As a first year EWMBA student, I didn’t really know what to expect from my first semester. I knew it would be busy, and tough….but what does that mean, really?
In our first year, we have 4 courses in the Fall and four more in the Spring. To make this work, we have two classes from Aug – October. My finals and class projects are all due this week. And then next Tuesday, we start two more classes which continue until just before Christmas.
The first half of this semester I was certainly busy. But I should be honest and tell you that I said, more than a few times, “Well, I’m busy but it’s not quite as hard as I thought it would be.”
I’ve stopped saying that now.
As my first two classes draw to a close, and all the deadlines became more real, I’ve had to shift myself into an even higher gear. And while the classes are intellectually and conceptually challenging, it is the pace of the material that is the greatest obstacle.
It’s also been interesting experiencing how everyone in my cohort is dealing with their different work schedules. Every job has its own rhythms and deadlines, and we can only hope that these line up with the slower weeks of the MBA program. Some students sigh with relief when they pass an important work milestone, knowing they will have some breathing room in the weeks ahead. Others dash into class late muttering under their breath “…I got so slammed today at work – how am I going to make it through the night?” This work / school dynamic is an integral part of the EWMBA experience and I must say brings a new layer of relevance to the class material. We’re all so busy that if the class doesn’t engage us 100%, we’ll make it known.
I need to get back to my network analysis paper. Next time I’ll be writing about the business of ethics (and the ethics of business) here at Haas.
The Berkeley EWMBA Admissions Blog 