With the conclusion of the first semester, and the commencement of the second, it’s safe to say we all survived!
The final weeks of last semester were definitely a whirlwind of activity, assignment after assignment, right up until finals. The first semester was similar to a slap in the face, warning you to get yourself ready for the rest of the year.
We started off with Strategy, Marketing, Leadership, Economics, Accounting and Statistics – a full course load and a shock to those who have never used the word “monopoly” unless referring to the board game.
My background is in fine arts and these subjects did not come easy when most of my undergraduate years were spent in a studio, dancing. “Perfect competition” was the student next to me with the better pirouette or higher battement.
Marketing was definitely a favourite amongst the students. Professor Leyland Pitt teaches with case studies and stresses creativity in his assignments. A video was presented in class regarding schools and creativity, which caught my attention:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
All our assignments focused on creativity and group work. We were to introduce a topic through presentation, create and produce a spoof video and write a case study on a topic of our choice. It was a lot of work, but personally, a welcomed change from other quantitative subjects. I was blessed this semester with an awesome team to work with in this class – Neenu Dhanoa, Matt Harris, Siama Toure and Max Zhu. We had a lot of fun creating our spoof video of “wEharmony”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQsD-k2gVL8
We chose to base our case study on Starbuck’s move towards beer and wine and thought it would be a topic that would perk everyone’s interest. Plus, we had a lot to write about when it came to our Leadership course, as Leadership was based on our interactions in our Marketing teams.
Economics and Accounting were, honestly, a challenge. A lot of valuable information was presented and I’m not sure if I can squeeze another differential analysis equation or game theory in my head. What a eureka moment, though, when it all started making sense!
The first semester truly was advanced business curriculum at lightning speed. I have a game plan for this semester and have high hopes for organizing studies and other activities. I really enjoyed the three weeks off in between- a well deserved holiday break that lead us into last week’s MBA Games. More on that later!