Before joining any BSchool, the only concern that we have is to enter a good BSchool, don’t you agree? Who has the time to think what will happen after making the cut? But here’s the thing! If you are not prepared beforehand, you will be busted with surprises and if not able to cope up, you might just give up all the hopes to level up. Of course, if you are getting into a top BSchool, you will get a job, but is it enough?
When I joined MDI Gurgaon, all that mattered to me were my past struggles and the pride of making it to one of the top 10 B-Schools of India. But that pride was busted within 2 days! I was not just amazed by the diversity of skills but also by the diversity of personalities. I knew I have a lot to take away from the 2 years I was going to spend here but I also wished someone told me these 6 things before I joined college –
Everything is going to be random, so breathe!
Three months into your MBA, you will realise that you can’t claim to be better than anyone sitting next to you. If you are in a particular B-School or you have got a particular job, it’s because, first, you are lucky and second, because you are talented. The entire process happens to be quite random. You can just give your best and not hope for miracles to happen. While your talent and skills will definitely play a big part, they will also be often subjected to luck. But once you get the chance, it is only your talent and skills that will speak and so you must focus on building up your skills. So while BSchool students are often found worrying over this, it’s not worth it. What is worth is it to breathe peacefully and let things come your way.
The term VUCA will be relevant than ever before
Entering into a top BSchool doesn’t guarantee a bed full of roses. Take COVID-19 for example which has disrupted the life of every single person. It happened at a time when we BSchool students were about to join our respective companies for summer internships and most of them have now been converted into Work from Home internships, something never thought of before. It’s a new experience for everyone and the term VUCA is what we are living real-time!
Competition will be high and you need to be ready to feel less insecure
An MBA degree has a lot to offer. It will make you more confident and you will be ready to face all kinds of situation. But when you enter a B-School, you will realise how little you know compared to your peers. It is important to always stay updated and leave no opportunity to learn something new. It is also important to not waste time after BSchool interviews and get yourself ready for the two years ahead by taking up courses and reading newspapers regularly.
Improving your PPT skills will go a long way
Before joining BSchool, I was always told that you will learn the art of making presentations while at BSchool. While it might be true for some, most people never end up learning it for real until they do their summer internship. And those who don’t tend to fall behind those who have mastered it pretty well. Case study competitions from various companies form a very big part of BSchool life and is one of the best ways to learn about the industry and apart from your thinking and research skills, it is PPT skills that will come very handy!
FOMO will be at all-time high if you don’t know how to manage it
At B-Schools, we fall in the trap of following the crowd, big time! And the problem occurs when we start following everybody’s random stuff instead of the productive ones. There will be competition, there will be jealousy and born out of that, there will be FOMO which one needs to let go of. You must do what is best for you in the long term, not what everyone else feel is right. If you feel a particular course is good for you, don’t ask! Just do it. You will eventually learn how to be a part of the crowd while standing out. You will learn how to network while at BSchool while pursuing your own goals and projects.
Learning personal finance will help you throughout your life
Once we get out of a BSchool with a handsome salary in hand, how many of us know how to actually manage that money? While B-Schools will give you an idea for sure, you will have to learn most of it yourself, especially if you are not specialising in finance. Managing personal finance is not a rocket science and learning it online from Youtube or through online courses on Stock Market and Alternative Investment Methods is pretty easy. Once you do it, take my word, you will appreciate investing your time in it more than anything else in your life.