In the beginning, I thought that the last semester would be easier and I would have time to look for a job. I thought that the amount of labor required would be a downward sloping curve over the course of the MBA. That is not the case!
During the last semester I am invovled in the Darwin Fenner student managed mutual fund, the Tulane Business Plan Competition, a job search, assistantship to a professor, 14 hours of coursework, and I am going to CHINA for two weeks. Right in the middle of the semester, we drop everything (mainly due the fact that we’ll be on the other side of the world).
CHINA for TWO WEEKS. I leave on Wednesday morning at 6:30am for 16 days in China. Though well-traveled otherwise, I have never been to Asia. Throughout the last semester we have been taking the Global Leadership IV component to our 4-part Global Leadership Series. This includes several cases and political/social history. Finally we study the economic environment in great detail.
One thing the administration did right was to get adjuncts to teach these courses. The professors are specialists in their areas. James Biteman, for example, has years of experience doing business in China, speaks one of the hundreds of dialects, and has a business life on both continents.
So – My plan for china is one carry-on duffel bag, a serious assortment of music on my ipod, two really-long books, and a journal. I am going to Beijing, Xian, Guilin, and Hong Kong.
Depending on the access to wireless, I will liveblog as much as possible.
Will Donaldson; will.donaldson@gmail.com