Imagine attending four classes, each an hour-and-a-half-long, between 9 am and 9 pm. Now, imagine doing a pre-read between these classes during a break, and completing an assignment or making a presentation once these classes are over. And then preparing to present it the very next day.
Academically, this is what a day in the life of a first year XLer is like. You could be fooled into thinking that this is just the academic rigour that studying an MBA at XLRI demands, and that this is the case in any other college. While that is true to an extent, there’s a lot more that an XLer does, that makes them special.
When I first entered the campus, I cursed myself for choosing to pursue MBA. The late night sessions, the general body meetings, the staying up till 4 am and waking up again at 8 am — it was all a lot for me to take in, given I was used to an IT job.
Then there are the coveted committee selections, which — now that I think about it — is one part where XLRI stands out. There are so many committees that just remembering all the names is an achievement in itself! While all this makes you sceptical and exhausted at first, you gradually learn to love it.
Inspirational
Everyday, when you see students finishing presentations, submissions, quizzes, and resuming screenings, interviews and the likes, you start preparing yourself for the inevitable competition you will face.
While these selections aren’t a part of daily life — like academics — there’s always something going on. Starting with Valhalla, the cultural fest, the committee selections happen. This is followed by the preparation for internship and then regular meetings with the placement and support committees.
Following that is the the much awaited summer internship placements (SIPs) where you get to see all kinds of emotions compressed into three days that usually, end with a sigh of relief. After all this, there’s the management festival, Ensemble.
The Diwali celebrations too are out of the world. In the short duration that you spend here, you become close to so many people that you almost don’t miss home. As for the ‘other’ celebrations and parties, they cannot be expressed in words. To top it all off, there are the numerous events that the 35+ committees host! So you can totally imagine the kind of potential students here develop.
Fast and fanstastic
To sum it up, life at XLRI is amazing. It’s fast, it’s hectic, it will test your patience and your stamina, but it will also be fun. We have our own jargon; we have our own songs. We have teachers that the world admires and a culture it respects. For every moment here that you doubt yourself, there will be many more when you’ll thank the stars for helping you reach this institution, to be among the select few, putting you amidst a pool of amazing people.
For every moment that you will spend learning concepts by heart, there will be hundreds of moments in which you learn and appreciate how the real world functions. Here, not one day is like another. Studying at XLRI is an experience — and a fantastic one at that.