Hello, fellow MBA students! Are you excited?
So, we’ve arrived in the country of chocolates, watches, and mind-blowing views. How is your first week going? For me, it has been hectic. Rushing around in a new city, trying to figure out all the tasks that need to be done. I am excited, thrilled, and already exhausted; but the year ahead is going to bring challenges, excitement, and many opportunities.
At the beginning of any new project, it is good practice to think about one’s goals. But before jumping into the future, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished up to now. For many of us, it is our first time living in a city where we don’t speak the language (but with the help of Duolingo, we will fix that soon). It might be the first time that we don’t have our loved ones a train ride away, or that we are simply giving up our “known” to transition into something new. Through all of this, I want to remind you that we have gone through the hard (somewhat trying) process of being selected by IMD, and we have chosen to be here to challenge ourselves to something new. All of these are accomplishments; they are testaments to our strength and our willingness to achieve more.
With this in mind, let’s think of what we want to achieve this year. I am a big believer in the “you get what you put in” philosophy, so it is important to know what we want from this experience. Lasting friendships: this is non-negotiable for me. I want to surround myself with interesting, driven, and intuitive people. What better place to do it than here?
Moreover, I want to use this year as an opportunity to grow, not only in skills but in self-reflection and personal development. At the end of this MBA, I hope to be able to clearly articulate my professional goals and to have a path to achieving them. I want to have a deeper understanding of my priorities in the work environment and to have the capabilities to pursue what is most important to me.
As we move forward this year, let’s keep our goals in mind as we build together a community of accomplished professionals, ready to exchange ideas and challenge one another. So, what do you say, MBA class of 2024? Are you ready?
Carlotta Schwarz (MBA 2024)
