Thursday, September 6, 2007

Classes are now truly underway and it's interesting to see how different second year is from first. A year ago we were huddled in breakouts rooms working on the Tweeter case; this year I am happily almost free of "group work," except for one or two projects. For those of you considering business school, get prepared to do more group projects than grade school, including passing out cupcakes, making posters with glitter, and even considering dioramas (all things I did as a first-year MBA).
I know, we're supposed to learn how it is in the real world where cross-functional teams (make you sure you have that word on your resume, btw) are increasingly prevalent and you have to learn to be an efficient and good leader--or follower. And i'm sure that someday i'll be glad that I was trained in this delicate art...well, maybe.
So as the first-years emerge bleary-eyed from their breakout rooms, I hope they can be cheered by the thought that there is a future that includes business school learning without group work. And for the time being I am so glad to be relying on my own brain, unreliable though it may be. I have taken to completing my readings and homework assignment on my couch instead of at Sage Hall, with The Hills on in the background and only sometimes relying on my neighbors for free internet.