This week is a break from the ICP, but it’s in no way a holiday. Everyone is working hard on their KAPstone project (individual paper), writing the leadership paper and doing career stuff. Discussions on graduation pop up here and there; whose family and friends are coming, what the plans are for afterwards, how you are going to move all the stuff you have collected over these past few months etc. But this morning I was thinking that if I am thinking of my move out of Lausanne, others must be thinking of their move to Lausanne – class of 2013.
Last year this time, if I remember correctly, I was busy doing the Financial prep work you had to do and reading the books that are assigned to you even before the start of the program. A Facebook group had been set up for our class and it was slowly heading towards the total number of 90. I think it’s one of the best tools around to help share the pre-IMD excitement and anxiety. We could get to know each other, ask each other questions and share tips. A New Years party was arranged for those who were already in Lausanne then and people who had cars offered others to pick them and their piles of luggage up from the train station and bring them to their new apartment. Basically it allowed us to start forming a bond already. I asked a some of my male friends here the other day if they had scanned all the girls pictures to see if there were any “hotties”, to which they replied “of course!”. Naturally us women didn’t do anything of the sorts…
For those of you who are in this phase right now, I’d like to share some tips. Number one: STUDY FINANCE! It is the subject that I think the most people struggle with and you will be going through the Corporate Finance book at a very high pace, so the more you can do in prep-work the better. Number two: Take as much time off as you can before coming to IMD. Use this time to rest, eat and spend time with your friends and family. You won’t have time to do that for the first 6 months at least. Number three: try to get to Lausanne at least 3 or 4 business days before the program starts. This will allow you enough time to do all the usual, yet annoying and time consuming, settling in tasks such as registering with the council, getting a mobile phone number, opening a bank account etc etc. And number four: do not over pack. All you need to survive in Lausanne are clothes (both good winter and summer clothes, temperatures vary from minus 10 to plus 30 throughout the year) and a laptop. That’s it.
So to the class of 2013 I wish you well with all the things that you will have to do before your departure to what will be followed by a year of adventure. I look forward to seeing the first blog entries from the prospective 2013 bloggers!
Happy Wednesday,
Joan