Life Hacks for MBA

Life Hacks for MBA

Master of Business Administration, or MBA programs are in essence giant sandboxes where an eclectic mix of students are thrown together and made to figure out their place with some guidance from professors. Here is my list of life hacks for MBA, a guide to enable you to make the most of this opportunity.

It is new, strange, stressful, scary and exciting. We flounder through it and often times aren’t quite sure what we gained out of it, yet most of us look back to those days with nostalgia and wistfulness, and wish we had a chance to re-live those years.

Yet when we start off on our MBA journey, apart from our why MBA answers, we seldom have an idea as to how best should we live the MBA life. Having had a few epiphanies in my time in IIM Udaipur, I thought I would share a few of them in the form of Do’s and Don’ts:

Do make connections

Ever wondered how people you know got to places that seem inaccessible, even though they were technically the same, or maybe worse off than you? They most probably knew the right people in the right places.

Connect and most importantly learn to leverage connections

In a world where competition is ever increasing, forming connections and leveraging them is an essential edge.

Start small, it does not have to be anything more than keeping in touch with them, and then slowly building a base of acquaintances. Learn to give favors and more importantly ask for favors.

Do take part in extra-curricular activities

MBA coursework is daunting and often seems to leave no time for anything else. However that line of thought is a trap that one should avoid at all costs.

Throw yourself at a club or committee: wherever your interests lie

You will find time to accommodate club work, make lasting memories with your peers and enhance various management skills over the course of organizing events and seminars and collaborating with other clubs and committees.

When you will be working in a company, your growth in the company will often be defined by things you do outside work. Whether it be taking the time to upskill yourself or to connect with your office colleagues. Taking part in extra-curricular activities during MBA is a good practice for that.

Do step outside your comfort zone

In an environment which is often new, stressful and scary, it is quite normal to stick to things one is comfortable doing. Even though it is good to hone your strengths, try to do something new.

Do something that you were uncomfortable doing before.

– Always been afraid of public speaking? Join the local toastmasters club.

– Never studied regularly before? Try preparing for as many cases as possible.

– Never thought yourself as sociable? Go out and try to enjoy time with your friends.

In today’s fast paced world what is needed from a person changes by the day. Stepping out of your comfort zone at the B-school will reward you with the ability to tolerate change – an absolutely vital attitude!

Do not neglect courses on communication

Some of the most valuable lessons that MBA has to offer are often in courses which seem casual and easy to digest. Most programs have workshops on communication and managing leadership presence conducted by leading experts.

Often times, the workshop is designed to be a more relaxed, activity oriented and requires very little reading. One can get by with minimal participation thereby reducing the load of an already hectic curriculum.

Engage with these courses seriously

You will be surprised by the amount of learning that can happen within those few days. Your corporate success will always be determined by the life skills learnt in such courses.

Your instructor will help you understand your character strengths and flaws to a degree that you couldn’t before. Getting to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses as viewed by others, is of great value for mapping personal growth.

Other essential life skills include good communication skills, negotiating capabilities and being able to connect with others.

Do not take things personally

In the course of your MBA, you will inevitably be hit with examples of your shortcomings. You will often come across criticisms of how you are lacking in the right amount of attitude, intelligence, charisma, and a hundred other things.

Use criticism for self-improvement

Such things are never easy going down, especially for the proud souls who pursue MBA.

It is critical at this time however to drop the ego: instead of lashing out, accept the criticism with equanimity and see how much of it holds water. Valuable criticism, however hard to face, has the potential to give you the right direction and focus.

Do not blame others for anything

You will often find yourself in a team assignment with a particularly difficult group of people. You may find the college authorities insensitive to the already jam packed schedule you have when they unload another set of assignments on you. And you may even find yourself at odds with the placement committee who will be at their despotic worst.

It is very easy to blame others for the circumstances and adversity you face. However, like in real life, you always have something you could have done to mitigate the events.

Every job is good if you do your best and work hard. A man who works hard stinks only to the ones that have nothing to do but smell.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Learn to turn adversity into opportunity

Stuck with particularly difficult people: here is an opportunity to try to convince them to work better.

Have an impossible amount of work? Learn to prioritize and use time efficiently.

Placement committee curtailing your freedom and individuality? Raise the banner against them and protest or make sure to select better candidates next time.

Every difficult situation is an opportunity for you to do better. This attitude that will help you to flourish in life.

In conclusion, treat MBA as an opportunity to change and improve yourself to a new you – You Version 2.0. Face each obstacle and deadline with optimism. Imbibe a cheerful outlook and keep moving forward with zeal.

Editor’s Note:

What are the Do’s and Don’ts for life during MBA? A search on experts hacks for MBA, showcases this article as a Featured Snippet on Google.

The hacks shared holds you in good stead, not just during MBA, but also otherwise in life. These life hacks are much relevant and useful to remember irrespective of your domain and stage of your career.

About The Author

Ayan Sen is an MBA from IIM Udaipur and a chemical engineering from BITS Pilani. During his MBA days, he was the President of ConsultU, the consulting club of IIM Udaipur. He is a self confessed foodie with a penchant for travelling.

Ayan is currently a Project Specialist in Cisco. Having been a business analyst at Grey Orange India, as a part of the ERP implementation team, he thoroughly understands the challenges faced by a growing company in integrating new processes. He has also had a stint with KPMG.