'B-school cannot teach you humility'

"Managing" often has nothing to do with academic qualifications or being a topper in class

The fact that B-school education is the most sought after post-graduation tag for every student walking out with a graduate's convocation certificate, says a lot.

True, "MBA" might be three golden letters to starry-eyed college pass-outs.

However, behind this glitter lie the shortcomings that every B-school degree comes bundled with. Let's get straight to the details.

Are summers cool?

The first fact is that in almost all business schools, you can't pass out without completing your summer training. Summer in itself is an acknowledgment that B-school training is not enough.

One cannot learn to drive just by listening to driving instructors. You have to get behind the wheel. The point is, are the two months of a crammed summer training course good enough?

Facts and fiction

B-school education makes you aware of the tools and techniques and the concepts. But students still need to know how and when to use them in practice. That two months is too short a time to experiment with truth in the real world.

To make up for the lack of time, there are case studies for which students in B-schools burn the midnight oil. However, simulations are just that! Real life challenges are a class apart.

Coping with stress

Students believe that the late nights they have spent in B-school solving cases and studying hard for their exams is the last word on stress and work pressure and how to cope with it. But that is only the worst they have seen and experienced yet.

On the job, real life stress potentially can be in multiples to that experienced as a student and the B-school curriculum does not give any answers on how to cope with it.

Communication skills

Hundreds of group discussions, active or desperate class participation still do not help improve one's communication abilities in both the oral and written forms.

Unfortunately, B-schools do not help people who are weak in these areas.

Being on top

Then, the aptitude of most students for "mugging up" might get them stars in their report card.

Even topping in a B-school is increasingly becoming an art of writing an exam than actually having a fool-proof ability of being a "management" expert.

Learning by heart is not as good, beyond the boundary walls of the B-school. Simply because "managing" has at many times nothing much to do with academic qualifications or being a topper in class.

Managing relationships

Most of the students' interactions in B-schools are at a buddy-buddy level, with very little scope for professionalism in the relationship.

What is important on a day-to-day basis once students are out of B-school is how to manage people and relationships "" colleagues, subordinates and, most importantly, superiors, something not really focused on in the B-school.

Comprehension

As a student a good attitude towards learning would be to read as much as possible, without really caring about its importance and relevance.

Ironically, you start reading and learning more after B-school than when you were part of it. Post B-school one needs to learn to quickly separate the grain from the chaff.

In addition, the ability to manage and comprehend a large amount and variety of paperwork and documents is what is not directly dealt with in the B-school.

Learning from mistakes

B-school learning is always about case studies, examples, success stories and anecdotes. Rarely are failures discussed. Practical life will always be a mixed bag.

Real life teaches you that B-school doesn't show you how to overcome failure and adversities and how to gain from these. If you don't do well in one semester, you can always compensate in another.

On the job, you don't get second chances. Yet you have to play the Phoenix.

A final word

Above all, B-school cannot teach you humility, which is very important in a successful corporate career.

The writer studied at Mumbai's S P Jain Institute of Management and Research in 1993