AHHHHH, I'm at Wharton!!!! I want to scream out loud with joy. I'm thrilled,
excited, and a bit nervous to be here. We've just reached the one-week mark in
Pre-Term and I've already shifted into high gear. My adrenaline is pumping, my
mind is racing, and my sleep is lacking. Things move quickly here!
Pre-Term has been jam-packed with information sessions, networking
opportunities, social events, and orientation activities crafted to make us
feel comfortable in Philly, our new home. Some students are also preparing for
waiver exams, to opt out of classes they have extensive experience in. It's
been great (and essential) to have time to prepare for the school year before
officially kicking off the semester. Everyone is buzzing with excitement, but
it comes at a cost. We're all sleep-deprived, already.
A glorious
Learning Team Retreat capped off the week. On Saturday, we spent the day
meeting and working with our Learning Team - a group of five or six peers who
complete group assignments together the first year. Teams are intentionally
diverse in all ways imaginable. My group is no exception. We have a Chinese
entrepreneur with CPG experience, a Floridian entrepreneur with operations
experience, a Russian consultant with global management experience, and a
Dominican American bond trader with finance experience. Then there's me, a New
Yorker with digital advertising experience. Given the hype that Wharton is
chock-full of investment bankers and consultants, we quickly disprove that
theory. We're an eclectic bunch, and have aptly named ourselves "The Motley
Crew."
The Motley
Crew has chemistry. We clicked immediately
upon meeting. Already, one teammate is making a strong case for us to
vacation to the Dominican Republic together. Another classmate has circulated
pictures of his bulldog, who I'm hoping to dog sit for. I'm planning an
intimate dinner for our group at my apartment this week. We were strangers two
days ago, but opened up to each other very quickly - at lightning speed in
fact. As I said earlier, things move quickly at Wharton.
One of the
most exciting things I've noticed since arrival is the school's emphasis on
self-discovery. This past week, almost every faculty speech touched on the
topic. They're serious about this stuff. Dr. Kembrel Jones, the most amazing
dean of student life that ever lived, spoke to us about developing a personal
brand: what we stand for as individuals (and therefore promise to deliver on).
Jonah Berger, an award-winning marketing professor, spoke to us about the
importance of setting unique goals and writing them down. Given our hectic
schedule, I haven't had time to properly think about my personal brand or my
goals. But there's no better place to do this than at Wharton, where the most
talented people in the world are essentially taking a break from real life to
improve themselves. I feel incredibly privileged and humbled to be here.... Let
the journey begin!