there's always a first time

Today was a day of many firsts.

First time conducting a (can you believe this?) info session for prospectives.
First time attending a corporate presentation at the GSB.
First time telling a kid to stop tearing up paper or else i'd go to the principal.
First time meeting Rose Martinelli.
First time realizing that she knew my name (i'd like to think she didn't peek at my name tag).
First time getting a job lead from a prospective student.
First time having wine and pretzels for dinner.

Let's start with the first (i was going to say first first time but that would be too many firsts on a line. and that would be a first).

It was an odd feeling this AM. So much so that I felt the need to look through my wardrobe, all of which is usually spread out on the floor or the chair, to find something nice to wear. I was going to conduct my first Info Session for prospective students as part of the Dean's Student Admissions Committee. wow. Isn't that something? It does feel like I've come a long way from the time i started this process.

I almost felt like a responsible person :-) :-) :-)

I also think it went really well. It was a small group today, and my friend K and I got interesting questions. We enjoyed answering them and it did seem like they had their concerns addressed. We also covered a lot of ground and spoke to what we each thought was interesting to us about the program and our experience thus far. We are doing one more together in a few weeks, which I'm really looking forward to.

A gentle note to prospectives: Please stop by and say something nice to your student hosts on your way out of these sessions, at whichever school you visit. It can make them feel really really good :-)

On my way out I was talking with one of the prospectives who was telling me about a friend who works at a company i am really interested in, when I hear a voice behind me tell him, in jest, - don't believe anything he says :) It was Rose Martinelli. I mis-spoke when I said earlier that it was the first time I'd met her. The first time really was two years ago when I went to the 10 School MBA forum in Boston. On that occasion I wrote:

Wharton was a little disappointing. The answers to my questions were of the 'of course we do so-and-so or you can do this-and-that, we are wharton' type. Wouldn't say the AD was cocky, maybe she had a long day ... but they are indeed wharton and people are going to apply irrespective :)

Well, I did. Twice, at that. I just think it is brilliantly ironic that a guy she rejected twice from the school she was running admissions for, is trying to convince people to apply to the school she's now running the admissions for.

Life is funnily good.