Today was the first day of orientation at my MBA program. I kept a skeptical mind through what I call the kool-aid film, a short industrial video with rights-free music playing over interviews of happy students, intercut with b-roll of classroom discussions and wine-tasting events. The dean's introductory remarks spoke to our concerns about our choice of school. I have to say, I was convinced, but then again, I wanted to believe. I needed to.
As it happens, I went to orientation at the other school I was admitted to, and withdrew from them the next day. I was tormented by that decision for two weeks while I waited for school to start. the other school was much less expensive and, within my company and field, regarded equally well. Going to Stern is going to set me back financially. However, the presentation was much more solid, the professors presenting their curriculum inspired more confidence, and the students I interacted had an easy confidence and life experience that more closely matched what I am looking for in classmates. I really do believe I am making a stronger investment in Stern, if not financially, then in intangibles such as fellow alumni and career options.
So there.
We attended two presentations in the Schiller auditorium. The afternoon was spent in a room in the Kaufman center getting to know our color-coded cohort (I'm an orange, as it turns out, matching my purse and my blouse).
In one of our exercises, we broke into groups by industry and had to come up with a funny anecdote to tell. Despite my technology career, I put myself in the media and entertainment group. There were two guys from cable networks who had very interesting stories, but they were not exactly work-appropriate; one involved an email chain about a girl who got drunk at a party and . . .excreted bodily discharges over a white-lined piece of furniture. Thus, I was elected to tell a story, from my Sundance days.
Basically, the story goes like this: As a manager at the largest venue at Sundance, I rely on a crew of local volunteers, retirees looking to meet people and have fun who are not the urban sophisticates who descend upon the city every year. They are told not to admit people without a ticket or appropriate credential. They take their responsibility very seriously. Furthermore, they are not to admit people who show up more than twenty minutes late, because it disrupts the screening. Film is taken very seriously at Sundance.
Well, one day last year, there was a commotion and I was called to attend. A man in a black coat and his girlfriend were being denied access. I saw his credential and immediately realized he was the head of one of the most powerful movie and television companies in the world, with diverse holdings in local, national and international production and distribution, as well as cable. I took over and offered to find him a seat.
The point of the story is that some people are indeed more important than others, and the rules to dno always apply.
I got a good laugh, especially from other students who knew who the guy was (I used his name in class, though I won't mention it here).
So, I had a good time, and I look forward to tomorrow, and starting classes Thursday.
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