Imagine his last two years, riddled with continuous efforts and fatigue due to entire nights spent studying despite the stress of his daily working life, frequent trips to Milan and long weekends invested in attending the lessons. Hours and hours dedicated to never-ending conference calls to prepare for the exams, giving up free time and putting his own feelings to one side.
Anybody, if asked what to do if they were in this person’s shoes, would choose to take some time off, a restful vacation, maybe far away, in an exotic place… “I would go to Mexico!” This is actually what I decided to do, being in that very situation. So less than 24 hours after receiving my diploma, I was showing my boarding pass at the Alitalia gate at Milano Linate with my ears still full of sounds and voices from the previous night spent celebrating this important achievement with my classmates. So, finally vacations?! No, of course not! Let’s go to Mexico to… keep studying!!
A choice apparently taken in a perfect, masochistic style, given the minimum amount of energy still available to me. However, after a couple of months since my return, I am more and more convinced that the decision of going on this experience was the best I could make at that time.
When they think about Mexico, most people usually come up with a bunch of stereotypes that have been associated with this country for a long time. However, an Italian certainly does not stop at this, as the “Bel Paese” is inferior to none in terms of stereotypes! For this very reason, I’ve not been surprised at finding a world where the emblematic siesta is far from being a “must” for Mexicans. On the contrary, in Mexico City there is no time for you to stop and everything runs fast and faster. IPADE Business School is the clearest example of this attitude: move it or lose!
I already knew that the school I had chosen for my international exchange was one of the best Business Schools in the whole of Latin America; however, what I experienced exceeded even my wildest expectations. The high competence of the professors, the great organization of the school and the astonishingly active participation of the students during the sessions have turned this experience into an extraordinarily engaging one for me, even though I had just finished my Part Time MBA at MIP.
I had already dealt with most of the topics on the courses ̶ however, facing them with a new approach has contributed in adding value to this experience. The teaching approach is indeed strongly rooted in the use of the “case method”. This method, firstly introduced at the Harvard Business School, is used for putting students in the role of a real person involved in a business, who has been faced with difficult choices at some point in the past and stimulating them into making decisions. It is crucial for changing your mind!
Even though the classes I attended (Financial Management, Operations, Managerial Control and Information, for instance) have left me with many valuable tips about the way of doing business in Mexico and have given me the great opportunity to expand my network, IPADE has not been helpful just from an didactical point of view. The worthiest content of the suitcase I have brought back with me is the human experience I have lived.
During my long exchange, I have had the opportunity to get in touch with the extraordinary Mexican culture and to meet fantastic people who have made me feel at home. Sharing with my new classmates the importance of my previous experience at MIP has allowed me to further appreciate the richness of this opportunity and has contributed to making the last two-and-a-half years of the MBA experience a true turning point in my life.
Thanks MIP… y gracias IPADE!
