MBA Journal: First Semester Overview March 8, 2010, 2:05PM EST

The Soundtrack to My First Semester

"The work gets done, eventually. Processing your week with school friends is more important. What trumps it all is going to bed with a smile"

Story Tools

A first semester in business school is probably best summed up through some sort of interpretive dance.Refusing to be confined to words only, I am supplementing this entry with music."My B-school Playlist" (downloadable here) is a song collection recapping my first semester.

1) Jordin Sparks, Battlefield

Business school is the most intense thing I have done—and that includes fleeing a war-torn country. The pace of classes is brutal and the amount of learning intense. As a career-switcher, I've had to add researching companies and pursuing informational interviews to my plate. The cumulative effect has left me feeling like a medieval soldier fighting an endless battle, fatigued by my heavy sword, but knowing my only option is to stand ground with the rest of my colleagues in arms. Jordin's instructions to "go ahead and get your armor, get your armor" made her my No. 1 choice to get psyched up before trekking to the battlefield—er, school.

2) Bonnie Tyler, Total Eclipse of the Heart

In the month of November, every now and then I fell apart. Georgetown's (McDonough Full-Time MBA Profile) module system left me exhausted by finals in October and panicked at the start of a totally new class session in November. Career research picked up. I attended industry days and conferences, which, while incredible networking opportunities, severely cut into study time. The cold that my roommates and I passed to each other on a rotating schedule made me cranky, tired, and a cough away from losing my grip on class material. Through a tearful phone call, I told my American family I would not be coming for Thanksgiving, needing instead to sleep and be stationary. Getting enough rest engineered a major breakthrough with class material—suddenly, I understood finance. Slowing down was the only way to overcome my eclipse of the heart.

3) Lady Gaga, Just Dance

Because of my insane work ethic, I cut back on most forms of socializing, bringing about Bonnie Tyler above. My friend Bill keeps asking what happened to the Rusmir he knows, as I explain how business school erased the concept of weekends. Mind you, not everyone reads the marketing book cover to cover, but the immigrant in me feels like I have to prove myself. I try to let my hair down during Thursday happy hours, which are an opportunity for business students to drink away their hard week and network with each other. It's been fun watching how our collective belief that you can "just dance and everything will be O.K." has already generated strong friendships, not to mention lots of de-tagging of Facebook pictures. What seems different about Georgetown is that we genuinely want to spend time with each other. Even during breaks, Facebook posts continue popping up inviting the group to some local hangout.

4) The Cast of Glee, Don't Stop Believin'

Few things can cause a content sigh of relief as much as watching a song-and-dance number with your besties from school. Besides being a fun show, Glee was an excuse to stop studying and attempt to find better balance. I came to Georgetown because here we don't compete with each other as much as we compete with ourselves. My work ethic might be on the extreme side, but our Glee hangout is one of the ways I looked for balance. More important than finishing one more finance problem was realizing what would make me happy and boost my energy. In the end, grades don't matter: Few employers will ask for them while the curve ensures most of the class hovers around a B+. As long as I'm happy with my own learning and I am supporting my small group, I'll consider it a successful experience. The work gets done, eventually. Processing your week with school friends is more important. What trumps it all is going to bed with a smile.