Boilerplate: I want to start off by saying that the below is my personal reflection of my time in undergraduate business school. There is no right or normal way of moving forward through your 4 years, but this is what I did and what worked for me. What I intend to do with my work here is to spell out some scenarios that you may or may not encounter in business school as it relates to the topic, how I would engage, and the reasonings (which I call “Takeaways”) that I had. Now with a sibling also attending undergrad b school, I only wish that I had had someone who’s walked the path to walk me through and set up a level of preparation for what is arguably 4 of the most important years of my pre adult life rather than hearing from an outdated experience from an administrator, college counselor, or parent. It’s all about having good, relevant, comparables. So lets get started:
Every student walks into orientation or your first class in business school with a mixture of anxiety, nervousness, lead by the uncertainty of what comes next. “Will you like the person sitting next to you?” “Am I dressed like a ‘hardo’ or will I be accepted?” “Will I have any friends and how do I do that?” You’re in an unfamiliar setting, with people from all over the world sitting around you. You aren’t sure what you’ll be studying, much less set on what you’re going to pursue as a career.
As with most business schools (at least on the East Coast), the Orientation Leaders (usually a mixture of junior and senior upperclassmen students) selected to lead your business school cohort of 60-80 students will start you off with a background. They would have probably summer interned at a firm and are serving on the executive board (club leadership i.e. President, VP, Treasurer, Events Coordinator, etc) of an organization on campus. You will be sitting around your cohort students in a classroom and walk through the basic systems within the school, what are some ways and events that you could integrate and involve yourself into b school life such as club fairs, research study applications, class selection changes, orientation projects, even career fairs and the like.
Now, lets pause here. There are a few things you already need to consider when faced with this scenario (or any scenario like it going forward):
- Everyone around you is feeling the exact level (if not more) of sensitivity to what you’re feeling. They’re noticing the posture and confidence for the orientation leaders up front. They’re looking at what clothes everyone else in the room is wearing to gauge what is the appropriate “business school attire” that they should wear for tomorrow. They’re trying to understand if the myth of wearing suits to classes in business school is true (FYI bubble burst: it isn’t, people only do it if they are going to work after or have a job interview). So the best way to move forward here is to slow down, take stock of what has been said, and ask the orientation leader just a few questions over the course of the lecture.
My Takeaways:– This shows that you’ve been paying attention.
– From my experience, 9 out of 10 times, these questions are on the mind of every single person in the cohort. Asking them, shows your fellow students in the room and your orientation leaders that you’re confident enough in yourself to ask questions when it matters (in the moment). As an orientation leader, I may ask you to help me out when asking for feedback in the future or to help me out with an exercise or activity. The class will naturally follow your lead and there you have it – you’ve naturally and organically stepped into the shoes of a leader.
– It gives you the opportunity to make an memorable impact if you were to introduce yourself to the upperclassmen – they’re more likely to remember you as the kid who was active and involved in class. It’s important to have mentors (especially older ones), and these orientation leaders more likely than not volunteered to mentor and provide their knowledge and experience to younger students like yourself. Take advantage of it…It’s free advice.
– Those first impressions are everything. Don’t be afraid of “screwing it up” and thereby resulting to skate by with a low profile and not shake the boat. I used to think that asking too many questions in the first few months of school made you seem annoying. But the facts are that you may not get another chance to ask this. If not now, then when? It shows that you give a damn and that you’re a mover and a shaker.A few smart questions to ask:
– What has been the biggest change that they’ve experienced or seen as they’ve progressed from a freshmen to senior?
– Are there certain teachers and classes that shouldn’t be taken in the same semester or same day who may overload work?
– What do you do to destress?
– When did you decide on your major and if you went back would you have pursued something different? This could be rephrased to: Was there something else you would have pursued, whether in business or not, that you still want to try? Do you still want to pursue that in the future / how can we have that level of flexibility as well? - The people on your left and right may become your best friend over the next 4 years. I’ve seen that happen over not only to myself but also numerous times in the 2 cohorts of 60 freshmen students that I led during my junior and senior years. Talk to them, remember their names, be kind and open minded. Share what you’re thinking, where you’re from, or what you’re excited or nervous about – you can be sure they’re doing and thinking the same thing. Some people just need that first nudge, and then you’re off to the races!
– There’s no Takeaway here as this is probably the most exciting prospect of that first day. I would end up introducing their first college girlfriend, room with them when we interned at investment banks in New York, do consulting case studies together, and pregame for Friday night parties. - This is such a small but incredibly important reminder: smile and say hi. It makes an impact. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen other students walk into a room, sit their quietly and walk out after the event is over. Whether it be orientation, a club meeting, etc, the upperclassmen and your fellow students gravitate towards that burst of energy or that warm smile that lights up the room. Again, it makes an impact. If you remember one thing here is that there is always somebody observing you, watching you. And you should think to yourself, what are the thoughts that they may have of you after meeting you? What will they walk away thinking? They may have had a bad impression of you or have heard a false rumor. Or they may simply be trying to figure out if you’re a nice person! I was told by one of my now best friends that she had heard that I was a mean person who was super loud and aggressive (which except for my volume..could be further from the truth). But the moment I smiled, said hi to her, combined with the ensuing conversation, she realized that those rumors were just rumors.
– The Takeaway: Remember that you can’t control rumors but you can most definitely control how you react to them.
All in all, the first day was indefinitely one of the biggest moments of my 18 year old life. Having some of these concepts in mind and keeping to them over the years was how I was able to grow my image and reputation in business school, be elected to President of the undergraduate student body, and learn how to work through the uncertainties of a new room.
Check out how to manage the uncertainties of the new room from the get go in my next article, where I walk through my 10 Person Rule.
