Course 7-Chicago-Next Week

[gnash]

Anyone going to Chicago next week? :-?

[UBayday]

I'll be there...Gnash, how is your preparation going? I'm pretty much dead...finished one case study, 3 more to go...

Questions For Course 7 Seminar Passers:

1. How intensive is the seminar?

2. If I've not fully completed the 4 common core case studies...how screwed I'm? Work has been really crazy lately...

3. Relate to question (2)...do we need to understand the case studies really well in order to have a good grasp on the materials?

Thanks!

[New at pd]

I'll be there...Gnash, how is your preparation going? I'm pretty much dead...finished one case study, 3 more to go...

Questions For Course 7 Seminar Passers:

1. How intensive is the seminar?


The whole thing I thought was pretty laid back. Certainly days 1 and 2 were not very taxing.

2. If I've not fully completed the 4 common core case studies...how screwed I'm? Work has been really crazy lately...

Not at all -- of the 10 people or so that I spoke with, only 1 finished the case studies.

3. Relate to question (2)...do we need to understand the case studies really well in order to have a good grasp on the materials?

I didn't find that any of the case study material proved useful. When you get there, listen, jot down lots of little notes (especially when you do the extended case study.)

Thanks!
You're welcome, and good luck.

[gnash]

Ubayday,
From what my peers tell me BU is right. Most will not have them done and my peers certainly didn't. I might have them done by Sunday, but not counting on it.

I am glad I tried though. Excel on my laptop didnot have the Solver and Toolpak add ins installed. I have also become a bit more comfortable with the laptop since I have never used one before.

Out of the folks here, all have passed on the first attempt, but one. The general feeling is if you "jump through the hoops" they point you to, you won't have any problem. I hope so. Looking forward to getting this one behind me, not that I am looking forward to course 8.

[hackett]

G. and U.: Around half of the people at my seminar did close to nothing. I covered 1/3, and caught up with more material the first two nights. It definitely helped: the project was a f/u of the extended case.

Those who covered all were a bit bored, but enjoyed captaining the teams. I'd say cover at least 2/3, and it also forces you to use the Solver and Multiple regression (I was thrilled at how easy it was in Excel).

On the test itself, complex computations were not needed (it may change somewhat). The most important thing was the structure of the report. And if there are two models, describe/use both, even if the instructors say you MAY cover just one.

[Miss Congeniality]

Out of the folks here, all have passed on the first attempt, but one.

So why did he fail?

[gnash]

So why did he fail?

To be a smart alec, you are assuming it was a HE.

[gnash]

Ha Ha......I am also assuming you are a SHE! :P

But your right. HE failed, I believe because he did his own thing and didn't follow the "Report Writing:Communicating Analysis and Results" study note.

The powers that be around here weren't too pleased to pay to send him a second time........

[UBayday]

New@Course 8 and Hacket, thanks!!! I'll definitely look more closely at the extended case study.

Did you guys feel that you need more time to complete the report (I believe it's 10 hours)?

[New at pd]

Of the 9 1/2 hours I spent preparing the project, I spent maybe 1 hour reading and analyzing, and the rest was crafting the report. Realistically, probably could have completed it in 6-7 hours without any material difference in quality.

[Miss Congeniality]

To be a smart alec, you are assuming it was a HE.

Ha Ha......I am also assuming you are a SHE! :P

But your right. HE failed, ........

You are correct. I am assuming it was a HE exactly because I am a SHE.

Only joking. Now watch me fail next week. :wink:

[Wigmeister General]

It's cold in Chicago.

Updated: 7:53 AM CST on December 04, 2003
Observed at Chicago Midway, Illinois
Temperature 36 °F / 2 °C
Windchill 29 °F / -2 °C
Humidity 65%
Dew Point 25 °F / -4 °C
Wind East at 9 mph / 14.5 km/h
Wind Gust -
Pressure 30.22 in / 1023 hPa (Steady)
Conditions Overcast
Visibility 10 miles / 16 kilometers
Clouds
(Above Ground Level) Scattered Clouds (SCT) : 4000 ft / 1221 m
Overcast (OVC) : 10000 ft / 3050 m

[gnash]

[/quote]Only joking. Now watch me fail next week.




Nahhhhhhh..........with a 97% pass rate, as long as we jump when the Society says "jump", we'll do just fine.

It's cold in Chicago.


Unfortunately, I don't think there will be much time to leave the hotel.

[gnash]

Can't figure out how to use the formating tools on this site.......


Maybe I AM in trouble.......

[hackett]

Ubayday: TIME: I also finished in 9.5 hrs (wasn't it great that Boston pulled out of the power grid in the last second?). Was slow only in the first hour, then worked reasonably fast. Ergo: 10 hrs is adequate time, don't try to bring it down to 6-7. Take breaks.

PRINTING. There were several printers and generally no line to print, but I wouldn't wait with it for the last minute. The instructors gave a good advice: print a rough draft after 5 hrs, try finish by hour 9.

STRUCTURE. No general rule, just my experience with manuscripts.
I spin everything around the supporting materials, and generally go backwards, from Conclusions to Introduction and Summary. Pick 3-4-5 Tables and Figures, make points from each. These are the my conclusions. At least one is a business recommendation - "discontinue sales".

Results section again is around Figures/tables. Touch upon Fig1, then Fig2, then compare the two. Make the first Point. The Conclusions section simply repeats these Points.

Introduction for me was more challenging. I had to explain what the area was, the product features etc. so I used cut and paste from the extended case study. Then the reason for writing the report - "senior management wants to assess blabla" - usually a f/up on a previous study.

Then Materials and Methods - again clear-cut, don't forget listing strengths & weaknesses of each model. Then the Summary and the lists of references, figures and tables. For me this going "backwards" is the fastest. You're free to try any other order. Good luck.

[hackett]

Pasting figures: It's trivial for most people, but when you paste a graph from Excel to Word or PowerPoint, use PasteSpecial - Picture, otherwise, the size grows too big too fast. This will complicate saving and printing during the test.