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Spring Break in Miami

4/16/2013

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Spring break time = time to travel and see new places.

To escape from the hard winter in Boston we wanted to travel to a place where it would be sunny and warm for spring break. Fortunately, the US is so big that we had the option to choose from nearly every climate and a variety of cultures from North to South and East to West. After discussing several options, we decided to travel to Miami Beach in southern Florida. This way I could visit some of my friends from Munich who are studying at FIU in Miami while enjoying the warm weather at the same time!

About Miami

Miami is about a 1,300 mile flight south from Boston. A trip by car would take about 22-23 hours. To give you a better idea of the distance, let’s just say it is comparable to a trip from Frankfurt (middle of Germany) to Istanbul (western Turkey). Miami is really close to the Bahamas and Cuba and benefits from the warm climate the Gulf of Mexico brings.



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Palm trees and business buildings – something I had never seen before.


























Miami has about 400,000 inhabitants and it is not only famous for its beaches, everglades, and beautiful weather, but also for its economic power. What I found really interesting is that many large company headquarters are based there, for instance, American Airlines, Bank of America, Kraft Foods, Cisco Systems, and Nokia Corp to name a few.



Cultural Differences
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Breakfast in a beautiful restaurant with interesting Spanish history – Manolos.
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And of course, the amazing beaches!
Boston and Miami are both American cities and yet totally different in every way; from the Architecture and fauna & flora to the everyday life. What you can easily detect is the Hispanic influence. With its proximity to South America and a high population rate of Hispanics, Miami seems to be a cultural mix between different Hispanic cultures and the European-American culture. This attempt to try to classify American cultures leads me to the conclusion that there is no typical American culture but rather state and regional cultures.

The Hispanic influence on the city quickly became obvious in various situations. For example, you could find many authentic Cuban, Mexican, and even Venezuelan restaurants that served traditional dishes. Nearly everyone spoke Spanish, In some little stores, it was even necessary to speak Spanish in order to communicate with the people working there because they didn’t speak English. I had the feeling that the Hispanic influence was also integrated in people’s behavior – everyone was very hospitable and friendly. There was no rush and no stress. Furthermore, the city seemed to never sleep. It wasn’t just the nightlife opening hours that gave this feeling, but also the fact that people where walking their dogs at midnight and simply sitting out and enjoying conversations and playing games.




















My Résumé


A beautiful city with amazingly friendly people and the perfect climate in March! It is definitely a good place to go for Spring Break vacation!


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Ice Hockey: BU Terriers VS. Vermont at Agganis Arena

3/26/2013

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Ice Hockey – another one of American’s most popular sports, and BU’s biggest sports pride. Last Friday, I was fortunate enough to go the  last BU men's hockey game of the regular season against Vermont.

To start this great game day we met a little bit earlier at Agganis Arena for a get-together with good food and nice people from MET International. The big buffet with chicken sticks, hot dogs, salads, soft drinks and cookies was delicious and the perfect cuisine for a game. After a speech given by our MET International President, things got exciting when it came to the raffle where everyone had the chance to win Terrier merchandise. Everyone also got pompoms to cheer for our team! 


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Finally, it was time to take our seats in the impressing Agganis Arena. The stadium was a completely new world for me as a German regarding its size and facilities. I was not expecting a university team to play in such a big arena. When I went to a first division ice hockey game in Germany, even they didn’t have such a stunning stadium.  


The atmosphere was getting better and better as we counted down the minutes for the game to begin. The obligatory national anthem got everyone, up until the last person in the arena, in the right mood for an exciting game!
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Unfortunately, the game didn’t start so well for us. Down 0-1, the excitement turned into a gloomy mood, but that didn’t last long. The BU orchestra and the fans cheered up the team, and it was soon time to celebrate the 1-1 tying goal. Furthermore, the half-time show (a little league team playing), several raffles, and activities like the “best fan dance contest” ensured a big party in the stadium. The celebration reached its height after Matt Nieto scored two more times, establishing a 3-1 victory with an amazing natural hat trick (scoring 3 goals in a row). The ongoing applause and hat throwing on the ice seemed like it was never going to stop. It wasn't like anything I had ever experienced before!


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Nieto became the first Terrier in over four years to score a natural hat trick.
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With this win and a nice souvenir – a Terriers jersey – we left the arena and definitely want to come back soon!

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Comparing Boston University (MET College) and Munich Business School

3/26/2013

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Introducing Munich Business School (MBS):

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The MBS Campus
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Professors (from left to right): A. Albrecht (International Business, Marketing, HRM), C. Schmidkonz (Business in Asia, academic leader of the masters program ‘International Business’), and M. Fiedler (Public Relations, Communication Management)
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Africa Business Day with some guest speakers
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Munich: The English Garden
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Group work: a common activity at MBS
Comparing Boston to Munich:


After 2 month in Boston I have already gained many impressions and new experiences not only regarding Boston and living there but also the academic life at BU. I recognized that Boston and Munich are two beautiful cities with similarities and differences.

Boston – Munich:

Boston and Munich both have an impressing history and great traditions, but at the same time they are very different. Both cities have similar architecture from old traditional brick houses to modern buildings. Sometimes Boston’s architecture reminds me of different parts in Europe, for example, Newbury Street; 
a beautiful neighborhood in Boston with many small shops, cafés, restaurants, offices, and nice apartments all next door to each other. 

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Newbury Street
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Another similarity is that Boston and Munich are both not too big and their skylines are not affected by overbearing skyscrapers. Actually, I would say they are very “green” with many nice little parks (The Boston Commons Frog Pond/English Garden), a lot of trees, and rivers (Charles River/Isar).

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Boston Commons Frog Pond
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Munich's English Gardens
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Charles River
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and Isar – could be a nice couple!?
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Eisbach
But even though there are some really big and good universities in Munich, they still don’t add up to the number of students who dominate the “landscape.” For instance, walking down Commonwealth Ave., going out at night (restaurants, bars, clubs), or simply shopping, you will find students everywhere. This makes Boston a dynamic and young city with an old tradition! Munich is more of an old, traditional city interrupted by some dynamic spots. For example, scenes like people surfing at a hidden spot right in the middle of the city (Eisbach = Ice creek). 

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Comparing Boston University (MET College) and Munich Business School Part 2

3/26/2013

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When I compare BU and MBS the first thing that comes to mind is their enormous difference in size. BU’s campus sprawls from Kenmore Square all the way to Harvard Ave. with a distance of about 1.5 miles. In comparison, the MBS campus is located at one building and contains four floors. Let's not forget the difference in number of students - BU about 33,000 and MBS about 500. It is obvious that this difference in size alone results in many other differences. For instance, neither MBS nor even the biggest universities in Germany have their own police department, Fitness and Recreation Center or student health services center. The whole administrative organization has totally different dimensions.

When I
compare my MET classes to the classes I had at the MBS in regards to academics, I recognize further differences and again a few similarities. I appreciate that the number of participants in each class at BU and MBS are both relatively small. I really like that BU classes are getting more and more personal; after some weeks, you start to really get to know your classmates and lecturers. That also means that you cannot hide if you want to. I think that is the most effective way to learn and to develop your own ideas. 

The teaching approach is also very different. The teaching style in Germany focuses more on the actual classes. The three hours you are in the classroom for a lecture you have to be very concentrated because everything you learn and compile there is the main part of the subject’s content. It is in class that you learn everything you will need to succeed in the final exams and in the business world. Similar to the lectures at BU, we go to class and hear our professor’s lecture, but we also work on cases during class, do projects or group work, and have discussions. However, at MBS we do have more classes during the week for each subject.


At MET it seems to be more common to learn the main part of the subject content outside of class through reading, analyzing cases at home, doing research, and reading books. The class lectures are more of a way to complement your learnings. Furthermore, the content of the lectures is structured differently; the powerpoint slides are more of a way to support the lecturer and present a broader overview of each topic. Overall, I think MBS classes focus more on practicality and MET classes focus more on innovation and specificity, all useful things to succeed in the business world. 

One of the most interesting things I've learned at MET so far is the basic knowledge, usage, and development of website design and search engine optimization, which is very important nowadays for business.


Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages and I am glad I can get a different learning experience which facilitates an independent working attitude and improves my skills in doing research.


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A Little Bit About Myself

3/26/2013

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Home sweet home for the semester
Hi everyone my name is Toby and I’m from Germany. I started my graduate program at BU in Innovation & Technology in January 2013, and I’m looking forward to an exciting year in Boston. I hope to meet many cool people from all over the world with whom I can work and and have a good time! 

“There is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life, and what it brings” ― Arthur Rubinstein 

This is me:


  • Full name:                 Tobias Lukas
  • Age:                          25
  • Born in:                     Frankfurt – Germany
  • Living:                       In a beautiful small flat in Cambridge, MA
  • Likes:                        The Fit Rec (Sports!), conversations, cooking
  • Doesn’t Like:              Mushrooms, expensive textbooks
  • Favorite drink:            Vodka Sour
  • Degrees:
  1. BA in Administrative Studies 2011 (Fh Frankfurt – GER)
  2. MA in International Business 2012 (Munich Business School – GER)
  3. MSc in Innovation and Technology 2013 (Boston University – USA)



For further information visit me on Facebook, Xing or LinkedIn

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One of My Favorite Places to Go

3/26/2013

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The view from my table.
Top of the Hub – Restaurant and Lounge

The first bar I went to was the sky bar “Top of the Hub." This bar was recommended to some friends (who are also in MET) and me by a Bostonian guy who lives downtown. He said the Top of the Hub is a great spot to enjoy some drinks and to have a great view of Boston. He was right. We had a really nice evening there.

It is located downtown on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center.
If you want to have a romantic dinner, a nice view over Boston or just a drink at the bar in a sophisticated ambience and a great jazz band, Top of the Hub is the perfect location for you! The service, drinks and meals are very good!
The downside is just that you need to reserve a table about 4 days in advance and the prices are relatively high. However, it's worth it. 
I will definitely go back!!




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