Do it for the Experience!
Many (prospective) students may have this certain bit of apprehension before joining this course, as to should I take up the offer, is it worth the price, will it actually be able to cover up the entire MBA portion in a year. I was no stranger to these and I took the plunge. Let me tell you why I will not regret it for the rest of my life. Believe me when I tell you that this course has a lot to offer. What eventually matters is how YOU make the most of it. The whole idea of a master’s program is to make you self-sufficient and self-reliant. This means – DO NOT EXPECT SPOON FEEDING (this is the difference between your graduate school and a B-school). In terms of the study material, it is up to the mark and you will feel burdened. Burdened by the SBR’s (these three letters will haunt your life), CRP/ALPs (the next 3 to haunt), submissions, deliverables, etc.
This course is not about studies. Yes, you heard me correctly— not about studies. It is about the experience and the exposure. You will sail through academics if you are street smart. You ought to become by the time the course ends. The key here is to gain as much of the three cities as you possibly can. More learning’s will happen outside the classrooms, than inside.
I would urge those taking up the course to venture out into each of these three cities and absorb them. Play a local sport, mingle with a local team, visit the not-so-prominent places too, stay with the locals, see their lives the way they see it and even show them yours. That is where the true learning garners. You networking or mingling may not give you a job, but it will surely equip you with something that you job would never give you.
Another major factor would be your peers and group of friends. In simple words— crazier the better. You may simply need that one brainwave or adrenaline rush to do something (legally) impulsive. Make sure you have a gang around you to collaborate in the fun. Consider this as your last shot at college life. Only now, think of it as living that coveted life in three different places. It is not many who fancy the chances of living this kind of life. You are one of the lucky few.
If you want to see the wiring of an East Asian brain, meet/work/interact with a Singaporean. You will be amazed at the way they see and perceive things as compared to other nationalities. Want to have a dash of aggression, go play a sport in Australia. Chances are you may end up being paid, along with imbibing the abrasive attitude. Intend on capturing some ostentations, look no further than the mall entrances in Dubai. The joy an Arab gets in having people pose by and click pictures of/with his gold plated car is something only he can explain.
If you want my advice then here is it. Do this course to experience a new life these are experiences outside your comfort zone. Travel and explore as much as you can. It will change the way you think and look at things. Try out stuff you have not. Cut down on sleep. Learn a new hobby or sport or an instrument. In addition, yeah, study a bit. They do not allow you to relive the same experiences repeatedly under the pretext of repeating terms.
Ensure when you reflect back, you have something more in you, than when you accepted the offer letter. Today you stand at the cusp of a new life. Let us call it the leap of faith. Take it!
