ONE-YEAR AT GOIZUETA: PRATEEK GOEL – BIDDING FAREWELL TO THE SUMMER…HELLO FALL!
Finally, the so called “worse” three months of the entire MBA program have ended. We had memorable times that some of us will remember for a long time, and we couldn’t have been prepared for the sadness we felt from leaving. As I mentioned in one of the previous blogs, MBA is all about knowing more people, participating in extracurricular activities, socializing, going out of your comfort zone, and yes…studying!
While we look forward to the fall, let me summarize the summer semester. The summer was as intense as it could get, I made many new friends, studied hard, explored Atlanta and prepared for the job search process. You forget all about your past life and just have one goal – sustain and survive. Now that the semester is over, fall semester seems pretty relaxing. We got the chance to choose our electives and most of us got the subjects of our choice, including me. Finally, we were thrown a semester ending party by the program office… the last time all of us were together.
The Farewell…
LAST FEW WEEKS
The last few weeks were quite eventful just like the first block. We had a couple of field visits – one to the Federal Reserve of Atlanta and the other to the Coke Headquarters. While both were quite helpful and fun, the one at Coke HQ was quite eventful. We looked at how Coke managed the entire FIFA sponsorship and discussed their social media strategy. We also went inside their ‘hub’ where all the social media marketing decisions take place…
Coke-d
When I first came to Atlanta, little did I know there is SO much to do here. The more I explore, the more I fall in love with this place. For example, Not as a part of the course, our class hired a private yacht and went boating on an artificial lake titled Lake Lanier. It was an excellent experience and I highly recommend doing that if you are in Atlanta.
Getting ready to jump in the yacht…and then the lake
Between the summer and fall semester, we have a 10 day break (to our relief!), in which the school organizes an optional field trip aimed towards leadership. This year the destination is Belize. While around 15 students have gone to Belize, many are vacationing and taking time off from studying. I came to visit my family in Seattle. This break is an excellent way to look back and ponder upon the last 3 months and also the next 9-10.
COMING UP
In Just a few days, we will be merging with the entire batch of 2015, to make the transition smooth, we are going back to Twin lakes – again. Hopefully, this will be as action-packed as the last trip! This will be followed by regular classes and the job search. All of which I look forward to with utmost excitement.