The Fuqua Experience

It was long when it lasted and but felt like a breeze when it got over – that summarizes the first term. Accounting grades are out and the term 1 is in the bag. All I can remember from the whole term 1 is “Beer”; seems to stick to everything that I remember about it.

It all started during the pre-reading “A History of World in 6 glasses” by Tom Standage – and guess what was the first chapter on – Beer! The oldest drink known to man – with almost 3000 years of history; made to avoid drinking contaminated water those days. If that isn’t an excuse to drink, I don’t know what is.

We reached London on August 14, 2009 – the land of the pub where the first day was spent in drinking – what else – Beer at a (curiously named) local pub called “Horniman at the hay”, overlooking the Thames River.

Classes started and one of the first cases we were assigned in GMI to analyze was “Botswana: Diamond in the rough”. This was a case about how the tiny nation of Botswana prospered in trading Diamonds by partnering with – you won’t believe this – De Beers.
For the CCL of course, we had Tom Standage come to us and discuss his book – a recurring theme about the importance of Beer in the early days of civilization.

Managerial Effectiveness classes started and one the early cases we were given to analyze was a case about - this is becoming a pattern now – Charlotte Beers at O&M.

Then, of course, Financial accounting started and  along came misery and distress. It maybe just me but I was silently screaming inside – I don’t get a freaking thing of what is going on. It started getting very tense but I noticed a whole bunch of guys were really chilling out at the Xi Bar in the hotel we were staying. That’s when I decided enough is enough and joined the others in drinking beer.

And in the end, it just may be that Beer saved me in accounting finals.