I’m writing to let you know that I’m alive, and kicking. We’ve been through an intense experience called Block B (popularly known as Block 2), which is anything but a stroll in the park. Exams begin from tomorrow and last until Thursday, and are we all so looking forward to that day !! Last few weeks have been the toughest, raising hundreds of questions in my mind as I continue to find answers to some of them.
Block 2/B is a once in a lifetime experience. Its particularly interesting because its not so bad as its made out to be, but it hits you at one point or the other. All the realities come pouring down to wake you up from the magical myth an MBA is supposed to be. Its not so bad. Its just, REAL. Face it and survive, without forgetting to enjoy the process.
I have a new found respect for Thursdays. You’ll know why if you are at Goizueta. Can’t wait for the next one to arrive !
Its evident : I’ve not had the time to blog. Don’t get me wrong, its not as hectic as you think. At least it certainly doesn’t feel that way when you’re having the time of your life.
What I realize is that if I don’t blog often, there’s more stuff happening here in a week than what my entire blog covers so far, and I wouldn’t want you to miss out on them. Hopefully my further posts wouldn’t be as few and far between.
Block 1 is over, and how. Great professors, awesome classmates, excellent study group, parties, alums, resumes, elevator pitches, NYSE closing bell, kegs, plan Bs, and .. more parties. I already miss the initial excitement that got us through Block 1. Block 2 is about survival. Its about settling in and figuring things out. Stretching yourself and revealing your top game.
Its exactly two months today since I came here, but it feels like a lifetime. A life that’s spent exactly the way it should be – learning, working, and having fun;all to the degree that only an MBA program can provide you.
When you fall in love with a school like Goizueta, its reciprocated in ways that will change you forever. With that thought, I need to move on to work on the Marketing case and wrap up Finance and Accounting assignments, and catch up with some sleep while its still dark outside.
See you soon.
You learn something new about yourself when you climb a tree high enough to get you dizzy and then walk out 5 steps on a narrow wooden board attached at that height in order to jump and catch a trapeze 2 metres away from you. When you see everyone in your group going ahead and giving it a shot. When you want everyone in your group to be successful when they jump. When you know everyone down there wants you to get rid of your fears and jump. When everyone around you is supportive of you doing your best. Thats the power of the Goizueta community. Its hard not to get overwhelmed by the experience.
Its just been 10 days since our orientation began and I can say without a doubt that coming to GBS has been the best decision of my life. I can’t be thankful enough to myself for having had the guts to go against the financial odds and months spent in apprehension about how things would turn out. The classes are yet to begin, but I know where I am now and where it can take me. The rewards are going to be endless.
You see how close knit people are here when alums who graduated years ago are ready to spend their entire evening talking to you about refining your elevator pitch, providing you with critical feedback and encouragement at the same time. You notice the intensity with which everyone from the school is involved in making sure you find your place here and that the time you spend here is invaluable in changing you as a person. When you get to meet 170 people who are going to be your family, 170 people who share the same Core Values, and you like them all so much that your biggest worry is how to find more and more time with each of them. Its also when you begin to realize why 170 is just the right class size for everyone to make the most of their time. When you get overawed by the cultural diversity that your Class has, the kind of strong experiences people have behind them, and the way it all comes together for each one of us to learn something new every moment that we’re here.
The orientation is officially over, with the last 3 days spent at WinShape, which has to be experienced to be believed. When you have to climb a 15 feet wall without ropes, you can’t do it without the help of your team. The excitement is not in you climbing the wall, but in helping everyone in the team do so. These are people you’re going to spend the rest of your semester with, and it gives you the confidence of being able to cross any such block that you may encounter in life.
Its time now to hit the party organized by the 2010s, before we get knee deep in assignments beginning Monday. The Class is ready to get their calibres tested in the coming weeks; but tonight, we are going to rock Atlanta !!
Our MBA program got officially kickstarted yesterday with a two hour welcome program for the international students. I’ll get to that soon, but let me first tell you about the way the last one week has progressed.
So its been hectic, but enjoyable. The MBA Program Office had arranged for an airport pickup for almost all the international students, and the week zero has been all about welcoming us and making sure that we can settle down comfortably. The Director of the MBA Program Office has been helpful beyond words. There were day long shopping trips organized throughout the last week for furniture/groceries/bank accounts/phone connections/SSN office and almost any place that a student wanted to go. We couldn’t have been made to feel more at home.
Over the weekend there were trips to some of the main attractions at Atlanta where we also got to meet other classmates for the first time. The laser show at Stone Mountain was amazing, and we did a CNN Studio Tour as well as enjoyed an unique experience at the Georgia Aquarium. By this time we were all set to start with the program, and all the international students got to meet each other at the school yesterday during the opening reception and it was an evening well spent.
Today was the second day of our orientation for the internationals where we received an official welcome from the Program Office and had our Class Introductions. We were made to think about our motivators and set our two primary goals for the next six months, just so that we work towards them and keep them at the back of our minds while we continue to absorb our MBA experience. The day ended with an introduction to speed networking, which is supposed to take place on Wednesday and is supposed to be pretty exciting.
The group of international students is extremely diverse, both in terms of nationalities as well as career backgrounds and interests. The group is small enough for us to get to know each other better, and big enough to span the entire world. I can’t wait to get to class again tommorrow !
We have all been assigned peer career coaches (from the Class of 2010) who have been helping us to refine our resumes before we send it across to the Career Management Center. So it won’t be long before we get sucked up into the flow of things. Time’s already beginning to speed ahead of us and we’ve just got started ! We’re in for some major fun 
Let me leave you with a few pictures of the Jenkins Courtyard – its such a great place to hang out with your classmates and enjoy the Atlanta Sun !
I’m at Atlanta, and liking it.
The flight was an ordeal, mostly because of their service which was non-existent. Apart from that and the doubly excessive luggage I was carrying, everything worked out smoothly. I had a senior from the school pick me up from the airport, which helps you in not feeling lost the very first day you arrive.
I have rented a tastefully done apartment close to the school. My laptop is here and the cell phone connectivity does work sometimes. I would be visiting the school for the first time today. The school is doing all that it can to help the students settle down and there are shopping trips organized for the entire week.
Its a new life already, when hunger precedes my meals, which are again just assortments of various edible stuff, and not meals in the real sense. Of course I’m missing everything back home, but there’s already a lot to do and a lot more to look forward to.
Its been a good welcome so far. Its time to get over the jet lag and venture around, meet more people, and stock up on food.
Its time, to get started.
