Spring, Parties and Section E love

We’re in the midst of the busiest times at Darden. This might come as a surprise to some of you (who’re done with internship search and proud to bag their dream jobs) and a cliché to some (specially my non-Darden readers). However, I promise that this post is going to be more interesting than talking about how Darden has grilled us all in first year:P. So, what keeps us busy ?

-First and foremost, an intensive social calendar. Past few days have been unimaginably beautiful  with bright sunshine and cherry blossoms blooming all around.  As a fellow spring-lover once said, “April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go.” Spring has bought an onset of parties, wine-tastings ( Virginia has the loveliest vineyards all around but I’ll talk about those some other time) and socials.  Entire Darden is gearing up for Foxfield races tomorrow and a spring social at Jefferson Theater follows soon! Why will we not be busy?

-It’s the last term for first years’ before we all head out for vacations and then summer internships. This the first term where we had to choose electives. With 3 subjects to be finished in a short and packed month, our plates are super full .While I have a lighter workload with subjects such as Creative Capitalism, Speaking About business , some first years such as my husband Dhruv are battling against Valuation and Global Financial Markets.

-It is the sad time when we have to bid farewell to our lovely second years. The second years at Darden have truly been a great support to all First Years – from tutoring to helping us in our recruiting activities to most important of all, keeping  our spirits up during the tough times. We’ve been super busy enjoying the last few days of second years’  company at Darden South Asian Society farewell, GWIB Dinner @ Dean Bruner’s house and lots of informal lunches and dinners.

-Throughout the first year at Darden, we’ve studied in our respective sections until this term. As school started last year, our entire class was randomly assigned into 5 sections. I couldn’t have been luckier to be randomly chosen and grouped with the super talented, extremely smart, unbelievably caring and the most fun people I’ve ever known. Three cheers to Section E . This last term of electives, we no longer sit with our sections. Catching up with our section buddies is another thing which adds to our busy schedules.

It’s a bright and lovely day today and I have a game of golf scheduled in an hour. While I head out to enjoy the joys of spring and the golf greens, I leave you with some pictures of these beautiful times.

Making Ethics personal..

Almost a week from now, we’ll come to the end of term 4, exams and then 2 weeks later, the highly awaited spring break. While my spring break plans are still hazy, the Business Ethics paper that all of us had to write made me think about the life ahead and what I hope to become.  As I went through this post on Caroline’s blog, I realized that it’s a good idea to share my personal statement with the readers of my blog. It’s imperative for leaders to find their own leadership styles and individuals to build their own identities. Yet, I hope that the excerpts below from my personal vision as a manager and leader will help stimulate thoughts for everyone who reads this.

The engaging class discussions in every Business Ethics class at Darden pose a plethora of questions-many that make me stop, think and reflect on who I am and what I hope to become.

Reflecting on some of the Ethics business cases we’ve studied, I learnt something about myself. I do not want to wrong one person even for the benefit of many. For instance, in the Danville airlines case, I was not in support of grounding Reiger- an airline pilot carrying huntington disease gene who could potentially suffer from the disease in future and risk the lives of passengers. In another case, I was not in favor of firing an employee for being lesbian, even though other employees wanted her to be fired. My decisions are driven by my principles, which to a great extent are driven by my character.

On the contrary, there are some other case discussions that made me question my decision making based largely on principles.  For eg, the Davis press case, where we discussed whether a book which is possibly a great piece of literature but could potentially cause violence should be published or not. I realized that freedom of speech is important but perhaps not at the cost of offending others.

As a business woman and a leader, I hope to be able to see the fine line between when to stand for my principles vs. when to think about the consequences and the affects my decisions could have on others. I hope to be able to see, which consequences are most important when I make conflicting decisions and accordingly prioritize the claims of my stakeholders. This is crucial as we enter a world where mannequins will have video cameras installed in their eyes and genetic engineering will fundamentally open humans to limitless possibilities.

The milgram experiment was a sad realization of the harm that humans can potentially cause to each other in the absence of any liability. I want that as an individual and as a manager -I take the responsibility for my own decisions. I hope to not fall in the herd mentality and go with the decisions that could potentially harm others. As vital as I think it is to be flexible as a leader, I hope to set my boundaries and realize when I need to stop despite of the circumstances and the external pressure.

As a businesswoman, I hope that my colleagues find me objective. When I lead a team of varied individuals, I may not be able to convince every person in the room that my decision is possibly the best but I hope to be able to make everyone understand the rationale behind my decisions. I hope to be seen as transparent.

I hope that my friends see me as someone they can always trust with their secrets. I hope that I remain a cheerful person who lives every day of her life in full spirits.

Years from now, when I look back at my personal and professional life, I hope to have successfully balanced a career along with my personal life. I hope that I am able to prove to myself and others that it’s possible for women to be successful mothers and have a successful career at the same time.

Job treks and trotting the best-coast

At Darden, time flies. When Dhruv (my husband) and I got admitted to Darden, he shared an article differentiating between the top schools in US. The article compared business schools to cars. Harvard is compared to Rolls Royce for its exotic appeal, Hass is for practical minded people like Toyota is and Darden is like Ford because it prides itself on being “built tough”. I never realized how tough.

Five months into the course, we have already come to end of three terms. The stress-laden months, so –called bloody October and black November swung by and we’re at the peak of recruiting season  for summer internships. Recruiting in top US business schools including Darden  is extremely rigorous and competitive. While representatives from a number of firms regularly visit the school and come on-grounds for recruiting, there are tons of other opportunities off-grounds. Sky is the limit and it’s imperative for each one of us to explore it further.

Here come the job-treks. Every  year, Darden  facilitates organization of various student-led job treks where groups of Darden students visit the campuses of the firms that they are interested in recruiting for.  These job treks span across the country and the world. They enhance the recruiting experience in a number of ways. I did two job treks this year- Seattle and San Francisco and led the one to San Francisco along with two other classmates. The main intent of the job treks is to help students in getting a summer internship-the experience however extends further beyond. I’ll explain how:

Your network for life

The best part of being in a diverse business school such as Darden is the enriching network of friends and colleagues that you build for life. Job treks offer a way to extend your network beyond your classmates to the alumni and strengthen these connections.

Explore new regions

The job treks are specially helpful for international students who seek employment in US.  They give us a chance to visit new places, learn about the culture and cuisines there and develop a perspective on the kind of place where we would want to spend the next 5 or 10 years of our lives. I visited Seattle for the first time as a part of the job trek and loved the artistic charm of the city despite the gloomy winters.

Learn about new industries

Business schools are ideal for career switchers. Darden, being a general management focused school is specially so. The job treks are very useful to learn about new industries and the work-culture there. For instance, I visited Fluke Corporation during the Seattle job trek and got a chance to see an actual manufacturing shop floor. It was good to see the concepts we’ve learned in operations, put into practice. For a classmate who worked in the insurance industry before Darden and regularly interacted with his very senior (and old) colleagues at work, the relatively younger employees in high-tech firms we visited  such as Google, Facebook was a pleasant surprise.

Alumni receptions

As a part of all job treks, we typically organize alumni receptions in the cities we visit. These are a great opportunity to meet alumni in the region, including ones from the firms we could not visit during the trek. My personal takeaway from the receptions at Seattle and San-Francisco was tons of tips from the alumni on first year recruiting. The alumni, after all have been through our ordeal and cam empathize with us.

Loads of fun

Last but not the least, the job treks are a fabulous opportunity to have loads of fun with our friends and classmates. My Seattle and San-Francisco visit consists of many check-marks on my bucket-list including Seattle space needle, visiting first ever Starbucks, Napa Valley, the ice-cream sundae at Ghiradelli square and a drive on pacific-1 along the breathtaking views of pacific coast.

The next two months bring lots of aspirations, expectations, fear and excitement as we start recruiting for summer internships. The job-treks have indeed inspired me to strive towards my goals and helped me explore things that matter to me.

Happy winters ! Happy festive season and a new year ahead!

Can it get more honeymoon-ish?

I dream often and I work harder to make them come true.  Last summer, I lived a dream as I geared up for my wedding. Indian weddings are a gala affair. A compulsive planner, I designed clothes for myself and my family, crafted an invitation website, shopped for favors and the summer flew past in a frenzy.  Dhruv and I married on 24^th of June.

The month post our wedding was busier as we embarked on another dream together. Both of us had admits to Darden Graduate Business School.  A month after our wedding, we came to Charlottesville, Virginia for our MBA.  Charlottesville is a small and cozy city, known as home to two U.S. Presidents (Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe). Every nook and corner is picturesque. It has a very outdoorsy feeling and the right mix of rural and urban. Dhruv and I were happy to start our life together in such a beautiful place. Scenic Charlottesville made us believe that we’re indeed on a two-year honeymoon.

Time has never flown faster. Hard to believe, it’s only been a month here. We have had speakers from different industries and job functions at Darden to help us decide our career path. We have completed half a term and exams are due in two weeks. Recruiting for internship starts in a month’s time. Most of the time in my so-called honeymoon is spent in my learning team room, doing the cases with my team members. My coffee and liquor consumption for last one month tells me that I, indeed, am in a business school.

Last one month has been a roller-coaster. I always thought that I am immune to any sort of culture shock. Most of us who are well-accomplished in our respective lives feel the same. However, if you’re an international, trust me that it does require a lot of preparation to get the best out of your two years at Darden. A few experiences are worth mentioning…

• Reaching early..

This is lesson no. 1. Every minute is precious. You cannot waste your time figuring out furniture, cookware and grocery once the classes begin. Also, for internationals, living in a new country is a huge change. It’s bigger when you come to a business school. Socialising is the key here and it’ll be a lot easier if you’re familiar with the surroundings.

• PCAP and the epiphanies…

Against my own skepticism, I decided to reach Darden early and take the PCAP or Personal Career Assessment Program. I am glad that I took it. A business school is a window to the world of opportunities. The downside is, you may get lost. It helped me know myself, understand my priorities, and discover my blind spots.  Coming to more tangible benefits, it has helped me frame my career plan and will be helpful in knowing about the prospective employers and ascertaining my fit with a role.

• The vineyards…

Charlottesville has lot of vineyards around. We went to one called Veritas before classes began. I’m not a wine connoisseur but love wine. The vineyards here are stunningly beautiful. Veritas particularly has a live band. We danced our hearts out and  I taught Bollywood dancing to my American classmates.

• First coffee..

The classes start sharp at 8 A.M. I have been successful in reaching two to five minutes before 8 everyday. First coffee happens every morning at 9:30 AM, after the first class. This is a very ‘Darden’ ritual and hallmark of Darden’s collaborative culture. Moreover, it’s a huge relief for our sleep–deprived souls.

• Dressing up..

US culture on the whole is very casual. Still, people dress up (at least girls for sure!). In a business school, parties are a norm. At Darden, our weekend begins every night with the TNDC (Thursday night drinking club) and the parties go on. Also, there are a lot of company briefings and senior executives from the prospective recruiters coming over at first coffee. A tidy and smart look always makes a good beginning.

• The cultural mis(fit)

Recruiting for MBA works very differently. It’s geared a lot towards networking and the softer skills. Darden faculty has been immensely helpful in bridging the huge cultural gap that I face as an international. Darden offers tons of resources and opportunities at every step to acquaint us with American culture. From the ‘small talk’ sessions at International students orientation to the scavenger hunts with our learning teams, each experience has helped us bridge the gap.

• Learning teams

The curriculum at Darden requires us to do three cases every-day. We have a batch size of 320, divided into 5 sections. Every student is a part of 6 member learning team. The learning teams have students from different sections and backgrounds. We work on the cases assigned for the next day with our learning teams. This ensures that we not only learn from our own sections but benefit from discussions across sections. More importantly, it teaches us to perform in self-managed teams.

• Diversity @ Darden

My classmates at Darden come from 30 nationalities. It’s one of most uniquely global experiences of my life. I have learnt so many interesting facts about other cultures. For instance, a French classmate and his wife told us that French talk about their food and the ingredients while they eat.  At Darden, we learn from each other. The classroom study is completely case based. I look forward to the classes every morning for all the diversity that I gain from.

While Dhruv and I are cruising through our days at Darden at a supersonic pace, the honeymoon-ish feelings disappear often. However, it’s still awesome to be busy together. It’s lot more comforting to go through this huge transformation with someone who loves me and is always there to encourage me. While the honeymoon still lasts for me, I’ll leave you with an amusing video to ponder over my post and wonder what goes into a MBA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ESGeeXC7Lc