Day 1
It would be that it rained, not only the first day, but the first three days. I was extremely nervous as I entered Dodge Hall with an open mind. After I am handed my name tag and new leather Northeastern portfolio, I grab some free coffee and make my way to an open seat past the overwhelming majority of men wearing blue dress shirts (apparently blue is in). We all mingle and make small talk to get to know the basics about each other. Before we were able to get past "where are you from?" and "where did you go to undergrad?" we are shifted around (several times) for some ice breakers. These two hours were actually fun and went by fairly quickly. We even learned some interesting facts about each other (like who can crack an egg with one hand and someone had taken part in the Orange Revolution).
We were given lunch and the sections were divided (26 & 27 or blue & green as we would be identified with the first few days) to attend some informational sessions. My section was divided into our learning teams - I was very excited to meet the people I will be spending an extensive amount of time with! Next came the most dreaded part of the day: the accounting assessment. I will admit, I found out about it the night before (my own fault for not reading the orientation schedule more closely earlier), but I was happy to get out of the way on the first day.
As we finished our assessments, we headed to the student lounge for snacks (we quickly got use to all this free food!) before we head out on the Duck Tour! I had been on one before, but I was excited to share this experience with my new classmates. I do want to point out that even our driver (The Joker) commented on all the blue shirts, asking if they were handed out during orientation. The Duck Tour was a great way for us to relax and end our first day together.
First day of grad school and I got to drive a duck boat!Day 2
The second day we start with another quick informational session before we jump on the bus to Ashland, MA to the Warren Conference Center for some team building exercises (after an amazing catered lunch, of course).
We are divided into our sections and my team is the first to be lead out into the rain (thankfully we were able to work under a giant party tent). Though there were no trust falls as we had all speculated, "Magnifying Glass" definitely required trust from the group. "Don't Break the Ice" challenged us physically as we invaded each others personal space to fit onto small foam squares. I was amazed to see the team unity that progressed over the course of the day.
Day 3
Right away we are split into our sections (which seems to be the pattern from here on out) for some more information about our learning teams and some case study prep, where we were also given our very first case study to be prepared for tomorrow morning!
We are given a very quick tour of the campus and leisurely lunch at International Village before a session with the Career Center, complete with a speaker from IBM and perspectives from some previous (and one current) MBA students.
Though we are out "early", the learning teams spread out between Dodge Hall and the library to begin preparing the first case. Like many other teams, mine did not leave until about 8 o'clock! I was surprised by how quickly we were all able to come together after only a few days.
Day 4
Northeastern does not waste any time. Our final full day of orientation we all came in our formal business attire to present our case studies. We were given a few hours (with a working lunch - talk about real world experience!) to finish preparing and make final adjustments.
Though we all worked with the same case, the teams were able to bring different perspectives and presentations to the table. We were even given a panel of judges (four professors) to further test and question our analysis and recommendations.
After a quick class photo, we have an hour to spare before our awards dinner. What does a group of MBA students do after a long week? Yes, we head to a bar directly across the street for a quick drink. I was amazed at how close we all seemed, no longer having the "get-to-know-the basics" conversations.
We then all make our way to the Alumni Center to mingle with faculty and staff, presentation awards, and a delicious catered meal. I was happy to see that as tired as everyone was, many of us met up afterwards to celebrate the end of a long week.
Day 5
It is Saturday and the only thing on the schedule is the club fair and our final free lunch (which I believe was enough to attract most of us). I will be concentrating on marketing, so I sign up for the Marketing Club and MBA Connections Club. I even see a friendly face - the president is someone I know from my childhood! I am very interested to learn that the clubs are completely run by the students. There are no predetermined projects - everything is decided by those in the club. I am extremely excited about MBA Connections. From what I gather, it is a lot of event planning, especially the new student events and meet and greets between first and second year students. As I hope to have a significant role in this group, make sure you all come say hi when you come to your new student information session!
*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Keri Deming
No comments:
Post a Comment