Oh yes, the Ski Trip!!!

How could I forget my favorite part of Winter Break!? Darden does Park City pictures are below. 5 days, 50+ MBAs, and unlimited hilarious moments. Yes, in case you are wondering, we did: a) actually ski, b) have an 80s theme party, and c) tear up the slopes (in some cases...literally). Utah will never be the same!

Note to self: best. year. of. life.

Enjoy!

Preparing to be lucky.

Last week, much of the Second Year class opted into "J-Week," a collection of intensive, one-week classes. The reasons for enrolling in J-Week were mixed: some students wanted to knock out a class-worth of credits in seven days, and others were hoping to take a course that wasn't offered at another point during the year. I fell somewhere in between. I was looking forward to lightening my course load, but I was also genuinely intrigued by a class titled, "Building Cultures of Innovation Through Effective Leadership" (interesting, right??).

Now that I've finished the class, I think it was one of the best investments I've made at Darden. For the entire week, we got to chat with an array of successful leaders who have grown (and, in some cases, dissolved) companies. Here's a brief sample of our guest speakers:
- Louis Rossetto, Founder and CEO, Wired
- Judy Swanson, wife of Bob Swanson, who founded Genentech, Inc.
- Craig Walker, CEO of Firespotter Labs, Google Executive in Residence
- Marc Onetto, SVP Worldwide Operations and Customer Service, Amazon, Inc.
- Art Ciocca, Chairman Emeritus, The Wine Group
- Duane McDougall, CEO, Willamette
- Mort Meyerson, former CEO EDS, Perot Systems
...and the list goes on!

The best part? Our professor, Robert Smelick, was friends with all of them! He would Skype them from his computer, beam their video image up on to the big screen, and kick off a refreshingly candid conversation. Their stories weren't pre-scripted, and their answers hadn't been vetted by PR teams. They were the most honest discussions I've had at Darden.

A reoccurring theme throughout the week was, "prepare to be lucky." Translation: you never know when serendipity is going to fall from the sky and hit you on the head, but when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity. Many of those listed above did just that, and in most cases, b-school wasn't even part of that preparation. Rather, they focused on pursuing their passions, building relationships, and taking risks. It sounds simple enough...doesn't it? So then why do so many people fail to remember these basic ingredients of success?? Even after a week-long class, I don't have an answer to that question. Let's just say, from now on, I'm going to make sure I don't forget.

This is what I call a good looking bunch.



Can I get a side of hindsight with that?

A few nights ago, I went to dinner with two of my best girl friends at Darden. The evening was frighteningly civilized - we were all dolled up and sitting fireside at Ivy Inn while sipping wine, enjoying tasty entrees, and celebrating job offers. Wait...WHAT?!? (insert screeching sound here). Um, rewind. This time last year, I'm 99% sure I was holed up in a Learning Team room, wearing some moderately-socially-acceptable form of pajamas, and trying to figure out what evil person invented case interviews and how I had managed to forget long division. Yikes.

But now, things are looking better than an appetizer of shrimp and grits (side note: highly recommended). I hesitate to quote the Darden saying, "trust the process," because I fear that a band of disgruntled FYs might send me hate mail (totally understandable - I would have done the same last year, too), but the proof is in the pudding. Or, er, the dinner. Between the three of us, we have accepted offers at Target, General Mills, and Bain & Company. Not too bad for a bunch of ladies who suffered multiple panic attacks - together, I believe - in LT rooms last year.

Needless to say, it was a fabulous dinner. Not just because of the company, but also because I cherished the opportunity to celebrate friends, jobs, and all of the ups and downs of the past 365 days. And a warm apple tart for dessert didn't hurt, either!

SY shenanegains, continued.

I know that I owe you all (or y'all, depending on who you are) a post, but I haven't been struck by any particular genius recently. I've been too busy!

So, when in doubt, I resort to what I like best - pictures! Here are some snapshots from the past few weeks.

Oh, Second Year, how I love you so!

 Decorating a friend's house for Halloween...we gave out SO much candy! And, in case you were wondering, I did spend WAY too much on tacky decorations.

Flying with my friend Bill after class on a beautiful fall afternoon (at first...I was a bit skeptical...).

  Bill (read: my anxiety explained).

We landed in one piece! The plane survived, too.

Hiked Old Rag Mountain...all 9 miles. Whoop whoop!

 Made/ate a Harvest Feast! Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the food coma that followed...

Carving pumpkins! (Yes, I am obsessed with holidays.)

Kelly Kapowski and (one of the) Three Blind Mice at the SY Bonfire!

Choose your own adventure.

If First Year was all about "trusting the process," then Second Year is all about "choosing your own adventure." I'm looking at my course schedule for next term (and no, there aren't 6 of them this year…hallelujah) and it looks like an academic grocery list of things I wanted to pick up while in b-school. Check this out:

• Post-Merger Integration: Self-explanatory strategy course in a new and emerging practice area. Sound cool? I think so, too.
• Corporate Innovation and Design Experience: This class meets for 3 hours, once a week, and gives us a chance to learn about the "hot topic of design thinking" (anyone heard of IDEO? Ok then). Um, yes please.

• General Management Workshop: A executive-level look at business problems led by one of Darden's most famous, and beloved, professors, John Colley. Oh, did I mention that we have guest speakers (think former partner at Bain & Company) come back to campus just to speak to the class? Well, now I did (you're welcome!).

• Systems Design and Business Dynamics: Adding another tool to our general management toolkit, this class will teach us how to "use systems analysis techniques and simulations to isolate and describe the often intangible factors that affect the performance dynamics in a business." Translation: this is an awesome class that every aspiring general manager should take.
• Mead Seminar: Like the idea of taking a small seminar where topics are chosen and moderated by your peers? No way! Me too. That's why I took this course. Last week we discussed international development, and next week we'll be tackling education issues (addressing some of the world's most complicated problems = no big deal).

What's not to love?? (……………….crickets……………) My point exactly. Whether you're a quant jockey who eats DCFs for breakfast or you're an OPS guru gunning for your  Six Sigma black belt, have no fear; Second Year and its "pick your flavor" schedule will be here! And trust me (or the process), it is worth the wait.

Moving up in the world (literally).

A quick post to say that The Economist just named Darden #4 in its ranking of full-time MBA programs. Hooray! Congrats all - well deserved. For more on the article, click here: http://www.economist.com/node/21532270.