First Year Grad School Reflections
For my last official blog, I thought the it would be cool to give the 'likes' and 'dislikes' of my first year of graduate school. It is always rewarding to take a moment and reflect over the year. The most obvious (and notable) fact is how fast the first year of grad school went by. It's hard to believe I am already starting my summer internship when it seems like yesterday I arrived at Gerlach Hall for my first day of orientation. With all that said, let us begin our journey down memory lane.
My disclaimer: these are the expressed written thoughts of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the FCOB.
THE GOOD.
1. The Varsity Club. Oh, the memories of Autumn Quarter 2010. It was "VC" every Thursday night after Stats. I really feel the time spent at the Varsity Club shaped our class in a very positive way. We all got to know each other on a more personal level and it allowed us to wind down after a long week of class.
2. The "Cohort". We have a great class. Enuf said. Fellow MLHR Blogger, Wesley D. Lin, is credited for coining the word "cohort". Thank you, my Asian brother.
3. "Get Ready to Live". Fellow MLHR grad student, Shawn Henderson, said this unforgettable phrase. When it was time to take our first stats quiz, it was "Let's get ready to live, people". Thank you, Shawn, for the memories.
4. The Recruiting. I had a lot of great experiences going through the recruiting process for summer internships. For me, I've never had the exposure to several Fortune 200 at one time. It's always been a dream/goal of mine to work at companies such as ExxonMobil, GE, Whirlpool, General Mills, Dow Chemical, Eaton, Shell, etc. I had a lot of fun traveling to New York for GE's recruiting event; to Cleveland for Eaton Corporation and Houston, TX, for ExxonMobil. In the end (and after much thought) I decided to chose ExxonMobil for my summer internship.
5. Adriatico's. I never knew about this culinary creation until I started attending informational meetings/events at FCOB. This is pretty much the most amazing pizza I have ever eaten. But, I have to admit, I think I've ate it so many times that I'm getting close to burn-out. Again, another unforgettable memory of the first year of grad school.
6. The Tour of 'The Shoe'. I am not sure who I need to give credit to for this idea, but whoever you are, you deserve a HUGE raise. Being able to tour the famous Horseshoe (Ohio Stadium) where the Buckeyes play every Saturday afternoon was unforgettable. Thank goodness fellow MLHR student, Kim Hill, and I raced down the full length of the football field because I doubt we would ever get to be able to do that again. I hope FCOB continues this for all the future incoming classes because it certainly was one of the coolest things I have ever done.
7. Snow Day. I love snow days. Historically, OSU is known for NOT canceling class due to inclement weather. Well, as luck may have it, I got to experience an official snow day during Winter Quarter 2011. Let's continue this trend at least once or twice for my final year of grad school.
8. MHR 846 & MHR 807. Two of the best classes I have taken thus far. MHR 846 - Talent Management was an excellent course taught by Dr. Inks. I am glad I had the opportunity to take this class since a lot of my summer internship projects are tied to this area of HR. MHR 807 - Organizational Change was another superb course that is taught by Dr. Ford. When I finished this course, there was material I learned (e.g. Honoring your Word, The Four Conversation and Personal Accountability) that I wish I would've known about 7 years ago. I recommend taking both courses because they have left a lasting impression on me and they definitely have helped me in both my professional and personal development.
9. Bendapudis. Oh how we will miss the Bendapudis. I will never forget what Dr. Venkat Bendapudi said on the first day of MLHR orientation: "You will see me more than your mother." An unforgettable phrase from an even more unforgettable professor. You will be greatly missed by MLHR Cohort 2012.
10. International Students. I think we have the best international students in our cohort - ever. It has been so much fun getting to know each of them on a more personal level. It has been even more of a joy to watch them grow and learn our American culture. I love our international students.
11. From Hobo to Hollywood. An unforgettable man with the 'golden voice', Ted Williams, brought a lot of attention to Columbus, OH. Here was a homeless man who begged for money at I-71N and Hudson. In less than 24 hrs, he is world famous, fielding job offers from around the country to do voice over work. I hope you are doing well, Ted. Thanks for the memories.
THE BAD.
1. Buzz Words. There are certain words that I will have nightmares about for the rest of my life. Words like "HPWO", "HR Scorecard", "Measure" and "Value-added" are just a few of many. Can't wait to see what buzz words await me in September 2011.
2. Team Projects. Oh, the joys of working on team projects. When I finished my tour of duty in Iraq in March 2005, I came to a conclusion about one thing: you certainly learn a lot about yourself AND those around you in a war zone. There are only certain things about a person that manifests itself when the heat is on. To my surprise, I found out this year that this is similar to group projects. When the heat is on to finish a project, people do some amazing things and some NOT so amazing things.
3. Lady Gaga & Usher. Why do I hate Lady Gaga and Usher? I want to be clear: I like some of Lady Gaga's music and most of Usher's. What I don't like: when they perform at the Schottenstein Center and I get stuck in the Lane Avenue traffic after a late night of class.
4. The Scandal. I am not going to comment too much about this, but if you haven't read the Columbus Dispatch or watched ESPN lately, OSU's Football team is in some hot water over violating some major NCAA rules. Goodbye Jim Tressel and Goodbye Terrelle Pryor. Thank you for one year of good Buckeye football memories.
Last, but not least...
THE GARREN.
Let me put it this way: Garren Cabral is the most interesting man in the world -- not the man from the Dos Equis commercial. The major (and only) difference between the Dos Equis man and Garren Cabral is this: one is purely fictional, the other is fact. To be quite honest, I have never met someone as interesting and fascinating as Garren. First, he's the only man I know who can pull off wearing a fanny pack and make it look good. I've never seen Garren without a pair of sunglasses - even when it's snowing in mid-January. Garren has a style all his own -- I was going to say that Garren has "swagger", but that doesn't even come close to describing what I get privileged to witness 12 hours per week in class. To describe Garren's style would be similar to this: He's a mixture of cool like Snoop Dogg and Johnny Depp; has the saucy attitude of Joan Rivers ; possesses the shock-value of Lady Gaga and has the drawing power and presence like Bono from U2. If you ever get a chance to meet Garren, I think you life will be forever changed. Just to witness him participate in class discussion is like witnessing poetry in motion. Sometimes I almost think Garren should move to Hollywood and just "be himself". Because if interesting "sells", then Garren would be a billionaire. I think MTV needs to come to campus and do a pilot reality show on Garren...maybe we could call it "G$lyce". Move over Jersey Shore, Snooki, Situation and Ronnie because I feel Garren is the next big thing in America.
Signing off until next year,
Eric J Dosch