The £2 story - my first day at school

I landed in London on the 31^st of August, 2009. The orientation began on 1^st September. On my first day to school, I woke up at 5:45 a.m., practiced Yoga, showered, prayed, made breakfast and reached half hour before the orientation began.

For my friends who think it doesn’t sound like me, of course I am joking! The truth is – I woke up at 7:45, got out of the bed at 8:15, took a quick shower, skipped breakfast, ran to the bus without a ticket, borrowed money from a stranger to buy a ticket and made it to the orientation just in time (apologetically read 15 min late).  Here is how:

So it had been less than 24 hours since my arrival in London and I had limited knowledge of Oyster cards. All I knew was that I could get to school by bus for which I could buy a ticket at the stop. No one told me from where/whom. So I decided to ask the driver himself (:P) when the bus came. The driver showed me the door and I was astounded by his rudeness. Then I turned towards the door and realized he was actually pointing towards the ticket machine outside. I went to the machine and saw a slot for coins but none for notes. As the bus restarted to go, I kept scrutinizing the machine looking extremely stressed and lost. Just then, a middle-aged British lady got up and stopped the driver from moving ahead. She came out and asked me if I had coins with me. I told her I didn’t but I’ll manage somehow. I thanked her for asking. She offered to buy my ticket with her coins but I refused. She insisted. I hesitated. Then I looked at my watch. I agreed.

As we sat together in the bus, she sensed my embarrassment so she reassured me “don’t worry I will show you where I work and you can return it anytime” I said “Please do,  I will come later this evening or latest by tomorrow” “Come whenever you find time – I know you will come” As I waved goodbye to her, I wondered what was it about me that she trusted so much? Then I looked at myself and knew instantly what it was…

 In the summer term, we read about a cognitive bias called “Authority” where a person’s degree and dressing can have a significant impact on the way people perceive her. Or in Barney’s legendary words - The power of suiting up. Thus I learned my first lesson of B-school even as I was on my way to my first class.  

The next four days went amazingly well. It was a unique experience meeting classmates from almost 40 different countries, forming study groups, making friends, getting introduced to the faculty/staff and learning about the school/facilities etc. The leadership module assignment being the highlight of it all. Joking again! Barbecue on Day-4 and the London bus tour were awesome and gave us a chance to get to know each other more casually and talk beyond our undergraduate degrees, GMAT scores etc.

On Day 5, I went to the post office where Jamie works with the two pounds I had borrowed from her a week ago. She asked how my first week at school went, and I replied “Absolutely amazing… In just 5 days, I have met so many interesting people with such varied backgrounds that I already feel culturally enriched. The attention and pampering that our class is receiving from school wide authorities already makes us feel like an integral part of the school. I have high expectations from this course…”

She wished me the very best and I said goodbye, looking forward to a wonderful year in this city of wonderful people...

 

Comments

[aakash]

Hi Parul ,even I am looking forward to this course.Though LBS for a name is nothing but great but I am still a little apprehensive as the course is not their flagship course.Can you tel me a little more about the job prospects and the current job scenario.You can reply to my query at sharma.aakash@hotmail.com .
Waiting for your reply.
Thanks in advance.