On Friday, we finished the first week of classes, and I feel much the wiser. With only seven weeks allotted per core class, you just have to hit the ground running. And that we have. In Economics, we're already just a couple days away from the first quiz on opportunity cost, the production possibilities curve, and division of labor. And in Accounting, the balance sheet has taken on a life of its own, expanding into expenses and revenues.
And aaaah, marketing... The one class I knew would be quant-free, the only class where a liberal arts/journalist/religion major would be free to take a deep breath and rela--- BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS IS DUE WHEN? Professors Eisenstein and Stayman, after one quick lecture on the uses and merits of quantitative assessments in marketing, turned the entire first-year class loose on a 12-problem marketing math assignment that looked a lot like Greek to me on first inspection. And to make matters worse, it was due Thursday morning. That gave me about a day to get this beast tamed. Of course, I had plans for a leisurely Wednesday, free from anxiety; my first day off since moving to Ithaca three weeks ago. But that was not to be. My dreams were bothered by the dread of confronting problems I couldn't solve. And I woke up in the morning feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Before I knew it, the morning had started slipping by. It was almost 11 already. The dread was quickly building. I had finished the first three problems, but I couldn't figure out where to start number 4. I needed some guidance.
So, I did what I had to do. I took a shower, shaved, put on some decent clothes, and headed for Sage Hall. I got to the library and began an email dialogue with my core teammates, several of whom were having similar problems. We all agreed to meet in the Atrium at 12:30. That's where I found something hugely comforting -- probably about 15-20 teams were huddled around tables, working solutions to the same assignment. Quant jocks and poets alike were engaged in vigorous debate as to which formula to use on which problem, others explaining still-hazy concepts like cannibalization and net present value to their peers, who would explain what they could to the next overwhelmed countenance they encountered.
I had heard the PR spiel that the Johnson School was a collaborative place, but here was the proof. Everyone was working together on this assignment. And no one seemed to be simply piggybacking. They would listen to an explanation, ask questions, and work to synthesize and understand WHY. Maybe then, and only then, would they start their own calculations.
Five o'clock came, and associate dean, Cathy Dove, started encouraging us to break for the school-wide picnic at Stewart Park on the shore of Cayuga Lake. I made it down by around 6, exhausted but feeling exhilarated by what I'd just been through. In the midst of panic, near-meltdown, and some really hard work, I had learned a lot of the major math concepts I'll be using through the core in marketing and other classes.
Even though I was far from convinced that I'd gotten the right answer on every problem, that night I slept a heckuva lot easier.
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