Anxious, yet confident. These were the key emotions I felt as I embarked on the journey of a lifetime arriving at the MMG/MBA orientation. Coming from a philosophy background, the trailblazing nature of the program granted me an astonishing sense of satisfaction, but also of humility. My MMG peers and I were handpicked to become the inaugural class of the Masters of Management program and still we were standing in the shadows of comparative giants—the first year MBA students.
Initially, it was a challenging aspect to come to terms with. The MBA class was composed of people of all ages from their early 20s to late 40s. Many of the students had well-established careers with prolific international companies and had led much fuller lives that I. My issues with balancing classes with a part time job seemed trivial next to my peers who had not been in a school setting in 10+ years and had spouses and children at home. I felt like they must have an obvious competitive advantage over me with their years of experience and knowledge. Fortunately, this was not the first time I had been faced with what seemed to be an intimidating task.
I am typically able to adapt to any situation and capture the hidden benefits that arise. In this case, I did not need to adapt at all. In fact, the MBA students allowed my transition into a graduate level program to go as smoothly as it could have possibly went. There was an immediate sense of camaraderie that was established early in our programs, which painted every individual as an accessible and unique source of information and aid. Every single person had different backgrounds and experiences to draw from and contribute to the larger cohesive goal of expanding our knowledge base.
Although there is competition, it is friendly and familial, like lighthearted sibling rivalry that brings out the best in both parties. Still, this sense of competition does not interfere with anybody’s willingness to study together or help somebody else understand a particularly challenging concept. This symbiotic relationship has developed not only what I foresee being a strong and versatile network but also a strong and versatile group of life-long friends.
Non sibi, sed suis. Roll wave.
Keith Harvey