The Otago MBA classroom

Ok, now I am into the first week and we are getting down to business. I am really enjoying the classes and the time seems to rush by when I am in class. The key to it is the small classes and the fact that everybody knows everyone already. My classmates all seem to feel comfortable in their surrounds and why wouldn't they, classes have only fifteen students or so and the lecturers don't just preach but get us involved. The combination of our enthusiasm and their passion for the subject matter (did I mention passion!) means I feel like I am learning on steroids!

Each week I will try and give a little summary of things that went on in the classroom. This 10 week term (there are three terms this year) we are doing Economics; Stats and decision tools; Organisational leadership and; Investment and global financial markets. Also we have a strategy stream that runs across the year. I will provide a bit more detail as I absorb the subject matter as a lot of it is new to me.

One final thing about the Otago MBA is the way we deliver a lot of the assessable elements. In the first term we are put into syndicates to work as a team. That changes each term. I think it will be pretty interesting to see how things pan out as the pressure builds. We had a bit of counsel in the orientation week on giving constructive feedback - let's hope nothing escalates from there!