Mock Interviews Week

Another crazy week filled with mock interviews and cover letters but also a day off. Let me tell you about it!

Monday – A glorious day off! A day to sleep in and finally finish my homework! However, I did put my time to good use today. This girl who never cooks, every once in a blue moon I decide that I like cooking and my fiancé is the best cook in the world, made ratatouille. Here’s a photo if you don’t believe me!

It may not be gourmet, but I did try!

Tuesday – Only one class today; a good way to ease into this crazy week. In supply chain, we came up with an exhaustive list of some things that drive change in the area of supply chain. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that a business operates under so many possible adversities. Needless to say, this was eye-opening.

Next I met with the Women’s MBA club officers to discuss our upcoming events. We are setting up a panel of women in business and hopefully a networking event at the end of the semester. I’m so excited about these events, and I can’t wait to share them with the rest of the group on Thursday.

After that, I met with my new Operations team to discuss which company we will be looking into for our project. We’ve been throwing around the idea of a hotel since we reorganized the groups, and we were lucky enough to have the Holiday Inn in Brookline say “yes” to us. Because we are a newly formed group, we wanted to give each other an idea of how we work and what we want to get out of the project. This team will definitely be a great group to work with!

Once I got home, I researched W.R. Grace, so I could be prepared for my phone mock interview tomorrow. I wanted to make sure that I had plenty information on the company and questions to ask the interviewee. Taking advantage of sleep that I will not get later on in the semester, I went to bed early.

Wednesday- As per usual, Wednesday was a manic day as it always seems to be. Today we discussed our first cases in finance and operations. In between classes, I got to speak with Katie in the Career Center about which rooms are available for the upcoming WMBA events. As these events become more real, I get even more excited!

After classes, there was free pizza in the grad lounge (I know, two weeks in a row!) provided by admissions for those interested in speaking with newly admitted students or attending events so we can field questions from newly admitted students.  I quickly checked my emails after, and found out that I have been asked for an in-person interview with Raytheon, which made me both extremely excited and extremely nervous.

Then, I had to find a quiet space for my phone interview. Down to the wire and still no quiet spot to be found, I ran into my classmate Simran. When I told him about my predicament, having only 2 minutes to spare, he showed me a room that I had never seen before. This ended up being the perfect place for the interview. I definitely owe him a coffee!

Then it was time for an Insider Insight event with Ocean Spray. Not only did the Ocean Spray management members supply us with excellent information on the company, but they also gave us some delicious samples everything from their new sparkling cranberry drink, their classic cranberry juice, and my personal favorite, Crasins®.

Finally on to rehearsal! Tonight I wrote choreography for four of our great dancers. This was difficult after such a long day, but the other staff members really liked it. Also, one of the students brought cake pops because his birthday is tomorrow. So delicious! Next, time for sleep!

Thursday – Thursday is one long day! First we had strategy where we discussed the 5 forces of competition, which eventually lead us into the discussion of our case about Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

Then we had statistics. Our first graded homework assignment was due today, and we continued our discussion about standard deviation. The professor provided a brief tutorial on the statistical software we will be using, and after he handed back our quizzes from the week before.

After class, I held a Women’s MBA meeting where we talked about the upcoming events that we will be hosting. I am extremely excited about these events, and I hope the group is as well!

Then, I had to prepare for my mock interview. I printed off a few copies of my resume, in case I was asked for one, and I reviewed my questions and the information that I have on the company. Then, it was time for the interview.  Although my nerves made my mind race, I was able to stay calm, or at least appear calm, for the interview. I found the feedback from the interviewer to be extremely helpful, especially when I asked what to do the calm my nerves before the interview.

After, I decided to go out to dinner with a few friends – Jim even joined us when he got out of work!

Friday – Today in Career Management we discussed interviews. After hearing about the overall feedback from those who have already completed their mock interviews, we broke off into smaller groups to work on some behavioral questions. Although it was somewhat nerve wracking to be put on the spot, it was very much like being at an interview.

After Career Management, I met up with my friend who is moving to South Carolina on Saturday for our final goodbye lunch. Boston will definitely not be the same without her.

Once I got home, it was time for homework!

Saturday – I woke up early on Saturday to do more homework. I really want to get my homework done over the weekend, so I can prepare for my interview for the rest of the week. When I woke up, I realized that it was snowing pretty heavily. This means shoveling, which does not make me happy. Living in Massachusetts my entire life has made me disillusioned about snow. I no longer recognize it as beautiful, just a pain in the neck.

Sunday – On Sunday, I got some homework done before I had to head to rehearsal. Unfortunately, our rehearsal was scheduled during the Patriot’s game. Although Jim sent me update texts the entire time, it was not the same as watching the nail-biting game myself. Anyway, we had a productive rehearsal, and I look forward to seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*

Second Semester - First Week

Phew! What a week! Here’s a recap:

Monday – Today we all had our first MBA-level finance course. The professor is fantastic and left us with a rather difficult, real-life question to answer. He told us about the CFO of a pharmaceutical company that was faced with a difficult decision of whether to stop producing a life-saving drug that was only given to nine children in the U.S. because it was extremely expensive to produce (tens of millions). The CFO had to decide whether to stop production on this drug or not. A little too realistic for me!

After finance we had the first class of our continued HR course from the previous semester. This semester we will focus on working on our managerial abilities, as we identified them in our Living Documents last semester. In this class, we analyzed our learning strengths, and mine was somewhat of an odd-duck. It seems as though I learn through experience and theory. A rather strange dichotomy if you ask me. I’ll have to look into that further.

In the evening, I applied for my first Corporate Residency! I don’t know why, perhaps it was because this was the first one I applied to, but I was extremely nervous to press the submit button. It took a bit of talking myself into it, but I came to the conclusion that the Career Center would not have told me that my cover letter and resume were ready to go if they were not.

Tuesday – Tuesday was our first supply chain class, and one of the two times we start class at 8:30. In this class we went over the syllabus and started to talk about the basics of supply chain management; transportation, warehousing, and packaging. This class is dismissed at 10:50, which left me thinking, “What should I do with myself?” Of course, apply to another Corporate Residency!

Wednesday – Our second MBA finance class was held today, and we got to find out what the CFO did. Apparently he had a change of heart and decided to keep manufacturing the drug even though it was expensive because the bad press from upset families would have been damaging to the company. The company eventually figured out how to use a synthetic to produce the drug at a lower cost. Extremely interesting!

Today was also our first operations class. From what I’ve heard in the past, Operations can be a dry subject, but the professor kept us laughing. Also, he suggested that we watch “How It’s Made.” Any professor that gives me the green light to watch more TV is good in my book!

After Operations, there was free pizza in the grad lounge! This is something that the admissions department provides for us once a month and I’d have to say that we are all very thankful for it. Unfortunately I could not stay very long because the Finance and Investments Club had a trip to State Street. Here, we got to see the trading floor, much quieter than I had imagined, and we were able to speak with several State Street employees. This was a very successful event planned by the Finance club!

But my day didn’t end there – I had enough time to bring my backpack home and head to color guard rehearsal. Tonight we choreographed a part that has been giving us some trouble in the past week. We wanted to continue the movement and momentum in a particular part of the show, but have been unable to conceptualize it, let alone put work to it. And after a manic day, I wouldn’t have been able to write any choreography without the help and logistical aptitude of the other staff members. (It also helps when your students can do flips!) I think we were finally able to hit the nail on the head.

Then home to study for the statistics!

Thursday – Today was my second manic day! First, we had strategy class where we discussed the difficulties CEO’s face in balancing short-term and long-term priorities in their first year.  This discussion definitely left me thinking. We were also better introduced to the Interdisciplinary project due at the end of the year. This project, which has pieces due in strategy, finance, and statistics, will require us to write a memo and present our findings to a panel of experts.

Now time for our first quiz in statistics. We had 15 minutes to answer 20 multiple choice questions and 4 open-ended questions; this may have been the fastest quiz I have ever taken! Anyway, after that, we went over the syllabus and talked about some basic statistical measurements.

Next on the agenda; I met with Rochelle in the Career Center, the WMBA advisor, to talk about the panel we are planning for this semester. She gave me a fantastic idea for a conference to encourage club members to go to, and told me to ask the club what they wanted to hear a panel talk about. I am so excited for the panel and the conference!

After my meeting with Rochelle, I ran (no, literally ran) to the L. Knife Insider Insight. L. Knife is a beer distributor which offers a Corporate Residency through Northeastern. We got to hear one of their HR members speak, along with a former NU MBA student who currently has a full-time position there, and the current MBA student who just finished her Corporate Residency. The company is expanding rapidly due to a combination of the growing demand for craft beer and their exploding imports business.

Friday – Friday started with an early morning team meeting. This was due to the many upcoming assignments in our classes that require teams of 3-5, and we are a group of six. Although we had to split the team up for some classes, I believe that the new teams will be productive and rewarding. Luckily, we were able to strike a deal with the other group of six for the Operations project, which another team member and I will be on a group with two new members. It will be strange not working with my team, but it will be great to get to know some classmates better.

After, we had our first Career Management course of this semester. The topic of this class was interviews. We were split into groups of six and asked to write down any questions we had about interviews. Our questions were then given to another team who had to answer them as best they could. After, one group member presented the responses. It was great to see that many people had similar questions.

Then it was homework time! Like last semester, I am trying to stay on top of my homework by getting the majority done on the Fridays and Saturdays.

When Jim got home from work we decided that it was finally time to go out for our anniversary, which was on Wednesday. (5 years!) We decided to try a restaurant that we have been meaning to go to since we moved to Malden, the All Seasons Table in Malden Center. The food was so good, especially the vegetable tempura. Needless to say we left full and happy!

Saturday- I got up at 8:00 today, so I could get a head start on homework because today Jim and I decided to make beer! Ok, it’s not the first time we’ve homebrewed, but it’s still very exciting. However, it is a time-consuming process, so I had to get an early start.

Anyway, we started the brewing process at 12:00 and we sealed the bucket for fermentation at 5:00.  Here are some pictures from the process.

Mashed malts are placed into the almost boiling water, like making tea.

After malt extract is poured into the mix.

After the hops are added and the wort is cooled, then you have to siphon into the fermentation bucket.

This stuff is sealed and then left to ferment for about 2 weeks!

Next up, we had some friends over to watch the Patriots obliterate the Broncos!

Sunday – Like the day before, I woke up and finished up my homework. Before I knew it, I had to leave for rehearsal. Today we finished up the drill (how the students move around the floor), and now we have even more choreography to write. Our first show is on February 4^th, and I can’t wait to see what the other color guards in the area have done.

When I got home I realized Jim had made vegan chili while I was gone!!! And then it was time for more football. I’m looking forward to my Monday off tomorrow!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*

And Another Semester Begins

So it’s the week before the semester begins, and one would think that I would be on my couch bored to death and ready for a new semester to begin. Surely, that’s what I’ve experienced in the past. Although I am ready for a new semester to begin, there was plenty to do over this week to keep me just as busy as I would be when classes are being held. Other than the pre-work required for most classes, here are the other things that kept me busy.

First, on Monday, the Career Center posted some of the companies who are hiring Northeastern MBA candidates for Corporate Residencies. Already there are so many companies that I want to apply to!  The residencies uploaded today were not even all that will eventually be posted!

Because there were so many residencies that I am interested in, that meant the rest of my week was dedicated to cover letters! This is especially true because the Career Center requires two mock interviews before you have actual interviews for your Corporate Residency. That meant one additional cover letter on top of the others. I find cover letters to be especially challenging, so this took me more time than I had anticipated.

On Wednesday, I trekked down to Northeastern to purchase the courepacks for my classes this semester. Jim decided to come with me, so at least I had some company, and he was able to pick up his Northeastern Alumni card. To reward myself for buying my books, we met with one of our friends who I used to work with for lunch.

On Friday, my friends had a going away party for my one of my best friends. After about 6 years in Boston, she will move to the beautiful weather in South Carolina. (She may even miss snow entirely this year! So not fair!) Anyway, I will miss her dearly, but we will certainly stay in touch as she starts a new adventure.

An old but good photo of Clara and me!

Saturday was the annual fundraiser for the color guard I teach for. It was a spaghetti dinner in which all three color guards help serve and create prizes for raffle winners. When the fundraiser was over, the work for the A’s had just begun. We painted our floor as soon as the tables were cleared. (Winter color guards perform on tarps, referred to as “floors”, which are painted to convey the theme of the show. Each color guard has its own tarp.) Around 1:30am, we had finished painting.

Working hard!

But that was not the end of the color guard fun! The next day we had an extended rehearsal in order to write choreography. This year I have taken a larger role in writing choreography, and I have to say it is both exhausting (mentally and physically) but so rewarding, especially when the competitive season begins in just under a month!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*

2011 In Review

After working extremely hard for the entire semester, sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be in Northeastern’s MBA program. (This is especially true because I had anticipated starting my MBA in 2012.) As the year comes to a close, I can only think of what new adventures next semester has to offer.

Because my family is local, I didn’t have to travel too far for my Christmas celebrations. My mother’s family had its Christmas party on December 18^th, which we do a Yankee swap for. My family chooses a theme and this year’s was “Back in the Day”. I won a set of 4 Charlie Brown Christmas glasses. Christmas is also awesome because my aunt always sends us home with a ton of leftovers!

My winnings!

Jim and I have a particularly easy Christmas because our parents’ houses are 5 minutes down the street from each other. As usual, we celebrated Christmas Eve with Jim’s family and Christmas Day with my family. The best part of Christmas is seeing Jim’s nephews open presents and talk about Santa coming to their house.

A few days after Christmas, my sisters and I went to pick out their bridesmaids dresses for my wedding (which is coming much faster than I had anticipated). Just like when I tried on my wedding dress, the first dress they both tried on was the one. Although I did not require them to purchase the same dress, they both looked awesome in the short strapless bridesmaid’s dress, so they ordered them in chocolate brown, the wedding colors are white and brown, and they should be ready in about a month. I think we were in the store for a total of a half an hour, now that’s my kind of shopping!

Because we were on a roll with getting wedding preparations done, Jim and I decided to start our wedding registry – Target and Macy’s. We decided to go to both stores on the same day because I am a particularly impatient shopper, and I wanted to get it over with. Basically, we got to walk around both stores with a scanner gun and pick out anything we wanted, within reason. However, we felt a strange guilt with putting expensive things on the registry, and I’m not sure we currently have enough to get us through both a bridal shower and a wedding, but it’s a good start. We did add one fun item to the list, an Xbox Kinect. After playing at a friend’s house (read: Amy played video games instead of mingling the entire time), I decided that we could not live without one.

And suddenly it was New Year’s Eve! We have a group of friends that we generally celebrate New Year’s with, and this year festivities were held at our friend’s house in Somerville. With friends, food, (and yes, another Kinect!!) we rang in the New Year. One of my New Year’s Resolutions, I often have many, is to write more frequently for this blog! I hope you all brought in the New Year with friends and family. Here’s to new beginnings in 2012!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*