Whenever you meet alumni from any business school, an often heard expression is 'you won't know how the two years went by so quickly'. I felt people tended to exaggerate the statement but the past month has taught me otherwise. I've been at Tuck for a little over 5 weeks but it seems like forever. And I mean that in the good sense. I have settled in really well - amazing facilities, helpful classmates, fabulous program office and a welcoming culture. Additionally, our professors have kept us really busy. Tuck is renowned for haivng the most rigorous fall term of any school and Fall A has proved it very nicely.
For those unfamiliar with Tuck's academic calendar, the first 4 weeks on campus are termed as Fall A - a business school boot camp if you will. Classes are held Monday through Friday - 2 quantitative classes and 2 qualitative ones. Lots of cases, study group meetings, homework assignments and presentations. Add to that club signups and kick off meetings, recruiting (not interviews but company presentations/networking) and hockey season kickoff - you'd be wishing there were more than 24 hours in the day. It gets REALLY busy and you often find the most extroverted folks hibernating in their rooms (or conference/study rooms). For someone like me, being busy is good and the way of life I prefer. I loathe having too much free time on my hands. Further, this term has helped us prioritize time, which goes back to the first class you attend during orientation on time management. Oh and did I mention we've already completed 2 mid term exams and 1 final exam? By this time next week I would have completed three final exams and officially marked the end of Fall A!
The last point above is very important. In the short time I've been here, I've been overwhelmed with the diversity of options available - professionally, personally and eveything in between. Seriously - social life is the least of your worries in Hanover. Folks tend to sign up for more they can handle, only to taper their commitments as time goes by. You learn to make trade offs early, which is a good exercise and indispensable for the two years at Tuck. And just when you feel you've got it right, you remember you have a whole other class - our seniors, the T14s - who are returning to campus to make life much more eventful for us. We had the hockey draft party this Saturday which was great. Everyone relieved their Fall A study pressure dancing the night away and I was introduced to a great American tradition - beer kegs.
Besides studying, I've prioritized a few other things. I'm getting back to playing some soccer at least once a week. I've bought the ice hockey gear (Tuck's annual hockey gear sale was last weekend) and although I can barely stand on ice, I'm pumped about learning the sport in the next 2 years. I'm also attending GlenTuck meetings (Tuck's scotch and single malt appreciation club) and have joined a few professional clubs. I'm loving the life thus far - not having enough time on my hands is a good problem to have!