Management Graduate Mindset-Jaipuria Institute of Management

After all the hardships of going through a tough selection process, and getting into one of the most coveted management schools, you are now ready for the next phase of your life. We understand if you are nervous and excited at the same time. Many of our alumni felt the same way. We’ve found that a segment of our students makes an early mark in their PGDM journey with us. And it surely is a good idea to prepare further and get a head start on your PGDM program at Jaipuria Institute of Management.

So here are five tips that can make you the early bird at B-school

Tip 1: Make an early start

For some of you, this could be a return to academia from the workplace. While we appreciate the thought behind gaining work experience before attending PGDM, it is equally important to brush up on skills lying dormant like quantitative aptitude and the ability to take notes.

We encourage our students to have pre-PGDM reads (we already have our course pedagogy available), as it would give you a head start if you could glance over the syllabus and the books. It would be beneficial to crack your first semester.

You are joining the program with a lot of knowledge and experience. Don’t let them get in your way of acquiring new knowledge. Learning to unlearn is essential as it helps you grasp new concepts and solve business case studies much better.

Tip 2: Build relationships and make friends

At Jaipuria, we encourage building relationships and growing together. Mentor-mentee, batchmates, roommates, friends, and so on, we wouldn’t like to put a tag on the connections. The more, the merrier. Use the days at the school to network, and just don’t bury yourself in books. Participate in the symposiums and conclaves and make genuine efforts to widen your circle.

Many assignments will involve group work, like, let-it projects, market research, surveys, Business Orientation Programme (BOP), or even your summer internship project reports. It’s fun to do them in groups. Speak with students from previous years and your professors, as you never know who could become a future business partner, advisor, or even a lifelong buddy.

Tip 3: Make the most out of your management graduate status

Pursuing a PGDM program allows you to ask questions, so go ahead and use that card at every opportunity. With market research exercises, you can get interviews, collect data, attend workshops & conferences, and open up opportunities to connect with the founders of organizations. Use the student tag to explore new frontiers, meet business leaders and identify which stream you want to soak yourself in.

Tip 4: Keep Pursuing your Interests, Inside and Outside the Program

A lot will be going on in your PGDM program: assignments, case studies, symposiums, clubs, and so on. We encourage our students to participate in academics to the fullest while exploring and pursuing their latent abilities.

Maintaining your interests and hobbies can help you cope with the academic pressure while bolstering your sense of self as you progress through the program. Also, doing anything unrelated to the PGDM program might help you clear your thoughts and adequately understand the program’s issues.

Tip 5: Make learning fun

Finally, it’s not only about studying. Mix it up from the first day: take a break from reading and listen to some of the finest podcasts for management students; attend lectures, seminars, and workshops; watch TEDx talks and use online learning aids. Explore as many different learning streams as possible so that you may arm yourself with information from a variety of sources.

All these activities will result in you gathering a wealth of information in your arsenal and make you more adaptable to different situations. The knowledge and experience will come in handy during the placement season, making you a wholesome management hire.

To new beginnings

Allow yourself to unwind! Take a week off before the commencement of the program and retrospect on the purpose of joining the PDGM program. Don’t pressure yourself to excel at all the clubs and events, prioritise what you want and also balance a vibrant social life and go by your strength.

Also, at Jaipuria Institute of Management, we ask all our students to focus and work on their mental and physical well-being. We look forward to welcoming you to our campus and are excited to watch the transformation of future business leaders.