Everyone said that the the first semester (September – December) would be the hardest. “If you can make it through that,” they said, “the rest of the program will be a breeze.”

Well November is gone. I’ve finished my last final, and my movember mustache is shaved and gone. With only a business project and a creativity presentation remaining, I’m slowly, hesitantly, beginning to exhale.

I’d like to take this opportunity to reminisce about what the the program has been like this past few months.

What has struck me the most has been the number of hours per day I’ve put in. A typical day for me has been waking up at 6:00 am, getting to campus by 8:00, and then classes, studies and/or group meetings until around 9:30 pm. Sometimes I can sneak in an hour for some eating or coffee breaks, but all in all it has been one giant load of work.

Though the workload is heavy, I’d like to also say that it has been enjoyable work. The kind of work that makes me almost not mind going home as late as 11:30 pm. I guess when you’re setting your focus on interesting and challenging subject matter, the work-life balance becomes less of an issue.

I’ve also met some extremely talented people, and managed to form some relationships which I hope will last into the future. Not just fellow students, but friends.

All in all I’m happy I chose UBC to do my MBA. That said, I’m looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for me post-Sauder School of Business.