Happy Halloween from Jack Skellington!

NAWMBA update

After a day full of flying on Thursday, 9 of us first years arrived in Anaheim with no incidents. We piled into a taxi van and went straight to the Disneyland hotel, which has to be one of the greatest places to have a conference…Mickeys in the carpet!? Love it! It’s like the wink to where we are even when we are in conference rooms. We checked in really quick and got ready for the various receptions.

First we headed to the IU reception and it was really nice, very intimate and a great spread. We got the chance to chat with Maggy Siegel, the COO of Dylan’s Candy Bar and a Kelley alum. We also we are able to meet some really nice girls from University of Utah.

Then it was off to the kick-off reception. They had many of the planning committee members speak. It was a nice time but we were all exhausted. We talked with some students for Kansas and then headed back to our room to hit the sack, we are on EST still!

This morning we all got up super early, 4:30, and couldn’t go back to sleep. After trying to rest for about an hour and half we went down to the gym, before getting into our suits and hitting the sessions. We had a great student breakfast where the CMO from Meredith publishing spoke. Then I headed to the Campbell’s presentation before catching Maggy’s and a sample of Dylan’s newest candy which will be unvailed next week! It was delicious! Then it was lunch on the patio, a requirement when in So Cal, before I hit the career fair.

I am trying to recharge my batteries a little and get some school work done before we hit the park and the reception they are having there later.

Career fair in action! Not as many companies as we were hoping for but we were able to get some face time with a few. Lots of handhakes and card exchanging. And I met a really cool entrepreneur that started the marketeersclub.com that specializes in free online tools for marketers in brand management. Good times at NAWMBA

Getting my networking on, watch out NAWMBA here I come!

Yesterday was a marathon day, 8 full hours of class with only a 30 minute break for lunch. I am glad I got everything in so I didn’t miss any of my classes when I head to the airport today but it was a doozy! I am so glad I don’t have the Blue cohort because I don’t think I would be able to get home at 6 every day, all that productive study time after class is gone! I am so much more of a morning person anyway.

So lots of class, dinner, a run and packing like a fiend for the Women’s Conference and an informational interview, just a normal Weds in the Core!

Another day, another day full of tasks and meetings. Got through a triple session of Management/Econ tag team and scarfed down my lunch while a team mate and I worked on some polishing of our team Operations paper. Then it was downstairs for the lounge for an informational interview with a second year, before I did some Quant homework and met with the GA to work on my portion of the team assignment. Then the logistics meeting for the Women’s Conference. Then finally at 6:30 got home for the day, made dinner then sent emails, posted my resume to GCS and did a little more homework. And now that it is 11:20, I am not really getting to bed early. Where did the day go?!

So yesterday was our first experience registering for classes. It was surprisingly painless after I got over the fact that I would not get the pricing class I had been eying as it was going to be given to all the second years. Did a little emailing during class and my friend and I were able to find a replacement and I seem to have a pretty good schedule for the next semester:

• Strategic Cost Analysis and Control
• Applied Marketing Research
• Marketing Performance and Productivity Analysis
• Brand Asset Management
• Supply Chain Management & Technologies
• Introduction into Spreadsheet Modeling
• Power, Persuasion, Influence & Negotiation
• KIP Israel
• Academy Intensive Week 2

Looks pretty good so far, ask me an May and I will tell you how it goes!

So Weds night was capped off by receiving my ACCTG quiz grade (just barely squeaked by so I don’t have to retake !) and then a visit to the Kelley Retail Association panel discussion. While there was some great resources: buyers from AE & Macy’s, product designer from Dick’s and merchandising and store management from Kohl’s the evening was a bust. Tons of undergrads and not many questions being asked. Although I know I could have stepped it up and asked some questions, didn’t feel it was my place as it was their org. Oh well, was an experience to say the least.

Don’t know why I feel so on top of everything today? Is it because I spent 4 days on the couch reading, when I wasn’t coughing my brains out or watching Say Yes to the Dress?

Today I got a walk in with Addie in the morning, seemed more awake in class than usual, met with my peer coach, tweaked my resume, sent out loads of networking emails (to get GREAT responses!), got the NYC trek nailed down, started two quant problems for the assignment next week and then created charts for all my ops simulation data. In the words of NBA Jam, “She’s on fire!”

Tomorrow should be another jam packed day: with an informational interview, diversity conference prep, team meeting, and GA study session for quant. Here’s for keeping it up!

So after a 4 days chock-full of Say Yes to the Dress and Whose Wedding is it Anyway? its time for me to head back to the world of the living. I am sure my immune system was weakened from the intense hours I have been putting into the core, but if I had to get sick I guess I couldn’t have asked for a better time. Should be all ready to attack week 9 full force and with a renewed appreciation for wedding dress consultants ;)

So got up this morning and didn’t feel any better. I would have loved to stay home but I felt I needed to go on the Academy trip for participation points. Picked up my friends and one of them was feeling as miserable as I was. After an hour or so of sleeping on the bus, we got to Eli Lilly headquarters. Their building was really nice and the presentations we were able to catch were really great too. We only lasted until lunch and then the two of us were done. We hoped to just hang out on the bus but our gracious hosts at Lilly took care of us and got us a cab back to Bloomington (thanks!)

Once back in town we headed straight to the health center to see what we really had. Long story short, we were both diagnosed with H1N1 (swine flu) So after dropping my friend off basically crashed on my couch. Emailed some professors to warn them about next week and emailed some classmates. Had to cancel an SAC dinner and a brunch we were hosting. And miss P&G.

Oink, oink…I hate being sick!

Give it a whirl!

Weds was a great visit to Whirlpool. However, I had started to get sick so it was hard to be on my A game. However, I did get some great questions in and we got to learn some great stuff about the company and have lunch with some recent full time MBA hires.

At around 2 we headed back to Bloomington, where we didn’t get home until 8. I was starting to feel really sick at that point but really couldn’t get ready for the bus ride today. Just went straight to bed. Thank god for Nyquil!

Best dinner in 2 months! And got to spend with my buddies in St. Joseph. Then spent some time walking around town, and it totally reminded me of the movie Pleasantville, its that cute. Then came back to the hotel for some much needed girl time and to plan my classes. Now its time to go to bed in my private suite. Tomorrow Whirlpool!

Off to Michigan

Today was another packed day! We were abroad the bus by 7:45 and headed toward Miller Coors. They took us straight to the in-house pub on the 16th floor. We got to meet with brand managers, media, sports marketing and on premise marketing. We got some great exposure to the brands, how they interact with retailers and distributors and try to postion their product. Then we grabbed a box lunch and headed to Itasca to meet with Jewel-Osco. It was good to get a sense of another aspect of marketing and how they work with various BMs.

Now we are we headed toward Michigan to meet with Whirlpool tomorrow for an all day visit. Should be exciting to peek inside a durable goods company. Now if I could fight off this impeding cold, I would be all good.

Bye bye Chi-Town!

It’s time to head to Miller & Jewel-Osco

Movin' On Up!

After having a fun filled day with Kraft and the Weinermobile it was off to Chicago for the CMA. While 4 hours of bus travel is never that much fun, I did get some reading in, some sleeping in and some episodes of Scrubs. And it is always nice to escape to a big city even if it is just for a little while.

However, I was really disappointed we didn’t find out that we would have the night to ourselves sooner. I would have definitely looked up some restaurants and really explored the foodie scene here instead of just going to Rock Bottom with a bunch of classmates (Although that was fun, we had like 1/3 of the CMA there so that was cool) Didn’t get to see much of the city, there just isn’t enough time. Hopefully I can make a trip up here after the core to really make use of being so close.

Tried to turn in early but yet I am still up! Better get to bed because I have a bus to catch at 7:45.

We’re here! Chicago watch out, Kelley CMA is coming!

Oh I wish...

Woohoo Weinermobile! Gotta love the Consumer Marketing Academy!

All packed up and ready to go for CMA week, Addie seems less than thrilled.

All packed up and ready to go for CMA week, Addie seems less than thrilled.

Today, we were in desperate need of some retail therapy! We got up and headed to the outlets in Edinburgh and got our shop on at Gap and Banana. Ended up with some cute things but it is such a bummer they are so far away.

When we got home I caught up on my readings for Academy Week and then headed out for an informational dinner with Kraft at Brother’s. Was really nice, and I am definitely looking forward to riding around in the Weinermobile tomorrow!

TGIS! We both slept in, caught up on our TV, cleaned the apartment a little, gave Addie a bath, went to Sam’s Club, I talked to a prospective and then it was off to the tailgate. Since it was homecoming, Scott’s sponsored the tailgate so there was lots of yummy food and drinks. Addie had a blast at first tailgate and left only having eaten mud. We dropped her off at home and then headed to Yogi’s to watch the game with some friends. It was a great day!

So it was time to let loose! We first headed to a classmates super cute apartment for a cupcakes and champagne party and then it was back to campus for our 90s themed homecoming dance. It was a ton of fun, more than I think I have had since we started the Core. After dancing until I couldn’t dance any more and seeing my peer coach get elected homecoming queen we headed to Steak ‘n Shake for a little post dance snack.

Yes, I know I have been MIA, and no, I haven’t died. But after 4 weeks of midterms, a girl just needs a break! So week 7 ended with a quant assignment, a marketing memo and an accounting ROE assignment. Then we had to turn in 19 pages of our take home midterm for finance so we could take the 7 question in class portion.

Afterwards I was just dead. Charlton and I headed to Chick-fil-a and then headed back to Kelley for an interview info session (with awesome pizza from Aver’s, which I ate anyway can we say stressed!?) Then we headed to interview slam sessions. I was pretty nervous as I wasn’t really prepared and the second year I was paired with used to work where I hope to be, and I didn’t want to be a total goof ball. It went really well so ended the afternoon on a high note.

Then it was back to the apartment so I could make some calls to get some prospectives to come check out Kelley Women’s Weekend. Then I applied for an internship, and then it was time for the fun to begin!

Today it wasn’t quiet breakfast in bed, but breakfast with our program chair. Was a great opportunity to talk to him about our experiences so far and what he hopes to do with the program going forward. I am always so pumped after talking to him, and I love how approachable he is. Great to have someone steering the ship who loves Kelley as much as I do.

Our Israel KIP Blog, and I am a contributor!

I almost feel like cutting that one out and taping it to my finance midterm tomorrow. Although I am not sure how my finance professor would feel about it, even if it covers most of what we have learned in class *wink wink*

The last few days have been a rough for me, got a bunch of exams back and none of them were up to my standards. Pretty depressing, and makes it hard to be motivated for the next assignment or exam. But as my friend would say “keep swimming, keep swimming” (although she got it from Dory)

Tomorrow is a full day of midterms and interview slam sessions, then cupcakes and our homecoming dance. The best part? No class next week! Just company visits and a bus ride around the Midwest with 60 of my classmates. Fun times are just up ahead, man I wish it were 3 PM tomorrow already.

Notes like this keep me from not crying

The exam is now a sunk cost — don’t look back; look forward, think positive, and soldier ahead. Don’t let the core beat you down.

Onward and upward - you will survive the core!

Hang in there,
Phil

Another day closer to the end of week 7 and I am exhausted. Just woke up from falling asleep here at my laptop working on some Accounting homework. Now I have no idea if it is right, but I don’t have the time or the energy to go back through it. Will just have to hope I don’t get cold called tomorrow.

Today was another full day of classes, with informational meetings, resume reviews and a mock interview prep session (I downgraded it to a prep session because I didn’t feel ready for a real mock yet) And if that wasn’t enough, throw in a info session on classes to register for next semester, since that is less than 2 weeks away.

We got an exam and an assignment back today, and I was my usual below standard self. I have been having a real hard time reconciling with the fact that I am not the head of the class, let alone average. All the second years say everyone gets a B, and no one fails out and grad school is HARD, but don’t worry you’ll be fine. Just hard to believe it at this point. Most people seem to be doing considerably better than me, although I found a small pocket that seem to be in my neck of the woods. So does that mean we will be the exception? Will have to wait to January to find out.

Another long day filled with homework. Sat down at my desk and only got up for a shower, a run to Target (to get my homecoming dress!), dinner at Dat’s and then a stop at the Kroger we just discovered. Every other waking moment was spent working on Marketing, Econ or Quant. Now I have some Accounting to catch up on before I head to bed. Bring on Hell Week!

We’re off to Israel! We found out Friday morning that we got selected for the Kelley International Perspective (KIP) to Israel right before our Econ exam, hence the reason I forgot to mention it sooner. We are both really excited to go, it is a hub of some major tech operations including Qualcomm. It is still aways away, spring break isn’t until March. But there will be more updates on our prep and the trip as next semester nears. הנה אנו באים!

It’s been a long day of studying…I got a lot done; almost all of the Econ reading and a hefty chunk of Marketing. However, got an email later today that one of the prompts in our Finance exams was wrong so I have to redo a few problems tomorrow morning, fun!

The plan tomorrow is to finish up the readings, redo the Finance exam, hopefully go on a drive around town to see the leaves, go out to dinner (we’re thinking Snow Lion), hit up Target to get my homecoming outfit ready and then work more on my CARs. Lots to do but only one more week until Academy week so just got to push through!

Business Casual to Bowling Casual - How MBAs roll after Econ Midterms

It’s been a long day of homework, and haven’t experienced the above yet thankfully! Just don’t have the time for naps. My portion of Quant is done and I am plugging right along through the take home portion of Finance. Haven’t even looked at what the readings are for the week, that will have to come later.

One more under my belt

So one more midterm has come and gone, not sure how I did, but after the 3rd one of these you get in the mind frame of not obsessing about the results like you do in undergrad. You just know that it is going to be thrown in the pot and hopefully you wont be the outlier at the bottom and will come out with your B. 2 more months and I will find out, so not going to stress.

Had another academy week today, discussed what makes good advertising and how to critique an ad in an interview. Also worked on our CARs so a pretty good day all in all.

Now if the rain would go away…

Kind of in a funk right now, just can’t get motivated to study or do any other work for that matter. Not sure if it is the weather (it’s been raining all day). Or maybe I am homesick. Whatever it is I am not being productive in studying for the Econ midterm tomorrow. Going to go to bed early, and maybe work on some CARs while I am in bed and hopefully do some more Econ in the morning. *bother*

Today will be a lot of working on my CAR statements (Challenge Action Result) when I am not studying, working on the finance take home exam, or prepping for our accounting assignment. I need to have some ready for our Academy day session, and I really have dropped the ball. I have a feeling my brain will turn into applesauce by the end of the day. So good thing I revised my resume yesterday!

Did I really sign up for this? Hard to believe when I am studying for hours straight and then meeting with GCS to have a major overhaul of my resume that I voluntarily decided to do this. I know all the second years say that once you get through the Core it gets better, but it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.

I found out today that I am behind in my off-campus search, I need to work on my interview presence, develop my CARs and start taping myself interviewing. Oh and become a student of retail; while I am trying to keep up with 7 classes, leadership and professional development and my academy prep. Not to mention trek planning, eating, sleeping and trying to spend time with the animals. Really feeling the squeeze.

One more full day of class before the Econ midterm. Have to try to crank out an Operations assignment in there too. Next week is hell week, I think we will put the Navy Seals to shame.

Once again, Kristen “the networking machine” was in full effect today. Met with 2 second years. One to talk about their previous work experience, and the other to discuss leadership opportunities in organizations on campus. Then time for homework, studying and another informational interview with a classmate’s sister who works in retail. Busy busy bee. Better get to bed though, got more of the same tomorrow.

Business school is not conductive to weight loss, or being fit. There is no gym in our complex (just a pool and its now closed) and there are none near us. I am much more of a gym rat and have a hard time getting motivated to run outside when its 40 degrees. And with 40,000 students at IU trying to find a spot on an elliptical is a challenge in itself. Not to mention, Charlton and I have one car between us. Then throw in networking events, class, studying and networking; there is very little time left over for working out. However, I have been watching what I eat as it is easy to just snack all day while at Kelley and have lost 3 lbs. Will have to keep up with it and hopefully try to incorporate some exercise. Have to make sure I fit in my suits come October for NAWMBA and January for interviews.

Whirlwind of a weekend! My brother flew in from San Diego Friday night, and was only here until Sunday morning. So Saturday was jam packed with meals at new restaurants, visits to friends’ houses so he could try their home brewed beer, walks in the woods, tailgates and football games. Very little homework or studying was done and I seem to be paying for it now but it was great to have him visit.

I also had the first of my many Sunday night dinners for SAC and had a lot of fun. Can’t beat a free dinner where I can just talk about why I love the school!

Now I have to pay for all my weekend fun though…

Manic Monday

The thing about business school, it doesn’t warm up, doesn’t let you get back into the swing of things. It’s GO, GO, GO! Yesterday was no exception, 2.5 hours of finance with an hour and 15 of accounting bright and early. Then there was an econ huddle, and team homework to keep me busy until 5. Spent an hour or so sending out emails to arrange our NYC trek at Thanksgiving and some networking stuff, while scarfing down my dinner before I had to head back to campus. This time it was for a trek leader meeting so we could get all of our dates straight. Minneapolis is a go for the first week in January and I may try to tag on a trip to the Bay Area. We will have to see how it all shakes out. Then back home for some homework, a phone informational interview and more homework. I finally crashed at 12:30 and again had a rough time getting up today. The scary thing is that this is just the ramp up to the worst week of the Core per all the second years…week 7!

Another day completed in the Kelley MBA program thanks to the goal! Finished my first final, went to an amazing multi-channel presentation put on by a senior consultant at Target, and then lunch and networking with 2nd year CMA-ers.

What better way to celebrate the end of week 5 than with a visit from my little brother! Even though his flight was late we were able to get him to Nick’s (One of Playboy’s top 10 college bars) and to the Upstairs to celebrate my friend’s birthday with Beer Golf. We finished off the night at Steak ‘N Shake. Goodbye week 5, hello, weekend!

It's Friday, but it doesn't feel like it

It’s raining outside, and I have a Critical Thinking test i just a few hours. I can’t even remember why I used to like Fridays any more. All they are now are midterms and finals.

However, there is a cool presentation after the test by a current team member at Target discussing channels. I am really excited.

Then it will be on to Academy Friday, where we will have lunch with the 2nd years and pick their brains about the Core and their internships. Hopefully, I can meet some more great contacts. After the meeting we are having a quickie Trek meeting to try to finalize our companies for the January trip to MN.

At 7 PM a big plane will land in Indianapolis with my brother on it! Can’t wait to show him around a real college town! It is going to be fun!

I guess Friday isn’t so bad after all, if you get rid of the Critical Thinking final ;)