• NO SCHOOL: Amazing. I am still as amused with time off school as I was when I was a little kid. You get to sleep in, sit around in your boxers all day, play video games, have sleepovers with your friends... I still do all this.
• Food: Favorite foor on TG is stuffing. No question. I get stuffing, mashed potatoes, and turkey, and leave a circle in the middle for the best BBQ in the land: Sweet Baby Rays. Now I know the turkey connoisseurs will be upset that I use BBQ as appose to gravy or nothing at all, but Sweet Baby brings these three Thanksgiving Staples together like you wouldnt believe. And you better believe I come equipped with two bottles of SBR on Thanksgiving day.
• Family: There is nothing than to be with the family over break. I am pretty lucky this year to have my brother flying in from Houston (unfortunately his wife and dog, hoss, will not be able to join him... they will be missed). And my other brother will be able to get off work this year!!! But we will get to see both my mom and dads side of the family which will be fantastic. It's weird how my brothers and I used to dread these trips and now we cannot wait to be with family. I guess that is what growing up does to you. Makes you realize you only have a limited amount of time with the people you care about.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys their break. Hopefully you all can spend it with the people you love and/or get a good meal. It will be over in no time and it's right back to school and then the ever horrifying finals will sneak up!

John 

Everyone in their Kelley School of Business Career will participate in a group project. It may not be by choice, but they will all the same. Some people really dread group projects, rightfully so: Group projects can be a real struggle when you have 4 people with different schedules, ideas, and goals. Some have families, some have ideas that are very different (typically me). and some desire grades that others dont. For all the negatives associated with group projects, there are more positives:

• 3,4,5, heads are better than one: As long as you dont participate in the dreaded "Group Think", you really are smarter when working with others than you are by yourself. It's amazing what others know. And when you are able to bounce your ideas off of different people, you typically seem a lot smarter.
• Pulling Your Weight: When a group is well organized and roles are defined, you can really feel it. Each person desires to live up to the standards set for them by their fellow group members. And when each group member lives up to what is expected of them, it is a great feeling and usually results in a good grade.
• Friends: Group projects are good for making friends. It is hard to meet people at school. Each person has their own agenda and usually keeps to themselves. But when you work in a group, you can easily meet new people that you may not have talked to.

So, next time you are assigned a gorup, dont dread it. It could turn out for the best..

John 

In Operations, we are not having class next Wednesday, we have presentations the Wednesday after that, and then we have the final the Wednesday after that. It is such a relief to finish with a class early. This just allows for one more thing to not have to prepare for. Now that being said, our group has not started with our presentation yet and we still have a final left. But in a class that is hard for you to get your head wrapped around, it is always nice to finish early.

1. I can still stay up for 32 hours
2. It takes about 3 days to recover from staying up for 32 hours
3. 5 hour energy shots still scare me - just couldn't do it
4. A standard size suitcase will hold about 7 textbooks and two binders...it takes two guys to lift it but they will fit
5. A standard sized suitcase full of textbooks didn't help muchI can get ready with hair done and makeup on in about 30 minutes - a new land speed record (and I had to do it in very bad lighting)
6. A standard hotel room wall will hold approximately 20 easel sized papers
7. The hotels at Purdue bolt pictures onto the walls - forcing us to put easel papers overtop of pictures
8. Kelley students at IUPUI understand that "business casual" doesn't mean your best sneakers and jeans - it means business casual
9. I would do this again in a heartbeat!
10. As an Alumni during next years competition, I look forward to being in the stands cheering on the Indy Kelley team.

So, my name is Jim Plew and I am a first year undergraduate student at the Kelley School of Business at IUPUI.  My intended major is finance with a minor in economics.  I live on campus in a dorm not much larger than a janitor's closet; most of my meals consist of processed, microwaveable snacks; I watch Jeopardy every night and spend 90% of my time awake at class, doing homework, or studying... And I love every minute of it.

I'd like to think that, at first glance, I don't come across as a nerd.  However, I certainly am and thus have a very strong passion for education.  And, without a doubt, I have to say that I have learned more practical lessons in my first three months of college than in my entire life until this point.  This is not to say that I've learned more... simply that I've learned how to survive real expectations.  If you're following my thinking, you might be wondering what, specifically, I've learned here at Kelley.

To be concise, I've learned that:

- There are not enough hours in a single day to accomplish everything you would like to have completed.  To cope with this, I use a myriad of post-it notes on my desk.  This way, I get to cross off important assignments and feel at least one step further toward success... at least for the time being.

- You only need enough room to sit, sleep, eat, and do push-ups/sit-ups to survive while living on campus.  In fact, I have found that I enjoy having a limited amount of space as it serves as an incentive to be resourceful and proactive.

- Actively listening to lectures and class discussions may be the most effective way to do well in a course and remember the material.  Taking notes is a great way to keep a thorough record of said material, but you just won't get it if you don't truly consider the meaning behind all the information.

- Have confidence.  I know many bright and completely capable people who second guess themselves too often.  If you think you know the material, you probably do.  Granted, you should first review and study extensively before an exam, but believing that you will get an A is a powerful psychological factor in succeeding that most people don't even recognize.

- Be passionate and get involved.  Love what you do and what you're studying.  If you don't, you shouldn't be doing it. Once you find what you're good at and what makes you happy, pursue it and get involved in similar activities and organizations.  This, I believe, is the sole reason for my success thus far at Kelley... Simply put, I am inexorably pleased with my life at this point and the direction in which I'm going.  Because of this mentality, I have been able to set and achieve even the most difficult goals.

Needless to say, I have learned much more than what I've included in this blog.  Maybe, in the near future, I'll add to this list.  Until then, I have plenty on my mind and look forward to blogging about it soon.  Let me know what you think and if you have any questions.  Be sure to follow me every week for more blogs about life at IUPUI and the Kelley School of Business!

Today is the last day of my IUPUI career that I will be scheduling classes. Onestart will once again assist me in scheduling classes with ease. My dad always talked about the lines he used to wait in to schedule his classes in college to which I say thank goodness we have onestart.

My shopping cart is full and I am about ready to go in and confirm all the classes. Next semester should not be too tough. I have one last accounting class to take care of, a humanities elective for general ed, then 6 other electives in order to fulfill my 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. I am really looking forward to taking some relaxing classes and having a semester where my head does not feel like it is spinning at all times. I will, however, be studying for the CPA exam, so that will keep me busy. But it should be a great semester.

John

I am working on a group project in my M303 class and our group needs some responses for our survey. If you'd like to participate and help my group get an A...click on the link below and fill out the following survey about cause-related marketing. It shouldn't take more than 4 or 5 minutes and you'd be doing me a huge favor!

http://iupui.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_cIyEfgu27Gol4pK&SVID=Prod

Dan

When I first arrived, I was a bit nervous. This is the first time I had ever participated in a social environment with professional co-workers. I was not sure what to expect and was bit afraid of what it would be like. But as soon as I walked through the door, I realized how laid back of an atmosphere this would be. I was so happy that I wasn't underdressed or anything like that.

I can honestly say that I had a good time, but still used it as a bit of a networking tool. I made sure to realize that I was probably always being watched by someone. I wanted to make sure that I always treated everyone there with respect and carried myself with a professional manner, even though it was a casual event. That is my advice to everyone else. If it is a casual event with a company you want to work for, or will be working for, keep in your mind that you are always being watched and that there is probably someone who is interested in how you are acting.

Just wanted to share an update about our Conference Tournament. We ended up losing to Western Illinois 1-0 in a very hard fought game. We definitely had our chances to score, but could not find a way to break through. Western Illinois was a tough team who now plays UMKC today in the tournament finals.

So now my soccer career is over. Crazy to think something you have done your entire life is no longer there but it is one more step to life in the "Real World". I will continue to play but do not think it will ever compare to the competitiveness of College Soccer. I will miss the game quite a bit but, more so, I will miss the guys on the team. It was a great run. I really enjoyed my soccer career here at IUPUI. Now it is time to focus on finishing up school!

John