As one of the youngest among all cousins, I used to dread Holi, when I was about 6-7 years old. It was a scary day, when suddenly, everybody literally changed colors. (See the pic on right and you’ll know what I mean!) But as I grew older, I developed love for this amazing festival and eagerly waited for the day every year. In addition to playing Holi with my family, I was a regular at Holi-celebrations at my engineering college in undergrad days and later, at my workplaces: CA and Adobe.

This year, it was only the second time that I was not with my family on a Holi and the first time that I was outside India and thus, I was saddened by the idea of missing the colors. But the MBA’10s (second-years) had different plans.  They had a clear plan lined up for a special Holi-day covering the entire first half of the day.

The day started with a Cricket match at 9. Cricket and Holi! What’s the connection, you may ask? Frankly, even I can’t think of one, except perhaps that both of these bind Indians together. So, it was some MBA’10s pitched against MBA’11s, with some alumni from class of 2009 joining in and we had a wonderful game. After two gripping games lasting about three hours, we were finally ready for Holi-time. We had booked the picnic-area of our apartment for the celebration.

As soon as we reached the venue, the Holi-fever took over. With colors in the air, shouts of “Holi hai!” (“It’s Holi!!”) and people running after each other with colors in their hand, the scene wasn’t very different from what it used to be there back in India. Partners and kids (Brave ones, who, unlike me, were not scared of colors!) of some of the students too joined in action and suddenly, I wasn’t missing my family that much. Friends from China, Pakistan, Armenia, Latin America and the US too joined us and within moments, every face was smeared beyond recognition in shades of red, orange, purple, green and many more. And that’s the beauty of Holi! Once you are a part of it, the distinctions of nationality, caste and religion disappear and give way to the oneness of Holi. (Take a try at the snap on left, it will certainly take you more time than usual to correctly assign people to their nationalities!)

Once we were done with colors, it was time for yummy Indian food. And as we were gobbling it up, we had a surprise guest: Harriet, our Director of MBA program office. All international students share a special relationship with her, as she is usually the first Goizueta person that we get to meet after landing in the US and she goes an extra mile to ensure that we all get settled here comfortably. As such, it wasn’t actually surprising that some of us had sent down a special invitation to her and she did join us for lunch.  It was great to have her among us, but sadly, we had run out of colors, by then.

This was certainly not the wildest Holi that I have played. Two (Yes, two!) Holis played in the final year of engineering college win hands down on that front. But still, I’ll count this as one of the most memorable Holis ever. Enjoying a festival in a new land, with other people joining in to share your joy: this certainly is a lovely feeling. Thank to MBA’10s for a wonderful day and we promise a bigger Holi, complete with Holi-special songs, next year.

And then I attended orientation session, met the people I would be spending the next 2 years with, started to learn my way around school, and jumped off a 30 foot tree (I’m not kidding!). In the space of those 5 days of orientation, my enthusiasm returned. I realized that all 170 of my classmates were as lost as I was. Some had left the security of their jobs to come back to school, some had relocated with their families, some had no clue which career they were going to go into, some were coming back to school after a gap of more than 10 years, and some had decided to relocate to USA even though they didn’t speak English very well. But in all this confusion and chaos, I could feel the underlying bond of community starting to tie us together. People were willing to help and offer advice to classmates who had been complete strangers just a couple days ago.

And since orientation, the spirit of collaboration and camaraderie has grown even more. From having numerous offers from students I have just met a couple of times to take me shopping (I don’t own a car here), to classmates sharing information about prospective employers, there hasn’t ever been a time when I’ve felt alone or have asked for help and not received it.

The entire experience at Goizueta has made me realize that I made the right choice coming here. I know I’m a part of a strong community and there are people watching over my back. Be it the professors, the administrative staff, the former students or even alumni, I know anyone and everyone who is related to Goizueta will do everything in their power to help me.   

I have enjoyed my 3 months at Goizueta so far, they’ve been intense, fun and enlightening. I can’t wait to see what the other 21 have in store!

For me the time spent in school was all about learning from others, faculties, guests and staff, but most of all, from my fellow classmates. They have been a continual source of knowledge and wisdom, and I hope to keep learning no matter where I am. Now that we are newly minted MBAs, I feel that I am part of a new program, Master of Learning and Application; and it’s all about applying what you have learned, to gain more from that experience and learn more.

What makes this MBA special is not what we discuss in classrooms or breakout rooms or seminars. The learning was 24/7. It started at 1300 Clifton Rd, but it continued at WinShape, in China, Brazil, and Dubai, during GALA, at The Skydive Farm, in Omaha, and so many other places. For me, nothing can beat the experience of watching soccer in the commons with an overwhelming number of Manchester United supporters (most of whom I believe are band-wagoners), or meeting the Oracle of Omaha, Mr. Warren Buffett, himself, or even climbing the Great Wall of China. And none of these things are part of an MBA curriculum. All these things happen because someone wanted it to happen, and they led the way.

Given the current state of economy, this year has been very challenging for us. However, I truly believe that a sound investment in education can never ever go wrong. We’ll all reap the benefits of our hardships much sooner than later. Many of us don’t exactly know what we are going to do in the near future, and I, similar to what other people have said, feel this is a blessing in disguise. This is the time to discover those hidden skills that we have, to try out new things; because you never know what you can do, or what you would want to do in future. Eight years ago, when our family business was on the brink of bankruptcy, I chose not to pursue an MBA, and move into technology. A couple of years ago, I made the transition back from technology into business because I feel that is where my strengths lie. I hope to keep trying new things and gain more perspectives about everything.

So, what’s the moral of this rambling? What did I learn from my MBA? Always try new things, but know where your strengths lie. Business is personal, business is based on relationships, and that is where you should be investing in school.

Most MBAs at GBS and elsewhere tend to cluster in nice-ish apartment complexes close to campus. I get the argument, but it just wasn’t for me. After all, Atlanta was a big part of GBS’s appeal and I didn’t want to miss a thing. Unlike other cities I’ve lived or worked in (SF, DC, NY), the cost of living is somewhat lower if you live in the urban core than the “burbs”. I settled on a 1200 sqft. loft (at less than a 1$/sq/month!) in midtown that was only a 6 block walk to a free shuttle bus to the Emory campus. The fact that it was perched above one of the best burger-bars in town was an added perk. (http://www.thevortexbarandgrill.com/) Let’s just say that their menu has loomed large in my academic experience.

Soon enough, I’m plopped back on my couch and the Boss wails his first lyric. I’m only half listening as I’m going over the list of things I told myself that I’d have done by the end of the weekend. Man, where does the time go? Oh, right. I signed on my offer this past week and there was celebrating to be done. The fact that my good news aligned with the birthday parties of two classmates and a massive class trek to a favorite club made for a particularly deadly combination. Yikes, I need to untag that photo on Facebook before someone sees that pic of me with….too late.

But back to work and there are emails to be sent. As someone focused on the healthcare industry, one of the hardest parts of the recruiting process is backing out of interviews at other firms without burning any bridges. After all, when the newly elected president announces his intention to pump $10B into Health Information Technology and you’re coming out of a top-flight b-school in one of the biggest healthcare cities in the country…well, you can become a pretty popular guy. As I’m chatting with an old college friend who is having a rough go at a marketing career in another program, I realize how lucky I am to have the problem.

I’m lucky in a lot of ways. I had about five years experience in the field, but I was looking to move from a field consulting role into an internal strategy position. There are great programs at great schools that are known for their healthcare curriculum, but I thought that GBS’s flexible curriculum, adaptable culture, and great location would let me stretch my legs in the skill sets missing from my liberal arts undergrad experience but wouldn’t require me to take a lot of classes on things I already knew. The paperwork on my desk suggests that the analysis was pretty sound.

Ok, email sent. I make a note to send the fellow a note in a year to let him know how my new job is going. I smile as I try to estimate the slim probability of that note containing anything but positive comments. My Decision Analysis professor would be proud.

When you’re applying to business school you’ll hear stories that will mentally transport you back in time 5 years. Stories of ridiculous partying and legendary hook-ups that will leave you with both nostalgia and anticipation of re-living your undergrad days. In fact, that might be one reason you’re thinking of coming back. The lure of attaining potent business credentials while simultaneously returning to the irresponsible student lifestyle seems like the perfect cure for your employment rut. And it can be, but not how you might expect. 

There are some ways business school is indeed like undergrad. You have class. You’re on a student schedule and budget. You have to pay an ungodly amount of money for books and other reading materials. You learn a ton from good professors and not-so-good professors, and you have some type of homework, assignment, or exam always looming over your head. And there’s the drinking. I haven’t caused this much damage to my liver in years. Every Thursday a keg magically appears in our courtyard and some weekend mornings I feel more like I just died rather than just woke up. Oh yeah, it’s a lot of fun. In some ways I have, in fact, reverted 5 years. 

But while undergrad is a time for self-examination, exploration, and – ahem – experimentation, the idea that you’ll have time for those lofty, floating intangibles in business school unfortunately appears to be somewhat of a myth. Flexibility certainly exists, but the best and simultaneously most challenging thing about business school is this:  what you get out of it is exactly what you make of it. You have myriad paths to finding an internship and job when you graduate, but on the flip side, the best success stories I’ve heard so far are all about focus and zeroing in on your goals. 

Whatever path you choose, everyone at Goizueta will support you and do what they can to help you succeed, but the earlier you figure that out and get started, the better. For some tracks, like investment banking, the recruitment process starts in the middle of the fall semester, so you barely have time to be certain about it out before you’re meeting with companies and giving your personal testimonial.  As soon as you get to school you have a plethora of resources available, current students, professors, panels, clubs, career coaches, and company presentations. But you can’t go to everything. There will be scheduling conflicts; you have to choose. If you take advantage of the many resources you can explore somewhat in the beginning. Learning what you don’t want to do is very valuable. But early on it’s best if you can hone in on that special something that gets you amped up when you think about working on it. Everybody has it. 

Here’s a real life example from this semester. There was a human capital case competition – human capital is basically figuring out the best ways to get the most out of your employees in a way that aligns with a firm’s strategy. A couple of first-year students who identified their interest in this area joined a team of second-year students participating in this contest knowledge, ideas, and presentation ability. And this group won – the entire competition. These first-years were put on the fast-track to internship and job opportunities, not to mention learned a boatload from working directly with the second-years in this industry. Those who hesitated missed this opportunity. 

Other opportunities will surely come, but here’s my advice: don’t wait until business school starts to really dig deep and figure out what you want to be when you grow up. It can be specific or it can be general. Do you like the idea of starting your own business? Do you like the idea of structuring mergers? Do you want to own a brand or arm of a larger business as a manager? If you talk to a few people and do a little research before you get here you’ll have a much easier time seeing what “track” really excites you and you’ll be that much quicker in finding other students, professors, and contacts that will be key in helping you realize your goals.  Of course, there are plenty of students who are still figuring out exactly what they want to do, and for some of them, the important part is the journey. But for the others, they wish they knew a little more before they started the trip. 

In one of our classes, a professor gave an excellent presentation about where to look for your dream job – it’s where your best skills intersect with your deepest passions and with what you think needs doing in this world (your values). If you don’t know where this intersection is for you, waiting one more second to it figure out is only delaying a potentially game-changing self-realization. Making that epiphany a reality is what business school is all about, and beyond that, trust me, you’ll find plenty of ways to live it up like an undergrad.

The transition from working life back to school is a challenging one, and with an especially packed first semester…the transition has been one for the books…literally! The first few weeks of school, I found myself starting my homework too late, and studying late into the night. These were also the days of the “residual” evening TV shows and glass of wine from my working days, which have since been replaced with HBR cases, and lots of caffeine. Let’s be honest, this stuff is hard. Juggling the heavy class load, the high volume of reading that you are not used to and dreaded accounting homework is not easy for anyone coming from a job back to school…but it is possible.

The main lessons I have learned from this semester are how time management has taken on a whole new meaning, prioritizing activities is key, and that stopping to smell the roses will keep me sane. Coming from a background in life sciences and engineering, I was never exposed to classes such as economics, finance and accounting, and I never imagined they would challenge me so much. In one sense, I am learning a lot of key terminology and concepts which are transferable to many other subjects, in another sense I am learning the time it takes to really delve into these topics is more than I have in a given day. This is where prioritization and time management are important, and weekends provide some opportunity to “catch up”. The other thing that helps is additional review sessions which are offered on the weekends by TA’s.

Taking “life” breaks are important, though this was really challenging the first few months of classes. During the fall term, recruiting season is at its high, with classes all day, followed by company presentations in the evenings. After spending 12 to 13 hours at school, then heading home for dinner and homework, there just didn’t seem to be time to really enjoy life. Add to that busy weekends with conferences, and school engagements, and it seems almost impossible to do things you want or need to. But finding the time to cook myself a meal or to spend some time catching up with family and friends, even on the busiest of days, is essential to my sanity. When I first got to school, I heard the phase, “I do everything there is to do, because I figure I am only here for two years, so I am going to take it all in!” These words have really stuck with me, in one sense because I agree, there is a lot to learn from every B-school interaction we have, and though two years seems long, it is not forever. In another sense though, I know that I came to B-school with a strong foundation of supporting and loving family and friends, and hobbies, and passions…and while I plan on taking a lot in, I hope to sustain what I came in with as well!

Survival is possible, even when it seems the workload will never end, the night of studying has just begun, and the next morning is nearer and nearer… eventually you find your groove. Although I came from a rigorous industry, consulting, I have found this experience to be even more rigorous than my life before. As I look back, I have to say that I am excited to see what is in store for me, in the coming semester, year, and beyond…

I walked in the program office to get some coffee, getting myself ready for the beginning of my class. Just a coincidence, I ran into a senior professor at Goizueta. We started the first-time conversation just like that, and I also started my learning for the day. We talked about my future career, we talked about what is going on in the market, and we talked about music.

To my surprise, when I said I was confused about my future, he responded right away, “Why don’t you shoot me an email and let me know when you want to come in my office, we can see what you really want to do then.” “Ah..really?! Sure, I will do that.” That started one of my beautiful days at Goizueta.

Sitting in the classroom, I am not just sitting there. I hear discussion among classmates and professors, and at the same time, I force myself to think as quickly as possible. Therefore, I raise my hand when I have different opinions, and I listen to what other people have to say about the topic. It is such a small class where everyone can speak up, and actually, if you don’t speak up, people will make you, just as another saying at Goizueta, “You can’t hide.” You can’t hide from the opportunity of learning.

After class, I go to the common area to talk with some of my classmates, another learning experience I would never want to miss—learn from my peers. We share the class experience, team project experience, and we encourage each other in job searching process. We laughed about politicians, we joked around funny stuff happening around campus and we talk about ideas of starting up businesses.

Six o’clock in the evening, I am usually STARVING!! (Because I’ve learned so much and used too much of my brain ) I go to Emory Village, five minutes away from school on foot, get something to eat and share my time with some friends other than classmates, just to relax a bit. At this time of the day, I’m tired of learning anything new…I need to take a rest, and enjoy some time for myself. However, I know that tomorrow, I will keep learning new stuff, which keeps me excited every day.

They say, consultants never quit learning, and I think, Goizuetans don’t, either.