"Yes I do..." (1 year later)

...so this week is a week of milestones for me in many ways.....today was my last interview initiated through the on campus recruitment cycle.....speaking about interviews, I have counted that I have gone through 26 instances of interviews so far, fortunately enough not with 26 different companies...and hopefully should make some sort of a decision in the next few weeks.......but the major milestone is that it's my first wedding anniversary this weekend......while my partner has us planned to go to Zermatt....I was thinking about the same time last year....so one hour after our wedding, I was typing a last blog entry to send to the MBA office as a sample to be selected as a blogger....yes, you heard me correct - I said one hour after our wedding.....while all my friends were partying, celebrating, drinking and eating around me on the 24th November, there I was compiling this final entry........it's only appropriate then that I share the below with you.....

"Yes I do..."

As I gear up for holy matrimony this weekend, I find myself reflecting on the various decisions I made (yes believe it or not, I actually had time to reflect between the wedding planning and all that IMD Pre MBA course work and exams) that led me here. Funnily enough, it made me realize that pursuing a full time MBA and marriage have one too many similarities:

1.       COMMITMENT – I have known my fiancé for over 4 years and similarly, I have been chasing the IMD dream for over a year now. In the past weeks, I have found myself chasing a million things, tired and ready to throw out the white flag and that’s when I realized that this is what I have always wanted and it’s up to me to revive my commitment to make sure I stick it through and battle it out when things get tough……and if the pre course work is any indicator, then I better be 100% committed to giving it my best next year!

2.       It all depends on YOU – In my various interactions with IMD alumni, current students and MBA grads from other schools, I have always heard one thing – it’s up to us to clearly identify our objectives and then use the resources provided by the program to derive the best results…so while rankings are great, at the end of the day – it all depends on YOU to make it work for you.

3.       The right CHOICE - You know you are ready for that big decision when you find the right partner. I find IMD’s personal and intimate approach evident in every element of interaction, I mean which other schools personally interview every candidate?!. IMD’s strong connection with the industry fits my goals and aspirations perfectly and the ability to interact with 90 global citizens every day is icing on an already amazing cake!

In a month from now, 90 of us will be leaving a comfortable lifestyle, in some cases uprooting our families or spending time away from them with no clue of what may happen after one year but we all will agree that 2013 is going to be a year of intense reflection and one where we will build life long relationships and I find myself excitedly saying “Yes I do…”. 

Epilogue (November 21, 2013) - So my dear readers, 1 year later I am absolutely thrilled and grateful that I took that leap of faith....yes, it's been a tough year and we have learnt a lot but I wouldn't change for anything else...(and lets pray and hope my dear partner who has been through her share of the adventure feels the same way!)

cheers,

Vikas