Ross Partners Blog

SPRING IN ANN ARBOR

It’s springtime!! And I am very curious and happy as it’s our first in Ann Arbor. It feels so nice to see the temperature soaring from 7 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This transition time between winter and summer is always welcome. There's beauty everywhere and life all around. It makes all the five senses so enthused. Seeing the colorful flowers rejuvenates me, smelling the fresh air soothes me, feeling the warmth of the sun energizes me, hearing the birds' chirping makes me smile and the taste of fresh lemonade wakens my taste buds from the winter blues.

Everyone loves the warm weather, be they kids, adults or birds. Everyone's cheerful. It is so wonderful to see the kids playing outdoor sports, riding their bicycles and laughing with each other – it takes me back to my childhood. The adults are not far behind; everybody’s partying hard, dressed in bright colors. And outdoor barbeques are a big hit these days.

My evening stroll has become even more interesting these days. I feel really relaxed and calm and am able to admire deeply the beauty of nature. There are so many shades of green all around; I wonder if I can count them all. The birds are flying in groups and chirping.  The butterflies are swarming around and I am always waiting for at least one to land on me for luck!!

With these longer days of the spring, our Frisinger Park is happening. I see parents teaching baseball to their kids, people jogging every day, and I see my husband and his friends playing baseball and cricket. If you’re wondering how they manage, it is because their MAP responsibilities give them some time in the evening to enjoy the weather and play for an hour or two.

With these warmer days, our Partners’ Club is super-active once again. There are a lot of happy hours, a lot more get-togethers, a Big House Big Heart Race in the queue and a much-awaited end-of-the-year picnic scheduled for the end of this month. So let’s keep rocking!!

Now, with MAP projects coming to a close with a final presentation in the last week of April, the students are all set to start with their internships soon, which is for duration of about 10-12 weeks. Mohit and I will be travelling to Milwaukee for the next three months. Though I am pretty excited for this new expedition, I am going to miss AA and all my friends too..!! Good luck everyone. See you all soon.

 

A Typical WinterA term

Spending the winter break in Seattle turned out to be an excellent decision. Not only were we able to maneuver away from the cold weather in Michigan, we were also able to find a few sunny days in Seattle. The weather turned out perfectly for our treks and outdoor activities. I was optimistically hoping that 2012 would start on a relatively relaxed note. Little did I know that our lives would zoom at 150 miles/hour the moment we set foot back in Ann Arbor. The next one and a half months saw us balance academics, internship interviews, social events and exams.

For a good part of January, my husband, Mohit, was gripped in the uncertainty of which MAP project he would be assigned to. Indeed he got assigned to a project that was among his top choices. It really pepped up his enthusiasm and alleviated his anxiety towards MAP. Since then, he and his team have met several times to kick-start their project even before the official MAP kick-off in March. It was very interesting for me to know that a MAP team has a faculty-coach to guide the team through the MAP project and help the MAP team work more efficiently towards achieving the project goal. I was further surprised to know that each MAP team is also assigned a communication consultant to help the team set up business communication protocols. Also, having a domestic MAP project will enable Mohit to be at Ann Arbor for most of the Winter B term, while having to travel twice to the company’s office in Boston for a week’s duration each. Since there are no classes along with MAP, working on the MAP project from home presents an opportunity for greater interaction time between Mohit and me, a slight change from the Winter A and Fall terms. I am really excited about it and eagerly await the onset of March.

In early February, I attended several get-togethers for Mohit’s section, Section 3. We had an amazing time while bowling at Colonial Lanes – joking and laughing the entire evening. I, in fact, scored my highest score ever in bowling, which I celebrated with a chocolate brownie there. At these events, I was also able to interact with so many more partners who attended these section get-togethers. I believe such events not only act as stress busters for  students, but also help partners to develop strong bonds. With exams now over, everyone has travel plans for the spring break, but I am optimistic that come March, we will have more such section get-togethers and have loads of fun.

 

The Journey Begins…

Hello everyone! I am a dental surgeon from India, accompanying my husband, Mohit Sheera, an MBA1 student at Ross. Our experience in Ann Arbor has been really amazing so far. It seems that we are on a roller-coaster and the time's flying by at the speed of light!! I want to share some snapshots from this thrilling and fun-filled phase of our lives during our first three months at Ross.

We landed here in Ann Arbor in the hot summer month of August eagerly waiting to enjoy our university life again. After checking in my new home, warm and welcoming, day one began with visiting the business school and immediately I fell in love with the gleaming structure and its great, modern architecture. A few more days went by in setting up the home, discovering Ann Arbor, checking out the shopping areas, the grocery stores and the not-to-be-missed happening Downtown. Life seemed so much fun and we were enjoying it thoroughly. Other students and partners were moving in, too. Meantime, my husband went on an M-Trek to Alaska, and, on his return, couldn’t stop talking about the beauty and grandeur of the Alaskan wilderness.

Thereafter, I joined the Ross Partners’ Club that facilitates mingling and interaction between the Ross partners and helps us stay engaged during the times when the students are buried neck deep in academics and recruitment. Soon, we attended the first Partners’ picnic organized by the club, where we met lots of other students and their partners. We partners gelled well and could be seen giggling and laughing about our shared jokes. Click, click, click we went, and instantly the picnic pics were on our Facebook pages. A few days passed, the orientation happened and classes began right after.

The month of September welcomed the students with a full schedule of classes and other activities. It felt as if our fun bandwagon hit a wall and came to an immediate halt. The classes were from Monday to Thursday, so when the weekend came, I thought my husband and I would have three days of relaxation. Little did I know that weekends were actually busier than the weekdays! My husband seemed busy juggling so many things -- studies, assignments, case-competitions, recruiting events and informal networking. Whenever he missed juggling any one ball, I would try to catch it for him by keeping track of things and throw it back to him by reminding him of a deadline the next day or a corporate presentation in the evening. Like many international partners, I found myself alone in the home for the whole day. Here my new friends and the club activities, events, celebrations, and meet-ups helped everyone to acclimate to this new life and get adjusted to the new environment. Also, I developed a few new hobbies such as poetry and knitting to keep myself occupied and to keep my spirits up.

October… here we come!! By the time we got used to the routine, the first term exams were knocking at the door. Though the exams flew by, the students were all in a daze at the speed of their lives. But guess who was thrilled the most? – ME! Because the exams were followed by a 10 day break. Yippee..!!  To my horror, though, Mohit decided to go to the west coast for a recruitment event during the break. I was upset about having to spend my birthday alone, so I checked with him whether I could accompany him on his trip. To my delight, he had already planned on taking me along.  So, during the fall break he built valuable connections, and I had a lot of fun exploring San Francisco and Los Angeles.

I’m sure that things won’t slow down in the next 18 months. But we now know how to deal with the pace of life at Ross. Fully prepared, we welcome every term now and are geared-up to discover what the new term holds for us. I am sure we are going to miss this roller-coaster ride once Mohit completes his MBA, but it’s too soon to think about all that. For now, it’s lots of juggling!