Isaac Katzav's MBA Blog

My MockTails takeaways (Consulting)

2008-09-28T19:37:00.003+03:00

On Wednesday, September 24 the Ross Consulting Club hosted a MockTails event.
The event was a great success from my point of view. If I could receive the feedback given last night to MBA1, before I attended the first company presentation it would have save me a lot of problems...;-)

Below are several of my answers to several questions that students asked:

When is it OK to leave the circle?
Before leaving the circle you want to make sure you ask for the recruiter Business Card. So when is the right time to ask for the card and leave the circle? The way I see it there are two times in which you can leave the circle:

As soon as the recruiter finish answering your question you can thank the recruiter, ask for his/her business card and leave the circle.
If you decided to stay after your question was answered in order to listen to other students' questions and engage in the conversation. Try to leave when someone else is leaving. So, when a student receive an answer to his/her question and he/she thank the recruiter and ask for the recruiter business card, you can do the same and leave the circle.

Do not leave (Unless you have to) the circle if the circle size is 2 people (you and the recruiter), this is a rare one-on-one conversation that could really help you to differentiate yourself and make sure the recruiter will remember you.

What type of questions I should refrain from asking?
The type of questions you should refrain from asking are:

Questions you can find the answer to on the company website.
Do you have an office in Poland?
What is the position for an MBA graduate?
Question the recruiter in front of you will not know the answer to.
The recruiter works in the operation practice for the pharmaceutical industry.
Don't ask about the type of project the Consumer and Media teams are working on these days, just because you are interested in Consumer and Media?
The recruiter is an HR person
Don't ask about the life style of a consultant?
Blank Questions - those are the type of questions you can ask all the companies and the type of questions the recruiters hear in every event at least 30 times. The problem I have with those questions is that it will not differentiate you in the eye of the recruiter. However, you should know all those questions and use them when your mind is blank and you think you have to ask something (everybody in the circle already ask something and the recruiter looks at you).
Can you tell me a little bit about mentoring in your company?
Can you tell me a little bit about the staffing process?

Circle Etiquette?
Here are some basic rules:

Listen to your friends' questions. it will help you refrain from asking a question that was already being asked.
Do not try to answer instead of the recruiter, even if you know the answer. That said, you are welcome to engage in the conversation.
Try to sneak a peek to your right and left side every couple seconds to see if someone is trying to join the circle.
Don't ask more than one question in a row, unless the second question is a follow up question that cannot wait.

Any other tips?

Sometime before or during the company presentation the speaker will ask all the company employees to present themselves. In that case you should write for each one:
Full name, position, industry (if aligned), function (if aligned), hobbies....basically whatever they choose to share.
When the circles start try to talk with someone who...:
Share your hobbies.
Went to the same college as you did.
Align to the industry/function you wish to be aligned with in the future.
...
It will help your conversation to flow better, your questions will be more relevant and the odds that the recruiter will remember you will be higher.
If you feel that you had a good conversation with the recruiter make sure you send him/her a thank you note. Try to write in the thank you note something meaningful that might help him/her to remember you by.
If the recruiter mentions that some of them are going to a pub later that night and that you should come, YOU SHOULD GO!!! :-)

If you have any specific question that you might want to ask feel free to send it to my email.

MBA1s!!!! You made a huge mistake…

2008-09-27T03:47:00.004+03:00

Well we are still in Fall A and most of the MBA1 have already made a huge mistake....

If I can select one thing that I want you to learn from my blog it will be....that
If you are being offered to attend an Indian Party....YOU GO!!!

It's not about the money,
It's not about the food (And I personally love Indian food),
It's not even about the people,
It's about one small fact you will learn during your two years in Ross....Indian Parties ROCK!!!

Lucky for you, Diwali is just around the corner....So make sure you are not missing this party as well.

Consulting - Should I attend an MBA2 Company Presentation?

2008-09-19T17:18:00.002+03:00

I will start by saying that I attended at least one of those presentations last year when I was an MBA1. That said, you have to keep in mind that those presentations are aimed toward students who are looking for a full time offer (MBA2, Evening Students, Dual degree third year students etc…).

I would recommend you to go only if one of the next claims is true in your case:

The company invited you, whether by sending an email to all MBA1s or a private email from the recruiter or one of the company's employees.
You have no idea what consulting is all about – since now is the time for you to decide whether you want to pursue a career in consulting or not, if you still don’t know what being a consultant means go to one of those presentations.
You really want to go :-)

However, I urge you to keep in mind that MBA2 have less face time with the companies than you will have two months from now. Therefore, I would recommend that if you decide to attend, act as an observer and do not take recruiters’ and consultants’ valuable time from MBA2.

Classroom Etiquette

2008-09-18T16:00:00.003+03:00

[I would start by Saying that my name is Isaac Katzav, MBA2 section 1]
In response to: http://media.www.themsj.com/media/storage/paper207/news/2008/09/15/Opinions/Classroom.Etiquette-3431667.shtml

Dear Emily,

During the last couple days I tried to find you, in order to tell you in person what I think about your article.
I am not as good in writing as you are, so I thought talking about it over coffee might be better.

I think that one of the best thing in Ross is The MSJ. I think that we have a great group of writers and editors.
Each week I enjoy so much reading the articles and looking on the amazing pictures Kent is taking, I think this newspaper is far beyond anything I ever saw on campuses in Israel.
To be honest in most cases I don’t mind reading articles by writers who write under a bogus name, but in your case I think you went a little bit overboard, especially when you are not writing under your real name.

I do agree that such an article should be written and published. I do believe that we, Ross students, need and should improve our “Class Etiquette”.
I do agree that sometime a controversial article is the best way to open students eyes, but at least write it under your own name and stand behind it.

I have to say that I didn’t find your article funny or cynical (and I am a cynical guy :-)) and it seems as if you meant every word you wrote.
There are so many writers, as EKBS, in the MSJ (and you might even be one of them), but I resent your writing style.

First, I don’t think this issue is more important than what happen in Georgia and I am extremely concerned how easy you compare between people lives and Classroom Etiquette.
Secondly, I think most of your assumptions were out of line, and believe me, even I suffer from the fact that I am not as politically correct as the community expects me to be.

“…that guy who always comes late to class..”
“…And unlike you, and I'm saying this out of jealousy, I'm paying for it myself since my parents aren't helping me…”
If you refer to a specific guy, this is great and I hope he realizes what he did is wrong but….
I am a guy that tries to be on time, and still pay my own tuition.
In addition I do not see the line of logic here. If my friend is on a full scholarship he doesn’t deserve a good academic experience?

“…You are obviously smart if you go here, so start using…”
I never thought I would hear a sentence like this from a Ross student.

“…This sentence alone may seem strange to many of you, but there are many people from elsewhere who think it is fine to answer their phones during class while a professor is speaking…”
I don’t even want to think what do you mean by elsewhere, some people will call it racis…I don’t want to go there.

I am not offended by this article, I am disappointed that our talented editors approved it and I am even more disappointed that a Ross student wrote it,
Isaac

The "Disney Way" - How do I get an IMAP?

2008-08-29T15:57:00.006+03:00

Well, I have been asked several times, how did you get your international MAP.
So here is how it works (as long as the MAP office doesn't change the rules)

MAP office Rules:

You need to select 10 projects and rank them.
3 of them have to be domestic (can be more than 3 if you want).
At least 1 of the domestic projects has to be in your top 5.

So what can you do to assure getting an international project, first I will say couple things:

MAP is not an easy experience, so try to focus on selecting a project that you are very interested in or at least in the industry (or non profit if this is the case)
MAP is a great opportunity to network with a potential employer and maybe even receive an internship offer, so keep that in mind.
MAP is a great opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and select a project in a totally new industry. One you might be interested in in the future.
Last but not least: The "Disney Way" that I will describe here is a rumor....rumor that I think has at least 95% to work, but I am not sure if it was even tested ;-)

The "Disney Way":
Note: it will only work if the MAP office doesn't change the rules

Select 7 international projects that you really want and place them in places:
1,2,3,4,6,7,8
Select the most attractive 3 domestic projects from the projects list, for example:
Walt Disney Project, hence the name.
Now: a project with a huge company doesn't necessarily means it is attractive, try to think what interests student in your class as a whole and not you specifically.
Rank the most attractive one in place 5 and the other two in 9 and 10.

That's it, keep in mind that if you decide to go the "Disney Way" there is a small chance you will end up in Disney :-)

What electives should I choose? [Consulting]

2008-08-27T23:21:00.004+03:00

Note: "In the last couple days I get this question a lot. I can only comment on courses that I already took and only for consulting. If you aiming toward a different industry you might get some insights here but you should consult another student from your industry."

Basically there are couple courses that can help, but it is up to you. It is truly depend on what previous knowledge you already have.

Since I am an international student with only engineering background (No Finance classes in my bachelor degree at all) I decided at the first two semesters (Fall A and Fall B) to take the core classes only. When working for Booz & Company this summer I discovered that I might not crack balance sheets all the time, or calculate the market clearing price day in and day out, but the basic terminology from those classes kept coming up. So I do recommend to invest a significant effort in those classes.

Furthermore, in Fall B when you will need to practice 30-40 cases for the interviews and go to all the consulting companies' recruiting events, office hours, mock interviews..... I don't think that there is much more free time to take electives. But then again I am was never known for being the greatest student on earth :-).

When January came I realized I need to do several elective classes during recruiting to enrich my knowledge. Therefore, during Winter A on top of the two core classes and interviewing I took world economy over the weekends (3 Saturdays each 9-5 and that’s it).

World Economy is another great class that discuss world economy issues on a high level, again great to nail down basic terminology and maybe even some in depth knowledge about the interrelation between stuff like Inflation, Interest Rates, Foreign reserve, etc.... (this is by the way a mandatory class that you have to take at some point of the degree, so again if you have no prior knowledge in this field take this course in the first year).

In addition, I figured I should polish my excel skills before going into consulting, and even though I was an advanced level excel user I took the BIT512 (Excel class). Along with interviewing during January, taking a class that was easier for me due to prior knowledge helped me not only gain elective credit points (which is important toward finishing your degree in winter A of your second year ***different issue***), but also refine some skills and practice some more of PivotTables, Charts, etc.....you have no idea how many times I used those skills throughout the summer. I actually took the advanced excel class, during MAP but can't say it contributed much to my summer experience. [Some people with high discipline study BIT512 on their own with the book, if you can do it on your own that's a great option as well]

MAP is also a great opportunity to practice some real consulting work.

In conclusion, I think that second year electives will contribute more in depth relevant knowledge.

There are other great courses as valuation, that it is hard for me to recommend because I am taking them right now. So please feel free to reach out to me during the semester and ask about this course.

My path to a Consulting Internship

2008-08-27T23:12:00.002+03:00

I would start by saying you will receive a lot of advices in the course of the next 8 months, a lot of them would be great advices based on a lot of other students' experiences. That said, your judgment is crucial, as you soon see, people will give you advices on what works for them but you bring something different to the table and unless you have the exact same background as I have and the exact same career aspirations as I have you will HAVE to make tweaks to advices you get.

The Main things that worked for me securing an internship in consulting

1. Work hard on your resume and get it done at least a week before the school deadline.

2. Practicing, Practicing and Practicing cases – overall I practiced between 30-40 cases

a. Don’t start before Fall B – you will burn yourself.

b. Try to do cases with MBA2 and MBA1 (make sure you try different people from time to time).

3. I decided not to take a 4th elective in Fall B like a lot of other students did, I think it helped me to reduce stress and to be more focused on recruiting/networking.

4. Networking – I am really bad at this, seriously really bad at this, and I still got two offers. So it is possible. But, I had luck and you should do a better job at this than I did.
Keep in mind that sometimes networking with second year is as important as networking with company employees, in fact in one of the companies I got an offer from I was placed under their radar by a second year I worked with in the consulting club. So try to schedule sometime with at least one second year who worked in each company and ask him about his/her summer. To summarize this point: do your networking and do it well, it is not as important as in I Banking but it is important.

5. Bidding – Some companies don’t like bidders and focus on people they asked to interview but some others understand that they must have missed some good candidates so they will treat you as equal. I got an offer from AT Kearney as well, and I wasn’t in their closed list, I bid for them. Then I pass 7 interviews and one presentation and I got an offer, so that’s should tell you that if you are not on the closed list it doesn’t mean anything. So have faith in yourself all the way.

6. When January comes there isn’t much you can do, you just need to get into the room and amaze them ;-)

Hope it helps, and again use your judgment, there is no better or worse there is better for you,

Resume Writing Process

2008-08-27T22:53:00.004+03:00

Note: This is a resume process guide not a resume writing guide

A year ago I kept asking MBA2 for a list of things that I can and should do before the academic year starts? Should I go over statistics material? Should I work on my English writing skills (As you will see in this document the level is not as high as it should be ;-))? Or maybe I should just focus on finding the nearest IKEA store.
I got different answers from different people, but if there is one thing that everybody kept mentioning (Beside IKEA) it was: “start thinking about your resume”. Why thinking and not writing you may ask, well for some international students the resume writing style in the business school is far different than the one we use in our home country. That said it doesn’t mean you can’t start.

When school begins you will have so many things to do, learn and explore that resume writing will sometime get a second priority. But, the way I see it my resume got me most of my interviews, and helped me be where I am today, starting my second year with a full time offer in hand.

So what should you do? (And this is only my perspective)

Collect information – Collect information you would like to have on your resume. It sounds simple, since you already gathered the information for your B-School application. But there are minor tweaks that would make a huge difference:

- One page resume – maybe not the most important difference but definitely the most annoying one. The B-School resume is only one page long, therefore screening the most important things out of your rich background is crucial.

- CAR (Context Action Result) – or any other abbreviation to describe the writing style. What I found out when start writing my resume is that in most cases my gathered data did not had the result part!!! This is crucial and takes time to collect. The companies don’t want to hear about something that happened in the past, they want to know what you did and what was the impact on your company/school/community etc…
Advanced Search on My Impact – Start reading MBA2 resumes on impact. To me that helped a lot, I was looking for students who worked in my industry or have been entrepreneurs and “copied” the way they presented their background (Don’t look on mine, you can find better :-)).
OCD – the OCD offer one-on-one sessions with an MBA2 to go over your resume use those sessions and use them wisely.

- Before going into an OCD resume review create your resume in MyImpact and print two copies.

- When creating your resume online try to work with the Resume Guideline provided by school, getting into a session with an MBA2 with basic stuff that needed to be fixed that are in the guide are not the best thing to do. Some of those MBA2 worked in the company you aim for in the summer and you want to leave a good impression on them as well :-)

- Don’t seat down with one guy from Brazil just because you are Brazilians. Try to meet with different students since each will have a different perspective. (That said don’t meet with more than 3 to 4 different students on your resume).

- Make sure at least one of them is American so he can check your grammar and/or spelling.

- Make sure that most of them worked in the summer in the same industry you are aiming for. Sometime the writing style should varied by industry.

- If there are no meetings available, try offline (via emails), it is also a great way.
Write first draft (Don’t worry about it too much, by the time you’ll finish your resume you will have at least 7-9 versions).
When you are done with your default resume, think about a second resume for other industries (maybe your backup plan). Don’t use the same resume which is target to consulting in your High-Tech interview.

I think those are the main things that I did. The most important thing is finish your resume before recruiting season starts, and don’t stress about it you will have a great one I guarantee you.

New Blog - MBA1 Tips [Disclaimer]

2008-08-27T22:39:00.003+03:00

In the recent weeks I have been volunteering to almost any event in school talking to a lot of MBA1. I will try to post here my answers to common question so more students can benefit from them. But before we start, here is a small disclaimer:

I do believe that you need to talk to several MBA2 to get several perspectives on each topic.
I do believe that you need to think if the recommendation applies to you, after all most of you will have a different background and different career aspiration than me.
As of now I am not a career counselor (applied too late) so you should try to talk with a professional career counselor as well, they (MBA2 in the OCD) are going through special training before helping you with your resume and questions.

Other than that I am here to help so feel free to email me (Katzav umich edu) or call me whenever something bugs you.

Off for the summer....

2008-05-09T22:00:00.003+03:00

C U next year...enjoy your summer.

Mind blowing

2008-03-12T06:34:00.002+02:00

Last week my MAP started. If you are applying to Ross and MAP is a key reason, you are absolutely right. MAP is mind blowing. My MAP project is with Applied Materials and since I am signed on a NDA I cannot be more specific. That said, the level of people we meet and the incredibly interesting discussions are amazing.

One of the interesting discussions was with an agency called “invest in Germany”. In That meeting we learned how Germany attracts foreign investment. It was really interesting to find out that Germany which has huge incentives plans for new entrants managed to create those plans without any tax payer money being used.

To future students I recommend, if you have an option to select an Applied Materials MAP, do it, the company was well prepared for us, sometimes it seems as if all the people we met are extremely interesting in helping us and free their schedule to meet with us. And some of those meeting were with Applied VPs. I don’t know maybe my love for Applied Materials makes me a little bit biased but still this is going to be a great MAP.

Pictures from MAP you can found here.

Spring break! Whoo oooo!!!

2008-02-23T13:24:00.003+02:00

So has said Ross to Monica [Friends Bible, Season 6 chapter 19]

The semester is over, the recruiting is over, and now it is time to rest.
And where can be a better place to do that than the Caribbean, Puerto Rico if we want to be more specific. Basically looking for the Sun :-))

Wait for pictures in the next Post.

Booz Allen Hamilton

2008-02-23T12:56:00.001+02:00

I have decided.

After a long 6 months of recruiting, utilizing any resource Ross has to offer, MBA2 students, websites, books and colleagues, I finally accepted Booz Allen Hamilton offer. It was a very long process, which included office hours, resume review, mock interviews and off course the real interviews.

During the last year I tried to avoid completely discussing what I want to do or where I want work, and haven’t mentioned it on the blog. So now is the time to catch up.

When I applied to Ross my goal was Microsoft, General management programs or consulting, at that point I tried to learn more about each option. As soon as I got into Ross I discovered that most of the companies that offer General Management programs (like: Cisco, Pepsi, 3M and others) do not hire international students, except from Citi Cards. Now, I know that Citi was hit badly in the last couple of months, but if you are looking for the best Rotational program available with great people (Alfredo, Rolando and Michal were a small part of my amazing experience with the company), Citi Cards is the place for you. Who would have thought that a guy whose dream company is Microsoft would interview for a credit cards company. At the end they rejected me straight after the first round, so I moved on.

Going on with recruiting, the main question was do I want to go to Microsoft straight after school, or do I want to join the company later in my life and start my career in consulting. For me consulting made much more sense due to high learning curve, different industries experience and a challenging environment.

I was interviewing with four consulting companies: AT Kearney, Booz Allen Hamilton, Bain and McKinsey. At the end I got offers from AT Kearney and Booz Allen Hamilton. Both an amazing companies and the decision between the two was brutal. It took me four days to reach a decision, which eventually was based on the fact that Booz Allen Hamilton has one of the best IT Practice in the US, and most of the people who knows me, knows that IT is a true passion of mine.

And as far as Microsoft goes, I will probably apply for a position in Microsoft later in my career who knows maybe even next year.

Ross Follies

2008-02-11T21:37:00.000+02:00

Last Friday we enjoyed from another Ross tradition, Follies, a humor show which included skids and video scenes which gave a funny perspective to life in Ross. Topics like: MTrek, Classes and the new building were only few topics that were part of the act. The main theme was off course the drop in ranking. The show took Part in Michigan Theater, which was packed with students, faculty and family members.

The show was hilarious and showed again (after Rock & Roll B-School) that there are a lot of talented people in this school. So we might not ranked No. 1 as Harvard but the mixture of culture, academic and community awareness is one of the best in the country. Beside that in which school the show participants will be the Dean (Yes you heard right), several professor along with students off course.

I always provide pictures same as this time, but keep in mind that it was dark and I forgot the glasses at home, so here is the worse set of pictures I have taken since school started.

My First Super Bowl

2008-02-07T04:41:00.000+02:00

Couple days too late but I would like to share my experiences from my first Super Bowl. On Sunday I invited friends to my place: Snacks, Beer, Wine, food and off course the game.

Just so you'll know I was on the Patriots side, after being their fan for the entire season, or as Jessica Wolfe called me a Bandwagon Fan. I already stated on couple occasions that the game of football is not what I thought it to be, it is actually full of strategy and action. The super bowl was great (apart from the patriots game), and I even found the commercials hilarious, Marketing class kind of ruined it since I constantly tried to think whether the company is trying to steal share or just retain its customers instead of enjoying pure humor.

Overall the night was great and it was fun leaving all our daily problems aside and enjoy the evening. You can check out some pictures here.

Ross Prom

2008-02-03T22:23:00.001+02:00

Amazing party.....What an amazing party.
last night we had Ross prom, or UMBSA formal if you want.
Buses were picking us up to an hotel in Detroit (I think), Awesome Music, Open Bar and a lot of Ross students, relaxed, having fun.

I just love this school, the fact that more than 500 students can leave school, recruiting and other problems on the side and have tons of fun is amazing to me.

You check some pictures from the evening here.

Quantitative skills

2008-01-28T06:50:00.001+02:00

4 months of preparation for this interview, more than 40 case practices and at least 7 mock interviews. During my practice I performed well in most cases, the feedback was varied and I could see great improvement over time. But one thing I never had a problem with, my quantitative skills. The feedback was constantly: “try improving this…you should refine that….but great quantitative skills”.

The big day comes, I failed.
I get into the first out of three interviews and I have a Math mistake, nothing series happened before. But somehow, I blanked; I couldn’t do math anymore.
I got 50 on my GMAT quantitative part finishing it with extra 10 minutes and hardly using the paper, I was a math tutor for over two years teaching more than 30 students, if there is something I knew I am good at is Math….But something happened and it didn’t work.

The company rep called me today and told me what I already knew, you aren’t moving on to the next round, and we recommend you work on your quantitative skills for next year….
I am so disappointed.
[Based on true story, unfortunately]

MAP

2008-01-24T06:01:00.000+02:00

If there is something that every Ross student wait for and something that every Ross’ alum will tell you about it is the MAP, and I guess I am not different. Everyone who knows Ross knows what MAP is. Multidisciplinary action project is a 7 week project, which even calling it a project will be an understatement. MAP is a real problem/strategy a company wants to analyze, and each company spends a lot of money and resources on supporting our teams. The MAP projects vary from international to domestic projects, startups companies to large corporations, market entry to nonprofit, but one thing they all share is that we are there to make a change and impact the company or the community we work for. MAP is also a great opportunity for us to test all the tools we gain in the last three semesters and refine them minutes before the internship starts.

So where am I going, I will do a project with Applied Materials (God knows how much I love this company). Those of you that knows me, knows that I have a software company in Israel. My company’s main client is Applied Materials, I have so many friends and family members working in Applied and I am so happy to be elected to that project. The project goal is off course confidential but will involve traveling not only in the US but also in some attractive markets in the world (places I have never been in before :-)).

13 New admits

2008-01-23T22:13:00.001+02:00

I want to take the opportunity (COME TO ROSS) and congratulate the 13 Israelis, who were admitted (COME TO ROSS) to Ross in the first round. You were admitted (COME TO ROSS) to one of the best schools in the US. I wish all of (COME TO ROSS) you will accept the offer, and will come to Ross next year, but I assume that this is probably not the case. I (COME TO ROSS) have spoken on the phone and through emails with most of you, and it feels so good to see this rate of success we had in the first round. I hope you are all ready for your life (COME TO ROSS) to be changed, both on the business and personal aspects. For now just take the time and relax, enjoy your (COME TO ROSS) last months in Israel, and prepare yourself for your next step in your career.
Whatever you choose eventually good luck. (COME TO ROSS COME TO ROSS :-))

Interviews

2008-01-23T21:54:00.000+02:00

In the last two weeks interviews period started. 4 months of preparation come to an end. Up until now I had 3 interviews, in this week I will have two more. Due to the fact that Ross is a top 5 school, most companies recruit on campus. So I truly hope to have an offer in the next couple of weeks, not knowing what you are doing in the future is pretty stressful.

New York Baby2

2008-01-05T02:44:00.000+02:00

As I write those lines I am already in New York City, I managed to leave Israel again, and it was hard. My sisters could not bear the breakup again so they didn’t come to the airport, which actually made things easier for me. I just arrived to New York and discovered that the business school is up and running again. In the last 10 hours I received more than 50 emails, among them there were closed lists announcements, office hours, events, surveys and more. I kind of missed all of that.

I spent the first day in New York doing mostly shopping (Well not initiated by me), and also Ice Skating in Central Park, I must admit that I am getting better. Now I am just trying to rest and do some homework (the amount of homework is ridicules). I can’t wait getting to Ann Arbor and hear about everyone break, some went skiing, some went hiking, and some just visited their families in China, Singapore, Israel…

You want to be where everybody knows your name

2008-01-05T02:38:00.000+02:00

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got;
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?

All those night when you've got no lights,
The check is in the mail;
And your little angel
Hung the cat up by it's tail;
And your third fiance didn't show;

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.

Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead;
The morning's looking bright;
And your shrink ran off to Europe,
And didn't even write;
And your husband wants to be a girl;

Be glad there's one place in the world
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to go where people know,
People are all the same;
You want to go where everybody knows your name.

Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came...

- credit to who ever wrote this...

BarBQ with Family and Friends

2007-12-31T14:17:00.000+02:00

Oh I am gonna miss all of that....

Some photos Here.

My mom, sis and I goofing around:

Café Chats

2007-12-28T17:36:00.000+02:00

During my stay in Israel I hosted several Café Chats. The Café Chats’ main goal is to allow prospective students to ask questions about Ross and about post MBA career opportunities. It was weird to be on the other side after participating in such events last year as a prospective student. I tried my best to meet everybody who approach me, and I already spent more than 15 hours in total on recruiting events and private meetings in Israel. I truly hope that the effort Ross students invest in recruiting will have a good impact not only on the number of Israelis in Ross in the future but also on Ross brand in Israel.

On Thursday, I took part on Kidum MBA forum, and it was fun to meet students from other universities who applied in my year. During the forum I met Neta (who I realized actually read this blog) and Tal from Harvard, Shimon (The best guy ever) from MIT, Michal from Wharton and Keren from Insead. It was so good to hear about their experience and I wish I had more time with them.

Last but not least I want to wish best of luck to all Ross applicant for the first round (Just two more weeks)….:-)

Weekend at Haifa, Israel

2007-12-28T16:57:00.000+02:00

My family and I went to Meridian hotel at Haifa. My family constantly complained that the weather is bad and that it is pretty cold there (just for comparison the temperature did not go below 7 degrees Celsius, so I felt great just being above zero). During the weekend, I had so much fun which made me realize how much I missed my family. Check out some photos from the weekend Here.

During the last week I went to pubs, restaurants and friends’ houses. I had breakfast, lunch and dinners pre-scheduled with friends and family and it was so fun. I truly enjoyed being Itzik again leaving Isaac at the airport.

I already know today that leaving here next week is going to be as hard as it was 6 months ago. That said a small part of me is eager to go back and start being interview for summer internship.