Wait! What?!! Its Over?

It seems like October literally FLEW by.  Our first seven weeks included Strategic Analysis, Managing People and Organizations, Accounting, Statistics and Management Practice 1, which is similar to a mini-consulting/design thinking project.  With the exception of MP1 which goes until December, all of those classes have ended- I can't believe it!  

We celebrated the end of the first seven weeks at an appropriately named party: "The Seven Week Party!"  The GMA (Graduate Management Association) sponsored a celebration at GameOn, a local sports bar.  It was an opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments with students, partners and professors.  There was a raffle (unfortunately, I didn't win) which included prizes all donated from the academic faculty.

I am one of the Student Ambassadors to the MBA program.  In addition to this blog, I also host individuals who come to visit BC as perspective students.  They have the opportunity to sit in on a class, ask questions and get a feel for the program.  Last week a student apprehensively told me that he had no business experience and didn't know how he'd survive the program.  Having just finished the first seven weeks, I was in a perfect place to offer some encouragement.  As you may know, I spent the last five years working clinically in a hospital.  And although in preparation, I did take some "business-minded" classes over the year prior to my matriculation- in essence, I had NO business experience prior to my arrival.  I was as nervous (if not more so) than the perspective student sitting beside me.  But it was easy for me to tell him- seven weeks ago, accounting was a foreign language- literally- a foreign language.  SWOT Analysis, PEST Analysis- these terms meant nothing.  The P Value? The F Test?  Uncommon terms.  But today, seven weeks later, I'm a different student.  I've been exposed to topics I'd never studied before and found success in the classroom- all with no business experience.  My teammates (go Team 4!) worked together to ensure that we all understood.  My professors took the extra time I needed in their office to ensure I was on the right track. 

Everyone comes to class nervous about something.  For me (and for this perspective student) it was my lack of business experience.  I'm here to tell you- with dedication, some serious time management, hard work and a supportive team- you're going to be just fine!

Teams....BC and Reach the Beach

Most of the posts associated with this blog will have to do with school and my experience at Boston College.  That being said, as a perspective student, I remember thinking- "is it all school, all the time?"  Well, the short answer to that is "Yes."  I mean, its only midterm week!  What do you expect?

But the longer answer is, although the vast majority of time right now is consumed by classes, team meetings, readings, writings (and bloggings...)  there are chances to have fun outside of BC's campus too.  I don't know what it is about this particular time of year, but much of the class was out of the Boston area this past weekend celebrating weddings, engagements and family events.

I however, was with my Reach the Beach Team, running really...really...far.

Reach the Beach is a 200 mile relay race that begins on Cannon Mountain (NH) and ends on Hampton Beach (NH).  Each team can carry no more than 12 runners and each runner completes three separate legs, usually totaling somewhere between 15 and 23 miles.  Our team started at 8am and finished at 1:40pm the following day, running straight through the night.  I am the Captain of our Reach the Beach team and our goal is simply to finish.  We try to ensure that everyone on the course is smiling- even up some nasty hills. Oh, we also only wear neon.

 

Our team is made up of 12 friends. Ironically something I'd never noticed prior to thinking about this post is that six team members have MBAs and two runners are BC Eagles (Shout out to the School of Nursing!)  Must be something about the air of competition that drives people like us to run so far.  This year we even had a twitter page, tweeting our way through 200 miles so friends and family could come along for the ride. 

Being part of a team like this is not so unlike being part of a team in the BC MBA Program.

It takes lots of planning- we travel in mini vans for more than 36 hours  We have to reserve our vans in January due to the high demand!  We have to bring all of our own food, directions and handbooks.

You have to be accountable-  I ask for commitments from team members around February.  They know they are accountable for training on their own up until race day.  We know that we will never be successful unless each runner gets to their finish line for the hand off. 

You have to have trust- I know when its 3am and I am running on the side of a rural road- headlamp on and blinkers blinking- that when I come around the bend my van will be there for me- asking what I need and how they can help.  No one goes to sleep while a member of their van is out running.  We're a team and if one is out, its like we're all out.

You have to care-  There are most certainly times during this race when you just don't think you can make it up that hill.  And then, out of nowhere a silver van scoots up next to you, blasting Lady Gaga, glowing in their neon and cheering your name like you're about to win the Olympics.  Their cheers get you up that hill.

Being part of a team at school is actually quite similar.  We have to care, we have to trust one another, we have to be accountable and we most certainly have to plan.  I've run Reach the Beach as a Captain before.  Perhaps its because I am in school now and teams are such an integral part of our experience, but this year for the first time I was really able to appreciate what makes a team environment so fantastic- the people crossing the finish line together.

First Two Weeks......Phew!

The yellow lab in this photo belongs to my husband and I.  Her name is Cali.  This summer when coming to tour BC, we saw the campus in its calmest state.  So calm in fact that Cali sat still for this photo!  Well, two weeks of classes have come and gone and its not so still here any longer!


When I say its not so still here anymore, I don't mean that its storming and trees are falling on my car...

Although that did happen.  Hello Irene.


What I actually mean is that after three fast paced days of orientation, the first year MBA program is in full swing.  We were assigned groups within moments of arriving on campus.  I quickly learned that my class is diverse.  It was easy to pick out our differences as we looked around the orientation arena and were asked to speak at the microphone offering our name, where were from and one interesting fact about ourselves.  It seemed we were from all over the globe.  It seemed we've all had different jobs, attended different undergraduate institutions and came to BC for different reasons.

The next day of orientation was designed so that in my opinion, we could realize some of our similarities.  We spent the day at Thompson Island performing Outward Bound activities.  On the surface, some activities seemed silly...find your way to a specific tree...blindfolded.... some seemed more intense....climb up that telephone pole contraption and let this guy you just met yesterday hold your life in his hands!  Trust was required immediately and the day allowed relationships to form.  We were all at Outward Bound to become better teammates and realize some common goals, even the obvious ones: eg.  Let's not let anyone fall from that rope because that will just be terrible!

Classes have been pretty intense from the get go.  As someone who doesn't have a corporate background I've been forced to embrace the fact that I'm totally out of my element.  Although I've come to realize that my background may make me feel like a fish out of water, my team and my classmates allow me to feel that I belong.  The classroom environment is supportive and there is a general willingness to help and to understand that makes me feel thankful that I've chosen to come to BC.

Our first quiz in accounting was on Friday and I must say that there was a collective bond I hadn't felt before which was embraced upon its completion:  We did it!

It's clear we're all in this together.  Its clear this is about way more than finding that elusive tree.