Monthly Archives: December 2009

Stress Relief – Volleyball!

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By Betty Lin, MBA Class of 2011

Ever since orientation started, I thought the only exercise I have time for during the MBA program is racing other classmates from the parking lot to the business building every day. However, thanks to Joshua Barr, a bunch of us MBAs are able to toss away the books for just a little while every week to play some volleyball! The women and men formed two teams to compete in the intramurals, each playing against another team in their own leagues once a week. We also had several practices to teach new players how to play and get the muscles working again for the more experienced players. Who knew the same students sitting next to me in class and helping me out with homework would happily spike a ball at my face with no mercy? Continue reading →

Smeal’s 5 Year Old MBA’s!

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Akshay 12-16-09

By Akshay Madane, MBA Class of 2011

“*” means speculative – as you can tell, we were off the mark on many of our deductions!

“Dude…are you near a computer? Jeez…can you get to one pretty quick? Yeah – go to Elion, click on Drop/Add courses and tell me your classroom number. No – not the section number; We haven’t figured out the logic of Continue reading →

Snowy weather is nothing to worry about!

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By Gonzalo Cayo, MBA Class of 2010

Some people who are considering applying to the Penn State Smeal full time MBA program are concerned about our weather. Lets face it, being in the upper Mid-Atlantic means cold weather and snow during the winter months. But inclement weather is no reason not to consider a school in this region. As many of my fellow second year MBA students can attest, State College has a vast array of outdoor activities available during the winter months. Nearby Tussey Mountain offers great skiing and tubing, and for Continue reading →

Final Exams and Honor Code

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By Winston Tang, MBA Class of 2011

We, the Smeal College of Business Community, aspire to the highest ethical standards and will hold each other accountable to them. We will not engage in any action that is improper or that creates the appearance of impropriety in our academic lives, and we intend to hold to this standard in our future careers.

– The Smeal College of Business, Honor Code

“What’re you doing, Winston?” My roommate asked me.

“I’m taking a final exam.” I replied.

“At home?” He looked astonished.

“Yes, at home.” I smiled to him. Continue reading →

Thanksgiving in NYC

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By Zhennan Hu, MBA Class of 2011

Someone once said: “Penn State is not in the middle of nowhere, but in the middle of everywhere!” But after arriving in State College four months ago, we were so busy that I had no time to go to the big cities around here; even though the New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Pittsburgh are all around a 3 or 4 hours drive. But Thanksgiving was coming and my classmate organized a tour to New York City during Thanksgiving break. I was really excited, so I joined them. We set out in the morning, and after 4 hours, I was in New York City! Continue reading →

MBA: Mindset or Skill set?-Smeal Business School can provide you both

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By Ying Xu, MBA Class of 2011

Long before I decided to quit my job to get an MBA, I asked myself this question: What differentiates an MBA from the other master degree holders? Why not a master in Accounting, Finance, or Supply Chain Management, instead of an MBA, with which the cost is relatively so high compared with others? Should I be seeking a business mindset or skill set? Continue reading →

MBAA Elections

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By Ana Salgado, MBA Class of 2011

Community reflects in several ways. The MBA Association is one great representation of what community is at Penn State Smeal College of Business.  Every year, first year students are given the opportunity to present their candidacies for the different officer positions of the MBAA.  But don’t be wrong, this is not an opportunity for personal gain. Instead is the opportunity to serve your classmates, 2nd years, and future 1st years promoting initiatives that will benefit Penn State Smeal greatest asset: us, the students. Continue reading →

IBM Reverse Logistics Project – Part IV

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By Mike Franzese, IBM

As we head down the final stages of our project with PSU-IIMB, I continue to be impressed by how successful this project has been. Both student teams are doing an excellent job and the draft papers are being favorably seen by my fellow IBMers. Now we are on the critical stage as we get ready to conclude the project. I hope the students from both Universities are finding this to be an enriching learning experience.  I know that we from IBM are learning a great deal on the topic from the hard work the students have put forth.

As I have said before, I like my music. So what better way to conclude my blog entry then with a video and a song. I always like “Bend It Like Beckham” and I see the students from PSU and IIM-B being like “Jess” and “Jules” as they combine together to work toward getting that “winning goal”; I bet they do score and win !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGnGv3qpKJQ

 

The Trees…

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By Gonzalo Cayo, MBA Class of 2010

As the famous Canadian rock band RUSH once wrote, “there is unrest in the forest, there is trouble with the trees.” Fortunately for me, the unrest involves a saw and a pushcart. I am cutting down a Christmas tree from one of the tree farms here in Happy Valley. This has become a holiday tradition my spouse and I, and we love it! Continue reading →

A Few Tools to Help your Job Search!

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Oscar Lang, Graduate Assistant, MBA Career Services, MBA Class of 2010

The semester is almost ending and finals will be here next week. With this, 2nd years will be a semester away from graduation and 1st years will be accustomed to the MBA life by now. One thing both classes share is the desire to rejoin the workforce either full-time or for the summer (internship). The economy is still challenging but Smeal is making an effort to help students in their career search. Our program continues to offer career coaching and counseling as well as access to a vast network of Smeal Alumni active in many industries across different functions. Some of the tools that are available to students and can prove helpful during the career search are: Continue reading →