More than Money...indeed!

Just thought I'd share a little bit about my journey so far. I was able to submit my Harvard & Stanford apps and am feverishly completing my Stern app as we speak, but it's been an incredibly amazing experience to say the least. I've learned so much about myself than I had originally imagined and I know that wherever my lucky stars take me, I am living life with a sense of purpose.

Today, I was able to wake up bright and early to attend the MBA Preview Day at the UC Davis GSM. Some of you are probably wondering why I've decided to consider this particular bschool, but first up, I was inspired by a special somebody who went through the program and had such awesome things to say about it that I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to indulge my curiosity. As it happens, they have a small, but wonderfully active Net Impact org whose members are so down to earth and genuine. I was fortunate to meet both of the co-presidents today during my time on campus and they were very supportive of my decision. So, I'm not sure how many of you bloggers out there know, but Net Impact is this national network of bschool students who have the passion to use their MBA to create social value. Yes, MBAs do have a moral code of ethics, contrary to what the incidents on Wall Street may lead you to believe. In any case, last week, the founder of Net Impact, Mark Albion, came to the Davis GSM to speak to their students and I thought, "WOW...how cool is that!" Every year, top bschools from around the U.S. send their best and brightest to attend the Net Impact Conference; this year, it was held at Wharton and next year will be at Cornell! If I should be so lucky, I would like to count myself in the group of attendees. We'll just have to wait and see. In any case, Albion also wrote a really neat book, More than Money, and from what I hear, it's going to be on my books to read for 2009 list for sure!

I think that regardless of where your MBA dreams will take you, it's important to nurture your values and incorporate them in your path to success. If it's anything we learned from Wall Street's plummet it is this: There are always going to be difficult choices you'll have to make and unfortunately, those of us who are not guided by our own moral compass will make poor decisions that will ultimately cost us in the end. For the rest of you who know why you want an MBA and what you hope to do with it, I hope that you do it with a sense of compassion and humanity and that you won't become the dreaded 'one of them' because if that's what really what your life is all about, then my friend, you have some serious rethinking to do. Maybe this is why I love Essays 1 for Stanford so much: What do you value and WHY? As I penned my words, I realized that I am quite fortunate to be doing a job that speaks deeply to my values. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard people complain about their jobs and how they hate it. What does this mean essentially? In my book, this means you need to start thinking about who you are and what matters to you. If you can find the answer, then start living your life to reflect those ideals.

So, check out the video and let me know if what Albion says resonates with you...it already has for me.