Partner Sites


Logo BusinessBecause - The business school voice
mobile search icon

Nyenrode MBAs Focus Hard On Career Networking

Braving 90 hour working weeks but still enjoying the challenges, says Indian student on Nyenrode’s full-time MBA

Wed Apr 6 2011

BusinessBecause
Amit Munshi, MBA at Nyenrode, spoke to BusinessBecause this week about how things are going halfway through his course.

“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!”

RECAPTHA :

57

f0

3e

0b