It feels as if we just started orientation, but it amazes me that we’re now nearly at the end of Term 2. What was a full first two months of classes and activities felt like two years, but also two days in some ways. There were a ton of things going on every day, from core courses to career talks and industry sharings, group work and individual assignments and social gatherings. I think I speak for most of my classmates when I say I wished I had more than 24 hours each day. But again, the programme-packed calendars make each day pass by so quickly that before you realise it, the term is already over.

One of the greatest skills I’ve learnt to apply at CEIBS so far is how to prioritize. As much as I wish I had more time, there are only 24 hours to split between the classic ‘3Ss’ – studies, social, and sleep. If you ask me, I don’t have a real strategy, but you need to really understand what is important to you and what kind of experience you want out of this MBA journey. Would you prefer to find out more information on healthcare in a career talk? Or would you rather spend the same time preparing for the next day’s class? Or just call it a day and go to bed early? – These questions pop up almost every day, and answering them gets you closer to your goals bit by bit. After all, an MBA is also a journey of self discovery.

Rowing our way to leadership

Nothing beats breaking the ice over team sports and starting our MBA journey with a bang. During our first week of school, we had a rowing challenge where we were put into groups of eight-to-a-boat to learn about teamwork and leadership. Indeed, the coordination of the whole body and between different muscles was not easy, but the hardest was the coordination of the eight of us to get the boat going as fast as possible. Good communication, encouragement, trust, perseverance, and positive mindsets were amongst the many factors that contributed to the success of the fastest boats, and these were parallel to what is important in teamwork and leadership. For many of us, it was also about challenging ourselves to get a better score every time we rowed, something that was made all the more difficult as our bodies began to tire. For my team, even though we did not win, we were making adjustments each time and getting better each race, so we left the water with many positives.

My rowing team – Team Fortune (发财) – we clearly know we want to make a fortune wherever we go!

The M23/M24 mixer party

What could be better than getting advice from those who went through your path at the beginning of the journey? As a way to welcome us and to get the only two MBA batches on campus to know each other better, a mixer party was organised to break the ice between new and old. This was especially memorable because it was a great event not only for us as a new batch to interact with the previous batch, but also for us to get to know each other closer as batchmates. Watching new friends put on talk shows, dance and band performances opened my eyes up to how talented my classmates are, and it surely was fun seeing everyone’s fun side!

Dancing with my talented classmates

Halloween party

“Trick or treat?” For me this year, it was “Long live the emperor!” After all, you can’t end October without dressing up with your classmates! As one of the earlier parties in the term, seeing my fellow classmates dressed up as different characters was full of fun and laughter. For my section, we dressed up as the “My Fair Princess” crew for class that day. It was funny walking out of our dorm in costumes with people staring at us and taking pictures while we ran to classes, and even more so when our appearance in class gave the professors a good laugh. I remember one of our professors had to try very hard to hold her laughter at the beginning of the session because we looked pretty hiliarious.

Sunny Cup

The Sunny Cup is a sporting competition organised for MBA programmes in Shanghai. There are seven main sports to compete in – basketball, badminton, table tennis, soccer, tug-of-war, cheerleading, and body building. As a sports lover, I was lucky enough to be a part of the organising committee of the CEIBS Sunny Cup team, taking the role of the Cheerleading Team In-Charge. This kept me busy throughout the term, as we were practicing our routine every week for two months. Despite some of the team coming to cheerleading for the first time, we all put in extra effort for our choreography and still put on a great performance just a week before our final exams. As a part of the basketball girls’ team, I was also able to play on the team with four other like-minded and amazing girls. The organising team was formed way before school started, so this provided a great opportunity for us to get to know each other before things officially kicked off, and the journey served as an amazing bonding session for many of us in the various sports!

Sunny Cup cheerleading team and girls’ basketball team

Classrooms and work groups

There can be quite a bit going on academically, but I must say that learning about, and with, a bunch of intelligent people is one of the happiest things that can happen to you as a student. The different view points and ideas exchanged during class and group discussions is something I appreciate and value as a part of my learning journey at CEIBS. Here is a shout-out to my group mates, who contributed so much to my experience in and out of class. It awes me how the five of us from backgrounds in finance, healthcare, consulting, manufacturing and education could come together to get things done.

My work group having a discussion on the grass on campus

It was such a ride during the first term, but if I were to sum it up, I would say it is, really is, so far so amazing!