Getting Started

In this blog, I will report about my first MBA classes, the experience of buying a real American car in the U.S., and my first impressions of the surroundings of River Falls.

First Day of School
Exactly two weeks after my arrival in River Falls I had my first MBA class ever. The class is called Organizational Theory and Behavior and it is good fun! About twenty to twenty-five students attended the first class and it was all about getting to know each other, discussing the syllabus and discussing the homework! Yes, you got that right! There is homework in MBA classes! Depending on the class you will have to do quite a bit of reading, answering discussion questions regarding this reading and you will have to submit it to a certain due date ahead of classes. The Organizational Theory and Behavior class this semester takes place on Mondays from 6 pm to 10 pm and it is a half-semester class which makes it way more intense compared to classes which end in December. It will be finished in seven weeks and so there was no time to lose. We got started right away! On Tuesdays, the Leadership and Ethics class takes place which is a full-semester course taught by a psychology professor. In this course´s first class it was all about the syllabus, getting to know each other again and we formed groups for future group works. This class is even smaller; only seventeen students attended that first event which makes it super intense, exciting and individual. This is one of the main differences compared to German classes or lectures. Professors don´t want you to listen to them standing in front of the class for hours, talking about specific topics. You will be involved in the discussion of questions, you will be asked for your personal opinion and you will be able to apply your knowledge or experiences of past classes or even your job as a student trainee. The most important quality of both the Organizational Theory and Behavior as well as the Leadership and Ethics class is caused by the diversity of the students. You will find students from all over the world (e.g. China, Kenia, India, Germany, USA) in your classes which have different personal and professional backgrounds. Students in MBA classes at all ages have so many different experiences that need to be told and everybody has certain benefits from other´s experiences! I´m really looking forward to future classes and experiences and I will keep you updated!  

Buying a Real American Car
Lukas, the other German guy in the MBA program, and I got to know each other back home in Germany. As we heard that there is no public transport in River Falls we discussed about buying a car in the U.S. I wasn´t really sure about it and wanted to see what it is going to be like the first couple of weeks before making my decision. To be honest, if you don´t have a problem with being dependent on others and staying in River Falls for most of your time you certainly don´t need a car. You can walk to all super markets or grocery stores and all facilities on campus or you can even rent a bike for free. Additionally, you will find a rental car on campus which can be rent for just a couple of dollars. Getting to your MBA classes isn´t a problem as well because there is a free shuttle for international students. But we decided that we want to be independent and free and so we started searching for a car right after our arrival. The best options for online research are www.autotrader.com and www.craigslist.org. We kept track of the market for two weeks and then asked an American friend to give us a ride to some dealers last week. After seeing some cars and going on some test rides we finally found the car of our dreams! It was a 2008 Ford Mustang with a 4.0 Liter V6 engine. We went on a test ride, inspected the car and fell in love with it right away. It was a MUSTANG! It took us a while to negotiate about the final conditions but we made it and so we are proud owners of a Ford Mustang now. For sure, it wasn´t the most reasonable decision I have ever made in my life but a real American experience is only perfect with an American car and we only live once! In 40 years no one is telling stories about driving in a boring car, but we will be talking about driving in our Mustang for sure. The car truly gives a feeling of freedom and independence and we can´t wait to go on our first road trip next weekend!

Exploring the Surroundings
The day before my first class me and some friends booked a kayaking trip that was organized by the Falcon Outdoor Adventures which is part of the University of Wisconsin River Falls. The Kinnickinnic River passes River Falls and it is a truly scenic place for kayaking, fishing and hiking. It took us about three hours to kayak 8 miles on the Kinni and we saw some amazing spots and wildlife and had a lot of fun even though the Kinni wasn´t any deeper than knee-deep for most of our trip. Although it is September right now the temperatures are still moving between 25 and 30 degree Celsius which is way to warm for this season regarding to the locals.
Another trip that we took right after buying our car was to Red Wing City, home of the world famous Red Wind shoes. I think Red Wing is the city that matches your imagination of a classic mid-west city the best. Just have a look at the pictures! Red Wing is not only famous for the shoes but even for being a scenic place at the Mississippi River. We took a hike to the Barn Bluff and enjoyed the view over the city and for the first time over the Mississippi.

The first three weeks in River Falls were awesome! So far it is the perfect mix of experiences on and off campus! There is always something to explore and do and everybody is friendly and super approachable. Making friends and getting involved is way easier than in Germany! I am really looking forward to future adventures!

To be continued!