Almost done

In less than a month, I'll graduate from the UW MBA program. My schedule this final quarter has been refreshingly open-ended and I've had a chance to catch up with old friends. Many of them have told me it seems like this has gone by really fast.

For them, perhaps. For me, the past 2 years have had so much packed into them that it really hasn't seemed like time's flown by. September 2006 seems like a long time ago indeed.

While my first year (and first quarter of this year) were unbelievably busy, these final two quarters have eased up. I joined classmates on a study tour through South Africa during spring break -- it was an incredible trip. This quarter I've been walking a lot (Gmaps Pedometer is a really handy tool -- it showed me that I walked 7 miles yesterday), reading the news, and just relaxing.

I'll be traveling to Thailand and Cambodia after graduation for 3 weeks and then in mid-July I'll start work with Vitalent.

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington South Africa

Here I am!

Hello. It's been a while! The first quarter of my final year in the UW MBA program has been a busy one. I've taken classes that have been time-consuming and challenging (but in a good way), spent a lot of time doing MBAA (student government) work, and over the past month, I've focused considerable energy on the job search. I should -- fingers crossed -- have an offer for a post-graduation job in the near future. If so, I'll have more free time during the next two quarters.

Which would be nice, I must admit. :)

Healia's new Facebook application

Healia, where I've been interning this summer, has just launched a Facebook application: the Healia Health Challenge.

The game tests your general health knowledge with questions that cover nutrition, anatomy, and STDs, among other things. It starts you off as a pre-med student, and if you rack up enough points, you get promoted all the way up to Chief of Medicine.

It's definitely been a lot of fun to work on this as a group over the past few months. If you have a Facebook account, please give it a shot and let me know what you think. And if you like it, please feel free to pass it on. :)

Tags: internship Healia Facebook application health

Drumming again, a decade later

Over a decade ago, back in college, I drummed with a few bands. We played Nirvana and Pavement covers and it was lots of fun.

I didn't really do much drumming after that until just recently, after the end of this past school year. I've taken up drumming with a CCR cover band called Revival Revival. It's an absolute blast! We just had our first show,
at a house party, and we'll be doing more shows throughout the summer.

Drumming with a fun-focused cover band is markedly different from anything I was up to during my first year of grad school. It's a refreshing diversion, actually -- a nice way to take a vacation from school for the next few months.

Tags: drumming CCR Creedence cover band summer Revival Revival

And my internship starts off with a bang

On my second morning with my internship at Healia, the press release came out: Healia has been acquired by the media and marketing firm Meredith.

Considering the fact that Meredith is 105 years old and Healia is younger by a century plus, it's an interesting convergence. (I'll refrain from MBA-speak.) The two companies are clearly very different, and yet the acquisition makes sense: each offers something that the other needs. A stalwart of the traditional media world, Meredith needs a way to keep its customer base from defecting to new online competitors. Healia offers an award-winning product, and needs a way to develop awareness in its target customers.

For my part, I'm already seeing why an internship is such a crucial part of the full-time MBA educational experience. Just two days in, and I've already learned a lot.

Moreover, being involved with a forward-looking search engine is, for me, very fun. Musing over the future of internet has been a pastime of mine for a while now, and now I get to keep geeking out on this subject - at work? Lucky me. :)

Tags: MBA internship Healia Meredith acquisition

Blogging lapses and shifts in digital identity

I've been done with the school year for a week now. My internship doesn't kick off until next Friday, so I've been luxuriating in what feels like a vast expanse of free time. Directed by my whims, I've been walking around my neighborhood, watching great films (I highly recommend The Lives of Others), and spending leisurely swaths of time in local coffeeshops. As for the Wall St Journal that appears in my building lobby every morning -- I'm actually reading it now, rather than just glancing at it.

I've also been spending plenty of time in bed. That's where I'm at right now!

With all this free time, why the almost-month-long lapse in this blog? I've been following blogs for six years now, and the blogging lapse is a common phenomenon. Bloggers go on hiatus for a spell, and then invariably return with an apologetic post: life's been busy.

But I don't think this is why blogging lapses occur. Trust me, one can always find time to blog. :) Rather, I think it's a matter of uncertainty about how to go about constructing one's digital identity. Blogging allows people to build an online representation -- a Googleable self that is traceable by anyone around the world, presumably for a very long time to come. It's a pretty exciting opportunity, particularly for narcissists such as myself.

I've stepped back from blogging recently simply because I've been processing the changes I've gone through over the past year. As this round of processing comes to a close (I feel this happening soon), my blogging will kick off again. It's like an internal tectonic shift is going on. In a good way. Ok, perhaps not the best metaphor.

Along these lines of thought, check out this interesting article. It explores the question: what motivates Second Life users to select avatars that bear no resemblance to their real-life selves? Perhaps a better question is: when you have no limits on how you can appear in a virtual world, why pick an avatar that exactly resembles yourself (which is basically what I did in SL)?

As a recent WSJ article describes (subscription required, but you can see the video here), this really may be a generational issue. Today's teenagers and early-twentysomethings are much more comfortable with their digital selves than us older folks. We oldsters cautiously try and put our best face forward, whereas the younguns accept the very public nature of the internet and just express themselves.

An overgeneralization, to be sure, but it's clear that things are changing.

Tags: MBA blogging digital identity blogging lapse processing

Internship interviews

As I stepped out of my public speaking class, Finding Your Voice, this evening, I realized that the busiest of the busy times are behind me. The past three weeks have literally been a whirlwind -- each weekend I've been out of town, leaving the weekdays to pack in studying, MBAA meetings, and internship research.

Speaking of internships, last week I interviewed with Healia, WildTangent, and Alvarez & Marsal Business Consulting. There'll be a second round with Healia tomorrow morning and additional rounds with Alvarez and Marsal next week.

Classroom hours will die down significantly over the next few weeks, and I've been talking with MBAA officers about how we're looking forward to catching up on planning meetings during that time.

Alright, early bedtime for me tonight.

Tags: MBA UW internship University of Washington

Spring quarter is more relaxed...

...or so they say. I'm not so sure. On Monday, I worked non-stop -- homework, internship research, class, meetings -- from 5am to 3am. Yes, a 22-hour day! Actually this is due to a lot of things converging at the same time. Things will be calming down in about a week's time and I'm looking forward to updating this blog more regularly. :)

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington

Bite-sized Singapore recap

Got back from Singapore on Sunday and I've been quite busy since then catching up. Although Kien and I didn't get much of chance to sightsee, I got a lot out of the experience. We both left with a veritable plethora of ideas for how to improve our program, and the goal now is to distill those down to a few good ones. We also left feeling optimistic about our program relative to other top MBA programs from around the world. We've got some solid assets that many other programs simply do not -- such as our career center, which is generously staffed with folks that ambitiously go out of their way to scout out opportunities for us.

Back to studying for tomorrow's Operations midterm --

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington Singapore GBC2007

Heading to Singapore

On Tuesday I will be heading to Singapore to attend the Graduate Business Conference, along with Bonnie (the outgoing MBAA prez) and Kien (Executive vice-president). This is a yearly conference for student leaders of MBA programs from around the world. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to exchange ideas with my counterparts from other programs. And to get out in the 80-degree weather a bit. :)

I had a scare a few days ago when I thought I wouldn't receive my renewed passport in time for the trip. I called the Passport Services Office -- actually I had to call 9 times to even get into a hold queue, in which I waited for 50 minutes until I spoke with someone. They're not kidding about the current increased demand for passports! The rep was very helpful and was able to get my passport bumped up to a next-day shipment, so all's well.

The class workload is certainly lighter in spring quarter, but I've been keeping myself busy getting accustomed to my new role as MBAA president. It's a fascinating experience and I've been enjoying it a lot, particularly discussions with classmates and staff on strategic directions for the program. I met with the Dean recently and he has an ambitiously optimistic viewpoint on where the program is headed -- and I must say, this sentiment is infectious.

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington passport

Spring break's over already?

How sad. Time flies when you're on spring break, apparently. But I've had a lot of fun over the past few weeks. I've been very social, which is precisely what I wanted. I caught up with old friends that I haven't seen in a while, such as this fellow.

I've also spent a fair amount of time on campus, being planny and talking strategy with various folks. Lots of stuff to do over the upcoming quarter, and the question is what to focus on first. The MBAA website is in desperate need of updating; I'd like that to be taken care of soon.

Twice over the past week, I volunteered up at the Greenwood Boys & Girls Club. On Monday, a group of us got down and dirty and did maintenance work. And on Friday I played games with the kids. One of them drew my portrait, and I had fun helping another kid practice for an upcoming spelling bee. I told her and her friends that I was a spelling bee champion (it's true!) as a kid. They didn't seem that impressed.

Tags: MBA MBAA UW University of Washington spring break Boys and Girls Club

The weight of PowerPoint

One surefire way to rapidly eat up your Gmail memory allotment: constantly email iterations of PowerPoint presentations with classmates. I find it remarkable that I'm up to 17% of my 2826 MB ... up from 7% or so, just a few months ago.

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington PowerPoint Gmail

Laptops in class

I took the Strategy final this afternoon -- all four hours of it. Two finals down, two to go.

A few weeks back, our Strategy professor (he also teaches at INSEAD) tried an experiment: he asked us not to use our laptops during class. Although I prefer to take notes with One Note on my laptop, I must admit that sans laptops, class discussion improved considerably.

I'm curious to hear from students (or recent students, as this wasn't an issue back when I was an undergrad) ... what's the situation with laptops in your classroom? Do people use them and if so, does this detract from class discussion?

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington finals laptop strategy

Finals week. Disjointed scribblings.

Finals week is upon us, and much is happening all at once!

My "presidential gestation period" is over as of last night -- we had an official handoff ceremony and the outgoing president, Bonnie, handed me a wooden gavel and a copy of Merriam Webster's Rules of Order. Inside the front cover, there are inscriptions from each outgoing MBAA president, dating back to 2000. I like the historical connection..

What else ... my apartment is a mess! Yes, I seem to have had this problem last quarter as well. Looking forward to doing a substantial spring cleaning next week. And I need to clean out my inbox, too ... inbox bloat has struck once again, this time with a vengeance..

I got my jury duty hardship letter from the MBA program office today; hopefully that will work. It would be very, very bad if I had to miss a substantial chunk of classes next quarter.

Many more things going on, but I need to work on a group strategy presentation, a group macroeconomics paper, and a few other things tonight. Finished the macroeconomics takehome final (no, I don't expect that I did spectacularly well). Strategy final is coming up on Friday, Finance final (which I need to do mountains of study for) is on Monday morning, and the Marketing take-home final is due next Tuesday.

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington finals

Jury Duty

I have been "randomly selected to serve as a trial juror in the municipal court of Seattle, County of King." I've asked if the MBA program office can send a letter on my behalf indicating it would be difficult for me to complete my degree on time if I serve as a juror. We'll see how that goes.

My juror's instructions indicate the following:

Waiting is an unavoidable part of jury service....We have desks equipped with Internet access and Wi-fi (wireless fidelity) for jurors wishing to bring laptop computers with them. There is an extensive and current magazine collection but we do encourage you to bring reading materials, crafts, or other projects to pass the time.

Sounds like I'd be able to get lots of homework (or popsicle-stick houses? That's all I can think of when I hear the word "crafts.") done down there. But I'd be missing out on lectures and class discussion, and that would really set me back.

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington jury duty

Photo from last week's Silicon Valley trip

Scurrying out into the Yahoo! parking lot:

More about the trip here.

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington Yahoo!

Silicon Valley road show: quick observations

Thursday night, I flew down to Silicon Valley for a whirlwind company tour with a group of classmates. Bryan Tomlinson, who coordinates employer relations at our career center, did a great job organizing the whole event.

The fun company
Our day started off with a quick tour of the Yahoo! campus, followed by a presentation and Q&A session. I was struck by how friendly the campus felt: bright yellow colors are everywhere, both inside and out. I found the employees who spoke with us incredibly funny. At one point the recruiter thanked me for constantly laughing during her presentation. Always the jovial one, that's me.

One way they conveyed the Yahoo! culture to us was through a "sucks list": stuff that they're not about:

• Decaf coffee
• Bad grammar
• "Too big for your britches" attitude
• Early meetings
• Formality (did I mention that we felt self-conscious in our suits and ties?

I left Yahoo! feeling quite excited about the company; I definitely plan on applying for an internship there. Out of the three companies we visited that day, I personally felt the closest fit with Yahoo!. I like the focus on unique user experiences, the refreshingly humor-friendly culture, and the nurturing environment.


Serious secrets
I never thought of Apple as a serious company, but compared with Yahoo! and Google, Apple is serious indeed. From the people to the architecture, there's much less wackiness at Apple. But still, I got the impression that it's an amazing place to work for. Jo Lawson, UW MBA '00, gave us an informative presentation on her experience there in small business marketing.

Both Jo and Gary Wipfler (Apple treasurer, also a UW alum), mentioned more than once that secrecy plays a key role in Apple company culture. As the recent stories about the iPhone attest, Apple's competitive advantage depends on certain employees keeping secrets: from their family, friends, and other employees. While these communication restrictions can be taxing on everyone, the payoff is huge: jaw-droppingly innovative products.


The center of the universe (for now)
Simply put, Google exceeded my expectations. It's like Disneyland for grownups -- very, very smart grownups. The architecture and landscaping really present a feast for the eyes. Micro-kitchens are spaced throughout the campus, none too far from the next, and they pipe out the most amazing odors of delicious food. Our tour guide, Vicky Wang, (also a UW alum) enthusiastically explained that Google hires top-notch chefs from the region, and, as is widely known, the ingredients are largely organic and locally-sourced.

The feeling I got at Google is that everyone there is always "on" -- everything is in a state of flux, and to fit in there, you should be ok with that. Nay, you should thrive on chaos. It seems like a truly fun, challenging place to be, but it's not for everyone. I talked with three employees there, and I got a similar feeling from them that I got from employees at Amazon.com back in 1999 (when Amazon stock was sky-high): we are at the center of the universe right now. It's an intoxicating feeling, but it never lasts forever.

Could I see myself at Google? Certainly, I'd love to intern there. I confess, though, that it's competitive to the point of being a bit intimidating. Our hosts described how many of their employees are former CEOs, and how, upon arriving at Google, they gladly accept mid-level management positions.

The reception
After the Google visit, we headed to Nola for a reception with UW MBA alumni. I had a great chat with Beth Gorell, UW MBA '86, who shared the story of her career. Later, my old college friend Doug swung by with his wife. Doug works in the area at eHealthInsurance and I crashed at his place that night.


Visa? Visa?
Alright, so we didn't visit Alaska Airlines, but most of us flew down on an Alaska flight. I must say, I found it very odd when a flight attendant gave an announcement that was essentially an ad for the Alaska Airlines Visa card. Clearly the flight attendant hated doing this; I could hear the annoyance in her voice.

Another flight attendant walked down the aisle with Visa cards in her hand, waving them and saying "Visa? Visa?" as if she were offering us peanuts. How strange! She was walking really quickly and of course no one was interested.

I can understand the cost-based argument that motivates Alaska to ask its flight attendants to do this sort of marketing work. There's a problem, however, with using your firm's employees to advertise for you on the cheap (or for free) -- they might not, um, want to. And if they're unenthused about the whole thing (who can blame them?), those feelings show through. The real risk to Alaska here is of its employees reducing the brand equity of its Visa card by creating negative associations in customers' minds. For me, certainly, this is now the case.

Final thoughts

• Walk around in a Silicon Valley company in full formal attire, and you'll receive plenty of inquisitive stares.
• While you can learn a lot about a company by reading about it, you need to physically visit the company to get a real taste of its culture.

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington Apple Google Yahoo Alaska Airlines culture intern

MBA field trip

I'm about to head down to the airport to join a group of my classmates -- we're travelling south to San Jose tonight. Tomorrow, we'll be doing a whirlwind tour of three very interesting companies: Yahoo in the morning, Apple during lunch, and Google in the afternoon.

Off I go! I'll post more about this on my return.

Tags: MBA UW University of Washington

Case interviews: practice is key

A few weeks ago, I interviewed with Microsoft for a marketing internship position. A week or so later, they sent me a rejection email. I've been thinking about this and talking it over with folks, and I think part of what sunk me were my responses to case questions. I encountered questions such as the following:

• What's your least favorite class right now? [I said econ.] Ok, how do you market that class to incoming students?
• Suppose you're the dean of the UW MBA program. How do you elevate your school's rank to #1?
• Assume you are the product manager for the Zune. You have $1 million, and 30 days to spend it. What do you do?

I realize in retrospect that I went about answering these questions all wrong: I immediately gave answers. No. This is not how you respond to case questions. As I have learned (after the fact, unfortunately) case questions are meant to invoke a discussion between interviewer and interviewee, a back-and-forth in which the case is constructed. As interviewee, you are to ask intelligent questions that demonstrate your knowledge of marketing frameworks. You should jot down the information that the interviewer reveals to you and then offer a recommendation -- preferably one that you can defend with strategic logic.

I know these things now, and I'll be better prepared the next time case questions arise in an interview. I really wish I would have done some mock interviews that specifically focused on case questions, prior to the Microsoft interview. If you're a prospective or first-year MBA student, let this be a cautionary tale to you -- don't let an actual interview be the first time you practice responding to a case question.

Tags: case interview MBA marketing internship

Inbox bloat

Oy -- I just noticed that there are now over 100 emails in my Gmail inbox, so it extends to a second page. I'd been trying to keep it under 30, but things got too busy today. I had an excellent informational interview with a Hitachi consultant in the morning, but that was out in Factoria, so I had to do some bus-juggling to get back to campus in time to meet with my team. We spent over two hours discussing our group paper for Strategy, and from there I zipped directly to another meeting...

...After that was through, it was about 2:30 and I realized I was rather hungry! Had an afternoon sushi meal, came home and took a nap (which was essential), got up at 5pm and basically worked from then until now on our group paper.

And now: sleep. Tomorrow starts off early at 7:30 with a breakfast with the Dean ... and tomorrow ends late at 9pm or so, when I finish meeting with my business plan team.