DONE!!!!!

Lifted from my status update on Facebook:  "After months of indecision, visits, GMAT-ting, fretting, rebecca black parodies, procrastination, blogging, introspection, and of course, writing, I clicked submit for the *hopefully* last time. DONE!!!"

******

Mood: Euphoric.  I just clicked "submit" for my last application, just minutes before the midnight deadline, and was immediately filled with a flood of relief.  Well, actually to be honest I was initially filled with panic because the message that immediately appeared after read:  

 

"Thank you for submitting your application for admission to the Berkeley Full-time MBA program. Your application was received at 1/18/2012 and you will be considered for Round 3."

ROUND 3?!??! WHAT!! And then I pulled myself together when I remembered that Haas has 4 rounds, and Round 3 is actually pretty much like Round 2. WHEW.

After 1+ years of thinking, researching, not-deciding, deciding, and finally committing to apply, I'm finally DONE!! As in finished, dunzo, ultimo, EL FIN!

Well. sort of.  I have an interview with a Kellogg alum next Monday and plan on fully debriefing my essay-writing and application debacles in my next, more complete post, including reviewing the resources I used.  But I wanted to quickly squeak out this post, because I am SO SO SO GLAD to have all my apps in!!!

Today was quite the climactic end to my application-preparing journey.  Yesterday, we received our first major snowfall of the year in my dear PNW city, and today, what was remained was slush.  Wikipedia shut down last night, which in retrospect was probably a good thing as it kept me from further procrastinating.  It was also coincidentally my mother's birthday, and instead of going out to eat (raincheck for tomorrow!) I plowed through final revisions and finishing touches in our kitchen as she fed me dumplings.  I know, I'm quite lucky :)  AND to top it off, as I was going through my Haas essays one final time with a fine-toothed comb, I received a random email from a gal with the last name of Haas (no seriously) as part of a list-serve that I'm still subscribed to from my undergraduate days.  A good sign? I'll take that!

Things I will be excited to resume in my life:

5. Going to the gym.  It's about time I get started on these pesky new year's resolutions!

4. Going to concerts (seeing All American Rejects this weekend to celebrate...my inner pre-teen is dying of excitement right now!)

3. Resuming my TV watching.  Apparently, a girl from my alma mater is a contestant on The Bachelor this season....I watched a short clip of her rapping about epidemiology and all I can say is... Homegirl better represent!

2. TRAVEL!  I put off all major fun-trips during the last few months of applying, including accompanying my best friend to her sister's wedding in Israel.  I just saw this video, which renewed my excitement for travel and I kept listening to the piano music to get through my essay writing.  I cannot wait to resume planning for my next adventure (which I'll confirm once I get in to a school...provided I get into a school).  Galapagos?  Patagonia?  Suggestions?!

1. Not living every moment wondering if I should be working on my application.  That last month of applying, I lived, breathed, and dreamed b-school applications.  Just like I did with the GMAT, though this time there was a firm deadline, none of that Round 3 business for me!  If I was eating breakfast, I was reading Montauk.  If I was stair-climbing at the gym, I was going line-by-line through my essays on my iPhone, making sure they expressed what I wanted.  The times I did go out with friends, I'm pretty my applications came up at some point in our conversations, and I kept thinking I should be in front of my computer revising instead.  Wow.  I can't believe I was that person, and they're probably as relieved as I am that I'm done!

Okay, after typing, deleting, and re-typing incessantly for the last few hours/days/weeks/months, I'm ready to take a break and head to bed early (relatively).

A more detailed and coherent blog post to come this weekend!!

~ still doing my happy dance for being finished ~

~Mango