Isn’t life funny? This time last year I would never have imagined that I’d be sitting here writing this today. I was literally on the other side of the world, living in Washington DC, enjoying a muggy summer and reflecting on what was coming next. Now I am back home in Perth and half way through an MBA at the University of Western Australia (UWA).

I was in a unique position as I sat contemplating my next career move; I had personally witnessed the transformational power of an intensive MBA program. I spent two years in Durham, North Carolina as my husband undertook his own MBA program. I saw him and his friends blossom into the next generation of business leaders and develop everlasting bonds with their classmates.

Once I had made the decision that I, too, wanted to experience the transformational power of an intensive MBA program, I then faced the much harder question – Where was I going to undertake this program? At this point I wasn’t even aware of the UWA MBA Full Time Intensive program, but once I looked into it I knew there was only one option for me and that was to be a member of the second UWA MBA Full Time Intensive cohort. I was sold on the small cohort experience, the beautiful campus, the world-class academics and the incredible business connections that could help me settle back into life in my hometown.

I was not going into this blind, I had seen the downs; the late nights studying, the pain of recruiting and the occasional question of whether it is all really worth it? However, I had also seen the ups; the excitement and learning opportunities, the unique team bonding experience, the access to business leaders and the quiet confidence that comes with knowing you are going to make it to the end and come out the other side a better person and leader.

I came in to this program with high expectations of what I was hoping to experience and achieve from my UWA MBA journey and, as I hit the halfway mark, I am pleased with how great the experience has been so far. I learn new skills everyday from my talented professors and gain priceless insights from the numerous industry leaders who so generously give up their time in support of the program. A highlight for me has been an integration day at Claremont Quarter where we received a behind the scenes look at this successful western suburbs institution.

To complement this in-class learning I also learn so many valuable lessons from the amazing group of people I have the honour of sharing this experience with. From the first days of the program where we survived the team-building ropes course we have continued to learn from each other’s diverse backgrounds and we continue to challenge each other to look at things in new ways and develop as leaders.

Even with all the hard work and time pressure we always manage to make the time to have a laugh, help each other succeed and celebrate all the great things we have achieved along the way.

So if you are wondering, “is it the right time for me to do an MBA?” or “will it be worth the pain?” I resoundingly answer “yes!” There is no question that you will be challenged and that there will be late nights and tough assignments. But with that challenge comes so many great things.