if i were to boil down my first year experience at the GSB, I would use two words: randomness and ‘failure’. seems gloomy, but it is not.

let me explain.

RANDOMNESS.

a huge chunk of your GSB experience is determined by ‘an algorithm’…basically a lottery. housing, study trips (or lack of them), section, electives…you name it.

sometimes you are lucky, other times you are not. no matter how smart, successful or savvy you are, there are moments when ‘a higher force’ decides that things aren’t meant to be the way you want them to.

as hard as it is to swallow in the beginning, usually you look back at them and say…huh, guess it worked out for the best:)

it’s actually a great reflection of the life ‘out there’.

FAILURE.

the other thing that is constant at the GSB is being assessed and getting feedback ALL THE TIME. and everything is a freakin’ competition. Leadlabs, with its winners party, summer internships process, d.school classes, papers, presentations, exams, elections for clubs’ leadership…again, you name it.

there are a lot opportunities to FAIL. and they materialize. good thing though is that at some point you become ‘immune’. in a good sense, meaning – you try hard, but anticipate failure in the process.

i don’t think it differs that much form a real life…the only difference is that a big amount of failures is condensed into a very short period of time, which requires you to recuperate quickly. QUICKLY.

ON THE BRIGHT(er) SIDE

you get to spend your time with a bunch of amazing people in this ‘paradise like’ surrounding, party quite often and travel a lot.

…and then for the summer you get to work at Google and a start-up in Mexico:)

so things tend to work out.

happy summer to my classmates! and to the MBA’14s: good luck in the real world!

M.

ah. and ” ” for failure, cause i feel this word is an overstatement when you actually get to study here.