When I was accepted into the fast-track MBA program Junior year, I was ecstatic. I knew I wanted continue my education and pursue a MBA Degree right after getting my Bachelor Degree (instead of working for a few years and going back to school). Quinnipiac has a unique program that allows you to get a MBA degree in just one year instead of two. I already was familiar with the school and although Graduate School in general is incredibly expensive, enduring tuition costs for only one year instead of two was appealing. I was eager to get started.
Since the fast-track program has students starting Graduate classes in their senior year, it helped with the transition of work load. However, since I saved some of my electives for senior year, the heavy workload of my MBA classes were offset by the lighter loads of my electives. Now, as a full-time MBA student, I feel overwhelmed by the demands of the professors but consider this a transition period. In undergrad I was known for saving everything for the last minute, including staying up the night before a presentation was due or cramming for a few hours before a big exam. Now, I find myself sitting at my (now organized) desk in my room and planning out the study schedule for the next few weeks. After a painful first weekend of realizing that three problems would actually take four hours to complete, I now have the wakeup call that I need to live a much more structured lifestyle. No more saving things to the last minute. No more going out on a Tuesday night and saying "it’s okay, I can do it tomorrow morning". I no longer want to go out on a Tuesday night. I'd rather get ahead on work, go to bed early, and wake up refreshed and ready to pay attention in class. Not only has this been a transition from an undergraduate to graduate curriculum, but also a transition from a college student mentality to an adult. Teachers are no longer holding your hand in class. You want to skip class? Fine, but realize not only will they penalize you by deducting points off your final grade, but you will also miss a substantial amount of work that you will spend twice as long trying to teach yourself later. Although the transition has not been as smooth as I had hoped, and I spend days feeling overwhelmed, I know that it will be worth it in the end. This experience is not only expanding my knowledge in the classroom and increases my chances of landing a job upon graduation in the spring, but also is a lesson on growing up, and I wouldn't change it for the world.
-Colleen Kelly MBA '12
