The first year of business school can be a bit intimidating, which is why doing some prep work before starting the year will go a long way to make sure it goes smoothly.
It’s always a good idea to frame the business school experience to be ready for its challenges and make the best of it:
Researching Classes and the Business School Professors
Researching the scheduled classes and the professors who will be teaching helps greatly in defining the requirements and time that could be invested for each course. Research can also include asking around students who already took the course and trying to get an objective input from them. Doing this will help first year students kick start their programme in the right academic mindset.
Attending All Events and Gatherings
By spending time on campus before starting the semester, students can quickly get familiar with resources and key people in their department who will allow them to enjoy a faster adaptation and integration. The idea of making connections early on will not only provide the necessary information for first year students but also help their networking experience early on. A sense of community identity in social engagements will also help students thrive interpersonally with future classmates and perhaps potential business partners.
Business School and Soft Skills
Many top MBA programs are focusing now on soft skills from the start as they boost the students’ profile and equip them with the tools to develop and enhance their competencies that will make their academic and professional experience more enjoyable and give it a unique professional edge.
Reading and Staying Up to Date
First-year business school students read pages of reports and case studies to prepare for their reports and oral presentations but this doesn’t mean that external resources don’t help them fine tune their updates in industry news. This enables them to have better control during discussions in the classroom or even in public. Additionally, extra readings will attract potential recruiters in the future since they tend to ask out of the box questions that could catch students off guard if they’re not prepared.
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