Books, Brewery and a Blizzard…

And the holidays are upon us! The curtain is dropping on the semester and I am looking forward to the luxury of sleeping in a bit late. The last four months have been quite something and as I look back, I mostly have fond memories, albeit with a garnish of embarrassments and frustrations. Let me exercise my liberty and bore you with the academic challenges. For the pleasure of the first years, the semester had been thoughtfully designed to be extremely challenging and intense. There were two terms and a total of seven palatable courses for us to experience the full spectrum of MBA flavors. But fret not, it was not all books and research. The courses were spiced up and sprinkled with movies, simulations, in-class competitions and 3D presentations. Like a Masterchef, the faculty was able to whip up a completely different experience in each course. All of us have opinions and what makes Carlson different is that your opinion gets a patient audience and if it is sound, gets implemented almost immediately. As a result, the constantly evolving coursework makes the academic experience of each year is very unique.

The gang at Target Field

Fridays are awesome and it’s not entirely due to the impending weekend. Fridays are usually reserved for site visits at various Fortune 500 firms in the Twin Cities. And the visits are a lot more interesting than cubicles, PowerPoints and meeting rooms. The two most memorable ones includes a guided tour of a baseball stadium, a wine and cheese party and a brewery visit followed by a very serious tasting session. Not only do we get to have fun, but we experience and get to know these big firms and their executives in a much less intimidating setting. 

And the snow begins...

But something is rotten in the state of Minnesota! Winter is flexing its muscles, which makes us prior tropical inhabitants very nervous. The signs were there in September and October with the leaves changing colors, but on a fine November Sunday (thankfully) there was a weather advisory regarding an impending snowstorm. It began late-night and on Monday morning the view out of my window was surreal. The famed Minnesota winter was something I was very excited about, but now that it is upon us, I kind of wish summer comes sooner. Every outing, even the most mundane ones, involve wearing multiple layers of protection and a frozen face. I miss my slippers already!