Advid Enthusiast

Summer Break

I sense of relief washed over me this afternoon as I hit Send on my digital dropbox and submitted the last lingering To-Do of the semester.  Presto - like that, I am a free woman for just over 4 months. 

I'm not sure why, but this semester has been particularly challenging.  It was loaded with papers and group work.  In one of my classes, my group was pretty spectacular, in the other class, it was frustrating to say the least.  It is one of the biggest challenges of course work - as it seems like there are always a few that don't pull their weight.  OR, they do the work and it's completely unfit to turn it in and you spend hours redoing the work.  It makes you want to pull your hair out.

Also, the library is where people should do research.  Even grad students don't get the fact that our library is virtually accessible online!  Hello!  Log in, search and it's all at your fingertips!  Amazing!  Every bit of research you would want - at your fingertips at home or work!  It even has the Google Scholar search and a link!  I'm still shocked that my class mates think it's okay to use Wikipedia as a reference.  Much less, copy entire sections FROM wikipedia, and then insult to injury, don't even cite it properly.  It's appalling and I wouldn't doubt that professors see it all the time. 

So despite my obvious frustrations with our group work, I did learn quite a bit this semester and actually enjoyed some of the work.  Doubled up on Tuesdays was a little much, but I can't say I wouldn't do it again.... I highly recommend a global consumer course to people as it's informative, yet entertaining and thought provoking. 

I enter May with all this time on my hands... what to do... what to do.  I already started a new book last night and I am quickly filling up my calendar with dinners and outings.  Not to mention that Boston is supposed to grace us with some seriously BEAUTIFUL weather this weekend.  70's and sun.  Yes Please!  After such a stressful semester, exactly what my soul needs is a bit of life.

And with the final click of a button, I seal the deal on 11 courses under my belt and another seven ahead of me.  I have decided to take these seven over the course of the next three semesters at a leisurely two at a time.  Which puts graduation at a definite Dec 2010, which is about a year and a half away.  Seems like a long time, but I'll have both of the next two summers off... so I think it's not so bad considering!

Enjoy your summers, I know I will!

16 days and counting

There are approximately 16 days left of the semester... not that I am counting.

Oh wait - I totally am.  Spring fever is here, and there are books and magazines that are starting to pile up on my nightstand.  I keep adding to this pile, as if I might be able to start on it earlier, but this semesters class load is ensuring that that is NOT a possibility!

In past semesters, I think I have been semi blessed with a balanced class load... but it seems as though this semester is extremely heavy with final papers.  Before the end of the semester, I have TWO group papers that are about twenty pages long each, one 30 minute presentation, two case studies and my own 10 page single spaced paper that has to be written on myself.  It's a bit overwhelming - even without adding in the weekly readings that have to be done for the two classes between now and then. 

How does a girl manage? 

I would say, by getting ahead.  I have taken it upon myself to set up schedules for the group to finish our papers.  I have started compiling research during my downtime at work.  I have pre read case studies on the bus.  I have started writing before I needed to write.  I find that if I proactively manage all the million things i have to do, that they seem less daunting.  The more I am proactive, the less I lay in bed at night and wonder where I will find the time to accomplish all that needs to be accomplished. 

My last day of class falls on Tuesday 4/21.  Which also happens to be the day after a three day weekend. Not just any random three day weekend, like Presidents Day or Columbus Day, but one of the most significant three day weekends, behind Labor Day Weekend and Memorial Day weekend (respectively).  MARATHON MONDAY WEEKEND!  Oh wait, it's also called Patriot's Day, but I digress.  I love Marathon Monday for a plethora of reasons... a) the energy behind the race is contagious and b) the Sox are at home... thus providing two forms of pure entertainment less than a mile from each other!  I think this year will probably be spent working on all the things that are due the next day, but I have a good friend coming in to actually run the marathon, so this year it's personal to me and I am going to work my butt off to have school be done as to not interupt!  That's how I find it best to manage such a hectic schedule - balance the extremely courseload with discipline and the things that are important to you!

Happy Spring all!

March madness

It's been a crazy busy few weeks.  Not only am I finally busy at work, but school has majorly picked up as well.  We're on spring break this week, so it's a chance to catch up, but we'll see about that!  I feel like I am a wee bit behind, especially since we only have five or six weeks left and there is SO much to do before then.  A lot of it is group work, but sometimes I feel like that is more work than just getting it done yourself.  In addition, I have a major case of SPRING fever!  It was a beautiful weekend here and it was great to be outside and feel the sun on your face!

Also have to start picking classes for the summer and fall.  Not sure, but am hoping to skip the summer session and just take classes in the fall.  Would be great to have FOUR whole months off, don't you think?

Busy bees

I love three day weekends.  I think there should be more of them.  I would gladly put in 10 hour days, just to have a three day weekend EVERY weekend.

I'm extremely busy lately.  My classes this semester are keeping me very busy - mostly with group work.  There's good news and bad news about group work.  The good news is you can collaborate with each other, come up with better ideas.  The group can carry you when you are feeling lazy or less than smart.  The bad news is sometimes, there are just too many head chefs in the kitchen, or it's too difficult to coordinate busy schedules.  This semester, I have volunteered to write the early cases studies, in hopes that come the end of the semester, I won't have to do as much when I will probably have spring fever.  That meant this weekend was busy writing, writing, reading, editing, sending, etc.  I love getting stuff like this out of the way, it brings a sense of control and calm over the remaining bit of the semester.  (Though, it will still be busy, just maybe less busy.)

I must get back to my reading.  At least I can say I am definitely interested and intrigued this semester!

Ready, set, go.

And the semester is off and running!

It's been sort of a strange start to the semester for me.  Like I mentioned before, I am taking two classes, both on Tuesday nights.  I missed the entire first night of classes for a very important work function, so I am attempting to play catch up.  Usually, not much gets done the first night of class, but I do now agree that there is a lot of useful information held the first night of class.  While I don't normally advocate for skipping class, I especially encourage you to NOT miss the first nights of class, ever! 

One of my classes was cancelled due to the inaugeration last week, so technically this was my first FULL week of class.  It went well.  My Tuesdays are definitely long, but I ate before hand, brought a snack and was prepared with coffee and soda and water.  While Tuesdays are brutal, it is nice to have the rest of the week to myself!  (sort of...)

But that is changing next week!  Next week I kick up my advertising class on Mondays (not through Suffolk, but through work).  It's crazy how having two days a week where you get home after 9 pm can really throw a wrench in your ability to relax!  I think I really enjoyed my time off and I got spoiled. (I cooked every night, I went to the gym all the time, I drank wine and watched TV.)  Now I dread knowing that if lucky, I only stand to go to the gym three times during the week at most and that any sort of social life beyond school will further detriorate that.  BOO!  But such is the price to pay right?  For being smart and getting big signing bonuses upon graduation and such right?

Speaking of which.... It's a scary time out there right now, so I am ever SO grateful to have a job.  Granted, I am semi slow, so there are days where the time seems to just tick by, but whenever I entertain the thought of looking for a new job, I remind myself that I am lucky to have one.  I've debated, going back and forth within, look or stay, look or stay?  Ultimately, I have decided that it's safe to stay here right now, in the safe comforts of my fun, decent paying job, rather than entering the scary, scary world that is the job market right now.  I have sympathy for anyone who is searching right now and after my boyfriend got laid off, I know the feeling.  He recently accepted an offer and we are very excited.  I took him out to dinner at his favorite sushi place to celebrate, because that is what excellent girlfriends do.  I think he's rather enjoyed his vacation time and he's taken the whole thing much more in stride that I would have - a trait I hope to inherit if the roles are ever reversed.   I've spent two months being insanely jealous of his relatively open days and on the flip side, he's been a saint taking me to work every morning.  Oh man, will Imiss my driver... :)  

stay warm... it's chilly out there.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I hope all of your holidays were joyful and relaxing!

So, I am gearing up for yet another crazy busy spring semester!  In '09, I am taking two MBA courses and also helping to run the Advertising Course again through work.  It's like taking a full time MBA course, but doesn't count towards the MBA, but will hopefully once again allow me to network with a bunch of Advertising big wigs and it's something solid to put on my resume.  Also, I'm a veteran at the program this year since it's my second year, so I have it down solid and should be able to help run a bigger portion this year!  However, it makes for a very busy semester - considering the Ad course is on Mondays and I have TWO MBA courses on Tuesdays...

I'm not sure how I will manage those super long Tuesdays.  My only hope in retaining a bit of sanity is that I think my two courses (both of a global nature to me) are going to be very interesting.  If I had accounting and finance back to back, I might not survive... but these should not be too bad. 

Note to self*** Pack dinner. 

My winter break has been wonderful, though incredibly fast!  I had many days off work, which allowed me to fly home for the holidays and also spend five days of vacation here at home in Boston.  I didn't think it was possible, but I was ready to come back to work.  Another day off and I might have gotten bored.  Instead, I am caught up on all my magazines (smart ones of course!) and even read a book (woo!).  I am well rested.  I am well fed, but managed to drop a few pounds over the holidays.  I have a new kitten addition to my little family (me, the boyfriend and new kitten). Overall, I feel healthy and spirited for all that 2009 can bring my way. 

I am ready for school to kick up again (though another week of school vacation you won't hear me complain about).  Finishing up in the fall marked the HALFWAY point for my MBA.  At this point, I am halfway through my MBA and have another 9 courses to go.  The good news is that many of my classes moving forward will be ones of my choice and taking, so I can't complain that I have no interest or am bored!  YAY!  I think that is a HUGE milestone and that the MBA graduation degree is a downhill roll from here! 

So optimistic I am so far in '09...

So close I can feel it!

I'm SO close to the end of the semester I can touch it, feel it, taste it.  YAY.

I have my final class for Consulting on Friday, in which I need to write a case study for it.  It has to be like six pages, but I'm not sweating it.  It's only worth half my grade and I haven't even bought the case study yet.  Only a seasoned MBA student like myself wouldn't be sweating bullets at this point.  :)  Although, this class has been relatively easy and it was laid out very clear what the professor wants, so I should be fine.

One more finance class before the final.  It seems as though the first part of the semester was the more technical number side and the second half has been less equation related and more of... you know, I am not even sure.  Each class seems to be crammed full, but nothing I can really put my absolute finger on.  I guess we will figure it out when I begin to study for the final!  Again though, I aced the mid term and we get to use an equation sheet, so depsite the fact that it is cumulative, I'm not too worried at this point. 

What I am most excited for is to read a few books on break here.  I hear Eat, Pray, Love is really good... and it's about time I exercise my mind a bit more than the latest edition of the Improper or Stuff @ night.  It's been a very long time since I got into a book, so I am looking forward to that "can't put it down" moment - several times over!

Enjoy the beginning of this holiday season!  I know I need to convince the boyfriend that, despite not having a job, it is our job in this downward economy to be festive and give to charity.  Cheers!

The economy is kicking my boo-tay lately.  Not only has it stolen about 45% of my 401k, but now it has stolen my boyfriend's job.  UGH.  He found out on Monday that he'll join a large handful of his coworkers in the unemployment line.  I'm so sad for him...  Considering we are moving in together in the coming months and beginning to make joint purchases together and the fact that we are building our future together, this directly affects me.  Not only in the fact that I may get to eat less sushi and have to drink cheaper bottles of wine, but in the fact that rent must be Paid.

It's a scary world out there my friends.

In this economy, try telling my four neices and nephews that Christmas is about love and being together and not presents.  That will go over well...

Either way, my boyfriend is intelligent, personable, hard working, charming and an attractive person.  I love him and therefore someone else will love him in a nonphysical way and hire him because he's qualified.  Then there will be gobs of money thrown at him and we'll celebrate at Smith & Wollensky with a bottle of Cab and a very fine piece of aged beef.

Did I mention I am also the relationship's resident Cheerleader and Optimist?  :)

So, these are tough times people, as I am sure you already know.  We're not really discussing it that much in my MBA classes, but it's on the minds of everyone I know.  So, ending this post with some good news:  I only have THREE more finance classes left (+ a final) and then I can go back to handling personal finances as a chore like taking out the trash instead of being forced to sit and learn about it for three hours a night, one a week.  Brutal!

Mid terms!

My midterm was much harder than I expected... though I thought I had a good understanding of the knowledge prior.  Either way, tests usually end up harder than you think they will be, so it's typically a good idea to OVERSTUDY.  Which I didn't do and oh well.  I'm sure I passed, I just didn't breeze through it with the ease that I thought I would!

Now that I have a bit of a lull (nice!) and the semester is half over (YIPPEEEEE!), it's time to focus on doing more reading for my consulting class that kicks up next week.  I've done a bit of reading already, so I just now have to start getting the book reading down.  So you'll find me, Sawyerside this weekend, holed up with a book, speed reading (yet absorbing) a handful of chapters on the basics of consulting.

And I am definitely looking forward to the class!  Much better than finance!

School has been sort of quiet on the homefront lately, I guess only taking one class for the time being will do that do you... though, I do believe I have a midterm in the next week and a half, which will mean that I should probably get my butt in gear studying for it over the weekend.   I think it's next Thursday night, which is decently bad timing since I have a company charity function the night before.

Which leads me down two thought paths - 1) how much I love charity events.  I love the networking and participating in parties for a good cause.  I love getting dressed up and scouting the Who's Who at these events.  I love the heartfelt stories and the dinner and how I am honored to be chosen to represent my agency.  I can't wait until I am older and more established and can contribute to these charities with my own money.    Hopefully I'll be giving back MBA type money... ;)

The other path it leads me down is the juggling work, school, and other outside obligations.  I flew home this past weekend and used the time on the plane to get ready for my November consulting class.  I completed a significant amount of reading and am starting to really look forward to this class.  I am hoping to learn a lot and partake in some stimulating discussions.  Finance is so dry and boring to me, so I can't wait to get back into a class that involves a lot of participation - which is probably why I enjoyed last semester so much!  Anyways, the next few weeks, I will have to buckle down and start juggling these obligations with school work as there will come a point where the midterms will intersect with the prep for consulting and I will probably be a busy chica.  Best to get a head start... but we'll see, history shows  that I prefer the catch up at last second race better!

On a completely random note, I flew home over Boston yesterday morning and it was so amazingly beautiful to see all the fall colors from the air.  We flew really low over the city and looped down toward Hingham before finally coming in over Southie.  Gorgeously clear day and beautiful reds, oranges and browns, mixed with greens.  Really interesting to see how the colors change and patterns they make from the air.  Love fall!