Rules of Engagement 

by Ori Gal (WG’03)

 

 

            In the summer of 2001, I left an old stone house in a quiet, shaded street in Jerusalem.  A strong sense of adventure was in the air.  I was heading for two years of business school in America. And it wasn’t just a business school.  It was Wharton.

 

            A few days ago, I was asked by the WGA to write on my “Wharton experience”, as a representative of the Israel Club. In the last few days I struggled to distill, define, and word out my Wharton experience, what proved to be an elusive task. Sure, I went through some major changes at Wharton; but what if I had to choose just one? Limit it to a single paragraph? 

 

            On the academic front, Wharton was definitely new ground to this international student. Let’s just say that clerking for an old-fashioned judge in Jerusalem isn’t much of a preparation for a world-class MBA program. I knew very little about Finance, Accounting and Corporate Strategy when I came here, and I added a lot. Really.

 

            The cultural blending was very special to me.  It’s one thing to talk to Ernesto Munante about Peruvian politics, and quite another to listen to Koichiro Maeda explain the need for an Asian Union. And then there’s Brazil’s Ilana Grossman, who assembled Americans, Brazilians, Israelis, a Mexican and a South African for an Israeli folk dance in the International Cultural Show. Recollecting the atmosphere at the late-night rehearsals we had, it’s safe to say that Wharton’s admission officers got what they wanted.

 

            But as the veil finally descends on this act, I realize that the biggest change I went through here would not be found in the academic or cultural context. The biggest change was a mental one. It took place in what I would label the “rules of engagement” with life: the set of principles, attitudes, and ambitions we carry with us everywhere we go. A more knowledgeable, more confident, more tolerant person, I can’t wait to assume responsibility, and move forward with skill and integrity. My expectations from life are higher.

 

            Time to look for an old stone house in a quiet, shaded street in Jerusalem.