MBA Job Search: On Pins and Needles

(page 2 of 2)

Cramming for the Future

So when I saw an e-mail from GE with a subject line that started with "Congratulations …," I was thrilled. Needless to say, I accepted the offer right away.

While I always assumed business school would calm down once I had an offer lined up, I have actually found that, in many ways, I am just as intense about my classes as ever. I recognize that I have only one more semester, which is half over, to learn more that will help me succeed in my career. I know much will be expected of me. I want to make sure I really understand the concepts, so I can apply them in creative ways on the job.

The one "senioritis" element that's definitely creeping in, however, is the aversion to group projects. Regardless of how terrific my group members are, coordinating so many busy schedules has moved beyond mere annoyance. Fortunately, as second-year students, we've learned how to narrow down the scope of projects to what's manageable and also how to divide the work effectively so the same thing isn't done twice and we can each work independently. The other nice aspect of more experience as a business school student is the level of trust and reciprocity. We've all become good at taking turns doing the brunt of the work for a time and then passing it along to another teammate.

In fact, even this journal entry is benefiting from the abilities of my wonderful business school colleagues. Right now, it is being edited by two of my best friends at McCombs. We are on a layover in O'Hare Airport before departing for India for a McCombs Global Connections Study Tour. It shouldn't come as a shock that we're sitting at the Chili's Too, reminiscing about two years that have gone by too fast, planning trips we'll take together once we're back in the real world, and trying to tinker with this article to get it within the required word limit. For an airport restaurant, Chili's Too is one sentimental spot.

Kathleen Voboril will be chronicling her experiences in GE Capital's ECLP Program at http://eclpblog.com/journey/

Kathleen Voboril is a full-time MBA student in the class of 2010 at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.

Business Exchange

Track and share business topics across the Web.