To the MBA class of 2021

It’s the first fortnight of July and sessions in MBA Institutes are rapidly getting into full swing. The times of Induction are over and slurry of periodic tests or surprise quizzes would have begun. Students with prior work experience would be finding it difficult to sit in classes for 90 minutes at a stretch & memorizing theories, and students who have just landed into the hallowed campuses fresh from their breezy-easy-peasy graduate degree would be recalibrating their lives according to the insanity that is also known as 1st year of MBA!

 In the midst of these high intensity schedules, and almost a Pandora’s box equivalent of experiences on offer, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and lost. Time seems to run like a flash and pressure to deliver is a lot, not to mention the added stress of a hefty educational loan that many have to take.

 So, how to maximize the ROI of this huge money and time, and be confident that after 2 years of being in this oyster, the world is ready to discover the pearl that will be you?

1.  Become Empowered: First things first.. a great comp package is not the only thing to look out for. Whether you seek a campus placement, or keen to eventually start-up your own biz, know that the world is changing at a much rapid speed. Organizations can revoke their offers, the Company you join can be sold after 2 years, there can be an internal restructuring making your role redundant, or some policy regulations can totally wreck your start-up. Use this time to become EMPOWERED & AGILE, so that whatever the circumstances are – you are armoured to win, sometimes by changing yourself and sometimes your environment!
2. Acquire the Entrepreneurial Approach: Take courses in Accounts, Marketing, Communication, Analytics and Human Resources. No matter what specialization you choose later on, understand these subjects really well. A thorough understanding of P&L will always win you brownie points. Traces of Marketing and Communication will be evident in most projects and assignments that you will do. Analytics will make you comfortable with scattered data. And finally, Human Resources – because, come-on, till the time Robots take us over, people are still going to be your ‘biggest assets’ and ‘biggest liabilities’.
3. Adapt a Growth Mind-set: Apart from learning your curriculum, learn how even unrelated technologies & trends can have implications in your field of study. Eg, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Together, these four words will have potential to fundamentally change the future of work. So many jobs will be obsolete and so many more will be created within a decade of your careers. Be Curious!
4. Embrace Diversity: The kind of social, cultural, economic and thought diversity that you will encounter will be much higher than anything you have experienced before. There will be people vastly different from your beliefs, and that is okay. Don’t shun them, interact freely & frequently. A similar set of people will be your customers, clients, employees one day, and will be a major source of your revenue or cost. Understand the quirkiness associated with each diverse group and you will be a much more effective and emphatic business and people leader later on.
5. Use the Library, a lot: Not to sleep, hopefully. You’ll never get this expanse of study material and access to magazines / papers later on. On the same note, interacting with your professors a little more can be helpful as well!
6. Participate in Fests, join Committees: Pick your area of interest, and join at least one formal or informal committee. Yes, it will seem exhausting sometimes, and pointless many times, but it will give you a bucketful of useful experiences and a great set of friends.
7. Interact with Organizations: Do live projects, participate in corporate contests. These activities will not only help you develop your problem-solving, presentation & articulation skills, but will also give you a brush of different Organization / industry cultures. And a big nice check / PPI if you win!
8. Become Accountable: Many projects will be group based. Whether your Institute creates the groups, or you get to choose your own, learn to draw clear lines of accountability in work. Don’t let dominating self-appointed team leaders and the inevitable freeloaders take advantage of you, and be careful of not leaning onto others as well. Be fair in the work that you do.
9. Distinguish Friendship from Networking: Find / be a pal who gives straight feedback & will be right there in times of need. On the other hand, an alum network is one of the biggest payoffs of getting into an elite institute. As the world is tilting towards outsourcing, your success will be measured through not only what you achieve individually, but also what you can get done. Personal connects go a long way.
10. Enjoy your Campus: Good MBA institutes offer the most stunning campuses and infrastructure. Pick your choice of sports or hobbies. Hit that ball, take a walk, smell the flowers and breathe in the fresh air! 

You may work for 10 years or 30, join 5 Organizations or found your own, but this experience will be the only one many will get in their lifetime. It’s going to be a never-seen-before, full-of-fun-and-stress roller coaster ride of your life so far. Learn a lot, make plenty of friends, discover yourself and enjoy the freedom! Hope these little nuggets will boost your journey.

All the best!