BW Online | July 18, 2002 | Vivian Cohen-Leisorek: Reflecting on the First Year of B-School

JULY 2002

MBA JOURNAL: FIRST YEAR REVIEW

Vivian Cohen-Leisorek: Reflecting on the First Year of B-School

"Regardless of our backgrounds, all of us can competently talk about financial analysis and then jump to marketing trends or management theories with ease. Case analysis is now second nature."

Vivian Cohen-Leisorek: Reflecting on the First Year of B-School^"Regardless of our backgrounds, all of us can competently talk about financial analysis and then jump to marketing trends or management theories with ease. Case analysis is now second nature."^^^Vivian Cohen-Leisorek: Reflecting on the First Year of B-School

Vivian Cohen-Leisorek
University of Haifa, Israel
Class of 2002

VIVIAN'S JOURNAL
Introduction
Admissions
Preterm/Orientation
Mid-Term Review
First Semester Overview
Beyond the MBA
Year-End Overview

STORY TOOLS

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SUMMER SCHOOL. Summer is here. You feel it in the constant hum of air conditioners and in the short sleeves and sandals we all wear to class. But our lack of focus during class can't be entirely blamed on the baking summer heat outside � though it makes a darn good excuse.

We've been studying almost nonstop for over 14 months, and the stress has caught up with us. Our thoughts are elsewhere � new projects at work, changes in the family (four of our classmates are in various stages of pregnancy at this point) and, yes, the unseasonable heat wave this June. We still have three months to go (no internships � just the last of our courses).

We're definitely burnt out.

Thanks to inexplicable supernatural forces (i.e. Professor Biger -- our Dean -- got the hint) the program is built in such a way that we only take three full (graded) classes this semester (instead of the usual four), and will have only two-and-a-half courses in the next (and thank God, final) term. To help us out even further, this term offers the most interesting combination of courses so far: Marketing (my background), Strategy (my new field of interest), and Entrepreneurship (my ultimate goal). A fourth "class" closes the of a series of lectures by renowned professors on everything on "Commerce on the era of the Phoenicians" to "Investigating Human Consciousness" � a nice excuse to relax Friday mornings meeting former students and enjoying traditional burecas (see my previous entry for details).

But despite all this, I still find it hard to concentrate. Proof of it is this entry, which I'm writing during Strategy class while I half listen to the case discussions on EMI/Wal-Mart and the Cola Wars. (Prof. Alexandrowicz, I hope you don't take it personally :-) )

We know the end is near, but we don't see it close enough to start the sprint for the finish line. Just a few more weeks...

On the flipside, we all feel that things are coming together. Regardless of our backgrounds, all of us can competently talk about financial analysis and then jump to marketing trends or management theories with ease. Case analysis is now second nature. And for our Entrepreneurship project, the hard part has been deciding the focus of our business, and not the "real job" of creating the comprehensive business plan.

Stop the pace! Our Vardimon Class takes a break in the terrace
of the Rabin Building.

IT'S AWARDS TIME. Since we've completed the large bulk of our coursework, we can now confidently start talking about prizes and honors. As we wind down to complete the seventh of eight terms, the GSB is also gearing up its awards season. Here are the results:

Classmates Robi Lorber, Eyal Mor, and Shlomo Catran
(front row) during a lecture

IEC Memorial Award (in Honor of Eddie Bronshtein)
The award is given in the memory of Eddie Bronshtein, a fellow Haifa alumnus and manager at the IEC that passed away at a young age after a long illness. The recognition goes to a student who excelled not just in his/her studies, but in enhancing the MBA experience for all of us. And none could have deserved it more than our classmate and friend Zohar Ginossar.

-and-

The view from our classroom - especially tempting in the summer

Our MPV (Most Probable Valedictorian) is a Vardimon classmate, Shay Strauss. Shay was already recognized earlier this year for having the highest GPA in our MBA class. Though the environment in Haifa does not encourage competition for grades, there is no grade disclosure policy. So Mazal Tov to Shay, and to runners up Limor, and especially to group mate Noga Priel for their honorific mention. You've made us proud.

The unofficial class picture of the Haifa GSB Class of 2002

AND IT'S PICTURE TIME! Only last week we had our official class photograph taken. Think of it as a dress rehearsal for the graduation ceremony � suits and all (no, no sandals this time). It is almost as if, from this point onwards, we have nothing to worry about: we're all in the picture.

People are also starting to bring their cameras to school. It seems that each of us is trying to capture the end-of-year atmosphere as best he can.

From left to right: Vardimon friends Sharon, Gilad, Vivian,
Amir, Shay, Gilad, Bilha, Tally, and Shlomo. Note the sandals!

So maybe we won't miss the late nights, or the lack of weekends, or the endless list of case studies to analyze. I know I will miss the people � but at this point, it's still seems a bit exaggerated to act nostalgic. We'll probably hit that point as soon as our final semester starts. With only two full-credit courses (Entrepreneurship II and our last Marketing course), plus a half course in Business Intelligence, the last period will give us enough time to breathe � and start to miss the GSB a little.

Our sister class, Vered, enjoying the sun before our
last "Culture and Management" seminar

It's encouraging to think that when I write my next entry, this particularly hot, humid summer (and most importantly, all of my school assignments) will be over. So with that encouraging thought, I leave you to go back to my case study. There's too much to do by September.

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