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.