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Welcome to my final blog on the admissions website! Last time, I wrote about Stern Follies. The show was hilarious and touched upon almost every part of an MBA student’s experience at Stern. One particular highlight was the Sterndog Millionaire production, directed by Anthony Koithra. My fellow blogger, Derya Rose, starred as Professor Silber in the Silber vs. Damodaran dance-off! Here are a few links for you: Last weekend was Pre-View weekend. Admitted students for the Class of 2011 spent the weekend at Stern, learned more about the program and met with the current students. There was a noticeable uplift in energy on campus, and it was a great opportunity to connect with the incoming class. The new admits are an interesting bunch and, in some ways, are a mirror of my class in terms of background, career aspirations and personalities. So, the Stern experience is coming to an end, but it really doesn’t feel like it. Everyone in my class is working hard right to the end to complete individual and group assignments while making the time to enjoy the last few Stern parties – the last LABA party is this week! In fact, our student body has organized a Post-Term schedule. This is similar to the Pre-Term activities that Sternies undergoes in their first couple of weeks here, except Post-Term is just solid partying. We have a number of events, including another sunset boat cruise around Manhattan, a picnic in Central Park and an 80s party! We also have our first party on the evening of graduation as Stern Alums – a very weird thought! I wish you good luck in your application to Stern, and if you have been admitted, a great two years ahead!! Hello! So, my term as President of the Management Consulting Association (MCA) came to an end last week. My year in charge was challenging but a lot of fun. I feel satisfied that in partnership with the Stern administration, we made a step-change in the progress of the MCA. We attracted all of the high-profile consulting firms on campus for the first time, secured significant corporate sponsorship, grew our membership base far beyond previous years, adapted our case interview preparation to address prior feedback and built stronger relationships with our consulting alumni. I feel confident that the new president, Jim Lee, and his board will continue our hard work. After being at Stern for almost two years, it can be easy to take the unique opportunities and experiences of business school for granted. However, sometimes you have to step back and appreciate them. Last week, I was invited to a panel featuring Gordon Brown (British Prime Minister), Madeline Albright (former Secretary of State) and Paul Volcker (former Chairman of the Federal Reserve) at NYU. They had a lively debate about the goals and expectations of the upcoming G20 summit in London and provided candid views on the global economy. After the panel, I went to my Valuation class with Professor Damodaran, one of the leading finance professors in the world. During my break between classes, I met with a classmate to discuss the business plan he created for one of his classes. It was great to just talk about the proposed business’ value proposition and provide general feedback. I also had time to meet with my New Venture Financing professor to discuss fundraising tactics for a start-up venture. In the evening, I had my Investment Banking class (taught by Managing Directors from two leading banks) and then listened to a former SVP at IMG speak about the changing business models in the sports business in my Sports Marketing class. Even for business school, that was a pretty special day! This week, we have Stern Follies. The follies are an opportunity for everyone to have some fun by watching student-produced skits! Here’s a couple of links for last year: Enjoy! Hello again after a long time! The semester started off on a high note with a number of welcome back events and lots of travel stories. The high note continued with Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 2006, coming to speak to the student body. He spoke about how Grameen Bank started in Bangladesh, how it has developed over time and his vision for future development. He inspired the audience by discussing how he personally impacted change in Bangladesh, his home country. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I am particularly excited about my classes this semester. I have a good mix of strategy, finance and marketing. There have already been a few highlights this semester: Professor Damodaran adapted his valuation methodology as a reaction to the significant changes in the global economy, and the SVP of ESPN Programming and President of the WNBA spoke in our Sports Marketing class. I am also taking an evening class called Investment Banking in Entertainment, Media and Technology. This class is taught by Managing Directors from Goldman Sachs Private Equity and Rothschild Investment Bank, and it has a perfect mix of classroom theory and real-world perspectives from two leaders in their fields. A great demonstration of the student community at Stern is the number of student conferences we have each year in a wide range of areas, such as Private Equity, Investment Management, Media & Entertainment and Stern Women in Business. Just last week, we hosted the Global Business Conference (GBC), which brought together a number of the clubs on campus to discuss the macro issues facing the world. The theme of this year’s conference was “The Role of the Emerging Markets in the Changing Global Economy,” and for the first time, there was a second day of the conference with a focus on India. The Management Consulting Association (MCA) partnered with the Stern Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Association by hosting a panel at the conference, and the theme was, “The Role of Corporations and Governments in improving Healthcare in the Emerging Economies.” The panelists included a consultant, an investment banker and an entrepreneur, and they raised a number of pertinent issues. This panel was especially interesting, since Professor Robert Salomon, one of my favorite professors at Stern, moderated the panel and ensured a lively debate amongst the panelists and the audience. This Friday, we have the Think Social, Drink Local event! Run by the Social Enterprise Association (SEA) and the Luxury & Retail Club, this is the only event that can ever come close to matching the Latin American parties on campus! The event includes a fashion show and an open bar featuring organic, locally brewed drinks with a percentage of the ticket proceeds going to charity. After a grueling start to the semester, I know that my class is looking forward to an opportunity to have some fun! Happy New Year!! I spent the last month in Birmingham, England (my hometown) catching up with friends and family. It’s not often I say this about England, but it actually felt warm compared to the deep-freeze of New York! This is my final semester at Stern, and I have returned to New York with mixed feelings. I'm excited to catch up with friends and enjoy some very interesting classes but sad that this will be my final semester at business school. Over the winter break, many of my classmates were also traveling. Some organized independent travels to South America or parts of Asia, while others participated in the Doing Business In (DBI) program. In DBI, students apply to take classes for two weeks with another Business School around the world. Over the winter break, students participated in DBIs at Melbourne Business School and the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. From what I hear, the schedule during the two week program is tough, but there are plenty of opportunities to explore more of the city and country before and after. Plus, it provides a great opportunity to get to know classmates and extend your global network. This is a particularly important period for first year students as the summer internship interview period runs through January and February. The Management Consulting Association (MCA) has worked hard in partnership with the Office of Career Development (OCD) to ensure that students are well-prepared for their case interviews. Over winter break, the first-year students mock interviewed each other using materials provided by the MCA. In addition, we organized alumni mock interviews for those recruiting with consulting firms to give students a realistic view of what to expect. In addition, as second-year students come back into town, they will be helping first year-students with interview preparation. I think that this demonstrates the strength of the Stern community to a large extent as MBA1s, MBA2s and alums work together to ensure that students are successful in their career aspirations. In terms of courses, I am looking forward to being in Professor Damodaran’s class again. Last year, I was in his Corporate Finance class, and my expectations were surpassed. He has the ability to explain the most complex concept in terms that anybody can understand and keep the class entertaining by using unique personal anecdotes. Professor Damodaran also ensures that he is approachable to both his students and alums. It’s not unusual to receive emails from him at all sorts of strange hours. This semester, I will be in his Valuation class. Given the economic conditions over the past 15 months and the relatively bleak outlook, it seems that this is the perfect time to be taught how to value a company by the best. Welcome to my final blog of 2008! It doesn’t seem so long ago that I was heading back to New York for the start of the second year at Stern and looking forward to returning to the business school “bubble.” It seems strange to be done with not only the semester, but also with 75% of the MBA program. Only one semester left – an exciting, but slightly sad, thought. A lot of my classmates, including myself, have many plans to make the most of the last few months of school: traveling, playing sports and doing all sorts of things in New York! I’m sure that these plans will be cemented over the winter break. The last few weeks of the semester were particularly busy. As expected, there were a number of assignments, group projects and final exams. During our last Managing Growing Companies class, Professor Okun offered to keep in touch with us as we are now “his people.” Every so often, he writes to his former students to give his view on business-related events and invite debate. He also offered to be a sounding board to any student who needs his advice. As he said, his class comes with a lifetime guarantee. Other professors’ closing remarks, such as Professor Juran and Professor Salomon, focused on ensuring that students have a sense of perspective on life and enjoy their careers despite the pressures that business school can sometimes bring. Next semester, I will be taking a number of classes that I am looking forward to, and I also plan to confirm my specializations in Strategy and Corporate Finance. My schedule includes: New Venture Financing, Valuation, Game Theory, Investment Banking in Entertainment, Media and Technology, Sports Marketing, Negotiation and Collaboration and Professional Responsibility. I will have the opportunity to be in classes with some outstanding faculty, including Professor Damodaran, the famous and exceptional finance professor, and Professor Brandenburger, a leading thinker in the game theory field. The end of the semester brought lots of parties as well as more intimate gatherings to catch up with classmates. There was an overwhelming feeling of achievement amongst the class from all the learning in the classroom and self-discovery outside the classroom that the MBA program brings, the job offers/interviews and just getting through another intense semester at school! I wish you a Happy New Year and look forward to continuing the blog in 2009!! November 24, 2008 Class: My Multinational Business class is among my favorites at Stern. Professor Robert Salomon ensures a lively class debate on issues faced by international companies expanding abroad and helps us engage a framework of analysis to judge whether expansion strategies add shareholder value. Last week, Barry Alperin visited our class. He has many years of experience at the highest levels in leading corporations and is on the Board of Directors at Hasbro, Inc., Hain Celestial Group, Inc. and Henry Schein, Inc. We discussed the types of decisions a board of directors makes and how they make them, as well as Barry’s experience launching businesses in different regions. Management Consulting Association (MCA): The official casing boot camp has ended, but the MCA is partnering with the Office of Career Development to host a number of events for the rest of semester. Many second year students have kindly volunteered to host mock interviews for first year students in order to prepare them for summer internship interviews in January. I am particularly proud of this part of the Stern community. Each year, classmates take the time to help each other prepare for interviews and pass on the knowledge and experience of how to succeed in the recruiting process. Despite everyone’s busy schedules, it’s good to see so many people take time to help each other out. Social: Last weekend was the Net Impact Conference in Philadelphia, and many of my classmates attended. It provided an opportunity for a number of business school students from across the country to converge in one place to network and discuss social and environmental issues. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the conference, but I took the ever-reliable Bolt Bus to join them in Philadelphia for the conference close and the after-party, and then came back the next day. While in Philly, I managed to check off the must-dos such as eating a cheese steak (or chicken for me!) and doing the “Rocky run” up the famous steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art! Overall, it was a great opportunity to enjoy a new city, meet some new people and relax after a tough couple of weeks at school. With a few days off this week, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!! November 10, 2008 Classes: The last few weeks have been the busiest of the semester for first-and second-year students. Most people have submitted both individual and group assignments and taken mid-term exams. As the Teaching Fellow for one of the Strategy classes, there has been a flip side for me – grading! Many students have been balancing the stress of the classroom with recruiting activities such as networking, interview preparation and actual interviews. With Thanksgiving break around the corner, we are all looking forward to relaxing for a few days. Management Consulting Association (MCA): The weekly Casing Boot Camp came to an end last week. Second-year MBAs Jeff Casey and Gillie Nevel led these sessions and did a phenomenal job of communicating casing techniques and interview tips to the first-year class. Going forward, weekly case practices are scheduled, and our sponsors will also hold specialized sessions. Other MCA events include “Lunch and Learn” sessions, in which consulting firms come to Stern to discuss particular projects that will help students understand the nature of their work. Stern Parties: The LABA party lived up to its reputation as the craziest party on campus. It was great to see the majority of the student body in one place – dancing, drinking and having fun! The Halloween party was a couple of weeks later. Back in England, we don’t really do Halloween, so it is always eye-opening for me to see the passion for Halloween parties here. The costumes ranged from politicians to famous horror characters to the usual cheeky costumes. And finally, I understand that the first Stern Admissions deadline is coming up soon. Good luck!! October 13, 2008 Since my last blog, a lot has happened inside and outside the classroom. Outside the classroom, the economy has slipped further into decline. These events make me think that this is the best and worst time to be at Stern. It is the best time because we have access to some of the best minds in the finance field to give their take on the market events. We have had two town hall style meetings in which four professors have given their view on the market and generated healthy debate on the market. In class, most professors have given their own view on the market events and given their “inside scoop” on what they believe is happening behind the scenes. It is the worst time because this is said to be the worst down market since the Great Depression. Inside the classroom, the workload has picked up sharply. I have found that life at business school is all about prioritization. Every student is faced with the balance of individual assignments, group assignments, recruiting events, networking, building relationships with classmates and taking some time to unwind. Time is at a huge premium and most people want to excel at all three facets of school life: (1) Study, (2) Career and (3) Life. To ensure success, it’s important to realize that you cannot physically do everything. Therefore, prioritization is the key. On the club side, a lot has happened with the MCA. Firstly, we have selected our first-year board. I am very excited by the opportunity to work with the board to grow the club and incorporate their fresh ideas. Secondly, the weekly boot camps are in full flow and over 25% of the first year class is in attendance - the feedback for these boot camps has been exceptional. Thirdly, the recruiting season has begun. Many consulting firms have come to campus to meet with the students by way of corporate presentations and more intimate events where they can get to know the students on a more informal basis. This week is a special week in the semester. On Thursday, we have the LABA (Latin American Business Association) Party. The LABA Party is the landmark party of the semester at any business school. Most of the MBA student body at one party leads to a lot of fun and stories that last for the semester. September 30, 2008 Hello and welcome to my first blog entry! Let me start by briefly introducing myself. I am a second-year full-time MBA student. I am from Birmingham in the UK and completed my undergraduate studies at the London School of Economics in 2003. From there, I joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in London in their audit practice and served clients primarily in the Downstream Oil & Gas and Telecommunication sectors. Upon qualifying as a chartered accountant (CPA equivalent), I transitioned to the Mergers & Acquisitions advisory team at PwC focusing on the mid-cap sector. At Stern, I decided to pursue a career in Management Consulting and interned at Booz & Company in their Media practice over the summer. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been back in New York for over a month, and we’re in our fourth week of classes. If I think back to what has been keeping me busy recently, it’s revolved around three things: Classes: This semester has given me the opportunity to take a number of electives, and I’ve noticed the step up in expectations from the professors this year. I’ve taken a number of strategy-related classes such as Managing Growing Companies and Multinational Business Management, but also tried to maintain a balance by taking Restructuring Companies and Decision Models. I’m really enjoying seeing the big picture in these classes and applying what I learned in the core curriculum (finance, strategy, marketing, operations, etc.) Management Consulting Association (MCA): As the President of the MCA, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to meet a lot of the first-year class and learn about their interest in consulting. The MCA has grown significantly since its inception around five years ago. We now have over 150 first-year students interested in pursuing a consulting career and a number of top flight consulting firms excited to be recruiting at Stern. One of the great things about Stern is the collaborative environment, and I believe the MCA is an extension of that ethos. We really help each other through the recruiting process by practicing case interviews and giving constructive feedback on interview technique. This week, the MCA boot camp series begins whereby two second-year students share their case interview experiences with the first-year class every week. I found this to be a tremendously rewarding experience last year, as I was able to learn how to “crack a case” in a very low-risk and collaborative environment. Life: After a month away from New York over the summer, I realized that I needed to enjoy the city more. Since returning to New York, I’ve ensured that I meet my classmates more regularly outside of the Stern building! I’ve been very interested to hear about my classmates’ experiences over the summer in an effort to learn about different career paths and of course exchange notes with fellow consultants. Away from school, I’ve been to a couple of baseball games and have finally decided to support the Yankees, which is slightly controversial! Also, my block leaders have been proactive by organizing various activities including brunch on the upper west side and a summer picnic in Central Park – another great way to enjoy the city. Hopefully, this gave you some insight as to what keeps me busy on and off campus. In each of the future blogs, I hope to give you more detail on one particular aspect of the Stern community. 
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Tushar Kanungo, Class of 2009
