Tag Archives: schedule

A day in the life

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It’s time for the classic “Day in the Life” blog post. I’ve had enough long days in the past week to shed some light on the MBA’s claim that we are “so busy” all the time.

6:00 AM Taco Tuesday Run! About half-a-dozen of my classmates plus 20 other strangers gather at Luke’s Locker to kick off our morning. There’s a 4 or 7 mile loop but several of us opt for a variation on the loop in order to get to our 8am classes on time. My variation consists of running directly home instead of returning to the store. Besides, the last time my friend and I ran the 7-mile loop we were beaten by a dog. No joke. The only problem with the run-home-option is that I miss the free tacos at the end. Breakfast tacos – they are exactly what they sound like – are a local Austin treat.

8:00 AM Strategic Management Class. As mentioned in my last post, I only have one class this semester with my cohort and this is it. We have a pretty lengthy conversation about the pharmaceutical industry and I’m surprised at how many people actually seemed to have made it through assigned hour-long podcast.

10:00 AM LIVESTRONG Internship. I’m working on an initiative in the HR department that involves meeting practically every manager in the organization. I meet with two more today and it’s really inspiring to work with such a variety of people that are extremely dedicated to their job despite a rough period.

Girls Cheering

Girls on the Run 5K December 2012!

3:30 PM Girls on the Run Practice. I coach a team of 3rd-5thgraders twice a week at a nearby elementary school. The after-school program teaches girls about self-esteem and confidence by creatively using running and a structured curriculum. Some days the girls can be super enthusiastic and others they need to be encouraged a lot. Today they were excited as we were kicking off the Spring season and it was really fun to see some returning girls from last season.

5:00 PM Club Meetings. Every other week the Net Impact Leadership Team and the Graduate Business Council (GBC) meet to discuss current initiatives and future projects. Today we discussed a Spring Kick-Off event for Net Impact and a plethora of GBC upcoming events. My fellow classmates that read my blog – get excited cause there are some awesome things in store. Cohort Olympics Part II? (P.S. I’m the one in the blue shirt that goes down TWICE in the first few seconds!)

8:15 PM Finally home. I take a few minutes to catch-up with my roommates as we have not seen each other all day. I then retire to my room and tend to a few emails before going to bed by 10pm.

Whew, what a day. Things to note:

1) I only went to one class for the day yet I was out of the house/busy for a full 12 hours.

2) I didn’t mention any study or reading time. With days this busy I’ve built a new strategy of reading and doing a ton of homework ahead of time and in any spare moment I have which unfortunately happens to be over the weekend. With good notes the strategy works pretty well as I can spend a few minutes reviewing them on the bus or before class.

3) Many of my classmates had similar days. At least half of the folks at my last meeting had been on campus since 8 or 9am.

So that’s my day-in-the-life. Yes it’s crazy, yes it’s tiring but I wouldn’t trade-in any of the activities!

A Careful Balance

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This post is courtesy of Kyla King, a member of the Texas MBA at Dallas/Fort Worth class of 2013.

Probably the #1 question I receive from prospective students these days is: How do you balance “full-time” life with full-time business school? Add in a full-time job and that’s a recipe for some serious sensory overload!

This question has slowly become one of my favorites to answer as the solution is deceptively simple: Figure out what matters, and make time for it.

Easy, right?

Texas MBA at Dallas/Fort Worth students

UT ladies at a post class birthday celebration in Dallas

When I applied to the DFW program, I was certainly concerned about my ability to (effectively!) balance my job, my family, and my community activities with a full time school schedule, while at the same time maintaining any semblance of a social life. And as I sat through classes the first week in Austin, I wasn’t sure that balance was really going to happen at all. What became apparent pretty quickly was that “time,” as I had known it pre-MBA, was gone. Time became instead this very precious gift that I was given a limited amount of every day, but that I had the power to organize and manage to accommodate the things that really mattered. I began to look at my schedule, identify my key priorities and then fit them into these precious “time slots.” It became a puzzle of sorts, and it was my job to put it together as creatively and as purposefully as possible. Continue reading →

It’s a beautiful (read as busy) life…………

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I was so not planning to do this – writing at 1:00 a.m. I had an accounting exam in the morning. Statistics exam in evening. I just got done with these a few hours back. I then attended my cohort get together. (It was great. Thanks for organizing, Coach Smith!). I had very interesting conversations with my classmates and truly enjoyed myself. I came home intending to sleep. Yet here I am writing again. I am tired. Very very tired. But weirdly enough, I am enjoying even this.

So I have survived the first month of a rigorous (and it’s just the beginning) curriculum of my MBA, my first midterm exams, my first bomb scare (in the middle of my first accounting exam – no kidding), my first month of a long distance with my husband – and – wait a second. I can’t stop myself from drawing some parallels here. Aren’t these supposed to be memories such as my first anniversary, my best holiday destination, my best birthday gift? Life, as they say, will not be the same again. Times change, so do priorities when bomb scares and midterms take over!

(And I dozed off……………………)

Thursday –

  • Classes – 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
  • MBA+ orientation session – 2:30 to 4:00 p.m.
  • Career Connections Reception – 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
  • Happy hour 9:00 p.m. onwards (There is no full stop)

And this is just one day of the seven days of the week. I wish our days had more than 24 hours. I have lots of things on my plate. But stuff that I am going to surely finish, with the Continue reading →

Take Control of Your Calendar

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Perhaps you’ve met Sofie. If you aren’t as lucky as me to have her in your study group, maybe you remember a run-in with her over breakfast tacos or a random chat with her at a football tailgate. But if you think either of these describe your interactions with Sofie Leon, I have potentially disappointing news: she may seem spontaneous, but her day is planned out like an army ranger’s and her marching orders come from a sergeant more horrifying than any you’ve seen in Band of Brothers. This demanding monster I speak of is her Outlook Calendar. Take a look (click the photo to see this masterpiece in its full size):

Sofie's Outlook Calendar

Sofie believes strongly in the familiar “if it ain’t on my calendar, it ain’t happening” mantra. Between classes, lessons in Portuguese, and lots of meetings that include the intimidating “Fellows” label, Sofie runs an all-star schedule that could make you feel like your lack of sleep is just you being whiny. But while her schedule is unique, her situation is one we can all relate to. We were warned that days as a McCombs MBA candidate are busy and long, but the warning is becoming a reality as organizational commitments ramp up and exams seem to ALWAYS be looming. Yes, we still make time for fun… and no, we don’t all have to schedule it into our calendars. Although with so much to do around here, scheduling it in sounds like a pretty good idea.

So how do you work with all of us “Sofies” on group projects or, if you are a “Sofie” yourself, how do you manage your own busy schedule? First, dominate your calendar. Outlook… Google… iCal… whatever. Color-coding… recurring reminders… task lists… whatever. Just get it under control! Second, remember the MBA contact hierarchy, “T.E.P. – Text. E-mail. Phone call.” IN THAT ORDER and heavy on the “T” and “E.” Phone calls are inconvenient and awful. You know what, let’s just dump the “P.” If you can’t type and need something quickly, use HeyTell. It’s amazing. If you need some quality conversation with the family or long-distance BF/GF/BFF/Wife/Husband, use Skype or Google Video. A 30-minute video chat is much more rewarding (and efficient) than a phone call that might last twice as long. Just remember to look into the camera (not at the screen) when you are speaking. And on that note, don’t use our new rules as an excuse to keep your eyes on your iPhone all day. It’s good to look up as you walk through the GSB from time-to-time because (believe it or not) good ol’ fashioned face-to-face conversations are still pretty awesome.

So there you have it: “T.E.H.V. – Text. E-mail. HeyTell. Video.” It might be time for a trademark. Is anyone from the law school reading this? Maybe Sofie knows somebody over there. If only I could get some time on her calendar…

\m/

To Smart or Not To Smart

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I survived the first year of business school without a smart phone, so caveat emptor – I am not going to flip positions here. While I agree that smart phones are an incredible investment in improving efficiencies in time management, access to information etc, these things are expensive and often times distracting. I never owned a smart phone before and would have owned one eventually. But when I joined the MBA program in 2010 – a time when most people were switching to smart phones – I wasn’t sure whether I would need one just because I was in business school.

One of the more popular smart phones on campus

Reasons Why I Would Need a Smart Phone

  1. The professor makes a reference to a news headline that I may have missed or an unfamiliar term that I think most of my classmates know already
  2. I forgot my class schedule or the location of my classroom
  3. I am supposed to meet my study group and we may have a last minute change in plans
  4. Who is attending this Thursday’s Think and Drink?
  5. I am looking for that Tex-Mex restaurant in downtown and I just cannot remember where it is
  6. Shares prices just went up for that company in my fund portfolio – it is time to rebalance
  7. Someone just uploaded pictures of their vacation in Thailand on FaceBook
  8. I need to tweet about something – my friends need to know what I think
  9. Groupon! I really want that discount coupon for sky diving!!
  10. I am bored waiting for the shuttle bus; I could do something with that time

The list could go on……

I have probably created a compelling need for a smart phone. But for most parts, the bullets above could describe the position of anyone, not just a business student. If you want to be connected always, you will find a billion more reasons to get yourself a smart phone. I have been tempted too!

But I Still Managed Without One

Firstly, professors at McCombs (and I suppose this applies to most educational institutions) do not allow us to use laptops/phones/tablet devices during class. When I hear something unfamiliar, I make a note of it and turn my attention back to the lecture. Given my propensity for checking email and FaceBook, I would never be able to stay focused if I was e-connected.

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A Sample Day

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It’s been nearly two weeks, and I am happy to report that I’m finding routine.  It’s a really busy routine that changes every day, but I’ll take it!

Curious what a first year MBA schedule looks like? Well wonder no more, lucky readers, because I will now share my Wednesday with you.

5:00am – some 101x rock wakes me up
5:15am – after pressing “snooze” 2 times, I get out of bed, pack lunch, pack backpack, pack gym bag, and head out the door
6:00am – arrive at the gym, where I try to read my finance book while balancing on the elliptical machine
7:30am – showered & finally awake, I head to school…

8:00am – arrive at McCombs, find my friends in the Carpenter Center, check emails, eat breakfast, start studying
9:00am – meet with my study group, plan out our group projects for the semester, start analyzing a financial case on Airbus
12:00pm – eat lunch in the Carpenter Center while reviewing the MBA Announce email, fill in Outlook calender with upcoming events

12:30pm – Managerial Economics with Dean Gilligan (today: class discussion on China case study)
2:00pm – head to the new Student Services Building for Starbucks, hang out with my Cohort friends
4:00pm – Financial Management with Dr Sialm (today: intro to capital budgeting)
5:45pm – Class is done! Head home, unwind with my dogs and eat dinner with my boyfriend. Realize I’m talking in “b-school speak” and getting excited talking about China’s reforms in the 80′s & 90′s. Feel dorky and happy at the same time.

8:00pm – Back to it! Revise my resume, start on economics paper, start finance homework, review statistics for tomorrow… and blog!
11:00pm – Perhaps sleep would be a good idea… I’m calling it a day!

When I say each day is different, here is the plan for tomorrow: I have accounting and statistics classes in the morning, and then I meet with my career adviser, attend the student organization fair, attend an MBA+ writing workshop, attend a “meet your mentor” event, and attend the Thursday night “Think & Drink.”

Sounds fun, right? It is, trust me! It’s a lot of work, but I find myself excited about every day at McCombs. That is a very very very good thing.