MBlogO8

[Nicholas] Governor Dukakis speaks at MIT

Today a number of MLOGgers had the chance to listen to Governor Dukakis speak at the final event of this semesters CTL speaker seiries.

The Governor spoke on a range of issues regarding public transportation, but his main focus was on the opportunities for long distance higher speed rail services in the USA. An interesting and very engaging hour, left me with the impression that there are genuine opportunities for creating these services, but a lack of leadership particularly at the Federal level is stiffling the process.

Yet another example of the many opportunities to listen t and engage world class speakers at MIT. I've included a picture of Erik and I with the Governor below.

[Lee] Things To Do In Boston (If You Ever Have the Time)

Boston and Cambridge are great places to explore, and leaving campus every now and then definitely helps one's sanity. I'd like to fill you in on some of my favorite things to do, when I have enough time to do them...

But first, I've had a couple of emails asking me about the housing situation while at MIT. I live off campus, in a building called the Watermark. It is a new building, and many of my neighbors are Sloan students, or work for MIT, in biotech, or for the Charles MGH hospital. It is a very nice building, but considerably more expensive than on-campus options. Of my classmates who live off campus, other choice areas are Central Square, Harvard Square, Somerville and Beacon Hill. Central Square is the closest to campus, and there are some great ethnic restaurants and considerable bustle in the area. Harvard Square and Beacon Hill are two of the most charming neighborhoods in the Boston-Cambridge vicinity; you'll pay more to live there, but no doubt will enjoy the experience.

On campus, I would say that the Warehouse and Sidney-Pacific are two of the more popular options. These are both new construction buildings, with nice amenities like gyms in the building, and common rooms to play ping pong or billiards, or throw a group dinner. Others live in Ashdown, Tang, and Eastgate. These are cheaper options, and if you're interested in having one or several roommates, these are the way to go. More information can be found by navigating around from here: http://web.mit.edu/housing/grad/index.html

As for things I like to do in Boston and Cambridge, I'll give you a few highlights:
-Run along Memorial Drive, over Harvard Bridge, up through Back Bay and into Boston
-Walk with classmates from MIT to Harvard Square to have a burger and a milkshake at Bartley's
-Browse the new releases and great used book section in the basement of the Harvard Book Store
-Head over to MIT's beautiful Zeisger "Z-Center" to lift weights, run, play basketball or squash
-Walk across the Longfellow Bridge and walk down Charles Street and stop at Panficio, Cafe Vanille or Paramount for breakfast on a Saturday.
-Go for Indian or Tibetan food with classmates in Central Square.
-Stroll through Boston Commons and browse along Newbury Street.
-Catch a great movie at the Kendall Theater.
-Have Italian food in the North End, or Dim Sum in Chinatown.

Though free time is limited at MIT, and there are always great speakers to see and clubs to be involved with, these other activities enrich the experience of being here, and have made my time at MIT all the more memorable.

Spring Semester is here....

I do apologize for not blogging during IAP... I think I was having too much fun with the simulation game (We got a chance to run a company through an online simulation game. My specific role was VP of New Product Development) over January.. or wandering around Zaragoza (you can pick). But IAP was a great experience.. Got to meet some more future supply chain and consulting leaders from the other side of the Atlantic and also managed a week long trip to Spain that was supplemented by a weekend in Rome. After all as the old adage goes, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".

But again, "All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy". So here we are in Spring semester. I am not implying that we had no work during IAP but if you don't sign up for any additional courses it is relatively easier. Of course it always helps to work on the thesis. I didn't so here I am trying to make up for it... My plan to not sign up for that many courses this semester is not going that well... But I think I will be forced to drop atleast one class (I have signed up for 57 credits at the moment). The classes are so great and it is not often that you get great instructors teaching great courses... But then again just like the work/life balance there is also the class/thesis balance... so depending on thesis (which is usually the case) you might have to bring down the load.. I don't want to but I think I may have to.. =(.. Ok maybe I should type less and work more.. so then I won't have to.. so I am putting my pen/keyboard to rest... for now...

PS: Go to youtube and type in "the end of the world". I think it is one of MLOG '08's favorite videos... It is a satirical cartoon so it is not quite graphic like the title sounds.. it is rather funny.. trust me.. =)

MLOG Melting Pot

Currently we are spending most of the month of January involved in the Supply Chain Innovation and Leadership Series and the MLOG/ZLOG links simulation.  This series brings in speakers from various different supply chain backgrounds (Pepsi Bottling Group, NxStage Medical, TradeBeam, McKinsey and Company and Becton Dickinson).   These speakers are arming us with some of the top Supply Chain strategies in various different industries as well as future challenges that face supply chain management. 

The MLOG/ZLOG students are also competing against each other in a LINKS-Simulation.  Teams of four people comprise a cable box manufacturing company. These teams are responsible for marketing, sales, distribution, procurement, transportation and product configurations decisions and are graded on their relative stock prices in the industry.  The competition is quite fun and interesting as we are finally able to apply some of the theoretical techniques we learned last semester. 

The MLOGGERS have less than a week before we depart for Spain to visit the ZLOGGER at (Zaragosa, Spain) who will also return at the same time.  The MLOGGERS have several itineraries to optimize their time in Europe.  Some are traveling to Paris, Barcelona and Rome after our time in Spain ends.  However,  our time there is not all fun and games.  There is additional recruitment, distribution center tours (Zara) and manufacturing plant tours (GM). 

On a lighter note,  I have attached some pictures from the recent ski trip to Bretton Woods, NH.  Those who are financial history buffs will recognize this place and the birthplace of the Bretton Woods currency system.    And we had a great time at Karaoke last week, sorry  no pictures.   

Enjoy!!

Katie

P.S. Coming Soon - - National Lampoon’s MLOG European Vacation.

 

[Nicholas] Ski Trip

Last weekend a group of MLOGers and ZLOGers headed north to New Hampshire and the slopes of Bretton Woods.  Although the weather looked set to ruin things after a warm week and a miserably wet drive, we were rather relieved to find snow on the mountain. The early crew started at 7:30am and was on the slopes by 9:00am to find that the groomers had been hard at work, while the conditions might be described as “loose granular” the skiing was surprisingly good on most of the trails. After happy day on the slopes with and a few impressive falls from both newbie’s and experienced skiers alike, the party retired to enjoy the sauna, Patriots vs. Jaguars, and a few cans of PBR.

Sunday’s skiing proved even better, if a little colder, with clear blue skies and several challenging trails newly opened. While most of the group opted to ski, several went to explore the mountain on snowmobiles (we are promised pictures to follow), and the most adventurous opted for a long day in the hot tub.  I can’t say that we returned well rested for Monday morning’s seminar, but we all had a great weekend.  Thanks must go to Nelly for all the organization and for arranging such a great weekend!H

Here's a few pictures from the weekend to enjoy.....

Romain and the Olympic suit

Nicholas, Nelly, Tae

[Lee] IAP

After a much-needed break, MLOG has reconvened for MIT's Independent Activities Period (IAP). Though I went in believing IAP would share the intensity of Orientation and the fall semester, I have so far been pleasantly surprised. We have class in the mornings, and are now joined by new friends visiting from the ZLOG Program at the University of Zaragoza; our main project so far is a simulation game that is time consuming but also fun and collaborative.

IAP also provides us with the opportunity to study and interact with the broader MIT community. Some of my classmates are taking courses in everything from physics to knitting to infrastructure development to truffle making! There are lectures almost every day with interesting guest speakers and new topics to delve into and debate.

I also plan to use IAP time to work more on two areas that are important to me. The first is my thesis, which researches environmental and economic tradeoffs in consumer goods supply chains. My terrific thesis partner Nelly Andrieu and I hope to make significant headway with this before the spring semester begins...

Also, I am one of the Vice Presidents and organizers of the MIT-Sloan Private Equity Symposium, and also hope to use IAP time to organize my panel on "The Future of the Leveraged Buyout." It should be an exciting event--feel free to browse our website: http://www.mitvcpe.com/symposium/.

Hopefully I'll be able to progress with all of these goals before we leave for Spain in a few weeks...

[Katie] The Zloggers have Landed

The Zloggers Have Landed

Well now that the holidays and exams are over we have started classes again.  And we do not start them alone.  The Zloggers from our sister program in Spain have arrived.  There are about 25 Zloggers to join the 35 Mloggers.   Our task, a LINKS Simulation.  At current we are running every part of a business and competing against each other to do it.  We can change product configurations, price, marketing spend, DC configurations and so on.  However, it is not all business and games we also have recruiting.  There are about six to seven companies coming this month for us including Jonova, Schlumberger, CAT Logistics and Pepsi Bottling Group.  We also have several presentation and workshops this month including a team building/leadership workshop put on by a McKinsey and Company executive. 

On top of all this we get the chance to catch up with each other after our long break.  Most got to go home.  Some took a few side trips to places like Brazil or New York.  Overall I think we all had a good break and are glad to be back. 

And of course there always is that thing they call a thesis to work on.

-KT 

[Don] HO HO HO....

It is christmas time and the first semester is over.. a relief and a surge in confidence... Relief in the sense that we finished the first semester and confidence because we finished the first semester..lol... I second Allison's comment though, " You work so hard during the semester and you think you can get an A, but then within an hour and a half during a final you are just glad it is over and how that dream can vanish."  And I think I can walk blindfolded to Tang Hall (my residence) from the MLOG lab and make stops by the food trucks, Hayden and the Architecture library irregardless of the time of the day .. I think I can also guess with a 0.97 probability as to who would be in the LAB at 2 am to keep me company next semester as well (Hint - one is the next finance guru from MLOG' 08 and the other is our "Thai excel whiz"). But all this is worth it; Most of us have jobs now and there is a bigger wave of recruiting coming next semester. However, I am ready to take a lighter load (taking a heavy load this first semester has its pros and cons) next semester and enjoy some quality time in Cambridge and Boston.. Those passes that I got to the Boston Symphony Orchestra seem quite enticing. Hmmm... funny I haven't used them yet.. And one thing for the future MLOGers.. you better be a Red Sox fan in Chris' class and a Buckeye's fan if Shardul is still TAing... at least don't say where your allegiance lies, otherwise..

[Paul] MLOG XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE MLOG SYSTEM "chriscaplice.dtd">

<MLOG LIFE>
    <lab> The Bat Cave </lab>
    <cage> Rin, Tae, Yizhuan </cage>
    <food> Go-gurt, food truck </food>
    <active learning> Upload blank file </active learning>
    <260exam> No time to finish </260exam>
    <edgarblanco> "The factory brews!" </edgarblanco>
    <georgekocur> Ukrianian mafia </georgekocur>
    <shalomcapstone> Feel like skipping </shalomcapstone>
    <paulneo> Too much caffeine...can't sleep...typing rubbish </paulneo>
    <nextspring> Take fewer credits </nextspring>
</MLOG LIFE>

This is what 264 does to you....

[Yizhuan] Withdrawal symptom

“It’s amazing how you can work so hard the whole semester heading towards that A and all your effort suddenly disappears in one and a half hour of exam”. – Allison Bennett, MLOG 08

I can’t help but agree. In my entire life, I have never taken an exam that leaves me so perplexed. Usually, one will have a rough idea of how well one does after an exam. If you screw it up, at least you KNOW you screw it up. This exam… NO ONE has ANY idea how well one did. The whole paper was like placing bets on a craps table. You write as much as you can and hope something, just something, in your answer matches the solution key. It’s painful to the point of being hilarious.

But it’s finally over. The first semester is finally over.

And yet, I’m still sitting here in the MLOG lab, writing this blog. Maybe I’m so free that I have nothing better to do. Or maybe I am simply suffering from withdrawal symptoms. After all, I spent more time in this MLOG lab than I spent at home. And the time I spent at home is usually for sleeping anyways. I feel that a part of my brain has forgotten what my room looks like.

Looking back, the past 2 weeks were both hell and heaven at the same time. “Hell” because we had so much work to finish – a thesis proposal, 4 or 5 papers, final projects, and 2-3 finals to study for in 14 days. Some of the MLOGGERs stopped sleeping altogether. I think the two biggest zombies in class are Kin and Lee. But trust me, all of us became zombies to a certain extent. The program director, Chris, had to send an email telling us to “sleep”. But Chris, you were the one who deprived us of our sleep in the first place! ☺

But at the same time, the past 2 weeks were “heaven”. I have never been in a team with more spirit and drive and unity than this bunch of MLOGGERs. We literally eat, sleep, live and die together. It’s amazing how everyone was encouraging each other, sometimes explicitly, but most often, implicitly. The presence of seeing your peers studying so hard simply motivates you to work hard as well. It’s a reinforcing loop that keeps the whole class going. And amidst all the studying, somehow we never stop having fun.

Now that the semester has come to a close, I can’t help but be left with a sense of alienation. The MLOG lab suddenly feels so empty. Everyone’s probably back home getting that long-needed sleep. This is the first time I’ve seen the lab so empty. At the back of my mind, I keep getting that feeling that I still have things to do when I have none. This, my dear friends, is what people call withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal from what? From the sense of pride for being able to push yourself beyond your limits every single day, from the feeling of unity that your fellow classmates give you. Call me masochistic, I don’t care.

This is a good type of withdrawal symptom.