"How's uni? In 5 words"

2 weeks ago, I set foot inside the Global Hub, to start my MBA orientation at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago. Coming to Evanston and re-entering student life has been the culmination of years of hard work (as a consultant) and countless hours spent slaving over the GMAT and applications. But it hasn't been easy and I have struggled to clearly articulate my experience.

So when a friend asked me "How's uni? In 5 words", it took me a minute or two before I responded:

"Crazy fun but intensely draining"

 

Crazy fun...

Before I started my MBA proper, I left Chicago behind and headed to St Martin and Anguilla (with 24 of my future classmates) as part of KWEST, an initiative that sends small groups of random Kellogg students for a week overseas, to get to know each other. Our week in paradise included: swimming at countless beaches, relaxing in luxury villas, partying on a boat to Kpop and eating great food. But the most fun part was getting to hear the unique paths that people have taken to get to Kellogg. In our group alone, we had: a veteran, a former professional ice-hockey player, a Chinese serial entrepreneur and only 2 management consultants! KWEST is unique in that we weren't allowed to talk about our personal and professional backgrounds for the first three days and instead had to get to know each other without the preconceptions of location and profession. This wasn't easy but it was definitely interesting. KWEST was one of the greatest experiences of my life and was a great introduction into my 2 years at Evanston and the incredible people I would get to meet.

KWEST was followed immediately by a week of orientation where I learned more about my future MBA experience and met even more of my classmates. Kellogg loosely follows a section structure where students are split into groups and take orientation, pre-term classes and some fall quarter classes together. In this environment, I got to meet more people at a deeper level that I had with KWEST, bonding over beers, small group dinners, sports (at the CIM olympics) and a showcase performance (which we won!). It was interesting to see how effective artificial boundaries, such as sections, are are creating a sense of camaraderie and shared experience. I know that many of the people that I have met in the last 3 weeks will become lifelong friends and it has been an absolute pleasure to get to know these people.

Apart from the people I met, returning to life as a student has been fantastic. Excessive amounts of spare time have allowed me to exercise (running, soccer, Krav Maga), sleep, read and party. I wasted a lot of possibilities when I was an undergrad and definitely won't be repeating the same mistakes this time.

 

...but intensely draining

At a potluck dinner party earlier tonight, I asked a few people how their first few weeks at Kellogg had been. Every single person responded with either "overwhelming" or "exhausting". While it has been a lot of fun to meet new people, go out, and try new things, it is incredibly draining from a time, physical and emotional perspective.

Back home, where I already have a lot of good friends, I didn't have to invest a lot of time in meeting up with people and getting to know them. It was easy enough to sit back, relax and know that you had a large group of people that you could call upon to enjoy life with. But now I need to make the effort and actually invest my emotional headspace and time in getting to know people. And when you are meeting up with a lot of extroverted people, such as in a more social school at Kellogg, it can be very intense. I haven't had to do this since I started uni in Feb 2010. It's also not easy when you repeatedly lose your voice and have to hoarsely screech to be understood.

To make matters even more intense, getting back into studying mode has not been easy. I've had to re-learn how to take notes, study and do assignments where I am not allowed to discuss my responses with peers (the complete opposite of what I do at work).

 

I wouldn't trade it for the world

Despite how draining my MBA introduction has been, the fun I have had far outweighs any challenges. My last three weeks has been one of the most transformative times of my life. I'm much more comfortable (and excited) to meet new people than I was a month ago when I left Sydney. It's also been healthy and refreshing to push myself beyond my comfort zone to try new things.

I can't wait to see what the next 2 years holds.