A Change of Plans

The past week or so I've been doing a lot of thinking. As most of you know, I'm applying to business schools and while this is definitely something I want to do, I simply haven't been super motivated. So, I sat down and thought about why that was the case. Was I trying to force myself to get an MBA because it is what I am supposed to do? Am I not applying to the right schools? With all this thinking came a very sudden realization - I WANT an MBA, but I was very very concerned about how we were going to move somewhere completely new, have Eric quit his job, hope he finds a new one wherever we move to, live on 1 income for two years and still find a way to raise a baby. Before we found out I was pregnant, grad school seemed like it was going to be this romantic adventure - we could live in a 1 bedroom or a studio, we'd get by however we had to and we'd get to explore a new area. Now that we're throwing a baby into the mix, we just don't have the same flexibility and that is what scares me - we need to have a 2-bedroom apartment, we need a new car so we can fit baby+dog+us for all of our trips, we need to buy diapers, and books and spend time with our child much more than we need to go out with friends on Friday and Saturday nights. All of our priorities have suddenly changed - that's not a bad thing, but it is a change that I hadn't fully thought. 

My conclusion from all of this thinking was that I want to get an MBA and I want to get it by the time I'm 30, but I need to find a program that allows me some flexibility. The more I thought about it, the more a part-time MBA program seemed to fit my new needs, especially a program in the area. It would mean that Eric could keep his amazing job, and I could still work part time which would allow us to save some money while I'm in school, cut back on childcare costs, and let me spend more time with the baby. Now, I don't think doing this will be easy by any means, but I think that going part time gives me the piece of mind to know that I can still make sure we're financially taking care of our future while I get my degree (and ultimately, me getting an MBA is really an investment in our financial future). It also gives me some piece of mind to know that our families won't be so far away and that our parents will be able to see their grandchild on a regular basis (and maybe even babysit a weekend or two so Eric and I can go to a movie or dinner or something:). I feel so much better and more energized after thinking this through and coming to my decision about part-time school. I am still going to apply to Harvard and Wharton and if I get in, we'll cross that bridge, but I'm happy to say that I've come to a point in my life where I don't feel like the place I go to school defines who I am. Just because I don't go to Harvard or Stanford or Wharton doesn't mean I'm not as smart or motivated as people who get their MBAs from there and it doesn't mean I'll be any less successful. My priorities are becoming completely different right now and I am finally OK with that and it's an amazing feeling. What feels even better is that Eric has been so supportive during all of this and not once did he weigh in on my decision - he made me make it myself, and told me that we will do whatever we need to do so that I could go to school wherever I wanted to - whether that was full time in Boston or part time in DC. Such a smart man - now he knows I have no one to blame but myself if I end up regretting my decision later (which I don't think I will!).

In other news, we have one more change of plans, but this one, we're not as excited about...we got a call earlier this week saying we'll have to postpone our anatomy scan until after Thanksgiving! We were so excited to see the baby again and find out it's sex, but looks like we'll have to wait an extra week. Now the big day is on November 30. I was soooo hoping to do some Black Friday shopping for the baby, but I guess I'll have to wait :P Plus, we had a really cute plan for telling our families the gender, so now we'll have to think of something different since we won't know when we see them around Thanksgiving. Hmmm.....time to get creative!