After working hard to crack the entrance exams, getting an admission to the best business school can be overwhelming. It is a different environment from your undergraduate, and things fly if you are not prepared well to face the rigor of B-Schools. Here are some tips for first year MBA students to equip themselves to extract the most out of their MBA right from the beginning:
Pre-reads
You get to live in an ecosystem where you learn from some of the best people in their respective fields. The professors meticulously design each course, reading material and case study. All components are hand-picked to fit in their classroom plans. While you might feel that you are doing fine even without the pre-reads, doing pre-reads helps you form your perspective and contribute meaningfully to classroom discussions.
Participate in Class Discussions
In a classroom, you sit with some of the country’s best minds and an experienced professor. Put forward your viewpoints, hear the counter-arguments, assimilate and process different views. You learn to think out of the box, recognize and appreciate others’ opinions and communicate in a professional setting. Nothing else is going to prepare you better for the corporate world!
Utilize Resources
B-School is equipped to provide you with all the knowledge you want. You can avail and explore various resources like the Bloomberg terminals, library and databases for all kinds of research. Do not hesitate to interact with the professors after the class hours for any entrepreneurial thoughts and ideas. Take part in various B-School competitions for further exposure. Attend the guest sessions and workshops being organized by the various clubs and committees to learn about current and upcoming trends in the industry.
Clubs and Committees
There is a lot to learn for an MBA student outside the classroom. The best business schools help you learn soft skills like leadership, teamwork and time management by participating in various internal clubs and committees. You can choose to join the club or committee where your passion lies.
Networking
Many MBA students from and around you will be the pioneers in the industry at some time in the future. Networking is not just adding people as connections on LinkedIn, but indulging in an active exchange of ideas with different people. Try to create a meaningful bond with people that you could leverage at a later stage in life. These connections can help you accelerate your growth in the corporate world with referrals and promotions and allow you to learn more as you interact with more people. Grab every networking opportunity that comes your way!
Read and Discuss News
Always stay updated with the current business and international trade-related news. Have a perspective on at least the critical domestic and international issues. Promote discussion of this news amongst your peers. These discussions would help you relate concepts that you study and apply to the real world and take you a long way for your placement-related preparations.
Don’t Worry About Placements – Focus on Learning
Whether you are a part of a newly founded college or an established IIM, placements are one thing that nobody should focus on. Where you get placed might stay with you for two or three years of your career, but what you get to learn in these two years shall remain with you for lifetime. It will help you grow both professionally and personally. Hence, focus on learning well, placements are bound to happen.
Work on Your Profile
Partake in competitions, explore online courses, build the industry-relevant skill set in all the free time you have. As an MBA student, participate in cultural activities and speak on public speaking forums (toastmasters, open mics, presentations and other opportunities that come your way) to improve your communication and confidence. Work on some live projects and internships (especially for freshers), whenever possible, so that you understand the corporate world a little better.
Take Care of Your Health
MBA life can give you a lot of stress with sacrosanct deadlines, impossible workload, buzzing social life and academic rigor. Everything is equally important, but there is one thing that is more important than all of the above and that is health. People tend to forget about their health in all this chaos with a vague sleep schedule, unbalanced diet and lack of exercise. It is imperative to take some time out to invest in your health to sustain your efficiency for all of the two years.
Enjoy
Last, but probably one of the most essential points – enjoy! Cherish each moment you have in your college. These are the people you will take along with you, and these are probably the last college life memories you will make. The endless meetings, sleepless nights, the chaotic mornings, the lazy afternoons – everything will come back to you in a nostalgic blast when you leave the college. Enjoy each and every moment while you can!
About the Author
Sparsh Heda is a part of the IIMU family, from the batch of 2021. Sparsh has explored his interest in computer science and is now aspiring to be a product manager. He is enthusiastic about technology and gadgets and anything on wheels, and spends a lot of time browsing through blogs, vlogs and articles about them. He has a keen interest in graphic designing, painting and, of course, writing. On a chill day, you could expect to accompany Sparsh on his exotic food quest and long drives! You can connect with him on LinkedIn.