In Retrospect

So over the last week and a half or so, our first year class has managed to wrap up two final deliverables, three finals, a 48 hour integrative case, and the first round of resume drops. It was a grueling end to a tough (but fun!) semester, and as I lounge around in my friend's apartment in NYC, it's surprising to me that I can say, in all honesty....it wasn't that bad. What it comes down to, I think, is that the core curriculum is designed to stretch you and push you out of your comfort zone, and as you respond to each new challenge you become more and more resilient, and more prepared to take on the next one.

After delivering our presentation on Monday evening and celebrating our success (not only were we done with The Core, but Team 26 ended up taking home second place in the competition), I headed to NYC yesterday morning with my fellow Marketing Association trek attendees - we visited Johnson & Johnson in Fort Washington, PA yesterday, and have American Express, Reckitt Benckiser, Colgate-Palmolive, and Unilever on the agenda through Friday.

Despite a busy schedule even after academics have officially been put to bed, it is nice to have some down time to appreciate the softer side of business school. The support and encouragement we received from second year students, faculty, and each other as we finished up was amazing, and I really think that is a key aspect of the Johnson School experience. On Saturday, I will be heading back to Massachusetts to spend time with family and rest up for next semester - I will check back in before I head back to Ithaca in January. In the meantime, I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

Career!

On Thursday and Friday of last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the second annual Executive Coaching program run through the Marketing Immersion - what a fantastic event! Warren Ellish, a Sr. Lecturer here at the Johnson School, put together an amazingly diverse panel of sixteen marketing executives with experience in many different industries - traditional CPG, technology, healthcare, cause marketing, hospitality, and executive search, to name a few - who traveled to Ithaca to share their career experience and offer their advice with students interested in marketing. On Thursday evening, we all had the opportunity to mingle with the participating executives at a reception at the Statler Hotel - it was great to get the perspective of people coming from such various backgrounds and career paths, yet all with a marketing connection. And, it was really inspiring to see how many options there are out there, and how worth it it is to really make sure you are on a path that works for you.

On Friday, each of us spent forty minutes with two different executives and used the opportunity to talk about whatever was on our minds. I was particularly interested in refining my "story" and making sure I was clearly communicating why my past experience has led me to pursue a career in brand management. I also used the time with my coaches to narrow down my target list of companies and to talk through some of my PARs (Problem Action Result framework used to answer behavioral questions in interviews) to make sure I am on the right path. All in all, I think the two day event was a true testament to some of the key strengths of the Johnson School, both in the dedication it takes to put something like this together as well as in the responsiveness and availability of alumni who are willing to help.

On top of the Executive Coaching program, this week brought several additional high level executives to the Johnson School. On Wednesday, myself and several other marketing students had lunch with Bill Pearce, the CMO of Del Monte Foods. Bill talked with us about what brand management looks like within Del Monte, the skills needed to be successful, his vision for Del Monte going forward, and what he has learned from reflecting on his own career in marketing. On Thursday, William Weldon, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson, presented at the 2008 Lewis H. Durland Memorial Lecture. Mr. Weldon, who began his career with Johnson & Johnson in 1971 in the sales and marketing department of its McNeil Pharmaceutical subsidiary, discussed his perspective on leadership and maintaining company values through times of opportunity and challenge, which is something that I believe truly sets the company apart. After the presentation, I had the opportunity to connect with several Johnson School alums involved in various marketing roles within the Johnson & Johnson family of companies who were in Ithaca for the event, and was once again reminded of how lucky we are to have such a strong marketing program here at the Johnson School.

So, needless to say, it's been a very exciting few weeks career-wise.....now back to Finance!

Fall Musings

This semester, I have really tried to focus on striking the right balance between three of the most significant components of the business school experience - classes, career, and clubs. It's really easy to get caught up in academics, especially if you haven't seen the material before, and oftentimes it requires a very conscious effort to switch gears in order to really take advantage of all of the opportunities that the Johnson School and Ithaca offer. If you're looking for it, there is something going on almost every night - I would have to say that the Johnson School in particular is a very social community (even if sometimes that is in the form of study sessions!). Last week, the weekly Sage Social (aptly renamed "Sage Spooktacular" in honor of Halloween) kicked off with plenty of seasonal food and drink, and was capped off with a pretty impressive team pumpkin carving contest (shout out to Alanna's team for taking home first prize!). I took advantage of some down time on Thursday night to relax at home with my boyfriend and a scary movie - we are huge fans, and hey - 'tis the season. After working on some career stuff on Friday morning, I spent the afternoon at the mall trying to sort out my costume - three friends and I went as an assortment of beverages - for the Halloween party at Kennedy Hall sponsored by the Johnson School Student Association. I had vowed that I wouldn't leave my costume until the last minute, but last minute it was - as many tasks here have to be due to the sheer volume of problem sets, projects, and other deadlines coming at you all at once. It all worked out in the end, however, as it always does, and everyone enjoyed a night of great music, dancing, drinks, and (especially) company.

In other news, we received our new core team assignments yesterday. While my first core team was amazing and I feel like we established really strong relationships, I am looking forward to getting to know my new team better and getting started on our group assignments. More to come!

The Core: Part II

Seven weeks have flown by! I heard it would happen, but here I am, one day away from the end of fall break, about to start the second half of the core, and finding it a little hard to believe. To recap, the previous lineup was Economics, Accounting, and Marketing - on Monday, we start Strategy, Statistics, and Finance. So much has happened since we started in August, and I wanted to take a few minutes to describe one of the most important lessons I've learned: efficiency. It has found it's way into my MBA life in a number of ways, starting with something as simple as carrying one binder with a week's worth of material instead of three with the semester's worth (thanks, Aleda!). Next, fitting group meetings, club meetings, career work groups, company briefings, socializing, and golf lessons into an already over-scheduled schedule, and then on to midterms. I was drawn to the Johnson School for the intense, collaborative community, and it was amazing to see this come into play in the days leading up to exams. Not competition, but support, flew over email and into breakout rooms in the form of t-account charts, study guides, peer-run review sessions, and (finally!) celebratory drinks. I'm almost scared to admit it, but as I've been on break I've missed the sense of camaraderie that pervaded our jam-packed schedule over the past few months. Close friends from undergrad at Boston College have been visiting during break, and it has been really fun to relax and explore the state parks, gorges, and especially the wineries surrounding Ithaca (I'll post pictures soon!). Even so, I'm looking forward to getting back to Sage tomorrow - and that's how I know I'm in the right place and on the right track, and why I'm excited to move on to the next chapter in our MBA career.

Kelly A. Quinn

I grew up in Hudson, MA and attended Boston College, where I majored in English and Communications. After two years with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, I transitioned to Simon Management Group, a market strategy consulting firm focused on growth opportunities for technology-based companies. I spent the last two years living and working in Golden, CO and made the decision to return to business school to build a stronger marketing foundation. I am interested in pursuing a career in brand management and am excited about the wealth of opportunities that The Johnson School offers in this regard. I am participating in the Park Leadership Fellows program and look forward to sharing my experiences with you.