The MBA Student Voice

Summer Lull It is Not

I apologize to the three faithful readers out there for my long, l-o-n-g overdue post.  Life got in the way of blogging and frankly, there was no super-interesting topic about which to plot down my ideas on paper the web.

Actually, scratch that.  Much has happened since my last post about Cabo.  Most of us secured our summer internships, scrambled to sublease our current apartment units (for those moving to another location for the summer job), frantically studied for our last set of first year's finals, and had a bazillion goodbye gatherings where many a tear was shed for the folks going away for the summer.

Here I am crossing the Bay Bridge.  Touristy picture, but whatever.

And now here I am, up in San Francisco (SOMA area, in case my three faithful readers care to know).  I arrived here about 2.5 weeks ago now and it feels I've been in the city for thrice that amount.  I put off the apartment-hunt for longer than I should have, and found myself in panic-mode as I scrolled through pages and pages of ads on Craigslist.  I finally found a place in a very ideal location (and yes it's mucho $$$), about 0.2 mile away from my workplace.  There is, however, an ironic twist to this supposedly-happy story: I will be travelling to a client in Los Angeles for at least 1/2 to 2/3 of the week.

The overriding good news is that I'm learning a ton at a rapidfire clip.  I suppose the great thing about going into consulting at a fairly early stage in one's career is that it's beyond challenging but incredibly enriching at the same time.  It's not easy work by any means and the travel can and will wear you down, but I hope to learn as much as possible during my time at the firm and make some meaningful connections along the way.

And I figure, there are tons of Andersonites up in the Nor Cal area for the summer and great eats abound in the city, so I might as well fully enjoy the summer + internship experience while I can.  I'll only be up here for 2.5 months and the first 0.5 month passed by in a blink.  So without further ado, here are some pictures I've taken over the course of the last couple weeks.  And no, it's not because I have nothing else to write about, I'm saving more stories to share with the readers later.

Josh & Miho @ Hog Island Oyster Co.@ the Ferry Building Marketplace.  I was feeling a bit sick that day so I had to pass on the oysters. :(

One of the must-go attractions in SF is the Ferry Building Marketplace.  It's a food-lover's mecca.  There really is no other way to describe the place.  Just do yourself a favor and go if you've never been.  The same goes with Fisherman's Wharf, except the last time I went there, I was terrorized by a flock (fleet? Army?) of angry seagulls.  I've been a bit hesitant to go back since.  They do have an amazing assortment of fried seafood + clam chowder, though.

And then some of my friends introduced me to the world of the Mission Mexican food taquerias.  So far I've been to both El Farolitos along with Pancho Villa.  The immediate surrounding neighborhood can be a bit dicey, but the food makes it well-worth the (harrowing?) trek.

Pancho Villa shrimp + carne asada nachos.  The orange salsa on the top right corner is quite possibly the best condiment created, ever (well, right after sriracha).

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that I've been walking around a ton.  There are those who say that Los Angeles isn't really a "city," because everything is spread apart and no one takes public transportation.  I can attest that this is somewhat true: I drive my car to go a destination that is 0.2 mile away.  But this clearly is not practical in SF, where pedestrians + cyclists rule the streets.  So I've been walking everywhere (and got a busted toe in the process), and finding some cool vendors on the streets, such as:

Creme Brulee Cart.  Whoa.

The Creme Brulee (I'm too lazy to add in the accent marks, bear with me) Cart.  I seriously stumbled upon this gem while walking around and was absolutely floored when I saw the guy torching the stuff right then and there.  FLOORED, I tell you.

Today's lunch with Kathy & Josh.  They have a breakfast buffet featuring hot waffles + fried chicken + gravy/syrup.  Amazing.

And this was today's lunch with some Anderson friends at Farmer Brown's.  Note the Philz Coffee cup in the background.  Apparently Philz is a downright religion institution in SF. 

I hope to blog with some frequency in the near future.  For now my summer internship is keeping me plenty busy and I am learning a ton everyday.  Hopefully the next post I write will come sooner than later and I look forward to meeting the class of 2014 soon (a big, fat congrats to all those admitted!)!

Spring Quarter Wrap-up @ UCLA Anderson & Disbelief that First Year is Over!

How is it possible that half of my MBA is over?!? I looked back at the first blog post I wrote on the MBA Student Voice just under a year ago and it was bittersweet - in some ways, it felt like a month ago, and in others, like forever. So much has happened in the last year! Almost all of it amazing.

But first, a wrap-up of the spring, as I have been delinquent in posting this quarter. I will start by blaming my new position as President of the High Tech Business Association (HTBA), a role I am honored to hold for the year starting this Spring through next Winter. My amazing board of Vice Presidents and I are taking an already great club and making it even better. Special events next year include Career Nights, Tech Trek company visits, and I am so excited to announce our inaugural Case Competition next fall! I can't tell you the sponsor yet, but it's a fantastic company. Some advice for the class of 2014: start thinking about applying to be a First Year Director and also forming a team for this special event. This will give you a great jump on a successful year!

Yes! Membership does include a T-shirt featuring this amazing logo!

Classes were as tough as ever this quarter, but it was hard to get mad at our strategy teacher Prof. Florian Ederer when he taught an incredibly interesting class by day and joined us at night for karaoke (or as it was also known, Eder-Oke). Other fun things included the marquee event of the spring, AnderProm at the luxurious Biltmore Hotel in Downtown LA. This featured everyone at Anderson dressing up to the nines, taking limos, and dancing around like a bunch of idiots. In short, it was a blast.

Guess which one is my husband. Bonus points if you guessed "Neither!" 

Unless you know what a Canadian tuxedo is, I don't even know where to begin explaining what is going on in this picture. 

Before you start to wonder what happened to said husband, he and I were able to sneak away for a few nights after our March 31st wedding (wrap-up here, you know - the one where we got married Saturday night in Atlanta and I was in class on Monday in LA!). That's right, we sailed away from the beautiful Port of Long Beach on an exotic 3-night cruise to Enseneda, Mexico. 

I thought it would be a fun surprise for Stanton if I had our stateroom festively decorated for our arrival. He wasn't sure whether to be horrified or relieved that I might have confused this trip with our actual (TBD) Honeymoon.

Just getting away was nice, even if this was one of the few moments on the trip I was actually awake. Much of my time was spent catching up on much-needed rest, much like the Mexican seal in the right of this picture.

I also got to do my first sight-seeing in LA (at least, that didn't occur as part of a run) when my parents came to visit us for the long Memorial Day weekend. Having been meaning to go to the Getty Center for approximately five years since I first came out to LA on business, it was a real treat to actually go. And it didn't disappoint! This is a must-do activity, if for nothing but the amazing views.

My father Jeff, who spent a summer in Compton in the '70s, finds Los Angeles much more to his liking this time around!

One of the most exciting things I participated in this spring was the TED TOMS Shoes Case Challenge. My amazing team of fellow first-years Alisa Sommer, Lauren Logan, Remy Monteko and I made it to the finals, where we had the chance to present in front of an esteemed group of judges from the TED organization, TOMS Shoes, and Anderson. Coming up with our own product idea that combined TOMS core values of companies engaging in sustainable giving with the ideals of TED was an extremely exciting and gratifying experience. Another tip to future students: jump on any case competition opportunities you get! They are great ways to improve your public speaking, work hard under pressure, and get to know your amazing classmates on a more intimate level.

Lauren Logan, Remy Monteko, me, and Alisa Sommer ready to present, wearing our TOMS shoes of course!

Our blockbuster idea, "Products Worth Sharing"

So after an insanely busy, exciting, fulfilling, fast-paced year, school is over and I am leaving for Seattle, WA for my summer intership as a Product Manager in Kindle at Amazon. I am really looking forward to it! It's going to be fantastic and I am so excited and grateful to have the opportunity.

Two of the best things about Seattle!

Naturally, the first thing I am doing in my new city is running the Rock 'N Roll Seattle Marathon on June 23rd. I like to consider it a great way of sightseeing, although I realize that might make me sound insane. Either way, it's going to be an amazing summer! I'll see you guys in the fall as I share my continuing adventures as an MBA student at the best business school in the country, UCLA Anderson School of Management!

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Have a great summer!

-Charlotte Baxter Maines

Follow me on Twitter: @CharlotteK