First Quarter in Review

Ok, so a bit belated. Really I should not be blogging but it's such a wonderful way to procrastinate. I wish I could just fast forward this winter quarter. I thought I would post a little in the way of unsolicited advice about how to use your first quarter at the GSB / lessons learned. (Remember all of this is from an IM recruiting perspective which does not apply to all career paths.)

• Use your summer wisely: Yes, I know that it's a great chance to quit your job and travel and do exciting things but the first quarter is a blur and if you're going to layer baby duty on top of it, the more you can do to prepare yourself for the job search the better. But that's just the worrywart, perfectionist in me speaking. I'm sure you can completely slack this whole experience and still turn out ok. (And I also would not recommend arriving in Chicago the weekend before LOE - give yourself a little more breathing room if possible.)
• Check out firms even if you think you're not interested and take good notes: I'm glad that I took the time to attend events for firms that I wasn't that interested in, even though I didn't attend them all. In hindsight I might have even gone to few more (easy to say now though). I'm also glad I took pretty detailed notes - they turned out to be very helpful when doing cover letters in terms of customization. I wish I had gotten more business cards and been even more detailed with the note taking.
• Utilize career resources: The career resources center here is amazing, don't forget to use their services and understand all that is available to you. I was surprised how lightly attended their weekly sessions in the fall were. If you keep up with the programming, it really helps you stay on track.
• The grading system is baffling: I got my best grade in a class that I did literally no work for and my worst grade in a class I worked my arse off for and do know the material. Huh? Who knows. Be forewarned. (Best class goes to Seru for Corporate Finance 35200.)
• Don't be afraid to join more student groups than seem necessary: The more information the better. You never know which way your interests will evolve. By hesitating on joining the IM group, I missed out on some important initial opportunities. Just write the check already.
• Bidding for classes is baffling but it seems to work out: They're changing the bidding system, hopefully for the better. I was so worried when I failed to get a schedule in the first round of bidding. But it turned out ok.

Ok. That's what I can remember of it. On to the next quarter.