I Got It!

My #1 choice for a project at the company where I will be doing my internship this summer. I also found a place, in the heart of Greenwich Village!

I'm going to have the best summer ever!!!

Welcome Weekend

Last weekend, over 120 admits descended upon New Haven for two days of speeches, panels, activities, and parties. I had the pleasure of meeting many of them, including brownoski, and I have to say, they're a stellar bunch. Admissions put together another super class. Most of the admits I spoke to seemed decided on coming to Yale, so I didn't have to try to sell the school. Not that that's hard. I mean, once you meet the people here, you're pretty much sold. That's how it was for me, anyway.

The coolest thing for me was having three classes on campus at the same time. It gave a sense of continuity to the place. It's sometimes difficult to see the big picture - how amazing it is to go to school here, to have this opportunity, to be part of something so great - when you spend so much time studying.

Anyway, I'm happy to have met so many future SOMers and look forward to meeting the rest of them in the fall. To official members of the Class of 2008, welcome to Yale SOM!

I'd Like To Thank The Academy

Wow. I just found out that I was ranked one of the ten best MBA student bloggers by Clear Admit! Considering the competition, this is quite an honor.

Thank you, everyone, who voted for me. And congratulations to all the other winners!

To view the complete list of winners, click on the icon below.

President Hu Of China To Visit Yale ...

... on Friday.

I doubt that I'll be able to get a ticket to see him, but his address will be broadcast throughout the university.

More info here.

SOM Star Search

Last night was SOM Star Search, this year's student talent show. Some of the performances were funny, others serious; but all were truly inspired. My favorites included:

1) The two guys who performed a folk version of Beyonce's "Check Up On It."
2) A professional fiddler who played bluegrass.
3) The MPPMY awards, which featured a category called "Best Productions" - photos of all the babies born to SOM parents over the last year.
4) An impersonation of Deputy Dean Stan Garstka.
5) The dancing segments - belly dancing and a traditional Chinese fan dance.

I had no idea that so many of my classmates were so talented! (Wait. . . . Is baby-making a talent?)

NOTE: There was an after-party, which many people chose to skip because of the pub crawl that took place the night before and the SOM-hosted graduate school mixer the night before that. It was an action-packed weekend at SOM. The talent show was a great way to end it.

Trickle Down Senioritis

This sucks. I'm just now developing friendships with second years and in three short weeks they'll be gone.

Many of the second years have already "checked out." There's a bit of a trickle down effect happening, as I have recently become VERY uninspired to do work. This lack of motivation is a problem. The solution is to make one last big push to get me through the next three weeks. Easier said than done, I'm afraid.

Fortunately, and unfortunately, I have a new game theory professor. From my previous posts, you're probably aware that I find Econ difficult. Well, this class is like Econ on steroids. Spatial pricing?! Are you kidding me?! Worse, the professor goes way too fast. He's also an expert cold-caller. A few people in today's class made an effort to situate themselves so that it would be difficult for him to spot them. He not only found them but he seemed to call on them more than anyone else. So I have no choice. I'll have to buckle down and do the work. I need to understand it completely so that I don't make a complete ass out of my self in class.

And if my pride doesn't motivate me, nothing will.

The Internship Fund Auction

Two weeks ago, the Internship Fund held its annual live auction. Up for bid were a used car, autographed Britney Spears pictures, a Sleazy Bar Tour, and other items donated by students. The theme was Mission: Possible and students in attendance were encouraged to dress as spies.

The entire event was very well done. The food was great and the drinks were plentiful. Classmates walking around with pitchers of beer ensured that everyone’s cup was full throughout the auction. In the beginning, this was great! By the end, it was even great-er!!! Heavily intoxicated, a good number of us ceased to exercise good judgment and started bidding ridiculous amounts of money. I ended up in a bidding war for an item that I didn’t even want! But it was fun, and I was feeling generous. The item ended up going to another bidder for almost four times more than it would have fetched had I not been so determined to purchase it. That’s a few extra dollars in the pocket of a non-profit intern this summer. So in some small way, I feel as though I did my part.

The night ended in a very unexpected way, however, as the event was also framed as a cohort competition. Knowing that the reduction in class size next year would result in the elimination of one of the cohorts, someone had the bright idea to make this event the one that would determine which of the four cohorts – Blue, Gold, Green, or Silver – would not be coming back. At the end of the night, Blue and Gold were battling it out for a single item, a stuffed squirrel of some strange significance to the school. Whichever cohort won the item would be saved from extinction. Things got pretty heated. Ultimately, Blue, which has never won a cohort competition - in fact, it usually places dead last - was declared the winning bidder. All for the low, low price of $4600. Watching the traditionally apathetic first-year Blues come together with the second-year Blues to ensure a Blue victory was an unusual sight, indeed. I never knew Blue pride ran so deep. I guess it does for all cohorts. Curious how a simple color can represent so much.

In sum, the night was a big success for the Internship Fund. And I’m looking forward to next year’s event.

P.S. The fund put together a hilarious video to promote the live auction. I wish it were available online, but alas. . . .