I have spent the last month surrounded by a cohort of some of the most interesting and interested individuals I have ever met. The curation provided by the IMD admissions process practically guarantees fascinating, engaging conversations with our peers and I have already made friends that I’m sure I’ll cherish after I leave IMD. My eyes have been opened to new points of view and extraordinary career paths, and the parties have been fabulous. The classes have been demanding and engaging, and the professors across the board are masters of keeping our attention. In trying to take advantage of this (extraordinary) experience, a lot of us are working at 200% capacity.
However, being engaged and enthusiastic for weeks at a time is frankly exhausting. There have been days where the sheer pace and lack of downtime can leave you (at least me) on the edge. My results from the NEO personality test (part of our leadership stream) confirmed what I already knew: that I get more energy from being alone at times, which in turn allows me to socialise and absorb all the information being thrown at me. I didn’t give myself time to recover at first, but over the course of the month I quickly learned to find moments to retreat and rebuild.
I know this is a sensitive topic, but more people than you would think are already feeling the stress and pressure to perform both academically and socially. So I wanted to write this post to let everyone know that if you are feeling pressure, not only is it normal, but a significant chunk of the class is feeling it alongside you. Taking a moment or an evening to yourself won’t change the amazing experience we are all going through – but burning yourself out now will be the opposite of helpful when it comes to game time (and there’s going to be a lot of game time!). I keep getting told that it will get busier, so I’m grateful that we get this time now to adjust before our schedules get even more piled up.
I want to end by thanking all the amazing people on the course who have helped keep me grounded thus far, and to point out to anyone who might be struggling or worried that your peers are a great support system if you need one – so reach out or retreat as you need to!
