Fill in the Blanks

Aaahhh...it's the weekend.  A time for relaxing, sleeping in, eating elaborate breakfasts, and doing a whole lot of nothing.  Unless, of course, you're applying to business school in Round 1.  If you're an applicant then a September weekend means essay writing.  Last year at this time I was trying to get my Kellogg career goals essay down to 600 words from an original draft of 1400.  Calling that process arduous would be an understatement.  From my observation of friends' applications and MBA forums it appears that this year's crop of R1 applicants to Chicago Booth are going through an ordeal of their own: the infamous Power Point.

Leadership Training

How does an elite business school mold tomorrow's captains of industry? By dressing them in matching t-shirts, loading them onto a dozen buses, and shipping them 2 hours north to Lake Geneva, WI for two and a half days of outdoor activities, team building exercises, and cohort competitions. Thanks to Chicago Booth I pretty much relived my days at Camp Is-Sho-Da Girl Scout camp, albeit in a co-ed setting with better accommodations and four drink tickets.  This excursion known as Leadership Orientation Retreat (or LOR as Boothies call it) is the kickoff to Booth's only required course, LEAD (Leadership Effectiveness and Development), the six-week class designed to help students develop our leadership style by giving us a deep and accurate view of our strengths and development needs.

Take Two

I started today by making omelets.  3 egg whites, 2 full eggs, turkey sausage, sauteed spinach with diced onions, and a sprinkling of feta cheese.  A hearty yet nutritious breakfast intended to take me from late morning through mid afternoon.  I took care in choosing what to wear for the day, something chic yet casual (lest I look to be trying too hard).  I forewent makeup but styled my hair. At my roommate's request I emerged from my room, dressed and ready to go, in less than 10 minutes.  We walked the three short blocks to the train at a quick pace, hurrying not to miss the soon arriving train.  We hit the platform as the outbound cars pulled into the station.  Stepping onto the train I looked to my right, searching for a seat. Instead, I saw a familiar face.  Walking over to greet my friend I saw another person I know, then another and another.  It suddenly dawned on me that in that train car I was surrounded by classmates.  As one guy offered me his seat he said, "Aww look! You brought a lunch box."  I smiled and replied, "Well it is the first day of school."