Volume 5, Issue 8
June 2005




   
   In This Issue
SUMMER@Smith



   
    Smith Interns

   
    Tips from 2nd Years

   
   

   
   

   
        
       


SUMMER@SMITH

The retro question, “How did you spend your summer?” – evokes for many of us the anxiety of speaking before a 4th grade homeroom and for others the idea that summer is over.  Summer is still going and will end at its regularly scheduled time - actually for admitted students that would be Orientation in August. 

As admitted students prepare for their upcoming MBA adventures, the Admissions team likes to check in with our current students to see what they are doing with their summer "breaks".  Also, in the Smith tradition – our second-years have provided great tips for the incoming class.

 
Smith Interns

Smith students are as diverse in their career plans as they are in their personal, social, academic and professional experiences.  Below is a peek at the diversity of learning and problem solving completed by the MBA Class of 2006. 
Black & Decker
 

From left to right:
Irene Chen, Ekta Mittal, Yong Pan, Derek Vlcko, driver
Matt Kenseth (ok..he was digitally superimposed), and Tom Nowaczyk.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smith Black & Decker interns were fortunate enough to attend the NASCAR MBNA 400 at Dover Raceway in Dover, Delaware.  During the race, they were able to cheer on the Black & Decker team and support driver, Matt Kenseth.  When not racing, or helping the “pit crew”, they are in a variety of divisions within Black & Decker.  Ekta Mittal is in Marketing and Product Management.  Derek Vlcko is involved with business development.  Hsiao-Yin ("Irene") Chen engages in Product Management.  Tom Nowaczyk is functioning in a dual role within Corporate New Business Development and Brand Management.  Yong Pan interns with Equipment Finance.

General Electric

Caroline Griswold (pictured on the left with her summer roommates), is spending her summer in GE’s Commercial Finance Real Estate/Organization and Staffing Department as part of the Human Resources Leadership Program in Stamford, Conneticut.  Caroline is very active in the Smith Community and is the Vice President of the Consulting Club.  Many of you will meet her during eNGAGE, the club's annual Interview and Case workshop on September 24th.  Additionally, She will be rounding up volunteers in the Fall for the 7th Annual Consulting Forum on October 7, 2005.



IBM Consulting

Sam LaNasa, originally from Cleveland, Ohio is interning with IBM Business Consulting Services working in Strategy and Change right here in Washington, D.C.  Sam has a busy year coming up at Smith – he is the MBAA Vice President for External Relations, Vice President of the Professional Communications Club, a Graduate Assistant for Admissions and  appointed Courtyard Frisbee / Football Coordinator.  So if you enjoy tossing a frisbee in the sunshine between classes, get to know Sam.
 

Honeywell

Michael Carney drove cross-country to his internship in Torrance, California.  At Honeywell, he is working in the Turbo Technologies Division and a candidate in the pathways rotational internship program.  Currently Michael is functioning as a business analyst for Honeywell.  In addition to his duties as a member of the MBA ‘007 Orientation Committee, he is a Vice President for the Smith Pride Alliance (SPA)
 


Note from Michael:  If anyone is interested in running-biking-swimming- let me know!  We had an informal training group last semester; we wouldd love to have more participants!

PepsiCo

The PepsiCo interns are a great illustration of how students get involved in the Smith Community.  This summer, each is focusing on marketing and strategy at PepsiCo in Business Development, Business Analytics and Category Management.  When you meet them, you will know them as the President of the Communications Club (Maria Ogneva), President of the Graduate Marketing Association (Monisha Banerjee) and the President of the India Club (Vishwas).


from left to right, Vishwa,. Monisha Banerjee and Maria Ogneva tour the PepsiCo Research & Development facility as part of their internship experience.  On this day, the interns were tasting new Pepsi slurpees, and observing new equipment Pepsi is bringing to the marketplace.


Capitol Hill

Interning on the Hill IS cool again!
Smith MBAs Jeremy Greenstein, Julie Inlow, Michael Pozsgay, Bharath Chandar, Thomas Soong and Theodor Wittmer are interning this summer in the Executive Office of the President, Department of Transportation and the Department of Agriculture.



From Left to Right: Jeremy Greenstein, Thomas Soong, Ted Wittmer, Mike Poszgay, Bharath Chandar and Julie Inlow

America On Line

Monica Robles (Corporate Product Marketing), Andrew Roberts (Member Services, Technical Support and Strategy Development) and Sheilah Bradley (Director of Budget and Planning Division) are spending their summers working in different divisions of AOL.
(from left to right: Sheilah Bradley, Andrew Roberts and Monica Robles)

Johnson & Johnson

Brian O’Neill is spending his summer with Johnson & Johnson doing Management Consulting between College Park, Maryland and Titusville, New Jersey (he's a big fan of Amtrak).  Brian is an active mentor in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization – and he is pictured here on one of their summer field trips.
 

Campaigning

Paul Lang, MBA/JD is spending his summer working on his Congressional campaign for the Eighth District in Pennsylvania. Paul is managing speaking engagements, voter registration, constituent meetings and campaign financing. His MBA has certainly given him insight to leadership, teamwork, organizational systems, logistics, communications, marketing and strategy. For more on Paul’s campaign, or to view his blog visit www.electlang.com

 

Cisco


Valerio Zanini is working at Cisco Systems in Research Triangle Park ("RTP") outside Raeligh, North Carolina.  Cisco's RTP location is their second largest campus and home to the Mobile Wireless Group which develops and supports solutions for mobile wireless service operators around the world.  Valerio is working in the Marketing department as a Product Marketing Intern, assisting the Product Manager in the launch of a new product that will be on the market at the end of August.  He is developing the positioning statement and strategy, business case studies, ROI analysis tools, and product collaterals such as the internal and external web-sites and CXO product brochures.

Over the summer, Valerio is living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  He plans to spend any free time exploring the area from the sea to the mountains.  Most recently, he visited a desert island called "Hammock Island" whose only transportation to and from is a small ferry, He spent the time relaxing on the white sand beaches without a car.
His next trip is camping in the Smoky Mountains with some new friends.

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Tips from 2nd Years

When it comes to making the transition back to grad school, who are the experts? Smith 2nd years (Shhh! Don’t tell them we said so…).

Housing and Commuting

Housing

• Communicate with incoming students – the Navigator and other resources have postings for roommates. And, email students who are living in the area for recommendations.
• A useful website for the College Park area is www.apartmentcities.com/Washington-DC-Apartments/College_Park_Apartments.asp 

Commuting

 • Budget your time wisely on how you will get to and from school especially with the beltway traffic.  If you have class in the morning and are coming from further away, give yourself between 40 minues to an hour in lovely MD-DC-VA traffic.
• Check the UM Shuttle Route to get an idea if the communities you are evaluating are on the shuttle route (and double check that the shuttle or a METRO bus has a nearby route even on the weekends)
• Live as close to campus as possible, a long commute can be a killer!

Parking

• Don’t forget about securing campus parking permits early! Otherwise, you’ll be hoofin’ it from the CRC (almost “off” campus).  Visit www.transportation.umd.edu to research your parking options and purchase a permit.  It is too late to have your permit mailed.  Thus, you will need to pick it up on August 18th.  Parking information for Orientation and MathCamp will be coming soon.

College Park Hints

• Plato’s Diner on Route 1 is good for free coffee refills and studying for finals.
College Perk is open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays, and they have free WiFi!
• When attending happy hour at Santa Fe Café or Cornerstone – park behind the Smoothie King. The meters last for several hours instead of 90 minutes, And always set an alarm for 5 minutes before your meter expires (ticketing is a thriving business in College Park)
• Get to know your classmates in and outside of the classroom.

Books

• Ask second years, if they are willing to sell their old books to you.  Another option is to go to online sources for used copies.  Only if you have to buy from the University bookstore, should you do so.

Attire and Career Fashion

• Make sure you have at least 2-3 business suits as during the first semester, there will be plenty of information sessions and conferences on campus to attend.
• If you are unclear about the difference between “business casual” and “business formal” just ask someone to help you understand the differences!

School and Career

• Begin your internship search the minute you arrive (this is extremely important for finance folks)!
• Get to know the 2nd years!  They know what is REALLY going on at Smith, and they were in your shoes last year.
• Always store a tie or something in your locker that can dress up an outfit in case you have an unexpected event
• Join a Smith club or organization – think about becoming a leader, growing a program and getting to know new people.  It’s a great way to develop networking and leadership skills!

Tips for International Students

• Try to visit different locations before choosing a place to stay.  Living in the US may be very different from what you are used to, so better spend a couple of days looking around and find a place that you like.
• Contact your future peers before coming to the US.  It will help exchanging suggestions, making some new friends, and possibly finding living locations close to each other.
• If you don't plan to have a car (not necessary), look for a place in College Park near the campus, or in Washington DC along Green line Metro (Columbia Heights/Adams Morgan and U Street areas are the best locations).  If you plan to buy a car, you may have more choices available, like Silver Spring, Bethesda or even downtown Washington DC.
• If you want to have some fun and a wider selection of places to go after school or during the weekend, look for a place in Washington DC.  Although the commute is a little longer, it will offer you a complete different list of opportunities to enjoy your free time!
• Don't stress out!  Living in the US is going to be a nice and fun experience, and the Smith community will help enjoying your stay and solve any problem.

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Robert H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland
Van Munching Hall
College Park, MD 20742
http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu
mba_info@rhsmith.umd.edu

    Previous Issues

   
  Volume 5, Issue 7
May 2005
entrepreneurship@Smith

 
 
    Volume 5, Issue 6
April 2005
marketing@Smith


   
    Volume 5, Issue 5
March 2005
diversity@Smith


   
    Volume 5, Issue 4
February 2005
consulting@Smith


   
    Volume 5, Issue 3
December 2004
finance@Smith


   
    Volume 5, Issue 2
November 2004
tech@Smith


   
    Volume 5, Issue 1
October 2004
innovation@Smith


   
    Volume 4, Issue 6
May 2004
The Smith Experience


   
    Volume 4, Issue 5
April 2004
Smith Finance Faculty


   
    Volume 4, Issue 4
February 2004
The Value of Diversity


   
    Volume 4, Issue 3
January 2004
The Making of an
Entrepreneur


   
    Volume 4, Issue 2
November 2003
Smith - Leaders for the
Digital Economy


   
    Volume 4, Issue 1
October 2003
How high is hi-tech
marketing?


   
    Volume 3, Issue 7
July 2003
How we spent our
summer!


   
    Volume 3, Issue 6
April 2003
Entrepreneurship


   
    Volume 3, Issue 5
March 2003
Work/Life Balance


   
    Volume 3, Issue 4
January 2003
Celebrating Diversity