The one thing about January that all Stern students have in common is no class for almost a month. That leaves room for literally a world of possibilities when it comes to leveraging all this “free” time. For me, the month of January means spending three weeks in sunny Rio followed by one week in Peru hiking Machu Picchu.
For many MBA1s, January will be used to prepare for interviews and secure summer internships. Those vying for consulting internships will spend much of their time in study rooms on campus for the first half of the month sharpening their casing skills for interviews later in the month. By the end of the month, students recruiting for banking will know which companies they’ll be working with over the summer. Those interested in tech or media will likely be found in LA or San Francisco visiting companies like Pixar, Disney, Google and Facebook as part of weeklong treks held by our Entertainment Media Technology Association.
Those of us who are not recruiting in January will likely be somewhere on the other side of the world, shaping our perspectives on global business. Some students will be embarking on the first few weeks of a spring semester abroad, at places like London Business School or HEC in Paris. Another large percentage will be in Israel, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica or other places for one to two weeks as part of the Doing Business In (DBI) program. These students will be learning about industries abroad that are relevant to Specializations, such as Tech, Luxury and Retail, Social Innovation or Finance.
Another group will be learning about, business, culture and society in India through the Social Problems Based Entrepreneurship course. I, and thirty others participating in Stern’s International Social Impact Strategies (ISIS) class, will be in Rio consulting with small companies and nonprofits. We will spend two weeks helping solve business problems, like how to expand a company’s revenue sources or restructure them for growth.
One of the most exciting parts of these trips abroad is the social travel that accompanies them. DBIs, study abroad and other classes are great launching pads for travel to neighboring countries during off weeks. For instance, many of us will spend new years in Rio and explore other countries, like Argentina, Venezuela and Peru, after our ISIS project is complete. Other students, who are not participating in specific courses, are also planning their own group trips around the world. I’ve heard chatter about group trips to Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, South Africa and India, among other places.
As we wrap up finals, January is the hottest conversation topic these days. As you can imagine, students are anxiously anticipating it the month for many reasons. The question, “what are you doing in January?” probably holds just as much value to us as “what are you doing for the summer?” I think of it as a month for great progress, where we have the opportunity to reflect, regroup and explore…and of course find jobs. What better way to start the new year?!