The Fall Quarter is over. A quarter during which I enjoyed a Random Walk to China, filled a whole apartment with IKEA furniture, played soccer at the UCLA MBA tournament, won the ‘Hunger Games’ at LEAD, had enough Fireballs at TNDC to keep me warm throughout winter, dressed up as Popeye for the Belgian Halloween Party, survived my first Black Friday shopping mayhem, and performed terribly during Golden Gargoyles’ Telenovela. On top of this, too many cover letters were written – but I attended my classes and the foundation courses are now out of the way. All in all, plenty of unforgettable experiences, and quite a number of new friendships.
Before even starting my journey at B-School, I had heard students whine about not having enough time to do everything they wanted to do. They said that it was just not possible to get A+’s in every course, recruit for their dream job, actively participate in five different Clubs, and attend every TNDC. Although that may be true, when I look back at everything that has happened during these past months, I come to question the legitimacy of that complaint. You actually DO have time to do everything you REALLY want to do! If you really want to get straight A’s, then fine, go for it! Just know that you will have to sacrifice a bit of your social life. If you want to run the Chicago Marathon, go for it! If you want to socialize with as many people as possible, go for it! Every hour you assign to one activity will consume time and energy from another activity; so be smart and do whatever you really want to do – follow your passion. Do not attend Consulting recruitment events just because all of your friends are doing so. Do not go to Banking dinners if you hate Finance. Be selective.
Booth is a place where you can reinvent yourself. You can switch careers, learn photography, play basketball or be an entrepreneur. Nobody knows who you used to be, so be whoever you want to be! Booth will be one of your last safe places to take risks, and it will give you countless opportunities to take them. The MBA will be the one experience in your life where you can take two years off to think about your future, to explore, to make mistakes, and to get to know a group of the smartest people you will ever be surrounded by.
You are smart – that’s why you got into Booth – so, manage your time wisely, say goodbye to FOMO and enjoy.
Ramiro Sanchez Caballero is a first year (Class of 2016) concentrating in Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management. He is an avid soccer player, design enthusiast, asado aficionado and impulsive traveller.
