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Hello to all the prospective students! Sorry for the infrequent updates – it’s been quite a busy time. The second half of the semester is upon us, and all my presentation, project and paper deadlines are rolling in. Last week, we had a much-anticipated and fabulous lull in our workload with the annual Stern Follies! We use this show as a way to mock ourselves and our life in business school, as well as to showcase our talent as a student body. My friends and I participated in an act called Stern’s Best Dance Crew, which was a spoof off of the reality show America’s Best Dance Crew. We poked a little fun at the economic situation and also did a step routine. It was a great way to relieve the tension of the semester and to have one of our last big events together. It was also fantastic to see the talent of the rest our community – who knew we had so many expert film producers, directors, lyricists and actors among us! Afterwards, my block and I had a Karaoke reunion to celebrate our last semester together. It was a much needed break, and I feel reenergized to tackle all of my projects. Speaking of schoolwork, I’m trying to be focused amidst all of the activities of the semester. My non-profit project for Implementing Strategy is underway, and we are meeting with a member of the Board of Directors on Wednesday to discuss our progress. We are also working with students from the NYU Wagner School of Public Policy on the project, so it’s a great opportunity to network with students from another graduate school. In my International Marketing class, we are conducting our analysis of whether JCrew should enter Australia or not. Thus far, we have created a survey and sent it to Australian members of our networks, conducted an extensive country review, and are now discussing the best way to segment our prospective consumer base amidst competition in the local market. In non-class news, this semester has also been a big one for guest speakers. Tomorrow, the CEO of Volkswagon, Stefan Jacoby, is coming to speak to Stern students about his plans for expansion in the US in the face of our current economic crises. Tonight, the Social Enterprise Association (SEA) is hosting a Microfinance Careers Panel with speakers from Benchmark Asset Managers, Minlam Asset Managers and BRAC USA. Wednesday, we have Nobel Laureate Robert Lucas coming to speak to students about the causes, consequences and policy solutions for the current global economic situation. From the Graduate Marketing Association’s (GMA) list of events, tonight we have Allen Adamson from Landor Associates presenting on the power of online communications. Tomorrow, we have the SVP of Marketing for Target coming to speak to students about the company’s marketing strategies. And Wednesday, Jennifer Dorian, SVP of Network Strategy for TNT, TBS, TCM, Tru TV and Peachtree TV will be sharing her insights about branding and strategy in entertainment. Phew! No wonder my semester has been exhausting! I’ll keep you posted as my business school career comes to a close, but it’s definitely shaping up to be a fulfilling and memorable experience. It’s been an eventful few weeks since my last entry. From attending an event with Muhammad Yunus to ice skating in Central Park to fantastic classes about the current financial crisis, my schedule has been booked full with valuable and memorable experiences. The Social Enterprise Association and NYU started the year very strongly with a speech by Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner. It was truly inspiring to hear him speak about his new book and to hear him give his thoughts about the future of social business. It was also interesting to chat with other students about their experiences in the social world and to connect with them regarding opportunities and goals. Ice skating in Central Park was a terrific experience hosted by NYU. On a cold, snowy night, we lined up outside of the library to take shuttle busses to Central Park. We were greeted with hot chocolate, candy, skates, and plenty of fellow students. The freshly fallen snow and bracing air only added to the charm of something that I’ve wanted to do since moving to New York. I was so happy to share that with some of my closest Stern friends. On another note, the financial crisis is obviously top-of-mind for everyone right now. The faculty at Stern reacted immediately, conducting a special optional class specifically on the crisis with cutting-edge research and practical solutions to the problems in our current economy. In my Implementing Strategy class, Professor Anthony Marciano was a guest lecturer yesterday and shared his candid thoughts and recommendations for the crisis. It was one of the most interesting and valuable classes I have ever attended, and I feel privileged to be in an environment where research and solutions go hand in hand. I’m nostalgic today, maybe because it’s my last semester. I believe that I have had truly influential and life-shaping experiences here at Stern. I’ve thought deeper and harder about issues that I never gave thought to before, I have connected with amazing and intelligent people on levels deeper than what I’ve found in casual meetings before, and I have created a network that I can turn to in the future that is based on shared experiences and a strong bond to this community. My motto for the next two months is to simply be involved. It’s the start of my last semester here at Stern! I’m settling down to classes, new friends and old, and a busy schedule. I had a wonderful winter break visiting family and friends in India, but I’m excited to be back in New York City. My classes this semester seem very interesting so far – I’m taking International Marketing Management, Implementing Strategy, Game Theory and Power and Politics. My other two classes don’t start until later in the semester, so I’ll have to wait to see how those are. International Marketing and Implementing Strategy both have large group projects as the core focus of the class, so I’m sure my groupwork schedule will get busy pretty quickly. But both classes seem to be extremely practical and applicable, so I’m looking forward to them. We’re also kicking off a new Graduate Marketing Association semester. Congratulations to all the first years who have received internship offers already! It’s great to see how well Stern is doing in the recruiting cycle, and it’s only just beginning. We have a semester full of some fantastic activities coming up, so I’ll definitely keep you posted. Next week is also the Stern Women in Business conference – I hope to see many of you ladies there! The conference always provides great insight into both Stern and the greater business community, so it’s definitely worth attending. This year, the speakers are Lauren Zalaznick, President of NBC Universal Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks, and Janet Hanson, founder of 85 Broads. Both are impressive role models that many of us are excited to meet. On a social note, I’m sure this semester will be a fun one! This week, we’ve already had several welcome-back happy hours, and tonight’s Beer Blast will probably be very well attended. Tomorrow is the official Stern Welcome Back party, Saturday is an MBA2 brunch, and Sunday is the Super Bowl. What a start to the year! Good luck with applications and interviews to those of you who are finishing them, and I’ll post again in a few weeks with more updates about my semester. December 10, 2008 For those of you interested in Marketing here at Stern, we are having a prospective student chat coming up soon. Keep an eye out for more details, but the current students who will be on the chat are great examples of marketing success stories here. They’ll share their internship experiences with you and tell you more about what being a marketer here would mean. I’ve been enjoying the more relaxed pace of the past month (in between studying, group work, working part-time, and Graduate Marketing Association events) by spending more time with non-Stern friends. Sunday was a ton of fun; I spent the day at the NY Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles game at Giants Stadium. It was definitely an experience – we took the bus over to NJ from the Port Authority and were out in the cold all day. But it definitely made me feel like I was back in undergrad to hear all the screaming fans. Tomorrow, after two more finals, I’m hoping to finally go see the tree in Rockefeller Plaza and go ice skating. New York during the holidays is a sight not to be missed. But with the weather turning so cold, I will not complain about leaving NYC for awhile. Over winter break, I’ll be spending three weeks in India visiting family. Many of my friends are participating in the Doing Business In… Hyderabad program, so I’m looking forward to meeting up with them in Bangalore before their classes start. Breaks are a great time to see your non-business school friends and family, but it’s nice to reconnect with my Sternies as well. I will keep you posted on my adventures over winter break, but until then, have a wonderful holiday season, and best of luck with applications! November 25, 2008 In addition, my study group had our Competitive Strategy in the Marketplace presentation. It was all about a turkey manufacturer-just in time for Thanksgiving! I wish I had taken the class before my summer internship because it really taught me how to think analytically without all the information and to present ideas cogently and concisely. I’m definitely glad our presentation is finished though! My Consumer Behavior class has had some very interesting guest speakers. An executive from Frog Design spoke about creative thinking, and we participated in an interesting exercise about ideating. As a marketer, it was great for me to learn more about the idea generation process and to think more intellectually about brainstorming. I know I’ll be using some of those techniques at AXPi! Last week, we also had the chance to speak with a branding executive from The Economist. It was fantastic to hear about the tactical approach to their rebranding strategy. It was probably one of the best class sessions I’ve had this semester, and I’m excited to see how The Economist continues with their new strategy. I was also happy about the free copy we received after the session! My Economics of Healthcare class just started two weeks ago. Would I sound incredibly nerdy if I said I’m actually looking forward to doing the midterm for that class? It’s about how Barrack Obama’s proposed healthcare policies will impact patients, taxpayers, care providers, employers and insurance companies. I’m looking forward to doing the research, and I’m actually glad that this midterm gives me the opportunity to study the details. But I definitely will not be working on it during Thanksgiving. I am turning my brain off at 4:30 today for a much-needed rest and am flying home to Richmond, VA to spend time with my family. Last weekend was the start of my celebration: Karaoke with Sternies on two different nights (no, once was not enough!), a cozy dinner party and exploring nightlife and restaurants all over Manhattan. When I return next Saturday, it will be time to get back to study mode and prepare for my final presentations and papers. But for now, the short vacation has begun. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! October 28, 2008 Hi again from a rainy New York City! Some advice if you’re planning to come visit – bundle up! This winter will be cold. But it’s worth it to come see the holiday decorations and the tree in Rockefeller Center once they’re up. The past weeks have been hectic; my presentations and papers are all finally turned in now. The last one was a group case on Medi-Cult for my Consumer Behavior class; in the discussion this morning, it was interesting to talk about all of the ethical and emotional issues underlying the valuation of a new medical treatment. It was valuable to work with my group on this because we all had different perspectives on financial or emotional values leading to different pricing strategies. But now the papers are done, and I have a few short days of relative calm. Just in time for Halloween! We have a Stern Halloween party coming up, and I’m a big fan of dressing up in costume. I’m looking forward to watching the parade walk up 6th Avenue and the festivities afterwards. We’re also planning a block happy hour before the parade starts, so it will be a nice chance to see each other now that we don’t have core classes any longer. People often ask me about the block schedule; I can honestly say that we became close as a block last year and still have plenty of Block 4 pride! The Graduate Marketing Association Conference is coming up; we hope to have a great event for all the prospective students who join us! I’ve also been helping out some of my classmates who are recruiting for both full-time positions and internships. I recruited with so many companies for marketing last year that I have information on most companies who come to campus – from consumer packaged goods companies like Johnson & Johnson to financial services companies like American Express (of course). The recruiting season has been very active so far, so I’m sending out a good luck wish to everyone going through it right now! That’s it for this week, but I’ll keep you all posted. Good luck with applications! October 14, 2008 For my Advanced Marketing Planning class, we are presenting our market research and opportunity analysis on Revlon to our professor this afternoon. It was great doing in-the-field research and using consumers’ perceptions of the brand to influence our recommendations. The class is also great for listening to speakers who are industry experts – yesterday we heard from Amy Cotteleer, President of A Squared Group. She spoke to us about some great events her agency has come up with for clients like Nintendo, The Gap and Levi’s. I’m finding that most of my classes are very practical this semester, and I’m certainly finding them valuable. This morning in Consumer Behavior, we had a VP from Unilever talk to us about his strategy to enter the Indonesian market with certain ice cream brands. It was so interesting to hear his actual plan and see the results of his strategies, but I definitely left class with a huge craving for ice cream! On a career note, I accepted my offer from American Express to go back full time! That was a relief, and I’m so excited to go back to AXPi (the interactive marketing group at American Express) after school. American Express had its corporate presentation on campus last week, so it was fun seeing several of my colleagues from the summer and chatting post-internship. The first-years are going through the internship recruiting process right now, so it’s great to catch up with my contacts from last year and introduce them to some of the first-years I’ve gotten to know. The Graduate Marketing Association (GMA) has also kicked things off to help with recruiting. We had a great Knowledge Management event about building your story for interviews, and we have tons of companies coming to campus for Lunch N’ Learns to talk to students about their opportunities. Speaking of the GMA, the Conference is just a month away now!! If you haven’t already, be sure to apply to attend the conference. We have a phenomenal keynote speaker – William Kussell, President and Chief Branding Officer of Dunkin’ Donuts Worldwide – as well as really interesting panels on Corporate Social Responsibility, Brand Evolution and Online Communities. It’s also a good way to network with current students (like me!) and to learn more about the Stern experience. We’ll have a cocktail reception at the end along with a panel of students, so you can definitely get your questions answered. Working in the Admissions office as a Graduate Ambassador is also getting busy – the tour/info session that we gave yesterday was huge! I know the deadlines are getting close now, so definitely feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. I have one more project to work on, so back to schoolwork for me. Keep an eye out for the next installment! September 30, 2008 Hello prospective students! I’m so excited to start this journey with you all. Having gone through the admissions process fairly recently, I know how stressful and confusing this time of year can be. Let me tell you a bit about myself - I grew up in Richmond, Virginia and went to the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce. After school, I spent a year in Investment Management and then accepted a position as an analyst and writer at an online equity research company. I was at the company for two years and was able to really hone my analytical and financial skills, focusing on the Entertainment, Media, Consumer Goods, and E-commerce sectors. When I was looking at business schools, I knew I wanted a school that had a collaborative community that would provide me with an organic network after school and a reputation for being a world-class business institution. Everything you hear about Stern’s culture and community is so true! It made my decision very easy. In addition to my courses, I’m working as a Graduate Ambassador in MBA Admissions (be sure to drop me a note if you come on campus to visit!) I am also the Vice President of Admissions for the Graduate Marketing Association (GMA), so I will be sure to update you all with our fabulous marketing events on campus. So far in my second year, my classes have been phenomenal. This morning I had my Consumer Behavior class with Professor Sellier, in which we watched a Levi’s case study and discussed the different types of orientations on which a business could be focused. My Competitive Strategy in the Marketplace class is this afternoon, and while the workload is intense, I know the class will be very useful from a strategic business planning perspective. My Advanced Marketing and Planning class is also very practical; my group is working on the Revlon brand and is in the process of conducting field market research to determine how we can revitalize the brand. Outside of my marketing classes, I’m also taking Growing Managing Companies with Professor Okun, which will help me in my future entrepreneurial ambitions, and Entertainment Law with Professor Hendler. The GMA has been off to a great start. Last week, our Knowledge Management VPs scheduled a first-year networking event with the Executive Director of Admissions for Stern, Isser Gallogly, who has a background in Brand Management. I know I found his help invaluable last year when I was going through the recruiting process. Tomorrow, I’m helping out with our GMA Office Hours initiative, where first-years can chat with second-years about their internship experience. I had a wonderful experience at AXPi (the interactive marketing group at American Express), so I’m excited to share my thoughts with students who are thinking about opportunities for the summer. On the GMA Admissions side, I’m looking forward to starting some initiatives I have been planning, which hopefully many of you will be able to take advantage of soon! The weather in New York is absolutely beautiful right now – blue skies and brisk breezes. It’s tough to find time to enjoy it when we’re so busy with everything at school, but hey, that’s what Saturdays are for! 
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Shruti Basavaraj, Class of 2009
