Now the real stuff begins...
Here are the Montmelian Ball pics. Great stuff. I think Montmelian was the best "big party" of the year. One reason was, the theme was easy and fun, and everybody put a lot of effort in it, and one other reason was, organisers splashed money in it.
With a couple of weeks into P2 now, we can safely say that the real stuff has begun.
For one thing, every course ties in not only with other courses, but also with P1 courses. It is gloating to see that the building blocks of our learning experience match just as if piling up legos, to have Professors interacting with other courses, us realising how the value of past courses Professors, and that the whole thing is shaping up pretty nicely.
Then, participation is free reining. It flows from all over the place, intelligently and very often hilariously. On this, you'd have to believe me, because Professors are not funny the P1 way -like Enrico or Theo, for whom I could have quote any class. It's just contextual fun. And so real fun!
It's not mean, not flow-breaking... Just perfect to me.
For instance, today on the Ice Fili (Russian ice cream producer) case, a Russian classmate and Strategy Professor had this chat about how "fat tastes good". It is not funny per se, but becomes so in the context of two people who obviously have enjoyed the many pleasures of life. That same Russian student had everyone laughing continuously as we were confronted with 1 hour of non-stop Russian business humour, ie. the type of jokes only the storyteller knows about and laughs about. Excellent stuff.
Earlier in the week, we had Leading Organizations (OB course, follow-up of Leading People and Groups of P1). I must say that this was the ultimate INSEAD experience. So lively, so sharp, so all over the amphi comments. Credit to Professor Thomas d'Aunno, who really mastered the class brilliantly.
That brings me to Organizational Behaviour. It is easy to overlook the subject, or underestimate its value. I spoke to a P5 yesterday, about her conclusions on her INSEAD experience. She told me how valuable in retrospect OB had been for her, and how the many alumni she had met confirmed that OB was invaluable. It is easy to understand why: presumably, Accounting or Finance can be learned from books (although I'm a firm believer that the exchange in the classroom cannot be replaced), while OB can hardly. It requires interaction, as if classes were live assessment training centres. She also told me that INSEAD is very strong in OB, with Professors recognised in the BSchool world, and that students should not miss the experience.
Evoking live interactions, I need to talk about groups. Friends have asked me about latest developments. I guess P2 numerous case studies are stretching group models. By that I mean that solid groups which built strong relationships, clear norms, and strong acceptance, are discovering their competitive advantage over others. Others are having problems of the following kinds: past the point of infights, some of their members are giving up; mounting frustrations to a point of inevitable clash; or shaking group balance that risks collapse and needs redefine ground rules. That often happens when group members initally had settled for some facade appeasement, compromise. Anyway, in my particular point, it's a bit of everything. I for one have decided to keep on with the fragile balance, as long as output is good, unless someone tries too hard to push principles which I strongly oppose. Not ideal, but so is life.
Singapore exchange results have been out: everyone who applied for Singapore will be able to go there. That means a record number of Fonty starters flying over in January. The School really does a great job in accomodating all individual wishes.
Next social events: the French Week (next week), and the Winter Ball...
Labels: Campus exchange, National Weeks, P2 Courses, Social Life
The Best Year of our lives...
As I was running this morning next to the Chateau I was stuck by how cold it was, but how beautiful too in the middle of the fog. Reflecting on the past week, it reminded me of Marketing Professor's comment, that INSEAD's learning method is like a murder story, in which you are given clues along the way and suddenly, near the end, you solve the puzzle and the Truth appears to you, in a blatant way. The analogy, of course, being that each lessons is like a step in the fog.
This morning run enabled me to ponder my immediate next step: Singapore or not Singapore in P3? I mean, I love the Fontainebleau life, honestly. Contrarily to many, I think the small town atmosphere is a plus, as it allows to study, and reflect, and not to be distracted by the many pleasures of bustling cities. Two elements stongly could tip the balance in favour of going to Singapore: best electives in P3, by far, compared to Fonty, in terms of quantity and quality (as measured by feedback grades); and not losing touch with classmates. Two-thirds of them will be going, during 20% of the Programme. Three elements would tip the balance for Fonty: the really nice life over here, the comfort of not moving out and in and out and in again, and that anyway my housemates told me they arranged their accomodation with other people already (ie. a sign that, we'll all lose track of each other anyway).
Yesterday was the Montmelian Party. This is iconic in the INSEAD year. Montmelian is a bit of an oddity. Rooms are passed to subsequent intakes either through some kind of interviews process or through cooptation. Which makes the atmosphere really special if you like it. The Chateau itself is magnificent, the grounds are superb. The inside is a bit on the old and inconvenient side though..
So why the best year of our lives? This is a quote from P5s actually at the Montmelian Ball. These guys will be out in the real life in 6 weeks... They are getting so nostalgic of their year here already. And so, as the P5 speaker was getting in the mood of the party, he got a bit sentimental. "Make it the best year of your life", was his straight-from-the heart line. He was totally right: we have a duty to ourselves, our families, our companies, our partners, to make it the best year of our lives. Some people think of it as, as much partying and fun as can be. Whilst they should definitely play hard, harder than ever, they should never forget to work hard as well. Where/when else can you find so many bright people with whom to share? so many opportunities to enrich yourself or start up your own project?
This is a good reminder for myself first, as I've been close to falling behind irreparably last week. Also, a timely moment to set my objectives into stone today. You see, the Entrepreneurship Faculty has this "Letter to myself" policy, in which participants write themselves a letter that will be sent to them one year after by the Entrepreneurship Professor. This letter is secret, but 2 INSEAD grads shared what they had written in it, and how helpful it had been for them to kickstart their projects. As I remain anonymous on campus, I feel ok sharing my goals over here, to which INSEAD/myself will be judged at the end of the programme.
1. Learning: I will work hard and build intuition on core subjects
2. Learning: I will not focus on Z-grades but on absolute grades, as a benchmark to myself, and not my peers
3. Learning: I will take electives that I chose upon applying (to match my current and long-term business objectives)
4. Learning: Although I hate Finance and Accounting, I will work hard on these subjects to make sure that I master them thoroughly.
5. Learning: I will improve my soft skills here through electives and participation
6. Lifestyle: I will limit my sleep to 6 hours in normal days, from 2AM to 8AM, and make sure that the rest of the day is packed with classes, group work, sports, and social interactions
7. Lifestyle: I will commit myself more in medium-term partnerships
8. Lifestyle: I will build durable friendships at INSEAD, while not neglecting current outside ones.
9. Lifestyle: I will make it the Best Year of My Life, and not regret anything.
10. Work Project: After INSEAD I will work in entrepreneurship (in one way or the other), and start up a business within 1 year of graduation.
Here's the rule: I can add objectives along the way, but never substract any. At the end of INSEAD, I shall review and see how effectively the School will have helped me attain them.
Cheers!
To see the video teaser of the party (I'll have a post on the party itself once I get pics):
www.montmelian.orgLabels: Campus exchange, Private, Social Life
Singapore, Philly, and another exam next week
This week, Dean Antonio Fatas introduced us to the campus exchange programme.
It is quite early, but decisions will have be taken within 2 weeks already.
As you all know, INSEAD has two campuses -Fonty and Singapore- in which classes are identical, and where students can spend periods with few restrictions. In reality, the School guarantees students to spend at least one period in the other campus. The only problem is, students seem to want to swap campus at the same time -you might call it the INSEAD trashumance. This is how it happens: because Fonty alledgedly is soooo cold during winter, close to 3 sections out of 4 migrate to Singapore during P3, while only 1 section out of 2 does the reverse from Singapore to Fonty. That is, during P3 (January and February), Fonty and Singapore accomodate the same number of people, with 3 sections each. Actually, strictly speaking, Singapore had more people in P3 this year -I believe it had 4 sections to 2 in Fonty, and that School's Admin did a magnificient job in satisfying everyone.
After a quick survey, I found out that this year again, a lot of students will apply for P3 swap. I guess Singapore campus has really entered INSEAD culture -after what is believed to have been a shaky start- and students make the most of the campus for the following reasons: exposure to Asian business and culture, week-end travels to Asia, and lenient weather.
On the other hand, Wharton exchange did not have the same success. Last year, for instance, of the 35 seats up for grab, 20+ only were taken. The exchange is more sought after by December intakes -as their P3/P4 coincide with Recruitment in the US. Another reason why the outflow to Wharton is not so great has to do with limited courses availability (semi credit courses due to Wharton's 4 months credits), competing with INSEAD's electives which are more intense and more diverse.
First deadline is next week: Wharton application. I'll decide as well whether going to Singapore in P3 or not.
Next week we also have our second Microeconomics quiz. This course is getting more and more interesting, mainly because Professor Van Zandt shines. It is still last in my P1 priorities, but as is becoming more visible in terms of business application, and taught in a superb manner, it is among my favorite classes. I expect a not stellar grade though.
Week-end's programme: INSEAD fellow's birthday party in Paris, and revisions for quiz. I'll miss the Sex and Rock'n'Roll party :-(
Yesterday, we all went to Fonty's BAKARDI -close to the Chateau. It is head and shoulders above other Fonty bars. Lively, and crowded. Just don't take the mojito...
Labels: Campus exchange, Exams, Social Life
Here are the Montmelian Ball pics. Great stuff. I think Montmelian was the best "big party" of the year. One reason was, the theme was easy and fun, and everybody put a lot of effort in it, and one other reason was, organisers splashed money in it.
