Today was an awesome, albeit tiring day. I started the day with brunch with Anya Grossman. We wandered around the frozen streets of the Gramercy district until we found some pseudo buffet bakery chocolate place. I had a "gourmet grilled cheese" which, no joke, cost me like $9 along with my non fat latte. Who needs money? Ha. We caught up on life and then I was off.
I realized last night that I hadn't actually read the case that we would be analyzing in the sample case study, so, coming home from my night at the Russian Vodka Room at 2am, I read it. I'm not sure how much of it stayed with me, but regardless, I hadn't printed it up before leaving for my trip. I got to the hotel a little early and started looking for a printer. In the hotel's "Business Center", I ran into a man and asked him if he knew if the printer was free, because I hadn't printed the case. Turns out, the guy I was asking was the professor TEACHING the class. He told me that Nani, one of the admissions directors, might have copies. Well, she didn't, and she even sorta scolded me, saying "You guys were supposed to receive and prepare the case in advance". Kate, minus two. Everyone else, plus a thousand.
We sat randomly around a room and made small talk with the people at our table. They then did an introductory presentation about IESE, and then launched into the case. The professor was GREAT, funny Jew from London who kept the conversation dynamic. I even found ways to participate even though the whole concept was very new and foreign to me. I think I picked up quickly and really did enjoy that type of learning.
After the sample class was the Alumni Panel. They brought in 6 students from the classes of 2004-2009, and had them talk to us. They are obviously the successful ones that loved their time at IESE, since they're the ones that took the time out of their Saturday to come talk. And I tried to keep that in mind when they told us their wildly colorful stories of success and happiness but I have to admit, I was sold. This one girl especially, Noelle, was from San Diego, and had an amazing story to tell, including picking up a French husband. Like ...heyyy I've been there! Just didn't get all the way to the altar...
All the alumni and even most of the candidates were just so cool, really smart, charismatic, successful people and more than a few of them were really easy to talk to. There were of course, the stiff, typical MBA types, and I'm hoping that IESE filters those "generic cookie cutters" out, judging from the alumni, but you never know.
All in all, today was really cool. IESE's done a fantastic job of selling itself to me, I just wish they'd do this for admitted applicants, not those of us still jumping through these anxiety-ridden hoops.
I then went out to dinner with Boria and Polina and their significant others at a really yummy Italian restaurant.
All in a all, an awesome day! Now just have to survive tomorrow....
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