|
|
 UNDERGRADSMain Page2007 RankingsAdmissions Q&AsCareer Q&AsUndergrad ForumReading ListRecruiter Q&AsSchool Report CardsSchool ToursUndergrad 24-7Undergrad VideosNews HeadlinesPREMIUM CONTENT
| |
MARCH 2004 MBA JOURNAL: YEAR TWO Dima Abushaaban: Academics and More "I feel I should preface this entry by saying that although I'm technically a second-year student, in many respects it's as if it's my first year." To begin with, it's definitely an odd position to be in. Although I appreciate the GSB's flexible approach to this joint degree program, I can understand the reasoning behind other schools' more rigid curriculum choices in their joint degree programs (usually consisting of one year at one school followed by one year at another school, followed by a mix in the third year). It does get a little annoying after a while having to give an explanation when asked the simple question, what year are you? Also, having gone through the first year orientation events last year, I did not go through it again this year, and definitely found it difficult to meet first years. This was most obvious during recruiting events. While everyone I knew was going to full-time recruiting events, I was going to events for internship recruiting. And while it was nice to know what to expect, it was a bit disconcerting to walk into a room of up to 200 peers and recognize hardly anyone. It's also odd to realize that almost everyone that I started with will be gone after this year. To some extent, it's as if I'm being left behind. Of course, it's not all bad. There is definitely an advantage to having been through it all last year. I don't have to worry about understanding the bidding system (the GSB's registration system for classes), or asking as much about who the preferred teachers are for any given class. I can target my time a bit more wisely when it comes to student groups (no more joining every group and figuring it out later), and, even though I didn't go through it myself, I definitely know what to expect from recruiting having watched everyone go through it last year. I was also able to get the inside scoop on full-time recruiting through the eyes of friends who went through it this year, hopefully making things a little less unexpected for next year. Additionally, I'm able to interview prospective GSB students as part of their application process (something only second-year students can do), and feel like I at least have a small role as to who I'll actually be in classes with next year. As far as classes go, I'm taking only three this year, compared with four every quarter last year. And I must say, that one extra class makes a world of difference. I really do feel like I have more time this year, though that may also have to do with not having to work on a Masters thesis, as I finished it last year. At any rate, I decided to take two Middle Eastern studies related classes and one business class this quarter. I signed up for Third Year Arabic and a Methodology class titled Approaches to the Study of Islamic History. Both classes required a lot of work, and the methodology class was another reminder of my unique status, since it is usually a class taken in the first year of study and before a student writes their thesis; two criteria that did not apply to me. For my third class, I decided to take marketing strategy, as I had yet to take any strategy-related classes, and it was area that I really didn't know much about. I was able to take the class with Professor Sanjay Dhar, a very well renowned professor at the GSB and in his field. Professor Dhar was known for his friendly demeanor and his high-energy case discussions. His class was half lecture and half case-based and I've definitely learned to appreciate that approach. I feel the lecture was beneficial to me as it gave me an opportunity to understand the concepts on their own, while the case gave me an opportunity to explore how those concepts are applied. Additionally, this class consisted of group case write-ups, which I appreciated. Working on the write-ups gave me a chance to bounce ideas off others in a small-group setting and to be exposed to ideas I wouldn't necessarily come up with myself. Professor Dhar also kept us interested by inviting speakers from companies such as Bain Consulting and Microsoft to lead us in a class analysis of a real world case. I definitely learned to appreciate the importance of marketing concepts and strategy and was able to see first hand their relevance to analyzing and solving real world business issues.
 
BW MALL
SPONSORED LINKS
Buy a link now!Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds.  Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed. Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video. To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here. Learn more, go to the BusinessWeekOnline home page  | | MARCH [an error occurred while processing this directive] Learn about your online education options |
 Copyright 2004, Bloomberg L.P.Terms of Use | Privacy Notice |
MBA Insider
Printer-Friendly Version
