over and done
Like a clap of thunder, first semester was loud and intense. Also like a clap of thunder, the first semester seems to have gone by really quickly. But I like a good thunderstorm, so I’m looking forward to the next one.
Finals concluded. Not really much more to say about that. The ones I was expecting to be impossibily difficult weren’t, while the ones I was expecting to be easy, weren’t either. It was an experience in resetting expectations. But they’re over, and from the vantage point of vacation, that’s really all that matters.
3+ weeks away from the bubble is going to give me a nice opportunity to unwind, unplug, and otherwise chew on everything I learned and all the experiences I had over the last 4 months. I’ll also have to start wrapping up the formalized job search/application process, as the official resume drop date is January 6.
But for now: resting and relaxing.
finals
We’re in the middle of final exams here at hbs. The school doesn’t have a “reading week” for exam prep and all exams are open book. One prof even told us not to study but just get a good night’s sleep before the exam. As usual with anything evaluative, anxiety seemed high at school going into Friday’s Marketing exam. Coming out, though, it seemed most people were surprised by the intensity of the case and the lack of help gained from excessive preparation.
So this weekend quickly morphed from a 48 hour scheduled study session, to a relaxing study as you want weekend with a social outing Friday night and a dinner party last night. Today is study time.
Exams here all work mostly the same way – 4 or 4.5 hours to read a case and write somewhere between 750 and 1500 words analyzing it (some with exhibits to create in the analysis). The exam is then graded and added to the forced curve… approximately 10% of the section receives a 1 (the high mark), approximately 80% of the section receives a 2, and approximately 10% of the section receives a 3 (the low mark).
Racking up too many 3′s lands one in trouble with the school (though there seems to be a whole lot of urban myth going around about what the criteria are for that – and what the consequences could be). The course final grade is derived from some (varying) combination of midterm grade, final grade, and class participation grade, usually weighted heavily toward class participation.
I’m hoping the rest of the exams go smoothly. There are 4 remaining. Mostly I’m looking forward to the end of them and my birthday party on Thursday night…
