As a former member of the armed services, I was concerned that I wouldn’t quite “fit in” with my peers in a top-ranked MBA program. My experience in the Army of serving in a small, highly-deployable team of disciplined and aggressive men didn’t seem to translate very well to what I thought was going to be a largely corporate culture. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that not only were there other veterans (and other Special Operations veterans), but there are actually people in my new study group with backgrounds in the civilian world very similar to mine, with fascinating disciplines and experiences. I couldn’t be more excited to share backgrounds and experiences with this new group of peers, and we’ve already found ways to draw on our diverse backgrounds to achieve common goals.
In order to prepare for my experience here, I decided to take a couple of introductory business courses online before I came here. What a difference that experience has made! They have provided just enough background that I don’t feel totally overwhelmed by this new material. In fact, I’ve been able to contribute substantially to our group discussions. Instead of feeling awkward and out of place, I’ve been welcomed and included. I definitely feel like I’m a part of the community here at McCombs, and it’s made the transition from military to civilian life smoother than I thought was possible.
My wife and I recently found out that we’re expecting, which initially really concerned and overwhelmed me. It was an enormous relief to find that several of my classmates were also new parents or would be soon. One of my fellow group members (I like to think of them as “teammates”, especially after coming from a team in the Army) has also recently had a child, so it’s been good to draw on some of his experience as well. I’m now very confident that not only is it possible to experience new parenthood in an MBA program, the sense of community here will help make it an ideal environment.
Every day that I spend at McCombs, my decision to come back to school is reinforced by my experiences. I can’t believe that I was so anxious about making the transition to a new life. Although there was a lot of stress involved in making the necessary changes, I’ve found that everybody in this new environment is more than happy to help out. I’m so happy that this community of warm, intelligent, welcoming, high-achieving people is my “new normal”.
