MBA Reflections

Today marks the end of my MBA. I'm kinda in shock right now. It's going to feel amazing to actually enjoy a weekend free of homework. Matt is probably the most excited because he has really been the one that has had to sacrifice a lot for me completing my MBA. Now I can be a better wife and keep on top of laundry, cooking, and cleaning because I wasn't very good about those things when I was busy with school. I could have been better, but honestly when your studying for 8-9 hours a day, scrubbing a toilet isn't exactly how you want to spend your free time. I had to do something fun or I would have gone insane! Matt was a trooper and learned to live with our messy house and supported me throughout the whole process. I love him so much! Before I forget I wanted to post some of my MBA reflections:

- It wasn't at all what I was expecting. I think because I had never heard of Mississippi State before I thought it would be really easy. This definitely wasn't the case and I feel like it was harder than my Bachelors degree. I also thought there wouldn't be much group work since it was a distance MBA, but we did a ton of group work. I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the group work. I worked with people all over the country as well as oncampus students in Mississippi.

- I really liked my classmates that I worked with. Don't get me wrong I met some great people at BYU, but I had some group issues at BYU. The students at Mississippi State always did their work and it was nice not getting stuck with all the group work like I did most of the time at BYU. It was amazing to actually have a group that did a great job on their work!

- This MBA definitely stretched me and forced me out of my comfort zone. For my MBA I had to give a ton of presentations by myself and had to work really really hard on projects with stuff I didn't feel very comfortable doing like building websites. Also I had to learn most of the material on my own since my teachers were a little more hands off than at BYU. I was surprised about how much I really was able to teach myself. It makes me believe I really could teach myself just about anything if I took the time to do it. I've also learned a ton of new technologies such as Dreamweaver, Camtasia Studio, Wimba, and many others due to having to do things over the internet. It's was kinda cool working virtually and being able to talk to my classmates with different technologies. I also got pretty good at making interesting Powerpoint Presentations.

-Doing it in 13 months may have not been the best idea. I am really glad I did it, but it was really tough. I had to pull all-nighters weekly and didn't have a weekend that wasn't full of homework. It was definitely a sacrifice which was rewarding, but it came at a price. My counselors still can't believe I actually did it and neither can I. There is definitely a reason why no one at MSU has done it that quick before! I feel like I just ran a 13 month long marathon. I think I might have enjoyed it more and been less stressed if I took it a little slower. I felt like giving up almost everyday and I got sick a lot!

- I feel like I learned a lot. I was worried that it would overlap a lot with my Bachelors degree. I would say some of it did, but I feel like I definitely always learned new things. Most of the material was very applicable and I feel like I will use it later on in life. I really liked my teachers and liked MSU overall.

- My worst subjects at BYU were my best subjects in my MBA. It was really strange, but Business Law and Accounting were my easiest subjects at MSU. I now don't know what to think about those subjects since I didn't like them at BYU, but liked them at MSU. At least I got an easy A at MSU right? My least favorite class was finance though. It was really hard and the professor didn't speak English very well. Thankfully my brother Paul helped me with that class.

-I might have turned from a Cougar to a Bulldog. I think I liked Mississippi State more than BYU. I think it might be because I felt like I learned more and enjoyed the students I worked with more.

- Overall I'm glad I did it and already feel like it was worth it. I am able to get more job opportunities. For now I'm done with my education, but we'll see I might go back for more school later after I've had a break for awhile. Until then I'm going to enjoy my new found freedom. It feels really good!