Mid-terms are HERE! If I sound excited, it's because I am. It's hard to believe that the quarter is half over - it seems like we just got here. But we've certainly covered a lot of material in a short amount of time. Although everyone I work with in the work-world still asks me who I'm meeting on the back nine and how my b-school "vacation" is going, the reality is I haven't had much time to do anything but study. There are certainly a number of people for whom this quarter isn't hard -- folks who majored in economics or math, for example. But for those of us who are taking our first econ and stats classes, and who haven't been in a classroom situation in years, it's a learning experience. I could imagine that if you've never seen a derivative or a balance sheet before, this fall could be really painful. As it is, the studying is more time-consuming than anything else. But I really feel like we've settled into our regular life again -- camping one weekend with new friends from the GSB, out to dinner with other friends.
As I look ahead to the next two and a half quarters, my goals are:
1) Spend less time studying!
2) Get to know even more of the people in my class
3) Get to know more people and opportunities outside of the b-school
On the company front -- we hired our first two employees! Wow. We've gone from a founding team to a company with a founding team and two employees. It just gets easier from here. The very first person - you have to get them over the hump of being the first person. But every employee after that - they're joining something that already exists. I miss being involved day to day -- but I love the experience of being in the weekly calls, on the Board, helping with strategy and recruiting. I suppose it's a little like watching someone lose weight -- you don't notice the progress so much if you see someone every day - but if you only see them once a week -- you really notice. Every week I see the progress on hiring, product strategy, and product development. It's nothing short of amazing.
Also, AUSTIN is here! Who's Austin? The newest member of our household, of course -- our (now) 14-week old yellow lab! He's fun, makes us laugh, and he's unflappably (except for his ears) happy!
As I look ahead to the next two and a half quarters, my goals are:
1) Spend less time studying!
2) Get to know even more of the people in my class
3) Get to know more people and opportunities outside of the b-school
On the company front -- we hired our first two employees! Wow. We've gone from a founding team to a company with a founding team and two employees. It just gets easier from here. The very first person - you have to get them over the hump of being the first person. But every employee after that - they're joining something that already exists. I miss being involved day to day -- but I love the experience of being in the weekly calls, on the Board, helping with strategy and recruiting. I suppose it's a little like watching someone lose weight -- you don't notice the progress so much if you see someone every day - but if you only see them once a week -- you really notice. Every week I see the progress on hiring, product strategy, and product development. It's nothing short of amazing.
Also, AUSTIN is here! Who's Austin? The newest member of our household, of course -- our (now) 14-week old yellow lab! He's fun, makes us laugh, and he's unflappably (except for his ears) happy!
3 Comments:
Thank you for continuing this blog. Please know that you've got a number of readers who eagerly await your next installment. There's not enough blogging out of Stanford, especially after that other guy buckled under the intense publicity that comes with the activity.
In reponse to the other feedback comment about the Stanford MBA blogger who stopped, let me strongly object. As a first year Stanford MBA student myself, I was also an avid reader of that blog. However I understood completely why that blog was stopped. In my humble opinion, that blog was the only MBA student blog that dared to be completely honest about their own negative experiences. This is not a criticism on Dave's blog because I'm sure it reflects his own experience, so its absolutely valid. All I am saying is that no other blog provided as much true insight about the pains and struggles many MBAs go through. Reference: All other B-school blogs where a long list of activities are provided, but no real insight into their opinions...blogs where MBAs struggle with the workload but everything else is always peachy.
Now try to imagine being the sole dissenter. Try to imagine how many people would be sending fire-loaded emails to you tell you your own experience is invalid because it did not correspond with their own....and I guess the question is, would YOU really want to deal with that, where your main reward was only more abuse from critics, or would you prefer to spend your time doing some of the other myriad of fun b-school activities where email abuse is not an every day occurence? I wouldn't call that "buckling under the pressure", I would simply say they chose a more sane path.
No, I am not that Stanford MBA blogger and my own experiences were completely different to theirs. In fact, I love everything about being here Stanford (so my blog would be B-O-R-I-N-G), but nevertheless I remain in awe of StanfordMBA's efforts to go beyond the typical b-school "this is what I did today" blog. P.S...What makes you think that blogger was a guy?
From the comments above, it is obvious the essence of David's blog is being overlooked. To David, blogging is much more than "this is what I did today" at B-school. It is also much more than a vehicle through which to "provide true insight into the pain and struggles" of getting an MBA.
The blog is a way for David to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. It's a way for him to extend his network and a way for him to talk about his passion: creating business, jobs and value out of an idea. The blog is a professional commentary on his whole life experience, with the MBA just being a part of that. Which I guess is why he doesn't take the criticism over how he writes about the MBA program too seriously. It's only just one part of his life - not even the most interesting part!
Those of you reading to get some "insight" into the MBA program will probably continue to be sorely disappointed, I am afraid. If David had a problem with the program, I doubt he would ever vet his frustration on a blog. He would be professional and proactive by working with the administration towards change, therefore, making Stanford an even better place to get an MBA. Even more disappointing, is by focusing solely on what he writes about Stanford, you'll be missing out on the juiciest details.
Cheers,
Dave's Wife
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