UC Davis MBA Ambassadors

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T14:24:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! In 2012, the Ambassadors are going to amp up the social media. Our goal? To make it easier for you to ask questions, get information and visit the GSM.

With the New Year comes... 6 new Ambassadors! Meet us here. We can't wait to answer your questions and introduce you to the GSM.

If you're interested in attending the GSM, don't forget to check out the official website. It's a valuable tool to help get acquainted with our community. You can find out information on Preview Days, sign up for a class visit, or just ask a question.

And remember- check our blog for new updates from current MBA students, and don't forget to follow the Ambassadors on Twitter. We'll provide valuable information and advice for those of you interested in attending the GSM.

Cheers to 2012!

The International Perspective on the GSM

2011-10-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Today I’m interviewing Ming Ee Ong.

Alex: Good Afternoon Ming, how are you doing? Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Ming: I am from Malaysia as you already know. I was previously in the manufacturing line that did custom-designed and custom-made cleaning systems and I’m currently a first year student at UC Davis.

Alex: Great, why did you choose UC Davis among all the worldwide business schools? What attracted you to the UC Davis MBA program?

Ming: Ok, I knew I wanted to come to America because I felt that this place would be the best place for a MBA degree. I narrowed the whole world down to America. Like everyone does, we look at the rankings in the Economist and everywhere online and looked at the first ten schools and started applying for them. But, ummm instead of choosing the first ten I decided that maybe I should choose the top 50 schools. So UC Davis was one of them and after looking into the whole country I said OK, California seems to be the least cold place on earth. I said hey, let’s go to California and also because it was near Silicon Valley. I had some experience targeting Silicon Valley companies so I decided to apply for schools within California, but when I looked into it, schools like Stanford and Berkeley had really big classes like 600 for Berkeley and Stanford had 200-300, I can’t remember anymore, but Davis was one of the only students that had less than 100 students in it and I thought to myself - if I was going to pay this much in tuition I should get more out it. So that was one of the main reasons why I chose Davis.

Alex: Ming, you’re an international student; did you have any expectations of America what were they when you got here?

Ming: Ok, I don’t know if it’s because I watch too many America movies but I expected everyone to have guns. I’m just kidding. (laughter) I expected people to be less friendly than they are. People in Davis are really friendly, you go anywhere and people ask you how you are and how your day is and where you’re going and I thought because California has big cities, people would be really unfriendly, more into themselves than they are. The friendliness of people in Davis really struck me as different and unexpected. I didn’t expect too much because I was kind of worried if I expected too much I would let myself down but I didn’t expect this school to be this pretty and high tech because before I came here I couldn’t find that many photos of this place (GSM building) because it was new, it is still very new I didn’t expect the school to be this brand spanking new.

Alex: If you were to describe this building to an international student how would you describe the UC Davis GSM building and the area around the school?

Ming: The building itself will be way beyond your imagination. It’s full of glass and full of natural sunlight and I think it is just great. So what you think the school is going to look like; just be prepared for it to be much more than what you thought it was going to be. About Davis, umm I know when you go online and look at reviews about Davis, it is going to say it’s agricultural, a spin off of Sacramento, but it’s not, it’s actually a pretty little place. Everything you need is within arm’s reach and everyone cycles, as it says online and it’s really cool that everyone does cycle. So it’s actually a really nice place to stay.

Alex: Ming, your English is excellent can you tell me how your English got so good and what advice you’d give other international students that want to come to the U.S. to study? Did you have a hard adjusting to English when you got to the U.S.?

Ming: I grew up speaking Chinese at home. So basically English was self-taught. All through school we only had one English subject, if you just relied on that one subject you would probably not be able to get by outside of Malaysia. So if you think your English is not good, start speaking it as much as you can to as many people as you can right now. It would be a very good way to bump up your English. Read a lot like newspapers and that is what I did when I was younger. I read a lot of story books and from that graduated along to magazines and then to gossip magazines. (I laugh) it’s still okay because you’re still reading English stuff which will make you speak better. Yeah I think that is basically it. When you come over here to America you don’t get a chance to speak any language apart from English. That was a little bit of a culture shock for me because back in Malaysia I could speak Malay or English or Chinese to anybody or a mixture of all three languages to fellow Malaysians who understood what I was saying. Over here I have to watch my works because I couldn’t mix languages. The first few weeks when I was here, I had to run sentences and conversations through my head before I would say out loud in case I sounded too much like an international student. But it gets better in the first month or so and everything becomes more natural, especially if you practice more.

Alex: What do you want to do after you graduate? Do you want to stay in the U.S., go back to Malaysia? What kinds of options do international students have?

Ming: If you’re here in America and here in Davis, when you start orientation they will put you into this big project called Career Development and Career Development is going to push you to get an internship here in America. So I’m more geared towards working in America right now. Everyone is looking for a job around Silicon Valley, in California and in America. Most of my classmates have not thought about leaving California. They are pretty much based here. International students are looking at this experience as their way into America. As for myself, I would be open to live anywhere. Working in America is good I think, it’s a whole different culture compared to Asia. Working here would give me lots of good experiences, but I would prefer to go back to Asia sometime in the next 5-10 years cause I think Asia is up and coming and I would like to be a part of that uprising. And according to the career development people at this school, they just started a website that has a database for jobs all around the globe. So I think it we’re going more international and I think we’re being pushed to think outside our boundaries.

Alex: I know as a first year student you have four core classes. Which classes do you enjoy? Which classes do you find challenging?

Ming: I have four classes, one is accounting, one is stats, one is economics and the last one is critical thinking and speech. So accounting is challenging because the professor goes really fast but we can’t blame her because we have lots of things to cover in a little quarter. Professor Yetman starts off with the basics and graduates onto difficult things. I enjoy accounting even though I have never taken it before. It was kind of challenging the first weeks. But I think that I’m pretty much getting it right now. Economics is fun because I feel that it relates to a lot of things in my life. Every little thing that goes on around me, like when I buy something or when someone gives me something, it relates back to economics. The way the professor talks about it, he also relates it to a lot things in our life so I think it is great and makes me understand the class really well. Stats is a challenge because I am not that good at Excel. But the second year students had a little workshop where they taught the first-years how to use Excel within the first three weeks of school which I thought was great. But I got rather good results after the midterm so I must be doing something right. Critical Thinking is currently about talking in front of class and I think that is really good for us because lots of us have never had exposure to talking to a lot of people so it really pushed us to find our presentation skills and I think all of us are getting along good in that class.

Alex: Ming thank you very much and I wish the best of luck.

Ming: Thank you!!

The First Year Experience

2011-10-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

By Brooke Dodson

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.”-Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller’s Day OffIt turns out that Ferris was pretty smart…and he was just a high school senior. As I embark on my first-year at the UC Davis GSM, I’m finding that his words have never been truer . After a very thorough orientation, just one week of classes, and about a million emails, it’s been a bit of a struggle to remember to stop every now and then, and remember all of the other “extracurricular” activities and opportunities available to us at the GSM. But I’m trying…well, at least I’m blogging about trying…so that’s a start. Orientation was an incredible two weeks, packed with information on how to get the most of out of our two years at the GSM. The resources available to us, not to mention the fantastic staff supporting our program is truly impressive. And did I mention our class?! 60 of the most talented, unique, and all-around fun people you will ever meet. I swear I could sit and talk to each one of them for an hour or two, just to learn how their background, experience, and aspirations are so different from those of anyone else. The close ties that we have already formed make me so glad that I chose to go to UC Davis, and enthuse me for even more “relationship building” from here. Today, I attended my first ASM BBQ – another chance to interact with our second-year students, as we are all still getting to know one another. In many ways, I know that my classmates and I envy the comfort level that this group displays. Only one year further along, and already, they seem to be pros – so professional in their presentations, so experienced in terms of their job searches, and so precise in their future plans. It is both inspiring and at the same time daunting. Fortunately, any advice the second year sages provide is motivated by empathy and delivered with a smile and an offer for continued assistance as we embark on our first year. Even while overwhelmed, I am keenly aware that this 2-year experience will fly by. So, in the meantime, I am going to follow Ferris’s advice, and make sure that nothing slides by me. And, on that note, a few amusing observations regarding the GSM’s first-year rockstars thus far…You might be a GSM first year if…
Your closet is divided into business casual and business professional. What else is there?
You don’t network…you build relationships.
You turned on your laptop and silenced your phone.
Yesterday at the UCD GSM, your CD counselor discussed your LPI, LDP and potential for employment with a CSR in SF…essentially, your life is an acronym.
School on Sunday? You bet!
Before heading upstairs, you turn left, right, and ask “Spotters ready?”
Your name is Kevin…or Brian…or Mike…or Dylan…or Jason…or Evan…ok, really?!
You walked into the kitchen at noon last Saturday and felt confused…where’s the buffet?
The only TV you have watched in the past 2 weeks sent you screaming from the room…it was your “Two-Minute Me.”
Well, frankly, you’re pretty darn cool!

The 2nd Year Experience

2011-10-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

By Evan Howell

It’s great to be back in the friendly, sunny hallways of Gallagher Hall. Not too sunny: the window glazes and shading structures keep direct sunlight to a minimum. It’s important to minimize excess heat through the windows on these 99-degree days to reduce the load on the cooling system. At the same time, windows and skylights are integrated such that artificial light can be kept to a minimum during the daytime. I may or may not be noticing new things after my summer internship at the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center, it’s hard to say.

What’s easy to say is that my second-year classmates in the daytime MBA program have a new edge to them. Everyone seems happy to be back, but right from the start it’s clear that year two of a two-year program is serious business. Internship experience is looming large in everyone’s mind. Those of us who came to business school to change careers now have a clear idea of where we are headed. Core classes are behind us; everything we study from here on out is a class that we have chosen with purpose. June 2012 seems like it’s just around the corner.

This is not to say that we’ve lost sight of how much fun this all is. The GSM is a comfortable, supportive place where we are free to explore ideas and make mistakes. This year, club activities, IM sports, group projects, and even going to the bar for a drink are things that we get to do with friends – not just people who enrolled in the same MBA program. The new class of first-years, too, will soon be friends. And based on the trajectory of our school, I can only assume that they will prove to be a little bit smarter and a little bit more interesting than we are.

As busy and daunting as the start of this new school year is, I am trying to enjoy this final foray into academia. Business school has me certain what it is I want to do in my career and I can’t wait to dive back in and see how much more prepared I will be after year two. After that, though, I’m done with school for good – I’ve got business to attend to.

Mayoral Fellow Experience

2011-03-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have been interning at Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Office for almost a month now and in this short time I’ve been applying what I have learned at the GSM (Graduate School of Management) to running a city. With all the wonderful networking opportunities like taking on an education literacy initiative and helping plan the State of the Schools event I can’t help feel excited when thinking about my mayoral fellowship position. I have met with the Mayor to help develop talking points for a panel discussion with Michelle Rhee and held my first stakeholder meeting for my Third Grade Reading Initiative. All of this while taking classes, and planning the Challenge for Charity’s 7^th Annual Wine Tasting Benefit. Oh, and did I mention that I just got back from Washington D.C. where I attended the Annie E. Casey Third Grade Reading Campaign Inaugural Conference with the Mayor?

D.C was absolutely amazing! I had the privilege of being flown out there in order to network and learn more about the education initiative I am working on. I arrived on a Friday and had the entire day to go sightseeing and settle in before the conference started! It was beautiful; I had never been there before and loved the free museums! Talk about the perks of being a Mayoral FellowJ.

The morning of the conference I ate breakfast next to the heads of corporate philanthropy at Target (which gives away 3 million dollars each week) and JP Morgan. Afterwards, I networked with various foundations, education programs and policy reformers. The Mayor was a keynote speaker and spoke very passionately about reforming the public education system in Sacramento. After his speech, I couldn’t turn a corner without interested parties handing me business cards. I left the conference with plenty of information and new contacts, but most importantly, a feeling of pride about Sacramento and about being a UC Davis MBA student.

An Opportunity of a Lifetime

2011-03-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

By: Sarah Kleinberg

The past week was a blur, and I’m relatively sure it’s only going to get worse. Perhaps the best part of life at the Graduate School of Management is the abundance of things to do, but with so many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, how do you say no to anything?

One of the great opportunities at the GSM is the International Study Trip course. The class is taught by Professor Wil Agatstein, a former Intel executive and current Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, who has more global business experience than anyone I can imagine. We have spent the past ten weeks planning a business trip to Chile and Argentina to learn about the culture and what it takes to do effective business in the industries we’re interested in. Travel takes place during the week of finals and spring break (the next two weeks.)

Somewhere in the midst of all of the busy fun and learning that goes into the rest of the quarter, I found out that I had been selected to go to Omaha, Nebraska to visit Warren Buffett. Before coming to grad school, I had spent some time in biotech equity analysis, so I was well aware of the impact, importance, and legend of the Sage of Omaha. I have spent years hearing stories of Mr. Buffett’s focus on fundamentals, great business sense, and of course, his legendary thriftiness. Take the chance to meet him and ask questions? Absolutely! So I’d need to fit a quick trip to Omaha into the schedule before I could make it to South America…

So, where does that leave me now? Well, at this exact moment, I am sitting in the Phoenix airport, waiting to board a plane to Omaha. With the help of my extremely supportive (although extremely demanding) professors, I have managed to get all of my final work for the quarter done a week ahead of time, including one final exam, two papers, two presentations, and a business plan. After finishing my last class at 9:30 last night, I boarded my first flight today at 6:00 this morning.

Tired? Absolutely. But I cannot imagine being in a better position to take advantage of all that the GSM has to offer and create some memories of a lifetime along the way!

Tahoe Weekend

2011-02-15T22:43:00.000-08:00

The only thing brighter than the sun might be my spirits. Somehow, in the middle of a chaotic quarter filled with too many classes and too little time our entire community has found time to travel up to Tahoe for a weekend of fun in the snow. And how the weather gods approve!

It’s 65 in Tahoe… in FEBRUARY!

The sky doesn’t look like a scatterplot – there’s not a single cloud in the sky. I’m not calculating the net present value of investing $95 into the weekend. I’m not thinking about maximizing my utility on the slopes. Actually, it’s time for everyone to turn off their smartphones, shut down their laptops, disconnect from the network and leave school far, far behind. I’m immersed in my community minus the school for a full weekend.

There’s something magical that happens when MBA students drop the MBA part of their title for longer than a few hours at a time. Our class age drops from a median of 28 to a median of 16 – the goofy little kid in everyone comes out to play in the snow.

You want to see two grown men fight over top bunk? Come to Snow Weekend. You want to argue about which cabin is the “fun” cabin? Come to Snow Weekend. You want to be woken up at 5 AM to blasting music and snickering housemates? Come to Snow Weekend.

Although the crisp Tahoe air and pristine slopes provide good reason to come up to the snow, it is the change in the temperament of my community that brings me back to this place. We laugh louder. The play harder. We even eat better – courtesy of Executive Chef “Potter” Weber of course!

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a student. I choose to go to class and be engaged. I chose to quit my job and pay tuition. But Snow Weekend reminds me of the most important reason I’m here – to build lifelong relationships with the greatest people on earth. Cheers GSM: to a great 2011!

Big Bang! Business Plan Competition

2011-02-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

Last year, UC Davis received more than $678 million in funding for research projects. That’s more than any other UC campus, (sorry UC Berkeley & UCLA). And all of this research means that GSM students interested in entrepreneurship and technology commercialization have an almost endless set of opportunities.

Big Bang! Business Plan Competition brings together GSM students, campus researchers, and regional investors to make their ideas a reality. Big Bang! is a spring board for entrepreneurial students who want to build and refine their ideas. Last year, more than 40 teams competed for cash prizes, and the winner has already receiving outside funding for his project.

Of course, success involves more than just bringing people together, and that is why Big Bang also hosts series of educational seminars. Industry leaders discuss the intricacies of marketing, intellectual property, business plan writing, as well as pitch mechanics. These discussions and lectures focus students on what it takes to move ideas from paper into the real world.

Even if you never start your own business, the experience of taking part in Big Bang! will open up a new world of connections and experiences that will be invaluable throughout your business career.

We look forward to seeing your ideas next fall!

A Typical Day in the life of a MBA....

2011-02-02T00:11:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what a typical MBA's student day like? Before deciding to pursue my MBA I heard different stories from different graduates and it's all true! Everyone here at the GSM is busy one way or another.

Take today for example,
9am-12pm - Class
12pm-1:30-Ate lunch and researched for an upcoming interview
1:30-2:30-Met with career services to talk strategy about my interview and what points I needed to improve upon.
2:30-3:00----Hungry...snacked (I know, I know, I eat a lot)
3:00-4:00 Job Club-Brainstormed ideas for my upcoming interview
4:00-5:30- Rock climbing at the gym
5:30-7:00-Cooked dinner for Chinese New Year
7:00-9:00-Ate dinner, hung out with friends, got shot (water gun) in the back (will elaborate in a future blog)
9:00-12:00-Study for a marketing mid-term.

This is a typical day. I do get Thursdays and Fridays off, (which messes up my weekend because I think Friday is Saturday and Saturday is Sunday) but during my off days I'm either doing school or job/internship related things. So by the end of the week, I'm usually exhausted. This weekend is Snow Day where we all gather up in Lake Tahoe and enjoy the snow. I have another mid-term on Monday so I guess I'll be reading my books up while I carpool up and down the mountain. Tomorrow is another early day and many of us have club meetings. Where most club officers meet to discuss upcoming club activities. This is just one student's perspective. A fellow MBA student I know has two internships and holds two leadership roles in two clubs. I can't imagine what her day is like. I don't think she sleeps. So that is what my typical day is like.

Student Life-GSM Connections

2011-01-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

It’s a few minutes after three on a Wednesday afternoon. Your tummy is grumbling; you could definitely use a pick-me-up.

Luckily, there’s GSM Connections. Once a week, we have snacks and drinks (including coffee, for those days when only caffeine will suffice) downstairs in our foyer. It’s an informal chance to mingle with staff, faculty, and students. Sometimes there are speakers; last week we listened to presentations from the students who spent Fall Quarter abroad. Sometimes you’ll run into your professor from last quarter and have the chance to brainstorm about a Community Consulting Group project you’re interested in joining. Always it’s a great chance to catch up with fellow students you haven’t seen in a while, and maybe even start a quick game of cards.

So come by for carrot sticks and a cookie or two. 30 minutes later, you’ll be back to work rejuvenated and ready to go.

Time Flies

2010-11-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

Nine weeks ago I started the MBA program at UC Davis. Nine weeks. The time has absolutely flown by. When I think about what has impressed me the most about the program, there are a few things that stick out in my mind.

The faculty at the Graduate School of Management is extraordinary. I knew about their backgrounds and statistics coming in, but I had no idea the depth and range of knowledge I would find until I got here. All of my professors are experts in their area of study, and beyond that, they are 110% dedicated to seeing us succeed. They push for open communication and class involvement, which keeps everyone involved. I feel very fortunate to be in a program with such highly recognized and accomplished professionals.

Location is another aspect of being at UC Davis that continues to amaze me as time goes on. I came to Davis from New York City, and was nervous about going from a big city to a small town. I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t know how I would acclimate. The transition has been easier than I imagined. Since the start of the quarter, I have had the opportunity to attend a networking day in San Francisco, a ropes course in Sonoma, wine tasting in Napa, a Net Impact weekend in Lake Tahoe, and a Dean’s reception in Sacramento. All of these activities were with my fellow classmates, and each of them allowed us to learn more about each other, which strengthened the bond that we started building during Orientation.

Learning from my classmates is the most impressive and rewarding aspect of the program thus far. The GSM always boasts “collaboration,” but I was skeptical given the hype that usually surrounds this word and that the business world is, by definition, competitive. I was wrong. The feeling of community when you walk into Gallagher Hall is contagious. There has been nothing but support since the day I started, which has pushed me to excel at everything I do, both inside and outside the classroom. I have no doubt that coming to the Graduate School of Management was the right choice for me, and I can’t wait to find out what the next five quarters will bring.

Great Leaders Tell Great Stories

2010-11-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

At a career fair in October, keynote speaker and CEO of Proctor & Gamble, Bob McDonald said, “Great leaders tell great stories. And they have a lot of them on hand.” Mr. McDonald spent the rest of his speech telling numerous anecdotes in order to highlight what he termed his “values-based” system of leadership.

This was prescient advice for a roomful of MBAs vying for the attention of various corporate recruiters attending the career fair. Companies such as Google, GE, Goldman Sachs, and Nike were in attendance. These companies had no shortage of smart, driven people vying for their attention on that day. After standing in line to speak with the corporate representative, I only had a few moments to form an impression that would hopefully result in my resume getting a closer look or a response to my email. How can one successfully accomplish this?

To successfully make an impression, you need to capture your audience’s attention and one way you can do this is by telling a great story. This isn’t something that is easy to do off the top of your head. However, if you sit down and write four sentences about each project, job or achievement in your life, you’ll soon start developing a small arsenal of stories that you can use to articulate your point. Don’t forget to take note of your failures and disappointments in life because those episodes often make the best stories.

Very quickly, you’ll see how these stories help you become a better communicator. They can become the bedrock of your business school applications, resumes, cover letters, and interviews. Later on, after business school, those stories are great tools for successfully persuading clients and coworkers.

Mr. McDonald’s point may seem obvious. However, there is a stark contrast between the stories we tell our friends and the hyperbole that often finds its way into our first draft applications and cover letters. However, when honed for a professional audience, the things we as individuals find important enough to share with our friends will also make positive impressions on those with whom we seek to make a professional connection.

Mattel CEO speaks to GSM's Leadership Class

2010-10-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

It’s not every day that you get to chat with the CEO of a major corporation for hours on end. For most of us MBA candidates, it’s pure fantasy: we learn all the tools that prepare us for being in leadership roles, but it’s rare that we get to talk to a living legend about what it’s actually like.

This morning, it was a reality. But let me tell you, it seemed like a fantasy.

For three hours, the current CEO and Chairman of Mattel, Robert Eckert, came to Professor Bob Lorber’s Leadership class and was completely candid about himself, his career, his decisions, his company and everything in between. For three hours. It was definitely the most incredible and surreal time I’ve ever spent at Gallagher Hall.

Eckert is a master public speaker, and he led off by asking us what we wanted to hear. After all, he mentioned, the first key to public speaking is know your audience: find out what the people want and give it to them (something that is also quite true in business, so long as you do it profitably!). He had prepared a discussion on trust, all based around Mattel’s product recalls a couple years back, and so we decided to have him deliver that, and then follow up with a question and answer session.

Through his presentation, I quickly discovered that he is like many of us at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management — he is a very honest, values-driven kind of guy who wants to make the world a happier and better place. When Mattel discovered lead paint in some of its toys, Eckert didn’t try to pass the blame off to its outsourced labor in China (who had outsourced some of the toys’ parts to other workers, who in turn outsourced some of those parts to other workers, who in turn outsourced some of those parts to other workers, who in turn used lead paint on a part of the toy). Instead, Eckert came out boldly as soon as the lead-paint issue started to escalate and said, “It was our fault. We are sorry. Here’s what happened. Here’s what we’re doing so it won’t happen again.”

Just before the holiday season, Mattel shut down its entire supply chain for a month and rigorously tested all potentially tainted toys. Why? Because it was the right thing to do. It certainly didn’t help the company’s market share or short-term financial performance. Eckert checked in twice a day with a global team about the issues until everything was resolved which took several months. He also hit major news networks constantly to reassure consumers that Mattel had taken responsibility and was doing everything in its power to fix the problem and improve the system.

Basically, it comes down to being truthful with yourself, your employees, your shareholders and your consumers. And although the results of that mantra might sting in the short term, it will definitely pay off in the long run.

The Class of 2012

2010-10-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

As I think about all I want to accomplish in the last year of my MBA experience, I’m filled with a sense of nervous excitements. There’s so much to be done: complete my elective courses, including all the entrepreneurship classes I can handle; travel to South America on the International Study Trip; transition my club leadership to the incoming class (more on that later); excel in my Emerging Venture Analyst fellowship for the Energy Efficiency Center; and, most importantly, find the perfect career by the time I graduate. And of course, that’s excluding personal life events.

As I planned my year (I’m a huge planner), I started to question my level of endurance. There was so much, and yet I wasn’t as ‘young’ as I was last year. School wasn’t new for me anymore and the reality of graduating weighed on my thoughts. I wasn’t sure how the year would progress.

Then, as part of my club duties, I ran orientation for the incoming class. The two-and-a-half weeks were jam-packed with workshops, speakers, social events, team-building exercises, and the like. I fondly remember my experience last year and being part of this year’s orientation rejuvenated me. Although I didn’t participate in some of the more mundane activities, hanging with the incoming class was exhilarating. The UC Davis MBA class of 2012 is phenomenal.

Here are some of their stats: the average GMAT is 692 (the highest in the school’s history), average GPA - 3.3, and the average work experience is 4 years. Furthermore, 42 undergraduate institutions are represented and 25% of the class is comprised of international students.

But more impressive than their stats, this class has character. They are excited, engaging, rearing to go, ready to make changes, and disciplined. They’ve already proposed two new student-run clubs (one in food sustainability and the other in clean technology). They are engaging in classes (I have several first-years in my class who have tested out of some of their core classes) and they are always hanging out at school (the student lounge is continuously packed).

I quickly understood that the energy and passion of the first-year class would rejuvenate me (and most likely some of my classmates) to push through ‘til the end. After all, with the small GSM classes, we’ll all need to push each other to reach greatness. So I challenge the first-year class to challenge and push the second-years and, in due time, the next class will do so for them.

Back to School

2010-10-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

I’m 24 years old and can’t believe I’m picking out clothes for school tomorrow. I glance at my watch and it’s slowly ticking past 11:30 pm. I’m teaching an Excel workshop tomorrow, meeting our incoming class of first year students for the first time in a classroom setting. I want to look professional, yet not overdressed. I want to be prepared, but not overly knowledgeable.

A stack of my business cards are laid out to my left as I sit at my desk, meticulously packing my computer and other accessories into my GSM-branded carrying bag. I certainly don’t want to forget anything on my first day of school. Notebooks, pens, and paper are all neatly arranged on my desk as I finalize preparations for tomorrow.

It strikes me that I haven’t put this much effort into preparing for school in well over a decade. Actually, school doesn’t even fully start for me until next week. Why am I putting so much time and thought into an orientation activity? My head starts to nod as the answer hits me – I care.

I care about this first day of school more than I’ve cared about the first day of school for many, many years. It’s not so much that I want to impress the incoming class, but rather that I want them to feel welcome into our community. It’s not often that first impressions carry such weight…

I also care to see my own second year classmates as well. Although summer was a nice relaxing break from textbooks and lectures, it was also an extended time away from a group of people I genuinely enjoy spending time with. I found myself missing my friends and the campus culture we’ve created in just a few short months.

This is how I know I am attending the right school. The people, the community, matter more than anything. I’ve always been told that business school was about establishing a good network, and nothing has made this particular point more obvious than last few giddy and nervous hours before my first day of school.

Somehow, at 24, I’m 7 again. I’ve picked out my best clothes, packed up my bag, and am preparing for a good night’s sleep. Back to school. I’m excited.

MBA Reflections

2010-06-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

Wow. I can't believe business school is finally over! You always hear people waxing nostalgic about their MBA experiences (gag). But, now I'm one of them! Last week was our end-of-the-year party. We held it at a local park complete with taco cart, gourmet cup cakes and field games. I posted a few pics below.

During the party, it finally hit me - what I'm going to miss about Davis b-school. When else can you socialize with 120 intelligent, fun people who you actually count as friends on a weekly basis? Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to what's next. For me it's a new job in a new industry and new city. I feel like UC Davis gave me the world. But all I want is a little Davis park, my MBA friends and a game of hopscotch. Go Aggie MBAs!

Dis-orientation in Tahoe

2010-06-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Before first-year MBA students begin classes here at the GSM, they must first undergo a 2-week process called "Orientation," in which introductions are made, lessons in Excel and PowerPoint are taught, resumes are crafted, and bonds are formed. All important stuff.

By the time these students hit the end of their second and final year in the program, they undergo a decompression process -- one called "Dis-orientation," which general fun totally unrelated to any school or career activity is had.

This year, the second-years held Dis-orientation in Tahoe. And amazingly -- wonderfully -- it snowed! In the middle of May! When we weren't out playing or BBQing in the snow, we were inside playing board games, card games, video games, and the like. Some pics from the weekend:

"How do you like living in Davis as a grad student?"

2010-05-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

One of the most frequent questions I get asked as an Ambassador by prospective students is, "So, how do you like living in Davis as a graduate student?" And I have to say, it's actually quite nice. For me, at least, there are few times when I'm reminded that I live in a town with 24,000 people aged 18-22. The downtown Davis area is not only adorable, but also thriving — there are dozens of good restaurants, a well-established farmer's market (held twice a week), bike shops, clothing retailers, bars, frozen yogurt/ice cream shops and more. It's been almost like a game to try and find the best places in a particular category: the best pizza place (Village Pizza), the best Thai restaurant (a toss-up between Sophia's and KetMoRee), the best bike shop (B&L), the best fro-yo (Yogurt Shack).
If you're looking for an adventure, Davis is also not a bad place to be. It's got miles upon miles of bike paths, and they continue to neighboring cities if you're looking for a longer ride. Obviously, Davis is strategically located between Sacramento and the Bay Area, so a quick trip in either direction can provide some added fun to your week if you get tired of the Davis scenery. And then of course Tahoe is just an hour and a half away, so it's an easy ride up to the lake or the snow.
But to be honest, you'll likely be so busy with classes, projects, homework and social activities that hanging out in Davis and enjoying life here can be quite satisfying. Even if you're coming to Davis by yourself and won't know a soul when you arrive, you'll quickly discover that you'll have a built-in network of friends: your new classmates at the UCD Graduate School of Management. Throughout the year, you'll be able to enjoy all that Davis and the surrounding area has to offer along with them. And while not everyone is as big a Dave Matthews Band fan as me, he got it 100% right with his song lyric "It's not where but who you're with that really matters."

Summer Internships

2010-05-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

It’s on every student’s mind even before the start of the MBA program. Ambassadors get asked this question constantly, second year students are grilled about what they did and how they got it and career services makes sure you’re aware of it – even dubbing it your fifth class. The issue? Summer internships.

What you do during the summer is critically important. It sets the path for your second year at the GSM and is the opportunity to network for a full-time job. In summation, it’s a period of three months that you will have to discuss with friends, family, the incoming class to the GSM, and future employers. This conversation will likely pop up repeatedly over the years, as these groups of people will all want to know the details of the summer and what it meant for you.

The main struggle is managing your class work, club activities, and the interview process (usually with multiple organizations at the same time). The added stress comes from the unknown factors: where will the position be located, will it be paid, and how will you fit with the team you are about to join. But these are details you won’t have the answers to until you find the right position for you.

So, in this competitive environment, how do you get an internship? And more importantly, how do you make sure it’s the right one for you? Career services is a great place to start, but they can only help you, not actually get you one. The majority of the responsibility is in your hands. Some GSMers found the right opportunities by the end of winter quarter using the UC Davis GSM career website as a source of potential positions; I wasn’t in this group.

For me, I had to network and leverage a current endeavor into a summer internship. Working with the Energy Efficiency Center at UC Davis throughout the school year has turned into a summer long opportunity to learn about the energy field, consult for clients, and potentially publish a research paper. This supports my path to merge healthcare (my past experience and education) and energy efficiency.

However you find it, it’s a sigh of relief once you have your internship. With that out of the way, you can focus the rest of the quarter on academics, clubs, and preparation for the summer fun!

Susan G. Komen 5k Race for the Cure & Team WiL Power!

2010-05-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

For a number of years now, the Women in Leadership club (or WiL for short) has participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Sacramento. (Check out last year's blog entry about it!) Friends, family, and significant others are welcome to join the WiL team (called "WiL Power") and walk or run the race. Most of us walked these last few years, and had a ball. Here are some pics some of us took from the race today.

2010 Class Gift Campaign Launched

2010-05-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

The UC Davis MBA Class of 2010 launched their annual endowment gift campaign last week. The campaign, themed "What Is Your Dream?", kicked-off with an intimate cocktail hour with Dean Steven Currall. Students talked about their personal aspirations as well as hopes and dreams for the Program. The responses are complied in this video. MBA Class Gifts are an indication to the external community of the strength and commitment of our alumni network. So far we're one-third of the way towards our goal of 100% participation.

A Day in the Life of a UC Davis MBA

2010-04-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

With all of the studying and the extra-curricular activities that we have at b-school sometimes it’s nice to just hang out and enjoy one another’s company.

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I had some Graduate School of Management friends over for a sleepover at my house in San Francisco. A few of us had talked at the beginning of the quarter about having a boba slumber party and we finally got around to doing it. If you don’t know what boba is, google it and amongst the images of Boba Fett (Star Wars character) you’ll find pictures of a drink with weird round balls in it. Those balls at the bottom are made out of tapioca and are called boba. Anyway, it ended up being just a plain old sleepover because someone (read: Rani) dropped the boba ball (no pun intended) and didn’t bring any.

We had a good time together in the city anyway and went to Burma Superstar for lunch and before heading over to Japantown to hook up some freshly made mochi. Little did we know that the Cherry Blossom Festival would be in full swing making it IMPOSSIBLE to park. Needless to say our Cherry Blossom Festival experience was short-lived and we elected instead to visit Golden Gate Park. There, we eventually settled on throwing a Frisbee around and watching first year MBA student James Chen’s kids play on the jungle gym. As a sidenote, James’ two-year-old son knows how to play Mario Kart on the DS, which blew me away. I guess gaming is embedded in his genes.

For dinner, we went to PPQ Dungeness Crab, and filled up on crustaceans. Yum. After crab our appetites were not yet satiated so we went down the block to a Chinese dessert place where we proceeded to stuff our faces with yet more food. James ended up getting an Oreo milkshake, which reportedly tasted like pure whipped cream. While that was a nasty concept to him, his two-year-old loved it, which was evident from the way his eyes got bigger every time he took a sip. We didn’t end up getting back to the house until almost midnight. Somehow, we decided to watch Red Cliff—a four-and-a-half-hour-long epic Chinese war flick by director John Woo. Yeah, that probably wasn’t the movie to put in at midnight—I heard later that people ended up going to sleep towards the midpoint of the first disc. As for me, I was asleep by 1.

The UC Davis MBA is what you make of it. You can easily spend all of your time doing school work and club activities, but if you don’t take advantage of spending time with classmates outside of school, you miss out on a big part of the b-school experience.

Picnic Day 2010

2010-04-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

I never thought that I would spend several hours walking around Davis in front of thousands of people in boxers. But today, that's exactly what I and 20 of my classmates did. And it was awesome. Today was Picnic Day, a day when thousands of people — alumni, prospective students, families and friends — pour into Davis for what is essentially a campus-wide open house.
Among the literally hundreds of activities throughout the day is a parade, which is by far the biggest draw. Students from the Graduate School of Management annually march in the parade as the "Briefcase Brigade." As such, the attire is "business on the top, party on the bottom," which translates to suit jackets, ties and button-up shirts mismatched with boxers/shorts and sneakers/flip flops. And of course we each had briefcases, but rather than being stuffed full of papers or a laptop, they were filled with candy.
Tori Heibel, a fellow first year who I learned today used to be a cheerleader in high school, was given the great honor of holding the megaphone and leading us in cheers. My favorite was when she yelled "NETWORKING!" and we would all run to the nearest parade watchers and hand out candy, shake their hands and introduce ourselves. In another cheer, she would yell, "Buy low!" and we would all respond, "Sell high!" In all, we probably had about 10 different cheers that we rotated through during the march. So not only did we walk more than two miles during the parade itself, but we were yelling, cheering and being energetic the whole time. And then of course, we had to walk to and from the parade starting and ending points to Gallagher Hall (home of the GSM), which was a good 15 minutes away. Before we knew it, we had spent close to 3 hours walking. But there was still the rest of Picnic Day to enjoy! So after taking some time to relax back at Gallagher Hall's student lounge, six of us went back out to enjoy the festivities, which included the Cockroach Race, trying to get into the laser maze (they were sold out, unfortunately), grabbing some food, seeing dogs do a relay race, and watching some locally based international dance groups perform.
After walking to parts of campus we had never even seen before to get to these activities, we finally decided it was time to go home and "study." For me, that meant collapsing into bed at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, completely exhausted from all the hours I'd walked. It's now 8 p.m. and no studying has occurred...guess that'll have to happen tomorrow. It was definitely worth it though!

The International Study Trip to Turkey

2010-03-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

The GSM has a business class called the International Study Trip (IST). The class is offered twice a year, during the winter and summer quarters. During the quarter, the class studies a country -- the culture, the businesses, and the business practices. Each student sets up at least one business meeting abroad. At the end of the quarter, the class culminates in a 2 week trip to the country to visit businesses and learn about the country and its culture (with plenty of time for sightseeing and other fun activities). This year, the trip was to Turkey!

I was lucky enough to be in the class this past quarter. And when I say lucky, I really mean it. First, the class is taught by Professor Wil Agatstein, who is not only a superstar in the corporate social responsibility world, but also an amazing professor. (I was also able to take his Corporate Social Responsibility class in the Spring 2009 quarter -- if you have the chance to take it, I highly recommend it.)

Second, this is no ordinary trip abroad -- being in a group headed by Professor Agatstein, backed by the prestige of UC Davis, you get opportunities that you wouldn't normally if you were a normal tourist. We were granted access to so many different organizations, including:

Parliament
Intel
Hewlett-Packard
US Consulate
US Embassy

And many, many more. With strong emphasis on "many" -- we had at least 2 business visits each day.

I can show you with some pics I took. For instance, we visited a winery (which included wine-tasting):

Got interviewed by the press and appeared on TV:

Visited the Stock Exchange (these were the old boards they used to use there!):

Busily wrote notes at the Ministry of Trade and Industry:

But also had plenty of time to visit mosques:

Partake in local cuisine:

And sight-see:

And, if I could pick one snapshot that epitomized our trip, it'd be this -- us in business suits, trying to figure out logistics, and Professor Agatstein in the background taking pics:

Professor Agatstein has created a website with a day-by-day blog of our activities there, his photos of the trip (and seriously, check out his photos, because he's also an awesome photographer), and links to Sonny Johl and my blogs and Sonny's photos (another great photographer) from the trip. Check it out!

(Or, if you prefer a direct link to the student blogs, Sonny's blog is here, and my photoblog is here.)

An amazing experience. I loved every minute of it. Even when the water was turned off in our hotel four times. Or when the demolition of a building right outside our hotel started precisely at midnight each night. Or after eating my umpteenth chicken kabob. Because the people, the businesses, and the whole experience made for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Our own finance professor Brad Barber quoted in the NY Times

2010-03-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

So I was just sitting here, studying like crazy for next week's finals, when I got an e-mail from a classmate informing us all that our own finance professor Brad Barber was quoted in today's New York Times. (Click here to read the article.) For those of you admitted students who were here Friday, he's the one who facilitated the lecture and discussion on the financial crisis.

What makes Barber's quotes in the Times particularly interesting, however, is how they actually make sense to me. For once, in a rather "inside-baseball" kind of business article, I understand all the terms, concepts, causes, effects and implications. You see, before coming to the UC Davis Graduate School of Business, I was a reporter and editor of a business journal — meaning, I was the one on the other end of the phone interviewing guys like Barber. I always found myself a little self-conscious in those situations, as I had zero business training before taking on the job and had to learn about subjects like finance, accounting, marketing and venture capital as I went along. I was always worried that I wouldn't know which questions to ask or understand the deeper implications of what my interviewee was saying. After taking just two quarters of classes at the GSM, everything has started to click. Things that I used to write about but never understood, such as P/E ratios and market capitalization, are now well rooted into my mind. And not only do I understand all these once-foreign concepts, but professors like Barber have made them interesting, and intrigued me to learn more.

For those of you who have been in my shoes and, perhaps, not fully understood a conversation about investments or flipped briskly past a magazine article about interest rates, I challenge you to learn about these subjects. Not only will you discover that they're interesting, but you'll also find they have very real implications, as the NY Times story shows.

MBAdmit Day!

2010-03-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

MBAdmit Day is finally almost here! Students who have been admitted to the Graduate School of Management Class of 2012 have been invited to Gallagher Hall on Friday, March 12, for a full day of activities, including a presentation from Professor Brad Barber about regulatory reform and a wine reception featuring wineries connected to GSM alumni. Planned by current students, Admit Day is a chance for prospective students to learn what life is like at the GSM and interact with other admitted and current students.

From the perspective of one of those current students planning the day, I am so impressed that we have had more than enough people volunteer to spend the day helping out (even though MBAdmit Day falls on the Friday before finals!) I think this is just a testament to how proud we are of our program; current students are happy to spend time reaching out to next year’s class.

For me, this day takes on particular meaning, as it was Admit Day 2009 that solidly convinced me that the UC Davis GSM was the right school for me. I felt so comfortable with the current students and culture of the GSM that I sent in my deposit as soon as I returned home. Additionally, on MBAdmit Day I met several of my current classmates, so there were plenty of familiar faces when I arrived on campus for orientation.

So welcome, Class of 2012. We hope you have a great day!

The World Is Flat

2010-02-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

Thomas L. Friedman boldly proclaims that the world is flat. I couldn’t agree more. I sit here in class among a great collection of diversity. It boggles my mind to think that a program of 120 students could have such cultural and linguistic variety. In the little family that is the GSM, dozens of countries are represented. Over twenty different languages are spoken. Ten students speak three or more languages.

Yet we are all united by a common purpose. Our drive and dedication to pursue higher education so that we can become more influential and impactful members of society brings us under the same roof. Besides our obvious thirst for knowledge, we are also unified by a sense of responsibility to one another – to be upright citizens and socially conscious human beings.

With these notions, how can I not agree that the world is indeed flat?

However, the subsequent question is, “How do we achieve such flatness?” The world isn’t a giant piece of fabric that only takes a couple of hands to smooth over and level any unwanted bumps. It’s not as simple as pulling out an iron and ironing board. Flattening the world is not an accidental procedure. It is, in fact, quite the contrary. It is through hard work and purposeful intent that the GSM achieves flatness.

Our admissions office consciously pursues international applicants, looking to further the diversity and body of experience at the school. Exchange students frequent the program and share their lives, ten weeks at a time with our student body. But the most heart-warming part of this intentional process is the personal dedication put forth by individual students at the GSM to welcome and foster this sense of global flatness.

Although our foreign students are genuinely excited to come to UC Davis, it is understandably intimidating to cross international boundaries in search of new experiences. Family, friends, and a different way of life are left behind to spend time at the GSM. Even though the transition might be logistically complicated, I have the pleasure of witnessing my classmates reaching out to ease the process.

My classmates and I have compiled a list of languages spoken at the GSM to assist our incoming international students in their native tongue. Apartments and rooms for rent are not only posted, but individually offered to these new students. Personal e-mails are traded back and forth from the moment of acceptance and admission to give students making a distant move a friend before they ever step foot on campus. And of course, in grand GSM style, we throw our new friends a party they won’t soon forget.

I am excited that the GSM world is intentionally flat. I am even more pleased that I am surrounded by people who are interested in making it flatter.

Show Me Your Guts

2010-02-22T21:38:00.000-08:00

“Show me your guts,” says Professor Tsai in his first lecture for 203B – Forecasting and Managerial Research Methods motto. This mantra, the title of his first lecture, is definitely an ongoing theme throughout the two courses he teaches at the GSM. Professor Tsai’s classes are two of the more challenging classes the GSM has to offer because of the high bar Professor Tsai sets. One of his goals is for students to be able to teach statistics to their grandmother, so while you might be able to memorize and repeat what the book definition of heteroscedasticity is, good luck explaining it to your grandmother.

“Show me your guts” is a good way to think about your time in business school. In addition to your course load, for two years, you will have a wide variety of challenges to choose from. For instance, you might spend a weekend at one of the many case competitions held throughout the United States hosted by various MBA programs. There, you will likely work late into the night preparing a case, the details of which are released only the night before the competition.
Alternatively, you can join any variety of clubs at the GSM or, being the ambitious MBA candidate you are, start your own club. Many MBA students see clubs merely as a way to fill in a resume. However, in a small program like the GSM, you have the ability to make a significant impact on the school and the students. That impact is only limited by your vision and your ability to execute (and time, but that's for another post).

For example, Net Impact is an international non-profit founded by MBA students aimed at promoting environmental and social themes. As a student and member of the Davis Net Impact chapter, you would have to decide what contribution Net Impact would make at the GSM (and beyond). Another GSM club run by students help build companies around technology researched and invented at UC Davis. Or, a student run consulting project will design a new arena as well as conduct an economic impact analysis for the Sacramento King’s. Pages could be filled with the number of opportunities available to gain real world experience while at the GSM.

In a competitive world with so many talented people, seizing the opportunity to stand out from the crowd is critical and making a lasting impression requires audacity. To do that, you truly have to show you have guts. What Professor Tsai wants to know is, what are you capable of? The two years spent at the GSM acquiring your MBA is an excellent time to answer that question.

Ambassadors 2010

2010-02-12T14:41:00.001-08:00

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it a hundred times before I graduate (maybe a few less); I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the Ambassador program. All of us have gone through the nerve-wracking process that is admissions and as many of us analyzed a SWOT analysis of the different programs, the ability to reach out to current students was priceless. Through coffee talks, class visits, MBA Admit Day, and the blog and twitter updates, potential students have access to the culture and reality of the GSM program. It really is impressive that at the start of its second year, the Ambassadors program is this far-reaching and pronounced.

It goes without saying that the interests of the future classes of the GSM are at the forefront of everything we do. That said; the plan this year is to grow. By creating deeper roots within the GSM and developing communication venues outside of our current outreach efforts, the Ambassador program will strive to serve a larger population of prospective students.

I’m looking forward to the coming year, confident in the Ambassador team and excited to interact with the soon-to-be class of 2010.

Wine 101 at the GSM

2010-02-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, first of all I just want to preface this blog by saying: We do a lot more at the UC Davis GSM than drink wine and play in the snow — despite what these last couple postings might have you think. On Thursday, Feb. 4, the Wine Business Club hosted a Wine 101 event, featuring half a dozen wines from all over the world. But what made this event especially great was the insight the club leaders provided before each tasting. The four presenters, a mix of first and second-years who have all worked in the wine industry, went over the biggest wine producing regions, dos and don'ts when ordering wine at restaurants, and even tricks for how to best open bottles of wine. Along with some of the basics, they offered several little known facts about wine. Did you know that the corks used in champagne bottles look almost identical to the corks used for all other types of wine when they're first put into the bottles? The champagne corks only get their funky shape from the pressure inside the bottle that gets released when the cork is pulled out!
For just a $5 fee, we got to try some really incredible wines: Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Orange Muscat dessert wine, Sauvignon Blanc and a sparkling Cuvee. The Cabernet Sauvignon happened to be from the family winery of second-year GSM student Perry Clark, and it seemed to be the favorite of the evening (see photo). I was also a big fan of the Malbec, which sells for just $10. What can I say? It's a perk going to a business school in a location surrounded by some of the most incredible wine producers in the world!

Snow Day 2010

2010-01-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

The following is a posting by Ambassador Sarah Kleinberg on a recent trip with the GSM to North Lake Tahoe.

We might all be really busy with school, clubs, and the rest of our responsibilities at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, but we somehow found the time to take a weekend off and head up to the mountains. The Snow Day Committee (an amazing group of students) planned a wonderful weekend for us in North Lake Tahoe. Of course the trip ended up occurring after the stormiest week of the season so far, so there was some anxiety about getting up to the cabins on the night of Thursday, Jan. 21, but everyone made it up safely and happily by Friday.

Most of us couldn’t wait to hit the slopes. While I prefer the comfort of a warm cabin over descending a mountain at reckless speeds, I heard the conditions were some of the best anyone had ever seen. I spent the day relaxing with some of my classmates, but was treated to stories from the mountain when many other exuberant but exhausted ones got back. Aside from hearing about the best runs (and spills!) of the day, I heard that my fellow Ambassador Jimmy has the impressive talent of being able to eat a sandwich while skiing down a mountain (see top photo). The things you learn about your classmates!

With 5 cabins each full of 10 people, there was plenty of mixing and mingling to be done. On Friday night, two of our program’s best chefs prepared a delicious dinner of tri-tip and salad and hand-selected a variety of wines to sample. Despite some minor glitches (like the power going out for somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 hours), the rest of the weekend was just as successful. I’m already looking forward to Snow Day 2011!

Former CIA Director James Woolsey speaks at the GSM

2010-01-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

Former CIA director turned-clean tech venture capitalist R. James Woolsey spoke at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management on Jan. 22 to discuss renewable energy and energy security. Woolsey says that U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil ranks "very high" as a national security concern.

Woolsey is a venture partner with VantagePoint Venture Partners of San Bruno, California. He also currently chairs the Strategic Advisory Group of the Washington, D.C. private equity fund, Paladin Capital Group; and is of Counsel to the Washington, D.C. office of the Boston-based law firm, Goodwin Procter. In the above capacities he specializes in a range of alternative energy and security issues.

To view his speech and read more about the event, click here: http://www.gsm.ucdavis.edu/woolsey/

Introducing the New Ambassadors

2010-01-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

The newest UC Davis GSM Ambassadors have assumed their leadership roles and begun planning! But before we get into what they're working on, we thought we'd share a little bit about them:

Why did you decide to attend the UC Davis Graduate School of Management?

Stephanie Fiano
I came to UC Davis because of the people. They are clearly smart, talented, motivated students and faculty. But also they were genuine and honest with the program, and Davis as a whole.

Craig Ishihara
I chose the UC Davis GSM based on its reputation in the Bay Area, its collaborative environment, and because of the quality of the students that I had the opportunity to interact with.

Jimmy Shang
I came to the GSM because it was, by far, the best program in the Bay Area for me. The intimate feel of the campus and its community of students, the caliber of its program, the genuine care and attention I got from the staff, the respectability of its reputation as a research facility all played a major role in my decision.

Matt Talbott
There were a lot of the normal factors that I think most people consider that went into my decision to come to the GSM such as cost, proximity, ranking, etc. However, the real reason I came to Davis is that it just felt right. It was a combination of meeting the students and faculty and also having them express their interest in who I was and what I wanted to do as opposed to what seems to be a standard implication by many other programs that I should feel lucky to be considered.

Sarah Kleinberg
I decided to come to the GSM because I was so impressed with the school's culture. While visiting the campus, I met so many warm people that were enthusiastic about the culture of collaboration that I knew the GSM would be a great fit.

Emily Rancer
I remember being incredibly impressed by the caliber of the GSM students, faculty and staff when I visited during MBA Admit Day last March. I was instantly attracted to the program as well for being very well organized, clearly challenging, and intensely focused on the students.

What's been your favorite aspect about the program so far?

Stephanie
My favorite part is the opportunity to take on leadership roles (whether it be through team work in classes, project work with 2nd years / professors, or clubs and events).

Craig
My favorite part of the program has been getting to know my classmates.

Jimmy
My favorite part of the program so far is how open the school is to allowing me to take my creativity and desire to make impactful change on campus. I am always encouraged to think outside the box and take my ideas into action.

Matt
The high standards and intellectual rigor.

Sarah
Since coming to the school, I am most impressed with the diversity in backgrounds and quality of students. I have already had the opportunity to work with students who have accomplished amazing things; my peers significantly improve my experiences at the GSM.

Emily
I've never been surrounded by so many smart, well-rounded and wonderful people in my life. I've loved getting to know every single one of my classmates — everyone's got a fantastic story of where they came from and how they got here.

UCD professors quantify the cost of the Tiger Woods scandal

2010-01-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

The Tiger Woods scandal has been a major focus in the media over the holidays. And now UCD professors have quantified the cost of the scandal to shareholders of companies endorsing Woods. Both professors are from UC Davis:

Dr. Christopher Knittel is a professor at the UCD Economics department. Check out his information here.

And Dr. Victor Stango is a professor at our very own UCD Graduate School of Management. Check out his information here. He also taught the core economics class for 1st year students last quarter.

Want to learn more about it? Check out some media coverage about the study here. If you'd like to read the full research article, here's the PDF version of it.

Dream Team

2009-12-14T09:17:00.001-08:00

If you ask almost an Ambassador (or any student, for that matter), you'll probably hear something about how important teamwork is at the GSM. I know I've mentioned it to almost every prospective student over the last year. "You really learn how to work in teams." "We sink or swim together." Etc. etc. So when fall quarter began and all of my professors tasked us with forming ad hoc teams, I didn't give a second thought to the process--or who I was teamed up with. I learned last year that it doesn't really matter; everyone here has something to contribute, and more often than not the groups of which I've been a part have been strong and effective.

My New Product Development team just upped the ante, though. Yes, past teams were great (don't get mad, Keith and Yuichiro--we killed it in Market Research), but I have to write a love letter to my 'mates Tiago and Hilary because they BROUGHT it, and I got a boost when I needed it most.

Each quarter is ten weeks long, and there's a sweet (or rotten?) spot right around week seven when I wake up at three in the morning in a cold sweat and freak out about everything that is due in a few short weeks. That happened right on schedule this quarter, and of course I had a New Product Development group meeting later that day. Tiago and Hilary both knew I was dragging, but they goaded me on and we made it through the agenda without me imploding.

A few weeks later I was mostly recovered, and my team endured two straight days of preparation for the final presentation like champions. Each of us could smell the finish line and, perhaps more importantly, we all had a strong understanding of the product we were about to pitch. We had lived it for months. We believed in the idea--and we believed in each other.

Tiago built an Excel model that makes me jealous when I look at it. This is a high compliment for an MBA student.

Hilary should write a book called Actually Getting Things Done. That's how focused, organized, and driven she is.

Researchers could have studied our conversations and published an article about raising questions that can't be answered but must be asked. This is the hallmark of a good product launch, in my opinion.

I could go on, but I won't. I'll just say that teamwork at the GSM can, and probably will, change your outlook on business and life. So much becomes possible when you can share the load with other people. Especially passionate, competent, intelligent people like Tiago and Hilary. Thanks, dream team!

For those of you considering the GSM, ask yourself: are you a good team member? Do you want to improve this part of your skill set? Do you want to build ideas with others that you could never build by yourself? If your answer is yes, come join us.

GMRers recommend some hidden gems

2009-12-11T23:05:00.000-08:00

This is a great example of GSM students using their academic schoolwork to analyze real life situations:

(Taken verbatim from the Dec 2009 GSM News Release)

Students in Professor Paul Griffin’s MBA elective on financial analysis and valuation recently presented their detailed reports on company value, issuing "buy" recommendations on a few gems whose potential Wall Street may not yet fully appreciate, perhaps because they has been unfairly trampled by negative sentiment.

Read more details about the recommendations here (click on the title to download the pdf)!

Interested in Professor Paul Griffin finance class mentioned above? Check it out!

A picture of the new ambassadors!

2009-12-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

Elena had talked about the newly elected ambassadors in a previous post. And now you can put faces to the names!

Here's our group picture, a mix of the current and new ambassadors. Stay tuned for future linkage to the specific bios of all the ambassadors. (If you'd like to read the bios of just the continuing ambassadors, check it out here.)

A few more pics from the Buffet trip

2009-11-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

A few more pics (via Srinivas) to post from the GSM's Buffet trip last week. A group dinner and some gallivanting about the town!

Live, from Omaha!

2009-11-19T11:05:00.000-08:00

(Jacqueline's note: This is a posting from Srinivas Muppidi, a fellow 2nd-year ambassador.)

Live from Farrell’s Sports bar in Omaha on a cold, but not-super-cold night.

Oh wait! The UC Davis Graduate School of Management is in Davis, CA. What am I doing in Omaha with friends from the program?

I forgot to mention that Mr. Warren Buffet (aka ‘The Oracle of Omaha’) has invited UC Davis GSM student to visit Berkshire Hathaway or the 4^th straight year. A group of 25 students, along with GSM Dean Currall and Prof. Castanias, will participate in a Q&A with Mr. Buffet, followed by lunch and a photo shoot session.

Everything sounds great. But it still doesn’t explain what we are doing in Omaha on a Wednesday night, given the fact that we have a free day on Thursday before attending the Q&A with Mr. Buffet on Friday! Well, the reason behind this extra day has to do with our culture, unique to the UC Davis GSM. How can we students thank Mr. Has-Everything-He-Wants-On-Earth person for his generous invitation? We can’t give him just any gift. So, we, the students of GSM, volunteer and contribute to the society. This year, we are volunteering at Children’s Museum of Omaha. We are proud to carry on the tradition of volunteering and contributing to the society, which started 4 years ago in Omaha. Our volunteerism is an integral part of GSM culture (for instance, we have close ties with the Challenge for Charity (C4C) organization).

Now for the fun stuff so far on this trip! I had a great flight experience from Sacramento to Omaha with a layover. The flight segment from Sacramento to Denver is by far the most memorable flight to date. I was the in the 1^st Officer’s seat for 5 seconds. Yep. The picture says it all.

The whole evening, we explored the downtown, especially the Old Market area of Omaha. It is interesting to the note the marketing campaign of Omaha at every major intersection.

I have decided to add a personalized touch to it.

Looking forward to a once-in-a-life-time opportunity of not just meeting Mr. Buffet, but listening to his words of wisdom for the future leaders in making (that's you and me!).

The 2009 Net Impact Conference at Cornell

2009-11-16T23:52:00.000-08:00

A big group of us went to the Net Impact conference, held at Cornell University this year. There were 27 of us, both first- and second-years. Big turnout! You should read about the conference (and the organization), but suffice to say, it's about social responsibility in the business sector. Traditionally, businesses have been focused on the bottom line (profits) but for many companies in recent years, the focus has shifted towards the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit).

During the 2-day conference, we went to workshops, case studies, panels, and discussions on various topics. And, of course, there was networking. And some fun. Take a look at some of my pics:

Fun at dinner:

Chandara, a 1st-year in the Working Professional program, took the picture in the upper left. Just gotta give props where it's due.

And what would the trip be, without the people?

And some shots of campus:

Introducing the new ambassadors!

2009-11-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

In October we put out a call for applications for the next generation of UC Davis Ambassadors. The class of 2011 responded en masse -- we received 17 applications for six spots! All of the applicants would make amazing Ambassadors and all will make fantastic campus hosts. It was an incredibly tough selection process – thank goodness we don’t work in the admissions office – but with lots of discussion and back and forth we have our list of six ambassadors. Here’s a little background info on each of them. You’ll be hearing more from them soon.

Craig Ishihara went to Northwestern University for undergrad and had a career as a pastor. After business school he is interested in working with companies to make positive organizational change.
Emily Rancer went to Cal Poly undergrad where she was editor in chief of the newspaper. She is interested in marketing sustainable consumer goods.
Jimmy Shang went to UC Santa Barbara for undergrad and was a marketing and CRM manager at an East Bay company.
Matt Talbott received his undergrad degree at UC Davis and was a Pararescue operations expert in Afghanistan for the Air Force. He worked in business development for a firm that markets tax credits in renewable energy, historic rehabilitation and affordable housing.
Sarah Kleinberg went to UC San Diego for undergrad and worked at a non profit management consultant firm for organizations in San Diego. She is interested in continuing her path in the non profit field.
Stephanie Fiano went to the University of Connecticut and has worked in healthcare management. She is now working to enhance energy efficiency in the healthcare field.

(Jacqueline's note: This post was written by fellow 2nd-year ambassador Elena Chavez Carey.)

First Time Blogger - Watch Out!

2009-11-12T17:33:00.000-08:00

Wow! There is A LOT going on at the GSM:

Professor Brad Barber led a panel on the business implications of health care reform. The panel included notable alums Gordon Hunt, M.D., GSM ’97 (Chief Medical Officer, Sutter Health) and Vinny Catalano GSM ’97 (Area Vice President, Gallagher Benefit Services).
The marketing association brought us “Marketing at The North Face” with Aaron Carpenter '98, VP of Marketing. They are hiring!
The Big Bang! Business Plan Competition had its annual speed dating event (pictured below) – beer was consumed, companies were formed – check out the website if you have an idea: http://bigbang.gsm.ucdavis.edu/.

Tomorrow is lunch with the Academic Dean, David Woodruff – a chance to chat about the new curriculum –looking forward it.

The next application deadline is January 6^th – get your app in! You can arrange a class visit with the UCD MBA Ambassadors on our website: http://www.gsm.ucdavis.edu/ambassadors/.

At the corn maze

2009-10-31T01:01:00.001-07:00

Some GSMers went to a pumpkin patch & corn maze on Friday. A pyramid of hay, see saws, mazes -- what else could you ask for? Here are some of my pics!

Ladies Night (oh what a night!)

2009-10-23T13:34:00.001-07:00

Sorry about the title. It had to be done. If I hadn't done it, someone else would have.

But it was Ladies Night at the GSM yesterday! Yes, the GSM is collaborative, diverse, and appropriately sensitive to all issues. But sometimes, you just need a girl's night out.

It was full of amazingly delicious food and drink, beads, and little apple and pumpkin candles. And fun. Of course! Lots of fun.

Internship blogs

2009-09-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

The GSM started a series of blogs from some of the first-year students completing their internships this summer. So, if you are interested in learning about a particular functional area, check these blogs out!

http://ucdmbaintern-businessanalytics.blogspot.com/

http://ucdmbaintern-marketing.blogspot.com/

http://ucdmbaintern-management.blogspot.com/

http://ucdmbaintern-publichealth.blogspot.com/

http://ucdmbaintern-entrepreneurship.blogspot.com/

http://ucdmbaintern-investmentmanagement.blogspot.com/

http://ucdmbaintern-strategy.blogspot.com/

http://ucdmbaintern-corporatefinance.blogspot.com/

Linkage on the GSM's new dean

2009-09-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

The school year is revving up! Excited?! Buying your textpaks yet?!

The GSM is going to have some big changes this year -- not just a brand new building, but also a brand new dean, Steven Currall. News broke about it a while back (check it out here), and the articles keep coming in. Interested in learning more? An interview was done with Dean Currall recently -- check it out. And for amazingly, mind-bogglingly speedy updates on UC Davis and the GSM, be sure to check out the UC Davis GSM twitter page!

Women Leaders in CA Businesses

2009-08-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hi! Long time, no blog! I must admit, the posting on the blog is slow this summer, so please accept my apologies about that! However, I thought this would be the case -- it's summertime! Half of the regular posters have now graduated, and the other half are super busy with internships. And then there's me. I'm one of those busy with an internship, but also very busy with the California Women Business Leaders study.

This study measures how women are represented in the top leadership positions in the top 400 largest California public businesses (in terms of being executives, named executives, and/or a director on the board). And sadly, the news is always glum year after year -- women are very underrepresented overall.

I could go on and on about this, but really, the point of this post was to talk about students' involvement with the study. The past few years, students have worked as research assistants on the study, as lead by Professor Don Palmer. I am working as one of those assistants. Our job is to research these firms through their SEC filings. And about 60 firms later, I can safely say that I am very familiar with SEC filings (specifically, the 10k and the DEF14a).

(It took me a long time to understand how to read these files, though. The first few firms must've taken me about an hour each! Now, it's down to about 15 minutes, give or take.)

A nice aspect of the study is that it's released to the public in each November, and last year (and this upcoming November) there is a press release, and participating students can get involved with that too.

So! If you're interested in it, keep an eye out come November for the study to be released. And if you are interested in being a research assistant on it (you get paid for your participation, and get your name listed in the study info!), you have several options: 1) contact Prof Palmer about your interest or 2) become a member (or official "friend of") of Women in Leadership (or WiL) because we will notify members when involvement becomes possible. Also, lots of WiL members are working as assistants, so just ask one of us about it, and we can set you on the right track. Our work would probably begin in the late spring, during spring quarter, and last until mid-summer.

Hope you're all having a great summer!

First week of my Internship: Done! 11 more to go...

2009-06-21T23:27:00.000-07:00

Whew! I just finished the first week of my internship at Agilent Technologies. What a great experience so far. Before coming to school, I worked for a small commercial real estate investment firm with 12 employees. Now I am interning at a multi-national, publicly traded company with thousands of employees across the world. What a difference a year makes.

This summer I will be producing a pricing model to be used in one of Agilent's high-growth divisions. The division generates $100 million a year in profit across four profit centers. Currently, each division prices one-off, custom deals on an ad-hoc basis. So my goal is to create a single, standardized pricing model to be used across all four businesses. The goal is prevent the analysts from re-inventing the wheel each time a deal comes up. Like I learned in Corporate Finance... does it have a positive Net Present Value (NPV), does it have a reasonable Internal Rate of Return (IRR), etc.

So, what in the crazy world of MBA speak did I just describe? Essentially, I will be creating a tool for management to easily decide whether or not a project is worth the investment for Agilent.

Although it's only been a week, it amazes me how all the theory and concepts I learned in the classroom are immediately applicable to my internship. Organizational behavior taught us how to work in teams, recognize the different cultures within organizations and how to navigate around them. On my first day on the job, I was assigned as the team-lead on my project this summer where I will be working closely with members from marketing, legal and operations to survey current methods in deal valuations. I won't actually be meeting my team in person because they are spread out across the world from New Jersey to Malaysia and the Netherlands. wow!

I remember our final assignment in Management Accounting was learning about the the concept of transfer pricing within an organization. How do you incentive and motivate a manager to maximize profits for their division but not at the expense of profits for the company as a whole? This is one challenge I will face this summer as I will need to create a pricing model that captures this data. This will ensure that a particular deal generates profits for both the division AND the company.

This internship will also be a great opportunity to network and meet other MBA's at Agilent to learn about their career paths and how best to position myself in this economy. Also, as a testament to the strength of the UC Davis network, many UC Davis alums at Agilent have already welcomed me in the first week. There's been a steady stream of fellow Aggies introducing themselves to me. Don't they know I have to work! Just kidding. I've already set up individual coffee/lunch meetings with them over the next couple of weeks. It's great to know that I can rely on them as a resource during my internship this summer. I know I will need all the help I can get!

My project swings into full gear this week and I'm really looking forward to it. It's weird not having to "work" on the weekends. No papers, no studying or homework assignments due. This is a nice change of pace.

I don't have any other plans this summer other than a few mini-trips here and there. Next weekend, I'm planning to meet a few of my classmates for a barbeque and a hike which should be a nice mini-reunion (I know, I know, I just saw them a few weeks ago!). Once Labor day arrives, I will be done with my internship. I have a few weeks to relax before school starts. I will be in Davis welcoming the first year newbies at orientation. It should be a lot of fun. Matt, the Director of Orientation, has been working hard the whole year to plan everything. He has a lot of great activities lined up. I can't believe MY business school orientation was only 9 months ago. Now I'm going to be a second year MBA student! Time flies... Have a great summer everyone!

Big Bang!

2009-05-29T12:56:00.001-07:00

A hugely popular event at the UC Davis GSM is the Big Bang competition. I can't state it any more simply than what it says on the website:

Big Bang! is the annual UC Davis Business Plan Competition organized by MBA students of the Graduate School of Management. The goal of the contest is to promote entrepreneurship at UC Davis and the region supported by the University.

Teams of entrepreneurs (at least one with a UC Davis connection -- be it a student, professor, alum, etc.) develop a business plan for potential investors about a new idea or product.

Teams generally start up in the fall quarter. Often, students or entrepreneurs from other parts of campus have ideas or products that could be turned into a real-life proposal. The Big Bang competition brings these entrepreneurs together with Davis business students for their business savvy (and amazing intellect, naturally).

The final judged presentation of these projects happened last week. Wish you were there? You're in luck -- check out the video of the event.

The winning group's won $15,000 for their idea of using ultraviolet light to clean wastewater. A few pics of the winning team:

Lots of press about it -- check out the press release here. A very exciting and innovative event!

Rankings, Gallagher Hall update, and a new video!

2009-05-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

More news from the GSM!

For the 14th consecutive year, we've been ranked among the top 50 business schools by U.S.News & World Report. We're in the top 25 business schools at public universities, and in the 40th spot overall (up four spots from last year). We're still the youngest public school program ever to make the list, as well as the smallest program in the top 40. Hooray!

Here's a look at the progress on Gallagher Hall. It actually looks like a building! Construction is on track for completion by September (just in time for the class of 2011's orientation). Save the date for the grand opening event on October 9th! More photos and renderings are posted on our Facebook page.

In case you missed it at Admit Day, here's a link to Matt's video about our program. Keep an eye out for our Ambassadors! I love the time-lapse video of Professor Tsai's stats class. Genius! I feel like school's gone by that fast...

Want to hear more of our news? Follow the Davis Ambassadors on Twitter!

Expectations

2009-05-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

Prior to coming back to school, I had a lot of expectations. I purchased a new suit, dress shirts, ties and dress shoes. I subscribed to the Wall Street Journal, watched MSNBC and brushed up on my current business events. I wanted to be the picture of professionalism, but my expectations were way off.

Business school so far has been a lot more t-shirt and jeans and a lot less suit and tie. UC Davis has a very casual atmosphere. I am on a first name basis with most of my professors. I watch Biggest Loser with my classmates (and not Hardball or Mad Money). We play Rock Band and have taco eating contests.

I figure there is plenty of time to be professional when I go back to work, but for now I’m going to go practice for the kickball tournament.

WiL Power at Race for the Cure

2009-05-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

For the second year, Women in Leadership (WiL) has coordinated a team of UC Davis MBAer's to run/walk/donate to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event in Sacramento. This year, fellow ambassador Elena (and WiL VP of Finance) coordinated the efforts. The race was today. And of course, I know you want to see some pictures. So I shan't hold back.

First, our team:

An awesome team, or what? This was a mix of MBA students and family.

A quick pic of the sign that Elena and her husband, Joe (pictured), made:

Absolutely necessary to do stretching. These 3 (Osh, Dustin, and Ben from left to right) decided to run, while the rest of us moseyed along. So silly.

And then it was off to the start line:

During the race, Ben M. and Zach hold the WiL sign (see how much male support there is for WiL? it's not just for ladies!):

After the race, fellow ambassadors Marianne and Zach refuel:

Fun fun! What wasn't fun was getting out of the parking lot after the race. After 1 hour and 20 minutes after getting into the car to leave, we were finally on the open road! Lesson learned: don't park in the middle of the Cal Expo parking lot.

Google.org visits us!

2009-05-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a big day! And it all began in September! Let me explain. Keith, fellow 1st-year (not to mention famous), and I were talking when school first started, back in the yore of September 2008. I mentioned that I was interested in Google.org, and he mentioned that his other joint program (International Agricultural Development) was expecting a visit from the program director in May. Let's talk, I said.

(PS: For those who don't know what Google.org is, and are also too lazy to click on the link above, it's the philanthropic branch of Google.com. Seriously, just click on the link. It's super interesting.)

Lo and behold, Keith was able to get Frank Rijsberman, program director from Google.org, to come to our business school to present on the branch and hold a Q&A session. Check it:

The celebrity Keith, introducing Frank:

I desperately wanted to take pictures during the talk, but was worried that some of the information might be, you know, just for GSMers, so I didn't. But it was a fascinating talk! Google.org does a lot of work that I never knew about.

OH, and today is someone's birthday. A special someone. Someone who is very passionate about high fives. You know her, you love her: Christine! Happy birthday, Christine!

(I'd insert a picture of her here, but I have no other pics of her that you haven't seen. So just imagine some great picture here.)

Some GSM news

2009-05-03T00:14:00.001-07:00

Some big happenings in the GSM!

First, we've got a new dean! Dean Nicole Wooley Biggart will be stepping down after 6 years as dean, and will be replaced by Steven Currall on July 1, 2009. Check it out.

Up next, the new GSM building (Gallagher Hall) has a hotel being built next to it. Nice article in the Sac Bee about it.

Once again, Professor Hargadon's blog has been recognized as very awesome (in fact, among the top 50 engineering professors blogs!). Check out the list here and his own blog here.

Last, want to see more great pics of the GSM? Check it!

Multiple Regression

2009-04-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Check out that equation Keith is writing on the board for our Time Series Analysis and Forecasting course. Is it just me or does that thing look ridiculous?

We are assigned to write a 15-30 page report every single week this quarter. That is not a typo. Professor Tsai, our wonderful stats professor (no sarcasm...seriously!), e-mails us a set of data ranging from cell phone adoption rates, real estate home sales or airline revenues over a period of time. Our job is to use statistical methods to analyze the data and to create a compelling story in report form.

This is an elective course. Why am I taking it then? Well, I am here to challenge myself and to gain new skills I didn't have prior to business school. The ability to take a limited amount of information, analyze it, create a story, and to solve a problem is definitely a valuable skill that will benefit me for the rest of my career.

For all you new admits, this will be you next year! Don't get scared though. You will be just fine. Business school is a great time to try new things and explore opportunities you wouldn't get elsewhere. The sleepless nights juggling school, club activities, networking and of course all the fun social activities here at UC Davis is definitely worth it. I'm sure you already know that.

Anyways, it's finally spring and it's beautiful outside. I need to hurry up and figure out how to use that multiple regression equation model. I have an intramural softball game tonight then I'm meeting up with a bunch of classmates for drinks! Can't wait...

Time to Shine

2009-04-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

Big stuff happening this weekend...

First, we send off a friendly group of GSMers to Stanford for C4C weekend! This annual event raises money for the Special Olympics through competitions amongst other C4C schools. Over two days, schools will compete in fun stuff including bowling, basketball, dodgeball, cheerleading, and trivia to see who reigns supreme! Good luck!

Also happening this weekend is UC Davis' Picnic Day! The day-long celebration of Davis begins with a parade, featuring the GSM's own Briefcase Brigade - look for them to bring it with business on top and a party on the bottom. Those too shy to march will enjoy a pancake breakfast at AOB IV. Here's to fun, hydration, and 100 years of UCD (yes, 100)!

Softball game pictures

2009-04-16T22:24:00.001-07:00

Tonight was the first intramural softball game of the season -- drama and excitement! Wish you could've been there? Pine away no more -- these pics should give you the gist of it.

The team discusses short-term tactical strategies to defeat the competition:

With a secret strategy in place, the team warms up (um, lots of pictures of this because the lighting was good):

Soon it was time to start the game:

We won the game, of course. Good job, team!

PS: We need more spectators. Come out next week!

Happy High Five Day (for serious)

2009-04-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

Due to the overwhelming popularity of my last post (a record 2 comments were posted -- it's a wonder how blogger can handle that demand), I'm following up with more high fiving.

Happy high five day! (For reals, this is an actual day. Possibly even a national holiday.) And this day did not go unnoticed by the high-five aficionados here at the GSM. If you walked into the main building today, this is what you saw:

Whazzat first sign on the left say?

Curious, no? You would've eagerly raced up the steps to read the next sign:

Holy smoke monster! At this point, your interest surely would have been piqued, and you would have been ready for whatever was coming your way.

What awaited you up the stairs was a serious case of high-fiving:

(Faces have been blurred to protect the innocent. Or I just couldn't get a clear shot. Either way.)

And who were the perpetrators of this? These folks:

That's right, Christine takes high-fiving seriously. Very seriously. Happy High Five Day, to one and all!

Top 10 Ways to Send AOB IV Out in Style!

2009-04-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Since we're moving into Gallagher Hall in the fall, what's going to happen to AOB IV?

(Actually, I think the School of Education is moving in, but where's the fun in that?)

How does the University of California stimulate our economy?

2009-04-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Dean Biggart shared her views at this year's UC Day in Sacramento:

You're reading this? High five!

2009-04-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

As time gets near for prospective students to decide on where they will be attending b-school in the fall, I will let the prospectives in on a little secret ritual that business students do on a constant basis: the high five.

Before coming to business school, I think the last time I high-fived someone was in 4th grade (and that's no hyperbole). Within a month of coming to b-school, however, I was high-fived more than I had ever been in my entire life. "You're taking economics, too? High five!" "You are from the SF Bay Area? High five!" "Can I borrow a pencil? High five!"

Behold fellow ambassadors Christine and Benjamin caught in the very act:

Christine is going "up high," as they say in high-five lingo. Don't worry, when you get here, you'll soon get to know all the jargon. Thankfully, no one's done the "High five! Up high! Down low! Too slow!" routine yet. (That's not what we're about. We're all encouragement here.)

Also, there are some very important deadlines coming up. First, April 15. Not only does it mark the day that Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983 (slick bit of trivia there, no?), it also marks another very important event -- deposit day! Prospectives, if you've realized that UC Davis is the place for you because of the awesomeness of this school (rigorous curriculum, brand new building next year, incredible profs, tons of leadership opportunities, constant high-fiving) be sure to put in your deposit to become a student here in the fall!

Next, April 18: PICNIC DAY!!! I hope the capitalization and exclamation points shows you how excited we all are for this. Picnic Day is an annual event held here in Davis -- a day full of events, food, community, and crazy fun stuff. It's a big friends and family day, and it's open to everyone. If you're in the nearby area (and whether you've decided on coming to Davis or not!), you should definitely come! I'm sure there'll be more on Picnic Day as we get closer to the date. Mark your calendars!

Opportunities

2009-03-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

As Dustin mentioned below, we are fresh off of Spring Break. As you might imagine, graduate school Spring Breaks don't quite feel like their undergraduate predecessors. We are all older, wiser (arguable), and less inclined to stay up until 3am to watch World Cup soccer live from Germany. Last week I found myself hard at work on some projects for the Energy Efficiency Center and enjoying every minute of it.

When people ask me what I am focusing on in B-school, I give the canned response, "marketing and entrepreneurship." What I really feel like saying, however, sounds more like, "I am focusing on marketing and entrepreneurship with a double major in energy efficiency." Sure, my diploma won't mention Energy Efficiency, but the experience I have gained during my two years at Davis are absolutely unique to the B-school process. The GSM is directly linked to the Energy Efficiency Center and the Center for Entrepreneurship. My colleagues and I have gotten real experience trying to accelerate time-to-market for tangible emerging technologies. The GSM and the EEC may feel small, but the reach is large and only growing. There are a few other B-schools joining the energy efficiency center waggon, but the GSM has been a definite first mover.

As I prepare for the onset of senioritis, I find myself more and more thankful for the opportunities that the GSM provides beyond the classroom. MBA's are valuable no matter which school you choose, but the opportunity to make a difference in the realm of clean technology during school is not ubiquitous.

Back to Spring Break. I might not be an undergrad anymore, but I still found it pretty easy to sleep-in all week. I'm not going to lie, Spring Break is still awesome.

And We’re Back

2009-03-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

Over the last week, I haven’t really done much. I drove to my folks’ place in Southern California, saw a few movies, watched a lot of TV, and had a short bout of food poisoning. Spring Break went by a little fast, but I was able to get a lot of nothing done. Now it’s back to school.

I’m really looking forward to this quarter. As a first year, my first two quarters were mostly required classes. With those out of the way, I can focus on my marketing concentration. I’m taking Marketing Research with Professor Bunch and Marketing Communications with Professor Naik: two classes (and professors) I have heard good things about. I will also be working on a consulting project for the UC Davis School of Education. One of the youngest schools on campus, the School of Education has asked the GSM to help them identify and implement new business opportunities both nationally and internationally. I’m really excited about the project because it will give me a chance to get some hands-on experience while increasing awareness of the GSM and helping the greater UC Davis campus.

News from Davis!

2009-03-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

This week is spring break, but there are still a lot of exciting things happening around Davis! Here's just a sample of our latest news:

Our own Professor Hargadon won the Olympus Emerging Educational Leader Award! Read the article at http://bit.ly/BfPfc.
For this year's International Study Trip, a group of students and professors have traveled to Latin America. Keep up with them at http://bit.ly/ZVX1k.
The UC Regents have approved the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis! Learn more about it at http://bit.ly/1asbQy.
In Davis for the break? Check out "To The Century", a series of free performances at E Street Plaza: http://tothecentury.mondaviarts.org/.

Want to hear more of our news? Find us on Twitter or Facebook!

Buh-Bye Winter Quarter!

2009-03-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

It sure feels good to be done with this quarter. After taking final exams and completing final projects I can now say it's been an incredible quarter. For example, in Corporate Financial Reporting, we studied the issues corporations address in crafting their financial reports. In the midst of today's economic climate, it was fascinating to have Professor Griffin walk us through the 10-K filings of companies such as GM and GMAC. I have come to appreciate what people often tell me--that this is an incredible time to be in business school. They're right! It's true--it's an awesome time to be in business school and the GSM is an awesome place to be.

Kudos to Prof Hargadon & his blog

2009-03-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

The GSM's own Professor Andrew Hargadon's blog is listed as one of the 100 best blogs for MBA students. His blog is indeed awesome, so it's nice to see some recognition of the fact! He's listed as #69 (in no particular order), under Professor Perspectives. Check out the other ranked blogs here.

(Looking forward to seeing our blog up there, at some point!)

MBAdmit Day Recap!

2009-03-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Friday was MBAdmit Day @ UC Davis! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the Daytime Class of 2011 joined us on campus to get a taste of student life. They started the day with a case workshop featuring Professor Yetman, an introduction to Career Services, and an overview of the Lam Research Leadership Skills Development Program.

I joined the group just in time for the networking lunch and student club fair, held at the Buehler Alumni Center. Among the admitted students, I met teachers, entrepreneurs, and scientists from Davis, Southern California, and the East Coast. After lunch, we enjoyed a hard hat tour of Gallagher Hall, our program’s future home. (I got the best hard hat. It was hot pink.) We learned about the building’s energy-efficient radiant slab heating system, as well as the central lightwell that brings daylight into the interior offices. Other cool features include an expanded student lounge and an innovation lab. Plus, you can see the traffic on I-80 from the third floor, so you’ll know if you should hit the road or keep studying. We caught a glimpse of the adjoining conference center and restaurant, including the space slated to be a Starbucks store. I wonder if it’ll be like the Starbucks in the ARC… Construction is on schedule and the building is expected to be open for classes in the fall. Too bad for those of us that are graduating in June!

I took the group on a short tour of the UC Davis campus, stopping by landmarks like Shields Library, the Memorial Union, and the Eggheads. The day wrapped up with a faculty reception, where I learned many important things. For instance, Professor Barber’s dog looks like a mini-Chewbacca and has its own Facebook page. Who knew? The admitted students headed off to dinner at Bistro 33, while I went home to get ready for Saturday’s awesome Women in Leadership conference at UC Berkeley. More on that later, my term papers are calling…

Thanks to everyone who helped make MBAdmit Day a success!

MBAdmit Day!

2009-03-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

MBAdmit Day is coming soon! It's a great opportunity to learn about Davis, the GSM, and meet current students. Unlike Preview Days, there is only one MBAdmit Day and it is meant for people who have already been admitted to the program. Even if you've come to a Preview Day, I hope you can make it out to MBAdmit Day because:

- The night before, join us for the Pizza Bailout...Recovery Plan to meet current students in a relaxed environment (and come afterwards to the G Street Pub celebrate March birthdays and early graduates!).
- You will meet members of your class! I met many of my peers during this event, months before school even began. (And this was the day I experienced my favorite Kristen memory).
- There will be specific details on tuition, what to expect through a case example (this year with Prof. Yetman, who is hands down the funniest tax professor in the world), and a tour to your beautiful new building (still technically under construction, but the awesomeness is there).
- Learn about clubs and activities during the student club fair.
- Meet faculty at the wine reception at the end of the day. Experience the first of many amazing wine events - Davis knows its wine.

Can I say more? Yes, but I'll save it for MBAdmit Day. And Twitter. And Facebook.

It's on my calendar...

2009-03-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

I originally was going to do a day in the life blog post but decided that it wouldn't truly capture the typical life of an MBA student here at UC Davis.

So let's see what I have in store this week....

Monday: Head over to The ARC to get a morning workout in. I usually see my fellow UC Davis Ambassador buddy, Christine Lim, on Monday mornings. We will exchange *high fives* and continue on with our respective workouts.

I have a busy day awaiting me. It will start off with meeting my Stats group to finish our homework assignment, lunch with a classmate to share stories about the weekend, then off to Accounting. Go home, cook dinner and study for the rest of the night (with an occasional visit to espn, facebook, hulu, new york times, wall street journal and....did I just say that? I meant I'll be studying the whole time!).

Tuesday: Stats in the morning. This is one of the most intense and demanding courses I have ever taken. However, it is also my favorite course because of Professor Tsai. He challenges and pushes each student to their own individual limits but, at the same, time gives us tools and real life examples we can apply not only in the course but in our future careers.

Class done. Review my notes. Lunch. Attend one of the many workshops offered during the year by Career Services. Today: A negotiation workshop to help us learn how to effectively...negotiate! Go home, eat and mentally prepare for the first round of our intramural basketball game. We are 3-1 and seeded #2 in our league. Check back with me in a few weeks. Hopefully I can say we won the championship!

Wednesday: I have a board meeting for Net Impact, where I am the Director of Community Outreach. This club is one of the primary reasons I came to UC Davis. I wanted to be surrounded by a group of individuals who passionately want to create a positive social, environmental and economic impact in the world. Now it's off to a meeting with our career counselor, Ingher Maher. She is awesome. She is going to help me prepare for my internship interview this Friday. Wish me luck!

Thursday: Is the week over yet? Cool. It's Thursday. Almost there. 8am meeting with my fellow UC Davis Student Ambassadors to plot strategy and make sure we are out there meeting prospective students and answering your questions. 9am meeting with the Associated Students of Management, which is the UC Davis Graduate School of Management's student government. I sit on the board, where I am the Director of Finance. We will be discussing the layout of the student lounge (trust me -- it is important) at our new building next year: Gallagher Hall. I can't wait to move in there!

Now it's off to Marketing. 1:30pm: Time to catch the bus to attend the 6th Annual Peer-to-Pier event at The Waterfront Restaurant in San Francisco. This year's theme is Intrapreneurship - fostering entrepreneurism within established organizations. This will be a great networking opportunity to meet alumni, recruiters, local community leaders as well as prospective students like you. RSVP here! I hope to see and meet everyone there.

Friday: We don't have classes on Friday but that doesn't mean it is a "free day." I have my interview today for an internship for a Fortune 500 company in their Corporate Finance division. Fingers crossed. I hope it goes well! After that, I am taking three prospective students out for lunch. Finally...a chance to relax.

The Mondavi Center

2009-02-25T09:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I got a chance to see a concert of the most renowned violinists ever -- Itzhak Perlman -- and it's all because of the UC Davis Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts (often referred to as the "Mondavi Center"). Each year, they offer some really amazing -- and very unique -- shows for faculty, students, and general audiences. (Huge bonus: students get an amazing discount of 50%!)

Some of the performances offered are so in-demand that tickets are sold out before they even go on sale. So this year, a portion of the tickets for the most in-demand events were set aside just for students -- including such shows for Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma. Personally, when I heard this back in October of last year, I thought I might wander by later in the week to the center and pick up some tickets -- ha! Little did I know that a massive line had formed in front of the center on the first day of student ticket sales. Some of my friends stood in line for literally hours, and purchased extra tickets to several different shows. And because of that great idea, I was able to buy a ticket from them to both of the shows that I really wanted to see but was too lazy to stand in line for: Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma.

So yesterday, Nick (a fellow GSMer) and I went to the concert and it was awesome. I found it to be one of the most entertaining concerts I had ever been to -- full of energy and genius and humor. We saw several other GSMers there, too. And the Mondavi Center Center itself is gorgeous; this was the first time I had been there. The Arts & Entertainment Business Club had actually hosted a tour of the center last week, but I missed out -- hopefully, they'll do it again next year, especially since our new business building will be right next to the Center.

Anyway, if you're in the Davis or Sacramento area, check out the Mondavi Center! And don't make my mistake -- pick up your tickets ASAP.

Great Panel Questions

2009-02-23T16:27:00.000-08:00

I've had the great pleasure of being a panel speaker at Preview Day events for prospective and incoming students. It was only two years ago I was sitting in those seats! Now that I'm on the other side, I'm very happy to share what I know, offer advice and meet people interested in the program. Here, I'd like to share some of the (imho) best questions I've been asked in the hopes they'll help others.

Q1. Has the Davis program's size ever hindered your opportunities?
A1. Nope! The small size allows us to really get to know the administration, faculty and each other. The benefits of this are huge because the school is incredibly responsive to our needs; the faculty help their students with advice, research projects and networking; and it makes group work that much more enjoyable (b/c we actually know each other!). Also, we might be small but we're able to take advantage of the resources of UC Davis as a whole. Additionally, I've personally attended many networking events and made friends in the Bay Area thanks to the Net Impact club.

Q2. Why did you pick the GSM over other programs?
A2. I knew I wanted to return to the Bay Area after graduation, and the GSM has a strong alumni network in the area. I'm also interested in an environmental/socially focused career and feel that Northern California has some of the best organizations and opportunities for me. For me, it was also important to join a small program b/c my undergrad was huge and I really wanted a personal experience (personally, I don't consider a class size of 800 small). And finally, the City of Davis fits my lifestyle: I can bike, go to a great farmer's market, and live in a safe community.

Q3. What is your biggest gripe about the program?
A3. Lucky for you, my biggest gripe is something you'll never have to know! The GSM is moving into a beautiful new building next year that will be LEED certified. Our current building isn't as awesome.

One more thing! Yes, clearly I am a fan of the program, but the best thing you (you prospective student, you) can do is visit each school you apply to and find the one that 'fits.' Every school says they're the nicest and the best, and they're all right in their own way.

Tournament of Champions Winter Wrap up

2009-02-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

The blog post that follows is based on true events.
None of the names have been changed to protect the innocent:

Last Friday night, music fans gathered to hear their favorite songs performed by complete amateurs. The first years, feeling the strain of back to back midterms, put together a band at the last minute, confident that two hours of practice would be enough. The second years on the other hand had tryouts, nightly band practice, costumes and (I kid you not) back up dancers.

The first match up was between the unnamed band of Sam Wainer, Jake Peterson, Kara Salzman and Erdem Savasir, and The Business Casualties: Alli (G. Show) Lathrope, Zack (Risky Business) Wolf, Marianne (Venture Vixen) Chatterton and Jon (The Black Schole) Mesh. After three songs it was clear the practice had paid off as the second years took the win and 50 TOC points.

The main event pitted the Spencer Johnson Experience (Spencer Johnson, Nicholas Wong, Matt Robinson and Dustin Liang) against the Tangible Assets (Kristen (Def Leverage) Monahan, Kipp (Thor) Riesland, Jonathan (Ladykiller) Pettingill and Andy (The Knightman) Salyards). After the smoke had cleared, the second years, with Andy's short shorts, eked out a win by a mere 3,000 points (out of a half million) and walked away with the 100 TOC points.

Reeling from their double defeat at Rock Band, the first years put together a dream team of ballers. Lead by Ben Ng the first year team of Spencer Johnson, Dave Flory, Jory Macdonald, Osh Rasmussen, Wayne Leighty, Mark Ellinghouse and Nicholas Wong, shot out to an early lead. With Andy Salyards at the helm, the second year team of Mike Stock, Kipp Riesland, Joe Saltzman, Mitch Jones and Jeff Gleeson, rallied and took a 7 point lead. Then tragedy struck. After what seemed like a routine lay up, Mitch Jones collapsed on the floor. After pulling himself off the court, Mitch heroically waved off paramedics to stay and support his team. With no substitutions and a lot of time on the clock, the second years faced an uphill battle to stay in the game. With the second years unable to rest, the first years capitalized with a few key steals and well placed threes retaking the lead. With the clock winding down, the second years were forced to foul to stop the clock. Up by two, Ben Ng stepped up the line and drained both securing the 100 TOC points.

Even after the come from behind victory, the first years still trail the second years by 80 TOC points. But with a quarter and a half remaining, this tournaments is yet to be decided.

It has been an exciting few days for Tournament of Champions fans, and I want to thank everyone for coming out and participating as a competitor or as a spectator. Special thanks go out to: the Focus Groupie Dancers, Chrissy (I don't need a nickname) C, Katherine (I'm no BATNA) Johnston, Jamie (You've been Briefed) Kitano, and Roadie Mike (Preferred) Stock.

Random tidbits

2009-02-20T13:57:00.001-08:00

I have had the most serious case of writer's block (perhaps ever, and that's absolutely, positively, 1000% not hyperbole) in attempting to write a ground-breaking post. And now that way too much time has gone by, I decided to just aim for getting some words out into a post, regardless of whether or not they are coherent. So here we go -- just some random, garbled tidbits about Davis that may or may not be mildly interesting:

* For great chai: I know I am the last person to discover this, but there is a little coffee hut right outside of our building, and they serve some great chai latte. I just went there for the first time last week, and wow. I got bummed that I hadn't been drinking this during my first quarter here. (Also: you can order it extra hot so it keeps warm throughout class. Genius!)

* How the quarter system is: We are currently at the tail-end of week 7 (out of 10) in the winter quarter. This is a little scary, considering that means that finals are right around the corner. Now, I'm almost positive that we just started this quarter, like, a week ago, so I'm not quite sure how we're suddenly on week 7. Where's a physicist when you need them? Maybe Dan from "Lost"? Shoot, I think he's still on the island.

* How people here will help those in need: I'm not talking about us helping the children (although we actually do that -- check out the C4C club here) -- I'm talking about helping us students who are struggling in classes. For instance, just today, there was a finance review session to help out those who are finding some finance concepts difficult -- even though technically we don't have a TA for the class. The grader for the class volunteered his time again to help us out throughout the quarter. And I can't tell you how many times I've heard students offer to help out those who are feeling overwhelmed. This place is really supportive; I love it.

* The hardest quarter: Winter quarter of your first year is the hardest quarter. Trust. The classes are rigorous, the first years take over the club positions from the second years at the beginning of this quarter (so there's suddenly lots of club responsibilities), and students begin to get panicky about finding internships and jobs. It's a tough quarter. Also, the weather fluctuates from 55F degrees and pouring rain to near 70F and sunny within a day -- it just adds to the confusion, really.

* When to look for housing: Now. Right now. Instead of reading this post, you should be looking for housing. I thought I had a head start on the housing market when I looked in April (to find a place for September), and boy, was I wrong. Most of the places I called said their waitlists filled up in January. January! So check out daviswiki to find what places are available in Davis, and read the reviews to see what's good and what's not.

That's all I can think of for now. Peace out and have a great weekend!

Here's us!

2009-02-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

Wondering about those cool cats at the UC Davis MBA program? Like what they think of their experience at UC Davis, what they do in their spare time, and the crazy fun events they attend? We've got it covered -- the UC Davis MBA Ambassador program is online now! Some of the ambassadors will be blogging here about UC Davis, the MBA program, events, and lots of other cool stuff (like Jeff's post below!). And we'll be blogging on a regular basis, so stay tuned for some great posts. In the meantime, so you can put some faces to our names, here's a picture of us:

UC Davis on the Daily Show

2009-02-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

Dan Sperling, Director of the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center, was a guest on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last week. If you missed it, definitely check it out:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=218370&title=daniel-sperling