TO THRIVE COMPETE & CONQUER DURING TOUGH TIMES - LEARNING FROM UBS
Blog By: Nidhi Patle Batch: PGDMBM4CM
Hello everyone, who is reading this. I am going to talk about my
exceptional experience at universal business school during the lockdown. I am a
CEO in making at UBS because here they make CEOs not just the managers. My
virtual induction program started from April 2020. The top business leaders
across various industries were invited to guide us through their journey and
experiences. All the sessions were curated keeping in mind our aspiration and
dreams. The 30 days program speakers were classified into 10 CEOs, 10 industry
faculty and 10 distinguished alumni. This was a once in a lifetime unique
opportunity to interact with business
leaders who have worked in over 20 countries across
5 continents and have studied in some of the best
b-schools in the world. The Covid
situation was really overwhelming, I felt lost but what kept me going was
listening to their stories, their achievements, their challenges, their
failures. It gave me a different perspective of looking at things. I wanted to
learn, I wanted to listen more, and I
wanted to be someone who can be the change.
During
the ongoing induction program our online lectures had commenced. It started off
with 3 subjects marketing, operations management, people, and organization. The
faculties were not only the industry experts but also the great masters in
their field. In the initial days I found it difficult to keep up with the
studies because of the virtual setting. I could not feel the same energy
I would have felt in a normal classroom. Sitting in front of the screen
for two and a half hours
seemed like a struggle. However,
the faculties never felt to keep us engaged. The forum was always open to ask
the questions and clear the queries. Breaking the barriers of the virtual
settings we kept learning. By we, I mean the teachers and the students, it was
equally challenging on both our parts. Soon, we adapted
to the change. We were given access to the digital library of UBS, so
we could refer to the course books. You could also find books written by
Shakespeare, Paulo Coelho, and John Grisham to name a few.
Talking about the extra curriculars, I have participated in various fun activities conducted by different clubs in the college such as mind boggler, housie commander, smirky quirky and more. I am a part of a marketing club and I never realized the importance of clubs until this happened to me. In the club meetings, I get to share my views, ideas and opinions and get to know about others. I learned the importance of working together as a team from the club. A great emphasis is given to experiential learning in UBS and to learn through experience is something more. To make us interact with people across different courses and work together as a team, a mini case blazer was introduced. It helped us get familiar with the case study approach and problem-solving techniques. As case studies are an integral part of the learning process. It was a great opportunity for us to showcase our presentation and communication skills. To monitor our progress throughout the course, a mentor is assigned to 20 plus groups of students. The mentor-mentee session is conducted every Monday wherein we discuss the studies, current affairs and developing requisite traits as an MBA student. Not only our academics but also our mental well-being is taken care of. We are also provided with a professional counsellor with whom we can discuss our personal or professional problems. I really appreciate the initiative taken by the college in considering the importance of sensitive issues such as mental health. This helps cope with the stress one faces because of their studies, peer pressure, family, or other reasons.
Apart
from studies, the faculties invite guest speakers every week. The placement
cell takes care of providing
us with the best of the opportunities even in the times of such crisis.
Shout- out to them for doing such an excellent job and putting in their
efforts just so we do not run out of opportunities. A big thank you. Also thank you for the guest sessions
you organize that gives us a learning experience every
time we listen to them.
My
experience at UBS has just begun and it is a long road to travel. The beginning
might have been challenging but the destination for sure will be beautiful. One
of the few things that I would want you to know. I made the first ever
presentation of my life here. I have connected with the people I have never met
in real life and I would have never done it in normal times. I made a LinkedIn profile
and started working
on it. I have got a hang of doing things and being consumed.
I can see myself changing
from a girl that would procrastinate to a girl who likes to get things
done. Fast forward to today we have three lectures a day and are studying 9 subjects in total.
Things might even get crazier in the coming days but one thing I know for sure
that it will all be worth it. As I mentioned at the very beginning, I am a CEO in making and CEOs do not stop.
They thrive, they compete, they conquer. I cannot wait to be on campus and
experience everything in person, but these virtual walls cannot keep me down
nor can the tough times.
