Networking

The most abused term in B-schools. It may had some positive connotation in the ancient past but nowadays it's an euphemistic word for "boot-licking". Networking is done mostly with seniors, not to gain some real insights into the industry or profession, but for getting hold of the ppts of those case studies which have been done in previous batches, getting sample questions for end term exams, getting insights into electives which don't add much learning value but are great for getting good grades, etc. In my humble opinion, none of these activities add anything of value rather than a couple of extra marks/grades here and there, which comes at a cost of unoriginal thinking and constant dependence on others. On a different note, it's funny how people crave for marks in a post-graduate programme in management. I will try to write a separate article on this topic.

Another thing that is lacking ohh-so-much in B-schools is individuality. People don't take a single step inside the campus without consulting seniors and batchmates; the latter again consult with the seniors, who give advice based on their consultations with their super seniors, etc etc. Hope you get the drift. Be it the case of choosing electives or choosing the industry, the final result is blindly following other's advices without heeding a call of one's own heart. Not many have the confidence of treading their own path even before walking into the campus. And the remaining few lose it midway due to extreme peer pressure. I myself almost fell into this trap during the summers process. Thankfully better senses prevailed in the end.