After nearly 3 full semesters with my classmates, I continue to be amazed with the stories and experiences they bring to Yale.

Today we heard from five fellow SOMers, each of whom served in the armed forces.  A member of an elite special forces unit, a Ranger school graduate and platoon leader, a research scientist, an intelligence specialist, and a logistics specialist each shared their perspectives on life in the service as well as lessons they learned while enlisted.

From capturing high-value targets during special reconnaissance missions to supplying trucks and managing logistics in South Central Baghdad, from battling the Taliban in the mountains of Afghanistan on multiple tours of duty to developing cutting-edge satellite technology, even jumping from planes at 25k feet and tracking the movement of Kim Jong Il, the stories from our classmates were remarkable.  These incredible stories of valor and service were shared with equally memorable humility.  It was inspiring to say the least. (more…)

The admissions office ran a very successful open house today for a large number of prospective students who attended classes, joined us for a tour of SOM, lunch, and an evening cocktail.  At lunch, one of the prospective students asked me what most surprised me about coming to SOM.  For me, it is New Haven.

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Unbelievable as it may sound, exams were upon us mid October, merely a month and a half after we started classes at the Yale School of Management. Accounting, Microeconomics, and Statistics all had to be “negotiated” within the first three days of last week. Studying for these exams made me realize how much material we had covered over 7 weeks.

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I came to business school with a very specific end goal in mind, namely a return to the media & entertainment sector. Throughout the application process I was told by various people that, if I was serious about this, I needed to go to school in either New York or LA. These cities are the main hives of sector activity and proximity to them could certainly be an asset. However, after sounding out more or less anyone who would give me the time of day throughout the post-application phase, I decided against both.

Business schools tend to be defined in the market – rightly or wrongly – for certain specialisms or for their strength in faculty, teaching or research in particular facets of business and management. By this definition, Yale would not be seen as a “media & entertainment school” and, let’s face it, New Haven is never going to be the be all and end all for the industry. So why choose Yale with this goal in mind? Well, the fact is that this institution opens doors and if it doesn’t open the door for you, it at least ensures that the door is built and ready to be opened with a little focused effort on your part.
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Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the implications of my admission to one of the best schools in the world. Maybe the Core has squeezed all the numbers-juice out of my brain, and the Problem Framing / Careers duopoly is not sufficient to stimulate my softer side. Maybe I’m still humbled by a recent trip to an event hosted at HBS, where the Yale brand commanded mad respect.

Or maybe I’ve taken to heart recent calls to action we’ve received from our staff and classmates. Personally, I appreciate Ivan Kerbel’s Orientation challenge to be aware of the way the world perceives us, to do our part to shape that perception. Likewise, I’ve heard a consistent message from the leaders of the Banking and Consulting clubs: conduct yourself with dignity, and don’t embarrass us.

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After just a week and a half of classes, one of my classmates was convinced that we were into our third week already. I felt similarly: it’s been an incredibly busy time so far and it got me thinking.

Life tends to pick up speed as you get older. Why? Well, in my humble – based strictly on no theory whatsoever – opinion, it’s to do with a decreasing exposure to new ideas and experiences. As you grow up, you tend to settle into some sort of routine and life picks up speed. I feel like what’s happened here, during our first couple of weeks of core classes, is that we have all been exposed to so much new material at lightning-fast pace that we’re reverting back to that life-in-slow-motion feeling as brains frantically try to adjust and absorb everything.
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The first song on Spoon’s third album Girls Can Tell is “Everything Hits At Once.” I can’t think of a better theme song for my first two weeks at SOM. Universally, I had heard SOMers describe the core curriculum as intense, frenetic and generally overwhelming. Some even spoke of it with the reverence and awe usually reserved for harrowing accounts of planes crashes and natural disasters. Again and again I’ve been reminded that I would literally have no time come fall. I had remained incredulous though. “How difficult could it really be?” I had thought. It’s only class after all.

Now I only know too well what they meant. Other than a few reprieves here and there for get-togethers with my classmates, during which we tend to commiserate about the tediousness of accounting and fickleness of solver, I literally have no time: no time that hasn’t been allocated (inefficiently, perhaps) to meet the demands of our coursework. My personal life—from unpaid bills to lagging email correspondence with old friends—has taken a decided backseat to my academic obligations. Today, I literally woke up trying to unravel the probabilities that a World Series between two evenly matched teams would end in 4, 5, 6, or 7 games. Colleagues have mentioned nightmares featuring unbalanced balance sheets and market equilibriums gone awry.

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Some of us at the School of Management come here to study Finance. Others Marketing. Yet others General Management. But if there is one discipline with which all of us are fast becoming very well‑versed, it is time management; the SOM is a very busy place. (more…)

As we finished the Orientation, it is incredible how well the entire schedule was organized. Kudos and thanks to entire SOM staff for this.

And what a way to finish this.

The 20th of August simply talked about the powerful Yale brand and how we have to live up to its expectations. We started the day yesterday with a reception at the Yale Club. Christopher S. Granger’99 spoke about his experiences and how SOM had shaped his life. It was wonderful to listen to him while he gave us pointers on how to carve a successful MBA for ourselves. I personally value these kind of experiences by our Alums a lot. These experiences act as a very good feedback loop that keeps checking if we are on the right track at least! More importantly, they keep inspiring us. (more…)

A week into Orientation, the concept of ‘community’ referred to in my previous post has become more tangible as I had hoped it would. I think the past week has given us all a better understanding of what community means here and why it is so valued.

I won’t go into detail about the make up of the Class (an excellent account of that is already here) but having spent time with various groups of classmates over the past week (in project groups, workshops and in the discovery of what on Earth a clambake is), the veil has been lifted on a group that is not only diverse, intellectually curious and all that good stuff but also – well – just plain interesting.

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