(200 and) 28 Days Later

Given how things have been extra tense and stressful lately in the MBA program, I can't help but tie things to one of my favorite movies, 28 Days Later. 28 Days Later, as Wikipedia would put it, "depicts the breakdown of society following the accidental release of a highly contagious virus and focuses upon the struggle of four survivors to cope with the ruination of the life they once knew." Hmmm... sounds about right.

In the movie, the virus that ravaged civilization was called the Rage Virus and it took 28 days for the virus to turn normal people into savage, rage-filled beings. Technically, it has been 228 days since the first 16-month MBA program was rolled out. (Has it been that long?) and I wonder if MBA life has "infected" the class to make us savage, stressed-out folks .

The film also describes the infection cycle in 28 days. Here's my timeline for the our 228 days in AIM:

• Day 1 - a typical student is excited and hopeful that MBA classes would be a worthwhile learning experience;
• Day 15 - the MBA student realizes that school life is no cakewalk and discovers the joys and pains of the WAC;
• Day 36 - Exams and group work start getting to your nerves, but are managed and taken positively; Pressure to "impress" faculty and classmates ease up a bit;
  
• Day 69 - Social life starts to develop, along with increased alcohol intake and better group coordination; Stress, however, is compounded by group communication;
  
• Day 92 - The continuously increasing stress levels have affected productivity and even sense of urgency, the student realizes that he/she can't do everything (especially Marketing Management);
• Day 138 - Thanks to the holiday season, stress goes from insane levels to the realm of normal human capacity, the student has developed confidence in his/her skills;
• Day 168 - The student is desensitized to the rigors of work, but is also less caring about MBA life in general;
• Day 193 - The average student would have been able to prioritize which classes are worth his/her while and which classes are better off attended in "cruise control;" Concern for quality work has been "outsourced" to other group mates;
  
• Day 228 - After the release of the grades, stress levels have taken a different form-- a mutation, if you will. Student has become more reflective, and yet, more capable of action. A jaded feeling, perhaps?
  

What happens after Day 228? Time will tell, but here's a video produced and created by Nikhil Karira which would give you a good idea of how the 228 days were like and where we are heading: