Back at the start of the year I applied to USC (Marshall) and UCLA (Anderson) for my MBA. I heard back from USC at the start of March and found out that I got in! I was pretty excited because USC is in the top 25 for full-time programs and in the top 5 or 10 for part-time.
I called Mom to tell her so she could share in my excitement and the conversation went something like this:
"Hey Mom, guess what!"
"What?"
"I got into USC's MBA program!!! Cool, huh!"
...
...
unusually long pause...
"That's, uh, that's good. So when do you hear back from UCLA?"
I totally called her on her lack of enthusiasm and we both thought it was pretty funny. For anyone reading this who doesn't know, Mom did her undergrad at UCLA. She has everything from a UCLA license plate to the entire UCLA student store catalog to UCLA toe socks.
I didn't hear back from UCLA until March 27. Wait listed. Lame. I guess the wait list is better than a rejection but it brings back uncomfortable memories of asking girls out on dates and being given ambiguous excuses when they turned me down.
The USC deposit was due on April 15 (I don't know why they picked Tax Day of all days) and I didn't expect to hear back from UCLA until the end of May at the earliest so I paid it. I bit the bullet and risked death, ridicule, and being written out of the will to tell Mom that I was committing to USC for the next 3 years (my almost huge mistake).
Mom was very understanding. With the tone of voice she usually reserves for counseling a wayward child who's gotten into drinking or genocide she told me she understood and would forgive me for my obvious lack of character.
Then 3 weeks later I got a phone call. I was at a meeting at the time so I missed it but when I came back and listened to the message I was somewhat concerned. The lady on the message identified herself as a manager from UCLA admissions but spoke with such an intense tone that I thought there must be something seriously wrong with my application!
Fortunately for me I was wrong. When I got a hold of her the next day she congratulated me and offered me a spot at Anderson. AWESOME, HUH?!?!
Just in case you think I'm a liar here's the letter :D
I'm thinking that with work + new baby + school this Fall will be pretty busy. I'll be attending classes either all day every Saturday or Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. For the next 3 years (well, 33 months). Whew.
On a positive note I figured out how to reduce my commute time!
Vanity shot of me in my riding jacket
My other new baby girl (definitely a she; she's only 250cc)
Another vanity shot; Isn't my helmet cool!
7 comments:
Very cool about UCLA, although I was there when you called mom (we were at the zoo), and I didn't hear the genocidal tone. And the only thing cool about the last photo is the helmet.
AWESOME!! Congratulations, Tom!!
Super sweet bike. I think if we lived in a place with better weather suited for motorcycle riding that Jake would still be begging for one, too!
Congratulations! I hope things won't be awkward between you and Jason now that you're officially UCLA. :( Promise it won't devolve into fisticuffs. Love the motorcycle pictures, though!
Congrats on UCLA.
Did you hang your silver bell on your bike? It is nearly as important as the helmet. Ride Easy Sweetie.
Well done Tom! Now, if Mom realizes that there might be something she doesn't have from the UCLA bookstore yet, you can pick it up for her! So convenient! And no worries about Fall--you can totally do work, school, and baby as long as you all laugh and love. :)
That is awesome!! I really like your bike and jacket, but dude, whats with that helmet?
We're so happy for you Tom! Life will always be busy - that doesn't mean it won't be GREAT! You guys have some exciting years coming!
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