Done!

Minutes ago I typed the last few sentences of my Achieving Market Leadership take-home exam and uploaded it to eZone. At that moment, I had completed my MBA. Where was the parade and marching band? This is definitely something to celebrate and I will do so over the next week or so. We will attend a graduation formal this Saturday (affectionately referred to as "prom night") and then engage in various activities during Dis-orientation week leading up to our official grad ceremony on May 8th. People are already starting to disperse; many people are moving out of their apartments, returning to Toronto or temporarily rooming with classmates for the next week or so.

Naturally I've begun reflecting over the past year. It's amusing to see the new May cohort arrive and start PKP, which is what I was doing exactly a year ago. Everyone is tense, nervous and keen. Boy, things change over the year! The competitiveness subsides and friendships form. Class discussions become less formal, and dress shirts turn into sweatshirts. I actually quite enjoyed the beginning of the year, as we had some very strong professors and some valuable learning experiences. I would also say industry week and recruiting season was also quite exciting, because although I did not personally participate to a large extent, it was exciting to hear about the experiences of my classmates.

I'm not going to do a full retrospective about my experience, since I've already captured many of my thoughts on this blog. However, I would say that this experience was definitely worth all the effort, stress, and inconvenience (I am speaking for myself of course; Julia may have something different to say ;) I've gained much knowledge and new skills, a new network of professional and personal relationships, a great job, and an incredible life experience (not to mention a degree).

Now, Julia and I are set to begin our next big adventure in Boston...