Walton MBA Class of 2014- Welcome!

Over the past week, the Walton MBA class of 2014 met for orientation at the Walker hall. As always the faculty had done a awesome job of planing the orientation with information sessions, fun activities, some really awesome speakers, visits to company offices/distribution centers and a case competition. Orientation is a fun time when the students get to know each other better and start prepping for the fantastic journey that lies ahead. Since I am a student mentor I was lucky to be part of some of the activities. The energetic, smart and talented group of people had a blast as did we in welcoming them.

Walton MBA Class of 2014! 34 students.7 nationalities. Woo Hoo  or should I say WPS!

On Day 1 I got a chance a meet up with my mentees.  Someone pointed out that I only put up those pictures, on my blog, in which I look good. Well, I hope this proves them wrong. Most of the day was spent in ice breakers and getting to know the program better. 

Day 1 ended with dinner at Garden room. Walton MBA alumni  attended the dinner and answered questions posed by the  new students. At Walton ,I feel this is one of the biggest advantages the students have- NETWORKING, right from day one. 

The new class are bright and eager and kept the alumni panel on their toes with questions covering a variety of topics from what they should do right in class and what skills to work on to prepare for the job market.

On Day 2 students were split into a group for a scavenge hunt that took the students to  important landmarks in Fayetteville. The teams had to design a flag and come up with a cheer for their teams. This was a fun task

Teams presenting their cheers . On this day the students also got to know about the study abroad opportunities to  India and China  that they can be part of during summer.

During the scavenge hunt, I was waiting for the team at the campus Starbucks. The seven mentors in undisclosed locations had special tasks with extra points. 

Day 3 was Retail Immersion day and students visited the J B Hunt office, Walmart Distribution center and the World Trade Center. This is another fantastic networking opportunity that is only at Walton College of Business. Awesome business partners and a strategic location.- right in the backyard of  company head offices. In the picture John Roberts, Walton College Alumni, and CEO of JB hunt addresses the students at the JB Hunt office. 

Day 4 - This is a brainstorming day when the students are split into teams and given a  case that they have to prepare and submit by evening. The teams then present the case the next day in front of  a panel of illustrious judges. 

Day 5-  The teams presenting in front of the judges. The judges  comprised of  Walton college faculty and  representatives from companies like Wal-mart, Kelloggs, Land O'Lakes. The teams did a fantastic job in presenting a case within 24 hours. For some this was the first time that they were working on a case presentation. 

The winning team- Marsha, Jenna and Andrew. Congrats guys.

Classes start from tomorrow and I am looking forward to meet my classmates again. Last semester at Sam M. Walton College of  Business- " Here we come!"

Happy New Year

This winter I spent time with my brother and his family in California. It was supposed to be a quiet family time and while it was definitely "family time" my niece and nephew ensured that it was not so "quiet". The big highlights of the break were the visits to Disneyland and Universal  studios. The rides and the shows made me a kid all over again. I am in two minds as to whether I enjoyed the rides at Disneyland more or the fantastic 3 D shows in Universal. For now I will just call it a tie. The holiday was also a time to enjoy some home cooked meals and my sister in-law made sure that I had all my favorite Indian dishes all through the winter. After the break I am fully recharged and looking forward to my last semester in the Walton MBA Program.

At Universal Studios I met with Bumblebee and he actually wanted a picture  with me.  I did give a few pointers as to how to deal with Megatron. Now if only he listens!

My Brother Kaif, his wife Tasnim and the kids Sanna and Zoran at  Snow Whites's Castle in Disneyland.

A major attraction, in Disneyland, for the kids was the Christmas Parade. Is it me or is Cinderella's step sister more beautiful?

Like I said - There was no "Quiet Time". At the Universal Studios.

Zoran with his friends. I am sorry I cannot introduce you to them. I just know Scooby. 

Sanna did not want to be clicked with her brother.

Another family member-  Frankenstein. 

A most memorable Christmas with the worlds best brother and  his family.  

Its been exactly a year, give or take a few hours, that I first lay eyes on the University of Arkansas the campus.Over the past year the campus has grown on me and I was looking forward to meeting my classmates after the month long break. The faculty at the Walton MBA program is busy preparing for the orientation program for the incoming Class of 2014. You can get more information about the incoming class from Rebels blog. As a student mentor I will be participating in some of the events and I am looking forward to meeting everyone. Yesterday co-mentor Sara and I met a few incoming students and were blown over by their excitement and passion.

Clockwise- Sara, myself, Mai, Katy, Carmen and Nathaniel  at  Common Grounds  Gourmet Espresso Bar on Dickson Street. Meeting them made me realize how quickly time has flown by. 

2013 will be a eventful year for each one of us in the Walton MBA class of 2013. All of us met a year ago with aspirations about the future and this year we shall begin to go forward and realize them. For many the dream has already turned to reality with job offers while others are still trying to achieve what they had wished for. I pray that this year may all the dreams come true and I wish everyone and their families - "Good Luck and Good Health".

My first Thanksgiving

Finals week is just a fortnight away. Walton MBA class of 2013 is busy tying up the loose ends of the group projects, working on individual assignments or just gearing up for the final test. We all enjoyed a five day thanksgiving break. Technically it was supposed to start from Wednesday but since I had no classes on Tuesday I got to enjoy a long long break. The first day after the break and my classmates were a tad sluggish after the heavy thanksgiving meal.

Tammy, co ambassador and a very generous person invited me to join her family for thanksgiving dinner. Like many other experiences this was a "first" for me  in the United States. Tammy was a wonderful host, and my tummy will validate the fact, a most awesome cook. Tammy’s parents, aunt and cousins all welcomed us and we felt like we were at home. I am still getting over the wonderful smell that filled her cozy house. The well laid out table with like a zillion dishes. I got to taste my first Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce. Tammy - "No turkey will be as good as my first Thanksgiving turkey"

Master Chef Tammy, the food was just yummy. Her cozy home looks just out of a fairy tale. Not kidding!

My first thanksgiving turkey. I am hungry all over again. I had read about it , heard about it and this year I got to taste it. :-)

I remember the taste of each of the items, not the names.

Thanks Tammy , for inviting Samita, Sara and me over. Joining us in the picture are Malbec, donning a tie and Maybe. 

Other than that I watched three movies, including a Hindi film. So James Bond, Pi and Sharukh Khan (The Bollywood hero) proved to be a great time to enjoy the thanksgiving holidays. There was an assignment due but it’s always easy to manage a group project when we have a great team so it did not dampen the holiday spirits.

So everybody's seen the poster of Skyfall and Life of Pi, so I figured this would be different. :-) 

Holidays are around the corner and Fayetteville is lit up. I mean literally. The downtown Fayetteville square is all festive and merry. Everyday after sundown,Families and friends  gather around for pony and camel rides. Everywhere you see smiling faces, all enjoying their time with their cherished ones. I had a great time walking around with friends and enjoying the lighting and the creativity of the workers.

No prizes for guessing the location.

Samita and Sara were calling the Hogs from the Fayetteville sqaure. WPS!

The decorations have transformed downtown into a fairyland. 

A merry go round, made up with lights.

We spent over an hour just walking up and down and enjoying the holiday spirit till it got too chilly.

The next two weeks are going be very very busy  with exams, projects, assignments. Best of luck to the Walton MBA class of 2013. J

Halloween

My first Halloween was a blast. Actually we had double the blast as we had two parties. The first one was at Trish and Matt's residence,on the D-day and a bunch of us enjoyed interacting with the kids who were out trick or treating. The evening ended with us going down to Dickson.

No prizes for guessing what I am dressed up as.... Trish was really scared. Really!

Dickson on Halloween night was fun!

Enjoying "trick and treating'' on Halloween. Can you see how only international students are dressed. Seems like we were the most excited. Hey this was the first time for a lot of us.

Then on Friday we had and a class party at Emmanuelle and Caroline's house. It was a lot of fun to hang out and just act crazy with our friends.

Well we had a Olympic gold ( or was it bronze) medalist, a Brazilian wrestler, The devil, Peter Pan, Batman, a Mummy Priest ( I dunno what that was), Hugh Hefner, A guy from some movie and a athlete to name a few at the class party.

Devavratha was a cheer leader and Emmauelle was Batman. Oops my bad! Just reverse the characters. Emmanuelle was a awesome host unfortunately her cheerleading skills are anything but good.

Caroline with the "Scream Character" - eerrrm thats Manish!

Sadly, I have to put away my costume for next year in the top shelf and wait for Halloween 2013.

It will be a shame, if I tried to describe the fun we had so I let the pictures tell the story.

Remember the fabulous four who won the Bowersox competition. Well they won $5000 and donated half the prize money to the university’s Full Circle Campus Food Pantry, a student-run assistance program that distributes food and personal products to members of the campus community.

Dr Mosher, Amberle, Jason, Zack and Xiaoyan, the team that made us proud. 

Just goes to show what a great bunch we have at the Walton MBA class of 2013. We are the best in whatever we do, be it  academics or partying.

 Woo Pig Sooie!

Good news everywhere

Well, the best news first. My classmates Jason Schloss, Amberle Morgan, Zack Hall and, XiaoYan Zheng, won the Bowersox Graduate Supply Chain Challenge. They were accompanied by Dr Loray Mosher. The competition hosted by Michigan State University, and held at the Henry Center at Lansing, Michigan. There was stiff amongst the top ranked supply chain management programs.  The teams competed in a simulated real time competitive supply chain scenario and displayed their skills in managing a supply chain scenario, and like I said - WE WON! WPS!

The winning team- Xiaoyan, Zack, Amberle, Jason and faculty advisor Dr Loray Mosher

My whole class participated in a etiquette dinner , as part of a professional development program. The three hour session consisted of a three course dinner and professional advice about the dos and don’t of table manners in a professional setting. The evening was fun and had its share of some pretty entertaining questions. I for one definitely picked up a few pointers for the next event. Since we have a MBA social planned on November 1, I will be applying my newly acquired knowledge.

The MBA Class of 2013 at the etiquette dinner, at Carnal Hall

 Thank God we had a three course dinner. I don't know what I would have done had it been eight course. 

 The student mentors for the incoming batch of MBA students have been decided and I am lucky to be part of the team. Each year the faculty chooses mentors, based on applications.to help the incoming students, mostly by answering to any questions that the new students might have, as well as helping during the orientation process. Can't believe it going to be one year in Arkansas soon. Our team of 7 decided to click a few pictures with the awesome fall foliage.

Huaying, Sara, Tammy , Emmanuelle, me, Nick and Zack (L-R).The student mentors for the MBA Class of 2014 . David Dai, our classmate, was our photographer.

We had a awesome time clicking the pictures and then grabbing lunch at Dickson Street.

Well Halloween is around the corner and I am having a tough time deciding what I want to be for my FIRST ever Halloween. Sara, Samita, Devaratha and myself attended a "Spooky Night" event at the student union. We had a wild time, playing games, painting pumpkins and just acting weird at the photo booth.

Samita wearing really small glasses, Sara in a professional hat with, errr Cleopatra or was it Nefertiti?

The four of us met with Avatar (Micy, a undergrad student) at the photo booth.

Well, I have picked my Halloween costume and I am not going dressed as above. No use dressing up as myself, might as well dress up as something different. :-)

Fall Break

Fall break just ended. I can’t believe that I have already crossed the halfway mark. I had made a promise to blog at least once a week, but sometimes the assignments just don’t make it possible. Take the last two weeks for example.  I am ready to start class tomorrow after a 5 day break. But, it dosn’t seem like there had been a break. I had to submit a take home test, prepare for a presentation, and complete a assignment( a rather lengthy one), before class resumed. Not that I am complaining. J

My roommate, Devavrata took this opportunity to visit Chicago with a bunch of friends. He had an awesome time at the “Windy City”. He says it was a comfortable 10 hour car drive from Fayetteville. I had to stay back to work on my test. Devavrata has taken the finance track, and so he did not have to worry about the test, nor did he have to bear the agony of missing out on Chicago. I consoled myself thinking that I had been to Chicago in February, to visit the head offices of United and Saatchi and Saatchi X. The trip had been sponsored by the university, and four students of our class had been selected for the trip after submitting a letter of interest.  I was lucky to have been part of the team.

Devavrata - At Chicago! Now that's a royal way to spend the fall break. 

Spring Semester - Company visit in Chicago. 

Well, coming back to the present. The fall weather has been unpredictable. One day it’s rainy and cold, and the next you can’t live without the air-conditioning. A few of us friends went down to the Fayetteville Lake to catch a glimpse of trees in various shades of green, red, yellow and brown. It was a fun evening. Sometime last week, Sara and I drove up to Mount Sequoyah one day after class. I didn’t even know that this place existed, and I got a chance to witness the most scenic sunset in Fayetteville.

Lake Fayetteville. The picture is not doing justice to the sights we saw. 

It was a long walk. Only Thibault looks happy. Sara, Samita and XiaoYan look tired.

Sunset at Mount Sequoyah

Sunset at Sequoyah. See how tired I look. That's how hard I have been working. :-)  

Today I got an opportunity to meet Steve Glendinning, HR Director Mr Price. Steve has come down to Arkansas to participate in the board meeting for The Center of Retailing Excellence.  It brought back fond memories of my internship.

Another 2 months, and we will be a semester away from graduation. Gosh! Time really flies when you are at the Walton College of Business. J