All great parties eventually have to end. At breakfast, the bleary-eyed Class 2011 slowly showed up for breakfast (I think many even skipped it), and received the last few piece of information. At about noon, we sent everybody home to get ready for the official first day of class, which starts next day (ouch!).
Congratulations again Class 2011!!! Welcome to Haas!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Class 2011 New Student Orientation Day 2
Today is the FUN day. Right after breakfast, the group migrated towards an open space to get a taste of their first Haas teamwork experience. Students were grouped into teams of 10. Each team was given less than one hour and very limited supply to come up with, in their collective mind, the most enduring and creative chateaus that would protect the five eggs assigned to them. The finished chateaus were then lined up in front of the crowd, to face fierce tennis ball air-fun attack, initiated by their classmates.
This was when all the superficial kindness quickly deteriorate, and everybody's true color came out. (my favorite part of the program)
After the very intense yet exciting team building exercise, the crowd was taken to the Haas campus for case study exercise and campus life panels. Sharianne did a great job leading the campus tour, while I managed the student club workshop. This year we had the following clubs and officers presenting their organization: EWMBAA (Jasmin Young), Consulting Club (Malik Kaman), Marketing Club (Chris Petersen), Finance Club (Max Chernikov), Real Estate Club (Sureentha Venigalla), Net Impact (Mike Lee), and General Management Club (Bhatha Muthiah).
At dinner time, the crowd went back to Double Tree for the peak of the day - the Dinner Festivity! The scene this year was "the 80's Rock". I was so well entertained by the superb creativity demonstrated at the party. Well, the pictures tell the story, more photos can be found on: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbOXDls4buGLoA&emid=sharshar&linkid=link3
Friday, August 8, 2008
Class 2011 New Student Orientation Day 1
Today is the opening day for 2008 Beijing Olympic, and the Haas EWMBA Class 2011 New Student Orientation.
The three-day-long Orientation is mandatory for all EWMBA students. It offers an opportunity for students to befriend one another quickly, and to received fastrack training (and mental preparation) for the upcoming years. In the past three years, the orientation has took place at the beautiful waterfront hotel - DoubleTree Berkeley Marina.
The evening started with students checking into the hotel, and the line quickly backed up just around dinner time (every year the senior students critique the suboptimal operation logic of the check-in process, but nobody ever took the initiative to conduct a free consulting session for Double Tree). The dinner hosted various speakers, including our new Dean - Professor Richard Lyons, the EWMBA Program Staffs, and an alum guest speaker Anarug Mairal, EWMBA05', from Orbees Medical.
The agenda varies every year, however is always the highlight event of the Admission Committee. This year we have the following committee members participate throughout the entire orientation - Sharianne Loui, Phil Liu, Chris Lin, Jasmin Young (on loan from the EWMBA Board), and myself. In my personal option, there is nothing more rewarding than to share my Haas experience with the new students and to witness them succeed in the program. It takes a lot of effort to help plan and actually participate in the events; however for someone who enjoys coaching and networking, Admission Committee is a top choice.
The agenda for the Class 2011 New Student Orientation is the following:
Friday, August 8, 2008
5:00pm Check-in at the Double Tree (Admission Committee Task: assist the program office staff in setup and process management)
7:30pm Introduction/Welcoming Remarks by the Dean of Haas School of Business
7:45pm Dinner (Admission Committee Task: situate one volunteer per table, offer current student perspective and facilitate networking)
8:30pm Speakers: Executive Director Evening & Weekend MBA Program; Alumni Speaker
Saturday, August 9, 2008
8:00am Breakfast (Admission Committee Task: mingle with new students, offer current student perspective and facilitate networking)
9:00am Student Services Panel
10:00am Team Building Activity (Admission Committee Task: make annoying comments and useless suggestions on people's designs; take pictures and look seasoned)
12:00pm Lunch (Admission Committee Task: mingle with new students, offer current student perspective and facilitate networking)
1:15pm Shuttles leave to the Haas School of Business
1:30pm Group Photo (Admission Committee does not take part in this)
2:00pm Case Study Exercises, Campus Tour, Q&A with Financial Aid, and Student Club Workshop (Admission Committee Task: lead the campus tour and student club workshop)
5:30pm Shuttle departs campus to the Double Tree
7:00pm Dinner Festivities: Human Bingo & Rock Band Competition (Admission Committee Task: mingle with new students, manage the Rock Band Competition)
Sunday, August 10, 2008
8:00am Check out of the Double Tree
9:00am Breakfast (Admission Committee Task: mingle with new students, offer current student perspective, facilitate networking, and notify new students that the good time is now over)
9:30am Career Center Workshop
10:30am Leading Through Innovation Presentation
11:35am Haas Alumni Network
11:40am Closing Remarks by the Program Director
The three-day-long Orientation is mandatory for all EWMBA students. It offers an opportunity for students to befriend one another quickly, and to received fastrack training (and mental preparation) for the upcoming years. In the past three years, the orientation has took place at the beautiful waterfront hotel - DoubleTree Berkeley Marina.
The evening started with students checking into the hotel, and the line quickly backed up just around dinner time (every year the senior students critique the suboptimal operation logic of the check-in process, but nobody ever took the initiative to conduct a free consulting session for Double Tree). The dinner hosted various speakers, including our new Dean - Professor Richard Lyons, the EWMBA Program Staffs, and an alum guest speaker Anarug Mairal, EWMBA05', from Orbees Medical.
The agenda varies every year, however is always the highlight event of the Admission Committee. This year we have the following committee members participate throughout the entire orientation - Sharianne Loui, Phil Liu, Chris Lin, Jasmin Young (on loan from the EWMBA Board), and myself. In my personal option, there is nothing more rewarding than to share my Haas experience with the new students and to witness them succeed in the program. It takes a lot of effort to help plan and actually participate in the events; however for someone who enjoys coaching and networking, Admission Committee is a top choice.
The agenda for the Class 2011 New Student Orientation is the following:
Friday, August 8, 2008
5:00pm Check-in at the Double Tree (Admission Committee Task: assist the program office staff in setup and process management)
7:30pm Introduction/Welcoming Remarks by the Dean of Haas School of Business
7:45pm Dinner (Admission Committee Task: situate one volunteer per table, offer current student perspective and facilitate networking)
8:30pm Speakers: Executive Director Evening & Weekend MBA Program; Alumni Speaker
Saturday, August 9, 2008
8:00am Breakfast (Admission Committee Task: mingle with new students, offer current student perspective and facilitate networking)
9:00am Student Services Panel
10:00am Team Building Activity (Admission Committee Task: make annoying comments and useless suggestions on people's designs; take pictures and look seasoned)
12:00pm Lunch (Admission Committee Task: mingle with new students, offer current student perspective and facilitate networking)
1:15pm Shuttles leave to the Haas School of Business
1:30pm Group Photo (Admission Committee does not take part in this)
2:00pm Case Study Exercises, Campus Tour, Q&A with Financial Aid, and Student Club Workshop (Admission Committee Task: lead the campus tour and student club workshop)
5:30pm Shuttle departs campus to the Double Tree
7:00pm Dinner Festivities: Human Bingo & Rock Band Competition (Admission Committee Task: mingle with new students, manage the Rock Band Competition)
Sunday, August 10, 2008
8:00am Check out of the Double Tree
9:00am Breakfast (Admission Committee Task: mingle with new students, offer current student perspective, facilitate networking, and notify new students that the good time is now over)
9:30am Career Center Workshop
10:30am Leading Through Innovation Presentation
11:35am Haas Alumni Network
11:40am Closing Remarks by the Program Director
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
July 2008 Information Session
Three third-year students - Mohit, Kalid, and I, participated in today's Information Session to provide student perspectives, and to address questions for perspective students.
All EWMBA information sessions staff at least one student guest speaker to share the following personal points of view:
- Why you chose Haas
- How you manage your work/life/school balance
- Benefits of the program, your personal ROI
For today's session, I shared the following:
"Why did I choose Haas - At the time I decided to take my career to the next level with an MBA degree, I was with Genentech, which in year 2005 was the best company to work for. I needed a program that is rigorous yet flexible so I did not have to give up my income, tenure, and internal opportunities that my company might have to offer. Secondly, considering the vast amount of time, energy, and financial capital associated with obtaining a MBA, I would either go to the best program available or don't go at all. With these two criteria, it was a no-brainer for me to go with the Haas EWMBA program.
How do I manage work/life/balance - First year was intense, I spent 25-30 hours per week in average, in additional to lecture hours. You ought to prioritize your life, might have to halt your hobbies or vacation for a while. You also need to be very creative in finding bit and piece of time and utilize them well. Plan your days well and pick teams which you can work with efficiently and effectively. Form carpools and take public transportation with classmates so you can discuss cases during commute, do homework at lunch hours. However every second you spent would be worth it, given the vast amount of experience, knowledge, and skill set you will develop.
Benefit of the program and my personal return of investment - In my opinion, the benefit of the program are three-folds: 1. it drastically expanded my horizon and offered me a set of business tools, which allowed me to speak the same languages as my senior executives; 2. it offers me an extensive professional and personal network. Remember, the moment you are accepted into the Haas family, you have immediate access to 240 talented, passionate, and supportive leaders and future leaders, and will build a strong and ever lasting bond with them; 3. It harnessed my potential and helped me see what I am capable of. Many opportunities now have been opened to me because of the Hass EWMBA program."
I welcome all of you who are interested in the Haas EWMBA program, to attend at least one information session. And stay after the session to speak to our current students. You will not be disappointed with the information they have to share.
To access a list of future EWMBA Information Session, please follow the link: https://ssl.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/eventsew/
All EWMBA information sessions staff at least one student guest speaker to share the following personal points of view:
- Why you chose Haas
- How you manage your work/life/school balance
- Benefits of the program, your personal ROI
For today's session, I shared the following:
"Why did I choose Haas - At the time I decided to take my career to the next level with an MBA degree, I was with Genentech, which in year 2005 was the best company to work for. I needed a program that is rigorous yet flexible so I did not have to give up my income, tenure, and internal opportunities that my company might have to offer. Secondly, considering the vast amount of time, energy, and financial capital associated with obtaining a MBA, I would either go to the best program available or don't go at all. With these two criteria, it was a no-brainer for me to go with the Haas EWMBA program.
How do I manage work/life/balance - First year was intense, I spent 25-30 hours per week in average, in additional to lecture hours. You ought to prioritize your life, might have to halt your hobbies or vacation for a while. You also need to be very creative in finding bit and piece of time and utilize them well. Plan your days well and pick teams which you can work with efficiently and effectively. Form carpools and take public transportation with classmates so you can discuss cases during commute, do homework at lunch hours. However every second you spent would be worth it, given the vast amount of experience, knowledge, and skill set you will develop.
Benefit of the program and my personal return of investment - In my opinion, the benefit of the program are three-folds: 1. it drastically expanded my horizon and offered me a set of business tools, which allowed me to speak the same languages as my senior executives; 2. it offers me an extensive professional and personal network. Remember, the moment you are accepted into the Haas family, you have immediate access to 240 talented, passionate, and supportive leaders and future leaders, and will build a strong and ever lasting bond with them; 3. It harnessed my potential and helped me see what I am capable of. Many opportunities now have been opened to me because of the Hass EWMBA program."
I welcome all of you who are interested in the Haas EWMBA program, to attend at least one information session. And stay after the session to speak to our current students. You will not be disappointed with the information they have to share.
To access a list of future EWMBA Information Session, please follow the link: https://ssl.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/eventsew/
Monday, June 16, 2008
Planning for New Student Orientation Starts
The highlight of the year for the Admission Committee is the 3-day New Student Orientation occurs in August every year.
Typically the planning starts months ahead since the committee needs to conduct brainstorming followed by detailing out the logistics. Today is our first meeting, and the core planning committee composed of: Sharianne, Phil, Swati, Chris, and myself. Our contact in the Program Office is Siu Yung Wong (aka Mr. Wong), Siu Yung is the main person who makes the orientation happen.
The followings are the scope for the Admission Committee:
1. Assist in the selection and recruiting of a guest speaker for Friday night.
2. Organize and execute the Saturday night entertainment event.
3. Organize and execute campus tours. Recruit and train volunteers, plan detailed logistics.
4. Organize and execute student club workshop. Recruit club officers, plan detailed logistics.
5. Assist the Program Office staff in facilitating the overall flow of the event.
6. Serve as the student ambassadors during check-in, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
There are lots of work ahead of us, however after today's first meeting, it is apparent that we have an extremely engaging and capable team that will make this orientation a great success!
Typically the planning starts months ahead since the committee needs to conduct brainstorming followed by detailing out the logistics. Today is our first meeting, and the core planning committee composed of: Sharianne, Phil, Swati, Chris, and myself. Our contact in the Program Office is Siu Yung Wong (aka Mr. Wong), Siu Yung is the main person who makes the orientation happen.
The followings are the scope for the Admission Committee:
1. Assist in the selection and recruiting of a guest speaker for Friday night.
2. Organize and execute the Saturday night entertainment event.
3. Organize and execute campus tours. Recruit and train volunteers, plan detailed logistics.
4. Organize and execute student club workshop. Recruit club officers, plan detailed logistics.
5. Assist the Program Office staff in facilitating the overall flow of the event.
6. Serve as the student ambassadors during check-in, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
There are lots of work ahead of us, however after today's first meeting, it is apparent that we have an extremely engaging and capable team that will make this orientation a great success!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Second Round Admissions Calls
The second round admitted students got the good news this past week. Admisssions Committee volunteers called to congratulate them, answer questions, and encourage them to attend the welcome reception. After the welcome reception, the next big project for the committee is preparation for orientation.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Q&A
Interviews for the second round applicants are still going on. We had another series of Saturday interviews. This time the interviewees were mainly from out of town. Many of the applicants planned to fly to the Bay Area for Saturday classes, while others planned to relocate if he or she is accepted into the program. Three of the applicants came in from Washington DC. All of them planned to relocate. It would be a hellish commute otherwise.
A number of the current EWMBA students were on hand to give tours of the Haas campus, introduce the prospective students to professors and answer any questions about the EWMBA program.
Some of the questions asked by the prospective students included:
"Are there any vegetarian restaurants?"
-Um, yes. Welcome to Berkeley.
"Can you explain the bidding system for classes?"
-They are for the elective classes. You need to get through the core classes first.
And the most popular question of the day,
"How much time do you spend on homework outside of class?"
-A lot.
A number of the current EWMBA students were on hand to give tours of the Haas campus, introduce the prospective students to professors and answer any questions about the EWMBA program.
Some of the questions asked by the prospective students included:
"Are there any vegetarian restaurants?"
-Um, yes. Welcome to Berkeley.
"Can you explain the bidding system for classes?"
-They are for the elective classes. You need to get through the core classes first.
And the most popular question of the day,
"How much time do you spend on homework outside of class?"
-A lot.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The Ides of March
The second round application deadline has passed and the review process is underway. About 40 of the applicants for the Class of 2011 came in for interviews on March 15th. While that may not have been a good day for Julius Caesar, it may prove to be an auspicious day for some of the applicants.
Stacey, Sharianne, Philip and I acted as student ambassadors for the event. We gave tours of the Haas campus and answered any questions that the applicants may have had about the EWMBA program. The applicants asked many great questions and were very enthusiastic about EWMBA program.
I was that applicant sitting in the waiting room not too long ago. It was interesting to be on the other side.
I had a few thoughts about the interview process. This is not a job interview—it’s worse. The EWMBA application process is long and takes many steps. Applicants need to write several essays, get letters of recommendation and take the GMAT. After all that, only two-thirds of the applicants are invited for an interview. The interview is a chance for the admissions committee to get to know the applicant. This is the applicant’s chance to shine.
Here are some things to consider before an MBA interview.
Stacey, Sharianne, Philip and I acted as student ambassadors for the event. We gave tours of the Haas campus and answered any questions that the applicants may have had about the EWMBA program. The applicants asked many great questions and were very enthusiastic about EWMBA program.
I was that applicant sitting in the waiting room not too long ago. It was interesting to be on the other side.
I had a few thoughts about the interview process. This is not a job interview—it’s worse. The EWMBA application process is long and takes many steps. Applicants need to write several essays, get letters of recommendation and take the GMAT. After all that, only two-thirds of the applicants are invited for an interview. The interview is a chance for the admissions committee to get to know the applicant. This is the applicant’s chance to shine.
Here are some things to consider before an MBA interview.
- Be gracious.
- Ask questions. This is a good chance to interact with people from the EWMBA program.
- Wear a suit. Men should wear a tie. If you don’t own a suit, then buy one. It may even be considered as tax-deductible. There will be plenty of occasions when wearing a suit is required during the EWMBA program.
- Smile and say, “Thank you.”
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
2008 Admissions Committee
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