Super Bowl Sunday

... and we're two weeks deep into the semester already.

But first, about the game -- I think I share the sentiments of many. The Giants look good, and an upset would be world-shaking, but it would be fun to witness a historic 19-0 season for the Patriots. But above all, a good game would satisfy me more than either outcome alone.

So, back to matters of business school. This week, I got to reexamine how things are going with the new semester. What becomes evident over and over again is the contrast between my life now and my life during the first semester. I had a talk with a friend at this week's Sage Social on this exact topic -- he said he misses sharing every aspect of the business school experience with all of his classmates. I disagree. I think it's great to see people focusing on their interests, getting to build the skills they came here to build. We've all got a challenging experience in common, but now we're all free to express our individuality.

Another feeling that has started to emerge is a feeling of thankfulness for the core. It was really challenging, and I wouldn't want to go back and do it again, but at the same time, I never would've voluntarily signed up for the quant-heavy course-load unless I was forced to do so. The system succeeds in giving all Johnson students the same background in the building blocks of business, and it makes all subsequent courses more meaningful, viewed through the post-core lens.

The concepts I've learned -- at first a jumble of seemingly unrelated practices and behaviors -- continue to come together for me, in all sorts of unexpected ways. For instance, I spent a month straight practicing case interviews for my second-round interview with the New York Times Strategic Planning department. At first, it seemed like it might be fruitless (especially if I don't end up getting the job), but I think that the skills it builds -- diagnostics and deductive reasoning -- have already started to serve me in class and in business projects I'm working on.

Another new development this week. This Friday, my fifth course of the semester, a three-day course on Strategic Alliances, started. The class is taught by a non-traditional faculty member named Jan Suwinski, a 32-year Corning executive, who himself managed strategic partnerships with Korean electronics company Samsung, among others. His vast experience and humor colors class discussion in a great way. And who better to learn about strategic alliances from than someone who's built them time and again?

Now, I officially like all of my classes this semester.