We are half way through the second semester, which means I am officially 7/8’s of the way done with my MBA. Many of us are headed out of town for spring break this weekend, so I figured it’s a good time to share the second edition of my favorite things at Stern. As mentioned in my previous post, these are a few of the reasons I love being a Stern student:
- My Finance Classes: Upon enrolling at Stern, I thought I would fill my schedule with “softer” classes such as leadership and management. I wasn’t even sure I would take finance. However, after my first semester, I saw how valuable the finance knowledge and skill set would be for my career. Subsequently, I took Foundations of Finance last spring, and became hooked. Since then I have also taken Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, and Financial Modeling. It is clear why Stern has such a strong reputation for finance, when these classes and professors can convert even the most reluctant student into an enthusiastic financial modeler.
- Beer Blast: As mentioned in my previous post, Beer Blast is a weekly social gathering held every Thursday. SGov and student clubs provide the food, beer, and theme decorations,* while full- and part-time students mix and mingle for four hours. Beer Blast is often my favorite part of the week. I know that I’ll be able to catch up with friends that I might not see during the week, and often times get to know some of my classmates better. There are always a few hotly contested beer pong games being played, and an occasional dance party. It doesn’t get much better than a Thursday night in the basement of the Kaufman Management Center hanging out with my classmates.
- Block One: All incoming Stern students are assigned to “blocks” of 65-70 students with whom you take your core classes with. My block, fondly nicknamed Block Won, has been the cornerstone of my community at Stern. Our block had instant rapport, and has been hanging out since the first week of school. We have one or two block-wide parties a semester. I also frequently partner with Block One members for group projects. This is also a community that I’m confident I’ll stay in touch with post-Stern. I look forward to more block parties for those of us who stay in New York, and getting coffee with others as I travel for consulting.
All this being said, I am certainly glad I have another 1/8 of my MBA career to go! The next eight weeks will be filled with group projects, final presentations and exams, a class trip to Puerto Rico, time with friends and plenty of Beer Blast. I could not be happier.
*Beer blast themes range from an Oscar party hosted by the Entertainment, Media & Technology Association to the Halloween party hosted by the Entrepreneurs’ Exchange.