PPO : comPlete Personality makeOver

“PPO !!!” – the much awaited clarion call of any final year B School student. Embedded in these letters is a world of freedom – freedom from the mundane procedure of attending class, freedom from DCP, freedom from the gruel of the placement process, the welcome whiff of worry free FRAX… the list could go on.

However, my PPO has brought in its wake, something more than the relief factor – it is the desire to “actually” learn. It has been just one class into the sixth term of my course and its effect is so evident. For the first time, I sat in class, unperturbed about Lag Indicators (see, I am already using jargon that I learnt!!!) like division of marks, CQ, attendance, CP etc. Disappointed at an empty class, the professor requested a few of us to move to the much detested “first few benches” of class, and I hurriedly gathered my belongings to do so, till I was tugged back to my “roots” by a rather amused friend.

I am surprised at the spontaneity and innateness of the complete makeover of my learning orientations. For every single concept that the professor talked of today, I subconsciously mapped it with millions of examples that I have come across, my internship experience and other related concepts. The intense activity in my brain made me go dizzy. Rather than mentally making a note of the deadlines for assignment submissions, I made a note of the books that I had to read before I got out of XL. I know for a fact that no newspaper will go unread to the raddiwala this term. I have to get back to gymming and I have to learn a language in the next two months here.

As I reflect on this nebulous reincarnation of myself, I wonder – is this not supposed to be the essence of any learning system? The much harangued topic of discussion on the faulty system of Indian education flashed across my mind. For the first time, I actually knew what the word “learning value” meant. Was I not supposed to internalize this at the very beginning of my tryst with MBA? I remember the steely (seldom empty) resolves that I took in my initial euphoria of being admitted into the “Best School in Asia Pacific for HR”. I would not say they have all melted away, some of them have just been… well… redefined.

Varying interests, the discovery that actual outcomes of courses do not match expectations, the inherent human tendency to normalize one’s behavior with respect to environmental variables - all play their part.

Another eye opening incident was my recent participation in an inter B School event. I was appalled at the way some of the “top” B Schools in the country made their presentations - unprofessional would be an understatement. It was then that I realized how the courses that I arrogantly dismissed as “gassy” or “no learning value” contribute to the making of a well honed professional. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner rung in my ears, and I felt an albatross around my neck.

I know I am at the potential threat of being christened a Ghissu, nevertheless, no one can run away from the truth of the situation!