Tonight is the last night prior to the start of Hilary term classes. The break was both productive and relaxing, and I'm looking forward to getting started again. This past week was fairly slow, with the EP induction and Trinity elective presentations. Christine and Paul also made a trip to Oxford, and we all got together in London with Annie the following day. They climbed the steps to the top of St. Mary the Virgin, a church in Oxford. Cheryl and I did the same when she visited in December, and I'm posting a few pictures she took.

As for the term, there are two core classes this time: Marketing and Operations Management. As electives I chose Finance II, Financial Management (which is a fancy term for Accounting II,) and Global Strategy. We're also required to complete an EP (or entrepreneurial project) in groups. Essentially each group is to pretend that financial constraints are not an issue and write a business plan for a company of their choosing/creation. My group has chosen to concentrate on renewable solar energy, and I'm really looking forward to it. At the end of the term we have to pitch the plan to a professor and several investors. They then provide us with feedback, which we are encouraged to incorporate into the final project that we submit during the first week of the next term. I think this will be one of the more fun and rewarding aspects of the MBA; in fact, it's part of the reason I chose Oxford. It was the only business school I found that required students to write and orally present a business plan. More on this as the term unfolds!