This is my first semester of college in the US I don't have a regular job.  Now, I have no work, other than the "as-needed" part-time job at a local public accounting firm.  I should have plenty of time to study, shouldn't I? Well, things aren't as easy as they seem.  Having more free time doesn't necessarily mean that free time is used for studying.  As I have more free time, I do goof off (a little, conservatively speaking).  And one month has passed just like that. 

To change this situation, I've recently started keeping my study time in a record.  Since I started, my study-time has dramatically increased.  This week, I studied ten hours more than the previous week.  This finding was quite shocking to me, realizing how many hours I would have been wasting.  What I am doing now for my time-keeping is I track how many hours I studied for one class subject every day, and add them at the end of the week to see how many hours I've studied in a week.  I guess this way, I am now more conscious about how to use my time.  So far, this little idea is working great, and I enjoy banking more study hours in my book of record, just like pinching pennies to save money.

I am not sure how long this simple idea keeps inspiring me for adding more time for study.  Maybe not that long.  There are only 24 hours a day, and I need a certain amount of time a day for my basic daily needs.  I just wonder…how many hours are enough for study?  And how many hours does a typical full-time student study a day (or a week)?       

Want to go to France next summer?  Join our NEW international experience

In Summer 2009, we will be offering a special block section of D301 International Business that will include a trip to France.  This is going to be a great opportunity!  The class will be offered in the Summer I session.  It will include 2 weeks in the class, seven to nine days in France, and then the final week in the classroom.  The class will be scheduled in a block with a general education course POLS Y350 – Politics of the European Union that will look at the political and social structure of the European Union.  This will provide a good combination of business and culture to understand how business operates in Europe. 

The location of our trip will be Strasbourg France.  From Strasburg we will be making a number of trips to locations in the area.  This will be in concert with faculty in Strasbourg, who are helping to organize the local arrangements.

For a short tour of Strasbourg visit, http://www.strasbourg.com/

Strasbourg is also located in the beautiful Alsace region of France, http://abcoffrance.com/alsace/

French is not a requirement of the course.  The six credit hour block will be able to be used to complete the international dimension for Kelley students.  D301 may be taken either before or after ICore, so students in their sophomore through Senior years are encouraged to participate in this opportunity.

The block course will be limited to 20 students.  Students wishing to participate in the course will be asked to complete an application for the course.  We are just in the early stages of obtaining information on the course.  Soon we will more information on the cost of the program, the locations that we anticipate on traveling to in France and Germany, and the structure of the course.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity!  Make plans with your academic advisor to participate in this special block section of D301.  Email Maureen Kinney telling her your interest in the course, so that as we obtain information, we can have you on our mailing list (maukinne@iupui.edu ).

The Alsace region surrounding Strasbourg is a vibrant business region and draws foreign investment from a number of large multinational companies.  Companies within reach of Strasbourg include Lilly France, Roche, Dow France, Wrigley France, Smart France, Fischer Bioblock, Mercedes Benz, and Heineken Breweries. 

Strasbourg is situated on the Franco-German border. Strasbourg was German controled from 1871 until the end of World War I and again between 1940 and 1944. The city and people have a distinctive local identity. The name Strasbourg comes from Strateburgum, ‘the city of the roads’, because of its strategic geographical position on the west bank of the Rhine.

Top Sights

• Council of Europe
• European Court of Human Rights
• European Parliament
• The Cathedral
• La Petite France
• Ponts Couverts
• Musée Zoologique

Its hard to believe that we're already five weeks into the semester. I feel like things are still getting started but in consulting the syllabi for my two classes, Operations and Marketing, the mid-semester projects aren't very far away. We're now a month or so into Year Two of the three year Kelley program. There are times when it feels like its flying by – like when you think about the fact that it's been about thirteen months since we met for our welcome dinner at University Place. There are also times when it feels like this program may go on forever – like when I consult my handy Vista Sidebar gadget to see that there are still over 600 days until graduation. Regardless of your perspective on the speed of time, there's no getting around the notion that choices are imminent. We don't have that many “core” classes remaining so we'll soon need to choose our electives, and as part of that, if we're going to Major, and if so, what our Major will be. We have to choose if we're going to participate in an Enterprise, and if so which one. We have to decide if we're going to do the China experience early next summer or the Brazil experience over Spring Break. That may not seem like a lot of choices but the choices we make can certainly be impactful on the rest of our professional careers. Have you made your choices, yet?

Hey guys,

Just wanted to update everyone on the soccer season. We won our two games last weekend which puts our record at 2-2. One of our toughest opponents comes this weekend when we play Louisville in Louisville. Louisville is a top 30 team and beating them will be a great win for our team.

Other than soccer, school is going well. Homework is coming quick and often which is not fun. However, on a positive note, my one credit Geology class concludes in about 3 weeks so that will be great.

Hope everyone is doing well!

John

Hello All,

How is the new semester going?! This is probably the best time of the year at IUPUI, there is so much going on and the weather is still great! I recently transferred to England from the US with my company and I now look after the Asia Pacific customers. This week I am in Bangkok negotiating a contract with a local airline for their engines on a few new Airbus widebody jets.

In my previous roles I had to negotiate a few contractual items and sell the ideas to the customers, but never had I negotiated a full contract. My expectations were daylong sessions and a lot of heated discussions. We have had long discussions, some heated but at the end of the day we are humans and there is always the midpoint where both parties concede and are happy with the results. I am greatly enjoying the opportunities that my company has provided me as I always wanted to become involved in the International Business world, and this is part of my everyday job.

Bangkok is amazing, this cosmopolitan city offers world class International Business experience as well with an amazing local and welcoming scene for all. There are so many ex-pats here and most business people in this city come from all over the world. I have started to think about going back to school when I return to the US next year and obtain my Master's degree. If you are a recent graduate or are thinking about getting one, I would highly suggest it. It makes a big difference and there is no better place to discuss your real world learning.

All the best,

Jaime

Hey guys, I am sorry for not bloggin lately but I have been pretty busy... havent we all. School started as you may or may not know... I hope you know. With school comes classes and with classes comes homework. There is no more time for fun. In addition to the start of the new school year, the IUPUI Men's Soccer season started and as you may or may not know, I am apart of the IUPUI Men's soccer team. We have not gotten out to the best start, however, we have played some good teams. This past weekend we played Northwestern who is ranked 16th in the nation. Although we lost 2-0 we gave a good effort and if effort could win games, we probably would have won. But seriously, we will be fine and we are looking to make the NCAA Tournament this year so we could use your support. Anyone who would like to know when a home game is, either find me on campus or go to the IUPUI Athletics page and click on Men's Soccer then go to Schedule. I would love to see all the Kelley School faces out at a game. Other then classes and games, I went to the Wilco concert at White River and saw Bon Iver open. If you have not heard of Bon Iver I suggest you check the band out. You just may like it.

To wrap things up, I hope everyone is having a great start to the school year. It will go by fast, at least that is what I keep telling myself.

I am officially an empty nester. I didn't know if I wanted to publicly admit that on this blog, but I decided that it's one of the biggest things to hit my life in some time. Plus, there is a tie to Kelley. On Aug. 27 we took my daughter to IU-Bloomington, where she officially became a college freshman. It's definitely different being on a college campus as a parent rather than student. However, I still remember the excitement and anticipation of going off to college. I've encouraged her to make the most of this experience... find new extra-curricular activities, meet people from all over the world, take advantage of the world-class education available, and have fun (of course, we've never been concerned about her ability to have fun!). She wants to be in the Kelley School, and so she's got her work cut out for her. The program has become more highly regarded in the last few years, and the competition to get in is crazy. It's a new begining for all of us. I trust your semester is off to an awesome start too!