Letter of Acceptance: Let the Moving Process Begin!
When you finally receive word that a dream of yours is coming true, you would think it would begin to feel tangible. The letter in my hand notifying me I have been accepted to the Arts and Cultural Management program at the Paris School of Business was literally tangible when I received it yesterday morning. The fact that I am going to be departing San Francisco, my home for eleven amazing years, to study art in Paris has not yet sunk in.
The problem is, even if I cannot mentally wrap my head around it, I have to keep moving forward to make all this happen in less than 14 weeks!
Yesterday was step one: GIVE THEM ALL MY MONEY!
Over the course of the past year, I have been taking on numerous part-time and freelance jobs to help build up my savings again post-divorce. I worked as a grant writer, event coordinator, stage manager - and every odd job in between. I was so proud of my savings. I used Harvest to track my work (highly recommend if you are embarking on freelance work) and each hour I logged made me feel so good. I am incredibly competitive with myself, and this became my newest game. I thought I would of been sad draining 18,000 euro out of my account yesterday, but it felt great knowing I was paying for my dream.
Why send that much at once? Well, the French require at least a down payment to start your visa application. With a down payment I would receive a document entitled "Attestation d'inscription". But to receive my Student Resident Permit ("Carte de Sejour") I would need to pay the full amount before departing. I figured it was best to do it all in one clean sweep!
In the grand scope of things, when looking at grad schools, 18,000 euro for 12 months is not bad (longer for the 18 month program). The average MBA in the United States currently costs around $26,000 - with top tier schools easily costing $100k+. While this was not a deciding factor, it is a huge plus!
Next up this weekend will be applying for apartments. While I am excited to "shop" for my dream Paris apartment, we are on a tight budget and nervous about the process. If you have any advice, leave it in the comments below!
