Playing with the BOSS

Subject selection at Columbia uses a fairly involved bidding system known as BOSS (Business Online Subject Selection). Each student is allocated 2250 points, and we have to distribute them amongst the five subjects/professors for which we'd like to enrol. The catch is that some subject are very popular, requiring 1000 points to get in, whereas for others a mere 1 point is required. I can't reveal my points allocation yet, since the bidding is still open and I don't want to be outbid, but the subjects that I've put myself down for are:

• Advanced Corporate Finance
  
• Debt Markets
  
• Options Markets
  
• Investment Banking, and
  
• Introduction to Venturing

It's very finance dominated, I know, but that's intentional. Columbia is pretty much the centre of the finance universe. The people that I'm reading about in the articles and textbooks for my VFA course here in Melbourne actually teach at Columbia (as well as working on Wall Street). If all goes well, I'll come back home a financial genius.

Bring on the exams

I had a take-home exam last week for my Project Management intensive subject, which took me a total of 35 hours to complete! Real exams start later this morning, and run through to Thursday. Here's the basic schedule:

• Mon 9:00am - Valuation & Financial Analysis (60%) (closed book)
  
• Wed 9:00am - Economics & Public Policy (60%) (closed book)
  
• Wed 1:30pm - Business Law (45%) (open book)
  
• Thu 9:00am - Business Strategy (40%) (semi-open book; we've already received the case study, and we're allowed to write all over it)

I've spent most of the weekend studying for the VFA exam, plus doing some reading from the EPP textbook, and analysing the case study for Business Strategy (I'll reveal which case it is after I've completed the exam). Business Law is the subject that's been suffering from lack of study attention. I'll put in 5 hours tonight, and maybe another 5 hours tomorrow, and that'll have to suffice.

When worlds collide

Ok, so I've been really slack keeping the site up to date these past few weeks. I hope you'll forgive me. I've been running at 110%, studying, preparing for exchange, and flying back and forward to Sydney. I've probably been averaging around 4 - 5 hrs sleep. We're at T minus 5 days now, and with the exception of exams, I'm pretty much ready for my move to New York.

Life has been pretty amazing these past few weeks. In essence, my worlds have been colliding.

• Melbourne Adrian and Sydney Adrian are becoming one, with my Sydney-based girlfriend recently meeting up with my Melbourne-based friends.
  
• Online Adrian and Melbourne Business School Adrian have been revealed as the same person, with various students and faculty from MBS finally discovering my website.
  
• Family Adrian and relationship Adrian have come together with my Auntie recently joining a group of friends (including my girlfriend) at a dinner in Sydney, and
  
• 1980s Melbourne Adrian, early 1990s Darwin Adrian, and late 1990s/early 2000s Adrian all got together for a big farewell/birthday dinner in Sydney last Thursday.

But "it's all good". I'm enjoying every minute of it, and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

T minus 14 days....

Two weeks to go!! Woo hoo!! Life's about to get very interesting. I've received my accommodation allocation for New York. I'll be living on the corner of 113th St and Broadway, just one block from the Columbia campus. The building I'll be living in is over 100 years old, and I'll have my own furnished room with a shared bathroom down the hall. Move in scheduled for August 30th, although I've booked a hotel room through to the 31st just in case. Visa, plane tickets, insurance, accommodation - looks like I'm all set now.

Better

Recovered from the flu. Having a fantastic weekend, before I head into exam mode next week...

Sick

Okay, this is something that I'm not used to. Since about Wednesday last week, I've been going through different phases of the flu. Sore stomach, sniffles, dizziness, headaches. Groan. At the same time, I've been trying desperately to start ... and finish ... an essay for Economics and Public Policy, and to make a worthwhile contribution to a syndicate presentation set for this coming Thursday. I'm certain that the only reason I'm sick is because I've been pushing myself to the limit this month. I guess it's come back to bite me.

25 days to go...

Family of travellers

My brother, Andrew, has just returned from a five month working holiday in UK/Europe. In typical Aussie style, he went all the way to London to work in a bar that pays homage to Australia - The Walkabout Inn. He also spent time in France and Italy, and of course, made the compulsary visit to Amsterdam.

T minus 27 days...

1 assignment to go. 1 presentation to go. 1 take-home exam to go. 4 'real' exams to go. Still haven't been allocated my New York accomodation. Haven't heard from my sublease tenant for a while - hope he's still coming to Melbourne. Nearly finished packing the apartment. My sister's already taken some of my shelves, and my dad's interested in borrowing my TV while I'm away (the vultures are circling ;-). It's all going to happen so quickly over the next few weeks. Before I know it, I'll be in New Zealand.

To make matters a little difficult, I've actually been a little ill this week, so much so that I had to skip a couple of classes and try and rest easy rather than working on an economics essay that's due on Tuesday. Looks like I'm going to be pretty busy this weekend playing catch-up.

Remember, if you're new to this website, it makes more sense if you read it in reverse, starting here. ;-)

The Dream

A friend of mine in the part-time MBA program asked me yesterday evening, "How can you be enjoying the MBA if you keep commenting on your weblog about the intensity of it all, and using moods like 'swamped'?"

I've had an interesting opportunity for some self-reflection over the past few days. Having been short-listed for a scholarship based on the content of my resume and my original MBS application essays, I decided to revisit the journey that I'd been on over the past couple of years.

My personal journal from my US b-school tour in 2000, combined with the eight application essays I wrote for the AGSM and MBS in 2001, and all the posts I've written for this weblog, make for a fairly comprehensive summary of the career growth/change process that I''m going through, and the end point that I'm trying to acheive. A common theme seems to be that what I'm really trying to do is 'live the journey' rather than end up in a particular job in a particular industry in a particular city.

Right now, I'm living that dream. I'm seven months into the MBA. I'm doing some challenging elective courses. I've interviewed for management consulting jobs, and I'm about to head off to New York to study at a top-ten school. This time next year I'll have my MBA, and I'll be working in a brand new role - in a new industry - possibly even in a new country.

One must maintain a positive attitude in an MBA program. It's a hard slog, the hours are insane, and it's expensive. However, with the right attidude and a dose of confidence, the returns can be substantial. And, yes, for the most part, I'm enjoying it immensely.