The weather has been fantastic this past weekend, and it triggered a hope to start this post with a quote from a famous Johnson school Cornell EMBA love poem. Unfortunately, I doubt if there are any, atleast none that I know off. Well, I wonder why. With late nights spent discussing discounted cash flows and cracking several business strategy cases, you would think that can be good use of spare time. Jokes apart, you have really don't have the time in class or perhaps at the ebar in Palisades, for writing poems or candlelight dinners. Yet, amazingly, a few couples have formed during the program, and I know of at least two, across the '08 and '09 batches.
For the most part, in our hyper-social '09 world, only with time, do speed dial conversations get replaced by more normal interaction, where you can get to the bottom of people's personalities, not just their personas. These individual perspectives can be clarified as new groups are formed every semester, when we are given the opportunity to work closely with class mates as team/group mates. That is when 'the plerk' begins, a combination of play and work, and that, my friends, is the ultimate success in the business of just being you.
The next semester consists of the global international project, which is a key program deliverable. For this team based effort, we get to choose our own team mates, instead of school assigned teams. This choice compounds the fact that the learning experience will be a function of the team you choose or become part of. Ah yes, must remember opportunity costs not sunk costs!
During the past school weekend we had many prospective students sit in one of our strategy class sessions. In a brief hour, they obtained a fairly good exposure in business strategy fundamentals. It was interesting to see that these prospects seem to understand the emphasis of socializing in the Johnson school. I found a few of them deeply engaged in conversations with some of 09's, curious to have their questions answered, simply eager to discover more about the program. As I was talking to one visitor, I was thinking and telling myself, emm.. this was me, before I started the program. Looking back, with nearly a year completed, I know for a fact now that the Cornell Executive MBA program is definitely devoted to breaking you down (Oh yeah .. Corporate Finance:))and building you back up as a stronger person, with the academic mind rigorously renewed. At the same time, it is, has been and will be a memorable plerking experience for me.
For the most part, in our hyper-social '09 world, only with time, do speed dial conversations get replaced by more normal interaction, where you can get to the bottom of people's personalities, not just their personas. These individual perspectives can be clarified as new groups are formed every semester, when we are given the opportunity to work closely with class mates as team/group mates. That is when 'the plerk' begins, a combination of play and work, and that, my friends, is the ultimate success in the business of just being you.
The next semester consists of the global international project, which is a key program deliverable. For this team based effort, we get to choose our own team mates, instead of school assigned teams. This choice compounds the fact that the learning experience will be a function of the team you choose or become part of. Ah yes, must remember opportunity costs not sunk costs!
During the past school weekend we had many prospective students sit in one of our strategy class sessions. In a brief hour, they obtained a fairly good exposure in business strategy fundamentals. It was interesting to see that these prospects seem to understand the emphasis of socializing in the Johnson school. I found a few of them deeply engaged in conversations with some of 09's, curious to have their questions answered, simply eager to discover more about the program. As I was talking to one visitor, I was thinking and telling myself, emm.. this was me, before I started the program. Looking back, with nearly a year completed, I know for a fact now that the Cornell Executive MBA program is definitely devoted to breaking you down (Oh yeah .. Corporate Finance:))and building you back up as a stronger person, with the academic mind rigorously renewed. At the same time, it is, has been and will be a memorable plerking experience for me.
