Last week concluded the MBA11’s CMC week activities during which first years get involved in career specific activities and treks both in Atlanta and throughout the country. Trek stops included Finance, Marketing and Healthcare Treks in Atlanta, and then, a Finance Trek to New York, a Marketing Trek also to New York and a Technology Trek to San Francisco (A post-CMC PE/RE trek to Chicago is also in the works).

To say the least, my week was busy. I decided to go above the required 2 CMC week activities and reap all the benefits I could from the week. It all started with a 2 day Valuation seminar – Training The Street – from Friday through Saturday. One word for TTS and our instructor: Awesome! I learned so much more about ‘real world’ (very different from academic world) Finance/Banking/Valuation than I thought I would going in. I feel that much more prepared for my technical interviews now. Though it was a very loaded 2 days, I wouldn’t trade the the value added for the world!

Next stop, I joined the Atlanta Finance Trek on Monday at the Coca-Cola headquarters. Everyone at Coca-Cola was extremely warm and pleasant and made us feel right at home. The campus was beautiful! Overall, a great trip! I came back to school afterwards to work on my Cover Letter and participate in some Behavioral Interviews to get me further prepped. By Monday night, I felt like I had already done enough for the week. But Tuesday saw me sitting in Crack the Case workshop, yet again, all day. By this time I was very exhausted, but Crack The Case was also awesome, so it had my full attention (a plug: all aspiring Strategists/Consultants must invest in this workshop…the instructor is great, and the material is extremely relevant!).

By Tuesday evening, I was on a plane headed East to my hometown, New York City for the NY Finance Trek, and boy, if I thought I was exhausted before, taking a look at the itinerary, I just knew I was in for a treat! Over a 3 day period, Wednesday to Friday, we were literally all over New York City. From Downtown to Midtown to Uptown, and back to Wall Street we went. Our visit included stops at almost all the major Investment Banks/Bulge Brackets (i.e. GS, JP, CS, UBS, BofA, etc etc), and the formats were mostly identical: presentations about the company/banking in general, opportunities for MBA Summer Associates and then a Networking portion. Everyone we met was nice and friendly, despite the numerous “warnings” about the intense banking lifestyle. Aside from the Networking opportunities it created, the trip was beneficial in the sense it helped provide clarity that a certain path was exactly what one wants to pursue, or exactly what one wouldn’t want to touch with a 50-yard stick! There was a networking event every night after trek stops (except Friday night), where the Finance Trekkers met up with the Marketing Trekkers for a mini “Goizueta Reunion”. We had drinks and finger food at Metrazur at Grand Central the first night, and on Thursday, the main event was the Emory mixer/social on the floor of the NYSE! Awesome times. Having drinks and hors d’oeuvres on the floor of the NYSE was a great experience! We even got to take pics right on the Opening Bell podium!

Overall, CMC week, though hectic, was very much value added for me. I got a lot done during the week, both tangible and intangible, and I feel much more prepared for my internship now. Of course, even though the official CMC week is over, it doesn’t mean my “CMC activities” will halt. I will continue honing my interview skills and working on arming myself with the arsenal for success when I do start my internship. My goal is to not only secure a great internship opportunity, but also to be fully prepared for said internship, so when I do begin, I will be a rockstar of an intern!

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