Reaching for Rajasthan

Okay, so I admit the blog title is a bit obscure. It’s just that I really, really like alliteration. So without further adieu, please allow me to better explain what I’ll be writing about in this space:

One of the most challenging and exciting courses offered here at Fuqua (in my humble opinion) is the Global Consulting Practicum, or GCP for short. GCP is a 6-credit course that spans multiple terms and matches up 6-student teams with social entrepreneurs and NGOs in India, South Africa, and Belize (GCP students have also gone to Nicaragua in the past).

Beginning in November, teams make contact with their clients from afar, get to know what they are and do, and learn more about the environment in which they operate. Some clients have a very clear idea of what problem they’d like their Fuqua consultants to analyze and address; others are glad for the help but find it more difficult to identify the precise nature of their needs. And still others do so many different things and are so visionary in their thinking that the greatest challenge of the project becomes setting the proper scope for a student team with limited time and resources (much more to come on this matter, I promise).

As someone who’s come to Fuqua from an international development background and is looking to move into consulting, this class seemed to me a perfect bridge between these interests. Of course, it also offered the opportunity to go to India, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. The client that our team was matched up with is located in Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, a unique area with an incredibly rich history.

So there you have it: Reaching for Rajasthan. Something we began doing back in November. In further posts soon to come, I’ll go in-depth on:

• The five amazing individuals with whom I’ve worked on this project
• Our client
• “The Problem” – and the (tortuous) path we took to identifying and framing it
• Our trip to India
• And the shape our final deliverables are taking

Hopefully this will provide a glimpse into one of the many fantastic opportunities to learn by doing, with a great team, and in a truly global context, that Fuqua has to offer!

See you next time.

This entry was posted by Chris Geurtsen on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 2:14 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.