Stick A Chopstick in Me... I'm Done.

After a week of cramming for finals, I am done with what has been an emotional roller-coaster of a quarter. Hopefully, life next quarter will be "easier" now that I'm done with recruiting for my summer internship. Done you say? Yes, DONE. I am rather relieved, it was difficult on my schedule and psyche. I accepted an offer and am thrilled to be working for a great consulting firm in the lovely Bay Area this summer!! Not that I really wanted to leave Chicago because its amazing during the summertime, but I'm looking forward to stuffing myself silly with good Asian food (you can find it in Chicago, but it takes more effort) and reconnecting with the family and friends that I haven't had consistent contact with since liftoff.

Speaking of good Asian food, I'm going to celebrate the passing of the term (though not necessarily the passing of any of my classes) by heading down to Chinatown tonight for a dinner organized by Eric, whose GF is visiting from Sweden. After that, I'll be closing out the evening at a St. Patrick's Day shindig rife with good Irish beers, soda bread, and an apparently famous recipe for whiskey loaf. I don't really know what that is, but the combination of liquor and bread (carbs and... more carbs) sounds like a winner.

As long as we're on the topic of good Asian food, I have to finish packing now for a little trip. Tomorrow, I'm off to Japan!! That's right, I am OUTTA here to spend a week in Japan with other GSB students. I was going stir crazy after not having traveled in FOREVER (actual time = 8 months), so it's time to hop on a plane and leave the country for another trip to validate the moniker. Some of the activities planned - visits to corporations in Tokyo and Osaka, dinner in a Yakatabune, and watching a Sumo wrestling match. Bitchin'.

A parting note - best of luck to all of the 2nd round GSB '08 applicants - here's hoping that you get some good news coming your way!

Final Eggs-Hams

I have my first final exam tomorrow, and I have yet to start studying for it. You see, today was a busy day. I had to catch up on the myriad of bills and letters that were close to being past due. Throughout this past quarter, any mail that I received promptly got thrown into a 'to be dealt with later' pile. That pile grew to epic heights this quarter, especially during the several weeks of chaos that included midterms, interview prep, interviews, thank you emails, recruiting dinners, follow up emails, and more interviews. I often felt as buried and weighed down as some of the bills at the bottom of the pile.

But there was a light at the end of the tunnel, it just took a while to get to it. I received another offer today from the consulting firm I interviewed with last week, so I am now in the enviable position of deciding between some great options. The choice is made easier knowing that I really can't go wrong - I'll learn a great deal no matter where I end up.

And its reassuring to hear from 2nd years that recruitment for full-time will be much less painful - one can afford to be a bit choosier with the interviews when there are so many more options to pick from. I signed up to be a mentor for the incoming class, and hopefully will be chosen by one or two unsuspecting admits. :) I could definitely offer up some advice on how to approach recruiting, especially what NOT to do (which is actually rather important)!

Alright, enough exercise for the recruiting hamster in my head. Time to wake the one in charge of classes (that's been on hiatus for a while...).

Admit Weekend I - From the 'Other' Side

It's been a whole year since my visit to the GSB as an eager admit, ready to take b-school on with gusto. I was charmed and impressed by the majority of the admits that I met this weekend. They are enthusiastic, bright, and articulate people that I look forward to getting to know next year.

I participated in one of the student life panels during the weekend, and commentary from a seasoned 2nd year resonated with me. Although I can't quote him exactly, he said that going to business school is like getting into a space ship and going into outer space for a couple of years. I didn't realize how true this was until I got here, but occasionally I think about the life that I left behind to come to school. In some ways, having moved across the country, it makes it easier. If I had attended b-school in CA, I wouldn't have had much time to interact with my friends in any case. I haven't spoken to many of them in months, and don't anticipate doing so for a while longer.

Several of the admits that I met were from the suburbs of Illinois, so this is something they'll experience soon enough. The 1st year locals that I know all tell me their friends think they've fallen off the face of the earth. B-school tends to normalize people in some ways, and completely polarize them in other ways.

I have a relatively relaxing week of catching up in classes ahead of me. Relative because there are few events to attend that are non-class related (only 3, its a really slow week). Interview coming up later this week, after which I make the decision on where to go this summer. And I wanted to get a shout out to another couple of GSB bloggers that I recently discovered - Megha and Shmoo. Felicitations, and welcome to my sidebar!