Reflections on the first semester

Well, I'm officially finished with 1/4 of my MBA! I took my final final late last week and am now just waiting for grades to be posted. I'm hoping to see lots of letters that look like upside-down V's with a line across the middle.

I've had some time to think about the past few months now that school work is on hiatus for a few weeks. I happen to think that reflection is one of the most valuable parts of an experience (more on that later!), so I'd like to share a few of my reflections on my first semester with you:

• Grad school has been challenging but very rewarding, already. I like the course work that I am doing and am inspired by what some of the alumni of my program are doing to make our world a better place.
• People and culture can make a grad school experience. I feel so lucky that I ended up in the class of people that I have. I learn so much from my colleagues - from their sharing of life experiences to their thoughts on the future and where to go next. I love that the faculty and staff know my interests and are involved in student life and not only in academia. I feel like part of a community, which is super helpful when making a geographic transition as well.
• Moving is always hard, but can also be extremely rewarding. It's been really difficult to leave behind people that I love and care about in pursuit of a new adventure, but the people I've met and the experiences I've had in just one semester have made this transition worthwhile. I'm learning a lot here in Boston and am starting to establish a network of friends and mentors.
• I had a hard time adjusting to being a full-time student again! This surprised me - I thought I'd be right back at it and loving it all the time. But, I missed working and my regular schedule and my PA people. It felt a little surreal at first to have full-time student as my occupation. I don't really have any good advice for conquering this one, but just know that it might be a possibility, even if you are 100% excited about going back to school.
• Finally, I am sure that I ended up in the right place. I think I am gaining the skills and meeting the people here that I need to be inspired and succeed in fulfilling my goals.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the holidays! Next year at this time you'll hopefully be reading about the completion of my MBA and my graduation from the Heller School!