Or your MBA degree might just be taken away from you when you think you're this big and successful hotshot.
Don't be like this guy:
Stanford Takes Away an MBA Degree
Re that guy: changing grades on his law school transcript to make his parents happy? Really?! Give me a break. Begs the question of whether more stringent grading in American schools should be practiced so that students really put in the hard work of earning their grades, don't get misplaced confidence due to over-inflated A's and A-'s, and be used to the idea that not getting A's and A-'s is okay.
I tell you, it's too easy to get an A in the US educational system that grades don't really serve as a benchmark of academic performance anymore. A B in the MBA program is already something to be ashamed of. And that's, what, a 3 on a 4-point scale (which, on the Philippine university scale, is an 80 out of 100)? Whatever happened to C's, D's and F's?
Hah. Just wanted to say that first-year MBA students are intense when it comes to grades. Especially in the first semester of the program.
Showing posts with label schoolwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schoolwork. Show all posts
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Final stretch!
Happy New Year to everyone!
Now that it's 2014, I'm facing the final stretch -- one semester left before graduation! I'm patting myself on the back for doing well so far, especially on my finances.
It hasn't been easy working while taking my MBA, but I'm nearly done. I've just gone through a highly stressful quarter of academics - with 12 hours of work a week thrown in - and am highly gratified to earn a near flat 4.0. (Yes, I do look at my grades as a way of challenging myself; anyway, I paid good money for my education! As long as I have actually learned something, I'm fine with an A-. Conversely, I feel bad earning an A on a very easy subject where I learned nothing at all.)
I've spent more than Php 2.3 million of my own money so far on my MBA; it amazes me to have spent so much money! (Imagine if I got my MBA in AIM or Ateneo instead!) I am truly grateful for my scholarship, my part-time library job and my internship; without these, I would be drowning in debt right now or probably not be taking my MBA abroad at all.
I'm spending the holidays with my family in the Philippines, and it has been really good to be back. I was able to score a round-trip ticket for the very low price of $1,330-something, in exchange for arriving home on Christmas Day. Not that I mind that much. After all, I still get to go home. (It's just too bad that winter break this year is so much shorter!)
Enjoy the rest of the holidays, and email me at pinaymba@gmail.com for any questions! (And no, I'm still not saying what school I'm in right now.)
Now that it's 2014, I'm facing the final stretch -- one semester left before graduation! I'm patting myself on the back for doing well so far, especially on my finances.
It hasn't been easy working while taking my MBA, but I'm nearly done. I've just gone through a highly stressful quarter of academics - with 12 hours of work a week thrown in - and am highly gratified to earn a near flat 4.0. (Yes, I do look at my grades as a way of challenging myself; anyway, I paid good money for my education! As long as I have actually learned something, I'm fine with an A-. Conversely, I feel bad earning an A on a very easy subject where I learned nothing at all.)
I've spent more than Php 2.3 million of my own money so far on my MBA; it amazes me to have spent so much money! (Imagine if I got my MBA in AIM or Ateneo instead!) I am truly grateful for my scholarship, my part-time library job and my internship; without these, I would be drowning in debt right now or probably not be taking my MBA abroad at all.
I'm spending the holidays with my family in the Philippines, and it has been really good to be back. I was able to score a round-trip ticket for the very low price of $1,330-something, in exchange for arriving home on Christmas Day. Not that I mind that much. After all, I still get to go home. (It's just too bad that winter break this year is so much shorter!)
Enjoy the rest of the holidays, and email me at pinaymba@gmail.com for any questions! (And no, I'm still not saying what school I'm in right now.)
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Hell Week
The devastation brought by Haiyan has made it hard to bear being in a country far away. Not a single day passes without my checking Facebook or news websites for every update on the distribution of relief goods. Not a single day passes without my breaking down over the heartbreaking stories.
It's too much.
Never mind that next week is shaping up to be the most demanding week that I'm about to face in b-school. Midterms, project presentations, case reports, papers -- you name it, I have it due next week. Try studying, having group meetings and working part-time for 12 hours with your mind half-distracted and yourself yearning to be across the Pacific.
It's tough but not impossible to get through. Next week is nothing compared to what the Haiyan victims and survivors are going through.
As an MBA student working to get through school debt-free, what can I do? Check on friends who were affected. Say thanks to classmates and friends who express concern. Share online donation links and spread news of US relief collection centers on social media. Work with campus organizations for fundraisers. Donate online. Pray. Influence friends back home to help. But, somehow, this seems too little. It's certainly not enough to bring those badly affected by Haiyan out of their personal hell.
For inspiration:
Bigas, Sardinas at Trenta Pesos
- Mayette Cinco, Facebook
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Giving Thanks
It's nearly finals season once again and we are gearing up to finish this week's cases, assignments and presentations to start studying for the exams. Winter break is on the horizon and everyone's looking forward to a month of vacation!
Thanksgiving has come and passed; there was a Thanksgiving lunch buffet at school (only $5!) and dinner at one of the homes of my Filipino friends living here. Aside from turkey, there was a lot of ham, which I like so much better! Maybe because it's my comfort food at home. Thanksgiving saw us having nearly a week off from school and searching for bargains during the Black Friday sale, but a particularly difficult midterm exam was waiting for us on Cyber Monday. Haaay.
Anyway, on the theme of Thanksgiving, here's a short list of what I'm thankful for thus far:
1. My part-time job
I'm really grateful for my part-time job at the library, which gives me much-needed income while I'm here. It pays higher than minimum wage (but not much more) and gives me opportunities to earn more than my current shift allows every now and then. I can study when my shift turns out pretty quiet, and the librarians are always ready to help. I also meet different people who aren't in the MBA program, and the work gives me practice in interacting with Americans. So far, I only work 6 hours a week, but I'm planning to increase my hours for next semester.Without this job, I wouldn't have been able to get an SS number, which I need to get a credit card here, which I need to establish my credit history, which I absolutely need since it will make certain things easier (ie. renting an apartment, getting car insurance) for me in the future.
2. My benefactor
I've finally discovered who my benefactor is, and I've written him a thank-you letter. Without his very generous grant, I never would have set foot here in the first place.
3. My learning group
I got pretty lucky in the learning group raffle, and I'm so thankful for it! We work together so well -- and the same can't be said for the other groups in our class. In fact, one of the international students already left her group because she got treated badly by the guys (ie. her opinions didn't seem to count, she got shouted at, etc). Some groups also stay past midnight doing case work; the latest time my teammates and I worked together was until about 8 in the evening. We're pretty efficient, and have gotten to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. We help each other with acads and I've always found them a source of support whenever I've had problems to deal with.
4. Viber, Skype and all that jazz
My former colleagues called me on Viber one night while I had a quiet shift at the library, and I was so happy that I disregarded protocol and jabbered away in Tagalog for more than an hour! Thank goodness no one had problems with their research or computers that time. There's no other better panacea to homesickness than hearing the voices of your friends and loved ones back home (or seeing them on your laptop). Talking to my colleagues made me feel as if I was back home again, just doing work in a different building. How hard it would be for us abroad if we only had snail mail to rely on! When my mom worked abroad in the 80's, she would send home cassette tapes (yes, cassettes) on which she would record her messages so that we could hear her voice.
5. The steady stream of learning
There are times when the load is so intense that MBA students ask themselves: Why am I taking this MBA again??? There are times when I feel that work was so much easier, and ask myself whether going here was worth giving up the comforts of home and the security of income. Well, time and time again, I always arrive at the conclusion that it's worth it. It's worth every penny I've put into it so far. I'm learning so much from the classes, the professors, my classmates, the career coaches and companies who come here to give us cases. You get those aha! moments when something discussed in class suddenly makes you realize why it was that way at work. That said, work experience is really valuable coming into the program.Not only do you get to share more, but you can more easily relate to the course material too.
Obviously, there are loads of things I'm thankful for -- bargains and sales that allow me to survive on a very stretched budget among them. I've gone a bit over my budget with my laptop purchase, the conferences I've traveled to, and sundry things I believe I need, but hopefully there wouldn't be any big-ticket items for next semester. In less than 3 hours, I'll be meeting my learning group for a case discussion then, in the afternoon, I'm off to listen to Christmas carols in the performing arts center. I can't believe it's nearly Christmas! Time flies by so fast!
Thanksgiving has come and passed; there was a Thanksgiving lunch buffet at school (only $5!) and dinner at one of the homes of my Filipino friends living here. Aside from turkey, there was a lot of ham, which I like so much better! Maybe because it's my comfort food at home. Thanksgiving saw us having nearly a week off from school and searching for bargains during the Black Friday sale, but a particularly difficult midterm exam was waiting for us on Cyber Monday. Haaay.
Anyway, on the theme of Thanksgiving, here's a short list of what I'm thankful for thus far:
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| Image from thankyoupictures.com. |
1. My part-time job
I'm really grateful for my part-time job at the library, which gives me much-needed income while I'm here. It pays higher than minimum wage (but not much more) and gives me opportunities to earn more than my current shift allows every now and then. I can study when my shift turns out pretty quiet, and the librarians are always ready to help. I also meet different people who aren't in the MBA program, and the work gives me practice in interacting with Americans. So far, I only work 6 hours a week, but I'm planning to increase my hours for next semester.Without this job, I wouldn't have been able to get an SS number, which I need to get a credit card here, which I need to establish my credit history, which I absolutely need since it will make certain things easier (ie. renting an apartment, getting car insurance) for me in the future.
2. My benefactor
I've finally discovered who my benefactor is, and I've written him a thank-you letter. Without his very generous grant, I never would have set foot here in the first place.
3. My learning group
I got pretty lucky in the learning group raffle, and I'm so thankful for it! We work together so well -- and the same can't be said for the other groups in our class. In fact, one of the international students already left her group because she got treated badly by the guys (ie. her opinions didn't seem to count, she got shouted at, etc). Some groups also stay past midnight doing case work; the latest time my teammates and I worked together was until about 8 in the evening. We're pretty efficient, and have gotten to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. We help each other with acads and I've always found them a source of support whenever I've had problems to deal with.
4. Viber, Skype and all that jazz
My former colleagues called me on Viber one night while I had a quiet shift at the library, and I was so happy that I disregarded protocol and jabbered away in Tagalog for more than an hour! Thank goodness no one had problems with their research or computers that time. There's no other better panacea to homesickness than hearing the voices of your friends and loved ones back home (or seeing them on your laptop). Talking to my colleagues made me feel as if I was back home again, just doing work in a different building. How hard it would be for us abroad if we only had snail mail to rely on! When my mom worked abroad in the 80's, she would send home cassette tapes (yes, cassettes) on which she would record her messages so that we could hear her voice.
5. The steady stream of learning
There are times when the load is so intense that MBA students ask themselves: Why am I taking this MBA again??? There are times when I feel that work was so much easier, and ask myself whether going here was worth giving up the comforts of home and the security of income. Well, time and time again, I always arrive at the conclusion that it's worth it. It's worth every penny I've put into it so far. I'm learning so much from the classes, the professors, my classmates, the career coaches and companies who come here to give us cases. You get those aha! moments when something discussed in class suddenly makes you realize why it was that way at work. That said, work experience is really valuable coming into the program.Not only do you get to share more, but you can more easily relate to the course material too.
Obviously, there are loads of things I'm thankful for -- bargains and sales that allow me to survive on a very stretched budget among them. I've gone a bit over my budget with my laptop purchase, the conferences I've traveled to, and sundry things I believe I need, but hopefully there wouldn't be any big-ticket items for next semester. In less than 3 hours, I'll be meeting my learning group for a case discussion then, in the afternoon, I'm off to listen to Christmas carols in the performing arts center. I can't believe it's nearly Christmas! Time flies by so fast!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Update before the next quarter starts
My last post was dated Sept. 11, and it was the week of our midterms.
It might interest you to know that two weeks after that week, we had our final exams. While we were studying for final exams, we did case study assignments with our respective groups. After our finals week, we had a week devoted to doing a case study for an actual company (in our case, a well-known consulting company). After that week, we had a career trek in one of the signature areas of the United States, networking with alums and seeing what companies looked like from the inside. The career trek just finished yesterday, and I'm writing this now.
The MBA is fast, yes, but a lot more intense than you realize.
What have I learned so far? Well, aside from the basics of accounting and statistics, I've learned how to ransack databases for research data I need for case studies. I've learned how case competitions are structured -- how sometimes you get to specifically define the problem you have to solve, how you focus on the how more than the why on your slides. I'm lucky to be in a very collaborative group, where each person's primary skill complements the others'. You know those horror stories of groupmates shouting at each other over cases and coming home in the early hours of the morning? Yup, those are true.
I've re-learned to wake up early and sleep late. I've learned to buy food that I could cook or warm up easily so that I can have breakfast ready in five minutes. I'm trying my best to keep up with constantly-updated email inboxes, internship notices, weekly club meetings, and my overflowing laundry basket. I have learned to better appreciate my free time, which I spend sleeping, doing chores, going with my friends to outlet malls or just walking around, taking pictures in our park-like campus.
There is just so much happening around you that even though you get in the program, believing to cruise through the subjects with A's, you switch to valuing the connections you make and the insights you get from the course material and outside trips more. Now, I'm not the type of person who spent her college days social drinking. I was more of the "let's have dinner next week," one-on-one kind of person. "Networking," which business schools heavily advocate, isn't necessarily equivalent to social drinking either. I believe in what a close friend of mine said, that you should stick to your values when networking, much in the same way that you should work for a company whose goals and way of life you believe in. Find out the networking style that suits you, and work it to your advantage in an American setting.
Americans may jokingly complain all they want about Asians not drinking as much as they do, but they respect people who can stand for their own principles. So know your principles and values going into the MBA program, and decide which of these are "unchangeable."
I now realize how much it was good to have been able to reflect and know more about myself before I entered the program; everything happens so fast that decisions are much, much easier when you know who you are, what you stand for and what you want to get out of the MBA.
It might interest you to know that two weeks after that week, we had our final exams. While we were studying for final exams, we did case study assignments with our respective groups. After our finals week, we had a week devoted to doing a case study for an actual company (in our case, a well-known consulting company). After that week, we had a career trek in one of the signature areas of the United States, networking with alums and seeing what companies looked like from the inside. The career trek just finished yesterday, and I'm writing this now.
The MBA is fast, yes, but a lot more intense than you realize.
What have I learned so far? Well, aside from the basics of accounting and statistics, I've learned how to ransack databases for research data I need for case studies. I've learned how case competitions are structured -- how sometimes you get to specifically define the problem you have to solve, how you focus on the how more than the why on your slides. I'm lucky to be in a very collaborative group, where each person's primary skill complements the others'. You know those horror stories of groupmates shouting at each other over cases and coming home in the early hours of the morning? Yup, those are true.
I've re-learned to wake up early and sleep late. I've learned to buy food that I could cook or warm up easily so that I can have breakfast ready in five minutes. I'm trying my best to keep up with constantly-updated email inboxes, internship notices, weekly club meetings, and my overflowing laundry basket. I have learned to better appreciate my free time, which I spend sleeping, doing chores, going with my friends to outlet malls or just walking around, taking pictures in our park-like campus.
There is just so much happening around you that even though you get in the program, believing to cruise through the subjects with A's, you switch to valuing the connections you make and the insights you get from the course material and outside trips more. Now, I'm not the type of person who spent her college days social drinking. I was more of the "let's have dinner next week," one-on-one kind of person. "Networking," which business schools heavily advocate, isn't necessarily equivalent to social drinking either. I believe in what a close friend of mine said, that you should stick to your values when networking, much in the same way that you should work for a company whose goals and way of life you believe in. Find out the networking style that suits you, and work it to your advantage in an American setting.
Americans may jokingly complain all they want about Asians not drinking as much as they do, but they respect people who can stand for their own principles. So know your principles and values going into the MBA program, and decide which of these are "unchangeable."
I now realize how much it was good to have been able to reflect and know more about myself before I entered the program; everything happens so fast that decisions are much, much easier when you know who you are, what you stand for and what you want to get out of the MBA.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
A Week in the Life, Day 5
Monday
7:30 AM - woke up; the usual routine
Thoughts: Thank goodness the exam isn't during class time (8 AM).
9 AM - left the apartment to catch the bus
9:30 AM - arrived in school. Exam starts in 15 minutes.
12:30 PM - finished the exam. You might find it interesting that we had essay questions for Accounting. Went out to attend a club meeting/career panel, whichever room I land in.
1 PM - Leadership class!
3 PM - people were listless after our first ever midterm, so the class discussion was dragging. Our professor has a great antenna for sensing this and dismissed us earlier than 3 PM.
4 PM - back in the apartment; took a nap
6: 30 PM - had dinner. Started to study for Stats midterm.
8:30 PM - left the apartment for the library, where I work the midnight shift.
9 PM - start of my shift! Brought my Stats hand-outs with me in an attempt to study while at the desk.
12 AM - end of shift. Walked back to the apartment and started studying what little remained of Stats that I hadn't covered.
1:45 AM - motivated myself to read a bit for Ethics class.
Thoughts: 1, 2, 3, 4... why do we have 8 readings for class tomorrow?!!
2:30 AM - wrote this and signing off
7:30 AM - woke up; the usual routine
Thoughts: Thank goodness the exam isn't during class time (8 AM).
9 AM - left the apartment to catch the bus
9:30 AM - arrived in school. Exam starts in 15 minutes.
12:30 PM - finished the exam. You might find it interesting that we had essay questions for Accounting. Went out to attend a club meeting/career panel, whichever room I land in.
1 PM - Leadership class!
3 PM - people were listless after our first ever midterm, so the class discussion was dragging. Our professor has a great antenna for sensing this and dismissed us earlier than 3 PM.
4 PM - back in the apartment; took a nap
6: 30 PM - had dinner. Started to study for Stats midterm.
8:30 PM - left the apartment for the library, where I work the midnight shift.
9 PM - start of my shift! Brought my Stats hand-outs with me in an attempt to study while at the desk.
12 AM - end of shift. Walked back to the apartment and started studying what little remained of Stats that I hadn't covered.
1:45 AM - motivated myself to read a bit for Ethics class.
Thoughts: 1, 2, 3, 4... why do we have 8 readings for class tomorrow?!!
2:30 AM - wrote this and signing off
A Week in the Life, Day 4
Sunday
Sometime between 7-8 AM - woke up, had breakfast, cleaned around the apartment, the usual
10:30 AM - studied for Accounting midterms in earnest
12:30 PM - got distracted by the Internet
2:30 PM - back to studying
6:30 PM - finished Accounting, had dinner
7:30 PM - started my Statistics homework
9 PM - had mass at the near chapel
10 PM - back to my homework
11 PM - reviewed some Accounting notes
12 AM - stated on readings for tomorrow's class on Leadership
2 AM - sleeping time!
*Yes, I'm not a very social person, especially when it's exam time.
Sometime between 7-8 AM - woke up, had breakfast, cleaned around the apartment, the usual
10:30 AM - studied for Accounting midterms in earnest
12:30 PM - got distracted by the Internet
2:30 PM - back to studying
6:30 PM - finished Accounting, had dinner
7:30 PM - started my Statistics homework
9 PM - had mass at the near chapel
10 PM - back to my homework
11 PM - reviewed some Accounting notes
12 AM - stated on readings for tomorrow's class on Leadership
2 AM - sleeping time!
*Yes, I'm not a very social person, especially when it's exam time.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
A Week in the Life, Day 2
Friday
7 AM - woke up. It dawned on me that I had to be at school at 9 AM for a guest company lecture. I usually allot 30 minutes for the walk to school.
9 AM - made it on time for the session. I've been making it to school just in time recently. Americans are very strict about time, so just in time isn't good enough.
10 AM - lecture finished. It was definitely interesting and was given by a company VP. The VP talked about future trends and current innovations their company was implementing in the transportation sector. I'd like to apply for an internship at this company, but I know they don't sponsor foreigners. I still might though.
10:30 AM - I should be reading my case book or studying for midterms, but I'm at the business school library, checking email, going through Facebook and typing the preceding blog post.
11:30 AM - had a case interview practice session, courtesy of the Consulting Club. I got the club president as my interviewer. Case interviews are the norm for finance and consulting people, but it's slowly being used for other roles as well. I'm not into finance and consulting, but I'd like to practice more cases because they build up your problem-solving and analytical skills. If you're a master at case interviews, then you'd be confident for any interview.
12:30 PM - walked back home for lunch
1:30 PM - tried to study for the Accounting midterm but fell asleep in the middle of a chapter (yet again)
2 PM - woke up and realized that I'd fallen asleep. Thought that it would be better to go to the library to study. Besides, I needed to print out some practice tests and problem sets for Accounting and Stats.
3 PM - I'm glad that we grad students have a large print quota. I must've printed a hundred sheets today. I really find it hard to concentrate (I have a short attention span when it comes to classes and studying) that it takes me 3 hours to get through two of the Accounting chapters we've covered. Decided not to go to the Stats review class, which was supposed to be at 3:30 PM.
6:30 PM - walked home for dinner. It was raining outside. Checked emails and Facebook then grabbed my Accounting class hand-outs and some food to snack on in the library.
7:30 PM - went back to the library and dove through the problem sets and hand-outs, with many a break to rest. Next time, I'll do the problem sets earlier so I won't have to go through everything in one go.
11 PM - I was trying to motivate myself to go on solving when a voice came on the intercom announcing that the library was closed. No choice but to go back home. It was still raining, but there was a strong wind this time. It was a pretty awful walk for me (I was wishing for mittens and a hood), and made me think of what it will be like in the winter.
12 PM - Football home game tomorrow and there's a drumline event on campus at this time. Decided not to go after that very cold walk. I'd rather stay inside under the blankets and rest my tired eyes. There'll be another home game after all.
7 AM - woke up. It dawned on me that I had to be at school at 9 AM for a guest company lecture. I usually allot 30 minutes for the walk to school.
9 AM - made it on time for the session. I've been making it to school just in time recently. Americans are very strict about time, so just in time isn't good enough.
10 AM - lecture finished. It was definitely interesting and was given by a company VP. The VP talked about future trends and current innovations their company was implementing in the transportation sector. I'd like to apply for an internship at this company, but I know they don't sponsor foreigners. I still might though.
10:30 AM - I should be reading my case book or studying for midterms, but I'm at the business school library, checking email, going through Facebook and typing the preceding blog post.
11:30 AM - had a case interview practice session, courtesy of the Consulting Club. I got the club president as my interviewer. Case interviews are the norm for finance and consulting people, but it's slowly being used for other roles as well. I'm not into finance and consulting, but I'd like to practice more cases because they build up your problem-solving and analytical skills. If you're a master at case interviews, then you'd be confident for any interview.
12:30 PM - walked back home for lunch
1:30 PM - tried to study for the Accounting midterm but fell asleep in the middle of a chapter (yet again)
2 PM - woke up and realized that I'd fallen asleep. Thought that it would be better to go to the library to study. Besides, I needed to print out some practice tests and problem sets for Accounting and Stats.
3 PM - I'm glad that we grad students have a large print quota. I must've printed a hundred sheets today. I really find it hard to concentrate (I have a short attention span when it comes to classes and studying) that it takes me 3 hours to get through two of the Accounting chapters we've covered. Decided not to go to the Stats review class, which was supposed to be at 3:30 PM.
6:30 PM - walked home for dinner. It was raining outside. Checked emails and Facebook then grabbed my Accounting class hand-outs and some food to snack on in the library.
7:30 PM - went back to the library and dove through the problem sets and hand-outs, with many a break to rest. Next time, I'll do the problem sets earlier so I won't have to go through everything in one go.
11 PM - I was trying to motivate myself to go on solving when a voice came on the intercom announcing that the library was closed. No choice but to go back home. It was still raining, but there was a strong wind this time. It was a pretty awful walk for me (I was wishing for mittens and a hood), and made me think of what it will be like in the winter.
12 PM - Football home game tomorrow and there's a drumline event on campus at this time. Decided not to go after that very cold walk. I'd rather stay inside under the blankets and rest my tired eyes. There'll be another home game after all.
Friday, September 7, 2012
A Week in the Life, Day 1
I've been in the MBA program over a month now, and I think it would be interesting for you guys to see what we MBA students have been up to in school. Yesterday was one of the busiest and most tiring days we've had, so I just wanted to give you a quick rundown of activities. I'll try to do 7 consecutive days' worth of posts (much like Tiger Mom's daughter tigersophia); let's see how long I can keep up.
Thursday
7:00 AM - woke up (after 7.5 hours of sleep, which is a lot for this week). prepared to leave. cooked and ate rice and omelette for breakfast (have a hard time going through the morning without breakfast). checked email and Facebook --I get such a lot of emails everyday; it's more stressful than work email, honestly. I chat with my family on FB everyday.
thoughts: have to know which company booths to target on this afternoon's career search so I have some research to do (isn't as easy as it reads). have to read ethics articles that I fell asleep on last night. don't forget that meeting with an org president at lunch.
9:30 AM - walked to school, toting my padfolio (leather folio thing which you bring around career fairs to make you look professional) and pumps. A walk from our apartment to school takes 15-25 minutes, depending on how fast you're going (and how late you are to class). I always keep missing the bus which swings by our apartment block. If I didn't miss the bus, I'd be in school in less than 10 minutes. Went down to the lockers to store my career fair props.
10 AM - statistics class. This is a 2-hour class with a 10-minute break in the middle.
11:50 AM - class dismissed.
12 PM- met with the org president to discuss an idea I had for our club. I felt really bad when I told her I had to go home for lunch since she (kind of) expected that we'd have lunch together. I told her that I had to change clothes (smart casual to business formal) for the career fair in the afternoon.
1245 PM- procrastinated and tried to take a quick nap.
1PM - had lunch at home (left-over omelette and dessert). Changed my large silk bag to a smaller leather bag. Read through the ethics articles.
2 PM- saw how little time I had left to research on companies for the career fair. Leveraged (yes, I love that word) the power of Google and Wikipedia to do quick company background checks. I'm proud to say that I had done quick research on 15 companies, and was able to build my target list of 5 (yes, only 5) companies.
thoughts: don't forget to print your resume for the career fair!!!
2:30PM- realized that I hadn't changed yet and that I might be late for class
2:45PM - flew out the door of our apartment for the long walk
3PM - made it on time. Ethics class.
5PM - went to the locker room to change shoes and get my padfolio. Nearly forgot to print my resume. Another long walk to the career fair venue.
5:20 PM - oh wow, the venue is just crowded with people! A lot of business undergrads and MBAs jostling through the room, long lines and harried recruiters. I got 2 I-think-I-did-well experiences, 2 go-online-and-check-our-website receptions and 1 false lead.
6:30 PM- called it a night, met with my friends. We agreed to go out for ice cream.
7:30 PM- went out for frozen yogurt, with the buy-one-get-one coupons in the school planner giveaway I got during org night. Mistakenly filled a sample cup with about a cone's worth of yogurt, which was hilarious.
8:30 PM - drove downtown to a pub for a birthday party of 3 MBA girls
9:45 PM - got out after greeting the girls and exchanging a few stories with the people who came. really tired at this point, but we wanted to check out the food expo on campus (ie. free food samples)
1030PM - got at the food expo area, and was disappointed to see that there were no booths around. Those undergrads must've finished off the food. There were students still around, lying on the grass,
watching an open-air film showing.
11 PM - got back to the apartment. Tried to read a few pages of a case book for a case marathon the following day. Fell asleep while reading, with the lights turned on.
Thursday
7:00 AM - woke up (after 7.5 hours of sleep, which is a lot for this week). prepared to leave. cooked and ate rice and omelette for breakfast (have a hard time going through the morning without breakfast). checked email and Facebook --I get such a lot of emails everyday; it's more stressful than work email, honestly. I chat with my family on FB everyday.
thoughts: have to know which company booths to target on this afternoon's career search so I have some research to do (isn't as easy as it reads). have to read ethics articles that I fell asleep on last night. don't forget that meeting with an org president at lunch.
9:30 AM - walked to school, toting my padfolio (leather folio thing which you bring around career fairs to make you look professional) and pumps. A walk from our apartment to school takes 15-25 minutes, depending on how fast you're going (and how late you are to class). I always keep missing the bus which swings by our apartment block. If I didn't miss the bus, I'd be in school in less than 10 minutes. Went down to the lockers to store my career fair props.
10 AM - statistics class. This is a 2-hour class with a 10-minute break in the middle.
11:50 AM - class dismissed.
12 PM- met with the org president to discuss an idea I had for our club. I felt really bad when I told her I had to go home for lunch since she (kind of) expected that we'd have lunch together. I told her that I had to change clothes (smart casual to business formal) for the career fair in the afternoon.
1245 PM- procrastinated and tried to take a quick nap.
1PM - had lunch at home (left-over omelette and dessert). Changed my large silk bag to a smaller leather bag. Read through the ethics articles.
2 PM- saw how little time I had left to research on companies for the career fair. Leveraged (yes, I love that word) the power of Google and Wikipedia to do quick company background checks. I'm proud to say that I had done quick research on 15 companies, and was able to build my target list of 5 (yes, only 5) companies.
thoughts: don't forget to print your resume for the career fair!!!
2:30PM- realized that I hadn't changed yet and that I might be late for class
2:45PM - flew out the door of our apartment for the long walk
3PM - made it on time. Ethics class.
5PM - went to the locker room to change shoes and get my padfolio. Nearly forgot to print my resume. Another long walk to the career fair venue.
5:20 PM - oh wow, the venue is just crowded with people! A lot of business undergrads and MBAs jostling through the room, long lines and harried recruiters. I got 2 I-think-I-did-well experiences, 2 go-online-and-check-our-website receptions and 1 false lead.
6:30 PM- called it a night, met with my friends. We agreed to go out for ice cream.
7:30 PM- went out for frozen yogurt, with the buy-one-get-one coupons in the school planner giveaway I got during org night. Mistakenly filled a sample cup with about a cone's worth of yogurt, which was hilarious.
8:30 PM - drove downtown to a pub for a birthday party of 3 MBA girls
9:45 PM - got out after greeting the girls and exchanging a few stories with the people who came. really tired at this point, but we wanted to check out the food expo on campus (ie. free food samples)
1030PM - got at the food expo area, and was disappointed to see that there were no booths around. Those undergrads must've finished off the food. There were students still around, lying on the grass,
watching an open-air film showing.
11 PM - got back to the apartment. Tried to read a few pages of a case book for a case marathon the following day. Fell asleep while reading, with the lights turned on.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Pinoy Food Online!
It's such a relief to know that Filipinos in the USA who are suffering from homesickness can be comforted by the knowledge that Lucky Me pancit canton, Milo, Knorr soups, Alaska evap and tuyo can be delivered right to their doorstep!
http://www.philamfood.com/
I found the above link the other night and was amazed at the inventory. Sunsilk shampoo, chicharon, Fita biscuits, La-La fish crackers, Vcut/Oishi/Piattos chips and Eng Bee Tin hopia can be found here! There are other Filipino sellers on Amazon and other online groceries, but I think this store has the most variety and the cheapest prices outside of shipping.
I haven't actually ordered yet as the prices are more expensive than local brands, but if I suddenly crave for a taste of champorado or Fibisco chocolate mallows, I know that I can have them delivered straight to my door.
--------
We have nearly finished three weeks of orientation (yes, THREE weeks!) and have readings and homework all piled up. School hasn't even started!
Already, we've had two mock interviews per student. Career nights, career fairs and career development sessions have also filled up our schedules. You can just feel the pressure and the stress. We have been given two books that will be useful in our career hunt. Two books! I haven't finished one yet.
We've had communication skills workshops and math workshops. We've toured the campus and spent our breaks listening to notable speakers. We've had impromptu gatherings and socials. Our inboxes have been flooded with emails from various departments, reminding us to order business cards, pay our accounts, buy our books, answer surveys, look at possible internships and submit that resume to the career website.
All this, while the sun sets at 9 PM and each day grows colder. It's nearly the end of summer. It's nearly the start of school!
http://www.philamfood.com/
I found the above link the other night and was amazed at the inventory. Sunsilk shampoo, chicharon, Fita biscuits, La-La fish crackers, Vcut/Oishi/Piattos chips and Eng Bee Tin hopia can be found here! There are other Filipino sellers on Amazon and other online groceries, but I think this store has the most variety and the cheapest prices outside of shipping.
I haven't actually ordered yet as the prices are more expensive than local brands, but if I suddenly crave for a taste of champorado or Fibisco chocolate mallows, I know that I can have them delivered straight to my door.
--------
We have nearly finished three weeks of orientation (yes, THREE weeks!) and have readings and homework all piled up. School hasn't even started!
Already, we've had two mock interviews per student. Career nights, career fairs and career development sessions have also filled up our schedules. You can just feel the pressure and the stress. We have been given two books that will be useful in our career hunt. Two books! I haven't finished one yet.
We've had communication skills workshops and math workshops. We've toured the campus and spent our breaks listening to notable speakers. We've had impromptu gatherings and socials. Our inboxes have been flooded with emails from various departments, reminding us to order business cards, pay our accounts, buy our books, answer surveys, look at possible internships and submit that resume to the career website.
All this, while the sun sets at 9 PM and each day grows colder. It's nearly the end of summer. It's nearly the start of school!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Homework already?!
I haven't even set foot in my school, and I already have a list of things to do! Like:
1. take an online Math course
2. take an online career assessment test (done)
3. search for companies and job roles that I'd be interested in for internship/work
Not exactly easy peasy.
Finishing 1 means we'll be ready for business Math proper, for which we'll be having workshops in orientation. 2 and 3 are for getting us a headstart on landing internships. Any day now there'll be a fourth item on the list -- update my resume.
As I haven't got into the scholarly mindset yet, I'll procrastinate on these for a while and take time to enjoy the end of summer in Manila.
1. take an online Math course
2. take an online career assessment test (done)
3. search for companies and job roles that I'd be interested in for internship/work
Not exactly easy peasy.
Finishing 1 means we'll be ready for business Math proper, for which we'll be having workshops in orientation. 2 and 3 are for getting us a headstart on landing internships. Any day now there'll be a fourth item on the list -- update my resume.
As I haven't got into the scholarly mindset yet, I'll procrastinate on these for a while and take time to enjoy the end of summer in Manila.
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