I can't believe it's only been a week. I haven't been this busy in years. Maybe ever. Names, faces and backgrounds have blended together leaving me with just a general impressed feeling. The dirty dishes have piled up in my apartment and I'm running out of clean clothes but I couldn't be happier. The faculty and staff at Wharton know that we, the class of 2014, have only two short years to learn from them so it's vital that we hit the ground running.
At our two big events this past week (the Welcome Ceremony and Convocation) I received some great advice.
- 2010 Alumnus, Mihir Gandhi, and HCMer (GO HCM!) told everyone who thought that Wharton was just a quant school, or just for i-bankers, that "we belong here". Good words to take to heart.
- Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger delivered the faculty address at Convocation. I was told that thinking about my goals won't do me much good, at least not as much good as writing them down. So think about them, and commit them to paper. Make them discrete, make them measurable, and then make them happen.
We also had the Learning Team Retreat this weekend, which was really great. Highlights include....
Flipping over a canoe with a big veteran named Steve and an international financial analyst named Marina.The blind fervor being exhibited at the cohort dodgeball tournament at a caged-in basketball court in the middle of the woods (it was straight out of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome). And, of course, meeting my awesome learning team.
So I'm really into my cohort (the ~70 people I'll be taking my 5 core classes with), people are beginning to look familiar (I may even know some of their names), and I'm excited about getting started. This weekend we didn't have much time for errands (or sleep) but this Thursday I'm hoping to get my groceries, double check what materials and readings I'll need for class, and study a bit of accounting (to get ahead before class starts).