How my virtual life at XLRI Jamshedpur is providing a holistic MBA journey during the pandemic -By Parth Kumar Saria

The pandemic has definitely halted our day-to-day activities. From college to office, working from home has become the new normal. As someone who had to start their MBA journey during the lockdown, there were a lot of apprehensions. Nevertheless, online inductions have dropped the silver lining on the virtual world we have built around us, and have managed to accommodate us to life at XLRI Jamshedpur. 

The three-day induction program from 7th August to 10th August was packed with everything we needed to prepare ourselves for the challenging journey ahead. From group sessions with psychologists to interactions with our seniors, we were able to grasp a fair idea of how life at XLRI Jamshedpur would be like, all from the convenience of our laptop screens. 

Interactions before the program 

The induction program started from 7th August and took place on Zoom. However, prior to the official commencement of the program, our college had given us the opportunity to interact with our batchmates first. This ice-breaker session was filled with various online games and activities, so we could learn more about our peers. 

Initially, I was intimidated by the smart people I was surrounded with. I felt anxious and wondered if I could ever fit in with such great minds. Surprisingly, this intimidation converted into an appreciation for the wonderful people I was about to be associated with. As I was slowly getting to know about their backgrounds and what their life has been like, I felt fortunate to have the opportunity to form networks with them. 

Preparing for the hectic schedule ahead

Life at XLRI Jamshedpur or any B-school for that matter is not without its challenges. And no matter how much you prepare yourself for the chaos ahead, the realisation hits you only when you (virtually) enter college. In order to facilitate us, the induction program sheds light on what our schedules would be like, and how we could tackle stressful situations. 

The college administrators were quite helpful in giving us a fair idea about what life at XLRI Jamshedpur would be like. They held an interactive session with us where the fundamentals of the course were discussed. Every miniscule detail was highlighted in order to ease out the stress freshers face. 

This was followed by an enlightening conversation with a panel of psychologists who were empathetic towards the hectic schedules that awaited us. They talked about several situations which we might face during this overwhelming journey, and how we can cope with it’s stress in a healthy manner.