Half Way Through: Classes, Networking, Interviews, Parties, and Brotherhood
It’s December! The New England winter has frozen the Yale buildings around me with its white snow. I have to tread through the icy sidewalks whenever I have to reach the school from my house. Our first semester at Yale has come to an end with the final week of project presentations and exams. Some of us will be heading home for the winter break and some of us go in search of some warm corridors of the country during this time. Some of us will be here in New Haven, celebrating Christmas and New Year in and around our charming campus.
Looking back at the first semester at Yale, I see the different paths that each of us have treaded. When we first came in August, there were so many different things to choose from. An Ivy League education, networking with great student peers and accomplished Alumni, potential jobs in the US and abroad and many more opportunities were in the offing to everyone. Some of us wanted the entire package while some of us wanted only a part of it; some of us came to take the Yale experience back to our home countries, while some of us came here to stay in the US. But whatever goals we had in mind, there was a door open at Yale to help us achieve it.
Last time I had written about the interview season. Now the first season of interviews has come to an end with the end of the first semester. Some of us found amazing jobs while some of us are still looking. But the interview experience in itself was a great opportunity for all of us to meet different people and companies with different standards and requirements. The learning opportunity was amazing and almost all of us got a chance to interview with a few companies. More than just interviewing for the companies, we got a chance to meet alumni and other interesting people in these organizations who were more than willing to help us out in our interview process and beyond. Apart from just the job opportunity, each interview brought us tons of networking opportunities. Some companies gave the MAMs more opportunities to interview over the MBAs. Some of them preferred us for international jobs. Lot of encouragement came from such happenings. It was an absolutely amazing experience.
But what has made the experience wonderful so far has been the fun we have had in between all these curricular affairs. The MAM class has really gelled into one closely knitted unit. Our “whatsapp” group keeps buzzing everyday with someone calling the rest out to party and the “facebook” group keeps showing pictures of our parties we have every day. There have been parties that were hosted by the School of Management, by the university, by the students and by some individuals where we have made merry; there have been small hangouts which have helped us know one another better; there have been those impromptu moments of fun; there have been birthday bashes and barbecue parties and many more occasions which we have cherished as a class. All these sessions have really increased the bond in our class and has brought about a good feeling of brotherhood.
We have come to the end of the first half of our time at this great place, which has given us so much back already. While we prepare to take in the second half of the experience of a lifetime, we are left with a month to relax, regroup our thoughts and rejuvenate ourselves before we start off the second half of our quest in full swing. We had one last blast before Christmas and said our holiday wishes to each other before we boarded our planes for the vacation. See you all next year with big smiles on your faces.
Until then…. Season’s greetings and Happy New Year.
