Month: September 2012

It’s Time To Get Your Ducks In A Row

by Todd Rothman

Well, it is that time of year again – the start of the law school application season – and so I thought my blog post from last year around this time would serve as a helpful reminder of what you need (and do not need) to be thinking about and doing at this stage of the process.  Although undoubtedly stressful, please also remember that this is also a very exciting time and we look forward to working with you to make applying to law school as smooth and enjoyable as possible in the year ahead.

Continue reading “It’s Time To Get Your Ducks In A Row”

Resolutions for the New Year

Welcome back to Penn (and welcome to Penn if you are a new student). I hope you had a wonderful summer. The pace of life will quicken now as the semester begins, and with it the new academic year. Most people make New Year’s resolutions on January 1. I always feel a greater sense of new beginnings in early September. And so I recommend you make a few resolutions now, as you start your classes. In case you haven’t thought of any (and why should you), I have a few suggestions. I hope one or more resonate with you.
1. Do well in your classes. Doing well is the best preparation for the future. Good grades never hurt anyone.
2. Try to live in the moment. Too many students focus on life after Penn. Now – 2012 – is a wonderful time, and you are privileged to be part of this dynamic community, which has so much to offer. Enjoy the here and now.
3. Get off campus more. Philadelphia is such a great city. Explore it, and take advantage of its resources.
4. In this political season, with so much harsh rhetoric, try to be open-minded, and to listen to those with whom you may not agree. You may find commonalities from which to forge new ways of seeing the world.
5. Finally, as Provost Price advised at Tuesday’s Convocation, get enough rest. Lack of sleep impairs judgment, learning, and the enjoyment of life. Conversely, a good night’s rest makes any problem seem less daunting.
On behalf of all of us here at Career Services, have a great semester!

Day in the Life: Consulting

@PennCareerDay is back! We’re excited to feature our award-winning, Day in the Life program for the third year on Twitter.

Ever wonder, what is it really like in consulting? What can I expect? What skills should I have and highlight to break into this field? Well, our first @PennCareerDay contributor, Shahbaz Alam, addressed those questions and more on Thursday, September 13th. To learn more about Shahbaz, read his bio below. To read his tweets, check them out on our Storify account.

Shahbaz Alam is a Manager in PwC’s Advisory (Consulting) practice focusing on helping companies improve their technology and operations.  Shahbaz’s projects spanned from designing, architecting and implementing large scale technology solutions to helping companies redesign their business processes to assisting companies develop forward looking strategies on how to meet the demands of their changing business and/or regulatory environment.

Shahbaz graduated from Penn in 2007 (and recently attended his 5-year reunion) with a concentration in Operations and Information Manage (OPIM).  While at Penn, Shahbaz was an RA for Harrison College House, a Freshman Experience Coordinator for Harrison, PHINS, Wharton Ambassador, College House Alumni Ambassador and worked for the School of Medicine.

Over the last 5 years with PwC, Shahbaz traveled throughout the US to places such as Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee, Chicago, Orlando, DC, San Francisco and the world (Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, the Netherlands).  You can see Shahbaz during his multiple visits to Philly and Penn throughout the school year both in his role as the co-lead for PwC’s Advisory undergraduate recruiting for Penn and as an active alumnus.

In his spare time, Shahbaz enjoys catering to his wanderlust by jet-setting around the world (and calculating how to maximize the miles and points he earns from airlines and hotels), running, finding and eating at new restaurants (especially hole-in-the-walls) and nerding about by reading the NY Times.