tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50349778700802691302024-03-19T05:17:45.960-07:00Palo Alto for a Whilemy time at Stanford GSBPalo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-41364589491004775432012-10-25T12:24:00.004-07:002012-10-25T12:27:48.906-07:00Closure (maybe)Hiya classmates, applicants, current GSBers, MBAers from other programs, envious Stanford undergrads, and Derrick Bolton -
Thanks for reading and for all your awesome emails and comments. Whenever I get an email addressed to this blog, I get a warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart that brings back delightful memories of my time in Palo Alto at the GSB and that brings more appreciation to the Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com393tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-39722500464516541982010-12-02T16:07:00.000-08:002010-12-02T16:31:45.496-08:00long strange tripI am disappointed in myself for not keeping up with this blog on a more regular basis. Thank you for the comments and emails and many apologies for being unresponsive the past 6-12 months. I am however pleased that my reasons for being withdrawn from the blogging world are happy ones - namely that I have been enjoying so much of my time the past 8 months or so. My classes have gotten better with Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-18314649613853125022010-05-17T21:24:00.001-07:002010-05-17T21:34:11.629-07:00things are looking up?Internship - checkPartial-quarter classes starting to go away - check plusSummer housing - check minusSummer travel plans and flights - check minusAlienating my academic advisor - check plusSo that's the latest around here, folks. And with the quarter ending officially in less than 3 weeks, I don't feel a drop of nostalgia, anxiety or fear that my time at business school is passing too quickly. Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-43791462293232558892010-04-30T17:31:00.002-07:002010-04-30T17:45:50.424-07:00Summer dreams ripped at the seamsI have no summer internship and it is starting to get a little bleak around here. I'm tired. I'm disheveled. I've lost track of my "story." And I'm really really whiny these days. I have learned a couple things that I am happy to share with other job searchers:1. Balancing an interview "pipeline" with companies you're waiting to hear back from is tricky to say the least.2. Don't assume that Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-16218085528229227312010-03-02T00:55:00.000-08:002010-03-02T00:56:45.038-08:00HBS perspective on spendingMarch 1 Harbus articlePalo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-9061466254705608402010-02-14T23:21:00.000-08:002010-02-15T01:06:44.701-08:00Mo money Mo problemsFor a while, I have wanted to write a post about money at Stanford and more generally, at top American business schools because I don't believe that the spending mores of GSB students are unique among business school students. Two events spurred me to stop delaying:1) 2nd quarter tuition is due tomorrow. (That's two for two that I have paid on time!) 2) The weekly GSB email of compiled Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-72441048126838746072010-02-01T23:53:00.001-08:002010-02-02T08:40:13.171-08:00The Summer HuntI am trying to be very focused on my summer internship search, which should take me out of OCR (on-campus recruiting) for the most part. However, I am finding the job board and classmates' aspirations to be very distracting. A winery in northern California, a New York private equity fund, Apple's online store--none of these are great fits for what I want to do this summer. However, when I think Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-28095029220393707042010-01-25T07:10:00.000-08:002010-01-28T23:41:07.682-08:00Q1 ComplaintsAfter my last post, several readers asked why I did not liked business school during the first quarter. I will try to sum it up, but because time seems to be a great eraser of discomfort, my memories of exactly why I was so unhappy are getting fuzzier by the day. Let's try a list:1. Social awkwardness - constantly meeting people and having the same mundane conversations is not only tiring, it is Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-75717213638871355622010-01-11T00:39:00.001-08:002010-01-11T20:54:01.729-08:00A new year, a new dayAt some point during the winter break I stopped being quite so disgruntled about my business school experience. The curriculum started to make more sense, content that I learned in my first quarter classes actually seemed relevant, and I realized that I made a few friends during the first quarter who I like and respect. There was no "aha!" moment, but rather a gradual softening of my negative Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-83029026377097739652009-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:002009-11-11T08:00:02.658-08:00post-midtermsMid-terms were predictable and manageable. The GSB doesn't hold classes for an entire week for all first-year students. We had one test each day on Monday (Finance), Tuesday (Organizational Behavior) and Wednesday (Global), which is actually really manageable in comparison to my undergraduate university when classes, papers, and life are not put on hold for mid-terms.I spent the better part of Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-46701364854493296332009-10-15T20:29:00.000-07:002009-10-15T20:35:31.783-07:00WorkloadStanford MBA1s have three 1,000-word papers plus comprehensive feedback on 7 classmates due in the next 8 days. And then we have mid-terms the following week.Applicants: please do not believe that business school is not a ton of hard work. Even if you're just aiming to graduate, the workload is overwhelming.Fellow MBA students and business school graduates: please stop perpetuating the silly ideaPalo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-87990234363252466382009-10-12T23:00:00.000-07:002009-10-12T23:11:57.688-07:00Condoleeza Rice & Trips1. Condi Rice is teaching two of my classes this week. I think she just published a bunch of new business school cases and is coming to the GSB to teach them to us in our "Global Context of Management" class. That is pretty cool in my book. I definitely read those cases a bit more closely than I usually do. Don't want to be cold-called out by Condi! 2. Trips were assigned. We had to fill out a Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-13811697503599512742009-10-05T21:31:00.000-07:002009-10-05T21:43:04.765-07:00I miss bloggingI have many posts clogged in my brain, but little time to coax them out of there. Strapped for time, and yearning for more sleep, I must neglect my blog for another few days in favor of homework. However, given that the round 1 deadline for the GSB is rapidly approaching--this Thursday I think--I want to wish all applicants the very best of luck. Take a deep breath in through your nose, click Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-60871394132748864332009-09-30T02:15:00.000-07:002009-09-30T20:35:42.432-07:00Crazy little thing called FOAMF.O.A.M. = Friends of Arjay Miller.F.O.A.M. = Stanford GSB Tuesday night drinking club (with occasional dance-off).F.O.A.M. = annual 12-hour trip to Vegas in 1970's garb. F.O.A.M. = one of the quickest ways I know to spend $190 (cost of annual membership).F.O.A.M. = the reason I am exhausted and hungover in my Wednesday morning Leadership Lab session (to be discussed in a later post)....and on Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-52532331529760749012009-09-21T19:28:00.001-07:002009-09-21T19:44:06.102-07:00Campus is Crowded: "Week 1"Today was the official first day of classes for the entire MBA program, so our once cozy community of first-year MBAs has now been invaded by our second-year counterparts. All of a sudden, it's not quite as easy to wander up to a group of students and start chatting with them because they might be--gasp--second years. As I previously mention, last week ("Week 0") was entirely filled with an Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-62087819681889439922009-09-19T14:46:00.000-07:002009-09-19T15:14:03.059-07:00The StingDuring week 0 (last week), we had an organizational behavior module on working in groups and teams. The syllabus clearly indicated that 90% of our grade would be based on class participation (about half of which would be determined by our peers), so naturally, many hands were raised during the duration of the class discussions. My hand was often one of those. However, after a couple classes and aPalo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-76980514179115172182009-09-14T19:48:00.000-07:002009-09-14T20:35:08.507-07:00GSB Class of 2011 Facts & FIguresStraight from the mouth of Derrick Bolton during today's MBA program welcome session:Class of 2011 class profile/admissions information--Admit rate = 6.7% (lowest ever if memory serves)Class size = 384 (biggest ever I think)Average GPA = 3.68Average GMAT = 727That's all I could store in my capacity-constrained memory. Otherwise, first day went smoothly--met some people in my section, took an Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-13701057339306061902009-09-12T20:35:00.000-07:002009-09-13T21:11:27.067-07:00Week minus-1Stanford calls the first week for MBA1s "week zero," so I have deemed the week before that week, "week minus-one." Week minus-one consists of moving to Palo Alto (check), settling in at your new dwelling (check minus), running all kinds of Stanford errands--e.g., getting an ID, buying textbooks, setting up your computer, picking up schedule and course readers, and getting a parking pass (check Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-64296041952575603352009-09-09T14:26:00.001-07:002009-09-09T14:26:33.975-07:00Short postCalifornia drivers suck.Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-31718866028977190422009-08-31T13:49:00.000-07:002009-08-31T14:06:48.114-07:00Apple/Snow LeopardI took the plunge and purchased a new Mac last week, complete with a free iPod Touch for my significant other. Then Apple released the new operating system, "Snow Leopard," which apparently is a great improvement over the current operating system. So I paid $10 for them to send me the software update, which is on its way to my new Palo Alto address as I write. And then today I got an email from Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-86052541733231274252009-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:002009-08-22T09:55:05.883-07:00Bschool TechnologyAt the Apple store right now debating my business school laptop purchase. I'm considering both the new Mac Book Pro and the Mac Book Air, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Air will just barely meet the minimum computing requirements for business school. Thoughts? Should I be considering a PC and if so, which one?In the same vein, does anyone have a strong opinion on cell phone service and Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-20239479776087689952009-08-05T22:00:00.000-07:002009-08-06T03:11:08.592-07:00Back.I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging until school starts in mid-September, but I am back in the same country as my laptop, so that's a start. I published all of the comments that were left over the past couple months and will start to respond to emails in the next week or so.Highlights of my trip include meeting about half a dozen Stanford classmates along the way, eating amazing food Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-28199438205146585572009-05-26T10:15:00.000-07:002009-05-26T10:17:42.139-07:00TravelingI am going to be on partial hiatus as a blogger for the next couple months. Very sorry if I don't publish your comments or respond to your emails for a while, but please have wonderful summers. To others in the class of 2011, see you in September!Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-27624351248402040792009-05-19T11:00:00.000-07:002023-08-15T14:29:15.539-07:005 Tips for the Dreaded Stanford Essay ABecause Stanford Admissions will likely release the class of 2012 essays in the coming weeks, I thought it would be worthwhile to discuss Stanford GSB Essay A, which is often cited as the most difficult of all business school application essays. In fact, I know of at least one potential applicant who stopped considering Stanford after learning that GSB Admissions Director Derrick Bolton and his Palo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034977870080269130.post-67380579965842233212009-05-14T11:03:00.000-07:002009-05-14T11:15:58.936-07:00Newsflash: VCs Ignore Business PlansAccording to this recent article in the New York Times, venture capitalists care not for business plans, but rather are looking “for 'market validation,' hard evidence that the entrepreneur has actually sold his product or at least lined up enthusiastic potential customers.” And they don't want a 50-page presentation; they want a couple powerpoint slides or a short conversation.So does this meanPalo Alto for a Whilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08839453912493772183noreply@blogger.com1