ONE-YEAR AT GOIZUETA: PRATEEK GOEL – SECOND SEMESTER OVER, 5 MONTHS AWAY FROM GRADUATION!
Well, the second semester is about to end and I am just 5 months away from graduation! I am very excited for the next semester as I have multiple things planned. I will be going to Washington Campus – A one week course that helps us understand how the US government works. I have participated in Goizueta Marketing Strategy Consultancy and will be working for a client in the energy sector and I am also trying to fit in 2-3 trips in between in addition to the classes.
Stone Mountain
Earlier this semester, I along with several first year MBAs went to Stone Mountain. Around 25 miles from Atlanta, as the name beckons, it is a naturally existing mountain made out of stone. A 30 minute hike leads us to the top of the mountain that offers amazing panoramic views of Atlanta’s ‘treeline’ and skyline. A onetime visit, I really enjoyed it!
Smoky Mountain
Contrary to the Stone Mountain, Smoky Mountains are actual mountains in Tennessee (around 3 hour drive from Atlanta). I went there during the thanksgiving break. They are one of the most famous mountain ranges in the US and offer several hiking trails. On the first day we went to Clingman’s dome, the highest point on the Smoky’s and the best place to view the sunset (picture). On the second day, we went on a hike to Mount Leconte. As it was November, it was extremely cold and most of the trail was covered in snow or ice. We covered 11 miles both way in the hike. Again, a must visit multiple times if you are fond of hiking.
Semi-Formal
My first Semi formal! Also a mini version of prom. Probably the first actual ‘party’ with the entire business school class (both first years and second years). Pretty well organized, there was music, food and drinks. In the spring semester there will the formal event more like an actual prom. These social events keep us close to each other and I believe they are equally important as are the classes.
Halloween
My first Halloween! I was super excited for this event since I joined Goizueta, even though that period was particularly very busy due to course work and recruiting, I managed to spend enough time on deciding a costume for myself. I dressed up as a roman emperor. The best part about Halloween was that we were around 40-50 people together throughout the time. It was a blast!
Other smaller events
We organized a Bollywood KEGS, in which a classmate – Debahuti taught Bollywood dance moves to several other students (mostly non-Indians). Yes, I participated in the dance too! Apart from that we also had a tacky Christmas party wherein whoever wore the ugliest sweater won. That was also my first time to this kind of a tradition.
Consulting Association Event
Enough about parties and traveling, I should also mention something about the program! As a part of the Goizueta Consulting Association, we organized a casing event for the entire first year batch. In this event, we called Alumni from McKinsey, Deloitte and A.T. Kearney to lead an ‘informal’ session of casing practice and what they expect in an interview. Each alumni was made to lead a group of 6-7 students and the case was given to the group as a whole.
Even though I have just spent 7 months at Goizueta till now, I have done a lot! If you have read all my blogs, you will probably wonder how I could fit in so much in such a short time. I plan to make the last 5 months of my MBA program even more action packed and memorable.