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Posted May 10, 2007
When you write an end of the academic year blog, you get a mixture of thoughts. It is pretty gratifying to be done. However, when administrators say the year goes by quickly, it is very true. I can't believe I have been here for nine months. My first year at Cox was an amazing experience, and I would recommend it to anyone. Here are a few thoughts from my first year.
What I wish people would have told me over and over again...
Everyone has heard of the freshman 15...well, it applies to graduate school as well. I have gained 15 pounds my first year in grad school. I recommend moderation at the Thursday night happy hours (good luck), and not attacking the candy dish in the MBA office. Hopefully you'll have more discipline than me!
I have posted this before, but I'll post it again because you should hear it over and over and over again. A high GPA is not correlated with job success at graduation. I would really recommend spending significant time networking and internship hunting (as well as studying) in the fall. You want to make decent grades, but you also want to be employed during the summer. Your #1 priority should be getting a job!
Most memorable experiences...
I really enjoyed the tailgating on the boulevard before home football games. I think it is funny how SMU packs the boulevard for pre-game tailgating, but only a few of us go to the football games. You really can't beat b-school sponsored open bar and food for three hours before the game!
We played Texas Hold'em with a group of 10-12 MBAs every Wednesday night. The future leaders of the Dallas business community are your classmates, but we also know how to have a good time when we're not in class.
I spent a good amount of time on the phone this year, calling strangers and alumni to set up meetings and build my network. Graduate school gives you the time and platform to make many contacts. It has been fun going on office visits and meeting new people.
Where you'll find me in the fall...
I will hopefully be recovering from an amazing summer! The first weekend of June I am driving down to Austin to float the Guadalupe River - there is nothing like an unofficial school trip to kick off the summer. In August, a few classmates and I are planning to fly to San Diego for a big beach fiesta. I am looking forward to my first ever trip to the California coast. My GLP group is currently in southern China. I'm not sure I will be verbose enough to describe the sites in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen, but I'll try to post a few pictures when we get back.
Also, I just landed an apartment in Manhattan! I am one block away from Madison Square Garden for 11 weeks. Now that the housing search is finished, I can concentrate on working crazy hours and enjoying New York! I'll be posting in the blog about JP Morgan's summer associate program.
To the class of 2009, I'll look forward to meeting each of you in August. To the class of 2010, I'll see you during admissions interviews in the fall! Back to Student Blogs
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