Thursday, May 14, 2009

Things I Learned This Year - Part I

First Year is over. I start my internship in T-4 days, and this summer is going to be quite unlike the year that's just gone by. I'm actually looking forward to going back into the corporate world, but my little cocoon at Darden has been a wonderful place to spend the last 9+ months.

So what have I learned? I spent the long drive from Virginia back to New York thinking about it, and here's what I would tell an incoming FY:

- Do the spreadsheets. It can be really tempting to sit in learning team and create a spreadsheet together, or have an LT-mate walk you through theirs. But, trust me, it won't sink in until you hash through the mechanics yourself - especially for those who weren't Excel monkeys prior to Darden, and even for those of you who were.

- Some professors teach directly from the tech notes. Read them. Sooner is always better than later.

- Get to know your sectionmates ASAP; first semester section camraderie is unlike anything I've ever experienced, and it really set the tone for the year.

- The case method can be infuriating. I may expound more on this later. But it can also be immensely rewarding. So give it a chance, even when you feel like you want to pull your hair out - which will be often.

- Don't skip First Coffee. I did this early on in the year, and learned quickly that First Coffee is one of the brightest spots in the day. You'll get to see all your friends, meet more, have casual chats with professors, and definitely have a few laughs. The coffee's not that good, but you'll get over it.

- Dean Carraway is by far one of the most awesome administrators at Darden. Get to know him. Between my own interactions with him and stories that I've heard from others, there is no denying this. He's also extremely easy to talk to, and you'll often find him at First Coffee chatting with students.

- Get to know the Second Years. There is no good reason for you to keep to yourselves, and most of them are very cool people. We were talking about this at the blogger dinner last week - even amongst the bloggers, we didn't spend enough time with each other, and there are certainly some regrets. We, as the SY class, pledge to make it different as well.

But most importantly, your friends will make it or break it for you. There is no case, no simulation, no project that I value more right now than some of my experiences with my fellow Dardenites. Maybe come the summer, you'll find me being grateful for having learnt regression. But I still feel extremely blessed to have them in my life, and some of the stories I could tell would blow you away. But I'll save those for another post.

11 comments:

Julie said...

As a soon-to-be FY, I promise to hold you to your pledge. :-)

Thanks for the tips!

MechaniGal said...

Gosh, really so much has happened this year! The amount of support and sense of community you get here has been the best part of it all... As the ville empties out, I can't wait for fall when the roller coaster ride begins all over again... We should do more outdoor dinners at the downtown mall in the fall - nevermind the bad food :)

fareed said...

Are you originally from Pakistan?

Greg said...

Thanks for the advice for us soon-to-be first years. Looking forward to meting you in August. :-)

WealthExpos.com said...

http://www.WealthExpos.Com is the leader in Trade Show resources. Wealth Expos Management provides current news and information on tradeshows, conventions and conferences where your company should be exhibiting.

VJhala said...

Thanks for these insights - this blog comes handy for UV-Darden Aspirants :) btw, it has been a while since you have written a blog here..

Jason Acidre said...

you have a good outlook in life and do keep it up.


uk bingo

Skyline College said...

your blog is too good. Cool in looks informative in Material...Thanks For sharing Information with Us.

bba

N. Nagajyothi said...

I just ran across your blog today. I'm planning on applying to business school in the near future. And so reading about your insights at Darden has inspired me.

I've been reading lots of MBA blogs recently and have a suggestion for how this blog can reach to many other needful B-school applicants. Beat The GMAT, which is a very active GMAT/MBA site, recently launched a blog directory (http://www.beatthegmat.com/blogs/all) to promote MBA blogs. If you add your blog to their blog directory, a lot more people like me will find your blog!

Please keep posting great stuff!

Redford said...

A year in any MBA, for me a year in a london business school mba, is a rollercoaster ride to say the least. I've been thinking about moving stateside to see what all the hubbub is about. Hopefull my applications get a couple bites...

Unknown said...

Well written. It was good to read your first year experience.
Nice sharing and keep posting.
business administration schools Columbus, OH