ONE-YEAR AT GOIZUETA: PRIYANKA VOHRA – MYTHS & FACTS: ONE MONTH IN, LOOKING BACK
I think if time traveling existed, it’d feel a little like the past month at Goizueta. Somehow, in the past 4 weeks, we’ve managed to fit in 500 pages of reading, 2 KEGS, 12 team meetings, 4 Alon’s lunch boxes, 9 case studies, 2 days at Lake Lanier, 3 quizzes, and 1 wine down. And those are just the stats I can remember!
Remembering back to those weeks leading up to Onboarding, I did my due diligence of reading about the summer experience at Goizueta for the One Year students. I talked to alumni, current students, and I even read this very blog to get a glimpse into what the next 3 months would be like. For this reason, I naturally had some preconceived notions of what to expect on May 2. Looking back, one month into the program, here are some myths I came in assuming and the facts that I learned shortly after starting at Goizueta:
MYTH: Highland Bakery is the only place nearby to get a good cup of coffee.
FACT: While Highland Bakery does serve a solid cup of caffeine, there are plenty of other options for us students who are on a budget. I quickly found the Keurig machine in the Coca-Cola Commons break room and ordered a box of K-Cups to stash in my locker. There’s also a hot water dispenser and fridge to store all my snacks.
MYTH: You will automatically form bonds with your core team and find it hard to socialize outside that comfort zone.
FACT: Maybe this is more of a personal case but our team is built on the understanding that being close with our classmates will only make our team experience stronger. While we all enjoy each other’s company, we try to venture outside that comfort zone as well.
Team 7: The Movers and Shakers at Lake Lanier
MYTH: You’ll be consumed in lectures 5-days a week, all summer.
FACT: While lectures take up a solid portion of our day, we also have built in time to work ahead on assignments with our teams. Many of us come from supportive families or partners who know that this summer means little free-time but the program factors that in to give everyone, at least some sort of school and life balance.
MYTH: KEGS is an awesome time to unwind with your peers each week.
FACT: Okay, this myth holds true. KEGS (Keeping Emory Goizueta Social) is, in fact, the perfect way to wrap up our hectic weeks and catch up with classmates before the weekend. During our first week of onboarding, KEGS was hosted by the previous One Year class and it was a great way to launch our year and wrap theirs.
The Coca-Cola toast before our first KEGS kicked off
MYTH: You’ll have to wait until the fall to get involved in extracurricular activities at Goizueta.
FACT: Despite the fall being the time when us One Year students will merge with the rest of the class of 2017, we have plenty to keep ourselves busy until then. After a quick and effective week of getting to know one another, we had our social chairs, honor council representative, and many other leadership positions spoken for. To go further certain clubs are active during the summer to give us the full year to take advantage of those networks.
MYTH: You won’t start networking until at least October.
FACT: This might be the biggest myth I’ve encountered so far. Networking may not come naturally to everyone but without knowing it, we start the process on day 1 by connecting with our fellow classmates. By the time midterms roll around, we’ve gained 60+ new connections without even trying. Between that process and the Career Management Center’s development classes, we’re well on our way by July!
On our first day of Onboarding, we were told ‘the days are long but the year is short.’ We were even encouraged to take a selfie as a time capsule to ourselves next year on graduation day. While I can’t say for certain if this is fact, I know that if this month is any indication of the what we have in store — I’m excited to continue to journey.