What Happened?!

It's almost been a month since my last post, that is completely unacceptable! Even if you consider that I have no time for myself, let alone time for blogging. So I will try to bring you up to speed without the whining, and try to make it as brief as possible.

Where did we last leave off? I was in Israel, or Jordan, being bussed through the desert. The trip was amazing, I got to see so many things that people wait their whole lives to see. Meanwhile, learning about business and culture. And I think I have eaten my lifetime quota of pita bread.

The trip was a whirlwind, but I didn't expect the tsunami that the second 7 would bring! 4 new classes, to be topped with a redo of our KIP presentation and residual CMA project work. Doesn't sound too bad right? You had 8 classes at a time in Core, this should be a piece of cake! WRONG! With the responsibilities of Kelley Women, SAC, my parents in town (thanks Mom and Dad for the bed & all the dinners) I am getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Addie has been pretty depressed as we are gone all the time. The weather has been fantastic and she has hardly been able to enjoy it.

So where does that leave us? With 2 1/2 days before the end of the week, I have:

• 3 more team meetings
• 3 more class sessions
• SAC meeting
• A presentation
• Experience Weekend activities

Pray for me!

Holding on for Dear Life

The last two weeks have been intense. I don't even know where to start, last week seems like a year ago and the week before (gala, etc. even longer!) Finals have been killer with the wrap up of my Tiffany & Co. brand valuation and recommendation, my market research analysis report, KIP presentation, Diesel brand valuation, CMA project work and an accounting final. Phew! Makes me tired to even write it out!

And it hasn't just been schoolwork tying me up; there has been volunteering, Kelley Women Speaker Series, Pilates, Yoga, Dinner with Friends, researching Japanese cooking at the Asian Cultural Center, Carnival, Kelley Women farewell dinner, blogging for school, and trying to have some semblance of a life (watching the Olympics with Charlton and the pets)

Both of us are really burnt out, was it possible to be more exhausted than when we were in Core?! Any 2nd year that said this would be easier was definitely lying.

So to try to make up for the torture of the last few weeks...I slept in (after having fallen asleep on the couch until 6 am), then I did a little research for CMA, made lunch, gave Addie a bath, did a little laundry, took Addie to the dog park and watched Public Enemies after picking up some Mexican food from La Torre.

I wish I could sit around all day tomorrow, but still have some laundry left to do and some reading for Academy Week 2 (ugh!) Can't wait for spring break in Israel.

Catching Up

Things have been crazy, definitely not easier than last semester. Way too many teams, projects and things going on. Trying to keep up with what is going on with market research so I can run chi-square tables and knowing what Japanese are cooking in their kitchens and the price differential between Tiffany's sterling silver and the generics at Blue Nile. Exciting huh? It has been a whirlwind.

If it wasn't for outlook I wouldn't know where I have been, where I am or where I am going.

Friday was one of my first Friday in a long time that I didn't have CMA, it allowed me to relax at home and to get a jump start on the mountain of homework. I also mocked a classmate for the first time. She is interested in going into retail and I was the first person she thought of :) We also took the car in for a much needed oil change, its needed it for awhile.

We got some snow over the weekend so we have pretty much camped out in the apartment over the weekend. Didn't help we both had stomach aches yesterday and weren't too excited to go out.

This morning we went to my cohort teammate's baby blessing at his church. It was really special and I am glad to have been able to share in it. One of those moments I know I wouldn't have if we hadn't been at Kelley.

And now instead of staring at my accounting until I go crazy, I am taking a much needed break to FINALLY watch my Christmas present...Julie and Julia. ooh la la.

Then its off to watch the Super Bowl at Wayne Winston's and then our friends. Go Saints!

It's Thursday?

Where has this week gone? I had every intention of blogging all this week, but like life it got away from me. I am on my way to class and then have a meeting with my Academy directors to discuss our CMA project and then I should have the rest of the afternoon and evening to myself. So a real update should be coming soon...I promise!

Manic Monday

Day started at 6 when my Blackberry started chirping. *Time to get up!* I straightened my hair and then grabbed a few more minutes of sleep before stumbling out to the kitchen to feed Addie.

I grabbed my laptop and got to writing some emails while I watched the Golden Globes' Red Carpet (they were on Sunday?! Where have I been?!) I made a salad for lunch, packed it up and got a bunch of work done. Then off to school to start my marathon day.

Monday's are always packed, 3 classes my most all week. But on top of that I had 2 team meetings and an informational interview I did for a project. Kelley Women had a bunch going on today too, as our budget was due to MBAA and we are trying to update our website.

Tonight's KIP has been my favorite so far, we had a professor speak to us about the Israeli Special Forces and their selection process, so cool.

Didn't get home until 8ish or so and then it was time to catch up on emails and finish up a few projects. I have a bit more that I had wanted to get done but I am planning on getting up early again tomorrow...and the whole process starts all over again!

Internship - check, Schoolwork - ??

Everyone thinks I am on easy street now, my dream internship under my belt and the rest of the semester should be smooth sailing right? Um, no. Now that we are out of the core the number of teams I am on has grown exponentially (from one to four!) and now that I have a leadership role in Kelley Women, that seems to fill in any of the space not already allocated to school projects.

Accounting thankfully is not a lot of group work, but we have lots of cases to prepare for every class. Thankfully, for me Charlton is forced to take the same class so I have a study buddy at home to make sure I am not allocating costs to projects based on some silly driver like times they turned on the light switch.

Brand Management has a fairly in-depth project where we value a brand. My team (of 6) is valuing Tiffany. We have to look at the consumer perceptions and then a few different valuation methods. The good thing about having a team so large is we can have mini-projects within the project. Each pair has their own valuation, mine being product based. We also have a survey we all created to gauge customer preferences, so if you are reading this and want to help out...click here.

Market Research has a project too, teams of only 4, but so far it seems fairly straightforward. It is more of an exercise to get us using SPSS so our professor is walking us through it. Perfect!

Then there is my KIP class where we have teams of five to work on case write-ups and our industry presentation in a few weeks. Our first case write-up was on the Israeli Special Forces and really interesting. As for the industry presentation we are going with agriculture as CPG was too hard to find resources on.

Lastly, there is my CMA project where we are working on a global entry strategy for Kitchenaid...something like what we would see in our internships. It is fairly vague and we haven't gotten too far in, but I already know more than I ever thought I would on Japanese cooking tastes and trends.

And if that wasn't keeping me busy enough, there is our readings, homework, housework (still haven't done laundry this week!) and try to keep up with my friends. Pulled in 500 directions, and this was supposed to be easier than the core?

The next adventure...

This week has probably been the most hectic, stressful and yet exciting period of my life. The week started off with an interview with Target. They were the reason I had come to business school, so I had a lot riding on me to do well on the interview. 10 or so of my classmates were also interviewing and we didn't know how many spots they were planning on taking from Kelley (eep!) About 6 of us got called Monday evening to come back for a second round on Tuesday.

Cue more stress, smaller pool but still no indication on how many slots. Did the best I could do under the circumstances and made sure to take a little of the edge off by talking to one of the senior buyers after. It's funny how much more relaxed you are when your resume is no longer on the table. Decisions were to come out on Weds. *cue dramatic music*

Weds morning came and went, as did Weds afternoon. All my classmates knew how badly I wanted the position and were checking in with me every chance they got. I began to sound like a broken record with "still no news." I think by the time I got home I didn't have any fingernails left!

When we got home, I pretty much gave up on the idea of hearing whether I would make it or not. I settled in to watch "Everybody Hates Chris" (how apropos right?!) and tried to relax. Then, BZZZ BZZZ! A 612 number! OMG! And that was it! My offer to my dream internship, still makes me get all choked up. I had worked so hard for it so to see it come full circle was great validation.

After I got off the phone, I was frantic! Who to call first!? After attacking Charlton and squealing for a good 5 minutes, I called my mom who was just as excited as I was. Then there was my sister, brother, friends and my aunt to fill in. I seriously got nothing done yesterday.

This has been a nutty week, but I am glad it is finally over and with such positive results. Now I can finally start focusing on schoolwork again!

Weekend Recap

Friday: Was the kickoff of our CMA projects, mine is evaluating global entry for Kitchenaid brand. Very exciting stuff! My team had a little meet and greet to discuss questions we wanted asked and then we met with the other team working on the project to have a conference call with our project manager at Whirlpool. We have lots of information, and we can't wait to get started, too bad we have those pesky interviews in the way! After CMA I volunteered at the snack shack for the Kelley Women's Case Comp. I got to hang out with some classmates and attempt to do homework so not a bad gig. Although I didn't get to leave campus until 7, though. Then it was off to Target to get thank you notes for this week.

Saturday: All day spent studying and doing homework. At 5, headed to campus to watch Operation Thunderbolt with my KIP classmates. Then off to the IMU for the Case Comp awards dinner where Kelley took home 3rd and one classmate took home honorable mention for her part of the presentation! Good job ladies!

Sunday: More of the same, lots of accounting, lots of reading for our KIP. Also a little interview prep, but not too much as one of my favorite second years reminded me that I know what I am doing. Let's hope she is right. Charlton had a group project at 7, so I packed my bag and watched trashy tv and was in bed by 9:30.

Long day

So I didn't get to leave campus today until 8, and I got there at 9:30...what a day! First, I trucked across campus to pick up my SPSS software for my Market Research class. Was very glad the rain decided to come later, that's for sure. Then back at Kelley, I attempted to read for class and didn't get very far as I was talking to my classmates who were preparing for their first interviews on campus. Next up, Market Research where we talked about the 2 hour focus group video we watched on diagnosing allergies. Then straight to a planning meeting for the International Dessert Potluck we are co-hosting with Asian & Latin MBA. After that, a meeting to talk about my experiences at Qualcomm with an Investment Management Academy student who plans on pitching the stock for the fund the academy manages. Then a little more studying and talk about interviews (the hot topic of every first year these days) and then there was an MBAA funding and planning meeting. Once that wrapped up, I got debriefed on volunteering for Kelley's first Women's Case Invitational that my friends are competing in. After the quick debrief, it was off to the kick off reception in the basement catered by Good Life Culinary, which was absolutely delicious! Once the girls were all settled in their break out room, I finally left school and went to Target to get my thank you notes for next week. Finally collapsed on the couch around 9 to watch Martha and the office and get a snack. I have spent the last hour reading Market Research stuff and can hardly keep my eyes open. Need to get to bed, I have a big day tomorrow...CMA team project kick-off and a conference call with my project coordinator at Whirlpool.

In the middle

Yesterday was nuts, but most of my days are now. Had accounting and brand, a mock, a Kelley Women exec meeting and a brief visit to the museum. Then I got home and spent 2-3 hours updating what we want to do with the website so my chair can fix it up for us. Fun times! Have a feeling today is going to be worse, on campus from 9:15-8:00 pm. Wish me luck!

And its over!

We finally finished plowing through the Wire. Just in time for us too, things are ramping up like crazy here.

Today wasn't so bad itself: Market Research, tons of Kelley Women stuff and my first Pilates class at the HPER. Oh and my first tour for SAC.

Tomorrow is another story with Accounting, Brand Management, Kelley Women Exec meeting a mock interview, and an event at the Art Museum. Buckle up!

MIA

When we were immersed in the Core all we heard was it would get better second semester. Well, now I am not so sure. My time seems even limited, and I only have 4 classes. But now I have 2 class teams so far, 1 academy team and then Kelley Women Exec activities taking up my time. Oh and don't forget mock interviews! I had 4 mock interviews and then a GCS sponsored slam-a-thon in the span of 3 days. And their not even over yet, I have another one already lined up for next week, and maybe an interview if I played my cards right.

The atmosphere at school has changed a lot too. Can't say they didn't warn us, that things would change once preference lists for companies came out and I definitely feel it. More competitive, a little jealousy, and a lot of people who are torn between being excited and being depressed. It's a weird time: new classes, new attitudes and new commitments.

Where is my seat?

The start of a new semester and my first day of non-core classes, its weird to type that. While it is fun to have new classes and ones I picked I already miss some of the familiarity there was in the core. I don't have the same seat, I have to move classes and second years mixed with the first years changes the dynamic a lot. I am sure it will take some getting used to and then by then it will be summer right!?

Today I had my most filled day class wise with 3 classes: Managerial Accounting, Brand Asset Management and KIP Israel. So far I like all of them and I am really pumped about KIP Israel, and yes they bribe us with food from Falafels, but I am really excited at all we are going to see and experience. In an effort to get to bed before 1, here is the rest of my day in a nutshell:

• Waited in line forever to mail our textbooks we sold
• Signed up for the wrong pilates class after getting lost in the HPER
• Switched my pilates class to the one my friends are in
• Watched an episode of the Wire
• Fast forwarded through a whole episode of Martha Stewart watching only 2 minutes
• Wore my new boots in the house for a good 2 hours
• Danced when I got a present from my aunt of new silverware!
• Talked to my dad on the phone
• Read my case for Brand Management's Weds class on Samsung
• Read a chapter of Accounting
• Made appointments for 3 mock interviews this week
• Tried to kick this cold
• etc.

There is no warm-up, just go!

Closing in

on what has been the most intense 16 weeks of my life. And because I am days away from being doesn't mean I can slack, I think I scheduled more stuff today than I have had in awhile. First up, Finance final. Didn't leave crying, but I think the other finals have made me dead to getting worked up. Then picked up my Accounting final from the MBA office, not stellar but not the worst grade in the class, something I have really had to get used to this semester.

Then the fun began...MOCKS! I had arranged back-to-back mocks with 2 second years that have a lot of knowledge about one of my top companies so they could coach me and help me shape my answers better. They went better than expected, have I really gotten better over the last 16 weeks with that too? Wow! Just have a few minor ticks I have to work on and need to polish up a couple answers. Interview stream here I come!

Next up, my transition meeting for Kelley Women. I sat down with the former VP and talked about the role and some of the challenges and things I will need to handle. Then a major data dump onto my jump drive so I am all set for next semester. Going to have to fly on my own as soon as I get back from break as she won't be back to Kelley until after Spring Break, must be nice to study abroad in Switzerland!

And then because I was dead, we headed to Target and then walked around the mall before heading to Bucceto's to grab a pizza. Since then I have gotten some gifts together to some of my favorite second years who have helped me out a lot and NOTHING! A girl needs to recharge her batteries so I don't crash and burn before Friday. Studying is what Thursdays are for!

It keeps going and going and going...

Another day of class, an afternoon of informational interviews, an evening of slam sessions (with the director of GCS no less) and elections. Just another day at Kelley, sure doesn't feel like the core is winding down at all.

Tomorrow is a day jam packed with CMA activities. Breakfast with General Mills, case question prep with Scotts, and who knows what else. Let the Marketing begin!

Snow Day!

Today was our first snow here in Bloomington. We have had frost, but no snow. Still crazy as a Southern Californian to look out my window and see it falling. I took Addie out in it, and I don't think she is a fan. This could make for an interesting winter.

Another packed day at Kelley: class, peer coach meeting, work on my election presentation, networking emails, and organization. Didn't even get a chance to start reviewing for the finals. Better get on those quick though, the first one is in little over a week.

The semester is winding down, but it sure doesn't feel like it. It's like Week 7 deja vu!

So tomorrow is the last final push before the end of the semester. That meant this weekend was filled with all the week's readings and some shopping trips. Lots of things are crossed off the to-do list, however, more things than have been crossed off have been added. There is light at the end of the tunnel...December 19th!

Run over by a bus...

After 4 days of camping out in a breakout room at Kelley that's what I feel like. Not that I have over done it, or put in crazy long hours (although today's 12 hour day was the exception, normally we have been doing 8-9 hours a day) I am just done. Ready to put the case behind us and venture out of the breakout rooms. My team has worked really well together, and our second year mentor has been great as he has checked up on us consistently to make sure we weren't killing each other. It's always good to know that someone else wants you to succeed.

We finished up around lunchtime today with getting all of our data in our finished powerpoint, and the rest of the day was practice, practice, practice. My teammate's wife brought us dinner (yummy quiche, thanks!) and we finally left the Godfrey Center at 9:30ish.

When I got home, I was in desperate need of some non-bus time and watched Martha Stewart's pie show. After talking to my brother and finishing the last load of laundry it was time to hop in the shower and blow dry my hair, a girl has to look good for her presentation.

I have to be at school at 7:45 tomorrow, ready to get the first round over with and find out if I can relax on Thursday or if I have to bring my A game again...wish me luck!

What day is it!?

After what seems like an eternity working on case comp, all the days have run together and I can't keep them straight anymore. Charlton said something along the lines of "the Browns are on Monday Night Football tonight" and I swear I must have looked at him like he was crazy, Monday already! Where did the weekend go? We have to be ready to roll with our presentation on Wednesday morning so that means it has to be done tomorrow night before our practice time at 7. eep! I have to finish our entry method slide tonight and then I will most likely spend the bulk of tomorrow working on what I will actually say with my team tomorrow. This has gone by so fast.

In other news, I have finally booked my trip home for Christmas. I am really excited as it will be the first time I will see my sister and her family since August. I am in definite need of some girl time and a few hugs from my niece...especially after case comp!

round and round, round and round, round and round...

Today was another marathon day of working on our case, 8:30-5:45. We got a lot done, and have a direction that may work for us. I did a lot more research when I got home (thank goodness for the Wells Library Staff and their IM tool!)

Going to turn in early tonight, as I think everything is catching up with me. Here’s to some dreams not about buses!