TGIF
Instead of writing a super long entry about all the amazing things that happened over the first week of Orientation I present you with the summary of the main attractions:
- Free breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the entire week (I might have gotten used to that)
- Fabulous speakers including Leon Cooperman (Chairman and CEO of Omega Advisors, Inc.) and Bob Friedman (President of Radical Thinking),
- Intriguing discussions on Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility (with speakers from CitiGroup and the GAP), Corruption, and Self-Awareness
- Ten various bar gatherings
- Several team making/starting/leading/building lectures and exercises
- Two case studies
- A reception at the Guggenheim Museum
Did I mention that cluster E is the best? Now you know.
I could not be happier with my decision to come to Columbia. Everyone I meet is amazing and humble and friendly. I love my cluster as well as non-cluster friends. My study group is extremely diverse: in addition to yours truly there is a consultant girl from San Francisco, an IT Sector guy from New Orleans, an investment banker from Paris, a journalist from Israel, and if you don't think that is enough diversity we also have a 6'9" professional basketball player who has never worked a day in his life. It is going to be really interesting to see how we all work together.
I am off to yet another event but I will try hard to update more often!
- Free breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the entire week (I might have gotten used to that)
- Fabulous speakers including Leon Cooperman (Chairman and CEO of Omega Advisors, Inc.) and Bob Friedman (President of Radical Thinking),
- Intriguing discussions on Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility (with speakers from CitiGroup and the GAP), Corruption, and Self-Awareness
- Ten various bar gatherings
- Several team making/starting/leading/building lectures and exercises
- Two case studies
- A reception at the Guggenheim Museum
Did I mention that cluster E is the best? Now you know.
I could not be happier with my decision to come to Columbia. Everyone I meet is amazing and humble and friendly. I love my cluster as well as non-cluster friends. My study group is extremely diverse: in addition to yours truly there is a consultant girl from San Francisco, an IT Sector guy from New Orleans, an investment banker from Paris, a journalist from Israel, and if you don't think that is enough diversity we also have a 6'9" professional basketball player who has never worked a day in his life. It is going to be really interesting to see how we all work together.
I am off to yet another event but I will try hard to update more often!
posted by Marina at 6:36 PM
25 Comments:
Exactly what I suspected would happen. You are having the time of your life!
Glad to hear everything is going well. Stay safe.
Thanks Anon!
You are welcome. :-)
So, what classes do you have the first semester? The EMBA just finished
Marketing Strategy
Managerial Economics
Financial Accounting
Managerial Statistics
I must say, the classes went very fast for us. I don't think it was just the different schedule. There is a lot to learn over a diverse set of subjects. Lace up your running shoes, the semester will be fast.
peace
That sounds fantastic! Enjoy!!
You are stoked girl!
Anon (I bet you have a name!) -
I have the following classes:
-Strategy Formulation with Duggan (I am VERY excited about this class. I attended a mock class with him during Open House and he was AMAZING)
-Marketing Strategy with Lehmann
-Managerial Statistics with Maglaras
-Creating Effective Organizations with Abrahamson
-Financial Accounting with Yeo (though I did take the exemption test and will hopefully be taking Capital Markets instead)
-Managerial Economics with Sicherman (another class I am going to try to exempt out of)
-Corporate Financa with Ayotte
The first 4 of the above are half term classes. We start Stats and Accounting next week along with some optional math and excel review sessions and then the real madness starts on september 6th!
Enjoy your weekend!
wow! I wish I get to B-School next yr :-)
Have Fun!
hey marina
so great to hear from you again and that you are having such a great time in New York and at Columbia.
I wish you all the best and keep in touch if your schedule permits, ok?
i do have your e-mail.
huge hello from the west coast :)
christian
Everything I expect Columbia to be you said it is; that's why it's my first choice school.
GUYMBA.
Well, since there's already an Anon here -- I guess I'll have to settle for being #2.
Been reading your blog for a while, but this post just made a few things clear...
1) I'm not even 6' tall, much less a basketball player
2) Paris is a city I talk to frequently on the telephone -- but that's about it.
3) To my great shame, I've never even been to Israel, and my jornalistic skills are subpar to say the least
4) Post-Katrina, I can almost see how an IT guy from N.O. would have a few extra points in diversity
on the same IT guy from NYC
As much as I hate to admit, I think I understand why I'm still waitlisted...
Good luck to you -- and thanks for sharing.
Ok, I'll switch from anon to a pseudonym. That way #2 above will not have to settle for anything less than #1.
Marina, if you check LinkedIn you'll see my real name.
That class schedule looks daunting. It is interesting that Marketing Strategy and Managerial Statistics are half semester classes. The EMBA program has them as full semester classes. We've no overlap in instructors so I can't help you there.
I'll pass along an idea that helped me... if you run into trouble in a class, you can often find lecture notes for similar classes from other schools on the web. I found it helpful a couple of times to see a different presentation of the same material. That especially helped in stats and financial accounting.
For stats, here is the link to the download page for the materials used in the class I just finished.
http://www.columbia.edu/~dj114/7014btofc.htm
That's all the material used by Professor Juran. You might find the class notes (files named part1.doc, part2.doc, ... part7.doc) useful. You might also find useful the solutions to practice problems (in "Book III" towards the bottom of the page).
Another tip which they've already told you, but I will confirm... do the prep work for each class, especially the cases. You'll get far more out of the lectures. Try to discuss cases ahead of time with your group. It will make your prep work much lighter and allow you to keep up. (Keeping up is a challenge in the EMBA program -- you may not have as bad a time at it.)
peace
Anon #2 (there is nothing wrong with being a two!) -
For every highly accomplished/unique person I have met there are at least 3 normal people who like myself are not quite sure how we got in. Don't give up!
p.s. the IT guy has actually beeing working in IT in NYC, but originally he is from new orleans :)
anon, waitlist is hell on the psyche. i was there too. the one thing you know about the waitlist is that you have what it takes to be accepted. instead of measuring yourself against the attributes of others -- something you can't change -- find a way to promote yourself better. don't give up.
columbia is notorious for wanting to be loved. you really have to let them know cbs is your dream. that means raising your profile with the school. network with admissions people there. i'm sure they told you that nothing more was necessary for you to do but to wait for them to call you. don't do that. figure out some information about yourself they need to know (e.g. a promotion, successfully finishing a project at work, anything that shows accomplishment). use that as the pretext to update them on your status. in your letter, reiterate exactly why columbia fits with you and your goals perfectly. let them know columbia is the only school you want to attend. it worked for me. i was told directly by an admissions officer that my letter was key to them deciding to admit me.
don't give up and don't let the bastards get you down.
#2 here again (figured it was getting waaay too crowded here, so I'll step out of the shadows :))
Marina, I apologize for using your blog as a public forum -- feel free to shut me out if I get too annoying.
To the anonymous waitlist survivor --
your post echoes everything I've heard so far. What really helped me is the fact that my best friend is a '06 graduate, so quite a few people from his Cluster E (and yes, he seemed to like them as much as Marina does :)) have volunteered to guide me.
I've tried to follow the same strategies that worked for everyone who's gotten in -- so the letter telling AdComm about my promotion, as well as my friends' Alumni "Just wanted to let you know what a great guy Gene is" letter have been with my waitlist manager for a few weeks now.
At this point, I'm fresh out of ideas -- some of the success stories I've heard involved exotic options like befriending your alum interviewee (worked real swell in China, where Westerners seemed to flock a lot more to each other then, say, on Long Island where mine lives), or making friends with a retired Columbia professor who just happened to be living next door (I am surrounded by disgruntled MTA and TSA employees).
It also does not help that I'm trying to go for J-Term -- which cuts down on the possibility of people choosing another school over CBS. I was told by my waitlist manager that final decisions would not be made anytime soon, and I'm out of ways to say "CBS, I love you" already :(.
If you can think of any ways that a "normal" IT guy who does not save whales or starving children on the weekends (I'm trying to work something out in the charity event department, but that's a few months away) can show the AdComm that he's their man -- I would really appreciate any suggestions.
Marina, I apologize once again for taking over your blog, and hope to meet you at some point -- hopefully, at a Central & Eastern European Business Club gathering at CBS.
Columbia sounds like a blast! sometimes I also wonder how a normal joe like me got into bschool
so much fun!!!! :) Congratulations on your success Marina!
Enjoy Columbia and knock 'em dead girl!
Wow. 6'9"... you'll might be a baller the next time I see you! ;-)
Hello,
I am in the Columbia Grad School of Arts and Science but am able to cross-register for courses in the b-school. I am interested in "MEasuring MEdia Audiences." Are there any websites rating the b-school classes and professors?
Thanks
just read "Lucky" by Alice Sebold. Something else.
Wow! The composition of your study group sounds swesome!!!
M apping to Columbia this yr, keeping my fingers n toes crossed :)
Hey, were you at the Happy Hour yesterday? Cool party. Very similar to our LBS Sundowners. I don't know if I would survive all these months without free drinks on Thursdays :-)
Yes, that would be cool. Drop me an email and we'll work it out.
Hey, I was looking @ Columbia's site to get in touch with someone who is moving into nonprofit post MBA, or even someone who is from the nonprofit sector. I couldnt find any :( Could you plz help me get in touch with someone with that kinda profile? Many many thanks in advance! :)
Thanks for thr prompt response! Didnt think of that, I have mailed them now. Thanks again! :)
so quiet here... just like a library... is someone studying?
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