So, I committed a tactical blunder this week. Well, technically the blunder wasn't committed this week, but this week basically was the blunder.
It's Inter-Session, or J-Term, or Independent Activities Period (IAP). As the name implies, it's supposed to be a time to break away from the normal school grind and pursue something else.
I tried to get cute. Figuring I could throw some classes in there to keep up my full-time status (to the VA, that means I'm eligible for the housing stipend for this month), I didn't think it'd be a big deal. I also didn't pay enough attention to how often, or how long, those rinky-dink little 1,2, and 3-unit Pass/Fail classes actually met.
Coulda shoulda woulda read the fine print on that one.
Time that should have been spent doing many many other things has been squandered inside of back-to-back three hour lectures. I've been able to sneak in a couple e-mail replies here and there, and some Facebook time, but a few balls have been dropped, and a lot of "personal admin" stuff has completely fallen by the wayside.
Next week won't be as bad, and neither will the one after.
So why did I write this entry? To leave a Google crumb trail, which is contained right here: "If you're a Sloan MBA trying to work on a project locally during IAP, DO NOT register for a full slate of courses. Whatever 'thing' you're trying to do isn't going to happen when you're trying to jab your eyes to keep them open during the 7th hour of class that day."
And on a slightly ranty end note, I don't think ANY class, anywhere, ever, should be three straight hours. I don't care how entertaining the material or the speaker is -- that's just too long for attention spans that get pegged at about the 60- or 80-minute mark, tops.
If you e-mailed or otherwise tried to reach me this week, I won't say the 's' word but will say I goofed on the schedule, and basically 'lost' the better part of several days. Be forgiving.
It's Inter-Session, or J-Term, or Independent Activities Period (IAP). As the name implies, it's supposed to be a time to break away from the normal school grind and pursue something else.
I tried to get cute. Figuring I could throw some classes in there to keep up my full-time status (to the VA, that means I'm eligible for the housing stipend for this month), I didn't think it'd be a big deal. I also didn't pay enough attention to how often, or how long, those rinky-dink little 1,2, and 3-unit Pass/Fail classes actually met.
Coulda shoulda woulda read the fine print on that one.
Time that should have been spent doing many many other things has been squandered inside of back-to-back three hour lectures. I've been able to sneak in a couple e-mail replies here and there, and some Facebook time, but a few balls have been dropped, and a lot of "personal admin" stuff has completely fallen by the wayside.
Next week won't be as bad, and neither will the one after.
So why did I write this entry? To leave a Google crumb trail, which is contained right here: "If you're a Sloan MBA trying to work on a project locally during IAP, DO NOT register for a full slate of courses. Whatever 'thing' you're trying to do isn't going to happen when you're trying to jab your eyes to keep them open during the 7th hour of class that day."
And on a slightly ranty end note, I don't think ANY class, anywhere, ever, should be three straight hours. I don't care how entertaining the material or the speaker is -- that's just too long for attention spans that get pegged at about the 60- or 80-minute mark, tops.
If you e-mailed or otherwise tried to reach me this week, I won't say the 's' word but will say I goofed on the schedule, and basically 'lost' the better part of several days. Be forgiving.
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