Start of the fall semester

The fall semester has begun. AMBA’s are now officially second year students and we can customize our courses depending on our career preferences, having completed the core courses in the summer. As I have mentioned previously, I am interested in a consulting or general management career and have enrolled in courses that will augment my existing accounting, finance and economics knowledge. I will write more about these courses as the semester moves along.

One of the unique and performance learning advantages of the Johnson AMBA program is the management practicum hosted by Randy Allen, who is the associate dean of corporate relations and senior consultant in residence. During the summer, Randy works with several companies to obtain projects in consulting, high technology, healthcare and financial services. These projects are then assigned to us depending on our career preferences. The groups then work with the companies during the fall semester with both company and in house (Johnson) advisors, who provide us with guidance and feedback. The capstone of our practicum experience is a two week on site internship, where the teams present their projects to senior company executives. I am working with Citigroup’s Global Transaction Services on an industry analysis project that promises to be an exciting learning experience. In addition to the opportunity to apply our business education to a real corporate problem, the practicum provides us with interview talking points, especially since the AMBA program does not allow for an industry internship. We are extremely thankful to Randy who has done a phenomenal job in procuring these projects for us in a slow economy.

Some of us in the AMBA program including yours truly volunteered in facilitating the Johnson Outdoor experience, which is a two day off site team building event for the incoming first year students. This event is organized by second year students, but AMBA students are encouraged to help for a couple of reasons. Firstly and most importantly, it helps us network and build relationships with first year and second year students. Secondly, we have tons of fun. This is just another example of several leadership opportunities available in a small business school such as Johnson.

I am also a teaching assistant for the Strategic Hospitality Management course for Professor Cathy Enz in Cornell’s world renowned school of hotel management, which is situated across the street from the Johnson school. I am confident that this assignment will strengthen my ability to think strategically about business problems while allowing me to help undergraduate students with their coursework. The fall semester promises to be a roller coaster ride. I can feel the adrenaline flowing already.

The AMBA summer experience

This past Tuesday, the AMBA class of 2009 celebrated the end of the summer season, and the summer term with a dinner at Dean Doug Stayman’s house. It was a pleasant evening as I did not worry about completing an assignment or studying for a quiz or an exam. But it was also mildly unnerving as I was not used to having any free time on my hands. Technically, I do not need to be at Sage Hall (home to the Johnson School of Business) for the next two weeks, a thought that is all but alien to me. The summer semester was brutal, but arguably it was also the best summer of my life. Sleeping five hours day, waking up bleary eyed for early morning finance quizzes and seldom going home, tell only a part of the story. Learning from my incredibly talented classmates, the Johnson School professors and staff more than made up for lack of sleep, and this in essence is what makes the Accelerated MBA program at the Johnson School a unique and unforgettable experience. On our first day, Dean Joe Thomas remarked that we would all graduate in a “few weeks” and he was not kidding!!! The recruiting season is around the corner and I need to get cracking on preparing for consulting case interviews. The “free” time that I think I have is nothing but a mere illusion.

Greetings

Neela and I are originally from India, having spent the last seven years in Boston and Singapore. We have a beautiful 17 month old daughter Sanjana, who is extremely excited at the prospect of "exploring" the big wide world around her. Prior to coming to Ithaca, I spent three years leading a product development team in Asia for Teradyne Inc, the world's leading semiconductor test equipment manufacturer. Travelling across Asia was an exhilarating experience, but proved to be a big dietary challenge, yes I am a vegetarian!! I have an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pune in India and a graduate degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. I want to switch careers from engineering to consulting, and found the Accelerated MBA program at the Johnson School to be the perfect fit given my background and career aspirations. I look forward to sharing my experiences and perspectives about life in Ithaca and the Johnson School over the next 12 months.