AIESECers in IE

As I´ve already mentioned in another posting, the first week of studies was more an introduction to the concepts of learning, increasing the general understanding of how to accept and deal with cultural differences, talking about ethics and participating in team building activities.
There was one class that I thought was very beneficial from the perspective of team building: a professional basketball coach lead us for 1.5 hours with the goal of creating team spirit in our working groups. This workshop made us better understand how to coordinate team activities, how to communicate in real time, and how to ultimately delivery results.

The opening day of my program was the 9th October! Everyone was very excited to start this new stage of their personal and professional development. To start, we took pictures for our student cards and during the process we had the chance to get to know our colleagues. The first people I met where from Peru and Brazil which made me realize how diverse and international IE is. This year I think I heard we have more than 75 different nationalities on campus. 
During the official opening, we listened to different people and ideas. One of the speakers was especially captivating. Although is the speakers core message was not new, it was very well reiterated: “live your life in balance - it is possible”. I hope I can live this motto while at IE Business School and once I graduate. 

   

The first week of classes was mostly introductory, explaining the new leaning process I am undertaking. The study methodology sounded very stimulating. Just imagine: you work most of the time in your team that has 7 to 8 people, from 6 to 7 countries, to resolve real problems from real companies. 
My current group is formed by people from Turkey, Egypt, the United States, Latvia, Spain, Portugal and the Dominican Republic. When we got to know each other, besides the nationalities, I could feel the huge potential of everyone in my team and their unique experiences, which adds great value to the group discussions! An interesting point is that coincidentally in my class there are a total of 5 students from AIESEC  One from India, another from Spain, USA, myself and Egypt (Tamer from Egypt was working in AIESEC International (AI) last year) and I found already more AIESECers in another IE programs and we are planning to gather together soon.
 
My intake has about 50 people from 28 different countries and from five of the continents: Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and South America. After a short introduction of each student, I realized there was a real melting pot of backgrounds: physiotherapist, advertisers, engineers, lawyers, etc… And all of them high potential people with special individual strengths, which provides a great opportunity for everyone to learn from different values, visions and experiences.
   

The learning concept of the school is based on the case method. Most of the classes are based on a specific functional area of business, we have a technical note about each topic and then a practical case from a diverse series of organizations related to the topic we are studying. For the group discussions, we have to read (a lot!), analyze and think about the problems and solutions of the case given. We learn from the ideas of the others in the group and the class. This approach makes your studying progression more effective, easy and interesting.
Professors are very well-selected, coming from everywhere: USA, Argentina, UK, Germany and Spain among others. Most speak at least two languages, if not more.
Having participated in approximately 35 AIESEC conferences, I always analyze facilitators and how they are delivering information. So far, at IE, I think they are some of the best facilitators I’ve seen, from the aspects of content, presentation and communication skills. In addition to learning about theory, we also benefit a lot from our professor’s professional experience, as well as the experience my classmates have had so far.

It was the middle of August in Brazil, and I was thinking about what I should do next; where in the world should I go? After some personal reflection and investigation, my thoughts became the decision: it was time to go back to school. A short while after I had applied to a two of the top schools I was interested in, I received an email that provided me with some very good news: I was admitted to IE Business School, one of the highest ranked business schools worldwide! So, once finished the International Congress in Sao Paulo, I went back to Mexico to finish up the AIESEC work I was doing there, and then headed home to Latvia to prepare all the necessary details for me return to studies. After a short two weeks in my country I was off again, but this time to place a little closer to home: Spain.

The next day, once I was settled in my new city, I went for a walk in Madrid and I then began to understand why it is the second tourist destination after Paris. Madrid is a really beautiful city that always feels alive.