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First Day Of Class At Kellogg – What Will It Take To Succeed?

Kellogg School of Management, get ready! The class of 2012 officially attended its first day of business school today.  And what a fabulous experience! We’re a class that applied and got accepted during one of the most difficult application periods ever.  That came from every industry and sector imaginable. That comes from diverse backgrounds covering all parts of the world. And with plans to reach for the stars while here at Kellogg.

And we all finally came together officially in the building we know as Jacobs to embark on one of the most important experiences in our professional careers. It was exciting to finally get the experience.

Having spoke to a few past alumni of both Kellogg and other top schools, everyone consistently says that the next two years will be one of the most incredible experiences in our lives.

In a recent conversation one alumni said “I think, one of the best experiences that you can have for figuring out more about what you want to be. Because every single day, you’re reading cases and talking to people about things that are most important in your professional life.”

A second alumni said that “you have a chance to really think more deeply about your interests and understand more about what you think. And you get challenged every day.  And so, it’s a time not only for discovery but also deepening of your own understanding.”

But while both of these comments were great, many folks in the class are wondering what does it actually take to do that well, and how can we ensure that in the end, we do actually succeed? Will it require getting A’s, and if so how do we do that? Or instead will it require meeting with dozens of companies to finally find the one we’re most interested in? Getting to know everyone in the class to see who has that one link to a company you’ve been looking for? Or learning as much as possible about a specific topic, or a little about a lot of topics to arm us as future managers and leaders?

The likely answer is that for everyone (1) the answer is different and (2) the answer is more of a combination of those things. So on our first day, most people didn’t know the actual answer. And instead of trying to find it, for now, most of the class channeled their motivations to do some reading for class, to get to know a few classmates, attend a few club events, and to enjoy the first day with their professors – my first class was Strategy with Professor Meghan Busse and class was a lot of fun.

But in spite of the busy day of activities and various ideas about how to succeed, there is one important commonality for all of us. That despite some of the fun times we’ll have, it will take a little hard work, both in and outside of the classroom, to be successful. And that it will take consistent focus, especially given all the competing priorities, on the things that we decide we want to do, in order to do them well.

The good news is that at Kellogg, we will definitely have that chance. Because one of Kellogg’s goals is to create leaders that want to devote themselves to the world’s biggest global problems. And that process began for the class of 2012 today.

Next up tomorrow, Marketing with Professor Julie Hennessey and Finance with Professor Jiro Kondo.

Stay tuned!