Experiencing Orientation...Again

Three years ago when I was at orientation at Owen, I turned 30.  Last week I turned 33 on lucky 8/8/08.  A few days after that, I spoke to the incoming MBA class at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and wondered if I'd ever again be so lucky.

Not that I want to start my MBA again, but there is something to be said for starting fresh.  That feeling you get when almost no one knows you, you can start over, make completely new impressions, and create a brand new path.

As I looked out onto that sea of 250 Georgetown faces, I was struck by how interested, how attentive and how wide-eyed they were.  Granted, it was only week one of orientation and math camp was in its early stages (apparently no b-school student can escape math camp), but that look of starting over was all over their faces.

There are few opportunities in life to truly start over. And even when we do, it's just as easy to shy away from anything new and uncomfortable.  So whether you are starting your first year or your second, go through your own orientation again. take the time to be wide-eyed and remember why you're there.  Even Dara Torres, who's in her 5th Olympics, looked wide-eyed on that podium.

One other thought, before the madness of school really sets in, don't forget to take advantage of where you are.  It's really easy to get stuck in the Owen building, maybe venture to Starbucks and SATCO and that's it. 

Perusing the Georgetown website in advance of my presentation, I found a section on life in DC. Having lived here since 1997 (with the exception of the 2 years I spent in Nashville), I constantly take advantage of all the city has to offer.  But I didn't as much in NashVegas.  So take a break, wander off campus, even out of Nashville.  It's the best way to forget math camp ever existed.

PS: Understand Jason Alba is coming to speak to you guys--I think you'll enjoy him. I did a teleconference series with him in 2007 and he wrote a great review of my book in May.

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Susan Strayer, Owen MBA 2007 | www.susanstrayer.com

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