Happy New Year!

I can't believe it is already 2009 and we are more than half way though the year! I guess time flies when you are keeping busy... and having fun! Before the break we had an 'Ugly Holiday Sweater' party, which was fantastic. Tomorrow we are all getting together for 'Cultural Night' where we all prepare a traditional dish from where we are from. I am currently making some Nanaimo Bars, which are a Canadian desert that originated in beautiful Nanaimo, British Columbia. We will see how they turn out........! It will be great to try some new foods and learn more about each others cultures- all over some wine and good conversation!

My Clarkson Experience

I remember looking through websites and pamphlets struggling to find an MBA program that would be a perfect fit for me. I can truly say that the MBA program here at Clarkson has been a rewarding experience thus far. Here at Clarkson, you are challenged and pushed to do things you never thought were possible. You will gain so much power and knowledge within yourself that will allow you to achieve that competitive advantage in your future endeavors. There are more than enough resources including the directors, professors, alumni and the Clarkson’s online career services, Knightlink to help you jump start your career search. The program is fairly small which encourages close friendships. Students feel compelled to see their own success but also the success of fellow classmates. When the work is finished, we all keep busy with a variety of activities including the Graduate Business Association, intramural sports and holiday festivities. Making time for yourself to relax and enjoy outside activities will help you maintain your focus through the year. Another deal breaker for me was the opportunity to complete my Clarkson MBA in one year. Deciding on Clarkson was by far the best career and personal decision I have made. Stay tuned for Holiday Pictures and more…..!

The Final Stretch

It's hard to believe, but here we are in the midst of our last week of classes for the Fall Semester. I guess time flies when you're busy trying to get the most out of your MBA experience. Between projects and job interviews, there certainly has been plenty to keep me entertained these last few weeks. I must say, though, there has been plenty of time to socialize with classmates outside of the grad lab and Snell, and we've had a lot of fun along the way. The holiday party we have planned for this weekend will hopefully rival our halloween party, and alot of us are looking forward to a chance to kickback between projects and finals.

I am looking forward to the sense of relief in finishing up with this module in a few days, however, I'm really excited for what next semester has to offer. This is the opportunity for us to follow our tracks and specialize with the courses that interest us most and shape our future career aspirations. Plus, some of us will be going on a sweet trip for two weeks to study abroad, and that experience is going to be nothing short of incredible.

That's it for now. I wish everyone a happy holiday season and good luck in their educational and career decisions.

Halloween

As an international student from Russia, I could never imagine what a mess Halloween is... Not in a bad sense though =)) Blake had a party at his place and most of the class showed up... which means that we had all kinds of weird-looking folks around =) Jokers (actually, two of them, just as if one is not enough! =))), Golfer, Fairy, Batman, Witch, Chef, Caveman, Schoolgirl, Cleopatra, Pirate, Zorro.... ooops, seems like I can keep going for a while here =PP But definetly the best looking crowd =)))) However, you wouldn't want to meet half of them at a dark night somewhere on a dark dead end street... There's no way you'd recognize you classmates - normal MBA students, decorous and well-behaved, all in business shirts and pants... It feels so dumb just standing and staring at some monstrous stranger, trying to figure out who that is... and failing!!! But judging from the fact that we had some non-MBA people hanging around and having fun along with us, I'd say the party was a success...

Keep Grounded

Hi all:

I just came across a FedEx commercial. This should keep you grounded and humble in your career search:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vx1BTBhg4c

New TAC Center opens today!

On campus today, we will dedicate the new Technology Advancement Center (TAC). Pictures and news to follow!

NSCS Conference

Hi! Josh LaFave, Associate Director here.

I'll be traveling to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars Conference next week in Orlando, FL! You can visit NSCS here. I'll be there to share our MBA program with prospective students, but I will also be teaching a workshop on Interviewing as well! It should be alot of fun!