My Last Post...

...for the year. Corny joke, and I apologize. Well, today is the last day of 2008, and the new year beckons in a few hours. I tend to take it easy for New Years Eve, just dinner and drinks with friends. I'm not one for like $200 cover charges and stuff.

What a year it has been. At this time last year, I was beginning to think about getting my MBA. I discovered Business Week's forums and started reading around. I did research on Harvard, Stanford and a few other schools (seriously, it was nuts). I ordered a few GMAT books and began studying off and on around February, with a target date of June. Forgot to schedule it, so I moved my date to July. In April, I flew out to LA to visit USC-Marshall, which was my first ever visit to an MBA program. I learned a good deal (mostly that the area around USC isn't very nice) and started a target range of schools. Took the GMAT in July and just missed my overall goal of 700 but ended with a 680. For my demographic and background, not terrible.

After that, school research began in earnest and I started filling out the generic applications. I began getting ready to apply in R1 or ED for every single school. Around this time, I completely freaked out, decided I couldn't do it and stopped working on my applications. A few weeks later, I started it back up with a more realistic mindset and spread out my applications. Submitted UCLA for R1 but a rogue recommender destroyed that and I was moved to R2. After a visit to Washington, DC, I decided to apply to Georgetown. In a quick whirlwind, I submitted my app and interviewed. I have since submitted and interviewed with UNC and have interviews set up with Wake Forest and Duke.

This has been a taxing process, one that at times I thought would defeat me. I've gone from confident to scared to depressed in very short periods of time. I don't know what my future holds, but for me, this is a now-or-never decision. Either I get in and go, or I don't get in and need to figure out how to get where I want to be.

Overall, 2008 was a growth year. One relationship ended, another began. Some family moved away, others joined our clan. I successfully took the GMAT and submitted four applications. I traveled to LA, DC and Charlotte. I played Wii. I got promoted. I saw my bank get sold to a competing firm and lived through the turmoil of rumors. None of my Cleveland sports teams saw success (like they ever do). I can only wonder what 2009 will bring, who will still be in my life, who may walk out, who may come walking in the door. Maybe I'll be in the same place I am now. Maybe I'll be living it up in DC or Chapel Hill, doing exciting MBA-related things and moving forward in my life. All I know is that I'll take what comes and go as far and as hard as I can.

Happy New Years everyone!