After all the tough times, sleepless nights, late-night studies, solving aptitude, reading English articles, memorizing vocabulary, revising formulas, clearing CAT or XAT or NMAT or MH-CET or some other entrance exam and after that giving GDs and interviews, and clearing them too. Finally, you prepare yourself for a b-school you have been eying for a long time.
Phew! That was a long journey. A very long one in fact. And here you stand with your bags and luggage packed, ready to go to your dream (or some other) b-school. All ready to gain knowledge and become future CEOs, CMOs and MDs, etc.
I would like to stop you here for a minute (maybe more than that). Just like you, even I came to a big shot b-school thinking this will be the best thing ever. I will get to learn so much and achieve so much! There are so many committees and clubs to join and people to interact with even you would be thinking something similar. Maybe more.
You are excited, But, somewhere inside your innocent heart, you are relaxed that now it will be all a downhill, same you were told before 10
th& 12
th boards. But life is never easy! The complexity of life increases by each passing hour. So don’t think that surviving the MBA life will be easy because you have cracked the top b-school. You have to compete with an IIT fresher to a founder of two startups. Yeah, that’s the game, sort of!. Sorry, but someone had to throw the truth at you. Better me than your faculties (worse, placements!).
Survival Tips For The First Year Of MBA
Want to make it worse? Scroll down to explore some more myths and realities:
- Keep your Math at your home:
It is going to be a tough journey. Unlike your UG course, PGDM or MBA does not require a lot of mathematics. And honestly, for me, it’s the dull part. More of mugging of the concepts than solving equations. But those concepts are very important more than you can think of! What you can do to learn is self-study. Participate in as many case study competition and events.
- You are a good self-learner:
Because classroom teaching won't do much good to you (I am not suggesting to skip classes) but do the math and figure out yourself who teaches you better. Also, read as much as you can - articles, newspapers, reports. Because MBA is all about the extent of knowledge, and as far as committees and clubs are concerned, be a part of it not just to add another line to your CV. And trust me, it doesn’t matter during placements too. Provided you have other achievements that actually counts.
- Other’s business is other’s business, it's none of your business:
One valuable lesson that you learn at a b-school is leadership. Now let me teach you an important lesson - you don’t have to be a leader everywhere and every time. It eats up a lot of your time. There will be instances where you will get a chance to show your leadership but doing it every time attracts negative attention.
The difference between clubs and committees is needed to be understood. Clubs are to gain skills and committees are to apply your skills. Many people fall for the felony of committee selection and try to get into a committee just to satisfy their ego. For example, if you want to learn photography then join Photography club instead of joining PR. Trust me on this; useless people get kicked out of committee. You can't be an ass in a lion’s skin for a long time. I advise you to know your interests and scope of learning before joining a committee or/and club.
- People can be unreliable:
Another lesson that might come in handy is that people are not always what we think they are and I experienced it during my college event organised by the junior students. Not all good people are bad at heart, and not all soft-spoken are angels.
God! That was some depressing writing. But remember, challenges are everywhere, more are coming, but if you have your priorities right then there is nothing stopping you. Nevertheless, these were a few tips which may help you adjust your new life. Apart from these focus on holistic development, try to enhance your skills and gain as much practical knowledge as you can. Don't lose yourself in the crowd.
Good Luck!
Further Reading:
MBA First Term Ultimate Survival Tips By An IIM Bangalore Student
11 Tips And Tricks For Your First Year At An IIM
MBA Survival Cheat Codes By An Extraordinarily Ordinary Student Of XLRI