Stepping out of comfort zone to confront challenges: Kunal Malik

When I initially joined the three-year course in 2016, I was filled with uncertainties regarding studying at a place that had just started a new programme. I received admission offers from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Symbiosis Institue of Business Management, SP Jain School of Global Management and a few other colleges too. Seeing the progress of Jindal Global Law School and its achievements, I decided to keep the faith and put my trust in the university. I had no idea that the decision to study at Jindal Global Business School would be one that I shall end up cherishing forever. The teaching methodology and the environment fosters growth and holistic overall development. Jindal Global University follows the Harvard model and the teaching methodology adopted is very competent, I say this from my practical experience as I was sent to Canada at the University of New Brunswick as an exchange student for a semester.

Watching TV series, reading books and listening to music of different origins - none of them matched to the experience that I got from different cultures and communities. There are so many cultural perks; from fashion trends, lifestyles to language. Understanding cultures, both unique and different to my own, brought positive changes to my outlook on life. Being a business student, I got to know the consumer tastes and preferences, which gives a sense of the business environment in other lands and right direction to help the business expand globally.  I would like to sincerely thank my university for giving me the platform to gain this exposure in my undergraduate program.

The UNB campus is in Fredericton, New Brunswick province. It is a beautiful city by St. John’s river. I miss the evening walks on the bridge and the calming river. Talking about the infrastructure, UNB being the oldest English university of Canada (1785) had a British architecture. They were highly research focused; classroom structures and teaching styles were quite similar to JGU.

Christopher Columbus has said, “You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore”. In the first few days, I was excited as well as in a dilemma when my inner self questioned myself if I had made the right decision. Soon I realized that it was the best decision of my life. It’s not just about good food, sightseeing, and the beautiful pictures but adaptation to a totally new environment. I was fuelled by the necessity to confront challenges outside a protected environment with familiar support as I had stepped out of my comfort zone. It sounded unnerving in the beginning but later I relished it. I got comfortable with other cultures and different ways of life. Overcoming all those fears and challenges instilled more confidence and self-reliance in me. I can apply my cool-headed, pragmatic, problem-solving attitude in the world of business with a breeze.

Canada treated me really good; people are so welcoming and amicable there. They are very honest and possess good morale. They have evolved in a really great way. I appreciate the people being highly progressive. People have great respect for pedestrians; highways have different lanes for emergency vehicles. They are multicultural, really humble and docile. Leaving beside all this, the best thing I liked was the people being so outdoorsy. I went with my friends and did various fun activities like skiing, snowboarding, canoeing and also for snowshoeing. It was joyous to watch ice hockey matches, cheer up our teams and see their expertize in the game. I made strong connections and a global network of contacts. I have friends from Singapore, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, of course, Canada and many other parts of the world. These friendships and connections foster growth. I came back with a bigger perspective of the world around me. I began to see things differently with a more holistic approach. When I ponder upon and gaze at the invincible aspects of my life, having offered this golden opportunity makes much more sense. I consider myself fortunate enough to be a student of the pioneer batch of BBA. 

About the Author:

I am pursuing BBA (Batch of 2016-19) from O. P. Jindal Global University. I like watching TV series, reading books and listening to music of different origins.