Bocconi MBA Students: A Day in the Life

TopMBA.com asks Simone Tedeschi to talk about a day in the life of an MBA student at SDA Bocconi in Italy. 

There's no such thing as typical MBA day. Every day is completely different. Lessons start between eight thirty and eight thirty and three seconds. It depends how flexible your teacher is. If you're late you wait outside the classroom and you stay there till the end of the hour. To start with, it's a nightmare, but you get used to it.

The first break is when all the students, both from the Italian and the international classes, get together. Depending on the season you talk about sunny weekends at the lakes or snowboarding and skiing in the Alps. Obviously, sometimes you talk about weekends spent studying with other students, at someone's home or in their place at the lake or in the mountains. Lunch is a key moment in the day, and usually you eat with the foreign students. You introduce them to various Italian dishes but explain that lunch in Milan usually means a big salad, otherwise it's really tough concentrating in the afternoon.

Except in rare cases, lessons are very dynamic. The first thing you find out is that a lesson is basically an opportunity to share your experiences with the others and with the teacher. There's an incredible whirlwind of information blowing through the classroom. And right from the start you appreciate the fact that each student has been chosen not just for their experience but also because they're open-minded and willing to give and receive information and opinions.

After the lessons and a short break, you're spoiled for choice. There are club meetings, conferences, discussions on a vast range of topics. Somehow you always end up getting involved in an organisation or committee meeting, where you have to create events, organise the club structure or even start a new club or launch new ideas.

When there's a "Horizons" event scheduled all other activities are suspended. They're usually managers, VIPs or TV stars, people who've really made it, and they come to speak about their experiences and their secrets. It's not to be missed!

The afternoon ends and you suddenly realise that your "MBA day" is just beginning. Option one: you have to study, finish a group project, read five case histories for the next day or just swot for the next exam. Actually, especially for the first two months, it's really tough and social life and personal relationships have to take a back seat. But at least you're not alone, and studying in a group at a friend's place is always fun. Option two: go out for the whole evening with a bunch of lively people from all over the world, sharing experiences and fun!