Greg’s Blog

Orientation is next Monday. The butterflies are here, but I have them flying in formation.

The prep courses begin today. I debated taking them right up to the deadline and, ultimately, decided against it. Brent and I discussed the issue and he decided to take all of them, because he is so far removed from undergrad. Since I just finished, the material is still fresh. However, I did review the free information referred to in one of the mailings and have been reviewing some statistics and finance courses on itunesU.

The one thing I might regret is not being able to network with my classmates who are taking the prep courses. I’ll try to meet up with them at lunch a couple of days this week.

Today, I am meeting with Gail to fill out some paperwork for my graduate assistantship. Anne hasn’t gotten the right job offer yet, so this will be our only income along with my military drill pay. Fortunately, our monthly bills are very low, since we prepaid rent.

On a lighter note, I met some of my local classmates at a luncheon last week. Being local has its perks. Once again, I am humbled to be a part of this incoming class and can’t wait to begin the team projects.

Also, I was able to catch up with Brent, who I met at the Red Carpet event in March. Anne and I met Brent and his wife for dinner at Calhoun’s on the river. Anne and I joked about starting a “spouse support network” so she can have people to hang out with if the team projects keep me away.

It is hard to believe that I started the application process for graduate school over 7 months ago. It seems like just yesterday I was on my first campus visit, meeting some of the first years, sitting in on Dr. Esper’s class, interviewing with Donna, and chatting with Glen. Everyone was friendly and seemed genuinely interested in answering all of my questions. I was impressed by their passion and the “blue sky” attitude they had toward the opportunities in East Tennessee.

A few months later, in mid January, I drove down for an information session, to see if this program was “for real” or if I had merely been taken by a fantastic marketing pitch. After spending time with other students, the career services representatives, and faculty, I realized this program was a perfect fit for me. However, it would be many more weeks before the phone call came with the good news that I was a fit for the program.

The Red Carpet event was in late March. The out of town candidates spent the day touring campus and the surrounding area with Donna and some first year students. Later in the evening we met up with some local candidates for dinner. It was humbling to be in the room with these, my prospective classmates. Their backgrounds were varied and impressive. After meeting them, I understood why much of the MBA experience has to do with learning from one’s peers.

The next day, just before I was to return to Lexington, Donna handed me my official acceptance letter. The anxiety I had been carrying around since October melted away. Now all I had to do was finish my last semester in Kentucky.