My MBA journey began by running into school panting for breath, just in time for Economics class. The first thing I noticed – apart from the beautiful campus and the amazing cohort of students I was with – was that I was shivering despite wearing four layers of clothing. I realized then that I was going to get colder weather than I had bargained for. Not one to be put off by a few spells of rain and a breeze, I plunged into my modules.
This would soon change however, as the year progressed, and the temperature dropped in Dublin. Term one spanned over 4 months – fall and the advent of winter. Leaves morphed from green to beautiful shades of tan, auburn and orange. Trees soon shed these leaves, strewing the ground with gold medallions of crackle that the dogs loved playing in. Bare branches and sprightly conifers greeted me each morning as I made my way to class, determination in my stride and a cup of hot chocolate in hand.
And then, just like that, winter was here. For a girl from the tropics, this is bad news. Very few hours of feeble sunlight and piling assignments and group work were not a good combination. I grew so frustrated at not being able to wake up to dark mornings and feeling hungry and sleepy at odd times because of my disrupted body clock that I did what any MBA student would do – I analyzed the data and wrote a report.
The point of inflection on the graph is the ideal space to be – you’re motivated enough to do your work; the weather is just perfect, and the workload is something you can easily handle. The shaded area is a zone you really don’t want to get into – low motivation, terrible weather and skyrocketing workload. The red dot represents where I am at the moment.
The MBA program is however, ideal for learning how to deal with the shaded zone. I have picked up great interpersonal skills, time management skills and an enhanced ability to deal gracefully with stress. The coaching sessions and wonderful vibe of my flat-mates have ensured that I don’t fall victim to the immense workload and unpredictable weather.
All in all, this experience will make me a well-rounded individual, capable of meeting challenges head-on and working with people to surmount impossible tasks. And to think it’s only been four months!
I eagerly await the coming months for more things to learn. Almost as eagerly as I await spring.
Swathi Shenoy, FTMBA 2018/2019