Time to check in...

This blog is starting to feel like burden- every time I think about writing a post I just think of multiple issues that are going through my head that make it difficult to write a clear post- so sorry, I’ll have to break things down:

Midterm- oh no!
Well mid-terms are coming up and although I do not feel that I have put in the hours required for the exams- I think they will go alright- this is helped by the fact that most of them are open book, so I’m not spending time cramming formulas, rather, making sure I understand how to solve the problems. I am also slightly concerned about the fact that I haven’t sat an exam in 3 or so years, I’m sure that is quite a small gap compared to some of the older students, either way, I hope I can still write consistently legibly for 2-3 hours!
I know I’ve given this topic more than it deserves, but doing 6 courses in the core has basically caused me to go wide and not so deep, this is worrying & frustrating, there are just some classes that I am literally swimming with the assignments as I don’t spend as much time on them as they deserve. On the other hand, I love the variety in my learning, I feel like I’m learning much more in E-commerce, it’s also the course that I feel connects across all the core disciplines. For now, I value going wide and not deep- as one of class ends after midterms, I can begin concentrate on going deep.

To bank or not to bank (Internship)…
I’ve been to my fair share of consulting events over the last month and I know pretty much all I need to know about this profession- I have even managed to fit in a practice case interview! Now, I feel strangely drawn towards investment banking as an internship opportunity to explore- yes, we all know the insane hours one has to work and the lack of a good work/life balance, but I can’t resist the temptation of the amount this industry pays and the finance training I could receive that would broaden my skill-set to more than a consultant. In addition, the training would open up doors to prestigious and highly competitive Private Equity roles, if not immediately for full time, but certainly 2nd job out of business school. I don’t intend on going full time in this area, but I feel the internship would provide me with the perfect opportunity to try it out without making such a big leap. Going for both consulting & investment banking internship will be hard work, not to mention the potential conflict risk this introduces during on campus recruiting- there’s a high chance of running into your i-bank interviewers whilst on your way to your consulting interview (which the banker apparently don’t take very well)! So depending, I may have to choose which track, I’m still most keen for consulting, but investment banking is on the horizon- as the company presentations start after the mid-terms, I’ll either get more clarity or more confused on this issue…

It’s the best space to be in your 20s
Serious stuff aside, I just have to comment on how much of love/hate relationship I have with the business school environment. I love being around such brilliant people and exposed lots of opportunities. But it is so tiring and at times, so intense… The hidden lessons such as learning to cope with high workloads, rationalizing what opportunity to pursue among 3 or more other good alternatives at a moments notice- these are the “soft” management lessons that will serve me for life… I’ve never been so busy, and slowly my hours of sleep have declined from a healthy 8, down to just barely 5 hours on some nights. I feel so relieved whenever I venture off campus and enter the real world- breaks from this environment are what keep me sane- California certainly helps… But I’m wondering how I would react if I was at a city based business school such as Columbia or Harvard, where I can step outside the bubble more easily than the pure campus environment? I best not go there- I’m at Stanford and I love it!!! After all, there are some fun aspects that balance things out- the work hard, play mentality make it a great place to be at my age.

And now- the party continues…In little less than 3 hours- the GSB Halloween party kicks off- it promises to be spectacular- and for once I made an effort on the costume. My friend in San Francisco will be the DJ which is great…