The MBA Student Blog

Watching MBA Faculty in Their Natural Habitat
October 29, 2007, 12:50 PM
I was trying to figure out what to do for lunch, the lecture had free food. Actually, the topic seemed interesting, and I figured that the experience could be insightful in some unexpected ways. For instance, the professor who presented his findings was in the finance department, so I hoped to learn a little more about the department's approach to applied academics. It turned out that the audience was largely composed of faculty members, who discussed a lot during the presentation.

MBA Exams are Supposed to be Really Difficult
October 20, 2007, 4:40 PM
It seems like some students are especially annoyed by having to study the exact details of marketing. Ultimately, attention to detail has been the main complaint about the Intro. Marketing mid-term, which was expected to be more difficult than "it should be". Now, as a liberal arts person, this attitude irks me... I could go on for a long time about how "soft skills" are scoffed at in the Silicon Valley.

Initial Impressions of MBA Study Groups
October 14, 2007, 11:55 PM
A few of the readings clearly detailed expected sets of behavior for professional teams and their individual members. Obviously, the formation of study groups encouraged the practice of analyzing our own behavior. That was a little awkward at times, like trying to spot the "sucker" at a poker table in the hopes that it's not you.

MBA Class Participation and a Liberal Arts Background
October 05, 2007, 3:40 PM
My marketing class has had more student participation than any of the other classes I have taken. It makes sense. Everyone's a consumer, and a lot of MBA students have thought deeply about our preferences, advertising, and potential for the products that we have worked on. Outside of the marketing class, though, most students are pretty quiet.

MBA Sports Appreciation, Where the Game is Just Not That Important
September 30, 2007, 2:35 PM
The tailgate party was a great spread, and went strong for at least half an hour after the opening pitch. With the famously high cost of stadium consumables, the free food and alcohol provided by the NAC organizers was awfully appealing. It was also the sort of mingling opportunity that was, of course, the main point of the event.

Mattel's Recent Recalls, and the End of Old World Craftsmanship
September 25, 2007, 2:20 PM
Some parent/students lamented that they have generally lost confidence in the quality of most available toys. Everyone on the list thought that Mattel totally dropped the ball on quality control in a way that is surprising.

Enjoying the Beginning of the Fall Quarter
September 18, 2007, 6:10 PM
My background is well suited to the management and marketing classes I'll be attending. I'm also looking forward to seeing classmates from previous quarters, and I expect to be working more closely with other students as we do our first group projects. I like collaboration, which is lucky, since group projects seem to be a core aspect of MBA education.

LinkedIn vs. Social Networking, Please Do Not Break
September 11, 2007, 2:00 PM
It is actually a professional tool, with potential for the exchange of extremely valuable information. Job opportunities aside, a professional network's value can be judged by the volume and reliability of information within the network. I like to know that if I asked my LinkedIn network a question, I would get a solid professional answer.

Recommended Magazine and Journal Reading for MBA Students
September 05, 2007, 4:35 PM
I encourage myself: more Economist and Bloomberg news, less Valleywag and BoingBoing Gadgets. AllBusiness.com, of course, has a strong appeal for me. There is also an enormous stack of periodicals sitting right in front of me as I sit in the Graduate Business Program student lounge.

I'm Often Reminded of "Fundamental Attribution Error"
September 01, 2007, 6:45 PM
Reading the Economist, or other business publications, I may possibly come across recently learned accounting concepts. The "soft skills" that we studied in the management class can be tied to religion, politics, and anything else involving organizations. Basically, if I open a paper or wander the internets for a couple of minutes, I can find something relevant to general management concepts.