Welcome Class of ‘08 September 4, 2006
Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, MBA, Duke , 1 comment so farI know its a little late for the official welcome of the First Years to Fuqua. But I think, it is the appropriate time to do so. This post is officially dedicated the ‘08 Fuquans 
Hope each of you had a great time at the Orientation Week, the ILE Week and the first week of classes. I have had a chance to interact with many of you and its been great knowing each one of you. I wish you all the very best in your classes, assignments, club activities, job search and zillion other things you wish to do when you are here. Fuqua is an amazing school. Period. Ensure that you get the best of it!
I am always amazed by the people I have met here and the Class of ‘08 has been no different. I am specifically interested in knowing all the ‘Desis’ who flew in directly from India because I know how hard things can get and how badly you need someone looking out for you! It is very weird being a second year as you are suddenly in the harsh light of close inspection by the first years who want to ensure that they get every ounce of knowledge outta you, again by the first years who view you as a demi-god for surviving the ‘terrible’ first year at a business school, by the Profs who suddenly assume that you are more smarter than when you applied and hence expect more out of you, by the Career Centre who expect you to be an expert in the world of job-search and career management, by team mates who expect you to bring in a lot of worldly knowledge from your 2-month stint of summer internship, by classmates who are all fidgeting by the expectations of everyone around them and by the first years again, who think you have the ace weapon to land the stupendous internship! Phew! If you think it was hard being a first year student, think again… second year can drive you insane! Am I kidding?! Ofcourse I am It has been an amazing ride and this year, the last in my life time as a student, I better get everything outta this place and people here!
It feels so nice when people instantly recognize my name or when I see people grinning as their eyes light up when they address me as ‘Simba’. It is pretty amazing that so many people know me through this blog of mine! When ‘The’ gets prefixed tp your name, its kinda flattering & scary at the same time. LOL, some people are actually surprised by the low profile that I maintain around here! I am serious! I am low-profiler! 
Taking the cue from Ms.N I feel the need to share some of the pointers with the First Years. I agree with her on all counts and would like to stress on the last one. Have fun…
Have fun - In the process of running around for classes, winding up the finance assignment in the nth minute, cursing the team mate for not doing a great job on his/her part, grabbing a quick frozen meal due to lack of time, trying to accomodate the gym session once in a while, doing the cold-calling, reaching out to the career centre and the second years… stop for a moment and take a deep breath. It is ok. It is fun! Trust me, start seeing beyond the everyday ‘to-do’s’.. you have invested an awful lot to be here, you were selected out of god-knows-how-many candidates… it is just an MBA! Just a small break from the normal life. Enjoy every bit of argument, dis-agreement and every mug of beer while you are here!
Job-search - Everyone lands up somewhere or the other either for an internship or a full time role. But no one hears of the struggles some of them have to go through and the insecurities that each of them face when they dont hear back from firms.. we all have been through hard times of self-doubt. Career Centre is here to help and so are the people around, utilize them to the max. Absorb the wealth of knowledge and the potential networks in your own classmates & seniors & alums. Work on your strategy. It is easy to push the job search for the months of Jan & beyond, even more easy to put all your money on the on-campus recruitment… but be realistic! Why take a chance with only on-campus firms, why not your dream firm which doesnt make it to your campus, why settle for something lesser than you think you are capable of, why put all the eggs in just one basket?! There are innumerable firms out there.. if they dont get to you, go out and feast on them! 
Get outta groups you feel comfortable with - This advice is especially for the International students. Dont stay with the people you feel at home with.. I know, there are times we all need it but ensure that you really get out and meet other people. Talk to other international students, americans, seniors, profs etc. Get to know people and learn about new things & new ways. I didnt do it as much as I would like to but something I learnt from my summer job. You are here to feel comfortable in uncomfotable situations, so start getting used to it…
Clubs, extra-curicular - Dont take too much, dont take too little. Balance it out! My big advice to all first years have been, take leadership positions in 1 social & 1 professional club and be active in any other club you want without any official posts. You must take on some load to ease the pressure of the course work but be warned, when you do sign up for work… there is work to be done! It is not just a set-up!
I can go on and on rambling about what can be done better! But seriously, the best way is to meet as many people you can and start thinking about ‘why’ you are here… the bigger and larger picture of how these 2 years fit into your big fat album of life!