Full-time MBA Blog

It is the second week back on campus after a 6 week break and all I can think about was what I did over our vacation. The great thing about being a student is that you have a winter break in the first place. While last year my entire break was consumed with preparing for internship interviews in January, this year I had the entire 6 weeks to myself.

I have had many people that I trust tell me about how incredible their vacations to Thailand were. After a long time of listening to them it was my turn to make the trip myself. I voiced my interest this fall and immediately 3 classmates said that they would travel with me. With 6 weeks to kill we decided to start in Thailand and then make our way to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. In total we would travel 23 days and get back to school the day before it starts.

I could go on about what we did in each city but I will focus on the highlights and what I learned on my trip.

• A speedboat tour of Phan Nga Bay in Thailand had me thinking “this is the most beautiful place I have ever been” multiple times
• Feeding and riding elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand made me so happy that I now use it as my “happy place” whenever I am having a bad day.
• Being in a cage with live tigers makes you appreciate the power of nature
• You can buy things in Vietnam for cheap… like reaaallllyyyyy cheap
• I will never forget seeing Angkor Wat temple at sunrise. It’s also mind blowing to realize something so grand was built 1000 years ago
• Hong Kong feels like NYC but cleaner and more crowded. I don’t know how that’s possible
• When I go to work as a brand manager I need to figure out how to secure ad space that brands have in Hong Kong. The side of a building (http://www.my-lifestyle-news.com/2013/04/ermenegildo-zegna-wrap-one-peking.html) or an entire subway station (http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/2011/04/the-hong-kong-125th-anniversary-time-tunnel.html) are options for enormous takeovers.

In conclusion I loved my trip. Even the ridiculous week of jetlag was worth it! Unfortunately playtime is over and I have to think about school once again… except for when I’m thinking about elephants.

I am still in shock that my last semester has arrived. How did I get here? There’s a part of me that wishes I could stay at Stern forever, but there’s also a part of me that’s eager to get out there and show the world all that I’ve learned. I recently had the sad, but exciting task of selecting my last classes. The great thing about being a second semester second year is that I received all of my choices! The downside is that there is still so much I would like to take. In the end, I chose Decision Models, Pricing Strategy, Retail Strategy, Managing Growing Companies, New Venture Finance, Luxury Marketing, and DBi Italy. That may seem like a lot, but fear not. It only totals up to 5.5 classes, so a slight, but worthwhile overload, thanks in part to the extra 3 credits Stern allots you. Ultimately, after sitting in on many classes and consulting my friends for insight on their experience in certain courses, I am pleased with my selection. I like the mix of hard and soft skills built into my schedule this semester. During the selection process, I also met with several professors and faculty members to gain their input. I tend to be indecisive, so I figured an extra opinion or two could never hurt. The Stern community has yet to fail.

This brings me to the difficult start I had to my semester. During the last week of January, second year students completed a mandatory course called Professional Responsibility. It is a week-long intensive that covers various topics surrounding ethics. Unfortunately, in the afternoon on the first day of class, I received notice that a friend of mine had passed away from cancer. As one of my fellow GA’s and several friends comforted me while I sobbed, I was assured by the professor that I could take the time I needed. My friends remained supportive and encouraging. I knew I could rely on them for any notes or information I may have missed while I attempted to pull myself together. I ultimately chose to stay for the remainder of the day rather than go home. The decision was simple. I knew that I was better off surrounded by my loving, caring classmates than alone in my apartment. My fellow Sternies never left my side that week. They dragged me to lunch when I didn’t want to eat. They sat with me in silence listening to my reflections. They brought me humor when I cried. They checked in on me morning, noon, and night. Even in the short two weeks that have followed, I have had the undivided support from my friends.

So much of our decision regarding where to attend business school centers on academics and careers. While these are some of the compelling reasons I chose Stern, I ask you to reconsider your priorities. Ultimately, my experience here has been defined more by the people than by the institution. I am touched by their regular generosity and kindness. Needless to say, I’m not sure my two years at Stern would be half of what they have been without the community. It is truly a place that picks you up when you fall down the hardest.

Back in the swing!

Second semester has started and it’s been chaotic — unlike last semester, where there was some time to “ramp up” and learn the ropes before classes really hit full stride, this semester is definitely more intense work-wise much more quickly.

Part of the situation is that most MBA1s have been able to move away form the “core classes” taken first semester and start electives.  Through electives you can craft whatever concentrations (or specializations) you want to in tailoring your MBA.

Mine are far-flung, as I’m not 100% sure yet what my final concentrations will be.  A major challenge for me this semester will be my Regression Analysis class–an advanced statistics course.  What’s interesting about this course is that I’m one of only two full time MBAs in it.  Many of the students are Stern undergraduates or from other graduate programs–a few PhD students, a few Masters, etc.  This diverse milieu is definitely a new experience for me but one that should add a lot to the class.  It’s going to be a pretty challenging class though–so I’ll keep you posted on my survival.

Otherwise I have a full course load ahead.  Helpfully, I secured an internship for the summer ahead-so that takes a bit of the pressure off.  Looking forward to some of this snow melting so the commute to school is a bit easier…but excited for a productive semester.

M

I just returned from a month Down Under and was not prepared for the multiple polar vortexes that met me in NYC upon my return. The saving grace is that I am incredibly excited for my classes and professors this semester. In fact, I think I am over-registered for classes but that is a topic for another time.

One of the best things about grad school, and Stern in particular, is the ample amount of vacation time. I’m serious. And I mean this in a business sense. A lot of learning here at Stern takes place beyond the semester and beyond the walls of the classroom. Stern offers many travel programs (such as DBi classes, Commerce & Cannes, Operations in Panama, Operations in Vegas, etc.) to enrich the overall learning experience. Before arriving at Stern, I was convinced I would do multiple DBI’s, one every semester, and travel the globe. I’m in my last semester and while I haven’t managed to take any DBi’s yet, I have been able to take advantage of the vacation time to travel with Sternies, explore new cultures, deepen friendships and form new ones, and visit amazing places.

This past January, I spent a month traveling throughout Australia, Indonesia, and New Zealand, with a varied group of Sternies. Traveling with Sternies is great because everyone is so open and friendly and willing to travel together even if you aren’t best friends before the trip. Did I mention it was summer there and an average of 80+ degrees? The first stop was Sydney, where I learned how to surf in Bondi Beach and drank some of the best coffee ever (flat white). In the Whitsundays, I snorkeled the great barrier reef while a friend got scuba certified. I crashed the DBi in Melbourne, where we took a tour of the Great Ocean Road and spotted koalas, visited their version of Williamsburg (Fitzroy), sampled kangaroo steak (delicious!) and watched Venus Williams at the Australian Open (for class credit for the DBI’ers). In Indonesia, I wandered around terraced rice paddies, fed monkeys in the wild, ate delicious and cheap food, and explored the temples from “Eat, Pray, Love”. New Zealand has the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen. We went wine tasting, hiked a volcano, drove through rolling hills (think “The Hobbit”), hung out with sheep, visited gorgeous public beaches, saw dolphins, and drank more delicious coffee. I’m thankful that Stern gives us over a month off of school in order to take the time to pursue things we really love and that will enhance our lives – whether it’s spending time with family, traveling with friends, studying about business in a foreign country or a combination of all three. Alas, vacation is now over but the learning continues in the classroom!

Since I last posted, a lot has happened! First and foremost, I accepted an internship at Chanel in E-Commerce, which starts in just a few weeks. I feel truly fortunate to have this opportunity. I feel like I would not be in such a position with the support of my classmates and the strength of the relationship that the Luxury & Retail Club has built with Chanel over the years. My classmates were an integral part of my interview process. Knowing I had three friends who had interned there previously, I made a point to chat with them. Each to 30 minutes to an hour out of their day during finals time to speak with me and help ensure I was prepared. Their insight was definitely beneficial and put me at ease for the conversations that would soon follow. I look forward to sharing my experience with you this semester, so be on the lookout for some updates!

Additionally, I am fresh off of my winter break. I spent several days at home on Long Island with my family and a week in Louisiana with my boyfriend and his family. I find that even when I’m away from Stern, I can’t help but talk about it – everything from courses to my friends to my club activities. While many students spend these weeks traveling the globe, I opted for a more mellow time, which afforded me the opportunity to begin my internship early. (In case you can’t tell, I’m more than excited.) One of the nice things about Stern’s long winter break (it extends from late December to early February) is that students can use this time however they like. Many students travel, network, intern, take classes abroad for one to two weeks, or prepare for summer internship interviews as first year students. It’s up to you! Last year, I was interviewing for summer positions, but in your second year, you can choose from a range of options or mix and match. Some students just take this time to relax or visit family. Stern affords its students this time so that they can come back to classes ready to learn again. I think it’s one of the program’s many assets.

I look forward to sharing my Spring semester with you, so please keep reading!

Hello Everyone!

The first semester is almost at end.  Having gone through a whirlwind of classes, exams, club activities and recruiting events this entire time, my previous job seems like a lifetime ago now.  However, given a chance I would repeat it all again, and I am already planning on doing all the things I missed, next semester.

To this point, I feel one of the best learning experiences at business school are the different case competitions.  In addition to applying some of the newly learnt concepts to realistic business simulations, you get a feel of the work culture of the company which is running or sponsoring the competition.

Just this past week, NYU Stern hosted the finals of the Amazon.com Innovation Competition.  This was different from some of the other case competitions, as we had to pitch a new venture that Amazon could get into, instead of solving a specific business problem.  We were given three weeks to submit a 4 – 6 page proposal.  The three best proposals were then selected by Amazon, and the teams were to present their ideas and field questions from Amazon’s senior executives, at the finals.

I partnered with four first year friends, and we came up with Amazon “Box”, a personalized product discovery model for luxury products; piggybacking on the current popularity of sample subscription boxes, while leveraging Amazon’s customer database and its Prime program.  Even though we had formed our team at random, we realized our diverse backgrounds ranging from Advertising, Venture Capital to Tech startups gave us an end to end skillset while building the proposal.  One of my own takeaways was learning how to do cohort analysis for subscriber attrition rates in the e-commerce industry (and it wasn’t even in a class!).

We were one of the teams selected for the finals.  At the Q&A, we were challenged on a number of facets of our idea, which I felt we were able to defend.  The overall feedback was that our idea was quite logical and practical to implement at Amazon.  In the end, we won the first place, and an invite to meet Amazon execs at their Seattle office to discuss our business idea.

I feel that by participating in these competitions at Stern, I am gradually learning how to better evaluate and find holes in an idea, analyze its potential downstream impact and convey the message better.

I recommend everyone try competing in at least a few.  You might inadvertently come up with the next Amazon!

Cheers everyone, while I try to be brief in my next post.

Aditya

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?!

Hello everyone!

My name is Jimmy Richardson and I am a second-year MBA student specializing in both marketing and finance. I interned last summer at Unilever as a Brand Management Intern and have officially accepted my offer to go back there next fall. Aside from manning my post as a Graduate Ambassador in the Admissions Office here at NYU Stern, I am also very involved in several clubs on campus. I am the VP of Corporate Relations for the GMA (Graduate Marketing Association) and one of the Co-Presidents of Stern Follies, a massive on-campus production that is part live variety show and part video submissions.

Needless to say I have a lot of interests, which is a problem when you come to Stern and realize just how much there is to do. Between clubs, recruiting, Treks, Stern Consulting Core, and a full course-load I filled my schedule quickly. This meant making sacrifices – specifically when it came to choosing between my numerous commitments and taking an opportunity to sit in on one of the many speaker series provided to students by classes, clubs, and faculty.

Given the location of Stern in New York City there are leaders of business constantly in town and coming to Stern to speak to students. Last year I saw Dick Costolo (CEO of Twitter) speak, but missed out on Larry Fink (CEO of Blackrock), Ann Moore (former CEO of Time Inc.), Millard Drexler (CEO of J. Crew), and Jim Dolan (CEO of Cablevision, Owner New York Rangers & New York Knicks).

As an NYU student I have constant access to business leaders of this caliber, but that window is closing fast. This year I have made seeing these speakers a priority and I am so glad that I did. I have seen Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn CEO), Kevin Byrnes (former 4-Star General), Fred Wilson (Co-Founder Union Square Ventures), Eric Schmidt (Google Executive Chairman, former CEO), and David Maddocks (CMO Cole Haan) speak. All 5 of these speakers were engaging, spoke on interesting subjects, and stayed after to answer questions from the audience.

So finally, a few common threads to come out of these discussions:
1. Culture matters. It’s important that everyone believes in what the organization wants to achieve. If employees stop believing and begin questioning the strategy or motivation of senior management all is lost
2. Innovate! People who take risks will be rewarded
3. One of the most important traits you can have as a leader is to be a good listener.

Thanks for reading and have a happy holiday season! I look forward to blogging again when I get back next year.

Study Room Wars!

Well not really, but study room space at this time of year–Final Exams begin next week–is at a premium.  At Stern you reserve rooms in two hour blocks.  These days, when your two hours are up, you’re almost guaranteed to get a knock on the door asking you to wrap up.   It makes sense: the study rooms are the best place to study on campus–so everyone wants a turn.

Studying in general at Stern is probably not much different than you may expect from undergrad or other programs.  Unlike law school where there is just one huge exam at the end of a course, typically courses here will have two or three “mini” exams throughout the semester.  It does make the material a bit more digestible, but between exams and other “deliverables” like case papers, there always seems to be something due.  Of my five “core” courses I’m currently enrolled in, four of them have actual final exams, and one has just a final (five page) paper.

The paper is written, so the only thing left to do is buckle down and get this Accounting memorized.  Good thing there is a Starbucks right across the way.