As promised, my wonderful blogging colleagues have been sharing their orientation experiences, so here's my contribution. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with orientation. Having gone through various "orientations" in the past, I expected a few speeches, ice breakers, tours and some free food. I understood that it was necessary but I admittedly was not overly excited.
Happily I can report that UCLA Anderson's orientation far exceeded my expectations. The first week of the two and a half week program focused on getting the incoming class to interact with each other, learn more about UCLA Anderson's program and challenge ourselves to venture out of our comfort zones.
The highlight of the first week for me was the ropes course and the improv. Both were new experiences for me, and while it was a bit of an adjustment to get into the proper mindset, I came out of it having learned something new about myself. The ropes course was facilitated by Odyssey Teams, Inc., and I was thoroughly impressed by their energy and commitment. Walking across tightropes, climbing telephone poles and figuring out challenges as a team was a great way to meet and interact with others in the incoming class.
And as for the improv, well Wayne Brady can rest easy knowing that I'm in no way a threat to his improv reign but nonetheless it was fun and I did learn among other things to "be in the present", be an active listener, create a supportive environment and "Yes and...".
Week 2 and 2.5 were just as jam packed and I will definitely provide a recap of those as well...but not right now. As "real" school has started, real readings have been assigned and I still have to finish those for tomorrow. Therefore: to be continued....
--JP
~The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
