18th September:
McCord Hall has an impressive lounge with multiple Fridges and microwaves. It also has some seating area for having lunch. If you are lucky, you might even find free food over here. Hence it’s always a good idea to check this lounge whenever passing by this area. I was studying here today in the evening and got slices of free cheese pizza. There is usually leftover food from events across McCord Hall.
19th September: MSBA and MSIM Career Fair
The ‘W.P.Carey Information Systems and Business Analytics Career Fair’ is organized primarily for the two programs. However, anyone from ASU can attend this. It was time to suit up. My class ended at 5:00 PM, and then I went to the Career Fair, which started at 4.00 PM at the Memorial Union, which is situated just behind McCord Hall. I had one and a half hours to spend at the career fair.
Somehow I already knew Career Fairs are very crowded and often have noisy environments, so I wasn’t surprised. Also, most companies do not sponsor, so there are very few options available for international students. Many of the companies have a board “We do not sponsor” or “Need Work Authorization.” Some like DHL and Deloitte had mentioned that they sponsor, and they had a massive queue.
The concept of a Career Fair is that some employees from the recruiting company put up a stall and provide information about open job opportunities. So usually you expect a considerable queue for popular recruiters. You have to go prepared with your 30-second elevator pitch and a copy of the resume for the recruiter. Your resume adds up the pile, and most of the time, they recommend to apply online as only after that, you formally enter their jobs application software at the recruiter end. Many employers bring in freebies, as well. I got two t-shirts from this fair. You can then connect the recruiter on LinkedIn and then network your way to the job opportunity. After visiting a few recruiters, I saw no point in going further. It was useful from the point of practicing networking and testing your 30-second elevator pitch only.
20th September: ASU Ambassador Kick-Off Party
W.P.Carey Ambassadors were invited for a kick-off party at Macayo’s Depot Cantina, which serves Mexican food. The food and networking event went wonderfully. MSBA has the maximum strength in W.P.Carey School of Business with around three cohorts with 60 students each, so we have many MSBA ambassadors. Even the Flagship MBA program has 120 students only.
24th September: Navratri Night
Navratri Event was held at Sun Devils Fitness Center with nominal entry fee. Once big indoor section of building was reserved for Navratri Dance. It was open for all event.