On the morning of 29 August 2017, I left my parents’ house and headed towards the airport with a one-way plane ticket to Hult Boston. I left without plans to come back for a year. (If you want to know how I got to this point, you can read my first blog post here.)
As I’m writing this, over six months have passed since that day. If you are already planning to start studying at Hult next September, or you’re thinking about applying, here are the six key lessons that I’ve learned from this experience so far:
1. Time flies—seriously
It might sound obvious, but I believe that it is still important to reinforce that this one year will probably pass faster than any other in your life.
Before coming to Hult, a one-year program seemed like an eternity to be away from my country, family, and friends. Now that half of the program has passed, it feels like it’s almost time to start the farewells. With friends starting to plan their rotation to other Hult campuses, every day feels like a countdown.
From the orientation day until now, it’s incredible to remember how many things and memories already happened. At the same time, there is still a list of things that I want to do before graduation.
Use your time responsibly.
“This one year will probably pass faster than any other in your life. Use your time responsibly.”
2. It’s all about people
Being away from home, family, and friends is hard. But it can be easier if you’re open to meeting new people and building new friendships.
Instead of the traditional Christmas with your family, you may be having Chinese food with friends from Peru and Ecuador. Instead of a birthday with coworkers, you may be having a party with friends that you’ve just met a couple months earlier.
Regardless of the situation, sharing these moments with others will make the journey more fun.
3. Try to keep a routine
Before coming to Hult, I worked for six years at the same company in Brazil. You can imagine that I was very used to my routine: waking up and arriving home at the same time almost every day.
When school started and I found out that I wasn’t having classes every day or at the same time each day, I got a little confused about managing my free time. It isn’t easy to wake up early if you don’t have a class in the morning. But it is important to create a routine.
Use this time to do your assignments, prepare for your next class, or practice a sport. Sometimes, it’s tempting to sleep in a little bit more or just relax and watch a TV series. I won’t lie and say that it never happens to me (sometimes too much!), but the advice here is to try and find a balance.
See what works best for you.
4. Embrace the unexpected
As I explained in an earlier blog here, I’m the kind of person that likes to be in control of the situation I’m in. But I’ve learned that when life can take you in surprising directions at any moment, you need to be more flexible.
Sometimes, we think that things will never change. But the truth is, we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride and nothing is guaranteed. We need to accept this and see every change as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.
Let’s use my example. When I started at Hult, I had decided to do my whole Masters in International Marketing at the Boston campus. But after a couple of months, I started to research more information about Dubai. And exactly one day before choosing my electives, I ended up deciding to go to the New York campus during my last module.
Embrace the unexpected and you’ll be ready for wherever life takes you.
“The truth is, we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Accept this and see every change as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.”
5. Learn outside class
Boston is known for its famous universities and innovative environment. Take advantage of that. Go to events and do networking outside of school. There is always something happening and, in many cases, for free.
Another way great to take advantage of free time is to get an online certificate. Check out courses with Google Analytics, Google Adwords, or one of the different courses from Hubspot Academy.
Or, you could consider volunteering for local events. It is a good way to learn something and also get to know new people.
6. Enjoy the ride
Enjoy this time to reflect on where you are in life and where you want to go. This is a journey of self-knowledge. You’ll only take full advantage of it if you allow yourself to enjoy it.
Don’t take yourself too seriously and have fun. You are not going to regret it.
To learn more about the life-changing experiences that await at Hult, download a brochure.
Make the most of what your career has to offer with a Masters in International Business from Hult. To learn more, take a look at our blog Hult scores in top 20 in The Economist’s Which MBA? ranking for 2019, or give your employability a huge boost with an MBA in international business. Download a brochure or get in touch today to find out how Hult can help you to explore everything about the business world, the future, and yourself.
