“It takes a thought to make a word, And it takes some words to make an action.
It takes some work to make it work; It takes some good to make it hurt; It takes some bad for satisfaction.
La la la la la life is wonderful; Ah, la la la la la life goes full circle; Ah, la la la la la life is wonderful”.
-Life is Wonderful, Jason Mraz
In my 30-odd years on terra ferma, I’ve come to believe that there is always a ‘tipping point’ that gets you from place A to place B. Shakespeare perhaps shared this sentiment when he wrote, “Thou art as fat as butter. There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” For me, an abandoned blueberry muffin proved the perfect catalyst, setting off a whirlwind of activity that kicked my life into high gear.
Picture 17-year-old me in line at the cafeteria, waiting for my appointment with the college principal. I was hoping to gain admission. Cupcakes were all the rage back in 2010, and so there I was, queued up at the dessert bar. Being reasonably upbeat, I casually conversed with the lady ahead of me. She was also waiting to see the principal 10 minutes after my appointment!
More intriguingly, she wanted to meet him in connection with a full scholarship that was on offer for an adventurous soul keen to join an up-and-coming global business school that had just launched a new tri-city undergraduate program. In a rare moment of sound judgment, I chose the conversation over the muffin and applied it on the spot. We never did make it to the Principal’s office.
Looking back, that singular decision built me into who I am today. Joining the BBA program in Singapore & Sydney (as part of the inaugural batch) truly helped instill an entrepreneurial mindset in me. We had great professors, but most of my education was outside the classroom.
The Dean & Founders of the program placed particular emphasis on giving us, the pioneering BBA batch, the freedom to create and explore our intellectual curiosity. Essentially, we had the opportunity to lay both the cultural and infrastructural groundwork that generations of future students would embrace. It also provided a safety net for us to try and not succeed at something. My friends still opine that I was a decent Student Council President but an even better music club president (how’s that for a backhanded compliment).
And most importantly, the program helped set me up for success in a multicultural business environment. It’s something I try not to take for granted today. Before my BBA, I’d never imagined (or aspired towards) living and working outside India! But 4 years in, as I hit graduation, the course I’d charted seemed unalterable. I felt compelled to explore the world, and those explorations took me further beyond Singapore & Sydney to Dubai, France, and London, where I could pull off some pretty cool stuff working in Banking, Consulting, Music, and Travel. As far as ironic, famous last words go, “I’m probably going to stick around at home and become a Chartered Accountant someday” still tops my list.
Now, at this point, readers may wonder, “Is this program for me?” There probably isn’t one correct answer (as having lived through it, I don’t know the counterfactual). Still, I will say – if you’re keen to try something offbeat, bestride the world like a colossus.[1] If you want to step outside your comfort zone and interact with 30 other nationalities who look at the universe differently from the way you do but can still unite and find common ground, all while going through the most formative years of your life, then this should probably pique your interest.
In which case, abandon the muffin!
Yup - I slipped in another Shakespearian phrase here just to check whether you were paying attention ;- )
About Author
Born in India, Nishant has spent the last decade in pursuit of beauty, adventure and exceptionally good ice cream. His quests have taken him to Singapore, Sydney, Dubai, and most recently Paris, where he also developed a fondness for croissants.