What Noel Told Me About Grad School

Confession: I have not been doing much reflections these days. My school-life has been such a challenge and my work-life is not far behind.

The perpetual demands - and stress - are so draining that one has to pray for daily wisdom, grace, and strength. And for the past couple of weeks, I have felt the pressures from all sides: work, school, family, and ministry. I have to admit that if Jesus were my "significant other," - in reality, he is more than that - he would have broken up with me because of my schedule. But now, more than ever, I am grateful that his grace is sufficient for me, and I find his strength always perfect in the midsts of my failures and weaknesses. He is really the best person one could ever have in his or her life.

This term's set of challenges far outweighed the two previous terms of my first year in grad school. For one, I've been struggling to find my place in my Ethics class. I have to confess honestly that I was a little frustrated with the subject. I told a friend that it's either I have had great expectations from both my professors and my classmates or I have not been really paying attention to the lectures. Quite trivial. But if you know me well enough, you can probably answer that. As I am writing this, there is a slide presentation that I still need to review for our group report next week.

However, after my term paper on trees and personality test including MBTI, cosmology, generation classification, and Johari's window, I have felt a little appreciation of the subject. To give justice to professors who teach ardently, I acknowledge that I have come to understand myself better today because of the discussions we have had during the past ten weeks. Kudos to the Hudtohans for trying to educate us.

Another difficulty I am presently facing is my Management Science class. As of this blog, I have four assignments due on March 25, and my groupmates are either out of town or out of reach! Well, that's just a minor concern. Despite having Sir Dennis as my professor - as you know he's also my favorite professor - and being an accountant, I am scuffling every time I go to class.

Now, with all my school requirements (and my blog quota), I couldn't help it but recall what my late mentor Noel told me about his graduate school experiences. Surprisingly, I found hope remembering his stories in "the eye of the storm."

Pastor Noel was an industrial engineering graduate from U.P. Diliman and he earned his master's degree from Asia Institute of Management. On several occasions, he would tirelessly recount his grad school adventures - and yes, pains - as we would sit down and listen eagerly to his sharing.

One particular story that stuck into my mind was about a very strict professor who would give them five cases every week to read and study and would expect them to come to class prepared. Yes, five cases every week. Most of the students in that class were professionals and entrepreneurs. And on the top of their work responsibilities and business engagements, they had to do well in class. He said, and I remember well, that their professor would start to single out his students to discuss one case or to answer his perplexing questions. Because of this plight, Noel and his classmates devised a plan. They grouped themselves into fives and divide the assignments, then let each student summarize a case, and at least a couple of days before the class, he or she must give the group a copy, so they can study the case. Sounds like Strategic Management, huh? Fascinating, isn't it?

What Noel emphasized as I was listening to his story was that his five-cases-professor predicament made him realize that work never ends - either at school or at the office. Even if you work overtime and on weekends and exert so much efforts, you will never finish everything, and even if you do, there will still be more piling up on your desk the following day. At a certain point or at a certain hour of the day, you have to choose to stop: go home and enjoy the moment of solitude and rest. You have to know which one to prioritize, which one matters most. Grad school taught him that.

It was a lesson he had never forgotten. It is a lesson I must never forget.

Though he joined our Creator about five years ago, Noel's words live on. His MBA lessons, his passion, his faith, and his stories shared to me will always find their way back into my heart every time I need a little encouragement. :)

(unedited)