Hello! Welcome to a day in my life as a Heller grad student. I am so happy to have you here. While you’re here, please don’t touch anything. My life may look messy, but it is organized. And though it is organized, it is currently balancing delicately on a tightrope and very sensitive to the slightest disturbances. So hands to yourself. And no judgment either! Let’s get started.
7AM: My alarm goes off
7:01 AM: Snooze my alarm (Remember, no judgment!)
7:15 AM: I get my day started to make sure I’m out of the door on time. Every morning usually starts with a cup of coffee and a weather check. Surprisingly, winter hasn’t been bad this year. For a person that loves winter, I am disappointed. But for everyone else, it’s been nice.
8:30 AM: I head out and start my trek to campus. I moved to Massachusetts with a car, but I also moved with my sister who works in Arlington. So most days she takes the car and I get a workout. Fortunately for me, I only live about 20-25 minutes from campus (depending on how fast I want to walk that day). Unfortunately for me, about 15 of those minutes are uphill.
9AM: I arrive at Heller to start my shift as a Graduate Assistant in Admissions. This semester I work Mondays and Tuesdays. I answer emails, do some assigned tasks, and conduct an admissions interview for an MBA applicant (one of my favorite parts of the job). Because my shift is only three hours, time flies by.
12PM: I pack up my things and try to find a quiet corner to spend a few minutes studying. Why? Stay tuned and find out!
12:20 PM: I head downstairs for a meeting that starts in 10 minutes, but I don’t quite make it there because the Zinner forum is all decked out! It’s not just any Tuesday. It’s Valentine’s Day. There are chocolates, cupcakes, and coffee galore! And directly in the middle of Zinner is a table for people to stop by and write affirmations for the special people in their lives. I see a couple of my friends/cohort mates and take the opportunity to grab a treat!
12:30 PM: I head to Heller Alumni Lounge for the Board Fellows Orientation. Social Impact MBA students have the opportunity to serve as a Board Fellow starting their second semester. The program lasts one year, during which students are matched with a local non-profit and serve as a non-voting board member. Though many of us have already attended our first board meeting, this is an opportunity for all of the Board Fellows to come together, talk about our experiences and get insight from the Career Development Center on how to take full advantage of the year. Today, we also get to speak to Sean C. Rush, who serves on the Board of Advisors at Heller. This is a prime example of unique opportunities made available to students.
2PM: As all interesting meetings tend to do, the orientation starts to go a little long, but we end just in time for all of my cohort mates to scramble to an open room and take 20 minutes to panic and study. Why?
2:20 PM: Managerial Accounting. We have a quiz. I go in, sit, get my quiz, say a prayer, and get to work. I finish and go back out to Zinner, where I eat more sweet treats and write a couple notes on the affirmation cards. As my classmates get done, one by one, they start the conversation of “what did you get for this answer” and “I got all A’s for multiple choice”. Normally I don’t engage in these conversations. It is a trap to make you doubt everything you know in the world. I especially don’t engage in this particular conversation because I did not get A as an answer for any of the multiple choice… Eventually, everyone finishes and we all file back into class for the second half, where we learn new information.
5:10 PM: Class is over and I hitch a ride back down the hill to my apartment.
5:20 PM: I take some time to do nothing. This is very important in grad school. Life cannot always be go go go. That is the easiest way to experience burn out early in your grad school journey. Remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself.
6PM: I get dinner started. I love to cook! So this activity doubles as a hobby outside of school and a requirement to stay alive.
7PM: I sit down to eat and check emails. In addition to working at Heller, I also have a part time job as a program manager for a local non profit. This job allows me to set my own schedule. So on days my schedule is a little more packed, this work gets reserved for the evening.
8PM: I start reading for my Thursday class. My general rule for grad school reading is to start at least two days before it is due. If you start the night before, chances are you won’t get to everything.
10PM-11PM: Do more nothing. One thing I truly hate is dreaming about what I am studying at the time. When this happens, I never really feel rested the next morning. So I like to take time before bed to do more nothing, whether that’s watching a show, scrolling on Tiktok, or talking to my parents. Remember, nothing is important!
11PM: Fall asleep thinking about all the things I have to do tomorrow.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my life. As I said before, it is messily organized and hectically balanced. But overall, I love it. I’m still trying to schedule in a few workout sessions a week in addition to my hike up the hill. And I did choose to ignore my laundry today, but all of the doing and not doing comes together to make an abstract picture of me.