The End. A Beginning...

6/14/07

It's Thursday of finals week in Spring quarter. Girls are wearing summer dresses and despite the heat, there's a cooling breeze. Mike and I are going out tonight to party. It feels like this may be the first time we actually party like college kids. He has no MCAT to study for, and I have no job interviews. While I'm very excited about tonight, it feels like I'm unsuccessfully chasing a forgotten dream. The kids have gone home, the party is over and finally I'm ready for the life I chose to avoid.

I entered college striving to be better than everyone else. I didn't party, I didn't drink, and I aced my classes. I'm graduating with a 3.9 GPA, a job, and a few life partners. With these accolades, many would say, "mission accomplished." I'd say I barely tapped the potential. While Heather and Mike are both life-long friends, I didn't meet enough people. Most of my time was spent sober in my dormroom trying to improve my mind. From these past few months I've realized there's just as much to learn from life experiences as there's from books. She once said, "I'm a better man," for having not been irresponsible during my college years. I hope She's right.

While I can't redo these last four years, I can strive for more life experiences in the future. While investment banking isn't known for easy hours, my free time spent away from studying the CFA should be dedicated towards enriching my life memories: Explore Los Angeles, date, have fun and make more friendships. My dreams of family, and material comfort will be even richer if I pursue these goals.