In the second of her dispatches, Temi Olatunde, a recently-arrived Stanford student, wonders at her classmates' ability to juggle their academic and social lives

MY CALIFORNIA dream is becoming a reality. I have finally moved onto "The Farm"—as the Stanford campus is affectionately known—to pursue my MBA. The transition from the trading floor in the City back into the classroom has not been easy. The ramp-up has been quick: a timetable crammed with 105-minute classes across five core disciplines, ongoing case preparations, graded homework assignments, placement exams, and group study sessions. To help us re-acclimatise to academic life, the business school enforces an “Exclusive Academic Period”—a five week hiatus during which students are sheltered from the tirade of recruiters. The breathing-space is important as the quarterly system can be brutally unforgiving. Deadlines are firm, timetables accelerated, and with mid-terms around the corner time management is of the essence.

Most students are led to Stanford because they want to change their professional trajectory. They also, I believe, have a passion to change more than that. The school’s slogan, “Change lives. Change organizations. Change the world.” is brought to life every day. We are challenged to live up to this principle. A personal highlight was “Condi week” during which Condoleezza Rice, George Bush’s secretary of state and now a Stanford professor, taught sessions on the global context of management. The classes were fiery as we simulated negotiations between country representatives to reach a consensus on Iranian sanctions. Leadership labs are another favourite. In these sessions, my capacity for effective leadership is constantly challenged during managerial simulations designed to create the mixture of urgency and ambiguity that frequently accompanies real-life leadership challenges.

The perception of Stanford MBA students being laid-back is misleading. Like ducks floating effortlessly on a pond, they seem calm on the surface but are paddling like hell underneath. The social challenge is no less demanding: Tuesday’s at F.O.A.M parties (resulting in a sea of bloodshot eyes on Wednesday mornings); Thursday’s at Beer Pong League (a testing experience for a seasoned non-beer drinker); Friday afternoon socials followed closely by Liquidity Preference Functions (aka happy hour); Saturdays at a Stanford game and tailgate; alternatively entire weekends in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Napa. 

The best part about my experience thus far has been the people. I have been astounded by the ambition of my classmates. They feel they can to do it all: manage the rigorous academic schedule while maintaining a social profile. Some continue to work, others raise funds for their for-profit and not-for profit ventures. Yet everyone remains open to learning from others. 

Returning to the life of a student in this foreign world, I feel like a beginner again. But with each new challenge I am learning to embrace change as one of life's and business’s constants. I am reminded of this every time I walk past the Apple store on University Drive. It is adorned with hundreds of colourful post-it notes—messages from students who felt some level of connection to Steve Jobs. Jobs gave an inspiring commencement speech at Stanford in 2005, during which he reflected on the day he was fired from Apple: “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.” As I reflect on my MBA journey thus far, the words resonate.

Read on: Temi's first diary
Read on: Why holding your drink is one of the most important things MBAs can learn