Advice to new MBA students

Well, I thought I should share my experiences with the newbies that flood to MBA programs with starry eyes. I felt that it is my duty to give some insight into the MBA journey :

• MBA ain't no cake walk - take it seriously from day one.
• MBA is glamorous, but not all fun. Infact the 'fun' shall wear out within the first 2 weeks as you start feeling the heat!
• Attend ALL classes - don't miss any. Classes per subject are one a week, and each is important. 
• Class slides are important - pay attention to them (especially for the tests).
• Make notes in class - what the Prof. says and intelligent / useful stuff that classmates say.
• Participate in everything - class discussions, presentations, reports and so on.
• Don't be shy to take the lead - in a team. You are as good as anyone else.
• There WILL be problems. If there are no problems, something ain't right. 
• If you are an international student, you shall have even more adjustments to make than a local student - obviously.
• Be prepared to feel inferior, sometimes - this is not high school - your classmates are brilliant. You may not be the best in the class. Once can not know everything. Different classmates appear to have expertise in different fields.
• You may find a lot of diversity - in age, ethnicity, gender, race, languages, marital status and so on. Enjoy and celebrate the differences!
• Study before class, study after class.
• Don't always sit on the last bench.
• Put yourself out there - your teachers and classmates need to know who you are.
• Take the name tent to class daily (atleast in the first 2 months)
• Study your readings as if you are studying for the final test, not a casual study
• Network with classmates, especially during the final 3 weeks for study.
• The workload is HEAVY, the program is INTENSIVE. Don't expect anything less. 
• Use the student cubicles - this way you make more friends
• Arrive early to class and leave late. Use the chance to chat classmates up.
• Try to get to know every single classmate - learn to socialize. 
• Talk to your Prof. during the break / before class / after class - even if it is just to say "Hello Prof." or "Thank you". There is so much to learn from the Prof. 
• You shall always be short of time during the MBA. Do not put off work "until later". Never works out.
• It is always a battle of Quantity versus Quality, during the MBA. Gotta sacrifice one for the other.
• It is always a battle of Efficiency versus Effectiveness. Try to balance the two. 
• Practice public speaking skills - very important. Video record yourself for better learning.
• Very important to have excellent Powerpoint, Excel and MS Word skills.
• Improve your typing speed. 
• Learn the APA format very well.
• Learn how to write good reports - you shall do several during the MBA. 
• Learn about Consulting - you shall role play as consultants during your presentations. 
• Learn how to be a good team player and member. Its tough, but essential. Working in teams is one of the most important aspects of MBA learning.   
• Get a Gmail account - useful for Google Docs - when you do assignments with team.
• A dropbox account may help.
• Get a Google Chrome web browser - way better than Microsoft explorer and helps open multiple windows through easy links.
• Use Facebook to network with colleagues. 
• Learn to switch between tasks. 
• Learn to multitask. 
• Learn to divide and distribute work. 
• Get sufficient sleep and exercise.
• More soon...