Post by Ishika Bansal

𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚... This is a letter to The Cambridge MBA Class of 2025, candid, honest, and #InRetrospect! (Part 1/2) Dear future MBAs, First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS! You're officially part of University of Cambridge, no small feat. Getting here required ambition, determination, and probably a few existential crises. Take a breath, soak it in. You earned this! This place will challenge you, and change you, if you let it. 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙩. 𝟭. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨. You'll sit in rooms where people talk in jargon you don't understand. You may wonder if you truly belong. Let me assure you- you do! Slow down, listen, and learn. Know what you bring to the table, and bring it well. Imposter syndrome or feeling lost just means you're growing.   In some rooms, you'll effortlessly play the ace. In others, you'll get to learn. Great, ain't it? 💯 𝟮. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. Parkinson's law is real. And it's all a mind game. Take the class which scares you, do an activity which you’re curious about, just coz. There'll be curveballs, oh soo many! But growth usually happens when we leave our comfort zone and consistently choose challenge over ease. Every time we do, we build confidence, which ups our capacity. Punch above your weight. It doesn't have to all make sense. Your MBA is a test lab- make some messes! In hindsight, they're what make the best stories ❤️‍🔥 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. MBAs are high achievers; and they bond fast. The cliques also break just as fast. Groups form early and you may think you're left on the outside, while others have a go-to crew for everything. It can be lonely, but it passes. Do not lose yourself in the pursuit of inclusion. Keep showing up, and you'll find your people 😊 (TBC...) #CambridgeMBA