All entries for Friday 08 October 2010

And so it begins…

Welcome ladies and gentle to my first post on MKN Chronicles. As my academic adventure commences at Warwick, so too does my blog through which I will be sharing everything from my scholastic ponderings to my irate rantings with the world.

I'd like to start with a look back over my first week at Warwick and my introduction to MBE, or "Management for Business Excellence" for those who aren't up to date with the WMG lingo. These three letters which represent the postgraduate masters course that I have just commenced will undoubtedly be the single most important aspect of my life for the next 48 weeks as well as the foundation of my entire future career aspirations. For something so crucial in the lives of so many, you could expect the introductory week to fill the hearts and minds of those attending with dread as the years workload is laid bare. Alternatively, you may also expect a week filled with reassurance to alleviate the panic that may be setting in. Which did get you ask? Well, to be perfectly honest, I would have to say neither, or possibly both.

The early half of the week consisted of informative lectures about full time masters courses at WMG, and for me and my cohorts in MBE, a more specific lecture on the structure of our course and what to expect in the year ahead. The no illusions style of those lecturing clearly laid out the immensity of the task ahead of us all, and the effort required by each individual to succeed. To some this may have seemed daunting, but to others, the useful scheduling tips and resources shown provided some relief and much appreciated guidance in organising the year ahead.

The Latter half of the week was a slightly more mixed story. An amazingly fun team building session of games and newspaper giraffe building set us up in our groups for the coming year. Yes you read that right, postgraduate students building giraffes out of newspaper. Not only was this a fun filled ice breaker, it touched on certain areas that will no doubt be explored in depth later as communication, delegation, and leadership were all necessities when it came to a successful giraffe. Unfortunate our group didn't win the challenge, however we still stood proudly by our "sleeping" giraffe!

The single disappointment of the latter half of the week was the time in Butterworth Hall. Although all the topics and information provided by speakers was without a doubt informative and useful, in my humble opinion the entire afternoon could have been condensed by omitting large amounts of information that had already been provided in different talks.

Overall this has definitely been a fantastic start to what I hope will be a challenging, and rewarding year!

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

~ John F. Kennedy

: 08 Oct 2010 20:00 |  Tags: Beginnings Building Giraffe Mbe Team |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem