First please allow me to apologize for not post regularly recently.  For those of you who are presently enrolled in the MBA program or have already completed this probably comes as no surprise.  The fall semester for both the first and second years tends to be a bit grueling.  It is not so much difficult as it is time-consuming.  During the first year you're trying to navigate through four different courses while putting together a Learning Alliance project with a team that may very-well still be traversing the storming phase of group development.  During the second year there are presently only three classes during the fall semester (the fourth is a combination of the Learning Alliance Growth & Profit and Industry Practicum projects).  It is at this point in the program where many of us can see the light at the end of the tunnel but it is like running the finish to a marathon. . .I'll explain.

Towards the beginning of my time in the Marine Corps I was stationed in the desert for nearly a year in a "lovely" placed called 29 Palms California.  For those of you who don't know Marines must complete a physical fitness test (PFT) twice annually.  It is or was a three part test that consisted of dead-hang pullups, crunches, and a three mile timed run.  My understanding is that they have since changed the format but that isn't the point of this story.  Different bases have different PFT courses and at 29 Palms the course is/was at the bottom of the base (which is built on the side of a hill) surrounding a retention pond of some sort.  The course was L-shaped which meant it consisted of essentially two straight-aways and you ran each twice (down and back).  The problem with this course layout is that you can see the finish line from very far away so you fight the urge to spring towards the finish practically after you make the last turn in the L.  Most people aren't capable of springing the last 3/4 of a mile so if they start sprinting when the finish line is in sight they will likely have to slow way down before they make it to the end.  The MBA program in the last fall semester is sort of like that.  We can see the finish line in May but we still have a long way to go before we get there.  We still have quite a bit of work to do between now and then.  If we start sprinting to the finish now we'll likely be burned out before we reach graduation which would likely yield less than favorable results.

Next week we'll wrap up the fall semester with two final exams then we have a well deserved break for a few weeks until we start the final semester of the program.  My classmates and I are going to be going in various directions due to electives and the flexibility of fulfilling those requirements.  I won't go in to detail about my plans for the electives but I will say this.  If and when it comes time for you to complete electives in the final semester find something that interests and will benefit you then seek approval from the MBA director.  There is flexibility there and the ultimate objective is education and professional development so they will work with you.

Next week we have the MBAA holiday party scheduled and I'm really looking forward to it as I had to miss the party last year due to a family vacation.  It is always fun to celebrate the end to another semester after cramming for finals (or something like that).

I want to take the long overdue opportunity to thank Adam Sosne and everyone at McAdams Homes for their generous donation to the MBAA first annual oyster roast.  Please take a minute to check out the McAdams website and keep Adam and his team in mind should you or someone you know be in the market for a new home: