When i look back and think about my first two days in Hell, there's a myriad of memories that come flashing by. I knew nobody when I entered college but by the end of those 2 days, I knew at least 50 friendly faces whom I could approach anytime for any help.
Induction session in B-schools is conducted every year by seniors to acclimatize juniors to the B-school culture, giving them a glimpse of what lies ahead for them in a fun way. Every task that is planned in the induction has a rationale behind it which introduces the juniors to a new aspect of MBA life.
1. Everyone is equally qualified
After acing the CAT examination, and making it to one of the top B-schools in the country, it is obvious that somewhere students are over-confident and oblivious of the talent around them. Induction serves as a ground to introduce the junior batch to itself, and help them understand the ground reality that MBA is just a part of life which shouldn't be over-valued and that every person who has made it to the B-school has equal capabilities. It is very important that students learn to respect each other from Day 1 without any shackles of complacency.
2. Deadlines are sacrosanct
Punctuality is one of the hardest habit to develop. And a post-graduation college is definitely the last leg of the academic journey where one can attempt to develop this habit. Fake assignments, projects, and tasks with stringent deadlines are given to the first year students to make them realize the importance of multitasking and time-management, which as future managers they'd anyway have to follow. This is only a small teaser for the enormous academic rigor that students face in business schools. If you want to survive in an environment, where exams are announced an hour before, you need to make yourself ready for burning the midnight oil every single day.
3. Clubs and committees
First impressions matter, for good and bad. On every new encounter with someone, you are being evaluated on the basis of your appearance, your body language, your demeanor, your mannerisms, and how you are dressed. This is very natural as you'd find yourself doing the same to the other person. During an induction, you get a lot of chances to come at the forefront and impress people with your talent. Though, at that point of time it may seem that people are making fun of you, but at the backdrop you're being noticed for your boldness, team spirit, confidence and sporty nature. It helps further in the process of clubs and committee selections, as seniors tend to form a lasting impression of some of the interesting personas in the batch during induction.
4.
Networking
One of the main purpose of doing an MBA is to grow your connections. For two years, in a B-school, everyone is advised to know as many people as one can, for this is a pool of people who are going to make it really big in their respective lives. And trust me, in life, knowing successful people is equally important as becoming a successful person yourself!
Making connections is always easier in an informal environment, and thus induction serves as the first rung of this long networking ladder that all students are expected to climb during an MBA. Try to know the seniors- their journeys, their experiences, their learning, and let them know about yours too! Next few months are going to be stressful for everyone, and it is at that time that these seniors will act as your pacifiers and your go-to-people.