Managing Management – My First 45 Days At SPJIMR

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