Managing MBA Life Is Not A Piece Of Cake-By Chaitanya Sethi From IIM Indore
Term 1 was like London in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. It was the best and the worst time for me. On one hand, I was glad to be in a place that was truly pushing me in more ways than just academically. On the other hand, as an amateur juggler trying to balance pre-reads, quizzes, assignments, guest talks, competitions, and others, I felt I was always on the verge of dropping the proverbial ball, hoping against my hope. I have heard several stories about the B-school schedules. However, for me, managing MBA life was a different experience. I was determined to hone my managerial skills. With the benefit of hindsight, hitting a roadblock was inevitable.
When I was managing my MBA life
Mine came in the form of a quiz in the month of August, in a sweet spot in Term 1. It is like when you’ve made peace with the madness but haven’t quite figured out how to navigate it properly. I had barely slept and I was trying to make sense of the odd clauses in accounting which seemed entirely Greek to me. I ended up copying some numbers incorrectly. When I realized it later, I chalked it off as a silly mistake. Within that week, I ended up doing the same thing in another quiz. This time, I also blanked out. I saw the furrowed foreheads of my friends, scribbling intensely. While I took precious time to gain my senses and realized that I was attempting an exam and losing my grip.
I don’t remember the outcome of the exam. I suppose it was average. But it got me thinking. What was the point of staying up late and studying so hard? My insomnia has always been a serious issue for me. I was not getting enough rest. While the hurricane of my MBA kept walking with me. I decided to take a break to sleep well.
When I decided to do things that made sense to me
I knew I had to prioritize my burgeoning list of activities and organize everything. After spending two months into the program, I thought of conquering the world. I decided to manage my pre-reads, quizzes, assignments, guest talks, corporate competitions, and other things. This time, it was better. Instead of doing everything, I decided to do things that made sense to me. Was it the right thing to do? I don’t know. Did I miss out on things? Absolutely. Was it different? No.
I guess I decided to write about this because when we join, people suggest you do things in different ways. But very few delve into it. Even though their intentions are good and they suggest us to do things in the right manner, there is no right or wrong way of managing MBA life. It is all about likes and dislikes.
The entire quote from Dickens’ novel says, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
Irrespective of the problems people face, everybody has a different perspective and solution. Only you can figure out what needs to be done for yourself. No matter how things work for you, decide your own way. My epiphany came through my blunders in my quiz. I don’t know about you. I know what to do. All the best!
This article was submitted as a part of Become an Author conducted by Dare2Compete.