Acceptance, Advocacy, Competition, Research...

Despite being finished with classes at RIT, I've found myself busier than ever. A great deal has been happening, not the least of which my acceptance to the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester! I'll be starting Orientation there on 2 January. Lest anyone think I'm escaping the quarter system, think again. Simon is one of the schools at UR also on quarters. No rest for the wicked! I can now breathe a sigh of relief at having been accepted, as most who apply don't get in. In fact, University of Rochester has been included among Kaplan College Guide's elite "New Ivies." I suppose the committment to good grades is paying off!




Unfortunately, education of such quality and reputation doesn't come cheap. In fact, two years of graduate business education there will run about $75,000. For that reason, I have been participating in the Second Annual Simon Business Simulation Competition. The competition draws entrants from all over the world, each of us hoping to win a full-ride scholarship or one of several partial scholarships ranging from 25% to 75%. Currently, we are taking a very much appreciated break after completing round two. The competition is broken down into three rounds, the first of which being a simple version of the simulation in which players compete alone against artificial intelligences. From that group (about 75 strong), the top 25 performers are selected to move on to round two (a more complicated version of the simulation in which each of the 8 decision periods took about 6 hours). At the end of round 2, I sit at 4th place in score (see adjacent graph for relative scores). Round three will involve presentations at Simon of how we played the Simulation. Last year, two full-ride scholarships were awarded. I think I have a good shot for at least one of the partials.



Also of note, I've entered an essay competition for those between 18 and 25 being put on by the Alzheimer's Association. The questions are what can Alzheimer's advocacy accomplish and how can young adults recruit other young adults to pursue advocacy projects? Given my thesis research, I had no shortage of things to mention. The winners will be announced at the end of december, the winner given free travel and admission to a national alzheimer's advocacy event in Washington, DC (along with a press conference and the opportunity to testify before Congress). Fingers crossed, they'll choose my entry!



Finally, I have some news on the thesis front. Because of unforseen delays, I will not be able to make the deadline necessary to present in Iceland. However, my new deadline for completion is 15 December for presenting at a conference in the US being put on by the AMA (American Marketing Association). My research is beginning to bear fruit, manifested in the first of ten HVM's (Hierarchical Value Maps), shown at right.




Simon School:
http://simon.rochester.edu/

Marketplace Simulation:
http://www.marketplace6.com/mindex.php?sl=en-us

Alzheimer's Young Adult Essay Competition:
http://www.kintera.org/site/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=mmKXLbP8E&b=2232681&en=aeKDLJMqF6KDLUPpG3KEJSNBLgIELKPsFiKLIXNEIsE

American Marketing Association:
http://www.marketingpower.com/