MBA Orientaion Sept Intake Day 1

The September 2025 MBA cohort of Embark College began with a two-day orientation on November 7and 8, 2025, at the serene Gokarna Forest Resort in Kathmandu. The program, a planned beginning to graduate school, was held amidst the old trees. It integrated academic articulation, leadership practice, and building communities. The orientation marked the values of Embark, beginning with the first roll call on campus to the party on the green, which states that they are rigorous in their learning, professional, and grow through reflection and action.

The college and resort were located together. This trip was an unofficial meeting place of all disciplines, industries, and dreams. A professional tone is created by welcoming the visitor with hi-tea. The Academic Lead talked about the MBA as an academic, practice-oriented degree based on academic integrity and relevance in the real world. The lead made expectations clear: the evaluation systems, avenues, support systems, and criteria that would make the Embark credible in Nepal and the international level.

The next step was made about leadership and action. The Caterpillar Race was full of life but accurate. It found and reinforced core MBA competencies, which included role clarity, time-pressured communication, adaptive planning, and shared accountability. The exercise demonstrated the spirit of Embark: being a leader does not mean making decisions top-down only. Facilitation, listening and coordination drive a team forward. The champions received a golf outing of about an hour on the resort course, which was well-known and guided by a pro, ideal in providing the opportunity to meet colleagues and a reminder that professionalism is expressed not by what we achieve but how we present ourselves.

Students were supposed to argue in the case room in a respectful manner, argue, and provide constructive criticism. Such behaviours flourish in a society where psychological safety is the most valued value. The casual atmosphere, music, chatting, and mingling between the faculty, bars the wall, makes the academic business human.

Students were introduced to mentors who would encourage and test them. Faculty got to learn about the experience and aspirations students have in actual life when discussing and undertaking various projects. What may appear as a social interlude was, in fact, an investment in trust- an essential asset that will be helpful in working within a group, making presentations, and feedback cycles.

The second day was kick-started by a guided jungle walk along the quiet trails in the resort. The walk was thought-provoking around the question of leadership as the custodianship of teams, projects and resources, the natural environment within which economic activity is framed. Resilience, ethical decision-making, and long-term thinking were discussed in the context of uncertain situations.

Having breakfast, the Cardboard Game brought the cohort back to the high-tempo cooperation. The participants addressed a challenge prototype under restrictions and gave viable solutions. The exercise was reflective of the realities of management: there is incomplete information, limited resources, and there is a need to make and justify timely decisions. It strengthened the idea that performance is not about strokes of genius but rather about process, common values, and iterability.

The Treasure Hunt that was culminating was used throughout the resort. Teams solved puzzles which required a strategic planning, route optimisation and rapid integration of varied inputs. They were trained to share the roles, fit the strengths in the tasks, and be flexible when there was an indication that the other way was the correct one.

Student Support Services team has identified sources of counseling, mentoring, and escalation of issues. The Career and Industry Engagement unit publicized future skill development, corporate lectures, and scheduled industry visits.