McGill MBA Japan Experience

Graduation - Class of 2008

2008-10-05T22:26:00.005+09:00

Here are they are! Thanks to those who've sent me these photos of our graduation.

What a wicked ride the past two years were. Everyone, thank you again for being there, and please stay in touch.

tetsu

3-week intensive program in Montreal

2007-08-15T18:44:00.001+09:00

Highlights

At School

Art of Leadership

Extracurricular Activities

End of Program Party and Thereafter

BBQ@Fred's, Weekend@Tetsu's, Supper@Ladi's

3 weeks of both pure hell and pure pleasure from July 16 to Aug. 4. That was the story of our intensive program at the McGill main campus in Montreal. The 3 courses were: Strategy (Corporate Leadership), Business Simulation, and Art of Leadership. A dozen of us came from Tokyo and another dozen or so were main campus MBAers. Then there were also a few who came from other parts of the world. But despite our global origins, we ALL bonded and had fun as if we had known each other forever.

In retrospect, I think that just going through the intense course load was enough to drive anyone insane. But we actually managed to schedule in some major parties along the way! …um…actually…come to think about it…maybe THAT’S what kept us from going mad… yeah, yeah…maybe. Oh well, whatever the case, it was magical. Anyways, I’m sure you understand what I’m taking about from the above photos!

In the end, I only have one thing to say to everyone involved in that program: a huge THANK YOU to all the students, profs, administrators, and others.

And as many have already said so far, this is not a “good-bye”, but a “see you later”!

tetsu

Cocktails4Charity

2007-07-17T19:51:00.000+09:00

Yu-Sho Combi

We had our first party of the new school year on July 1st, Canada Day! It was an activity organized by Maria and Carl. Every drink people had included a little donation to Maria's organization BEE. I think she was happy with the outcome right!? There was some heavy duty drinkin' by some of our wild boys and girls from Y1!

....good thing you were done with Stats that day right? Yeah, we Y2s understand...here's what we did after one of our own Stats classes last year (actually, it was after an exam!).

Hope you guys are up for more partyin'!!

tetsu

2nd Profile Batch

2007-07-15T11:44:00.000+09:00

Hi everyone, Zach here again with your next exciting profile update! Today we have very special, and completely unexpected inquisitors to get the information we need from our completely willing participants!

If you know who these guys are, I will personally award you 100 extra nerd points!

First up is our good friend Shoji Takeyama.
After reading his profile introduction questions I learned that Shoji is the finance master! He is also a very modest gentleman.

1. Tell us a little about your background.
I got a BA in economics in year 1993 and established my career in the financial industry, especially securitizaion world. I started my career at Japanese bank, Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank, now Mizuho Bank. I left it in year 2000 and worked as a structure of asset backed security for Credit Lyonnais, now Calyon, or French bank. And then I moved to Moody's, US rating agency as a analyst of commercial mortgaged backed security. Now I work as a marketer of insurance linked security at Swiss Re capital market corporation for two years.

2. What are you doing now?
I am a marketer at security house. I work for Swiss Re Capital Market Corporation Tokyo Branch, capital market subsidiary of Swiss Reinsurance Company. At my company, I try to get a mandate of catastrophic bonds, the bond whose risk is related to natural disaster such as earthquake and hurricane from mainly Japanese property and causality insurance companies.

3. Why did you join the McGill MBA program and what do you hope to gain from it?
I deal with a very early stage product or catastrophic bonds with limited colleagues in Japan. So I would like to learn how to expand my business in this program. In addition, I hope that the international experience at the class makes me more comfortable to work at non-Japanese company.

4. Can you share something that very few people know about you?
I know securitization, one of structured finance product. So if you are interested in it, please let me know. I will tell you in detail.

5. What is your pet peeve.
I do not like time pressure. Especially, I do not like decision making second by second. Although I invest in Japanese equity via internet security company, I have never done day trading in my life.

6. Shameless plug for one of your activities?
I go to the gym every week. I take "KAATSU" training or high pressure training made in Japan, The training is very hard, I believe that it is one of the most efficient training program.

7. Anything else that you would like to add.
I am afraid that I would have put classmates to a some deal of trouble due to my long hour work. But I will try to do my best and I hope that I can contribute to the class.

Thank you very much Shoji. We all look forward to seeing you in class soon!

Next up is Mr. Derek White. Derek is a very cool guy, if you haven't had a chance to talk with him yet, I highly recommend that you make some time to do so in the near future. I had the pleasure of drinking a few beers with him the other night and it was great.

1. Please tell us a little bit about your background.

I grew up in a town of 600 (yes 600) called Warkworth, appr. 2 hours east of Toronto. I left when I was 18 and took an undergrad in Urban & Regional Planning at Ryerson University and a 2 year diploma in Building Renovations at George Brown College, both in Toronto. I moved to Japan in June of 2006.

2. Where are you working now and what do you do?

I work at Ilya Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kajima Construction. The company does Interior Design, Office Planning and Procurement. My division is called Hospitality Solutions and we procure furniture and operating supplies for hotels and restaurants.

3. Why did you join the MBA program and what are your goals?

I joined the program because I believe it will increase my career options both in Japan and in Canada. My goal is to work in Real Estate Development, particularly in the field of Senior"s Housing.

4. Can you tell us something that not too many people know about you?

I'm a big-time Elvis fan & a bit of an amateur classical music enthusiast.

5. What is your pet peeve?

1) I hate balloons 2) I can't stand opening a banana without a knife

6. Would you like to make a shameless plug?

No thanks.

7. Anything else...?
I think our class is unique and has already done a good job of bonding. I look forward to the next 2 years building a group of peers that I will have for the rest of my life.

Thanks for the profile, Derek. Now, can we ask for your Elvis impersonation at the beginning of next class?

The first profiles

2007-07-09T15:40:00.001+09:00

Hello class of 2008 and 2009! This is Zach here to report and help us get to know each other a little better. I have asked the members of the 2009 class to submit a few tidbits of information and a photograph so that we can all get to know and love each other a little better. Over the course of 2007 I hope to profile everyone in the class of 2009!

The questions are:

1. Please tell us a little bit about your background.
2. Where are you working now and what do you do?
3. Why did you join the MBA program and what are your goals?
4. Can you tell us something that not too many people know about you?
5. What is your pet peeve?
6. Would you like to make a shameless plug?
7. Anything else...?

First up we have Laura Younger! When I first met Laura I was really impressed with her presence, this past weekend I got the chance to work with her in a group and had a great time. If you haven't had the chance to speak to her yet, please chat her up when we meet again at the end of August.

1. I grew up in Grimsby, Ontario, which is near the very touristy wine region of the Niagara Peninsula. I moved to Toronto for my undergrad - University of Toronto - where I studied physical anthropology. My plan was to go to medical school or do a graduate degree in medical anthropology, but I would have had to take statistics (!), so I came to Japan instead.

2. I'm working at the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), and I am in charge of two departments. A lot of what I do is public facing so I've gained a really great network by working at the chamber.

3. It was always a goal to go back to school at the graduate level, and since McGill is one the top schools in Canada, I was attracted to attending this program. I joined the program primarily out of general interest, and in order to build my knowledge/skill base, especially in the quantitative
subjects.

4. I spent much of my teenage years in Jamaica and am thus a huge reggae
fan. Not many people know that...

5. The Marunouchi line at rush hour

6. I am Vice President of the Association for Women in Finance (AWF) - a volunteer networking group that meets monthly for speaker events. We've been growing incredibly fast over the last year and gaining a great deal of support from the major foreign investment banks in town. The mission of the organisation is provide women in finance a forum in which they can further　their professional development, network and exchange information, and meet like-minded women of all nationalities. You don't need to be in finance - nor do you need to be a woman - to attend our events, so if you're interested, please join us!

Laura, thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions! I know that I'm interested about your Jamaican experience, I have heard many wonderful things about the country and its people. I would also be interested in attending the AWF events so if you get a chance, Laura, please post some of the events on our Yahoo group.

Next up we have Makoto Sugita!

I was really taken with Makoto when he made his introduction to the class, I could tell he was a great public speaker. Here's how he answered the questions!

1. I was born in Osaka. I move to the US when I was 17 years old. I went to high school and college in the US. I came back to Japan for medical school. I spent a little more than 14 years as an academic physician. I decided to move forward to a career in pharmaceutical industry. Now I am an employee of one of the biggest global pharmaceutical companies. I have a wife and a son, and I love them. I also enjoy what I do now. In my heart I am still 25 years old.

2. I am a clinical research physician, and I am involved with a few very interesting clinical studies.

3. To maximize my knowledge of medicine in business, I thought that learning more about business would be essential. I also wanted to meet people from different backgrounds.

4. I am a good cook, and I am still a board certified thoracic surgeon.

5. Homework. Work-study-life balance.

6. Never sued for malpractice yet.

7. Guys, let’s have a good time and learn a lot.

Makoto, thank you also for responding to the questions! If you haven't had a chance to get to know Makoto, now you can hit him up for cooking advice. Speaking of which, do you have any advice for making Umeshu? I think I missed my chance this summer, but I would like to try it next year.

That's all for this post, I look forward to profiling everyone!

Congratulations Tim!

2007-07-05T20:24:00.000+09:00

I recently found out that Tim got a scholarship, so I asked him to write a little thing about it. Being the humble bee that he is, at first he was reluctant, but I asked him to write some specific things that could be useful to fellow MBAers and potential candidates, who could also use some inspiration in their search for funding.

Below is what he wrote. Congratulations Tim! And thanks for sharing this with us.

tetsu

Scholarship Award

I have been fortunate to have been awarded the 2007 J.J. O’Neill Leadership Development Award of $12,150 (approx. ¥1,500,000). This is an Airline Industry Foundation Scholarship in the area of In-flight Services.

There were two of us as finalists and it was particularly gratifying to be selected over a person from American Airlines. The major qualifications include good references, leadership potential, notable contributions in the industry, and a strong desire to further your education.

This scholarship will help in making almost two payments and eases the financial pain. It is also good publicity for the McGill MBA Japan Program and will look good on a resume. The foundation invites one to attend (expenses paid) and receive this award during the President’s Award Banquet at the International Flight Services Association’s Annual Conference, this year to be held in Houston Texas from September 8-10 http://www.ifsanet.com/index.html

Previous winners of this Scholarship were:
2004 Joette Schmidt – America West Airlines
2005 J.J. Cook – Delta Airlines
2006 Sarah Klatt-Walsh – Swiss Air

Since there are a multiple of scholarships, grants, and bursaries out there, I would encourage all McGill MBA Japan students to look for them and don’t be reluctant to apply, for they are there to be used.

Tim Zandbergen “Class of 2008”

Class of 2009 Orientation

2007-06-24T00:04:00.000+09:00

It was the Class of 2009 Orientation day today. The student council gave a little presentation on the McGill MBA Japan Experience.

We really enjoyed the experience and thought the Class of 2009 was a very dynamic and very active class. We also went to the New Otani as last year and had a few drinks and discussed with the newcomers. What a great bunch of guys and girls. What a variety of backgrounds. Also, many more Japanese/Asians than our class. And even better, many more beautiful ladies! Ha ha ha... not that we don't got no beautiful ladies! ...just that we only got 4! And now one of 'em is going to Montreal for the second year! v(T T)v. I can't believe I didn't take any photos today to upload here!! If someone took some nice ones, please send 'em to me so I can upload 'em here.

Anywho, we really welcome you with open arms and hope that Y1 and Y2 students can interact extensively throughout the year and take the McGill MBA Japan Experience to the next level!

By the way, a few people told me that they saw this blog and one guy even told me that he's been following it for quite a while. In fact, it contributed to his deciding on taking the program! Man I'm glad that this blog makes a difference.

Alright Class of 2009, you've got a big year ahead of ya. But as we said many times today, you can count on the Class of 2008 to help you through tough times. Don't hesitate to ask.

Ganbarimasho! Yoroshiku!

tetsu

Last Day

2007-05-28T01:33:00.000+09:00

Today was the last day of a school year, so we all went to a Indonesian restaurant to celebrate our accomplishment and to appreciate each other's contribution over deep-fried banana!

For the class of 2007, it was the last day of MBA life.
Man, it's been such a life-changing experience that I kind of envy those who still has another year to go (though I wouldn't do it again, given a choice). Well, everyone has got different experiences and his/her favorite memories, but let me tell you mine.

The most memorable class for me was "Arts of Leadership" I took in Montreal last summer. We read poetry and shared stories. Doesn't sound like a MBA class? Indeed. But it was good to know that there's a room for sensibility in business. Besides, I believe poetry and stories convey so much that we could not otherwise.
My favorite professors was "Take-chan." He's just great. He condenses the subject into the very core to teach, but demands us to explore and broaden our horizons in assingments, and be very fair in exams.
And of course, I enjoyed working with my calssmates (with strong personalities), discussing, cramming, joking and figuring out things days and nights, along with all the extra-curricular activities we introduced here.

It's been a great two-year journey.

Let me know yours.
yumiko

I-Core Day

2007-05-15T02:38:00.000+09:00

This past Saturday, May 12, was I-Core day for the Class of 2008. For non-McGill folks, I-Core (Integrative Core) is essentially a great big project in which you build a business plan from scratch, applying concepts you learned in class throughout the year.

We've worked hard all year in this 6-credit course and I think we've all learned a great deal. Every group had to give a mid-term presentation in January, with varying degrees of success. But this time around, it was simply amazing to see at how much everyone improved. The whole day of business presentations was very informative and highly entertaining.

After the presentations, we all went to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate. There, the winners of I-Core Day 2007 were announced. Congratulations to Kazoku Navi and Home Shoring for winning first and second prizes!! You were great!

We also thank Clinton and the 5 judges who kindly spent the whole day with us and gave us valuable feedbacks.

Finally, for those who have lived through I-Core or have had similar experiences in writing business plans, we would greatly appreciate it if you could write in a comment/thought/advice for the benefit of our readers.

Here, I'll give it a start. Personally, I think that experiencing I-Core allowed me to develop a basic/overall understanding of what this overwhelming document called a business plan should be like and how one should go about presenting business ideas, both orally and in writing. It's a great exercise to allow us to internalize concepts that we learn in class and to make them become second nature.

It was a lot of fun. Given a choice, I'd do it all over again...(of course, I had a great team, so that definitely helps).

tetsu

P.S. Thanks Phil for the great photos!

McGill MBA Babies

2007-05-03T23:12:00.000+09:00

Xintong
Emma
Vincent Taro

So last week, in the midst of working like hell to finish up our I-Core paper, someone else was also working like hell for another reason. That's right, Kaku.....'s wife was giving birth to Xintong!

By the way, he was asking for suggestions for an English name. We thought Serenity would be very appropriate. Serenity is the title of our I-Core project. I mean... look at her... ah....

Also, there's been a couple of other babies born during the our first year. Meet Emma and Vincent Taro, children to Frank and Vinnie. Looking at Vincent Taro is like looking at mini-Vinnie.

Funny thing is, my best buddy just had twins on April 23 also! My first experience at fatherhood... I mean...godfatherhood.

Gees.... a couple years ago, it was like, "man...everyone's getting married around me...". Now it's like..."man...everyone's havin' kids around me!..." (...sigh...)

Anywho, congratulations to all! ...and if you thought the MBA was tough... v(^o^)v...

Please do send your best wishes to these new fathers by clicking on "comments".

tetsu

Last sprint

2007-04-13T21:53:00.000+09:00

OK, last time I wrote that we had reached one of the biggest hills of this MBA program. What I didn't know was how flat it was at the top and how long we had to run at 150% capacity. Well, this past few weeks, I'm sure some of the students wished they had more than 24h in a day. Much more. I have a relatively flexible working schedule so I'm definitely not in the worst situation, but I know that some of our fellow classmates are EXTREMELY busy. I really don't know how they manage. Hats off to their hard work and organizational skills I guess.

Anyways, I think everyone is getting psyched up for the last sprint: Our last 4 weekends of classes (and 1 day for I-Core) remaining in this first year. Unbelievable. As hard and tough as it was, it still went by in a flash. I've really been enjoying myself since the beginning and truly feel that the relationships that we've developed over the last 10 months or so in themselves were worth all the effort and tuitions.

Well, this whole situation can really be well illustrated by something Steve in our class told me a few weeks back, when I was in a little bit of a downer myself. He said: "Tetsu, this is why they put soldiers through pure hell during training. That way, a strong bond naturally develops between them, which then makes them look out for each other with their lives on the battlefield." Very well put Steve. Thanks.

All right brave men and women. Ganbarimasho!

tetsu

Class Scenes and Tips

2007-03-06T00:20:00.000+09:00

Wow! First post in 2007 and it's already March!! Well, lemme tell ya, we first year students went through a pretty rough period in the last 2-3 months, culminating in a deadly Finance exam.

Yeah, my initial plan was to write this article much earlier since I know that many potential students would probably have found this information useful. In fact, the hit counter shows that there has been more activity on this blog in recent months. I know that I would've liked to have known what a typical class was like before embarking on my GMAT and all the lengthy application process! Anywho, it's a bit late for most students this year, but I'm sure there's still a couple of late candidates that may just be drawn into this program thanks to this post (or of course, the opposite is equally likely to happen). Well, it can also serve as information for candidates in subsequent years!

So there you go, a little clip of a lecture scene and many photos of typical class scenes, discussions, group work, presentations, etc. Yes, you will see ample of each throughout the program. If you dislike presentations or group work and have no intentions whatsoever in learning these skills...now's the time to back out! You will NOT survive.

Also, as of right now, I can say that the way I see it, the worst of the program is over. We had two intense peaks, one big peak for the Stats course at the end of the summer (the first course), and one huge peak that just went by with Finance and a few other courses that overlapped with it. Stats and Finance are not extremely hard per se, but there's a LOT of studying to do. Luckily we've had wonderful professors for both of these courses.

Hope this was useful.

tetsu

K and D's Excellent Adventures

2006-12-20T10:15:00.000+09:00

Here is the next installment of the Excellent Adventures (after that of King Carl's). Enjoy.

tetsu

Disclaimer:
This story is totally fictitious and any resemblence to real life people is completely coincidental.

Christmas Party 2006

2006-12-20T09:35:00.000+09:00

What a great way to end 2006! A terrific party at Aoyuzu, in Ebisu. Excellent food, fun games, wonderful friends, and of course, lot's 'n lot's of drinking! ...all night long for some of us...

Big thanks to everyone who came! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!

It's encouraging for the SC when events turn out to be as successful as this one!

hmmm...let's see what's comin' up in 2007...

Happy holidays to all, and a wonder and prosperous 2007!!!

tetsu, on behalf of the Student Council

McGill Girls' Night!

2006-11-29T00:42:00.000+09:00

We had a "McGill Girls' Night" outing the other day. Yes, only female students from class of 2007 and 2008 were invited. The night was to empower women in McGill MBA program, who counts just 9 (excluding those who are in Montreal) out of what? 66? Girls, we are minorities. So, we had a civilized conversation (e.g. gossips and so-called "secrets") in both Japanese and English, with some French and Italian, over a very nice dinner.

It was quite interesting to find out that each class has a distinctive, almost opposite charactoristics. I remember Jimmy (OB and CCM) once mentioned that he enjoys different charactoristics of each class. And I wished to sneak into another class and feel that difference in air someday.

Nonetheless, girls all seemed happy with the class we have now. And most importantly, we all are having fun, right?

yumiko

P.S.
If you would like to be invited for the next "McGill Girls' Night" outing, please consult with your doctor ;-)

Learning Languages

2006-11-27T22:16:00.000+09:00

Since the beginning of the program almost 5 months ago, I have had many interesting discussions with my fellow classmates on language learning, including a few just this past weekend. With such a culturally diverse group of people, I guess it's only natural that this is a hot topic in this MBA program. Plus, the famous Japanese language proficiency test (Ikkyu) is scheduled for this Sunday and some of us are taking it.

Many of us (well...probably "all" of us) have had to learn a second or third or fourth or nth language to very high levels. A few of us have even taught languages. So there are many different takes on what the best language acquisition methodology is. Well, personally, I don't think that there is a "best" methodology. My opinion is that you should be exposed to as many different strategies as possible by talking to people who's done it before. Then try 'em out and retain a few techniques that work best for you.

For me, I do a very limited amount of formal and systematic studying at the beginning of the learning process, after which I concentrate on keeping MOTIVATION levels high so that I will practice, practice, and practice. Basically, I do such things as travel, make foreign friends, or translate stuff that interests me (newspapers, magazines, DVDs, etc.). I also do some weird and crazy stuff like using foreign languages to have conversations with myself or to take notes during class. Anyways, if anyone is interested, here is a blog entry on the details of my techniques. I hope that it will be helpful enough to be retained in your toolbox.

I know that many others in this program also have extremely valuable insights in this area. I hope that they will also share their experience with us here, since foreign languages are an integral part of life for all current and future students of McGill MBA Japan Program.

tetsu

Group dynamics

2006-11-15T14:45:00.000+09:00

When I started the McGill MBA Japan program, the first thing I did was set up a group page on Yahoo. I thought that, since we "only" have 2 years, it would be important that we get on the same page for various things ASAP. A common tool for communication was what I really wanted. And that worked out fine. Everybody liked the idea and got registered on the page, which has a space for file uploads, a calendar, an area for polls, and of course, a mailing list. It was surprising how smoothly that went, since I know from experience that it's usually very hard to get every member of a large and heterogeneous group to do something, especially if it required a little bit of time and effort like in this case.

Now, as internal VP associate (I think that's my title) for my class, I have the fun job of having people come up to me in class or getting emails from people, asking me various things ranging from homeworks, to events, to managing communication with staff, etc.

I think what I get a kick out of is learning about group dynamics in all these transactions. Throughout the program, we work in small teams and we learn about group dynamics on a small scale, usually 3-6 people. But here, I also get to see on a larger scale, i.e., a group of 32. It's interesting to see that there are those who answer emails right away VS those who barely read emails, those who are good with IT VS those who are allergic to computers, those who actively participate in extra-curricular events VS those who are strictly academic, and most importantly, those who speak their minds VS those who keep it low profile. Developing a feel for group dynamics will be, in my opinion, a crucial skill for my future career, and I am definitely grateful for this opportunity.

tetsu

Pigging out at the Barbacoa

2006-11-07T11:29:00.000+09:00

A good time was had by all who went to gorge themselves at Barbacoa this past Saturday. The group enjoyed a huge salad bar, choice cuts of beef, pork and pineapple, and large bowls of vanilla soft-cream topped with chocolate syrup and corn flakes. After succumbing to meat poisoning, we all ambled out of the restaurant and walked towards Yoyogi Park on Omotesando-dori, thankful for its downward slope. Never before had we felt the effects of gravity as strongly as we did that day...

God bless the Brazilians for doing barbecue right!

Kirk

Case Studies、ケーススタディー

2006-11-02T15:01:00.000+09:00

For future McGill MBA'ers, here's a great post on "Case studies" by one of our second year students. You'll need to know what they are 'cuz you'll be doin' A LOT of 'em. Oh, just on little thing, the blog post is in Japanese.... oups....

今後マギールでMBAを取ろうと考えているあなた！今年の二年生で、現在カナダの本校の方で授業を取っている先輩の記事がここにあります。MBAには不可欠な「ケーススタディー」に関して分かりやすく語ってくれました。

Enjoy.

tetsu

Drinking. Again.

2006-10-30T22:38:00.000+09:00

Yesterday, we went drinking with our Managerial Economics professor Prasad. Too bad our Information Systems professor Liette couldn’t make it.

Half of the class was there, plus staff. We had a blast!

Here are some pictures. However, none show Prasad very clearly (he's beside Jason in the second picture). Sorry. On the other hand, thanks for the jokes and the anecdotes!

tetsu

The Adventures of Carl

2006-10-10T16:05:00.000+09:00

The Monday started with a barbecue at Futako-Tamagawa. After approximately 2 bottles of wine, Carl took all the girls and played them guitar.

After the barbecue, Carl went to Legato (cocktail bar).

After 3 cheese plates (7,500 yen), 2 martinis (2,000 yen) and 3 "special" custom ordered cocktails (4,800 yen), Carl became sleepy...

...but he soon felt better!

The End

Documentary by Thomas

Sound of Statistics

2006-09-25T22:41:00.000+09:00

When the tension of your MBA stats class gets too much to bear, and you think you have reached the breaking point, why not...sit back and sing your blues away. The amazing McGill Class of 2008 Boys Band, "Four Degrees of Freedom" demonstrates how it's done with this familiar tune, and a set of lyrics with a curve...a bell curve! Feel free to sing along, it's contagious, and look forward to Four Degrees of Freedom's next big live event.

Charlie...
P.S. Please do let us know what you think about the song by writing in Comments!

Four Degrees of Freedom
Charlie
Rashid
Steven
Tetsu (Guitar)
Tony (Piano)

Sound of Statistics
Music and Lyrics by Simon and Garfunkel
Lyrics slightly modified by Steve
Baaaaad imitation of Derek by Rashid
Behind-the-scenes guest appearance on Violin by Aki (listen carefully)

Lyrics
Hello Derek my new Friend,
I've come to study stats again,
Because I had an issue finding "t"
And the normal distribution "z"
And the equations that were planted in my brain
Drove me insane
With the sound of statistics.

In restless dreams I found the mean
Covariance was clearly seen
'neath the output of data-excel tools
Invalidating null hypothesis rules
When my brain was stabbed by the flash of
an insight! (...well you just plug this in here...)
I did it right! (...and BANG! you got it.)
And touched the sound of Statistics.

And in the excel list I saw
Ten thousand samples, maybe more.
People distributed normally,
Or if not I could use the CLT,
But the confidence interval was not so clear
And this I fear
Disturbs the sound of statistics.

Fools said I you do not see
that the probability
Shows us that it's random chance
These results are likely happenstance
But my words did not make things so clear,
I need a beer (McAuslan Beer!)
To hear the sound of statistics

Damn that linear regression
Does it relate to depression?
"r" is greater than point five oh,
Shows us that which we already know
that the relation between the two
is worth pursuing
and so I sing
of the sounds of statistics.

McGill Experience

2006-09-21T02:47:00.000+09:00

What makes an MBA worth all the energy? Let me see…

When I started the program, I envisioned myself marching into the business battlefield, armed with all the sophisticated tools and techniques of MBA. I do not pretend that I have mastered statistics and finance or marketing and strategies. However, after a year in the program, I come to realize that such glamorous armor we put on ourselves merely hide our vulnerability. I realize that we need something more. Something that makes our mind invincible even when we are disarmed. Something you might call a vision or an ideal. Or it may be called passion or simply, guts. Whatever its name is, I believe, that something can only be obtained through "full experience."

Your 24 months in MBA will be over before you know it. You are in a program with some of the smartest and most highly-motivated individuals you will ever meet. So, what I am suggesting is simply this: Let us pay real attention to our world, experience it with ever increasing depth. And share that experience with fellow McGillers so that we could sharpen our mind and become truly invincible.

To me, this “full experience” makes an MBA worth all the energy.

Yumiko

Post-Stats deflation

2006-08-29T03:39:00.000+09:00

After doing some heavy-duty studyin' and writing one of our most dreaded exams of the McGill MBA Japan Program, STATS, many of us went out for a drink. We were glad to have some McGill staff join us also, including our actual inflictor of pain, Prof. Hart.

Yep, there some serious drinking some gettin' out of hand. Right Steve?

I had fun. Thanks folks. Thanks Prof. Hart.

tetsu
P.S. So what did everyone think of the test?

Inaugural Posting

2006-08-26T10:47:00.000+09:00

I wonder, what makes an MBA worth all the energy? Where is the elusive "Value" people talk about? Sure, its in the combination of faculty, philosophy, and employment options to be had upon graduation. Of course there is the name, the number and the addendum to your business card. You might just finish with a whole new world view. But there are other reasons that bear exploring.

When ruminating about their MBA years gone by, the thing former students speak of most, besides the gray hair they got from their statistics course, is being part of a "team of learners". In a "team" with multiple perspectives, different nationalities and an assortment of backgrounds, people don't always see eye to eye, and the total definitely defies standard addition. It's that "whole is more than the sum if its parts" experience that makes an MBA valuable to me.

I believe the class of 2008 at McGill Japan is looking forward to that full experience, to learn and question, to study and building something new. This blog is launched with the hope we can share a little of that journey with you as well. It is a collective effort like so much of the MBA. As our paths converge for a time along the same road I sincerely hope the postings this blog elicits are useful and interesting. I am definitely looking forward to hearing your points of view.

Cheers,
Charlie