The Confidence Only B-School Can Bring

When I started the full-time program last August, I entered business school feeling like not only was I probably the dumbest person in the class but no potential employer would want to hire me after I graduate. This attitude carried me through the first semester of school and was evident in the way I timidly spoke only when called upon in class and nervously made my way through multiple career fairs and networking opportunities. As a “seasoned” second year, I can confidently say that I no longer believe myself to be either “dumb” or “unhireable”.

Upon thinking back on the past year, I can see how this rapid transformation took place and how the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” while horribly cliché, is also oh so true. Nothing breeds confidence, or more accurately, forces confidence upon you like business school. Never before have I felt so in over my head, in the deep end of the ocean, with waves crashing all about me, yet I fought my way to shore. From the seemingly impossible JUD (Judgement, Uncertainly, and Decisions) class we all took as first years, to the Managerial Accounting final we all knowingly bombed, there have been many instances of certain failure. When that failure never occurs, and you instead find that you are thriving, you begin to realize that your mom was right, you really can do anything you set your mind to. I know now, that while I may not be the smartest, the most articulate, or have the most impressive resume, I am certainly competent, confident, and I can do pretty much anything you throw at me.

Tell me, where else can you learn that in just one short year?