Tag: Olin Partners Association

It’s February.

This is a pretty obvious statement but I can’t remember the last time I wrote a blog post.  Every month since I last checked-in, I thought “I have to write a post on the Olin blog,” and each month something came up and at the most inconvenient time (typically driving) I would think, “Darn! I forgot to update the blog!”

Now those “somethings” that served as barriers to writing can also be referred to as life and perhaps be more forgiving.  Life kept coming up: dinner with friends, lectures at the art museum, yoga, and more often than I care to admit, a late night at work.  These moments have kept me from connecting with others, writing on this blog, calling my mother (hi, mom!) and keeping in touch with my friends.

For the past two years, I have felt that I am constantly responsive to the Olin schedule.  This isn’t a compliant in the slightest, it’s what happens when you operate in a “just-get-me-through-the-day, week, project, test” etc.  We all fall victim to the “just get me through…” mantra.  We don’t slow down and when we do we realize that it’s FEBRUARY and we’re just catching up on things we meant to do in September.

But then I remember that we keep adding things to our list and that time does not slow down.  It’s quite an experience trying to gain control of a situation where you feel so powerless.  But somewhere along the road, you find a balance that you are okay with.  It feels like a push-pull system that will always be off balance but you figure out how to be okay with it.

Turner’s and my Olin experience is almost over, which is crazy to reflect upon.  Olin has challenged our relationship in so many ways but it has also brought so much good.  I stopped fighting the process and encouraged him to embrace all that business school has to offer because two years goes by so quickly.  We both acknowledged that we were in a place in our relationship for business school to become a priority.

This weekend, for example, he’s in a weekend class which ends tonight (Sunday) at 6pm where he will then go to a group meeting from 6-8p and another from 8-10p.  And this isn’t his only weekend class.  Additionally, he’s auditing a class on top of his regular classes and TA-ing for a Modeling course.  He’s typically not home until 9 or 10 each weekday night, falling asleep or going to do homework when he gets back.

But with all of the time he spends with Olin activities, he also has a flexible schedule.  We have been able to share afternoon dog-walking chores, can meet for breakfast or lunch together, and the best perk of going back to school: winter, spring, summer break.  We both acknowledge that we should take full advantage of this time, too, because the ability to get up and go will also change after Olin.

At the end of the day, I don’t know that we have found balance in our schedules but we have found acceptance and know that the Olin experience passes quickly and it would be a shame to not embrace it for all that it has to offer.  We have also figured out how to quit that world and reconnect with others that we have neglected over the past few months, too.  This will change soon, too, but for now, we are embracing the experience.

 Photo credit: antefixus21 and  Karen Horton, Flickr

As GO! week comes to a close, I want to reflect on year one as an MBA partner, the adventures I have had, the ups and downs, and most importantly, things I wish I knew a year ago.

GO! week can be an exciting time for many Olin partners.  We get to meet other partners who we will be sharing this adventure, but we also hear these stories about how challenging and stressful the first year is from our second-year counterparts, who often share this remark with a smile.

It left me wondering, “what on Earth did we agree to?”  So as Turner and I jointly enter year two of the Olin experience, here are a few thoughts.

Dear Year 1 Julie,

Think of this new St. Louis experience as dating.

Picture this: You just broke up with your beloved city of Manhattan and have found yourself in a new arranged marriage with the city, St. Louis.  Despite St. Louis’s best attempts at being wonderful in all the ways that it is wonderful, you still find yourself making (unfair) comparisons to New York and let’s face it, as far as you are concerned, there is no place on Earth that is as divine as good ol’ Manhattan.

St. Louis goes to bed early, New York is always awake.  That doesn’t mean there aren’t restaurants or bars open (there are). It means that you will meet people who go home after work, and meeting for happy hour isn’t the norm, it’s the exception.

You will get lost in a shopping center or somewhere on a highway without a clue as to where you are.

You will run back to New York as often as you can and hope that there is some way that you could stay even though your airplane ticket is only for the weekend, and that you will board the plane to head back.

But slowly (emphasis on s-l-o-w-l-y) you will come to appreciate St. Louis’s laid- back lifestyle and enjoy the action packed NY weekends for weekends and nothing more or less.

You will eventually come to realize that you can do things in St. Louis that you never got around to in New York (like getting to the gym and learning new crafts). You will come to appreciate the idea that New York and St. Louis are two, completely different cities and it’s unfair to compare the two all the time (it’s okay to compare them some times!)

Then there is the idea that you have to find a new social group. Finding new friends is much like dating.  You will go on a lot of ‘friend dates’ that will look like all of those ‘relationship dates’ you once were on.

You will meet the ‘perfect on paper, but not so great in person’ friend; the ‘unrequited’ friend who never calls you back; the ‘good enough for now’ friend that doesn’t share a lot of your interests, but you can go to dinner with and have a nice tim; the ‘my parents’ friends set me up with you’ friend, among many others.

These friend dates much like relationship dating will be frustrating because you want instant great friends NOW. But patience and perseverance will once again win and in time, you will find a group of Olin partner friends that will soon become your rock.

Unfortunately, there is a third person in this relationship, too.  And it’s known as the first semester at Olin.  Olin will capitalize so much of your partner’s time, you may wonder if  he likes Olin more than you.  Not only will he be engaged with Olin activities all of the time, but when he does see you, he wants to continue talking about all of the things that Olin has done for him, or share all of the experiences that he has had with Olin.  YIKES.  It can feel a little crowded.

You may feel alone.  You may start to angrily talk to yourself in the car about what he sees in Olin.  Sometimes, when you think no one is watching, you may cry.  This is where your Olin partner friends come in.

The good news is that they too have a third person in their relationships and they can relate.  Together you can huff and puff about all of the time that your respective partners have given to Olin and how they might not even realize that you went from brunette to blonde.

Eventually, you will collectively fall down laughing at the absurdity of it all.  Even further, once you accept that Olin will steal your date nights for the next few months and embrace the Olin experience, you will ask, “are you positive there isn’t a networking event tonight? I was hoping to have a girls night….”

Hang in there, Year 1 Julie.  There are many wonderful things that await you and your partner.  It’s not always going to be easy, but since when did you take the easy route anywhere?

Love,

2nd Year Julie

 Photo credit: WUSTL Photo Services

In a recent New York Times op-ed, St. Louis transplant and author Curtis Sittenfeld writes that it’s difficult to find friends here until you have children. As a happy newcomer to St. Louis, without children, I beg to differ.

St. Louis has many wonderful opportunities to meet people and make friends.

Last month, I went to a Young Professionals event at the St. Louis Art Museum  where they taught us how to make outdoor hanging flower pots out of recycled and re-purposed household items. While I was openly reporting my inability to get the pot to hang upright, I also commented on how I loved a girl’s hair next to me. I didn’t know her, but we discussed how I couldn’t fish-tail braid and she taught me. I admit that sounds about as stereotypical as it comes, but it was a fun way to meet someone new. How did I find this opportunity? Online. And it was free.

There are also many different nonprofits around St. Louis and many of them have Young Professional Boards. Some request a more formal application and interview, but for many, you can email the nonprofit, say you are interested in supporting the cause, and boom! you have monthly meetings where you get to meet new people (and you already have something in common with them).

I have been fortunate enough to serve on the Young Friends Council at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  After each meeting, some of the members go to dinner. Sure, it’s a little awkward at first, but if you keep going, you start to see similar people and friendships develop.

Then there are the innovation labs that are popping up around downtown St. Louis that offer many new friend opportunities.

Take Lab 1500  for example. Lab 1500 allows anyone with a great idea to meet with other entrepreneurs. Together, they can work out business ideas, take workshops to enhance their business knowledge, and create a better foundation for themselves and their projects. It also provides space for people to set up their laptops, work in a communal environment, and have access to networking and educational events. And guess what?  The cost of living in St. Louis compared to the coasts is much more reasonable, so entrepreneurs can actually spend time on their great idea or innovation.

In reading Sittenfeld’s op-ed tale of a friendless life in St. Louis before having children, I found myself appreciating my own experience. While I have been fortunate to have the Olin community as a strong support system, I still disagree with the writer’s inability to find friends.

Finding new friends is never easy, especially if you have not had the experience of  since you were in Pre-K. It’s a combination of finding your interests, trying something new, and making a match with what St. Louis has to offer – all of which can be done in a quick Google search.

It can be intimidating, but in trying to find new friends, you also get to rediscover yourself.  And that might be the most rewarding experience of all.

Finals week has officially begun!  It’s pretty hard to believe that the first year is almost over.  In some ways, it has felt like a lifetime and in others, it feels like it started yesterday.

To be honest, I know that finals are a considerably more stressful for students than partners.  But from a partner perspective, we feel the impact, too.  Before I had connected with other Olin partners, I spent “finals season” by myself, working extra hours to pass the time and making extra trips to the gym.  It worked well for my career and my overall health, I was not happy to be in a new city without any friends.

I felt like my experience was far inferior to the stresses that the Olin students were going through and I was being unreasonable with my own unhappiness. What I failed to recognize is the network of new friends who had similar experiences.  Flash forward to present day and after many conversations with Olin partners, we have had many “why didn’t you just call me?!” conversations.

The good news is that this semester is going to be different.  This week alone, we have planned a happy hour and to attend an event at the Art Museum.

Next year, the Olin Partner Association has a whole spreadsheet (this is Olin and we love spreadsheets) of plans for fall finals to allow first and second-year partners opportunities to get together in a more organized fashion.  We will have social options like a painting class and happy hours to supportive assistance like babysitting for young families who might need another set of hands while their partners are off studying.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know!  The Olin Partner Association wants to meet the needs of the partners of Olin and we want to represent your needs.

You can email us at:

OlinPartnersAssociation at gmail dot com

Happy Spring!!

MBA students at Olin are in the thick of exam season right now but looking forward to the start of summer just days away.

Most of us have internships lined up for the next few months so it won’t be all fun and games. About 50 of us will be in St. Louis either working for corporations or getting involved with startups through local entrepreneurship organizations such as lab1500 (http://www.lab1500.com/).

Incoming first year full-time MBAs start classes in late July this year so if you’re in town early and looking for something fun to do, there are some great St. Louis ideas in this short film made by Anastasia Films.