Getting started

Is a top MBA program worth it? What is the experience like? Will it be as good as most of alumni say? Will it be such a different and amazing experience? I am sure that every single applicant or admitted student has asked himself these kinds of questions. I still keep asking myself about them. Once admitted, and after lots of research from a variety of sources, I’ve somehow persuaded myself that I’m doing the right thing. However, I want some evidence – my evidence – about it. I’d like to tell you all about this and that, about my expectations and achievements, about my academic and personal life, about my joy and sadness, about having fun and feeling stressed,… In short, about becoming and living as an MBA student of a top MBA school. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to record all this for myself and, who knows, it may also be useful for other people like you, who are facing or about to face what I was going trough nearly a year ago.

Before introducing myself, let me apologize for my English. Speaking or writing in a foreign language is not easy and, even if I try hard, I won’t be able to tell you all about things as English native speakers would do. I will do my best, though. And you all will hopefully realize that I will be able to learn new expressions and sayings as time goes by. I don’t mean to write an academic journal, but rather something closer, more personal…and I am afraid that there may be some times when I won’t be able to say things in the way I want. Don’t worry, I will ask for your advise!!

I studied law and economics. After graduation I worked for a small local law firm for around a year and a half and then I had the opportunity to join one of the main law firms worldwide, primarily focused on merger and acquisitions transactions, where I spent around three and a half years. Following such experience I temporarily joined a small corporate finance services firm to get a flavor of the world that I knew from a different perspective and to get some further skills for my MBA adventure.

That’s my professional life so far…Ok, Ok, I have said above that I would like to give some personal insight about this MBA experience, so I think you will need to know a little bit about “me”, not the “professional me”. Damn, it feels weird to tell about oneself and post it on the internet…, Anyway, I’m 28 years old, single, straight, sociable, open minded and great friend of my friends. I should try to be a little more patient, I hate traffic jams and the unreasonable sounding of cars’ horns drives me mad. I love sports and I practice soccer, golf, surfing, skiing,… I also love going out partying with my friends, going to the movies, listening to music and I also like reading a good book. Well, I also enjoy playing with the Playstation (although I am not playing much lately). Now you have the whole picture!!!

It’s been enough for a presentation. Let’s move to the point. In less than a month I will be leaving for The City, for New York City. In particular, I will be heading to the very downtown of NYC, to the east side of the Village, to Washington Square…, still in need for more clues? Don’t think so, it is clear now, I guess. My final destination is the New York University and, more precisely, the Stern School of Business. My target? Stern's full-time MBA.

I have almost - thanks God - finished preparing all the stuff to leave for the US. It is amazing how many things must be done. It may sound silly but, in addition to purely academic requirements (which are quite a lot) I have had to do quite stupid things ranging from buying big enough suitcases to getting a blood analysis to evidence that I am immunized against mumps, rubella and measles (NY state law...no comments) . As the final prize, I will hopefully be executing the credit agreement to finance my studies by the end of next week and then, yes, I will be done.

Today I was lying on a couch waiting for a storm to come (it's been bloody - and uncommonly - hot in my city lately) and I have finally decided to go for this blog thing. It was not in my to-do list but I had been thinking about it for a while. And this first post is the outcome of such determination. I was thinking that this post is quite long and I do not know whether I will be able to write so long posts in the future (due to lack of time or due to lack of things to tell!!) but, well, I am gonna try.

By the way, my nick is a small tribute to my city friends. It is like if I was their representative in NY. One day the name "Rubeo" was made up to name our gang, so I am the Rubeo Boy.

It's enough for a presentation. I am sure I will be coming back to explain many other things. Hope you are coming back too. That would be a good sign.

Ciao!!