It was on a sunny day when I received the congratulatory mail on my acceptance into the MBA program at the Lagos Business School. I couldn’t contain my joy as this has been one of the milestones, I had set for myself at the beginning of the year. “Finally,” I screamed as I made my way to disclose the good news to anyone who cared to listen to me.
On the 2nd of September 2021, I woke up quite earlier than usual as I prepared to journey to my new prestigious institution. As I drove through the gates, a certain feeling of pride overwhelmed me, and I felt a kick in my tummy – like a pregnant woman would. I couldn’t have been prouder of myself.
As I walked through the well-beautified corridors on the way to my class, The ambience was so peaceful and serene. The aura seemed as though; I was in a foreign city, but I was soon to realize that amidst all this calmness were a lot of works waiting for me on this new journey.
As I got into the classroom, I willingly selected a seat that was directly facing the facilitators so I could be more engaged in whatever discussions we would be having and, in a bid, to reduce distractions.
We got introduced to several facilitators who all seemed very knowledgeable and passionate about their work, and you could see their level of experience and expertise in the way they carried the class along. But it wasn’t too long before I started noticing a trend amongst the faculties. They all didn’t miss a chance to remind us of how hectic the MBA program was and insist that we should brace up for the coming workload. I, for one, took these warnings lightly as I thought they were just strategic approaches to always keep us on our feet. Unfortunately, these warnings were not just threats or strategies, they were going to be indeed my new reality for the days to come.
It has been a coordinated workload from all faculties involved – just like how a stronger country in war with a weaker country would bombard them with a load of bombs all at once. I have had to push myself beyond my comfortable limits and there have been times where I almost broke down, but here I am still standing. There is an established principle in the program that requires you to actively participate in class which eventually sums up to a class participation score. I have had a hard time to adjust to this phenomenon as I have always been a reserved individual in any learning environment I find myself. I have now had to make a cautious attempt to participate more and break out of my shell.
Overall, the experience has been an amazing one, especially with classmates that are always willing to go the extra mile for each other. The learning process has been very interesting and different from the norm which anyone might have been used to at any traditional university. I look forward to a challenging and amazing year ahead in the program while continuing to enjoy the process.
Gift Giving in the Workplace