitment fair.
-Attend guest speaker: former chairman of BBC Gavyn Davies discusses dealing with politicians, and experiences with the BBC and Iraq war controversy.

Thurs:
-Go to the gym.
-Catch up on reading for Social Enterprise and Capital Markets electives.
-Attend Cambridge-Oxford recruitment fair. (An annual event that alternates location between Cambridge and Oxford each year, this year was here. Attendees included Amazon, Google, Dell, Ernst & Young, CapGemini, Fidelity, Loreal, Merck, and many more. I was most interested in Merck personally.
-Go to drinks reception with Oxford and Cambridge MBA students. A uniqe opportunity to meet with counterparts at "the other place" (not supposed to mention Oxford by name of course!). Actually a great time out.
-Finish the night at RiverBar for a promotion on dinner for all associated with the business school, celebrating the leaving of a great staff member and also our weekly pub night. Many pictures and wine glasses later...

Fri:
-Sleep in, recover.
-Attend lectures in honor of previous class graduation.
-Work on CV and job applications.
-Potential for another pub night, with last year's MBA class.

Sat:
-Girls touch rugby practice 11am! Getting ready for the MBAT, the European MBA Olympics held in France at the end of this month. Of course it helps for our team to learn how to throw and catch a rugby ball first... (my self included).
-Free time!

Sun:
-Attend annual MBA class football tournament: MBA class of last year versus this year. Rumor is that the faculty may pull a team together as well...

(Note: in case you are thinking, hmmm, that's a nice description of your week, but when do you go to CLASS?? The electives are scheduled in different phases, and it happens that my class load was virtually none this particular week. Next week back to 6 lectures or so...)

Roman Rendezvous: me + gelato!

2005-05-11T21:03:00.000+01:00

Just returned from a romantic weekend trip in Rome. Ahh the eternal city...I love the mixture of real life and ruins, all intermingled on the same streets. I think before I went to Rome I somehow pictured the Colosseum to be free standing in a large field or something, not mixed into the city with buildings and modern roads all around. Granted, there are other ruins nearby as well (the forum) but still. The juxtaposition is great, somehow even more magical than having a 'modern' and 'ancient' part to the city.

My boyfriend's reaction to each new amazing sight (a deeply affected "whoa" with wide eyes) was worth every minute. (It was my second trip to Rome so I was slightly less wide-eyed but still loved it.) The ruins in the forum, the colosseum, St Peter's Basilica's immense size and spectacular features, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican museum ceilings and frescoes, the Pantheon -rebuilt in 120AD and still used as a church! And on and on, not to mention endless churches, neighborhoods with character, fountains and piazzas, and pasta/pizza/gelato to bring about smiles at every corner.

Speaking of gelato...divine of course. But I never noticed HOW popular it is in Italy...not just for tourists, and not just for younger people either. On our Saturday night stroll through the squares, most(I mean definitely a majority of) people we passed were concentrating on the cone of ice cream/gelato in their hand, including parents and grandparents and people of all variety. On street after street..I've never been in one place with so much ice cream in my life!!! Not that I am complaining...

queen of the Cam

2005-05-02T16:36:00.000+01:00

Have you ever wished that you could have a day where everyone who saw you would stop and stare, exclaim in a mixture of wonderment and envy at what they saw? Then perhaps you should get a meal from Sala Thong restaurant on Newnham Rd, which provides for 30 pounds a 1.5 hour punt ride with Thai dinner included. (NO I am not getting commission from them for marketing the concept by the way! ;) Just had a great time last night. Though perhaps I should...)

Apparently word is not yet out of this phenomenon in Cambridge, because as we slowly punted down the River Cam on this gorgeous summer day yesterday, the entire population of Cambridge residents and visitors exclaimed loudly, pointed and stared as we passed by with full meal service on our punt, bottles of wine and silver platters of amazing Thai food. Heads turned, people on bridges pointed, fellow punters exclaimed "That's the way to do it" and "why don't we have that??" My friend and her boyfriend who were visiting from Miami agreed it was the perfect Cambridge experience. Relaxing, decadent and delicious... a brief respite from the busy MBA lifestyle.

2005-05-02T13:58:00.000+01:00

Jose and Colleen: cruising the River Cam in style

Spring? or something

2005-04-26T19:05:00.000+01:00

Well today was the first day of our last official term of classes. Amazing how fast an intensive, 1-year programme goes by. But now that we head into the final 5 months, I can say that I do not regret choosing a one-year programme at all. It seems the perfect amount of time to spend going back to the books, learning about the world from classmates, undertaking interesting projects (and not having an income!). It was plenty of time to bond closely with many of our 104 classmates, and I know already that I have made friends for life. (Also great for international travel as they have their roots in places ranging from Argentina to Canada to Portugal to Nigeria to Jordan to Australia etc etc).

Anyway a new term began today, and from here on out we have Corporate Governance class, in which we discussed the downfall of Enron and all of the implications post-Enron, and 4 electives each. I am taking Capital Markets, Marketing Communication, Social Enterprise, and Global MacroEconomics.

This is the first term we've had without full, 9-5 packed days of lecture, so the attitude is more relaxed. I am looking forward to more time to go to the gym or run errands since I'll have at least a few afternoons off a week. Everyone is enjoying re-uniting after a month off doing MCP projects, and we're planning a welcome back BBQ at our house on Saturday. If the rain stays away that is!! Despite some great glimpses of spring, this week is drizzly and dreary...

3AM pizza, fondue & raw food... consultant style

2005-04-22T10:32:00.000+01:00

I am writing in a state of relief and exhaustion, having just finished our final presentation to ABB in Switzerland. Our MCP (Major consulting project) took place over the past 4 weeks, of which we spent 2 in Cambridge and 2 in Zurich working with ABB headquarters.

To put things into perspective, my teammate Kuoshen summarized our thanks to ABB and our experiences on the project through saying "we've learned a lot about electronic invoicing and corporate projects, and we've also learned that the security cards distributed to us still work at 3am...." ah the life of a consultant.

So if anything I write now is not coherent, excuse the sleepy brain cells trying to compose thoughts in the wake of dreaming about how to structure our presentation and challenges of electronic invoicing implementation from a corporate level.

The project overall was quite interesting, especially compared to the initial perceptions I had. As one of the project sponsors put it, "electronic invoicing is probably not the sexiest project...." What I did like about it was the broad reach of issues touched on, and the relevance of the technology challenges to any business. We dealt with issues including outsourcing, fragmentation/decentralization of business and IT infrastructure, cross-border transactions, Sarbanes-Oxley and accounting standards, finance efficiency, resistance to change, and corporate culture.

So what am i on about with regards to fondue and raw food? oh just a few memories from our Swiss whirlwind... our first night there, we were determined to be authentic and sampled an over-abundance of cheese, fondue, raclette... no more! It will be a long while before I have that desire again.

Then we had an ongoing dichotomy in the group with Munmun loving raw food, and Kenny loving well-done food. This was a challenge to convey to the German-speaking waiter when ordering meat; he became so confused with the gestures and attempts to convey the desired meat temperature that at one point he resorted to acting out the idea of a cow...in case we weren't sure what we were ordering!

The struggle continued as Munmun was determined to get sushi for Kenny, and when he asked the Japanese waitress if the sushi rolls were cooked, she told him "oh no we don't cook the cucumber" in a concerned voice. Sampling of carpaccio (thinly sliced raw beef) was part of the trip, along with conversations about Asian delicacies that practically run off the plate. We also tried ostrich, lots of lamb and veal, and seafood including octupus and squid (new for Kenny). And had plenty of asparagus; they seemed to be obsessed with it in Switzerland....

as for consulting, while I loved the adrenaline, the challenge, the problem-solving aspects of it, I am pretty sure the lifestyle is not for me!! I doubt I had a night where my dreams were not filled with electronic-invoicing and ABB for instance.

I did love Switzerland though...hmmm, food for future thought...

2005-04-21T18:47:00.000+01:00

Fondue as described! (munmun and kenny)

2005-04-07T18:49:00.000+01:00

ABB offices

2005-04-04T18:49:00.000+01:00

check out these professionals! (Ryan, Kenny, Kuoshen)

Swiss Miss...

2005-03-31T11:57:00.000+01:00

Well the weeks are flying by with barely a moment to devote to the ever-important blog...I mean, who should worry about Global Marketing papers, Strategy exams, or consulting projects when you can BLOG instead??!! ;)

Seriously though, many happenings have occurred recently that I shall have to write about soon. After turning our Herne Lodge (our college-owned house of 7 roommates) into the 'Herne Lodge B&B' 3 times in one month, I am tired of washing and drying sheets and towels! So much for my dreams of one day running a B&B in Tuscany or something. My boyfriend's parents came to visit, my college roommate came to visit, and then my parents came to visit. We got many comments from our classmates of 'oh, have you seen the new movie Meet the Fockers? Meet the Parents??'

This week we began our 4-week MCP- major consulting project. This provides an opportunity to consult with a business full-time for a month, and the options were extremely diverse and worldwide. We needed to form ourselves into teams of 5, and decide upon a project, which may interest you for reasons such as career prospects, area of interest, or even location. Classmates are now as widespread as Venezuela, Japan, China, Dubai, Australia, France and Germany. And quite a few still in Cambridge or London. Our project is for ABB, at their headquarters in Zurich. We've begun research this week in Cambridge, then go to Zurich next week, back to Cam, then back to Zurich for the final week. Swiss chocolate anyone?
more soon.

Saucy textbooks

2005-03-17T13:16:00.000Z

Well I always seem to stumble across the sauciest little comments within my MBA textbooks.... after my Finance book telling me I might need to drink after completing a particularly difficult chapter back in January, this is what I stumbled upon while studying for the next round of exams:

In my Strategy book (Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Robert M. Grant, 5th edition, pg 465), in the chapter summary after discussing diversification strategies:

"Diversification is like sex: its attractions are obvious, often irresistible, yet the experience is often disappointing".

HELLO! apologies, Mr. Grant, for your lackluster sex life! I suppose he does not have high expectations of the romantic interludes of the average MBA student struggling through finance and accounting classes and joking about NPV.....

more soon after exams!

Always

2005-03-02T00:05:00.000Z

Our global marketing class features cases presented by a student group every week, complete with beautifully-designed powerpoint presentations and suggested marketing solutions. As some of the products were quite interesting, there has been a trend in bringing in product samples. We did a case on MontGras winery, and so brought in wine for tasting in the class. Did I mention the Heineken case, where the team brought a beer for every class member? And how at 10:30am, if you glanced around the classroom, you saw every class member with a green heineken bottle in front of them, complete with the prof taking a swig! Quite amusing.

Well the finale was a group of guys (ok and one girl) doing a case on Always in Russia. If you dont know what type of product Always is, you won't understand the amusement at many of the macho guys getting up there and describing marketing this product. Anyway a highlight was towards the end when our classmate pulled out a sample, poured blue liquid on it a la the commercials, put it on a chair and asked the professor to sit down on it!!! Classic moment. We all cringed but the guy did it....and to the credit of P&G's product, he remained completely dry. Needless to say the prof was amazed.

Never a dull moment.

Go Barca!!

2005-02-28T23:57:00.000Z

Our study group did the Strategy case write up on the football team, FC Barcelona. The end result was this gorgeous, colorful compilation of over 40 pages about the spirited football club, its challenges and strategies in the exciting industry of European football. For instance, as teams like ManU develop non-core business activities such as financial services and travel agencies, how can FCB compete with its strategy of focusing solely on the basic business and passion of the game of football? Real Madrid spends fortunes recruiting star players, only to have them upset they are winding up on the bench so often...is it better to get the strong players first, to build the team name, or to work with respectable players to build the team name, and then the stars will naturally want to join?? Anyway it was interesting to research. I didn't realize that at FCB the club is actually owned by its conglomeration of over 120,000 members, whom are usually dedicated fans willing to pay the membership fee.

And then it was great to see Barca beat Chelsea just in time for our report as well! ;)

'Behind the Music'

2005-02-22T23:52:00.000Z

I had a random thought today that doing all of these case studies is a bit like VH1's 'Behind the Music.' Have you ever noticed if you, for example, watch a behind-the-scenes or interview show about a music group, you often automatically have a newfound appreciation for them, the next time you hear their music?? You know more about the band, and you feel somehow more connected with them based on your understanding from watching a feature show about them.

It can be that way with all these endless case studies...forced to plow through endless company details, sometimes very tedious and irrelevant details, you come out on the other side of the case with a deeper knowledge about that company, its history and challenges and strategies, and like it or not, often more of an appreciation. Or at least understanding, if not appreciation. I guess this goes back to my previous post about looking at companies differently after reading their 'behind-the-scenes' case study or doing a project on the company.

Studying everyday life...

2005-02-09T20:48:00.000Z

Have you ever thought about what a huge impact business has on the modern world? I mean, you cannot go a day, rarely an hour, without coming into some aspect of business. It's actually quite exciting to be studying things that you come into contact with everyday, and to gain further understanding into what is happening behind the scenes.

For instance, now every time I walk past Marks and Spencer's in the center of town, I think of Sir Richard Greenbury (former CEO) and our class discussions on the decline of M&S, after it tried to hold onto an approach to retail that had worked in the past, not adapting to changing lifestyles and tastes.

I walk past Boots and think of reading about L'Oreal, and how it took quite a lot of time and effort for them to make their Plenitude skincare line a success in the US, compared to in France. It was interesting to consider certain consumer attitude differences between the two countries, such as the fact that French woman are more educated about skincare on average, and more concerned with reducing signs of aging. American women often thought the skincare line was too complicated, and in particular the boxes and labels of the products would take too long to read! Guess it illustrates the differences in pace of life in the US and France, the American women don't even have time to read a label about their skin products.

We've studied Microsoft and their culture of achievement and high standards of recruitment. We've talked endlessly about the innovation and adaptations of Apple, and how powerful a signature product like the IPod can be. Debated whether Apple's recent push into broader markets (i.e. with the new Mac Mini) will decrease the feeling of 'exclusivity' that many apple-owners feel, or whether it will simply increase market share and profits while maintaining it's unique and innovative image. We've done projects, cases, readings on Intel, Toyota, MontGras Chilean Winery, Motorola, and more. We did a paper on UK's Channel 4 and how they must balance being government owned with selling commercial advertisements and competing with BBC. Rob Woodward, Commercial Director who is actually leaving C4 this year, came to speak with us about his experiences.

Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, came to provide an inspirational talk for us last week. I will admit I have more respect for the company than for the average advertising company after seeing Kevin speak, much due to the fact that they provide emotion, either laughter or love for instance, in their advertisements, and do not advertise anything they do not believe in. He spoke to us about following our dreams and that sort of inspirational banter. I liked his idea that the ultimate goal of marketing is to gain 'Customer loyalty beyond reason,' through emotion and deeper connections and desires. He talked about the use of mystery, sensuality, and intimacy in marketing, in this 'age of ideas' that we live in.

Yesterday we were discussing a case on Cobra Beer, the beer which became known as best to drink with Indian food. The founder, Karan Bilimoria, went to Cambridge undergrad and began working on his idea of a less-gassy lager to go with curry at age 26. He started with nothing and worked his way up building this idea and company and getting his beer known among UK curryhouses. Today the company sells more than 50 million pounds worth of beer. We were discussing various expansion issues in class, and our teacher asked what we would ask Karan if we could. Various questions were thrown out, such as 'why would he choose those locations (that he looked at to expand), that doesn't make any sense!' Little did we know, Mr. Bilimoria was in the back of the classroom listening to our whole conversation! Needless to say it was an interesting class, and he gave an insightful talk about his entreprenuerial path, which is something many of us at Cambridge are interested in.
****
Well that was a long entry but was just musing about the fact that we really are exposed to such a broad variety of sectors and companies here, and that what we study and discuss is so relevant, timely, newsworthy and interesting. More later.

A new term begins....

2005-01-31T14:13:00.000Z

Well I survived my finance exam!! Ok i haven't exactly gotten the grade back yet, but I felt capable of passing (=50% here). No more late-nights spent shared between me and my finance book! Sad. ;)

New Classes:
No less than 2 days after that stressful exam experience, we began our next term. 'Lent' term it is called. Last term was called 'Michaelmas' or something....pardon my ignorance of UK education systems, but I still have no idea what that is all about! So this term so far we are taking International Business (taught by an enthusiastic Greek professor prone to exclaiming 'I LOVE you....tell me more!' in his thick Greek accent, quite entertaining), where we discussed ways in which Starbucks has been sucessful becoming a global company, and the benefits and drawbacks of foriegn direct investment as opposed to just licensing/franchising. Strategy (another enthusiastic professor, and very good) which has been interesting so far (discussion of Pepsi/7-Up strategies, UK television and Channel 4, Matra automobile's alliance with Renault, and next Intel). Operations & Management Accounting, with discussions about just in time manufacturing, supply chain management and ways in which operations and systems theory can be applied to just about any business process. I am taking an elective in Global Marketing, and our case presentation today was about the export strategy for a Chilean winery. Of course we decided to bring samples of the product in for our presentation! ;)

New Study Group:
Last term we were divided into 2 streams of about 62 each, and study groups of 5 each. This term we knew we were getting new study groups, but found out last minute that the streams were being re-done as well. In a way, these 2 streams were almost separate classes, even though we are getting to know everyone by this point. Now the streams have been mixed (anyone else having a Ghostbusters flashback..."Don't cross the streams!!! That's the worst thing you can do") for a new overall lecture dynamic. And my new study group includes Japanese, Chinese, Russian and American representation. So far the group has worked well together. Especially over amazing home-made Japanese food (including sushi, yum) at one group member's house on Saturday!

MCP:
At the Cambridge MBA, we undertake a one-month consulting project in the spring (MCP= major consulting project). It was a stressful and long process to allocate projects; we had to decide amongst ourselves: what projects we were interested in and where, and what people we would like to work with, form ourselves in groups and select the projects. What to do...go for a company you may want to work for? choose something that has international travel? Do you work with your friends, or not with your friends? It was quite complicated. In the end I narrowed my choices down to a project for Kodak in the UK and a project for ABB in Switzerland. It was difficult but I chose ABB for the chance to do some work in another country, since I've worked in the UK a while. It will be based in Zurich late March/early April.

Ok back to reading...right now reading about pros/cons of free trade and offshoring jobs, hot topic in the US right now so relevant reading.....
:)

My Finance book is encouraging me to drink!

2005-01-07T21:28:00.000Z

Ok I am not delirious....despite the long hours of studying, I am not making this up...the chapter summary, Chapter 20, Principles of Corporate Finance by Brealey & Myers, has encouraged late night options-reading drinking!

I quote Brealey and Myers:
"If you have managed to reach this point, you are probably in need of a rest and a stiff gin and tonic.....
We will summarize...in the next chapter when you are rested (or drunk)." Pg 582.

No joke.

:) hmmm, never got that in my undergrad nursing or biology texts, I must admit! what is it about finance that drives people to drink....
Never a dull moment at the MBA.

F & A nightmares....5 days to go

2005-01-07T13:06:00.000Z

The latest upcoming event unfortunately is not another party. It is our Finance and Accounting exam, in my mind the biggest exam of the program. Less than one week to go, as I learn the differences between WACC and APV and pros and cons of each. Since I don’t have ANY finance background at all, this is a challenge. Luckily the class is very collaborative and everyone helps each other to study. In fact one of our investment banker classmates is volunteering to hold a 3-hour review session on Monday, which is a life-saving gift to many of us! I prefer this sort of class culture to a more cutthroat competitive one. Anyway I do like learning about stocks and dividends and trends in investing, and how investors react to management decisions such as issuing stock or debt for instance. Let’s just see how much I remember after the program! ;) Especially if I go back into for-profit education or something medical like pharmaceuticals.

So back to the books to learn about options…any advice anyone? Will let you know how exams go. Oh yeah, we do have one other exam, Organisational Behaviour (yes I am into British spellings these days), but no one is too worried about that, hope to cram a bit the last couple of days for that one.

At least I have my standard-issue all-important Cambridge study desk situated perfectly in my room, in front of the window overlooking the garden...perfect for daydreaming that is....watch the little birds fly around, notice the difference in views in winter with many bare trees...geez has anyone realized how WINDY it gets in Cambridge??? Ok better stop procrastinating now.

2005-01-07T12:44:00.000Z

King's College Chapel, Cambridge

Close the Door on '04....Herne Lodge Party Time again

2005-01-01T13:00:00.000Z

Happy New Year! This should be a memorable year, complete with finishing the MBA in September and (hopefully!) starting a great new job at the end of the year….

After my first ski trip, to Meribel, France for Christmas, my flatmate and I decided to stay around Cambridge for New Year’s Eve. Cambridge you say?? How potentially boring??? But wait….it is never quite boring with MBA classmates around, particularly at Herne Lodge (yes, my house really has a 'title', there is actually a sign that says ‘Herne Lodge’ outside).

Ryan and I decided to try to arrange a potluck dinner party for New Years, though we were a bit worried it would end up being just us, since many of our classmates were travelling for New Years. After sending out an Evite, slowly the replies started to come in, and I went into party-planning mood, picking out appetizers and desserts to make, ordering helium balloons and party poppers, buying champagne…and the numbers grew and grew! A few days before New Year’s we had about 25 replies. By champagne toast time, we counted 38 people!

Having an international class brings great culinary benefits as well. Each attendee brought a food dish from their home country. We had a spread that could have fed an army, and it came from Thailand, China, India, Jordan, Canada, America, Japan, and more. You should have seen the people hoarding over the food table with plates in hand, greedy looks all around! Of course there was more than enough to go around. Anyway the party was great, lots of fun, one of the best New Year’s Eves I’ve had, and a great chance for all the classmates who were around to get together and welcome the coming year.

You really can’t beat the MBA for the interaction with classmates alone. Cambridge does a great job selecting each class, so that it is very diverse, culturally and in terms of work background, and also that they are down-to-earth, level-headed people. Everyone in the class has done amazing things in life, but you can talk to them without feeling intimidated. And everyone is up for a laugh and a good time as well, hence the weekly pub nights, always at a different pub in Cambridge.

2004-12-31T23:51:00.000Z

sampling of the food brought by the classmates

2004-12-31T23:50:00.000Z

feed the starving mba class....

Whirlwind month...oh yeah, are there classes going on too??

2004-11-23T13:20:00.000Z

How did November suddenly become the busiest month ever? Oh yeah, the combination of the ECP (Entreprenuership Consulting Project), and the ATKearney Business Competition. ….

White Thanksgiving??!

2004-11-19T23:09:00.000Z

SNOW!!!!! Who would have guessed big clumps of falling snow, sticking on the ground an inch or so, in mid-November????? Wow! This florida girl always appreciates a good snowfall.

ATK coming up! Amsterdam here we come. Didn’t realize the work involved, ATK is like an intense ECP, especially with this case about launching a new business. Some groups stressed about ECP, we have double which is an adventure. Character building, right?? Hard to believe first term is over in 3 weeks!! Well except for exams….in January! Such a great set up really. But all that in just 2.5 weeks really, wow.

Judge Competition Final...congrats, you have just won an extra 2 weeks of work!!

2004-11-11T22:16:00.000Z

Wow I cannot believe we won the ATKearney competition!!!! I still remember the day we signed up…initially I hadn’t planned on doing it at all. I learned in high school after doing a ton of activities that sometimes it just isn’t worth it to add a ton of extra work to your life!

Then the guy who won last year, Ben, came and talked about it and I started to think ok maybe it would be cool and maybe we could actually do well. I went to the MBA syndicate room as they announced anyone who wants to do it meet there, and I sort of hung around the edges of the group, not sure who I’d want to work with. Makes a huge difference! They were going to start matching people up by background, when I saw Hugo and Panos and started chatting. They said they needed a female presence, and maybe would I like to join. I hesitantly said ok, and then found out Rory would be with them as well. Funny as Rory is in my study group but cool.

So that was it! We called ourselves ‘Orama’ (meaning ‘vision’ in Greek, as suggested by our Greek-in-residence, Panos), and we were off. Couldn’t believe I had subjected myself to extra work! We worked many long nights on it, and were selected as one of the top 3 groups out of the 15 that entered. Today was the second round, the school presentations. We presented to a panel of ATKearney judges for 15 minutes our vision of ‘ACME car company.’ This was meant to be the next revolution in automotive companies, a company that re-leases used cars, offers varying packages to customers (more like a mobile-phone company), and attempts to generate revenues over the lifetime of the vehicles, also using cheaper manufacturing if any. I was nervous beforehand and unsure about our quality of info and analysis. However……we won first place!!!! Crazy. 500 euros each and going to Amsterdam in 2 weeks! To compete in the European finals.

Tea Time

2004-10-20T16:11:00.000+01:00

What other country would you do an MBA in where you would take ‘Tea Breaks’ in the middle of lectures??? I remember thinking, this is quintessentially British; if I told friends at American MBAs that we take 30 minute tea breaks with the professors and class mates in the middle of nearly every lecture, they would probably laugh. By now it has become completely normal of course, and in fact the class starts to get quite antsy if it looks like the prof has ‘forgotten’ that it is tea time!

I remember when I first moved to England and someone offered me tea with milk, it sounded like the most repellent thing possible. I hesitantly sipped at it, and my brain suddenly decided I was drinking something equivalent to dirty dishwater….that was the end of that! But somehow over the years it has become an aquired taste, to the point that I actually crave tea with milk on many afternoons. Amazing for a girl who hardly knew what a kettle was before.

A new relationship....

2004-10-16T13:14:00.000+01:00

So as you may already be aware, doing an MBA means becoming intimately involved in a thrilling relationship with…
EXCEL.
Yes, of course you have heard that you will work with Excel in the MBA and have to do analysis and finance and all sorts of things on it…and I’m sure some of my classmates already were quite intimate with Excel, even before the MBA. I was not. I sort of knew you could do formulas on it. Well, after a couple of months, suddenly the brain begins to think like an Excel spreadsheet….I find myself at home thinking, oh, I need to go grocery shopping….and opening up an excel spreadsheet for it!!! And so on….quite scary actually.

moment of quiet

2004-10-04T13:24:00.000+01:00

Sitting at my desk in Cambridge. Utter peace and quiet for the moment. A delicious slice of tranquility within this busy, crazy year of study. Golden sunlight streams through the open window overlooking the garden below. Tall trees seclude the yard on all sides to make it even cosier, a secret oasis of green. Bees buzz and birds chirp. No sounds in my room or in the house. Loving this view, this perch at my desk.

Better go get some sun and study a bit. So far Cambridge is amazing. So many things to see and do, a huge realm of activity. Beautiful city, sunsets behind King's college as you walk up King's parade take your breath away. Not to mention great classmates, lots of fun, lots of challenges. I can already say that this will be one of the best things I will do in my life!

Just want to relish and soak up with moment...