Internship countdown

I return to the working world on Monday and I have to admit, I'm pretty anxious ... not quite up-all-night anxious, but definitely churning-stomach anxious. According to my boyfriend (who at the moment is unhelpfully located in London), this anxiety has made me a bit sensitive; a bit testy. Probably true, but in my mind, totally justified.
For a born worrier, there's just so much to stress out about. First: proving myself. I've spent the past 9 months at Darden working incredibly hard on subjects that were initially quite foreign to me. During my internship, I'm really hoping to prove to myself and others that this was time and energy well-spent. But what if I can't? What if instead of confidently applying concepts and frameworks, I fumble and flail? (See, this IS scary stuff.)
Second: learning as much as I can. During Q4, I took a class called Establishing Yourself at Work. In several class discussions, my peers and I talked about how we could position ourselves to both learn as much as possible, and provide as much value as possible to our summer employers. It's a tough balancing act and I want to make sure I do it right. And again, what if I can't?
Third: adjusting to work outside the newsroom. As I've mentioned a number of times on this blog, I'm a former journalist who is switching to the business side of media. I've been lucky enough to land an internship that helps in that transition, but I'm worried about how it'll feel to work "on the other side." So far I haven't missed writing and reporting, but what if I find that I do now? Or that the skills I used so effectively as a reporter don't translate as well as I'd thought?
Clearly, there is enough here to keep me in a tizzy for the next 48 hours and distraction is in order ... That's my cue to step away from my computer and explore DC.

Packing up

After a relaxing two and a half week break from Charlottesville, I have returned and now face the dreaded task of packing. Picture this: two open suitcases, a bed full of clothes and shoes strewn everywhere. Sigh. You'd think that after more than a dozen moves, I'd learn how to pack efficiently, but given the state of my bedroom, this is clearly not the case. Like my mother, I'm an over packer -- especially when it comes to months-long relocations. And that's what this is. On Thursday, I depart for a three-month stint in D.C. where I have a business development internship with a large media company. I'm pretty excited. Not only am I interning in an industry I love, but I've been assigned a great project and have the opportunity to live in a city I've always liked.
The only hurdle, of course, is filling these suitcases.

A much needed break

I'm home! After a 10 hour drive (with two shrieking cats), I arrived at my mother's house in East Greenwich, RI last night, utterly exhausted. It wasn't just the drive that did me in. I also blame the two weeks of craziness that marked the end of my first Darden school year. See, before I left town, there was a long list of things to be done. On the practical side: taking exams, finishing class projects (including the infamous Enterprise Leadership Audit), updating club websites, packing for a summer away and cleaning my apartment. And then there were the social events: the barbecues, the bonfires, the bar nights and the aptly-named "End of the World" party. Combine the two and you get a schedule with nary a minute to relax and recover.
So yeah, it's good to be home. Not only am I looking forward to spending Mother's Day with my mom for the first time in 10 years, I'm also hoping to get a little rest before my summer internship begins June 1. I'm off to a good start. Last night, I slept for a solid 10 hours. It was almost enough to make up for my 10 hour drive.

One more exam

... four hours of Data Analysis and Optimization, and likely 20+ pages of hypothesis tests, regressions, sensitivity reports and scatter plots, and my first year at Darden will come to a close. Now, I've said many a time that the months have rushed by, but these last couple in particular seem to have passed at warp speed. I mean, wasn't Spring Break just last week? Uh, no, it wasn't. In fact, I've apparently sat through 75 classes (5 courses) between then and now. But really, that's how it feels.

And this is something I hope my peers and I conveyed to the hundreds of prospective students Darden hosted last weekend for Darden Days: the time goes quick, so engage in and enjoy as much as possible.

Throughout this year of tremendous highs (internship offer!) and devastating lows (Q1 confusion), there are definitely moments when you need to lock yourself away in your apartment and bust out a few spreadsheets. But the more memorable moments, to me at least, are those when you're out engaging with the rest of this incredible community ... the girls' nights at Continental Divide, the section parties at abandoned frat houses (oh, only our section did that?) and the club receptions at Dean Bruner's. When stress levels are at their peak, real, rest-of-your-life friendships are forged. To me, that's been the best thing about Darden. Yes, I've learned a ton. Yes, I'll go into my internship prepared and confident. But most of all, yes, I'll walk away from this year feeling a part of a community.

I hope the Class of 2011 got a taste of what that's like at Darden Days. Friday night's dinner at King Family Vineyards highlighted Darden at it's finest. The setting was absolutely beautiful, the food and drink were plentiful and the company was phenomenal. I honestly have no idea how anyone could walk away from that event unsure about coming here in the fall.