Chennai to London: A journey unto LBS

Before embarking on the journey of sharing my experiences about life at LBS, I personally think that it's quite important to pen down my experiences of what it took to get to LBS! The glory of being here would only then be justified!

It was my vision to be part of one of the top universities of the world. Given that I was safely encased in my comfort zone back home didn't help one bit in getting my dreams to become a reality. It took two years of coaxing and cajoling during the waking hours, apart from the sustained thoughts of ambition that kept me awake through the night, to get me moving – from Chennai to London!

Everyone who enters LBS has a story of toil and risk to tell! Only few are very lucky in the sense that things magically unfold and fall into place sequentially and magnificently! But, don't forget, these lucky few also had to invest a lot of effort!

I was working for a bank in India and had to put in 72 hours of work a week (minimum). Had just one day to myself, Sunday! While the urge to get out and gain global exposure was overwhelming, prudence demanded that I keep my job. The remaining hours of the week saw me juggle my attention between family, friends, GMAT preparation, the application process, consolidating my wisdom of the last six years and an hour of social service once in two or three weeks amidst contemplating ways to resolve issues at workplace. I know this sounds crazy, tedious, quite challenging in fact; but today when I look back at those good old days (good, because without those days, today would have remained a fantasy), trust me, what I went through is beyond my own comprehension. But passion does that to all of us - drives us to perform despite testing circumstances. I have a few classmates who lost their jobs amidst the on-going Euro crisis and instead of losing faith in life and beginning to coin it destiny they converted their loss into an opportunity by preparing for the GMAT without losing much time and going through with the whole process of getting admitted here.   It takes such an undying attitude to get here. Money is a constraint to a majority of us, so planning ahead is also required.

Admitted to London Business School! 'Invincible' becomes quite tangible.

The orientation day, the first day at school happens at the Mansion House, London, the residence of the Lord Mayor of London and you feel on the top of the world. 

It feels incredible to be part of this diverse and intellectually superior crowd. Excitement oozes from every pore of your being. Classes begin soon and the subjects seem quite familiar. Most of the topics are not unknown to the group and it is a feel-good factor because you think you really can sit back, relax and enjoy listening to the lectures. Only after a couple of sessions and an assignment later it dawns on you – ooooops – nothing at LBS is a cakewalk, merely because what you’ve always known is more of ‘theory’ while what is being imparted in LBS is more of ‘application’.

When you reach LBS you think you are smart, but after you interact with the intellectual pool - classmates and professors, you are amazingly humbled! Everything around you drives you to excellence - positive forces!

This is my first time away from family and interacting with my classmates has been an enriching and splendid feeling. There is so much to share - joy, knowledge, fun, stories and lifetime of associations to be made! Once you set foot here, you soon realise that LBS becomes your world, a home away from home!