“It’s pretty busy right now. We currently do about 15 to 16 hours of work a day including seven hours of lectures.
“On top of this, most people are involved in extra-curricular activities. I’m class representative and have a seat on the student council, which means I help organise work placements and create brochures for potential employers.
“Now it's the peak hour so we spend an additional 90 minutes a day, approaching companies and making contacts.
“Also we have monthly visits to CEOs. The visits require students to do a little more work, as we prepare presentations on strategy and business improvement suggestions for the companies.
“When you start your MBA, you have to adjust to returning to a study environment. Getting used to this it takes a lot of time, especially for those who’ve been working for 12 years.
“Luckily, we formed our own study groups straight away, each one with a diverse mix of backgrounds. We shared our skills, and when there was a bulk reading, we'd divide chapters between the group. We started working smart rather than working hard.”
“You initially lose the balance between curricular and extra-curricular time, but after a few months you get it back.
“For me it was easy to adjust because I’ve only been working for three years. I was used to reading and I was used to using my quantitative skills, studying long hours and sitting in classes. But for some of the older guys even sitting for two hours in a lecture was difficult.
“On the other hand I lack experience. I'm the second-youngest student on the MBA course, and have only three years work experience compared to the average of six to eight years - in case study discussions, they could bring a lot more practical understanding to the table.
“I realised I had to concentrate on the academic, theoretical side which helped me to contribute more to our discussions.
“Now there's eight months to go, we all have to build a careers network. Me especially, as I'm from India and have few European ties – but everyone is making good progress because we’re getting guidance from Nyenrode staff.
“They’ve helped me transform my CV from having a pure tech focus to a more managerial one. We had special lectures that showed us how to write a CV that stands out based on transferable skills rather than experience.
“Next up I’m heading to IIM Bangalore for our work placements abroad. Really enjoying things so far!”
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