Online Media, My New Committee, A Free Concert, and My Senior Formal

This summer I learned a lot about how companies should monitor and participate in social media. According to the experts (my favorite being author and blogger David Meerman Scott http://www.webinknow.com/) , the new rules of online marketing is that companies should engage the people who write about them in online conversations - especially internet dissenters. However, it is important to do one's research due-diligence and figure out where your customers and potential customers are using social media before diving into the social media universe. For example, I worked at the environmental consulting firm Earth Knowledge last summer, and I safely concluded that Earth Knowledge did not need a web presence on Myspace because its consumers and potential customers do not use Myspace for environmental knowledge.

With that, I have my first meeting today for the new marketing committee I joined this month - the marketing department's Student-Faculty Relations Committee. Through this committee I chose to join the Community, Communications, and Social Networking sub-committee, so I can share my limited knowledge about communications and social media marketing. One of the goals of this committee is to improve the already stellar reputation of IU's marketing department, both inside and outside the Kelley School. We have noticed that within the Kelley school the marketing department has suffered from some negative stereotypes, but we hope to improve the brand image starting this year. I'll keep you posted on what the committee's progress is.

On a final note, this weekend was very fun. Victoria's Secret PINK sponsored a free concert in Dunn Meadow on the IU Campus, which featured Cobra Starship and Girl Talk. Since it rained while we were there, the field was completely destroyed, and what is currently left is a giant mud pit that Victoria's Secret is paying to re-sod (according to the IDS). Also this past weekend I had my sorority formal at Bloomington Country Club, and it was extremely fun! I missed having my boyfriend there, but I still managed to make the most of the night. Here is a picture from formal where some of my roommates and I are standing outside of the line of limos that took us to the dance:


Well, I have to register for next semester's classes at 2pm, so I am going to get going! Wish me luck on getting all of the classes that I need to take for my....LAST semester at IU! (scary thought.)

Interviewing & Homecoming Football

My interview season is in full swing this week. I am balancing four interviews, four pre-night presentations, and one call-back interview tomorrow morning! Also I just got offered a second round interview in Chicago with the first company I interviewed with last week. All very exciting, but I'm still waiting to hear back from the company I interviewed with on Friday. What a thrilling and jittery time in my life!

To top it off, I've had a lot going on in school this past week, and I've been trying to balance it as best as I can. I went to office hours today for M303 (Marketing Research) because I had to miss class due to an interview today. At the end of the office hours, my professor asked me about my job search process. I told her all about it and handed her an extra resume I had with me from my interview...just in case she wanted to learn more about me. She just sent me an email tonight saying she enjoyed reading my London blog.

Lately I've had a lot more of my friends approach me saying that they noticed that there's a link to my blog on the Kelley Undergraduate website. I get excited and joke around that I am very important. Just this morning I ran into someone I have not seen in a while and he said he saw me on the Kelley website the other day.

The last thing I want to say is that I went to the football game this weekend. I also went tailgating, and I am definitely one of the few tailgaters that also prioritize going to the games. First of all, I want to congratulate both of my friends Heather Schaefer and Cale O'Brien for winning homecoming king and queen. I know both of them fairly well, and it is a really exciting honor for them! Next I'd like to say that although it was cold at the game, I am SOOOOOO happy the Hoosiers beat the Fighting Illini. Since I am the sole offspring of two University of Illinois alumni, it is always nice to be reassured about my correct college decision. (AND my Mom and Dad both read this blog and I'm sure will agree that IU was the correct choice......absolutely sure.)

Me, two of my sorority sisters, and my boyfriend at the Sig Ep tailgate on Saturday before the Homecoming game.

P.S. I missed formal dinner tonight at my sorority and now I'm just cracking open a Burger King double cheeseburger I bought an hour and a half ago thinking I'd eat it right away. Be jealous.

The Transitive Property

If Midterm Week = Interview Start Week, and Interview Start Week = Homecoming Week, Does Midterm Week = Homecoming Week? And do all three equal every other school's fall break week? If you are familiar with geometry, you may conclude the answer.

I'll admit it, this week I am feeling slightly stressed. I completely forgot it was homecoming week, since I won't be doing anything homecoming-related until I go to the football game. However, my friend and Honors I-Core teammate Heather Schaefer was nominated for Homecoming Queen! I'm very excited for her.

This entry is going to be brief, since I am currently studying for a final exam I have tomorrow morning for my 8-week class. Then next week I start the second 8-week class. The two courses are taught by the same professor and meet at the same time (for me, Monday/Wednesday 11:15), but the two courses cover two separate marketing software tools. Each course is 1.5 credits.

I had my first exam in my sales class on Monday, and we already got the grade back today in class (very fast turn-around time for a non-Scantron college exam). I studied a lot for that test, and I feel it paid off. However, what threw me for a loop was that when I got to the class for the exam, our professor said he was only going to give us 30 minutes to take it instead of the 45 he told us prior to the test. I just barely finished in time, but he was mostly right in his justification that people do better on his exams when they do not agonize over their answers. Well, I did not agonize (like I usually do on tests), and I did very well.

Also to note, my boyfriend accepted a job offer this week. He will be working for Perella Weinberg Partners in New York City starting next summer. He is very excited, and I am proud of him for landing a company he wanted. I'd like to think I played a role in his success, because I helped pick out the shoes and socks he wore to his second-round interviews. (Humor me.)

The last thing I want to say is that last night, when I went to a company's information session, someone stopped me and told me they recognized me from my blog! I can't tell you how excited I was to hear that. I now know that I have at least one fan outside of my friends and family. What wonderful positive reinforcement.

Many Jumbled Thoughts Placed Into A Blog Entry

This week went by so fast! I have a very busy week next week, and it is approaching too quickly.

I share a room in Theta with five other girls, and one of them is also a business major going through the interview process. Because she is interested in financial positions, she has been interviewing all week long (I think her interview count this week alone was up to 9). We've been talking about her experiences, and she has been providing me with some great feedback. I'm really happy to be going through this process with her - and I am starting to feel more ready for my first interview of the season on Tuesday!

I feel that I also need to mention that I watched The Office tonight where Pam and Jim got married. It was a very happy moment in a very drawn-out romance. I love watching that show, because I never fail to laugh at something awkward one of the characters does or says each episode.


Getting back to important topics, I feel that I should share what classes I am taking this semester in case anyone is curious or has a question about them:


M-303 Marketing Research
M-344 Creativity & Communication
M-342/M-342 Statistics (Marketing)
M-330 Consultative Selling
D-301 The International Business Environment
HPER E-190: Yoga


I'm sure the first question you will ask me is whether or not I am enjoying yoga this semester. Suffice it to say that I am indeed learning a lot in yoga about relaxation and flexibility, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to feel more balanced in his or her life. Seriously. In fact, I just had to write a paper for yoga that answered the following questions: who am i?; what are my unique qualities?; what do I know about myself?; what is my purpose for living?; what does yoga mean to me personally? Let's just say yoga gives me a break from my Kelley classes.


Reader, now that I've answered your questions about yoga, feel free to ask me any other questions about any of my Kelley classes.


Also to note, I volunteered to attend a senior panel in Professor Heidewald's X-205 class today after she sent out an email asking former students who had received an A in her class to talk about their experiences to her current students. Currently in that class, the Kelley sophomores are just getting into their Target case competition ideas, and I hope I was able to help out the group I was later assigned to meet with after the panel. They seemed like intelligent gentlemen who are passionate about their idea, and I hope the advice I gave them was well-received.


Since this blog entry is so random anyway, I am going to end with a random thought. Today, the saying that 'you should never shop when you're hungry' was reinforced when I ate lunch. Don't make the mistake I did and give the library food court $10.70 of your hard-earned money when you are a petite young woman whose stomach is smaller in volume than the amount of food you buy bunched together. The food probably won't all fit in your belly, so don't waste a single extra penny on Chick-Fil-A waffle fries.

(A visual aid of the Chick-Fil-A waffle fries you should avoid if also purchasing three other meal items at lunch.)

What's Going On This Week? Let me tell you.

This weekend is Dad's weekend at my sorority, and my Dad made the drive down from Chicago today. Tonight we went to Nick's sports bar with a lot of the seniors in my chapter. Tomorrow we will have brunch and a silent auction at the Hilton Garden Inn, which will benefit the Theta bike team. It's a yearly tradition to have the auction, and this year I bought some Starbucks products and a gift card to donate to the auction - which I hope will be a big seller since it is right before midterms. Then tomorrow afternoon Theta is sponsoring a tailgate for us and our Dads, which should have delicious food in comparison to what I'm used to at tailgates. With that, my Dad and I are going to the Ohio State vs. Indiana game tomorrow night starting at 7pm. Finally, on Sunday morning we have a brunch at Theta before I have to say goodbye to my Dad until Thanksgiving! It's great to have him in town.

Me and my Dad during Dad's weekend 2008 in the stadium before the football game.

Also, this week was the first annual Greek Week, and I didn't participate at all. I feel really badly, but all the events were during my classes. I bought the Greek Week tshirt, though. At least that's a little support, right?


Not much has happened this week except I had a presentation and took two exams - one exam in Marketing Research (M-303) and the other in International Business (D-301). We'll see how those went when I get the results back next week. I also figured out that I have an extremely busy week the week after next, complete with exams, projects, quizzes, and presentations (and hopefully interviews). Stay tuned for that. Just kidding. I wont bore you with descriptions of all of those.