First Semester Bribe

This is posted on my tumblr, but in full disclosure of all things MBA related...

I just made a deal with myself.

Preface: I was not a diligent under grad student. Class got in the way of college. I was a 2.0 and go kind of girl. So being accepted to an MBA program that considers anything below a B failing is intimidating to me. But I don’t have a choice or I get kicked out and wasting any part of the $3000 a semester tuition would not be OK with me. 

I have also lusted after a pair of Tory Burch Revas for quite some time but just have not been able to bring myself to spend $200 on flats. A few years ago it was nothing to drop several hundred on shoes, but a mortgage later, not so much.

So here’s my deal: if I make As in all my classes this semester (marketing, economics, and leadership) I will buy myself a pair of these beauts.

Way to bribe yourself, Megan.

My first week of MBA!

An entire week has gone by since I started MBA classes and I haven't updated yet!

Last Tuesday was our official kick off to the MBA program. We had our Launch Workshop. Launch was designed to get our wheels spinning and really get a feel for what the next two years will look like. We were tasked with solving poverty. No big deal, right?! We each had to take a stance on how we would go about solving poverty, locally or globally, write a brief about our position and then we would see how all these opinions linked together. I chose education and parent/schools partnering with local non-profits to start our kids off with a proper education and prevent drop outs. I worked so hard on my brief and even pulled statistics from a local non-profit and drop out rates and the effects they have on the economy and welfare services, had a co-worker review my paper and edit it because I certainly wanted to start off on the right foot...so we get to the Workshop and were broken into smaller groups and start throwing out what directions we each took. I was so intrigued by others approaches and the different angels people pursued. By the end of the evening we were all clearly aware that there is no one-stop solution for such a huge issue. And we didn't even have to turn our brief in! haha All of that work for just an example!

So there are 14 of us in Cohort 3. I think we were all very anxious to see who we were going to be grouped with. I love my group! We did not really get a chance to talk to each other much at Launch but I think we made up for that soon after. More to come on that. The class as a whole is very diverse, but so far I really respect everyone and think it's going to be a great two years with these people.

Thursday was our first actual class. Class is from 6-10PM. First we have marketing with Professor Warren. I really enjoyed marketing in my undergrad so this is a class that I hope I will enjoy. There is clearly going to be a lot of outside work for this class, but nothing I can't handle...at least I hope not! haha Then we finish the evening with economics. I think I'm going to struggle more with econ. My brain just does not think like that. But I have heard nothing but fabulous things about Professor Estrada so I am hoping that it goes well. Luckily one of my group members was an econ major in his underground and I am going to make him my BFF very quickly!

My group decided after class Thursday to grab drinks and dinner Monday evening to get to know each other more and plan out our semester. We met at Uncle Billy's Brew and Que on Lake Travis. I just love my group! Heidi and I bonded over dads passing away and I have a feeling she and I will remain close through the program. Then there's the guys. They were all so great while Heidi and I had our moments. Everyone seems laid back and understanding, but we all have the mutual agreement that we are here for As and we'll do whatever it takes as a team to make sure we get those.

I am definitely a preparer. I have to go into situations prepared, the unknown gives me anxiety. One of the guys had prepared an agenda for the evening and when I received the email, I was so excited, I thought "these people get me!" I am also glad that my group is understanding about my upcoming PHR exam. They seem to get that is my priority at the moment, and after May 28, I'm all focused. These next few weeks are going to be tough for me. But I do have my weeks planned and know what is priority and what to study when with my fantastic PHR study partner, Dian. 18 more days!          

Permanent Pink Ribbon

So this happened last night. 

I've been wanting another tattoo for a while now. And with Gran currently going through her battle with cancer it seemed like the perfect to bite the bullet and do it. The fight on breast cancer, and all cancers, is something I'm incredibly passionate about. 

The BFF went with me. This the last picture of my clean wrist with no ink. 

The suspense was killing me. I started getting nervous. It took him a while to get everything set up and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. 

Getting started. This is Mike. Mike is pretty cool. He looks a little scary with all his tats, but he's very personable and I really liked him. He cracked me up with all of his hardcore ink and then he's dressed in a collared button down, slacks, and dress shoes. 

And we have a design!

Getting started! It was so hard not to move my hand.

 

Doing the outline.

I'm not going to lie, it hurt like hell! Worse than either of my other two. 

And the worst part is over! 

Working on shading the inside. 

I just kept telling myself "remember why you're doing this." The temporary pain is nothing compared to what cancer fighters go through. 

And the finished product! 

I tried to put on my watch this morning, but that wasn't happening. So I've got long-sleeves for the next few days until the pain goes away. I can't wait to see what it looks like once it's all healed!

28 Days

Yesterday officially marked 28 days until I take my PHR exam. Which means, I will have no life outside of studying for the next four weeks, so I think this picture perfectly describes the next month for me. I will have to get my house semi-clean by Saturday though, because it's my BFFFFFFFF's bachelorette party!

I have a wonderful study partner who keeps me focused and does an excellent job of explaining things I'm not comprehending. I have not yet read any of my six books, so that is where I'm going to start. Plus memorize all 500+ vocab terms. We mapped out a plan for the next few weeks and the goal is not just to pass the exam, but to get high scores and do really well! 

Dian (my fab study buddy) made a comment that it was my last week as a "normal person," as this week kicks off my Super Woman week of becoming an MBA student as well! I had kind of stopped thinking clearly about it all and have just gone into reaction mode, so to hear it like that put it back into perspective. 

I'm so ready for May to be over with! .