Saturday, September 17, 2005

Autumn Classes: No Gain, No Pain.

I got my top schedule, and also got a pre-req go-ahead from a professor and I need to drop a class, so I'm kinda not really all scheduled yet.

But it's pretty cool. There were two cardinal rules that I wanted unbroken when it came to my schedule:

* no going to class at 8:30. i think it is against every law of nature.
* i'm not sitting through a 3-hour class unless there is some form of compensation.

glad to report that both have been met among the courses i've got. my schedule of the 3 sure classes looks like this:

Financial Accounting - Monday 1:30 - 4:30 PM. It is taught by Professor Weil, who wrote the book. I've been told there is very little lecturing in the classroom (a lot of self-study) but he tells a lot of stories and it is supposed to be an entertaining class. I think I can sit through it, no problemo.

MicroEconomics - Tue & Thu 10:10 - 11:50 AM. I should be able to manage waking up by 10. And it's twice at week at hour and half each. Oh, and they tell me all the girls in the GSB are in Il Professori Rayo's class. Not that it means anything to me. Just saying what I heard.

The Practice of Leadership in Business - Thu 6:00 - 9:00 PM at our downtown campus. This is an intersting class, taught by a professor who was a CEO for 19 years. Course programming is more case-based and there are 3 guest lecturers who are business leaders, and we have to meet senior executives of chicago-area companies for a research project et cetera. OK, *real* reason is thursday night is TNDC - thursday night drinking club - and we go to bars downtown or norther (and i live south) and i figured might as well head to class on the way to the drinking. it's just more convenient that way :-)

I'm thinking of dropping my 4th class and signing up for a friday afternoon class from 1:30 to 4:30. So I can end up at LPF(this is free drinks and conversation on the House, in the House) right after class :)

There you have it fellas - an insight into the frameworks a 'future business leader' employs to determines his class strategy that will be the foundation of a sustained ... no can do any more buzzwords.

On a more serious note, i actually chose my classes based on what I want to do the next two quarters. Our bidding system encourages strategic course selection. You assign a bid value for a schedule you want, and after all the bids are sorted, course prices are set and then you are charged for the classes you got. In my case, I bid 3001 points for my schedule (which, in true yogi fashion, was the Least Successful Bid for one of my classes. In plain english, it means that i was the last guy to get in before it closed) Now, if my course A has a price of 1000 determined for it, B has 500 and C has 300 - I end up actually paying a total of 1800 for my schedule. If, on the other hand, the sum of the prices of the classes is more that what you bid, you end up only paying the bid amount and get a 'subsidy' from the school. Kinda complicated.

My plan is to take 3 courses next semester, each of which is very expensive, around 5000 points each. I can get away by bidding and paying only say 5001 which will get me into each class. It is highly inefficient to bid on a schedule where your most expensive course is 2x or more your next expensive course. Of course, the exception being if you have a class that you HAVE to take. It happened with me this quarter with Prof. Rayo's class, but the amounts aren't too big. I think I'll be in good shape come Winter with around 13000 points on me.

Spring I *hope* to take the Free Ride Train. There are a few courses you don't bid on - you can only get in if selected. I want to do the New Venture Challenge, PE/VC Lab and LEAD. I think (not entirely sure) that these courses also give you back 2000 points on successful completeion. *If* this pans out, i'll enter next year with a kitty big enough to go out and bust everyone's brackets (that sound you hear is the evil capitalist-in-the-making in me laughing :)

But, I know these plans never work out and I'm cool with what I have for now. Classes start Thursday.
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1 Comments:

Blogger PowerYogi said...

Alcohol and women as a basis for course choice - and some people think MBA students don't take academics seriously enough Oh, and the Chicago GSB auction makes the Wharton one sound like simplicity itself.
BRITCHICK | 09.17.05 - 5:31 pm | #

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You're learning quickly, at least where it comes to "strategic course selection"

Wish I'd known what you do going into bidding last Fall. And yes, you do get 2000 back for each class, even if it's the Labs that you don't bid on.

I have no points left (dropped them all on entrepreneurship classes this quarter), and actually have a subsidy of close to 2000 points. But it's cool... not really planning on taking any more expensive courses until Spring.
byron | Homepage | 09.17.05 - 9:05 pm | #

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I don't think I could sit through a three hour class. One of the nice things about our schedule is that all classes are 1 hour 15 mins long.

Although I do have 2 days starting at 8:00am and 2 starting at 9:30am
keven | Homepage | 09.18.05 - 12:19 pm | #

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Damn PY, this whole bidding thing is complicated!!!! Makes me glad in a way that all I have to do is show up at the designated time and place for at least 6 months (then we get to choose electives) :-D
Suzy | Homepage | 09.19.05 - 12:04 pm | #

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bc - too bad there aren't more students make such 'rational' choices. world would be a better place if they did methinks

byron - i guess figuring such things is one use i can put my engineering training to !

keven - is that a school policy thing, having classes that are only 1h15m. that is thoughtful. i don't know man, 3h seems awfully long to sit in one place and concentrate. i'll have to see how i can cope.

suzy - i'm glad other schools don't have to put up with this madness. that's the enFp in me talking !
poweryogi | Homepage | 09.19.05 - 3:30 pm | #

19 November, 2005 03:08  

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