Yes, the first year is a roller coaster ride. IIMs have one of the most robust curricula with more than 30 credits to complete in the first year. The IIMs follow a flipped-classroom approach. The students are supposed to read the textbook material for concepts, then solve the case and then attend the classroom for discussing what they solved. Students are expected to analyze a case and come with a solution before the class begins. It is then the expert faculty presents in the classroom. There are marks for class participation, and you are always under the scanner in the classroom.
It is like everything that happens at the same time. And when nothing happens, you know something is hiding in the corner waiting to consume you by surprise. Life was never so hard as the first year of MBA.
Along with the regular classes, there is a tyranny of surprise quizzes, the group assignments and short deadlines. Then there is a task of creating a CV targeting different sectors, getting it reviewed from multiple people, getting some certifications done. The summer internship preparation is exhausting. The training for the Summer Internship would include the consumption of a lot of reading materials. It ranges from blogs, magazines to MOOCs. This is followed by the targeting of right companies, attending mock interviews, group discussions and solving cases, learning frameworks. Not to forget, one has to keep the grades intact to place oneself in the second half of the normal curve. The student, therefore, is left only with 3 to 4 hours of sleep.
Lack of sleep and the overwhelming work induces tremendous pressure on the students. Some of the students even question their decision of joining IIM. Some will endure the pain and still keep going. Is it all worth it? Let's see.
To me, all the proximate causes are external stimuli. Of course, the students have a choice to respond to all these circumstances in a more balanced way. But I didn't see much of that happen with my classmates and neither with me. So, the question bothered me, why did we choose to take this kind of stress?
Here is my theory; you are free to challenge it. When you get selected into IIM or any premier B-School, it is probably a big deal, and expectations of your family, friends and yourself are high. Fresh from one of the most significant victories of your life, when you reach the campus for the first time, you are quietly confident, ambitious, and ready to conquer the world. Well, guess what, there are 250 people - all thinking the same. Hence, the competition is too much intense, and the environment in the B-School only adds Ghee to the fire. Not everyone can give their best in a regulated environment. Some students can perform better if more autonomy is provided to them. Hence, it takes a couple of terms - and some heartbreak - for people to get used to their place on the normal curve and relax about it. Similarly, after the summer placements are over, students are more relaxed.
The pressure cooker does not run forever. Or maybe it does, when you enter the corporate world. Targets, deadlines, performance appraisals and so on. Corporate is a deadlock as if one is in an infinite loop. Maybe or maybe it is not.