When I moved from India to start my MBA, I thought the hard part would be the academics. I'd come from a corporate background, I'd done the research, I felt ready. What I wasn't prepared for was everything else. The adjustment, the pace, the moments where I genuinely wondered if I was cut out for it.
Looking back, I would have told myself to relax. But I also would have told myself a few things that would've made those early weeks a lot easier.
1. The first few weeks of your MBA feel like a lot, and that's normal
There's no way around it. New city, new people, new expectations, and a workload that feels like it arrived all at once. I spent my first couple of weeks convinced everyone else had it figured out. They didn't. Once I started using a simple planner and broke things down into smaller tasks, it got a lot more manageable. And honestly, just asking classmates how they were coping made a bigger difference than I expected. Most of them were feeling the same way.
If you're an international student starting an MBA in London, give yourself time to settle. The adjustment period is part of the experience.
2. Studying in Greenwich means London is right there, so use it
I used to look across the river at Canary Wharf and think, "I'll get round to exploring that." I didn't, not for a while anyway, and I regret it. Greenwich puts you close to networking events, industry talks, and the kind of professional spaces that most MBA students would have to travel hours to reach. Don't sit on that. Get out there early.
One of the biggest advantages of doing your MBA at the University of Greenwich is the location. The campus is well connected, and London's business community is genuinely accessible if you make the effort.
3. Group work is harder than it sounds, and that's the point
Nobody loves group assignments. But they taught me more about communication, leadership, and working with people who think differently than almost anything else in the course. It's uncomfortable sometimes, but that discomfort is where the growth happens.
For anyone coming from a different work culture or country, group projects in an MBA program are among the fastest ways to develop the teamwork and adaptability that employers look for.
4. Talk to your lecturers sooner than you think you need to
A lot of the teaching staff at Greenwich Business School have proper industry experience, and I didn't take full advantage of that early enough. I held back, waited for the "right moment" to ask questions or start a conversation. There isn't a right moment. Just do it. The insight you get from someone who's worked in the field is different from anything you'll find in a textbook.
5. Start thinking about your career before you feel ready
This one caught me off guard. The MBA moves fast, and it's easy to push career planning to "later." But later arrives quicker than you think. Start building your CV, get your LinkedIn in shape, and explore what you actually want to do with your degree from the beginning. You don't need a full plan on day one, but you do need to be moving.
Greenwich Business School has careers support and employability resources, but they work best when you engage with them early rather than waiting until your final term.
One last thing...
The MBA will stretch you. There were times when I felt out of my depth and times where things started to make sense. Both are part of it. If you stay open, stay proactive, and put the work in from the start, you'll walk away with more than just the letters after your name.
And who knows. Maybe you'll end up writing one of these for the next group of students, just like I'm doing now.
Success doesn’t come to those who wait—it comes to those who prepare.
-Vidushi Jaiswal
