O-WEEK: Part Two!

Day Three:

I’ve never encountered the case-study method before. Quite frankly, it scares me. Professor Clark (the Marketing professor) guides us through a quick crash course. This allows me to realize one huge, terrible error I’ve made: I failed to look at the figures. This is definitely an area I need to improve right away, since we leave the class with yet ANOTHER case study. And this time, we (as Learning Teams) will have to present our recommendations to a faculty panel.

And then we have another Learning Team session! There’s a short lecture on team development, and then we’re given almost an hour to continue developing our team charters and type up a rough outline. The extra 15 minutes I spent typing up our outline the night before frees up the rest of the hour for all of us to get a major head start on our case study. Our team decides to book a room in the library for later in the day to hammer out the crux of our presentation.

My teammate strikes a pose in the International Village!

I’m not sure how I make it through the rest of the schedule. I really, truly try to be attentive during the MBA Career Center Perspectives talk. It is definitely good to hear from past MBA students about their experiences, but I am tired and hungry, and my thoughts are preoccupied by the case study.

Finally, it’s time for our planning session. We talk a lot before we realize that all of the other team members have similar solutions for this particular case. After three hours, we’re all burned out and decide to call it a night after divvying up the rest of the Powerpoint slide duties.

Day Four:

The day of judgment… dun dun dun! Everyone shows up in suits (and ties for men), and we make a pretty dapper-looking group. We’re given another three hours to work on our case study presentations. It’s utter chaos.

Finally, at almost 3:30, the whole ordeal is over.  Presentations on this case study are done. Finito. Our group feels pretty good about what we accomplished and our presentation, and at this point, we don’t care if we win or not. Everyone runs out of the room and makes a mad dash outside. It’s the first day all week that it hasn’t been raining!

At 4, we have our class photo taken. Then a good chunk of our class decides it’s time to really unwind, so we troop on over to Conor Larkin’s. I’m sure any Northeastern alum can tell you about this place – it’s the pub of choice for NEU students, and when we walk in at 4:10, it’s already pretty full. That doesn’t deter us from taking over half the bar. We’re a pretty intimidating bunch in our suits, after all.  

This is all followed by a happy hour and dinner at the Alumni House. The winners of the case study competition are also announced (we don't win, but it's okay!). Northeastern has been feeding us great food all week, and the dinner is no exception. I duck out a little early to go home because I’m completely wiped.

Day Five:

Saturday just consists of the club fair lunch! I hadn’t really thought about which clubs I wanted to join, so I meander through the two rows of tables and just write my name down on the list for anything that sounds interesting. I also get to chat with Katrina (I call her Kristina by accident – sorry!), the “upperclassman” who is the author of the first NEU MBA blog! She is so very helpful in alleviating my fears about business school (I don’t have any business experience! I don’t know what I’m doing here!), by giving me some very sage advice along these lines:

           

             “Don’t you think Northeastern knows better than you do whether

              or not you can handle the work? They selected you for a reason.”

This gives me an immediate sense of relief. It seems so basic, but it’s true! Northeastern has looked at all of my grades, test scores, essays, recommendations and my interview! They know that I’m capable. Of course, that doesn’t mean I can slack off. But there’s a reason I’m here, and I’m sure this bit of advice will help me along the two-year journey!

After the club fair, I go to the bookstore to pick up the Marketing course-pack and the obligatory Northeastern sweatshirt. My goal is to be at least 24 hours ahead on each reading deadline so I’m not scrambling each week. This is crucial for me, as I have a lot of other responsibilities outside of school. I need to maintain a rigorous schedule.

Sunday:

I stepped down from my full-time position at Victoria's Secret to start school, but I still work some nights during the week as a part-time associate. The extra pocket money is nice... and so is the chance to get away from all the school stuff for a short while. 

After my short shift at work, I'm supposed to play in a soccer game at 9PM, and I'm all ready to go until I realize that I haven't touched the Accounting work due for class. I scramble for a few hours before I admit defeat and call out of the game, unfortunately. I'll have to keep myself better organized to balance all the school work with the fun stuff! 

Classes officially start up tomorrow, and I’m already thinking about what to wear this week. Haha! It's always better to plan ahead, I figure! 


*Please note: the views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Esther Bliedung.