The first year of business school was to get you acquainted with the basics of business school, but now that you are in your second year, more will be expected of you in terms of course work and responsibilities. Here are some tips to help you get ready for your second year in business school.
Make sure you network with others; you should talk to students who have been where you are. Search and socialize with students who are ahead and ask them what their experience was like and what you should expect. In some universities such as the Marriott School of business, second year students are free to choose from a variety of elective courses to fulfill their chosen major within their MBA Program. You ought to research and understand your electives, in order to choose the ones that will be most beneficial to you. Willamete Business School faculty suggest that the second year elective and required courses help students build their portfolio of experience, increase their understanding of general management, and develop in-depth knowledge in their individual career areas of interest.
Some universities such as St. Louis College of Business Administration also emphasize on internships during your second year break. Research some prospective companies and what you want to learn from your internship program. Doing so, will definitely give you an advantage by having some hands on experience.
In addition to internships, some universities offer semesters abroad during your second year. You may want to consider the benefits of studying abroad such as cross-cultural networking. For example Cass Business School in City University, London, has partnered with top world ranked universities such as University of Hong Kong, National University of Singapore, Seoul National University, South Korea, Nanyang Technical University, Singapore and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Ensure you do your research in your school to know if they offer such programs and begin the preparations for the semester abroad.
You may want to consider taking up extra-curricular activities and have a balance of time between school and socializing. The three pillar approach is quite vital to your survival in school. Alex Dea, a graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2015 compiled and shared a collection of the best advice for new students he gathered from fellow MBAs and second-year students. It had great insight on taking the three pillar approach saying that the buildup of each pillar, (academic, social, and career) is necessary for you to succeed.
Finally, you may also want to consider stocking up on books and reference materials early on in the semester because books can often be quite expensive. The National Association of College Stores (NACS) says the average university student spends $655 on textbooks each year, but with a single textbook easily costing as much as $300; that total can easily be much higher. You should therefore do your research to find the most affordable reference materials early on before you have to spend a hefty price on books alone.