Goin' Back to School

Ahh. Where do I even begin? I've been putting off talking about school because it seems like it would take a novel to do this whole thing justice, but I'll just give a few little tidbits and call it good for now.

So Jeremy is at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. He hasn't even started class yet. Classes start on the 29th (Monday, also his 30th birthday! Woot!).

"Wow. What has he been doing for the past 4 weeks" you ask? Well, I'll tell you!

Here's basically what he's been up to:

• Basic orientation-type stuff (Welcome to CMU! Welcome to Tepper! Welcome to Pittsburgh! etc., etc.)
• 6 Math Workshops to dust off those good old Linear Algebra-and-other-math-skills I don't have or ever wish to have :)
• "Verticals" on several different branches of business (basically an overview of what this is and an alumni panel with people in those fields) including Operations, Marketing, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Consulting
• Sessions on conducting an internship search in each of those areas
• Sessions on networking, sessions on how to talk to recruiters, "elevator pitches" (basically what to say in less than a minute that will make them remember you), etc.
• Community Service Day and an outdoor Ropes Course day (very important for business ;)
• Business Etiquette, Ethics, Job Search Tools, Interview Skills, etc., etc.

Good stuff, eh? We're really realizing what a GREAT school this is and how well connected it is. It seems crazy that he's already working on finding an internship when he hasn't even started classes yet, but that's how it is. Almost everyday in the school year they have recruiters coming to give presentations, so he needs to already be doing research on what companies he's interested in and what exactly he wants to do. A lot of these big companies won't even talk to you if you're not from a school on their "list" so we're glad he's at such a great school.

That's also what makes this program so intense! It's so much more than just coursework (as if that's not hard enough). He's constantly going to be doing research on companies, going to their presentations, meeting with recruiters, preparing for interviews, etc, etc.

But Jeremy has been loving everything so far, and we both have just felt over and over since being here that this is EXACTLY where we should be and what we should be doing. He is a perfect fit for the program and the school and it's exciting what this will mean for his future. He has met some amazing people already and loves how diverse his class is. The class size is around 200 and they represent over 30 countries, 170 undergraduate universities, and a very wide range of professional and educational backgrounds. He has people in his class who were physicists, architects, investment bankers, consultants, engineers, teachers, and many more I can't think of right now. :)

We're both a little nervous for the rigor of the program - and what that will mean for our family time - but we'll survive! We've spoken a lot to several of the 2nd years and they told me to just think like you're going to be a single mom and never see him, and then when you do it's like a treat or a bonus. Oh boy. It's going to be a challenge, but we're just going to get more creative on finding ways to see each other. Thank goodness for Sundays! At least I know he'll see the kids once a week. :)

Anyway, I'm really excited for Jeremy and even though it will be hard, it will be so great for him. I just think he is going to thrive and excel in ways he never even imagined. I'm already seeing how his strengths are such an asset to him (his humility, fearlessness, and people skills at the very top of that list). I'm proud of him already! (okay so humility is not at the top of my list) And I absolutely love all of the wives I've met so far, so I think I'll be okay. And I've got my two cutie boys to keep me company, so we'll make it through.

See you at Christmas honey! :)