At HEC Paris, mvlti svnt vocati, pavci vero electi!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Summer beckons!

The birds have flown, the flowers have wilted and the place is beginning to eerily haunt! Metaphorically speaking, of course! Summer is here and everyone is eagerly waiting for the exams to be over. Many are going to intern this summer whilst many others will follow the tracks of their dream holidays. So, as some head off on a tour of Europe, or Asia, and other exotic sounding places, I wish I had a few weeks off too. But then, there is money to be made, experiences to be gained, new colleagues to be acquainted with, new friends to be made, and new places to travel to. Sometimes, I look back in amazement at how fast things have moved from when we first arrived on the HEC campus, shaking hands and introducing each other, to today, when we can reflect back on the many events, and exams. Just like what I am briefly doing right now. Perhaps, it is the fact that so many things were happening concurrently. To give you a sense of what I am trying to explain here, let me present to you an oversimplified timetable of activities with extracts from the minds of many of my classmates:

January - Arrive on campus. If you want to do the double degree (with NYU, ESADE, etc.) Feb is the deadline. And, btw, how did your group do in NegoSim?

Feb - Have you started thinking about which clubs you are going to join/head? And, yes, are you doing anything during MBAT? Hold on, what is MBAT? Ah yes, that one...I thought it was in May!

March - Exams are just around the corner...no, no, no, they are in April. And, it was only last week when we had our mid-term exams!

April - Yeeeeeeeeahhhhh! The break is here...but let me first send out this internship application form. For those working in banks, it is already past the deadline...too late, sorry; early birds from the September intake got the worm!

May - Phew, the results are out! And, did you say we had Project Management last month? Dude, we only had a week off not three! Oh yes, MBAT is next week! Mr. Coordinator, have I paid my entry fee? Note to self: Wear smart suit and perform well at the Career Fair tomorrow in London. Deadline for exchange is fast approaching, I must make sure I finish the essays.

June - June already! You know what that means, more mid-term exams! Good news! I got an interview call to go on an exchange program at NYU/UCLA/Melbourne/LBS/etc. And, I am not sure why I have not heard anything from XYZ company about this summer's internship. I mean, they interviewed me three weeks ago!

July - Here we go again....exams. God, I so want to get over with these exams and run from here. Have I booked my ticket? Exchange results are out. Many are pleased but some are disappointed in this circle of life. Sorry folks, but I am sure something better will come along. Here I am...wow, nice office! Good morning, madam/sir, my name is John Smith, HEC Paris MBA student, and your intern for this summer!

So, there you go! Times flies in the life of an MBA student. I now have just one exam left and then I am done with the Core phase of my HEC Paris MBA. I was intially planning to leave on Sunday to start my internship in London from Monday onwards but, a paper I submitted on my group's marketing project got accepted for an oral presentation at an international conference in London. So, I need to head there earlier than planned, three days to be precise. Immediately after my last exam tomorrow, I am going on a long drive to pick up my son from his cousin's place and we will spend some time together before I depart. If you have been following my blog, remember that I tried to potty train him during my spring break in April and it didn't work. Well, we are now told that he has learned the fine art of you know what....perhaps, seeing other kids in the act helped! I am still in a hotel as the renovation is not complete yet and I need to start packing for London and Alaska; I am excited in anticipation of a great summer, sad as I don't like saying goodbyes, content because I am through the first phase of my MBA and delighted that summer is finally here! When I come back in September, I will be taking up my Strategy track knowing fully well that my MBA will be done by the end of December 2007...what a journey I am having. I am loving it!

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