Past The Prospectus: Learning To Prioritize As A First Year MBA Student

Before starting my MBA at London Business School, I expected it to be intense … just in a different way. I wasn’t looking for a break from work or a slower pace. I wanted a challenge, a broader perspective, and a chance to push myself beyond what I already knew. What I didn’t anticipate was how multidimensional the experience would be from the outset.

Business school isn’t necessarily a break. It is a full-speed sprint, packed with professional work, leadership roles, side projects, sport, travel, and enough social events to keep your calendar permanently double-booked. That doesn’t even count the classes! What caught me off guard wasn’t just the workload, but the sheer variety of directions you are pulled in every single day.

THE INITIAL JUGGLING PHASE

Like most MBA students, I started off saying yes to everything. The first few weeks were a blur, filled with club fairs, speaker events, project kick-offs, dinners, and treks, all crammed into an already packed timetable. One minute I was helping plan a Tech Club speaker event. The next, I was mid-way through signing up for a half-marathon I had no business running. Somewhere along the way, I figured out how the campus printer worked and also joined the leadership of three student clubs.

Later in the year, I took on a part-time role with a venture capital firm, helping them launch their next fund, including thesis development and LP outreach strategy. It gave me a close-up view of how venture investors craft strategy, communicate conviction, and build momentum behind a fund, a side that rarely gets talked about in class.

There was also a ski trip, where handling the tougher runs made navigating recruiting cycles feel relatively straightforward. Business school gives you access to more than you can possibly take on. And at some point, you realize that just because you can do everything doesn’t mean you should.

LEARNING WHAT MATTERS

That realisation came early. I still remember one afternoon in Term 1, half-listening in a lecture whilst writing a club email, replying to a group project group chat, and reviewing notes for a deliverable. I wasn’t adding as much as I could to those activities and was being stretched fairly thin.

Since then, I’ve become more deliberate with how I use my time. I’ve stepped back from trying to do it all and began focusing on the opportunities that genuinely energised me, working with high-growth businesses, building meaningful connections, and learning from experiences I would never have access to outside of the MBA setting.

For example, through my role on the Entrepreneurship Club ExCo, I had the goal of bringing back campus stories from alumni founders to help inspire the next wave of LBS founders. As such, I had the chance to speak with several alumni about how they built their businesses and the lessons they learned along the way. Hearing how they navigated uncertainty and scaled ideas into impactful ventures was both inspiring and energizing. I also worked with a sports consultancy on developing a tech product to support rightsholder valuation, a unique and exciting mix of sport and technology.

And it reminded me: I would not have had those conversations or even known to seek them out if I had not created space to engage with what truly interested me.

THE VALUE OF FOCUS

As a Student Ambassador, I speak regularly with prospective and incoming students, offering a glimpse into what life at LBS is really like, something I found hugely helpful when I was applying myself. Those conversations have become a great way to reflect on my own experience and I often find myself sharing the same advice I have learnt here: take the time to work out what really matters to you, and then commit fully to that.

The MBA gives you endless ways to stay busy, but what it really rewards is clarity. Over time, I’ve come to realise that it is not about being everywhere. It is about showing up fully to the things that matter. That shift in mindset has made the experience more meaningful, more manageable, and ultimately, more rewarding.

Yes, it is chaotic. Yes, it stretches you. And yes, you will almost certainly forget to reply to at least one WhatsApp group at some point. But you learn to prioritize, choose, and subsequently realize the full value of the MBA.

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Kunaal is an MBA 2026 at London Business School and also a graduate of the London School of Economics. Before his MBA, he spent five years in management consulting, advising on strategy and operations across multiple sectors. He has also co-founded a healthcare startup and been actively involved in angel investing. Passionate about the intersection of business and technology, he enjoys exploring how innovation drives meaningful change. He is also deeply interested in sports and plays and follows a variety! You can reach out to him about any of the above via his LinkedIn profile.