There are probably a zillion resources at the I.I.M's disposal for information on the U.S Business School Application Process. But I wonder how many of them discuss survival issues, once you get through.
After spending nearly 3 weeks at a U.S Business school, I'll attempt to highlight two Critical Success Factors (CSV's) for the I.I.M.
Before I begin, let me clarify that I.I.M refers to an 'Indian,IT,Male' : yeah, the largest 'race' ( = competing pool ) of applicants. [ It is an unintended sarcasm against my institute in India which positively overflows with members of this species.] And just to be politically correct, everything I say applies to women as well(ya, whatever).
So CSV1 is that you need to completely RE-ORIENT yourself before you reach Bengaluru airport [ All of you are in Bangalore right ? - sorry couldn't resist the cheap shot :) ].For starters, vaccinate yourself against the MUG ITCH. This is a chronic illness peculiar to the Indian sub-continent. It manifests by sending the following brain signal many times during the day : " MUG OR PERISH" , "MUG OR PERISH". [ Mug is slang for 'cram' in Indian English..] anyway, you get the idea.
If you retain the MUG ITCH in a b-school, it can get really lethal. Don't worry to death about your grades. They DON'T MATTER. Back in India, the rule of the game is a Nike slogan : 'JUST MUG' :D Sorry, doesn't work here!
The harder part is developing your social skills. Lets face it, we Indians are kind of sucky at this. I am not referring to English not being our native language. We are great in the 3 R's man : but there should have been a 4th R for conveRsation skills !
That brings me to CSV2. If you want to find a job here, know that you are totally on your own. No hand-holding "placecom"s. Network with people to find out what interests them and you. That's how you get an interview call. Its quite simple - if you don't network, you don't have a hope. This is the culture shock that Indians go through, not tissue paper!
All the best folks !!
[ It is our education system, you know. We are way too focussed on fostering individual brilliance, with little or NO emphasis on group activities. I can't think of any group science project I ever did back in school. And to top that, extrovert kids are dubbed 'talkative' by teachers while the quiet ones are praised for their 'discipline'. Crap ! ]
