Classes started at 8:30am,

 we were 65 students - GEMBA 2009, between 2 sections, 

classes ended at 6:30pm and in between we had an hour for lunch as well as every 90 minutes we were given a tea/coffee break.

The entire day was filled with activity, class, group work, group assignments, and finally participation,

At first it seems overwhelming, but as you go on with the routine it gets easier and also you get less tired at the end of the day 

There is a lot to read and also to deliver in class, and class participation is very important, i have seen that the more i participate the more I have learnt and taken home from the class,

The allocation of what is being taught and being discussed for the day has been clearly outlined and this makes it easy,

We were given the papers in advance so we were able to prepare the same well in advance, and for those who did not or were not able to prepare their documentation in advance they had to work really hard at (a) completing their reading for the class on the next session, (b)  the assignments which could have been case studies or other papers to read for the next session (c) Prepare for other classes in the similar fashion, 

So the workload is designed to break you, and its the few who are able to make the end of the 2 weeks to say that they have been able to handle the workload and done well,

Its the few who have been well prepared from the first, So it is very important to prepare in advance and to read up all the folders and binders and text books well in advance,

Prepare all the cases and also all the other material so that you can spend more time networking and also preparing for courses which you are  not too confident about..

This is the first learning I have gained from the 2 weeks over there,

I am sure that the others or a majority of them would agree with this assessment, 

At the end of the day of classes we typically would huddle together into our groups and complete any assignments which were due, or have a meal together with our groups, 

these are our LD Groups which have been very successful with me atleast,

Then there is the personal work and the personal reading which needs to be completed for the rest of the week or the rest of the other classes,

So I loved my first 2 weeks there and I am going to put up some pictures in the next session as I do not have any at this time,

But I promise to take some pictures and show them to you guys,

Next I will talk about the things we did for recreation in Fontainbleau, some of which was organized by INSEAD and some we found on our own.

V