2007: An MBA Student Looks Back

It's 2008 and I'd like to take this time to look back at 2007 for us first year MBA students at AIM.

July:

• While not the official start of the MBA program, July was the month of the Pre-MBA program where I met most of my classmates.
• The Pre-MBA days were also known for its blistering pace in the classes.
  
• I remember I was seated next to Nina Laquindanum and Jen Valenzuela on the first day. We were all together on the same group discussion during the application.
• First Indian that I met: Archit Kulkarni
• For some reason, "Clear as mud" became Prof. Larry Tan's catch phrase.
  

August:

• The MBA's official start.
• Probably the days of "making a good impression," in and out the classroom.
• Notable activity of the month: The team building exercise where we had our first set of CAN groups.
• More notable activity of the month: Our very first WAC!
• The "Young MBA Graduate" phenomenon starts

September:

• I got sick and heard people calling me "the guy who collapsed," although I did not.
  
• "Exams" officially became a food group for us MBA students, along with meat and vegetables.
• Notable activity: AIM Cubs Night!
• Interesting topic: Integrity and Ethics.
• Oh yeah, World Trade Organization head Pascal Lamy lectured in AIM.
• A source of unintentional comedy for this month: our Management Communication speeches.

October:

• By this time, we're now comfortable with cases and the case method that we can now go through a class by reading 50% of it... some times less.
• First appearance of Prof. Mau Bolante in a teaching capacity for our batch. Teacher humor will never be the same.
• Notable event: seeing an multiple question with 16 choices in an exam.
• I ran for AIM Student Association Vice-Chair... and lost.
• It was an interesting sight to see the dorm lobby still filled with MBA students in 5 o'clock in the morning finishing the Marketing Management presentation on Market Research and Product Positioning.
  
• By this time, everyone has felt being stretched to the hilt, and it was not uncommon to hear primal screams on the dorm corridors.
  

November:

• My mandatory 3-month stay in the dorm ended and I, along with a few other people, moved out.
• Notable event: Diwali! Here's a video:
  
  
• I got sick again!
• Finally, everyone got feedback and wash grades on most subjects. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
• Buzz about recruitment, placement and internships start to get some traction.

December:

• Classes and over-all pressure started to ease up. Thanks to the holiday season.
• Notable activity: The AIM Students' Christmas Party!
• Everybody felt discombobulated with the Financial Management 1 Finals of Mr. Richard Cruz. To recall, was taken for almost one whole day and had the works: objective parts and case analysis parts. It felt like we trapped in a different, dreaded realm that day, seriously.
  
• And of course, the 3-week Christmas break.

2007 was only the beginning for me and my other classmates. 2008 will be a longer, more challenging year with new subjects, professors and the internships and the Management Research Report (MRR). Hopefully, the next year-end I'll write will be how I finished the MBA program and pulled through.

Do you have any notable additions to my list? Please do add a comment!