Déjà vu

Eight years ago I was floundering. Even though I had just completed my undergrad the year before I was already feeling stuck in a dead-end job and afraid that I was wasting my life. Trying to find another job was too hard* so instead I applied for law school.

It was the perfect plan! Protection from having to make grown-up decisions for another couple of years combined with a huge salary increase. There was only one problem: it would have been a huge mistake. I needed more time out of the academic womb to figure out my place in the world and where I wanted to go. Graduate school was not the place to do that. Now, eight years later, I'm excited to begin MBA coursework and confident that the experience will be beneficial.

Differences aside, I can't help but reflect on what it was like to go through that application process in 2004. I applied to nine different schools (nine!) and was rejected by every one. By the end it was actually a relief. This time I'm calm and curious to see who extends an invitation (I applied to Carlson after all so I'll be attending one of the two AACSB-accredited Minneapolis programs).

*Maybe I'm being a bit harsh; I did start planning the Craftstravaganza that year.