You have given your all to CAT preparation, done with the aptitudes, with the long interview processes and have finally made it to the mecca of supply chain management. Many of selected candidates were working before joining a B-school and hence, been away from studies from quite a while. You recall your undergraduate college and think, you have done it before. Now, you expect to sail through the two breezy years of MBA. You think the difficult part is over?
Well, I got news for you, It has just BEGUN. Making to a one of the top B-school is sure is a daunting task but surviving it requires a herculean effort.
The very first thing, MBA is nothing similar to your undergraduate engineering program. You enter the college with loads of enthusiasm and are swarmed with all the activities you can do here. So, it is very critical to utilize this energy in the right manner and not get distracted and also, not to over-commit yourself in the initial months. Let me ask it, What is the very first goal of a B-school student? It is to bag a good summer internship opportunity. So, the kind of activities you are involved in matters a lot.
Now, how do you keep yourself in the direction of achieving this goal?
1.
Stay in touch with Academics: I can't stress enough the importance of this, especially for freshers. The curriculum is tailored well in line with today's industry needs. Be regular with classes. Classroom discussions happen on faculties experiences of providing consulting services. Since Industry employs the consulting services of Professors at NITIE, try to be in touch with them to get to know about recent industry problems and how have they been solving their problems.
2.
Participate in Case studies: Case studies are an integral part of B-school life. You start getting the hang of industry problems and realizing what is expected from you as future leaders. When you join college, there is a line of case competitions waiting to get launched, like AmazonAce challenge, Godrej LOUD, HUL Lime, PnG CEO challenge and many more. Since the MBA has just begun, many of us have apprehensions in participating in these. Let me tell you, if you have made it this far, you have got all you need to decode the case challenges. Also, the winners or campus winners of these cases gain an exceptional advantage in their summers internship process; it can be direct internship offer or direct pre-placement interview.
3.
CV building and preparation: With all the activities happening around you and the mega knowledge transfer sessions happening, you may procrastinate to work on your CV. Your peers in this college aren’t like the ones in your undergraduate one. Here, everyone has similar aptitude as yours. When you enter, the whole batch is at a similar stage but cut to 3 months later, you will see the difference, and you will see the difference in their CVs. So, invest your time to build your CV and then thoroughly prepare the points from an interview point of view because, in an interview, CV is the King.
4.
Networking: Technically, your networking should start before joining the B-school. When shortlisted in a B-school, connect with alumni on Linkedin and ask away your apprehensions. And yes! They do clear all your doubts and answer all your queries. Now, B-school is the place to sharpen your networking skills. Very foremost, NITIE’s environment encourages open talks among peers. Senior batch makes sure that the juniors get familiar with each other and for that they organize various fun activities. Every single person in the senior batch is approachable which makes the networking enjoyable as well. Also, seniors help with their suggestions to choose the course relevant to your CV profile. They help you to connect with their batchmates of the similar profile so that you can prepare your CV well.
5.
Health: Between all these activities, don’t ignore your health. The sleep cycle often gets disturbed with all the deadlines and meetings. You need to make sure that you are having a proper diet and staying healthy because if you aren’t well, it will surely be seen in your performance. Try to be careful with your health.
On the side note, in the midst of all happenings, you will surely make meaningful friendships. Don’t forget to steal the chances of having fun along the way, after all, you are a Student!
- Avneet Kaur
Batch of 2020, NITIE