The Home Stretch

It is hard to believe that I am two weeks away from completing my first quarter of graduate school. Barely three months ago, I joined 350 other Anderson students at orientation, eager to learn everyone's names and perhaps even make a few friends. Excited to be a student again, I was also anxious to learn again. And dare I say it, I hoped to challenge myself and grow not just academically and professionally, but personally, as well.

Well, my first quarter at Anderson did not disappoint. With only one more week of classes and a week of final exams remaining, I realize that I have already accomplished my goals. I have certainly been challenged academically. It is amazing how difficult a math class based on reading four different financial tables and computing simple addition and subtraction can be. (Accounting) And for a topic that has always frightened me (Finance) I am surprised that it is really just a lot of vocabulary, multiplication, and division, three of my best skills. (I know I didn't do very well on the midterm, but I plan on acing the final -- it's all coming together now!) As for economics and statistics, two classes I took during undergrad, I am in total disbelief by how much of the material I do not remember. I studied both subjects over ten years ago -- studying them again is nothing like riding a bike.

These past three months I have also been professionally challenged, as I explored career opportunities in healthcare and international development, plus internships in strategy and marketing. Non-profit? Big pharma? Biotech? I'll admit that I have also had mini-meltdowns along the way... Why am I getting an MBA? My MPH application is due next week, is it worth it? Should I get a PhD? The opportunities are endless and amazing, if not overwhelming. I re-evaluate my goals almost daily; however, I'm sticking to my original plan to pursue the MPH in addition to the MBA. My application is due this week (yet another To Do item) which gives me an extra year of school. As such, I can use this summer's internship to explore something new. We'll see how it goes...

Before, after, and in between the time I have dedicated to learning and furthering my career, I have definitely spent time growing as a person. I've joined too many extracurricular clubs and I've drank way too much alcohol for a woman my age. But along the way, I have met some amazing people these past three months. Brilliant people, funny people, inspiring people. And I am so excited to continue getting to know them throughout the next couple of years.

So today, as I move on from Thanksgiving and settle into my the home stretch of the 2011 academic year, I acknowledge how grateful I am for this first quarter at UCLA Anderson. I'm grateful I had the courage to apply and to enroll. I'm grateful for my scholarship. (SO GRATEFUL!) I'm grateful for all that I have learned in the classroom, career center, courtyard, library, and of course, at bars.  I'm grateful for Jeremy, because he has been so incredibly supportive this entire time. And yes, I'm grateful that this quarter is almost over, but more importantly, I'm grateful that graduate school has really only just begun...

Go Bruins!