Johnson Follies

Connect!

Taking the GMATs, researching schools, sending out applications, interviewing—it’s a lot of work. Your reward? You got to your top choice school! Way to go.

With only a few weeks left before you 2011 AMBAs head to Ithaca for an incredibly intense summer, there are a few things I would encourage you to do. I’ve been thinking long and hard about lessons learned since I’ve gotten here and what I wish I knew a year ago and I’m just not sure I’ll have enough time to you all of them, so I’ll start with the most important:

TAKE THIS TIME TO START BUILDING YOUR NETWORK.

I know-- I hate that phrase too. “Build your network.” It sounds all smarmy but it’s not just some business school thing. Your network is an incredibly powerful tool, not just for your benefit, but so that someday you can pay it forward, and pay it lateral, or vertical, or whatever you want.

Step 1: Build your linked in profile. If you don’t have one already, it doesn’t take too long to do and you can edit it whenever you want so don’t stress too much. Start here:

http://www.linkedin.com/nhome/

Build your resume online and import contacts from your various email accounts. Now, start joining groups. Find me! Add me! Why not?

Groups connect you with people you might not know already, but would most likely be open to hearing from you. Groups can be based on affiliation to a company you’ve worked at, a school you’ve attended, a place you’ve lived, or an industry you’re interested in joining. If you haven’t already, connect with other Johnson School People by joining this one:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=52766

Step 2: Start reaching out to Johnson School Alums in your town, at your work, or at a place, company, industry, function you’re interested in working in. You can do this through LinkedIn but also through the Johnson Alumni Connection:

https://admin.johnson.cornell.edu/alumni/

Log in using the username you got in your acceptance package and the same password you use to access your Johnson School Application online. You can always have your password reset if you don’t remember. Use this as a tool to check out Johnson School Alums in your town and reach out to them. If their name is listed in the directory, they want to hear from you and they want to help. REALLY!

Step 3: Don’t be shy. Now you know where to find people to connect with, now CONNECT!

My assignment for you is to find one person a day to reach out to. Be polite, mindful of their time, and do your homework. Have specific, thoughtful questions to ask—ask for advice, ask them about their jobs, and ask them about how best to use your time at the Johnson School. Alums are full of good advice and it’s important for you to start reaching out NOW. If you can, try and see if you’re able to set up a few informational meetings and perhaps meet up for coffee.

This isn’t about getting a job. No one is just going to hand one over to you. Don’t specifically target people because they have a C-level title, and don’t shy away because they’re C-level either. Just show some respect and LEARN. That’s what it’s all about.

Kellogg Healthcare Case Competition

Last month I had the opportunity to take part in the 2010 Kellogg Healthcare Biotech Case Competition.

Case competitions are a part of business school & it was definitely one of my goals to take part in one while at Cornell. Of the 50 teams that applied, a total of 12 teams were selected to take part in the competition. Myself and 4 other students (3 fellow AMBAs & an international student) were lucky enough to be selected to represent the Johnson School in Evanston, IL this past January.

I've been having a bit of trouble describing exactly what a case competition is (perhaps that is why I've put off writing this blog for a few weeks now) but I'm going to attempt to describe our experience.

We received a case from Northwestern a week before the day of the competition. A case contains a business problem and accompanying data. The team's task is to analyze the data and determine a comprehensive and hopefully creative solution for the problem. Once a set of solutions has been decided upon, the group then has to put together a slick deck of slides and prepare to present before a panel of judges.

The competition was sponsored by Genzyme and Abbott, meaning our panel of judges consisted of executives from both companies-- some of whom had personally been involved in the real life case that we analyzed for the competition. Needless to say, it was a bit intimidating.

In the end the winners were Northwestern, Northwestern, and Stanford. Even though we didn't win it was a intense experience and I'm glad I got a chance to take part in the action. If any of you decide to try out next year my only advice would be to try to be as creative as possible, really differentiate yourself from the crowd and have fun! It's a great chance to meet with students from other schools, so definitely take part if you can.

Ithaca is Icy...

...But don't let that scare you too much. I've lived most of my life on West Coast and can't say I'm the sort of girl that knows the first thing about four wheel drive or building a snowman, but I admit Ithaca is absolutely stunning during the winter time.

This is what I see on my way to school every morning:

Yup, it's like living in a Disney movie. Pretty!

Unfortunately, as gorgeous as it is, it's also very cold and the snow can be a bit slippery. If you're not from a place that actually has a winter (like me) I would advise you to stock up on things like thermal underwear, a down jacket, hat, gloves, and boots before arriving in Ithaca. This year we had our first snow in October. I'm not kidding.

If you can't get your hands on these items before you get here, don't worry. Ithaca doesn't have much going on in the way of malls but about an hour and a half away there is a fairly large outlet mall.

If you're willing to buy before you try, there's always online shopping. Amazon.com is a great source for just about everything under the sun but I personally found some pretty good deals at Cabella's. I hope that information is helpful! If you're coming to visit the campus any time soon, bundle up!

Frequently Asked Question

Hello! It has been a very long time since I’ve blogged, but I’ve been fortunate enough to speak with a lot of you in person or via email over the past few months. Congrats to all of those who’ve made the decision to attend the Johnson School at Cornell next year, and for those of you still trying to decide, I wish you all the best with whatever decision you ultimately make.

I want to take this opportunity to discuss one question that has come up a lot during my discussions with MBA aspirants: “What does the job market look like for Cornell MBA grads?” I’m never really sure how to answer this one, but I’m going to attempt to give you my thoughts here.

The truth is, whatever your target industry, the economy isn’t doing too well. The secret has been out for a little while now.

Here at Cornell, new students get offers every week & many also suffer rejection. It’s all part of the job search. Perhaps it’s a bit harder this year than 2008, but at the same time the problem is not exclusive to students at any particular business school. I’ve been to my share of interviews and met students competing for the same jobs that are from Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, you name it—we’re all in the same boat.

If you don’t believe me, check out this article on the Economist about job seekers looking to move into management consulting:

http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15330702

It’s a global problem.

We all know 2009 was a rough year.

Q: So why did I, in 2009, decide to come to business school? I knew the economy was suffering and it wasn’t going to recover overnight.

A: I left my job and joined Cornell because it was the right time for me. Regardless of what’s going on in the world, MBA aspirants need to be able to take a holistic look at their lives and their careers and make their own decisions regarding whether or not they need to get an MBA. For me, getting an MBA was a necessary step in helping me move to the next phase of my career. Putting it off for another year would have just had me moving further away from the career I hoped to have. For me, there was no other real option.

I understand that going to business school is a huge decision. It’s an investment of time and capital as much as it is a whole change of lifestyle for 1-2 years. It’s going to bring a whole new level of uncertainty in your life and it’s a big risk. That being said, my only advice would be to not let the noise of what’s going on in the world be a key deciding factor on what you decide to do with your education and your life. It’s a tough decision and I’m happy to answer your questions but when it comes down to it, it’s all about you.

Even in the good years landing that perfect job is no guarantee, at the same time, even in bad years: the only one that can stop you from trying is yourself.

Leafy Goodness!

The one season I was really excited about spending here in beautiful central New York was autumn, and it has not disappointed. It turns out fall here is spectacular and you don't have to go more than a half hour from Ithaca to really enjoy it (though there are plenty of places to take in the sights right on campus). But rather than tell you about it, I'll show you!

Taughannock Falls

http://www.taughannock.com/

The falls are located about twenty minutes away in Trumansburg, a wonderfully picturesque little village full of quirky shops and quaint cafes. On your way into town from Ithaca you'll find signs pointing you to the falls overlook, which offers a breathtaking view of the falls. Additionally, this is also a good spot for hiking into the surrounding woods which prove to be as gorgeous as the falls themselves.

Cayuga Wine Trail

http://www.cayugawinetrail.com/


Fun fact that I didn't know until I came to Cornell is that the Finger Lakes region is known for its wines and is host to a number of wineries just a stone's throw from Ithaca. This is definitely worth a visit even for non-drinkers because most of these vineyards also have cafes and restaurants offering delicious, reasonably priced, local food. It provides a great escape from Collegetown cuisine, and the bonus is that many of these restaurants boast amazing views of Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and the surrounding regions.

Above: Cafe at Americana. Great food, under $10.

Cornell Campus

Yup, that's right. Campus is gorgeous this time of year and you don't have to go too far from Sage hall to take it in!

Alumni Mock Interviews

Recruiting season here at the Johnson School is in full swing right now, with corporate briefings lined almost every weeknight for the rest of the semester. While there is a mad rush to polish our resumes and perfect our cover letters, it's easy to lose sight of step 2 in the job finding process: acing the interview.

To serve as a little reminder, the CMC, along with some incredibly gracious alums, worked to put together a mock interview event in New York City this past weekend. The way it worked was this: Alumni from all over the city and from a myriad of different industries sent the CMC a list of their times and availabilities. Interested students would then sign up at the CMC for available slots and be responsible for arriving at these offices, well prepared with their pitches and PARs.

While this experience not only provided us all with great practice for interviews, the earliest of which should be upon us in less than a month, I thought the most helpful part of the experience was being given the chance to reach out to Johnson alums and gather their advice on resumes, interviews, and surviving business school in general.

Personally, I ended up getting a ton of great advice and a lot to think about in terms of how I plan on positioning myself in this rather daunting market. This sort of advice is invaluable, and often difficult to come up with ourselves since most of lack the experience and insight of people who have a bit more experience working in industry than we do.

Lesson learned this past weekend? I have a lot to learn!

Above: I am pretty sure this is the only picture in existence of me in a suit!

Dinner with the Dean!

View from the Thomas' Porch

Dean Joe Thomas and his wife, Marney, have kindly hosted a number of dinners this semester for MBA students in the class of 2010, offering a fantastic opportunity for students to ask questions about the program, and offer suggestions for the future of the Johnson School.

Among some of the topics posed during the feedback session with the Dean were:

• Introducing a mandatory international experience as part of the curriculum
• Greater emphasis on the role of corporate sales in business courses
• Integration of AMBA students with the traditional two-year class
• The bearing of the current economy on job searches

The discourse between the Dean and current students was of course very interesting, but this leads me to ask what YOU, as a prospective student at the Johnson School, would like to see become part of the program?

Summer Recap (in the Fall)

I feel bad blogging about the new school year without having really gone into what the summer AMBA experience is like.

The AMBA summer can be summed up in one word: challenging. As a student who had never taken even an introductory econ class let alone accounting, econ, finance, strategy, marketing, statistics, and a consulting course crammed into one 3 month long summer session, I can’t say it was easy. Making it through the summer requires commitment. Students can expect to sit through classes from 9 to 5, 5 days a week, but then continue working late into the night. When five hours of sleep begins to feel like a luxury... you're a genuine Cornell AMBA.

That is not to say it is all doom and gloom. Besides the fact that we are all obviously superheroes disguised in business casual, the program and my classmates ensured that fun was to be had this summer. Three points:

Firstly, the CMC tried their best to get us all prepped and ready for recruiting season with trips to Merck HQ in New Jersey and Accenture in Manhattan to meet with alums and get a lot of advice on how to improve our resumes, our interviewing techniques, and generally get pumped up about the job hunt. Let’s be honest, without a lot of motivation and LOT of optimism, it’s going to be hard to keep focus this year. While the economy is showing some signs of improvement, job prospects for MBAs are still looking far from cheerful. The school definitely has gone beyond in helping us all remain realistic and on the offensive in our repsective job hunts.

Secondly, there is the wonderful AMBA class. If you’re out there reading this and are curious about the program at all, you should not hesitate to let myself or Alex know. The diversity within our class in terms of experience, background, interests and pursuits is as diverse as all of as charming and helpful (read that as extremely so). I’ve learned so much about things I really didn’t understand too much about before coming to Johnson like hedge funds or BRIC economies. To sum it up, I learned probably as much from my classmates as I did from my classes if not more, and that’s a huge part of what I wanted from my MBA experience. I’m glad I’ve gotten it here.

Thirdly, I have to be honest: the best part of the summer was getting it over with. An entire year of business school condensed into three months was intense-- but how awesome is that? [A: Pretty awesome.]
If you were curious, I spent my vacation HOME in Seattle. And it was sunny and warm every single day. If that's not a fantastic end to the summer, I really don't know what is.

Interview Prep!

As a former bench scientist and non-profit professional, my biggest fear was that one summer wouldn’t be enough time to get me up to speed on corporate culture and business etiquette by the time interviewing season arrived in autumn.


It’s now mid-July and my classmates and I have been in the program for a little less than two months. In this time not only have we completed the bulk of our core courses, we’ve been kept on our toes by the staff at the Career Management Center who are fully intent on getting us prepped to hit the ground running this fall.

Last month at the end of our module one (Accounting and Economics) we had our first corporate briefing and got to meet with two recent Johnson School alums currently at the Corning Corporation. This was my first corporate briefing—starting with a company-sponsored lunch and culminating in a question-and-answer segment with the Corning Representatives. It was a great opportunity for all of us to ask questions, try our pitches, and both make and learn from our mistakes in front of people who had actually been in a our shoes just a few years ago.

We’ve just finished off another module, this time in Finance and Strategy, and have had a week packed full of interview prep! There were a number of workshops all weekend focusing on everything from a course on how to Ace the Case Interview to getting a Smart Start in Consulting and even a chance for everyone to brush up on their business etiquette.

Above: A sample of the current AMBA class in professional business attire post-meeting with business etiquette coaches.

Additionally, this week we got the chance to take what I would say might be our most terrifying challenge to date-- mock interviews with coaches from NovAspire recorded forever on DVD for us to all take home and review. The interviews took place over two days served as a chance for us to get grilled, and then watch ourselves being grilled on video. If that doesn’t sound scary to you, just wait until you get the chance to watch yourself on tape. After the interview, we got to hear feedback from both the coach and our fellow classmates. The end result is that you get to see yourself the way other people see you and in turn, learn a lot about the way you might behave in an interview setting.

In my two months since arriving in Ithaca I’ve learned more about the business world than I could have imagined, not only from workshops and simulated business interaction through mock interviews and corporate briefings, but from my fellow classmates’ experience and knowledge here at the Johnson School. I’m still learning, as interview season looms ever closer I know I’ll need more than a snappy suit and a bit of luck to land a job in these times. I also am confident that I’ll be ready.

Saba Anwer

My background before coming to the Johnson School has been both varied and focused. In addition to holding a BS in Biology, I have also received a Master's in Public Health from Yale University, and have had the opportunity to work at Johnson and Johnson, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and to work in global clinical trials with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. While healthcare has been the underlying thread tying my experience together, I also have a great interest in the role of e-commerce and the Internet in today's economy. Ideally I would like to find a way to merge these two passions in a way that helps to improve patient health while taking advantage of the ever-changing tech climate of the world today.

My goals for my time at Johnson are lofty: to build upon my healthcare background, to embrace my passion for science & technology, and to hone my business acumen. I know that getting there is all up to me. I hope to use this blog to capture my experiences here at business school, and I look forward to sharing my world with you this year!