International Dreaming

Photo Courtesy of Katherine Baroutgian

Tuesday is a big day for the Marketing Club.  It’s our first official event: a focus group for the start-up company Open Runway.  After class we meet at the Curry Center in our reserved room and are greeted by a tabletop of shoes, purses and fabric swatches.  Needless to say we all rush the display and begin proclaiming our favorites.  The event opens with a presentation by the CEO and a Northeastern 2^nd- year who is working there for his corporate residency.  He shows us the beta version of their website and gives the club a run-down of their company goals and vision.  They split us into groups with an assignment to come up with some marketing ideas given their meager budget.  I’m quite impressed with our results.  Propositions ranging from giant shoes placed strategically on public streets to targeting sororities with free samples surface in the discussion.

The meeting was definitely a success and it gives the executive board a boost of confidence to pursue our next big activity.

Photo courtesy of Katherine Baroutgian

Wednesday we get our mid-term participation grade in marketing.  I’m sure no good can come of this since I feel that my comments in the class are not all that innovative or deep.  But, contrary to my belief, I am placed in the top 25% of the class with some very reassuring comments from my professor.  A couple of teachers have done similar mid-term participation check-ups and I really appreciate them.  It helps prevent any unfortunate surprises when those grades come in around January.

After desperately trying to keep awake during the rest of class (keep in mind my late nights) I learn that Information Resources is canceled.  It’s amazing what two extra hours in your day can do.   I spend them with my group divvying up our High Performance Organization essay before heading to my second executive luncheon.

This time around I meet with Joanna Storella, the Chief Financial Officer of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.  I am happy to say that it was another fabulous meeting.  A former Northeastern MBA, Ms. Storella is very candid with us on her time at the school, her diverse career path, her involvement in MBA Connections and more.  With two great networking experiences under my belt, I’m beginning to regret not signing up for more luncheons. 

Now, for a little word of advice: My luncheon with Ms. Storella was categorized under finance, but after looking into the description a little more I learned that Ms. Storella concentrated in marketing during her time at Northeastern and that she had a couple of marketing jobs prior to her current career in finance.  So, while it might be tempting to only sign up for luncheons in your concentration, you can get a lot by keeping an open mind and realizing that just because a person is currently in a position that might not interest you, they might know someone in your preferred department or have even worked there themselves.

After all is said and done, I get home at 3:30pm today! This is the earliest I’ve been home all school year and it feels amazing (even if it was only because I skipped out on my workout).  I take a nap and spend the rest of the night doing accounting and researching for my informational interview tomorrow with Collette Travel.

Thursday is a great day!  After class I head home for my 4:00pm phone interview with Mr. Eric Welter, the Executive Vice President of Marketing at Collette Travel.  The experience was fabulous!  Mr. Welter was so kind and generous in spending more than 30 minutes speaking with me and answering questions.  He recounted his impressive work history (including being a VP of marketing for J. Jill and Viking River Cruises) and gave me some suggestions on how to better prepare myself for the competitive world of marketing.  It was so refreshing to meet someone who is enthusiastic about their job.  Too often I feel that once I talk to someone in a field I’m interested in, they serve to only dissuade me from that path, grumbling and complaining; not Mr. Welter. He even told me about his favorite travel destinations.  What’s more, when he saw my phone number come up on caller ID, he mentioned my 818 area code (LA) and said he knew someone I could talk to at Viking River Cruises in Woodland Hills when I go home for the holidays.  I’m so excited!  This opportunity just wouldn’t have been possible without Northeastern.

To add to my fabulous day, news I’ve been waiting for since applying to Northeastern was posted today: our international field study trip destinations!  I could hardly contain myself as I scrolled down the list on the Gradbiz Enewsletter.  Our options, you ask?  India (my DREAM country to visit!), Russia, China/Hong Kong and Argentina/Brazil.  The only problem is picking just one.  Being my travel-obsessed and dorky self I immediately begin researching locations and possible side trips.  The one unfortunate result of my Google search is this: India is its hottest during the month of May; the month I would be there.  And I’m not talking California hot; I’m talking AVERAGES of 90-104 degrees with numbers in the 120s not uncommon.  Considering I’ll be wearing a business suit, this issue warrants some consideration.  Anyway, I’ll find out more about these trips during our informational session on November 10. 

Tonight is also our Team 58 Halloween party at Symphony 8.  I stop by for a couple of hours and have fun seeing my classmates in full costume.  Plus, some persuasive organizers of this party manage to get all of us drink and food deals for the entire night.  Ah, the benefits of having MBA students as your party planners.

Career Management this week centers around a cover letter workshop.  It’s a short class and I’m done in plenty of time to head over for the free Excel workshop I signed up for.  While the lesson starts off a bit slow, I end up learning about pivot tables and macros, functions that could have saved me a lot of time over the years.  After this session,I’m beginning to feel more like an, as our professor dubs it, “Excel guru”.  My next assignment will be ripe with beautiful graphs and charts, no doubt.

This afternoon I come home to find that my landlord has been to my house to take some photographs for their website (with my permission of course).  Apparently, they think I've utilized my tiny space pretty well.  Just in case you’re wondering what 220 square feet looks like:

220 Square feet of glory

Sunday is Halloween!  Now, I’m sad to say, in the life of grad student, this day turns out to lose some of its ‘fun’ element, but at least I get some entertainment out of watching the costumed citizens of Boston while waiting for the “T” or grabbing groceries.  So fun!

And, in the complete opposite spirit of this candy-frenzied holiday, I make myself go the gym.  It’s been four days and I’m beginning to feel the effects.  After a few hours of homework I decide to head to Macy’s for their birthday sale.  I am proud to say that I have finally found my big, poofy winter coat- and at 40% off at that! Plus, I manage to snag a pair of boots on sale which will be useful in the coming week.  Monday and Tuesday temperature highs are predicted to be 49 degrees.  Brrr....

My new marshmallow coat

I close off the day with some homework and, while I don’t have any candy in hand tonight, there’s always the day after Halloween sweets sales. Yum!

* The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its faculty, staff or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Katrina Graves.