Xpressions
Mother M of MBA
by Pallavi Singh, MBA Aspirant
MBA – three magic letters, which many want to see in their resume. Every year lakhs of students make a beeline for the B-schools. MBA is probably one of the world’s most sought after, and widely recognized postgraduate programme. MBA programmes expose students to a variety of subjects, including economics, organizational behaviour, marketing, accounting, finance, strategy, operations management, international business, information technology management, and government policy. The degree is not just about the financial skills, but represents a away of thinking.
The most common reason for enrolling for an MBA programme is to secure a postgraduate qualification that entails a lot of credibility in the corporate world. An MBA has increasingly become a typical entry point for securing good jobs in organizations, which are usually beyond the reach of those who do not possess the same qualification. MBA programmes are specifically designed to inculcate a scientific approach towards managing an organization. Since the knowledge gained is not industry-or –function specific, it is valued by most business and is considered a necessary tool to effect a shift of industry, location, responsibility or function. Whether you are a fresh graduate, a working professional or an aspiring entrepreneur, you will no doubt find it very rewarding to pursue an MBA programme.
An MBA provides the modern manager with tools and skills needed to identify new opportunities for organizational success. An MBA is useful for any one who wants to refocus his or her career.
“The grueling classes transform students into Zombies. For a typical MBA graduate, scheduled classes are from 9:00am to 2:00pm and but actually extend till 12:00 in the night. Then it’s back to the hostel and start working on the next day’s project. This goes on till 5:00am”
And you thought that your grind would be over once you secured admission to a B-school! Get ready for a shock if you are in that mind frame, as you are about to step out from one stress regime to another. For, life in a B-school is about “numerous sleepless nights spent in preparing for tests, the incessant eyeball –snogging with the computer screen into the wee hours of the morning, hectic presentations with bloodshot eyes the next day”.
The first thing that startles new entrants about B-school is the magnitude of work. MBA are fast paced programmes designed to teach you time management under pressure. These are corporate nurseries, where students kind of go through simulation exercises in corporate practices. So, while students expect some rest after an arduous study schedule for CAT, B-school don’t provide any settling in period, except generous handshakes on day one.
Another issue is the no. of subjects you are supposed to handle. The subjects are vast and varied .The campus is functional round the clock.
The other major issue that many students face is that of being lost in the crowd. “You feel that you were intelligent and were able to crack the entrance, but soon you will find that there are so many others much more intelligent than you. The pressure is not to learn from teachers but from the students – what we call peer pressure .”
“The greatest long term value of a B-school is
that you make friends with CEOs .The future CEOs. Focus on creating a network
that works for a lifetime, learn to benchmark yourself vis-à-vis peers and don’t
forget to party hard. A job will get YOU in any case.”
Disclaimer : The views
expressed in the articles are author’s own views B’Cognizance or
IIITA is not liable for any objections arising out of the same.
The matter here is solely for academic use only.