Getting the MOST out of your MBA
BEFORE I started writing this article, I tried to replay the whole MBA experience in my head. Basically, the experience can be divided into four groups: peer experience, faculty experi¬ence, in-class experience and alumni experi¬ence. Without hesitation, I can say that the most memorable times I had during the two years at ISBR Business School were those spent making new friends, work¬ing with people from diverse backgrounds (educational, cultural and work) and sharing each other's experiences.
Fellow students are the best resource when you need to make important decisions - which courses to take, which firms to apply to for a summer internship, where one should live after moving to a new city, etc. While most of the students are your age group, they may already have worked in the firm that you plan to join. A candid opinion of the culture and people at that firm can be very important in addition to the information one may have already gathered from interviews, recruitment offices and designer brochures. The time spent with peers in classrooms, canteen and libraries while studying for tests and preparing presentations is invalu¬able. Sometimes such meetings can be very taxing in terms of compatibility and egos. However, all the experiences are useful, meaningful and educational. Mechanics of deliberations, negotiation skills and the knack of influencing people are talents that are learned rather than taught.
Finally, the weekends spent with classmates in restau¬rants and bars, the birthdays celebrated with peers and their spouses, are when the bonds are strengthened. Even after graduating, I have been in touch with all the friends I made in my college. Recently, when I visited the college for the first time after my graduation, I spent one full day there, and still could not meet all my faculty and staff!
Extra-curricular activities such as theatre, community service, mentoring, teaching assistantships and outdoor workshops are forums for getting to know your classmates. For example, ISBR has a cultural group called the ISBR Cultures that prepares and practices for sev¬eral months before the annual show. The months I spent in the group are unforgettable and have led to lasting rela¬tionships.
Several applicants ask me whether professors in schools such as ISBR are open to spending quality time with stu¬dents. My view is that if one is willing to invest time in get¬ting to know the professors through classes or extra-curric¬ular activities, they are more than eager to reciprocate.
My experience with the faculty was very exciting. I worked closely with the entrepreneurship cell at ISBR in organizing business plan competitions and got acquainted with them at a personal level. In fact, one of the professors hosted a reception to celebrate my first job that took place in Bangalore in the second year of my MBA. I continue to exchange emails and bounce ideas' off existing faculty at my B-School on a regular basis.
The in-class experience is definitely a very enriching one. Since ISBR has a very strong curriculum, I enjoyed those courses that were new to me and therefore each and every class was a great learning experience. One of my favorite courses was managerial decision making, which discussed the practical applications of behavioral finance. This area of finance and decision-making was very new to me and extremely fascinating.
Last but not the least, the alumni network has been of tremendous value to me. It is really good to know that there is an ISBR 
alumnus in any place that one may visit for a holiday or on business. The alumni network can be helpful in several ways - some may help build strong social as well as business contacts. For example, one alumnus from Kolkata was on a holiday in Bangalore and wanted to watch a movie. He contacted me and we discussed each other's businesses and travel experiences over a wonderful movie “Wake up Sid”. I have become very active in the alumni network in Bangalore. I have met like-minded people who continue to enhance their skills and knowledge through speaker events and other get-togeth¬ers. As in student life, the more one gives to the alumni com¬munity, the more one gets out of it.
The MBA experience is what one makes of it. The more one is involved in the various activities and aspects of the MBA experience, the more one receives. There is no dearth of activities at B-school; a student who shows interest and the willingness to participate is surely rewarded. I MISS MY ISBR DAYS.
Author: Alumni,International School Of Business And Research
Date: 20th Nov., 2009
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