I’ve looked at a few MBA blogs that offer advice on how to spend your summer prior to starting business school. I have definitely cherry picked what tips I have chosen to follow (for example, even though I got “Tried By War – Abraham Lincoln As Commander-in-Chief” by James McPherson, and it looks fascinating, I’m just not sure reading it is going to happen), and added ones of my own (combing through my parent’s attic in search of hiking gear from 9th grade in preparation for my Pre-O trip to Yosemite. More on these pre-orientation trips offered by Anderson another time!). But one that I am making a point to truly take to heart is to spend as much time with my family and friends as possible.
One of the more entertaining if not exactly stress-free ways I did this was to head to my hometown of Atlanta for a week of wedding planning. I spent some “quality time” with my mother and two sisters as we tore all over town to various dress boutiques, potential reception venues, and meetings at the church. But we created some priceless memories.
One afternoon that I will never forget, and will remind myself of when I'm feeling crazed at school this Fall, is when I dragged my mom and four bridesmaids (my sisters and my two best friends) to give the stamp of approval on the wedding dress I picked out, and to look for outfits of their own. We had so much fun, trying on absurd, color-saturated, pink, poufy bridesmaids dresses (if you’ve been to just about any wedding, you know what I’m talking about) and laughing till tears rolled down our cheeks. When was the last time the seven of us, old friends all, had been in the same room? Priceless! And for anyone who is curious, here’s the dress I finally settled on. I figured, pretty but practical.
I was also lucky enough to get to spend a full week at the beach with my immediate family. None of us could remember the last time we’d all managed to get that much time off of work, much less simultaneously. A one-story beach bungalow turned out to be enough space for all six of us as the fun (grilling s’mores, watching the 4th of July fireworks over the water, and boogie boarding) far outweighed any familial-induced claustrophobia. It was extra special when my Grandma and Aunt (who lives in Juneau, AK!) joined us for a day. Here’s a photo of the three generations (L to R: Dad, Sisters, Grandma, me & future hubby, Aunt):
Both of these are just two examples of why family and friends are so important, and why I am making a point of trying to soak up as much of them as possible before school begins. But there’s never enough time in the day, and I already feel like I am running out of daylight with my great friends here in Florida. This is where I comfort myself that in the age of Facebook and Gmail, 3,000 miles isn’t nearly as far as it used to be.
-Charlotte Baxter
