We've blown off by the Windy City :-(

The team of Cambridge MBA, including myself, lost in the Kellogg biotech case competition. To be precise, actually this year it was about childhood pneumonia in Uganda, an urgent issue in public-health.

Anyway, the chilly winds (minus 15-20 Celsius Degree at night!!) of the Windy City just blew us off, miserably.

Lake Michigan, with Google's funny snowing effect; Evanston, IL, US

Collaboration in Cambridge MBA

Quite often, the Cambridge MBA is referred to its "Collaborative" culture. But in reality, how much "collaboration" is counted in assessment?

First of all, I just split assessment of assignments in each course into "Group" or "Individual". Through calculating the average weighted by credit,  I have found that 40% of the Michaelmas assessment and more than half, or 53% depending on electives you take, of the Lent were related to "Group".

The implication: around half of your marks are dependent on your group, which is more or less uncontrollable as randomly assigned by the Programme Office. It is obvious that the Cambridge MBA with Distinction can be partially dependant on your luck.

The Lent term of Cambridge MBA has just begun.

Lent term has started this week. Overall, I have five core course and two electives (and one audit). As for electives, I chose very abstract one (Philosophy) and very practical one (Strategic Pricing), remaining four elective spots in the next Easter term, when actually more interesting courses will come.

Core

• Strategy
• Marketing
• Operations Management
• Cost Management and Control
• Negotiation skills (no assessment)
• Global Consulting Project, ideally in a public organisation in the healthcare industry as a part of Health Strategy Concentration

Electives

• Philosophy in Business
• Strategic Pricing
• (Audit: The International Film Business)

Outside MBA

• Join 30 talks/seminars/conferences
• 2014 Kellogg Biotech & Healthcare Case Competition
• (Continued) i-Teams Plus – a further investigation of a hydrogen generation technique for fuel cells and combustion
• (Continued) Macroeconomic researcher work for a Japanese policy think-tank

Finally but most importantly, I begin preparing applications for next year's MPhil (Master of Philosophy, which is a prerequisite if I pursue PhD course thereafter) course.

Now is the time to go for my future, which is yet enjoyably uncertain.

Three exams for the Michaelmas courses are done anyway

Three exams on Corporate Finance, Accounting II, and Organisational Behaviour are anyway done. My confidence is:

• Corporate Finance: probably better than average, despite the entire Q4 of 10 marks skipped
• Accounting II: better than average, especially for questions on pension benefit obligations (Q1) and accounting regulation changes (Q2)
• Organisational Behaviour: surely lower than average yet hopefully over 50 marks, as time spent too much on culture (Q2) and thus less on leadership (Q1), even both culture and leadership questions are expected beforehand

Whatever the results will be, it's over and thus no sense to reflect back now as it became sunk. After all, 2013 Michaelmas term ended officially for MBA students. Now I should focus on future: preparing an entrepreneurial project and MPhil applications.

New Year 2014 Targets

Last year's targets were to join an international MBA and to decide a course after it. I caught them luckily.

A cat catching, or presumably stealing, a fish, at Tetouan, Morocco.

With those targets very well achieved, now is the time for setting new year's ambitious ones, at lovely Chefchaouen in Morocco.

New year's Eve's sunset of Chefchaouen, Morroco

This year's targets are, in the less priority order:

1. Grow peppermint;
2. Practice golfing;
3. Complete the Cambridge MBA course;
4. Write its final dissertation among economics, corporate governance, and network theory;
5. Confirm a place on MPhil in behavioural science, social science, or economics; and last and actually least but essential,
6. Draft a story of Science Fiction in my native tongue.

Still much to do in my life, and thus to enjoy greatly. Even my will is just an illusion comprised of my body and brain, I would love to live with it.

An essential part of Magna Carta.

Talks/seminars/conferences around Cambridge in December 2013

The best of this month: "The Flawed Dominance of Economics: Engaging other Social Sciences in Government". My key takeaway is that the combination of economics and social science (e.g. Psychology, Behaviour Science, Sociology, Criminology, etc.) can be intriguing to me. Or, I would like to challenge the Economics from a different perspective and tools, not limited within the conventional Economics.

The Keynes Lecture Theatre, Kings' College, Cambridge

The second best: Neuroscience clash course. My key takeaway is that I am not so super interested in the actual functions of the nerve system in the body; rather I am much interested how we interpret the surface meanings and interact with each other, and thus how the overall ecosystem of human beings works.

As the first week was the end of Full Term of Michaelmas, there were not much although I overachieved the target by over 50%(!), with the participation target of more than 30 talks/seminars/conference in this term.

On top, I now feel that I am grasping what I would like to invest my time in next year. It's been a very effective decision to test my interests by listening to various topics beyond the ordinal MBA course, even from time to time some were very hard to be understood.

The full list of talks/seminars:

• #041 Neuroscience Clash Course (2) Glia = Glue ++++
• #042 London Business School Global Healthcare Conference 2013 +++
• #043 Neuroscience Clash Course (3) Neurons +++
• #044 The Flawed Dominance of Economics: Engaging other Social Sciences in Government +++++
• #045 i-Teams Michaelmas 2013 final presentations +++

Two assignments done; now is the time to relax and think over the future.

Overall, two presentations on this Monday and Tuesday went well.

After completing one presentation, from the riverside terrace of the Anchor, Cambridge

The first one was quite similar to my previous job in management consulting; yet the second one was more challenging because it was talking about a bit unfamiliar technology to around 50 people, most of whom I don't know, including a bunch of angel investors/serial entrepreneurs; however, I surprisingly did a good job at the latter one, maybe thanks to some confidence that has been developed through these months.

A certificate of completion of i-Teams at Cambridge University

Anyway, after one essay for Management Practice and one in-class assignment for Management Science (Statistics), will arrive the end of this term (and the Christmas break).

The end of Full Term...now four assignments to go!!

This Friday was the final day of Full Term in Michaelmas...not much sentiment as I still have four assignments to go within 10 days:

Conduct the final presentation of Cambridge Venture Project 

Conduct the in-trim presentation of i-Teams Plus

Complete the essay for Management Practice; and

Crack the in-class group exam of Management Science.

What's more, I have to start preparing for a fruitful next year, namely:

Reach out leads for Global Consulting Project in Lent term;

Prepare for the examinations in January: Accounting II, Corporate Finance, Organizational Behaviour; and

Initiate preparatory actions for the application of another master course in social science: 

1. Contact a few professors at Judge; 
2. Seek related academic opportunities in/out Cambridge; 
3. Consult with senior mentors on this choice 
4. Prepare hypothetical thoughts on the subject for the summer dissertation and check research already completed in the past.

The last point is quite crucial in a sense to go for the future. The winter vacation should not be so easy. :-p 

Photos of Christmas Market at Lincoln

It was a very good Christmas market indeed, even comparable to those in Germany. Yet I have to admit that food in Germany Christmas market was much better than here, to be honest. :-p

Park and Ride from/to the Christmas Market at Lincoln (~10min by bus, which goes every 5-10 min) 

Christmas Market and the Lincoln Cathedral on the back 

Christmas Market and the Lincoln Castle on the back

One phrase from the famous Magna-Carta at Lincoln Cathedral 

A mysterious night and the moon, over the Lincoln Castle

Finally December...yet almost only one week to go!!

Only one week to go. To-dos of this week (on top of usual dull lectures) are to

• Crack past exams of Accounting and Corporate Finance, to raise questions to lectures;
• Apply to i-Teams 2014 Lent on Commercialising a point-of-care blood testing system;
• Learn from Neuroscience Clash Course;
• Join the Global Healthcare Conference at LBS;
• Enjoy Cambridge Corn Exchange: FOUR SEASONS BY CANDLELIGHT;
• Decide the next Lent term electives: candidates are Philosophy in Business, Strategic Pricing, The International Film Business, and Strategic Performance Management; 
• Submit the assignment of Organizational Behaviour, by polishing other team members' work;
• Enjoy Christmas Dinner at St. Edmund's College;
• Submit application to Kellogg Biotech & Healthcare Case Competition;
• Finalize presentations of Cambridge Venture Project and another entrepreneurial project; and
• Initiate the essay for Management Practice, at least 250 words;

Wow, surprisingly a lot to do for next week. I have to be intentionally productive and efficient then.

On the contrary, to-dos for the next week from 9th Dec are not many, including:

• Conduct aforementioned presentations (mentioned above);
• Reach out leads for Global Consulting Project in Lent term;
• Finalize the essay for Management Practice, up to 2,500 words (a lot more to mention); and
• Prepare for the in-class group exam of Management Science (Easy!).