Pre-Chicago post

So I am very excited about my upcoming trip to Chicago. Will finally make this MBA stuff seem like a reality instead of just a crazy idea that exists only in my head. Meanwhile, it looks like I may be juggling motherhood and the MBA after all, as hoped for, but more on that later.

I had a wild idea last week that I was going to apply to Math-Finance programs after all. I even signed up for Chicago's Preparation Course for their MSFM program which you can take remotely. How, convenient. The course is 10 months long and has a Calculus and Linear Algebra Component in each week's lecture. According to them they have good sucess with graduates of the course going on to complete the MSFM and do well. (For those of you who might be interested.) I'm also reading Letters to a Young Mathemetician which is lovely and inspiring, even for a not-so-young wannabe mathematician.

Anyhow, over the weekend, I returned to my senses. The course is $7,500 in total and I feel like my time and money are probably better spent elsewise. If I'm really inspired I can just teach myself more math on the side. There's a lot I could do with $7,500 right now. These math-finance programs tend to be shorter than a typical full-time MBA program but I just doubt that (a) I would get in and (b) that I would be satisfied by it. I was going through Chicago's requirements for the Analytical Finance concentration and getting so excited about the idea of going back to school and taking these classes. Really, the Analytical Finance concentration will probably be quantitative enough and it will be fun to do more than just quant stuff in a program. A little revisit of Economics (my fair subject), a little human resources and marketing stuff might be enjoyable, strategy, etc. I'm really just not a quant. I've got to come to terms with that! What is wrong with me!! I can't even make it through my Financial Analysts Journal without nodding off.

So I'll spend Thursday at Kellogg and Friday and Saturday at Chicago. I'm so glad I was able to take a couple days off work to squeeze this in. Will give the full update here as I go. I have not found Kellogg's site especially easy to navigate though I'm getting used to it now, I think. I was also surprised when I tried to call the admissions office at 9 a.m. this morning (PST) and got a recording that they did not open until 8 a.m. (CST) ... ummmm. But on the other hand, I like it that you can attend several classes and all the info is accessible on their site. Columbia and NYU are really poorly organized in that regard. NYU just finally put up information on visiting classes and the only options that day was one class at 1:15 or several classes from 5:45-9:00p! Unfortunate timing. I had to buy all my tickets already and can't fit in the evening class. (and don't really want to sit in on a 3+ hour class to be honest.) Ironically, the only option at 1:15 was Marketing ... my nemesis. Information available to prospectives is a very good indicator of the school, I think. And Chicago and Wharton get major points for accessibility, ease of organization and fabulous forums. How am I supposed to get excited about a program when it's too hard to find anything out about it?. But lastly, Chicago's Fall Preview is especially impressive. I already loved this school but making themselves so available like this only makes me more excited about it.

Until later.