Adjusting to a Slower Pace

I’m now officially in my second full day of winter break, and pathetic as it sounds, I’m not quite sure what to do with myself. I don’t have cases to read or problem sets to solve, but the sense of pressure hasn’t worn off. I can’t really break the habit – last night, I even went so far as to crack open the readings for a Spring I course. What am I doing?!?

The second-year students keep telling me I just made it through the hardest part of business school, but I will probably only believe that once I’ve made it through the entire two years. To echo my fellow blogger Diana, after Fall Term I, I was convinced I was in the clear, convinced Fall Term II couldn’t be any more crazy than what I had just gone through. Totally wrong – just as hectic, just a different hectic.

Still Plenty to Do

I imagine winter break will probably be the same way – busy, just different busy. Some of the peripheral school “to-dos” I have on my plate for the next 33 class-free days:

• Casing – If you’re considering a job in consulting, you better know how to case. I’ve been practicing, but I still have a lot of “growth potential.” Time to get case cracking!
• Job search – Until you have an internship, this does not end. Actually, no — until you have a full-time offer, this does not end.
• Global Consulting Practicum prep – This spring, I’ll be working on a consulting project for a social enterprise in South Africa. The engagement timeline is short, so my team and I are eager to get a head start!
• Research for Fuqua on Board – I’m working with a non-profit organization in Durham to help them explore some areas for growth. I’ll be conducting some desk research and site visits, as well as writing some reports between the fall and spring terms. Fuqua on Board is offered through Fuqua’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE).

Winter break won’t be all work, though. A few of the things I’m looking forward to are:

• Travel! I’m visiting my parents in upstate NY for a week, and then heading down to warm up in Atlanta for a few days. I’m also hoping to get to DC, where I lived pre-MBA, to visit friends.
• Mini-vacation – My boyfriend and I will be spending the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Asheville, NC. We’re hoping to check out local music and the art scene, as well sample some of the amazing restaurants we’ve heard about.
• Re-discover Durham – I fell in love with Durham when I moved here in July, but haven’t had much time to explore since classes began. Museums, food trucks, and breweries are all on the winter break to-do list!

So with that, I’m off to start chipping away at my winter break plans … I have enough to do that I can probably hold off on the class readings for another week or two!