Class is hard. Partying hard is hard. Keeping up with your neverending calendar is hard.
Time is the most valuable asset that you have. Choosing how to spend is the hardest part of your job as a student.
There is nothing more difficult, especially during the first quarter of business school.
The Balancing Act
For most business school students, it’s the first time in years that you are not in an office daily, and the last time for a long time in which you will not be in an office regularly. We don’t have as much spare time as we believe that we do, but we have an incredible amount of flexibility on how we choose to spend each hour of our day.
Whether that be: studying, going to class, working out, sitting in the winter garden conversing and socializing, researching industries, applying for jobs or internships, exploring Chicago attending recruiting events, sleeping, case prepping, eating, going to events, or relaxing your mind and body – there are endless ways to choose to spend each hour of every day.
The big question is: How do I choose what is most important to me?
Everyone is Different
While I find value in sitting in the winter garden conversing with friends and meeting and learning more about my classmates, a peer may find more value in sitting in the silent study room and learning accounting more deeply. For someone that is recruiting for Investment banking or consulting, attending endless coffee chats, corporate conversations and case prep studies may take precedent at all times, causing them to have to choose wether recruiting for a job takes precedent over their studies and time in class or not.
What may be important to me, may not be important to you.
And that’s okay. For someone like me that is not traditionally recruiting, I seemingly have more time on my hands than others. So, I am trying to keep up with my personal routine of: cooking meals at home, working out and reading regularly. The ability to maintain a steady schedule just simply isn’t reality for some of my classmates right now – but, their pain is temporary as they await their summer internship offers.
How To You Choose What Is Worth Your Time
It’s up to you. I am committed to:
- Going to class (since each class costs ~$800 per session) and turning in all assignments
- Building meaningful relationships with my classmates daily
- Working on my business ideas to see one to fruition
- Maintaining my personal wellness (cooking at home, working out, reading)
- Posting on MBA: The Blog Once A Week
- Attending Weekly Lunch & Learns with the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club
- Making Time to Chat with Prospective Students
While each person’s list is different, I believe that it is imperative to make time for yourself and to solely commit to items that align with your goals in b-school.
Alas, throwing random experiences once in a while, like pending a sunday at Soldier field with one of my classmates to see my best friends football gam or going to Rocky Horror with your classmates, every once in a while is worth it.
People like to say that the beginning of business school is like “trying to drink water from a fire hose”. It is your job to stay calm through that inevitable experience. People just like you and I have made it successfully through this experience.
The amount of e-mails and invites that you will receive are unmanageable and overwhelming. But, if you know what you want to focus on then you will be more successful in filtering.
Spend Your Time Wisely
Because it’s all that you have. If you’re recruiting journey is going to be difficult, lean on your friends that are not recruiting when you need a breather and take a break when necessary. If you’re not recruiting traditionally, then its your job to be even more intentional with how you choose to spend your time.
Time is easy to waste when there’s so many ways to spend it.
Be smart about it. You’re expected to be.
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