June 18, 2018. The day had finally arrived. After over a month of preparation (mostly mental), I came to Andheri with heavy suitcases and an even heavier heart. It was the first time that I was going to stay away from my family, and I had reached peak
Taare Zameen Par levels of withdrawal and sadness. There were times when I questioned myself – especially my reason to pursue an MBA. Self-doubt was not something I was not used to, but my reaction for that was the same as everything else - sleep over it, get over it. Little did I know, sleep would be the scarcest commodity in the days to come.
So, after a long journey of 15 km (I was shifting base from Mumbai to Mumbai), I finally reached the much vaunted SPJIMR Boys’ Hostel. This place was subjected to much speculation, with varying reports about the facilities (depending on who I asked, the common bathroom would either be a luxury spa or the Chamber of Secrets). I quickly built a rapport with my roommate, at least in my own mind. This was a major achievement for me, considering my supreme social skills. Elated, I mustered the confidence to smile at some strangers I met in the common room and even started a conversation or two. ‘I am acing this networking thing’, I thought to myself, as I set out for my very first lecture.
Soon enough, I was knee-deep into the waters of academic rigour, post a very interesting case study that made my nights longer than an Ashutosh Gowariker movie. Even though sleep times were largely flexible, attending lectures was non-negotiable. Unbeknownst to me, I was slowly getting into the habit of waking up early (and getting stuff done in the morning as well), something that I had failed at doing for 23 years of my existence. As for the lectures themselves, they were of a higher quality than any that I had ever experienced. The level of teaching was a revelation to me, having been largely cynical about the value of attending lectures so far. The quizzes, too, were of an incredibly high pedigree, even the ones that we were warned sufficiently in advance about (and such occasions were few and far between). Having been a proponent of open-book tests, I soon came to realize that more than books being a friend, time was an enemy in such quizzes.
The first month was filled with lectures, quizzes, seminars, launches, and what not. I did a lot of things for the first time in my life, which included taking notes in class, waking up at 7:30 on a daily basis and getting ready for classes, washing my utensils, taking care of laundry schedules. In between all this, I was getting closer to the group of friends I had come to SPJIMR with but had not made many new ones. In fact, some people had already started asking me why I refused to make eye contact when passing them by in the corridor. All this would change, however, after the Personal Growth Lab.
Before setting out for the PG Lab, I was praying that I should not be separated from my group. Talking to new people has never been my forte; instead, I have always preferred to 'latch on' to the one person that I know really well. For most of my life, that one person has been my brother. Growing up, we were inseparable, which meant that whenever we had guests or went to meet relatives, he was in charge of public relations. All conversations with others would be handled by him, and I would just smile and look pretty behind him. Once I entered college, I hid behind my other friends, choosing to just politely nod as they interacted with new people. But, much to my dismay, when the groups were finally formed, I realized that I had no one to hide behind. Sure, I knew a couple of people, but they were the kind that I would raise my eyebrows in acknowledgement if I met them in the corridor, not ones that I would stick to at all times (even when they probably did not want me to). In my world, that's a big difference. Through my experiences in the PG Lab I ended up bonding with more people than I had ever thought possible. So much so, that I actually tried to be in a couple of photos by the end of the trip.
So, how exactly have I changed after my first 45 days being in a premier B-school? Have I suddenly become a master of finance, marketing, economics and organizational behaviour? As an ex - and hopefully future - consultant, my answer to that is not going to be no (never say you can’t do something). But, more importantly, SPJIMR has taken me out of my comfort zone. It has taught me how to live by myself (so long as my parents keep sending me food daily and I get to visit home twice a week). It has gifted me world-class education – there have been times that I have just felt privileged to be attending a lecture in class. It has provided me with a chance as well as an inclination to work on things that I never worked upon in my undergraduate years. It has given me multiple scars because of mosquito bites. But most importantly, it has given me infinite memories within just the first month and a half. And I am sure, that when I finally get a chance to reflect on these memories, I will realize that, more than anything else, I am happy here.
Tilak Vaidya
PGDM - Class of 2020