Tick, tock, tick, tock…BZZZZ!

I have two more weeks of work left, two more weeks until I move, three more until orientation, and four until my first day of class. Wow! Time just flies by, and I have so many things to do.

Number one: financial aid
I accepted my financial aid, but now I’m waiting for the bank to send me the papers. I guess I was very lucky, and never had to pay for my degrees. Until now! I looked at my financial aid paper, and there was a strange feeling of… uneasiness to say the least, when I saw the final number. A pretty low six-figure number! Gulp! Well, I’m not the first and I’m not the last to have student loans, so I decided to move on to the other things on my to-do list.

Number two on the list: the Harvard quant course
I have to finish the online quantitative course the school recommended. If there’s anything that makes me nervous about school is the quantitative aspect of the work. The course I’m taking is definitely interesting, and once you get the concepts, it can be quite entertaining and useful. It can also be frustrating at times if you’re like me and do not have a technical background, because certain concepts might then take longer to understand. I’ve never taken a stats class, so it is very interesting to me to see how you can manipulate information to get the result you want (not that you should!), or, how one single element can skew the end result. I’ll definitely think twice now before trusting a poll. ☺

Number three: move apartments
We found a really nice place closer to school. It cuts my commute down to maybe 15 minutes instead of an hour, one way. I just have to start packing. I’ve been procrastinating enough. In my defense though, I did go through my wardrobe and got rid of the unwanted (i.e. never worn) clothes. I figured two years of not wearing them translates into “what were you thinking buying this?!” OK, I got my own message, and got rid of them. Now, I just have to summon enough energy to start packing the rest of the stuff.

Number four: orientation
I received my orientation schedule yesterday. I guess it’s a preview of what b-school is really like. As part of the retreat or communication workshop, we have activities and meetings scheduled the entire day. Sometimes we start at 6:45. Yes, AM. I’ll have to reset my stubborn internal clock that insists that there’s no daylight before 7:30am. Oh, and I also have a book to read before orientation.

In all seriousness though, I am excited for school, and I can’t wait to meet everybody. It’s only 3 weeks away!

Have you been Twittered?

As soon as one of my friends heard that I started a blog, she sent me an article on twitter.com. The article sounded pretty interesting, but it was more like a teaser. I didn’t understand very well what Twitter was and why I should even join. The article made it seem that Twitter is like Facebook for writers. You can keep track of one another’s work progress, network, and get inspiration. Sounds good, but I’m not a writer.

I decided to find out more about Twitter because I was intrigued by the service’s description on the main page: it’s meant to help people keep in touch by short answers to the question “What are you doing?” You do not have to join to find out more about the site. If you go to twitter.com, you can watch a video about what twitter is and how it works. That’s how I found out that you actually do not have to be a writer to want to join. You just have to be somebody who likes to keep in touch with family and friends, and know what they’re doing between phone calls and the time you’ll see them for coffee later. You can get and post updates – under 140 characters – from your computer or phone.

It all sounds good, but being the pragmatic person that I am, I’m wondering when much becomes too much? In other words, do we really need to know everything our friends are doing every second of the day? Also, in the age of instant gratification and information overload, is on-line networking replacing real life and direct interaction? However, one aspect of this service that I do like is the ability to support businesses. Tweeter blogs about various companies using the service for updates between and for employees, about disasters, or even for sending news from Mars. This makes Twitter unique, and will probably grow to be the pager of the 21st century.

I decided I did not need to Twitter now. It seems, though, like a very useful tool, developed by a growing and innovative team, so I’m looking forward to future developments.

Dream big, and make it happen

Last weekend, we went up to see Hearst Castle. The castle - or the ranch, as Mr. Hearst apparently called it - is immense. But that’s not why I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the dream, with the passion and determination he had to see it through. It took 28 years to build it. Who wouldn’t have given up in the meantime?

And then there’s the history and the collection of art. It seems crazy that Mr. Hearst spent so much time and money to find and incorporate those unique works of art into his house. But then again, we all bring a little something back from the places we visit. His favorite place just happened to be Europe. ☺ And he just happened to dream of recreating Europe in his corner of heaven. I’m a dreamer, so I respect and admire another dreamer’s work.

Visiting the castle last week was good timing, because I realized I needed to be reminded of why I’m doing what I’m doing. Sometimes you want something so much and put a lot of work into it, but then in the process you get bogged down and lose sight of the end result. It’s been a crazy busy time at work, and getting ready for school added more stress. Visiting the castle and hearing its story reminded me that I have a dream, and I’m taking the steps to make it happen.

Who? What? Huh?

If you’re reading this, then you’re either considering business school, or you’ve already been accepted and you’re trying to figure out what to expect when school starts. Oh, or you just got to this page by mistake, which is also ok. I believe that everything happens for a reason, so even if you’re here by mistake, you can keep reading. Who knows? You might find something useful.

I’ve never kept a blog, but for a while I toyed with the idea of having one for my friends and family back home. However, being the old-fashioned gal that I am, I stuck with the loooong and personal e-mailed updates on my life. Now the story’s a bit different. This is not just for my friends and family, it’s also for you, the chance or intended reader. Plus, it’s not just about my life. It’s about my life before, during and a bit after business school. :)

A year ago, I was struggling with integers, VICs, intercepts and other wonders of the math world. Yes, I was preparing for the GMAT. And at the time, I thought there was nothing more important than acing the test. Fast forward a year: I have my acceptance letter and I’m getting ready for the first year. Now, I feel that there’s nothing more important than finding the right balance between school and the rest of my life. How I’m planning to do that? Hmm, stay tuned. I (‘d love to) think that I’m starting to figure it out! For now, I have to make sure I have everything I need to start my b-school adventure: a place closer to campus, a new computer (what better reason is there to get a new computer than going to school?), business cards, and the one thing that makes this all happen: student loans!