MBA Unlocked
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It has merely been two months since I embarked on my new journey. The crux of my two years at a premier institute has been laid out in front of me in such a short span of time, that I am unable to fully mull over it. MBA has completely changed the way I think and work. It has made my life precarious, wherein I am always at the edge of deadlines. It took me full two months to finally find the time to write. While my mind was full of thoughts all this time, it couldn’t find enough space to accommodate them coherently. Now that I am writing this down, my mind is so full of feelings and thoughts that they could spill out any moment. So let me take a deep breath, and begin from the beginning.
The session commenced on 4th August. I was one of those clueless students who had a very vague perception of an MBA. Though the course started in the online mode, the very first day made me realize that it wasn’t going to be easy. I remember that Tuesday distinctly as I had to sit through 6 hours of online teaching for the first time in my life. Although the classes were interesting, screen time took a toll on me. As the days passed, we started getting strangled with assignments and it became really difficult for me to manage my time. The classes would start at 9:00 am and end at 6:30 pm on some days. To be honest, I had never sat down at a place for more than 3 hours (that too while watching a movie). By the time my classes ended, I would be completely enervated. This problem continued for the first couple of weeks, but then I got habituated to it. I started maintaining a to-do list to manage my time and work. This proved to be very effective.
One thing that our teachers emphasized on since day 1 is teamwork. We were divided in teams just after a few days of course commencement. The groups made were non-negotiable and each one of us had to learn to adjust with our group members irrespective of our liking towards them. I was a bit intimidated at first, but then, I started getting along with all my teammates. I noticed that each of my group members had strong opinions to put forth and many a times, our ideas weren’t aligned with each other. But there was something special which held us all together in spite of having different opinions. We respected each others’ ideas and worked together towards the best plan.
Initially, I was very uncomfortable with all the work we had to complete in a limited time period. I got very less time for self study. It was frustrating for me as I had to appear for quizzes without preparation and on very short notices. But then, I realized that it was meant this way to pull us out of our comfort zones and compel us to stay on our toes at all times. From what I have experienced in these two months, all I can say is that TIME can be our best friend if we use it judiciously, and a heinous enemy if we can’t manage it well. We have to learn to either befriend it or live with it.
One thing that I observed in this course is that it is not about scoring good marks, it is all about learning. Teachers here don’t teach us, rather, they discuss with us, ask us our opinions, motivate us to interact, and most importantly, explain us concepts through actual case studies. This has helped me evolve in terms of thinking process. I am actually able to apply my theoretical learning to real life problems. And guess what! This is just the beginning, the best is yet to come. The entire format of teaching here is so different and experiential, that I don’t have to study to gain knowledge, rather, I just have to just go with flow by taking part in class discussions, interacting with teachers and colleagues, getting involved in various activities, and what not!
The best thing about MBA is the application part. After around 20 days of session commencement, we were offered to be a part of various clubs and conduits which had a direct impact on the lives of students in campus. Now to get into these, we had to push our way through various rounds of grilling interviews which was an experience in itself. Our seniors composed the interview panel. I was so surprised by the fact that they were just an year senior to us and had grown so much in terms of personality and attitude, that they were able to give us the real feel of an interview by getting the best out of us.
To conclude, I would like to say that MBA is a course which has the ability to show us our our boundaries. It checks whether we have what it takes to survive and excel in life. It helps us know whether we are willing to make a leap to succeed. It distinguishes and recognizes the ones who are willing to give it their best shot. It brings the best out of us by pushing us to the edge. It is completely up to us whether we grab this opportunity or let it go to waste!
