給MBA學生的忠告

As MBA students start their programmes, we ask leading professors for tips on how to glean the most from business school.

在MBA學生開學之際，我們邀請了一些知名教授，讓他們就如何從商學院獲得最大收穫給新生指點迷津。

‘Focus: there is nothing else’

“專注：除此之外，沒有別的了”

Professor Ayelet Fishbach, professor of behavioural science and marketing, University of Chicago Booth School of Business

——芝加哥大學布斯商學院(University of Chicago Booth School of Business)行爲科學與營銷學教授阿耶萊特?費什巴赫(Ayelet Fishbach)

“Students must be prepared to challenge themselves, rather than prove themselves. And be open to challenge from others. MBAs must be willing to engage in everything on offer because the qualification goes way beyond just taking classes.

“學生必須準備好挑戰自己，而不是證明自己。同時，也要對來自他人的挑戰持開放態度。MBA學生必須願意參與所有的活動，因爲要想畢業，光上課是遠遠不夠的。

“Some MBAs come to the course with a college mindset, thinking it is all about grades and stick to things they are good at. Give yourself space to develop.

“有些學生以上大學的心態來上MBA，認爲成績就是一切，並且還堅守他們擅長的領域。要給自己一些發展的空間。

“And prepare mentally. For example, put away other things in life, be in the classroom — and for that time there is nothing else. Some find this very difficult, especially since we are all email addicted, but students really need to focus on what needs to be done.”

“還要在思想上做好準備。例如，把生活中的其他事情先放到一邊，把心放到課堂上——在上課期間心無旁騖。有人覺得這很難做到，特別是因爲我們都對電子郵件上癮，但學生真的需要專注於該做的事。”

‘Managing your ego is a huge challenge’

“管理你的自負是一個巨大的挑戰”

John Colley, associate dean and professor of practice, Warwick Business School

——華威商學院(Warwick Business School)副院長、實務教授約翰?科利(John Colley)

“From day one, get involved in class discussions, rather than sit out the whole time — which some students do. Be willing to challenge.

“從第一天起，就要參與班級討論，而不要一直不發言——有些學生是這樣的。要願意提出質疑。

“Some MBAs arrive thinking they already know everything. They are just doing an MBA to get the qualification to further their career. But eventually they learn there is more to it.

“有些MBA學生認爲自己什麼都知道了。他們來讀MBA，只是爲了拿文憑，爲未來的職業發展鋪路。但他們最後會明白，MBA帶給他們的遠不止這些。

“Have an eye on where you are going career-wise. Many do not start thinking about this until two-thirds of the way through the course.

“要關注你未來的職業方向。許多學生課程已完成了三分之二纔開始考慮這一點。

“In the classroom, there is always the issue of ambitious students jockeying for position. Learn to get on with others and manage your ego. For many, this is a huge change.”

“在教室裏，總有一些雄心勃勃的學生在搶佔有利地位。要學會與別人相處，約束你的自負。對許多人來說，這是一個巨大的挑戰。”

‘Try different things’

“嘗試不同的東西”

Kriti Jain, assistant professor in organisational behaviour and human resources, IE Business School

——西班牙IE商學院(IE Business School)組織行爲學與人力資源學助理教授克里蒂?哈因(Kriti Jain)

“MBA students are high achievers and often come thinking they just need to demonstrate what they already know.

“MBA學生都已取得了不俗的成就，他們入學時往往帶着這樣的想法，即自己只需要展示已經知道的東西就可以了。

“A constant problem is MBAs who turn up thinking, ‘I’m the smart one.’ They then quickly discover there are people who are as smart, if not smarter, than they are. Students will become more assertive or aggressive instead of listening to others, when in fact they could be learning from them.

“一個常見的問題是，MBA學生剛入學時認爲，‘我是個聰明人’。然後，他們很快發現，有人和他們一樣聰明，如果不是更聰明的話。這些學生會變得更加自負，或更加咄咄逼人，不願意聽取他人的想法，但事實上他們是可以向他人學習的。

“On an MBA programme we get lawyers, doctors and PhDs. If you are not open to a variety of views, you will lose out.

“參加MBA課程的學生中有律師、醫生和哲學博士。如果你不對各種觀點持開放態度的話，你將會失敗。

“Focus on building a balanced portfolio. Many MBAs focus on the things they are already good at — a banker will be good at finance, for example, so may choose finance options. But it is better try different things. Take on courses that might not bring immediate returns but will be useful later.

“專注於構建一個平衡的知識組合。許多MBA學生專注於他們已經擅長的領域——例如，銀行家的強項是金融，所以，可能會選金融方面的選修課。但最好是嘗試一下別的東西。選擇一些可能不會立即帶來回報、但未來會有用的課程。

“There is an over-emphasis on networking, and new MBAs seem to think this is the number-one skill. But recruiters are very sharp and will be quick to see a lack of substance in a candidate.”

“過度強調社交，MBA新生似乎認爲這是第一大技能。但招聘人員都有一雙犀利的眼睛，他們很快就會發現，求職者缺乏實質性的東西”。

‘A successful job search begins straight away’

“成功的求職過程從一入學就開始了”

Aarti Ramaswami, academic director, global MBA, Essec

——ESSEC高等商學院全球MAB學術總監阿爾蒂?拉馬斯瓦米(Aarti Ramaswami)

“Many students have partners and families, so the transition from employee to student can be stressful. Think about how to manage demands and expectations, from the programme and from family. Consider how you are going to prioritise.

“許多學生有伴侶和子女，所以，從員工到學生的角色轉換可能會讓他們倍感壓力。要考慮如何從課程和家庭的角度來管理需求和預期。要考慮如何來確定優先順序。

“Learning is an entrepreneurial activity. The MBA is not a passive process. If a student is failing to leverage opportunities within the school and classroom; failing to practise leadership and communication style; failing to seek critical feedback from peers and others, they are not making the most of it.

“學習是一種開拓性活動。MBA不是一個被動的學習過程。如果學生沒有充分利用學校和教室裏的機會、沒有實踐領導力和溝通方式、沒有尋求同學和其他人的批評性反饋，他們就沒有充分利用這個學習機會。

“A successful job search begins straight away. Reaching out to companies and industry experts takes time and it is never too early to start. Essec organises career fairs and company visits, and students can work with careers advisers.

“成功的求職過程從一入學就該開始了。與公司和行業專家接觸需要時間，開始行動的時間再早都不過分。ESSEC高等商學院會組織招聘會和到公司參觀，學生也可以諮詢職業顧問。

“Learning about the city or country you are living in, and how you can embed yourself in the community, can also help you adjust.”

“瞭解你生活的城市或國家，以及你如何能融入社區，這會有助於你做出調整。”

‘Don’t look for instant gratification’

“不要追求立竿見影的效果”

Tim Morris, professor of management studies, Sa?d Business School, University of Oxford

——牛津大學賽德商學院(Sa?d Business School, University of Oxford)管理研究教授蒂姆?莫里斯(Tim Morris)

“MBAs focus too much on the practical application of what they are learning. Instead, read hard material that is abstract, think about what it is telling or not telling you, and be patient.

“MBA學生過分關注所學習知識的實際應用。相反，應該認真閱讀抽象的課程材料，思考一下，這些材料告訴了你什麼，或沒有告訴你什麼，要保持耐心。

“Too often students are very bright but not getting the most out of their MBA because they want instant gratification. This is in contrast to senior executives on the EMBA who want to soak up hard, complex concepts. I want to see MBAs do this.

“經常遇到的情況是，學生們非常聰明，但卻沒有從MBA課程中獲得最大的收穫，因爲他們希望獲得立竿見影的效果。這與EMBA的高級管理人員形成鮮明對比，他們想大量吸收復雜的概念。我希望MBA學生也能這樣做。

“Do not walk into an MBA thinking just about business. Keep thinking more broadly about politics, international relations, demographics — ageing populations, for example — science, and what is happening culturally in the world.

“上MBA不要只考慮商業問題。把思路放寬些，思考一下政治、國際關係、人口統計（比如，人口老齡化）、科學、以及世界在文化方面的發展等問題。

“Students’ biggest pitfall is not reflecting enough. Too many become obsessed with the dream of becoming a tech entrepreneur. It is not for everyone, so students should try to get away from this.

“學生們最容易犯的錯誤是思考不夠。太多學生癡迷於成爲科技創業者的夢想。這個夢想並不適合每個人，所以，學生們應該儘量避免犯這樣的錯誤。

“And students ought to leave tech behind. Turn off your phone and immerse yourself in what you are learning.”

“學生應該把科技拋到腦後，關掉你的手機，潛心於正在學習的東西中。”

‘Remain humble and keep working hard’

“保持謙虛、繼續努力學習”

Professor Juan Antonio Fernández, associate dean and MBA director, China Europe International Business School

——中歐國際工商學院副教務長和MBA課程主任範悅安(Juan Antonio Fernández)教授

“The MBA is an 18-month marathon, not a sprint, so you need to be mentally and physically ready.

“MBA課程是一項爲期18個月的馬拉松，不是短跑，因此，學生在心理上和身體上都要做好準備。

“It is all about the balance: studying and finding time to immerse yourself in the never-ending flow of activities and events happening outside the classroom; between moments of feeling as if you have got it all together and frantic times when you realise there is no way to meet a deadline unless your entire team works through the night.

“歸根結底就是兩個字，平衡：在學習和尋找時間讓自己沉浸到課堂之外永無止境的活動中這兩者之間做好平衡；在一切好像處理得有條不紊，和突然意識除非整個團隊通宵工作、否則就沒法按時完成作業的抓狂時刻之間掌握好平衡。

“On the first full day there is an exam for each new class. In between settling in, exploring the campus and getting to know your classmates, Ceibs students should set aside time to study.

“開學後的第一個整天，每一門新課都有一個測驗。在適應學校新環境之餘，抽時間到校園的各處轉轉，認識認識同學。中歐國際工商學院的學生應該留出學習的時間。

“Doing well in these exams will help boost confidence. But if a student aces it, they must be careful not to get overconfident — remain humble and keep working hard.”

“在這些考試中表現優異有助於增加自信。不過，如果考得好，一定注意不要過分自信——要保持謙虛，繼續努力學習。”

‘The biggest rewards come to those who try something different’

“願意嘗試新東西的學生收穫最大”

Lead faculty, Columbia Business School

——哥倫比亞商學院教職員主管(Lead faculty)

“Remember to step back and get some perspective. What are your goals? What do you want out of the MBA experience? Where do you want to be in a year? Five years? Ten?

“記住，退後一步，從更廣闊的視角看問題。你的目標是什麼？你期望從MBA的經歷中得到些什麼？你未來一年、五年或十年的目標是什麼？

“Often MBA students do not take enough risks. It is easy to go down the predictable path of consulting, investment banking or brand management. But the biggest rewards come to those who try something different.

“通常情況下，MBA學生的冒險意願不夠。走上諮詢、投行或品牌管理這些可預見的職業道路很容易。不過，那些嘗試不同領域的同學的收穫最大。

“Once students get into the programme it is easy to be swayed by the crowd and lose sight of original goals for attending business school. Find activities, clubs, classes, and colleagues who can help you explore options, yet still keep an eye on long-term goals.”

“進入MBA項目後，學生們很容易受到他人的影響，迷失了上商學院的最初目標。在不偏離長期目標的同時，參加一些活動、俱樂部和課程，認識一些能幫助你探尋各種職業發展選項的同學。”