TIPS FOR NEW MBA STUDENTS
Being a new student can be difficult--no matter how old one is or how many years of school one already has under their belt. This can be especially true for first year MBA students. They are thrown into a new environment that is known for being rigorous, challenging, and quite frequently competitive. Most are nervous about the prospect and spend a great deal of time struggling with the transition. The following tips are designed to help those who are in a similar fix. Being Prepared A new B-school student should always be prepared. As a first-year B-school student one needs to make sure that one is ready before he enters the semester. The student should buy or rent books early and read the first couple of chapters before he sets foot in his first class. Having at least a cursory familiarity with the information will help to reinforce it later. One should sit in the front row and take detailed notes. It’s easier to get distracted when one sits toward the back of class, and being closer to instructors helps them to recognize the student should they need help in the future. Increasing Your Reading Speed For MBA students, investing time in increasing one’s reading speed before the first semester will pay off later. Throughout one’s grad work they are going to have a lot of reading to do. Textbook chapters, case studies, lecture notes, and other required readings will take up a huge chunk of one’s time and effort. The ability to digest and recall information more quickly is a valuable asset. Reading is a huge part of business school coursework. In addition to a textbook, one will also have other required reading materials, such as case studies and lecture notes. Learning how to read a lot of dry text quickly will help the student in each one of your classes. One shouldnt always speed read, but should learn how to skim text and assess what is important and what is not. Creating and Sticking to a Daily Schedule Break studying into smaller blocks. Each day the student should do assigned readings and review notes. If one keeps the material fresh in his mind, it is easier to recall later. He should schedule a weekly review to refresh what he has studied throughout the week. This will reinforce the information, making it easier to recall later. Studying the “Right” Way Believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way to study. A five-hour cram session, for example, is far less effective than five one-hour study sessions. Scheduling Regular Breaks The schedule may be frenzied, but one needs to plan certain periods of time a couple of times a week to be away from work and school. Burnout is a huge problem for MBA-track students, especially first-years. The student will need time to recharge his batteries and refocus on his goals. Limiting TV Time This may be the toughest sacrifice to make for many people. But TV is a huge drain on the student’s time and it should be limited. Although it can be a nice way to turn off and relax, rather than watching the tube two hours each day, the student should cut watch time to an hour or less. Free time is valuable and the student should learn to use it wisely. Making use of “dead time” While many small snippets of time may seem insignificant, they add up. The student should try to keep his study material handy and perhaps in an e-document that can be accessed on the go so that he can use those empty spaces to his advantage. Touring the School One of the problems with being in a new environment is that one does not always know where he is going. This can make it hard to get to class on time and find the resources that one will need. Before class sessions start, the student should be sure to take a thorough tour of the school. He should familiarize himself with the location of all of the classes as well as the facilities he might use like the library, the admissions office, the career center, etc. Knowing where he is going will make the first few days a lot easier to get through. Establishing a Schedule Making time for classes and coursework can be a challenge, especially if the student is trying to balance a job and family with his education. The first few months can be predominantly overpowering. Establishing a timetable early on can help him stay on top of the whole thing. The student should buy or download an every day planner and use it to follow everything he wishes to do every day. Making lists and crossing things off as he completes them will keep the student organized and help him with his time management. Learning to Work in a Group Many business schools require study groups or team projects. The student should consider joining or starting his own study group. Working with other students in the class is a great way to network and get team experience. Although it is not a good idea to try to get other people to do one’s work for them, there is no harm in helping each other work through difficult material. Depending on others and knowing that others depend on the student is also a good way to stay on track academically. Networking Networking is a big part of the business school experience. For new MBA students, finding time to network can be a challenge. However, it is very important that one incorporates networking into his schedule. The contacts one meets in business school can last a lifetime and may just help him get a job after graduation. Not Worrying This advice is easy to give and hard to follow. But the truth is that the student shouldnt worry too much. Many of his fellow students share his concerns. They are nervous too. And they too, want to do well. The advantage in this is that the student is not alone. The nervousness one feels is perfectly normal. The key is to not let it stand in the way of success. Although one may be uncomfortable at first, the business school will eventually begin to feel like a second home. The student will make friends, he will get to know his professors and what is expected of him, and he will keep up with the coursework if he gives himself enough time to complete it and ask for help when he needs it. Every b-school has its own unique curriculum and culture, but there are general experiences that all students go through. In the undergraduate years, one may have made a blunder of neglecting his class-work or overworking himself with an internship. Taking the "three pillar" approach Business school isnt about studying all the time in a classroom or library, and it comes with its own tests. The student should build up a "three-pillar move" to sorting out his tasks: educational (reports and tests), societal (clubs and fun events), and career (interviewing with job recruiters). The student needs to build up each pillar to succeed. It’s necessary to constantly be conscious of giving each pillar equal importance, and that the student must learn to balance sacrifices he may make in one area with those that he makes in the other two. Prioritize with the understanding that its impossible to give everything your best effort. The student must learn to accept, that at business school its not possible to achieve every one of his goals. It is very important to learn how to prioritize. If the student is determined to enter the retail industry after graduating, the he can settle on using his first year networking and learning about the industry through luxury and retail club events and a part-time internship. The student should make the most of his time by learning as much as he can without worrying about getting perfect grades. Build relationships The student must learn that making friends isn’t just for fun, but that it is "critical" to his success at b-school. Every top undergraduate or graduate school program builds a diverse student body, but business schools tend to have especially eclectic classes. For example, a student who has already spent five years as a consultant has insights on what she could offer to her classmate who has nominal official business instruction but is building a startup, and vice versa. The student should do himself and his school community a favor and be premeditated about inviting different people to socialize and work with him on group projects. Dont be afraid to ask for help and give as much as you can. Since business school student bodies have a wide variety of skill sets that means that any individual student will not be fully prepared for all of the course work. Business school can be incredibly humbling, but it is important to ask for help when one needs it. The student will probably be surprised at how willing people are to help him. If he has made it into a top business school, he is already probably very competitive, but he should not let pride get in the way of his education. Add value to your classmates learning experience. And on the topic of competition, the student will not helping anyone if he uses his class participation as an attempt to impress his professor and classmates. It is important to speak like a "normal human" and he should not roll off memorized textbook material. To add value, he should confidently share his own opinions and defend his conclusions. The student will be taking a bigger risk than giving a standard answer, but he will also be giving his classmates an opportunity to learn from a different perspective. Although they aren’t a guarantee to make the B-school experience easier, these tips should help to alleviate at least some of the stress involved with the rigors of an MBA program.