Trading in My Flip-Flops for a Parka and Other Happenings at Kellogg…
The weather is getting colder in Evanston so I just purchased my first winter coat in six years! I lived through a few blizzards when I was growing up in Philadelphia and thought I’d be prepared for the cold, but all of the second years I’ve spoken to have said that nothing compares to a Chicago winter and lake effect snow. I wasn’t happy about having to spend $300 on a coat, but if it performs as advertised on The North Face’s website then it was a good investment. There are some things that are worth the extra money, and warmth is one of them.
The cooler weather also means that we are drawing closer to the end of fall term, and my classmates and I have spent the last few days cramming for midterms. Some words of advice: If you think you’re smart before coming to business school, you can count on midterms in accounting, stats, and finance to bring you back down to earth! Thankfully, students in the MMM program wisely planned a Halloween party to benefit the homeless, which took place after the most difficult exams were over. I was able to coax a few of my friends out of their apartments to blow off some steam at the party and was impressed by some of the costumes: scrabble pieces, a screwdriver, fairies, and a Booth “nerd”. Here’s another piece of advice - save your costumes if you decide to come to Kellogg…they’ll get plenty of use as it seems like Kellogg students LOVE costume parties. The more ridiculous, the better!
In other news, registration for Kellogg’s legendary ski trip opened and closed in 15 minutes! The Ski & Snowboard club organizes the event each year, and the price (~$950) includes lodging, lift tickets, entrance to parties, and transfers to/from the airport/hotel. Airfare, equipment rentals, food, and misc. activities are extra.
My original plan was to do GIM in my first year, and ski trip in my second year. FOMO almost got the best of me (again…I hate you FOMO) when I heard that most second years don’t go on ski trip, but I’m sticking to my plan. I’m sad that I’ll be missing out on a great time but I stopped whining as soon as I realized that this is a champagne problem compared to other issues in the world.
Over the weekend I had some time to catch up on the news, and it’s strange to watch the Occupy Wall Street coverage in New York City and across the world and be a first-year business school student - as a “99%er” I identify with the frustrations expressed by the protesters. President Obama’s student debt plan is certainly welcomed by me. I hope that in 15-20 years, when members of the class of 2013 from b-schools across the world are in senior leadership positions, that we remember lessons learned from the recent financial meltdown. Only time will tell.
That’s all for now. I’ve got to get back to the books!
About me
Originally from Philadelphia, I spent six years in California working in biotechnology Research & Development. I'm currently a first-year student at Kellogg studying marketing and healthcare management. You can contact me at nightowl2014@gmail.com.
Last but not least...Go Phils!
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