Quarter 1, Almost Done

Can you believe it? My first quarter is almost nearing its finish? Turkey Day is right around the corner and as luck would have it, I have a financial accounting exam to look forward to....tomorrow! Eeek!

Thus far, this quarter has flown by faster than I can slurp a bowl of soup--literally and I mean it!  Every other week, it's either a case study, midterm or paper and the ever-much-needed late night happy hours with the social bunch of us.  So, how do I feel, you wonder? Actually, pretty darn productive. At first, it was hectic because I have to travel a lot for my job, but then I also got really good at managing my time.  Needless to say, however, I have not seen the interior of my gym any more times than I can count on my hands (although, today I did manage to sneak in for a spurt of endorphins with ab works and pilates).  Honestly, I don't know exactly where I find the time to study, but let's just say I've become BFF with the Panera and Barnes & Noble down the street--not to mention the late night jolts of espresso.

Regardless, being in a part-time MBA program does have its perks.  First and foremost, my classmates and I are extremely efficient.  The first month of classes, we had group assignments practically every week and I was amazed at how productive we were in meeting up, setting priorities, assigning tasks and pretty much just getting whatever we needed to do accomplished.  It was a bit of an adjustment getting acclimated with everyone's working style, but that's expected from any group work.  Organizational behavior is hands down the star of the quarter for me--which makes me understand exactly why UC Davis is ranked #2 in the world for our expertise in this particular field.  The main takeaway for me is understanding how (in)effective managers lead and how they are directly responsible for the outcomes of their organization.  It made me realize why I left my previous employers and understand the reasons I became disillusioned with my work.  But more importantly, OB is giving me a new perspective on own leadership style and how organizational culture can significantly impact my personal & professional happiness within a company.

As for financial accounting, it has been amazingly challenging, but remarkably worthwhile.  Of course, as expected from any ranked MBA program, our focus is on financial analysis of accounting methods.  Pretty much, it's understanding what critical questions to ask when examining a company's financial statements so that as an executive, you can manage your books and as a shareholder, you can be wiser about which investment decisions you ultimately undertake.  And that's about all of accounting I can sum up right now as it has seriously been the only thing I've been looking at for the past few days after I spent 3 hours of my life writing like a mad fool for an OB exam I just took on a Friday night! 

And oh yes, how can I forget. I just got done registering for winter classes: Markets and the Firm (MicroEcon) & Data Analysis for Managers (Stat).  I'm psyched for econ because of the professor, Victor Stango.  His lectures, I've heard, are great and more recently, he left Darmouth's Tuck School of Business to teach at the GSM (previously he was also at Booth and Haas). I'm quite impressed:) As you can see, the faculty at UC Davis are nothing short of amazing when it comes to their credentials--just one of the reasons why I decided to enroll. (Note to those considering part-time MBA programs: check to make sure you're getting the same quality education from the faculty as their full-time cohort.  You're paying a hefty pricetag, so don't sacrifice the quality)

So, did I ONLY study during quarter 1? Of course! I did not! Among other things going on in my life, I was happily elected (along with 3 other amazing folks) to represent my class on the Dean's Student Advisory Council as the Director of Communications.  Yup, yours truly.  I'm excited for the opportunity and I hope that I can create a greater sense of community among my peers as we continue together these next few years.  I also (true to my word) applied for a leadership role with my Net Impact chapter, so we'll see how things traspire for me.  Until then, I'm off for a late night date with accounting!