6 Things you MUST do before joining an MBA program

Roughly a year’s preparation; two if you didn’t make it the first time. Additional couple of months for the various entrance examinations and another month or two preparing for and attending GD-PIs across the country. That was one hell of a journey.rnHope you’ve made it to your dream MBA college! Now a well-earned break before the rigor of MBA begins.rnBut, it’s equally important to utilize SOME of this precious time, to manage your MBA well from the word ‘go’!rnA MUST DO for those of you who feel, you could have got into a better college. Don’t lose heart! Work smart to make up that gap, starting now.rnHere is a list of things you must do, before joining an MBA: 1. Build a Rapport/Network:rnStart building a good rapport with your immediate seniors (the current 1st years) through social groups and other forums.rnThis will help a great deal in settling in quickly into your college. You will get an idea of the placement scenario, the kind of companies that visit the campus for summers or final placements and banking and finance Courses– you can be the rightful heir to all their notes 2. Build your Resume:rnGet the first draft of your Resume ready; a gap analysis of your CV might give you a clear direction of where you should focus your energies before MBA.rnYou will not have the luxury of time once you enter college – swamped under a pile of assignments, case studies, tests and much more; before you realize it, companies will be recruiting for summers at your college and you might end up losing big internship opportunities. 3. Do a Short-Term Course:rnBasis your specialization preference, do a short-term online course. Preferably, a course with recognized certification will be a great Add-On. This is MUST DO for someone with an Engineering background getting into MBA-Finance.rnThe best in its league is undoubtedly FLIP’s Finance and Banking Fundamentals program – gives a strong foundation on critical finance concepts; how financial markets work and an overview of the banking business. It’s very popular and the choice of thousands of B-School aspirants and first-year students. 4. Develop your Soft Skills:rnBeyond all the technical skills that your peers might match you up with, another parameter that can really help you stand out from the crowd are your professional courses in finance skills.rnAs an MBA student, a lot of your grades depend on the way you work on your presentations and how you communicate them. 5. Learn Excel & PowerPoint:rnUnderrated, but one of the most valuable skillsets to possess, proficiency in Excel and power point is not a good-to-have but a must-have skill for any management graduate. And if you’re an aspiring Finance professional, you rely heavily on Excel not only for data formatting but also critical and complex business decision making. 6. One Financial Newspaper:rnCultivate the habit of reading at least one Financial Newspaper every day. (Mint, Economic Times, Business Standard, Brand Equity etc.) Subscribe to relevant newsletters.