Monday, August 24, 2009

My Favorite Part of LGO? Well, my classmates, of course!

Going on internship has its pluses and minuses, like anything. I've talked a lot about the pluses (at least mine... Travel, new country, lots of free time, etc.)... but what about the minuses? Well, the biggest one, in my opinion, is missing the rest of the class. I am lucky that Drew and I are together, having another LGO on internship has been awesome. Especially, since being in Europe makes it particularly hard to see people since a quick trip to Europe doesn't really happen. So, the result is, you miss the rest of the class.

Well, this past weekend was the first chance to see many of my classmates in the same place - one of our X-classers, Kash, got married in Chicago. So, I decided to make the trip back to the US to celebrate with him and his wife (who totally rocks) and hang out with other LGOs.

I am so glad I went. Despite it being a whirlwind trip, it was a blast. When our class is together, it seems we just pick up where we left off. It's like a terrific relationship, where you are just totally comfy with one another and can let loose and just be yourself, except there's 47 other people, not 1. ;)

Now, onto the wedding - it was INCREDIBLE. It was my first Indian wedding and I thoroughly embraced the chance to experience everything... from getting a Henna tattoo to dancing my feet off during the Raas Garba to eating as much Indian food as I possibly could. The traditions and ceremony (although I didn't understand most of it) were beautiful and, Kash and his wife, Payal, looked amazing. The entire weekend was just a great celebration and those of us from LGO who were able to make it, did our best to represent MIT. Here are a few of the PG photos from the weekend.

Becca and I with our Henna tattoos.

Dancing at the Raas Garba.

The bride and groom looking awesome!
Most of the LGOs with the bride & groom at the end of the reception.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Jo Meets Blogger, Readers Meet Jo's New Blog

So, with the program name change and other system changes, the X-class bloggers were given the opportunity to find a different blogging tool. So, now, you've got me on blogger.... It's rockin'!

And, the BEST part about this new blog is that I customized some of the HTML myself. Oh yes, it is true, this Industrial Engineer knows how to write and modify (some) HTML code.

But, wait, there's more (I bet you can't contain your excitement) - I'm seeking reader input. There are a few things in the HTML that I could not figure out:
  • I'd like to add a divider line between the two frames, or at least see how it looks
  • I want to add underline formatting to my individual blog titles
These both seem like they should be easy... so, I am sure someone can help!

In the meantime, ENJOY!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Things I've Learned While in Grad School

I like talking - a lot - which I guess is why I blog.  I think some day I'll write a book entitled: "Things I Learned While in Grad School."

Now, I know you're probably thinking - "Well, that'll be lame - who cares to hear you regurgetate information about NPV, Options, Supply & Demand curves, Leadership theories and marketing strategies?" Don't worry, no one does - so that's why it won't be about that type of stuff. Here's a taste of what it will be like:

Where you sit really does matter.

When I was at NG, I was once told to choose my seat in meetings very carefully. It could result in attention you do or don't want and certain seats can be better or worse for having power or influence during the meeting. I never forgot this and frequently used very careful strategy when choosing a seat in meetings. Watch others as they enter a room some time - it's quite interesting.

The thing about this is - it also holds true for grad school. To start, some times in the first or second class lecture you will be forever (for the semester) assigned to a single seat. It is important that the seat allows you to be engaged when you want to be or totally quiet (and hidden from cold calls) if you're paying for a late night out. The kids who really want to show how much they care actually do the reading every night will usually sit front and center. It's good that they exist, especially since I'm not usually one of them (Come on, don't judge, like you read every assignment you were given?). Then there's the kids who'll sit far on the ends or pretty much out of sight and don't plan to participate all that much (or at all). I am also not one of those - because as we previously discussed, when I have an opinion, I want to be heard. As a result, I will often sit in the last row of the center section. I like seats in the back because I'm a multi-tasker and often find that boring slow lectures are a great way to get other things done. But, I like sitting in the center so that if I want to actively participate, I can. Another important factor is who you sit next to. This can make or break ANY seat. For example, lets say you choose to sit in the far right corner just out of Professor's sight to take a less active role in this particular class - but, Mr. Statue of Liberty is right next to you and constantly has his hand up, drawing the Profs attention constantly to your area of the room. This makes day dreaming/napping or reading a case for another class even more challenging. Thus, seat selection is important. Choose wisely.

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Now since this IS a school blog, I will make my obligatory caveat: What is even more important, though, is finding the classes and professors where you aren't worried about this type of stuff because you want to actually sit engaged for 80 minutes and listen to them talk. Plus, I might guess that the Professors are not at all fooled by our seat selection game, but just like to play along.


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Ok, so on second thought, maybe no one wants to listen to that stuff either... but who knows... if my career doesn't work out, it might be fun to give writing a book a try. :)

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

LGO Year 1: Photo Montage Style

Today, instead of talking your ear off, I will post some pictures from my first 14 months in LGO. Enjoy!

(Note: If any of you are active readers of Drew's blog, you'll notice I "stole" his awesome idea of a collage.)

Summer 2008: It all begins...

summer 2008

From top left clockwise: Summer team dinner, X-class taking a Duck boat tour, our first LGO house party, our end of the summer class party (with Don & Brad in attendance), my first trip to RI - beautiful!, some of the LGO ladies during a pub crawl.


Fall 2008: Meeting the rest of the Sloanies... kind of ;)


20081121-FallBall

From top left clockwise: Karaoke - a favorite activity of many in our class, my Sloan Core team showing some C squared pride, my first Red Sox game!, our last night in Boston before Winter Break, LGOs at Fall Ball, a trip to Vermont during SIP break.

IAP 2009: Domestic Plant Trek - X-Class Style

20090104-0107PlantTrek

From top left clockwise: It's snowing !!, X-class at the Harley dealership, Mark's Bachelor Party in Austin - on stage at a piano bar, Tough guys with their new Harley shirts, the west coast crew enjoying drinks and snacks while the rest of X-class was on a plane from Boston delayed hours due to bad weather, more snow in Boston - my fire escape.

Spring 2009: This school thing is a piece of cake.

0323-Krakow

From top left clockwise: LGOs in Munich during International Plant trek, Ski trip to Vermont, the streets of Warsaw, LGO ladies at Spring Gala, Tiger Team love at the end of the year party, Prague castle

And in the center - a group of us did a triathlon in May!


Summer 2009: How much of Europe can one see in 6 months?

20090724-27-Budapest&Formula1

From top left clockwise: Drew and I enjoying the Marburg festival, view of the city - Marburg, Pisa is beautiful!, for some reason Guinness tastes much better in Dublin, vineyards in Tuscany, Formula 1 race track in Budapest