Now that we are 2 weeks into the semester I think it would be useful to list some of the job hunting opportunities coming up. This is by no means a comprehensive list but I’ve listed some biggest events this year:
- Freeman days New York will be held September 16 and 17. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in finance.
- Freeman days Houston will be held September 30 and October 1. Anyone interested in energy should attend.
- The national black MBA conference will be held September 21 -25 in Los Angeles, CA. More information can be found here: http://www.nbmbaa.org/home.aspx?PageID=637&
- The national Hispanic MBA will be held October 21 – 23 in Chicago, IL. More information can be found here: http://www.nshmba.org/
It is a big investment in terms of time (being away several days in the middle of the semester can be though as coursework accumulates) and money (airfare, hotels, meals, etc.) but with good planning due dates can be arranged so that going to these conferences will not affect your classes. Career fairs can be intimidating at first (I had never seen so many suits in one place before) but offer a great opportunity to scout out tons of companies and talk with recruiters.
Some advice for anyone thinking of attending: look up the companies you are interested in and try to find out who is going to be at the conference (the CMC can help with this). Then contact them before the conference and let them know you would like to meet. If everything goes well you will probably get an interview spot during the conference.
Good luck out there.
It’s a Freeman School tradition. After the first week of school, we all come together and bowl. Rock ‘n’ Bowl is one of the those only-in-New Orleans places - a bowling alley that always has live bands. It’s almost best described as a live music venue with bowling lanes. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.
Now that we’ve all had a week to get used to being back on campus, back in the classroom and back around each other - it’s time to get back to work. Most of us have assignments due this week, and our fall calendars are filling up with not only school projects but the many social events that the city has to offer.
Next month, when the Saints play their first home game of the season, we’ll all be treated to a rare fall parade. The NFL is putting on a Mardi Gras-style parade that will wind through downtown before the Saints play the Vikings Sept. 9th. We just have to make sure we get our homework done, before we get serious about Who Dat Super Season Take II.
After spending all summer in the affectionately named “Boulder Bubble”, the time came last week to start packing up to head back to school. Admittedly, I was less than excited to get back to the 90+ degree weather, the never ending “work” day, and Ramen noodles (yes, I still eat Ramen noodles). My journey back to New Orleans started rough. Two days before leaving Boulder, someone set a couch on fire that happened to be abandoned on the curb next to my car (Let this be a lesson people: Don’t park next to abandoned furniture, particularly in a college town). Exhibit A:
After five trying days on the phone (or not on the phone rather) with Progressive, I finally collected my belongings, packed them into a rental car and headed south. Even though I wasn’t able to spend a day or two unwinding and refocusing from the summer, I was surprised how eager I was on Monday morning to get back to classes and my long lost (OK, three months isn’t that long) classmates.
As our time here progresses, we have much more flexibility in our schedules, which to me means that I’ll never see several of my group mates, who are narrowing in on their finance classes while I take all the Marketing classes possible. I guess we’ll just have to make an extra effort outside of the classroom! I’m also excited to report that my new schedule means that I’ll never have class before Noon. Can’t complain about that!
Tomorrow night is the Rock N Bowl Welcome (Back) party for all the business school students. I’m sure there will be pictures to follow.
-Sarah
sgaddis@tulane.edu
After a summer of internships, everyone is beginning the late summer ritual of taking a few days off and then making it back to campus. This week I’m in New York and Philadelphia visiting a few friends before school starts up again August 16th. Friday night, I got the chance to meet up with some classmates who spent their summers doing internships up here in the city. It was great to see everyone after a few months apart.
Wednesday, I’ll leave New York for Philadelphia to meet up with another Freeman classmate. I’ve never been to Philly, but have always wanted to see the Liberty Bell and the historic sights. My classmate Paul, who is from Pennsylvania, will be in town visiting family so he’s promised to take me to his favorite cheese steak joint.
Back in New Orleans, a number of our classmates had the chance to check out the annual White Linen Night in the Warehouse District this past weekend. Every year, art galleries in the area open their doors, and the roads are shut down. Obviously the dress code is white linen, which is a New Orleans summer staple. (I’m working on posting a few pictures.)
I know the first-years are going through pictures of their orientation this week - so I’ll try to get a few pictures from their events.
As always - email if you have any questions.
Louis David
Going to the post office is never fun. Even if you have a package waiting for you, the 20-person line can scare off anyone who doesn’t have an entire afternoon to kill. That’s why I went to campus the other day for the first time in about a month. It’s beyond convenient to be near / on a college campus - almost everything you need is there waiting for you, including a line-free post office. But when I went to campus Friday to mail a package, it was so odd to see very few people out and about. No undergrads playing frisbee, no dodging bicycles on sidewalks, no delivery trucks.
Our building (Goldring / Woldenberg Hall II) is next door to the post office, and across a main campus walkway from the student center (Lavin-Bernick Center). Walking through the barren halls of GWII, I realized how ready I am for school to start up again in August. This week, I’ve talked to a number of classmates who feel the same way - and we all admit it’s a little strange. When you spend so much time with one group of people in one place, it can get a little old. But being away from both for nearly the past two months has been an adjustment.
Most of us (including myself) are doing internships this summer, so our time is being well-spent. About a third to a half of us are in New Orleans, the rest are spread across the country - New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago. We’re all learning not only how to use our newly-learned skills, but we’re also remembering what it’s like to be back in the workplace. School will be much appreciated when it returns in just a few weeks.
Until then, we need to enjoy the most out of this summer. This past Independence Day weekend, I got to spend a great few days with some friends at False River, which is near New Roads, La., about an hour and a half away. Enjoy the view.
Louis David
I’ve been quite the delinquent blogger since I began my summer internship. After much prodding and guilt-tripping from fellow blogger, Louis, I decided it was time to send an update.
This summer I am working on the Research + Strategy team at a small(ish) design and advertising agency in Boulder, Colorado. Back in May, I was excited to start this internship as that moving into advertising was a total career shift for me. Having spent better part of my post-collegiate years in environmental nonprofits, I couldn’t imagine a bigger change! And of course, moving to (yet another) city is always change that I have welcomed in the past.
In short, I couldn’t be happier with my decision. While some people might say “unpaid internship”, I prefer to think of it as “free summer learning experience!” A month and a half into the internship, I’ve already been very involved in several projects. Currently, I’m working on a new name and logo for a product ready to hit the market - no pressure! The hours are long (10+ hour days are normal), but relative to the hours that we put in at the Freeman School, it doesn’t feel all that strenuous. And it is nice to be able to “walk away” from work at the end of the day as opposed to always feeling like there is more I could be reading, writing, and studying.
I’m also loving Boulder itself. It is nice to escape that New Orleans heat that Louis referred to for the summer! Returning in August is certainly going to be a rude awakening. Here’s the view from my office…awful isn’t it?
As always, if you have any questions, please email!
Sarah
-sgaddis@tulane.edu
