When I was deciding whether or not I should apply to the program one of the major factors I considered was general lifestyle, in school and extra-curricular activities. It’s impossible to know exactly what you will be doing, feeling, and thinking, but I’ll give you my best possible simulation by providing you with a standard week in the MM program! Here is a fairly close approximation of what went down in my life as an MM student last week:

Mondays: Class starts at 10am on Monday mornings, so I was up at the crack of dawn. Before you go thinking I’m really active and productive it’s worth noting that the crack of dawn in January in Vancouver is approximately 8:30am, and that was still a struggle. Fortunately I live on campus so I need to leave home about 15 minutes before class starts. I piled on about 42 layers and left for class around 9:45am. There is a little coffee shop in the bottom of the Sauder School of Business, which I probably should have invested in at the start of the year as I faithfully drop $4.32 there several times a day for a latte. From here I trotted on up the stairs (by stairs I mean elevator) into my first class. I proceeded to learn and absorb like a keen little sponge until we finished up classes at the crack of dusk (4pm in Vancouver). From here I pranced on up to the Gold’s Gym in University Marketplace for a quick sweat, and proceeded back to my apartment to watch The Bachelor (Ben’s season, my bet’s on Lauren B for the win). I wrapped up my Monday evening with a few readings and by catching up on emails.

Tuesdays: These mornings class kicks off at 8am, so I have to forcibly remove myself from bed around 7am. From here I proceed to sprint around my flat like Usain Bolt attempting to get my life rapidly together because I accidentally hit my snooze button 4 times and it is now 7.30am. Fortunately I am then warmed up and able to power walk to Sauder without pulling a muscle and with time to spare for a coffee. More learning, more absorbing, more coffee and we are done classes for the day at noon. This leaves the afternoon free, but usually meetings, study dates, real dates for the hotties of the program (not me), and informational interviews fill up the spare time fairly quickly. This previous Tuesday I spent the afternoon finishing up an accounting assignment, meeting for a group project, chatting with friends in the MM lounge, and eating my body weight in chocolate almond Pockys.

Wednesdays: Class at 10am again, spent the extra two hours of my morning productively changing outfits 67 different times, because Vancouver weather is a challenge. I finally settled on the classic getup of head to toe waterproof wear. Up to Sauder I went, learnt, accounted, group meeting’d, ate Pocky and wrapped up the day at 4pm again. Fortunately I managed to finish off some other homework over our 2 hour lunch break so proceeded to head to the gym to prepare for another day of Pocky tomorrow.

Thursdays: This past Thursday was the most important day of everyone’s week (maybe even year) for the very serious reason being IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY!! Because of that I learnt and absorbed with a sparkly silver birthday hat on. Also I would like to mention that I only hit my snooze button 1 time on this morning because I matured into a together 22-year-old adult. After a quick meeting with our MM executive team to discuss class events, clubs, volunteer opportunities and career prospects I was taken out for a lovely evening of great food, drinks and laughs with some of my amazing friends in the program.

Fridays: If you don’t already know this I’m about to blow your mind, in the MM program WE DO NOT HAVE CLASSES ON FRIDAYS!! It’s a beautiful and kind gift that just keeps giving. I spent my most recent Friday in group meetings, running outdoors in the first break of rain in well over a week, and eventually going out for a class wide triple birthday celebration in the evening. Here we laughed and drank the night away, reminiscing of all the memories the weeks here in the MM have held.

Well this brief week outline may sound standard and seemingly unexciting, each day is also filled with plenty of laughter, plenty of learning, and (my personal favorite) plenty of classroom camaraderie. While the MM program delivers a plethora of information on all relevant aspects of business, it also delivers a plethora of friends as you spend the hours building memories to last a lifetime. The days go by faster and faster, and as we pass the halfway point of our short year together I look back on this collection of seemingly unexciting weeks with complete nostalgia. I look forward to what the rest of the program has to deliver, knowledge wise, Pocky wise, and friendship wise.

Note: Pocky did not sponsor this post.

– Renee Cadenhead