MBlog07

[Gautam] It all comes together in the second half

It’s hard to believe that we are done with half of MLOG. But we have an exciting semester to look forward to because this is where it all comes together. Armed with skills from courses like Logistics Systems that helped us build the foundation, we are now focusing on the strategic and tactical aspects of Supply Chain Management. I was recently talking to Ali (a fellow MLOGer), and we were discussing how our day started off with a course in Supply Chain planning that teaches us the more operational aspects of Supply Chain Management to a class in Case Studies in Logistics that is Supply Chain Strategy oriented, and ending the day with New Enterprises, an entrepreneurship course. It’s really helping us transition from not only looking at the operational details but also learning about the strategic aspects of Supply Chain Management.

One of the most exciting parts of this semester has been the progress we are making on our theses. Bin (who is my thesis partner) and I are working on a project with Procter & Gamble and CVS. The thesis has truly been a great opportunity to apply the skills we are learning at MLOG toward solving a real world problem. One of the benefits of working as a team on the thesis project is the opportunity to learn from each other. Bin’s background in Operations Research and my background in consulting have helped us develop and gain knowledge from each other.

This semester is definitely going to be challenging. However, I am confident that all of us will make it through as a team.

[Josh] Spring Semester

This blog may be short, as I fit it in between many assignments and readings. My impression of Spring semester is that it has arrived just as suddenly as the cold weather in Boston (the good thing is that it encourages to stay inside and focused on our work:). Honestly, the spring classes are great and biggest question now is "Which one do I drop?"...because we all get a bit hungry for the new spring classes and a bit too optimistic in our ability to succeed in ALL of them.  Plus, many of us are still interviewing. Not that job searching isn't going well - on the contrary, many of us are in follow-up interviews to the initial interviews during the IAP (January) period.  In fact, I have had no trouble getting interviews, and they have gone well - it's just a matter of picking the right one.  I even used MIT's alumni association website (the Infinite Connection) to find a guy at a company I wanted to work for. Even though he was under no obligation to help me, he gladly forwarded my resume on to a top supply chain executive. Go MIT Alumni!

So far, I am very happy with the classes so far and I think the spring courses are a bit easier workload than the fall...and I guess they are supposed to trail off towards the end of the semester.  This is probably because overdue thesis work is ramping up;) 

Biggest news for me is that my fiance moved to Boston and she found a good job, with little trouble....and we seem to be making it work - with the schedule, lack of money, etc...  So it can be done, even if you're not a marriage pro like my some of my classmates. (Note: Please don't interpret this as encouragement to get engaged, plan a wedding, and get an MLog degree all at the same time)

Josh