10 Reasons to Smile in 2010

Ahh...the New Year--a new beginning positively brimming with promise and possibility. Always a sucker for tradition--but even more so during this season, I've given into the ritual as timeless as the ball-drop or a champagne-soaked rendition of Auld Lang Syne. I've made a few resolutions to keep and track over the next few months: Resolution #1: After a lengthy hiatus when Fall 2 got the better of me, resume a more regular blogging routine (and a more regular diet routine, while I'm at it). Resolution #2: As we greet a new frenzy of classes, problem sets (amazing how quickly you forget those babies with 21 days of Lost re-runs and leftovers) and (yikes!) interviews, SMILE more.{C}Inspired by Operations Engine to meet these resolutions as efficiently as possible, I've decided to get the ball rolling with a double-whammy: a blog post on things to smile about at SOM in 2010. They're the top reasons why I'm baring my pearly whites and, for me at least, the features that set this school heads above the rest (how's that for economizing!)

Reason 1: Spring Electives! So, I realize it's a bit tough to get revved up about 8:15 lectures when you've become fully accustomed to sleeping 'til noon...but actually choosing your own courses in the Spring, while other MBAs are still wallowing in the Core??? Yeah, that's pretty special. Ending up at a conference table with three other students and two (that's right...two) Accounting professors to discuss financial reporting practices? Yeah, that's just priceless.

Reason 2: International Experience anyone? 7 weeks from now (and counting) will find me off-roading in New Zealand and Australia with 25 of my classmates. How many MBAs can claim the same?

Reason 3: Ski Trip!!!!! In two weeks time, SOMers take to the slopes for an annual weekend romp in Sugarbush, VT.

Reason 4: Cheap dates at the Yale Rep. Thanks to my trusty student-priced season ticket pass, I can see Broadway-quality live theatre, for the price of a movie ticket.

Reason 5: The Cupcake Truck and other affordable treats from New Haven's finest mobile dining establishments. Worth every last calorie (if confronted by the former, get the gold flakes. You'll thank me later).

Reason 6: There's No Place Like SOM-the 2010 Internship Fund. At SOM, the Internship Fund (whose stellar lineup of fundraising events is just around the corner) supports first-years interested in assuming internships in the non-profit and government sectors. This Fund (which draws tremendous support from faculty, staff and student body alike) reaffirms SOM's unique commitment to creating leaders for business and society.

Reason 7: Meeting Wendy Kopp (of Teach-for-America fame) and other movers-and-shakers in the education world at the Education Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Education Club. It's the only conference of its kind led by MBA students anywhere in the United States!

Reason 8: The return of Golf-lessons and Wine-tasting. That's right...sooner than you can say Limbo on the Lido Deck, two SOM traditions return. The Yale Golf course is stunning and every fall and spring, the Women in Management can sign up for subsidized semi-private lessons with the pro. If you're craving happy hour more than tee time, I hear wine-tasting Mondays return as well (and with fewer problem-sets, exams and schmoozing nights, you can enjoy guilt-free this time).

Reason 9: Free Fridays. Alright, so this is technically prime interview/job research time but it's also an invaluable opportunity for reflection and soul-searching that's actually penciled into the weekly schedule. When will that happen again in our lives?

Reason 10: Breathtaking Study Space. If you have to hit the books, mind as well do it in your own private study carrel or in a centuries-old Gothic reading room that once saw the likes of Sinclair Lewis, Eli Whitney and William Taft. If you're feeling extra-ambitious, check out the Payne Whitney...they don't call it the "Cathedral of Sweat" for nothing...plus, you can't beat the cost of membership.