The beauty of the IIM experience is that there are hardly any rules. You are free to do what you want, when you want. This is a post-graduation course and they treat you as an adult. However, there are a few things which are completely non-negotiable. These are -
1. If placecom calls, you have to go - Come hail, storm, drought or an earthquake, if placecom has called a meeting, better make yourself available. Nobody wants to be signed out of the placement process right?
Kabhi kabhi lagta hai Placecom hi bhagwan hai.
2. Attendance - If you are not able to maintain 80% attendance in any subject, be prepared for a grade drop. No excuse is even considered. I had to go to Mumbai for an interview at one of the most premier recruiting firms hiring from our Kampus. I was marked absent for the whole day. Nothing is entertained. If you miss class, you miss class.
3. Plagiarism - If you think you can just copy paste anything from the internet and send it as a final report, you are wrong. No no, I don't mean people do not copy projects. Learn to edit your copied material and compulsorily check Grammarly for plagiarism. Anything above 15% and you are screwed.
4. Birthday celebrations - This is not a rule per se however it is practised religiously in IIMK. During an individual’s birthday, at midnight, the entire class comes to celebrate the occasion and cut the cake. Obviously what follows is a truckload of kicks and punches which the poor chap has to bear. But hey, what better way to celebrate birthdays right?
5. Waking each other up – It is an unsaid rule in IIMs that the first person to get up on the floor will wake up 2–3 others as well. The those 2–3 will then wake up their friends and the chain goes on. Its weird, I respond more to a slight knock on my door than to my blaring alarm clock! Wait, what if I change my alarm-tone to a person knocking? Interesting…
6. Deadlines are sacrosanct - Never ever, submit an assignment after the deadline. If you are even late by a minute, your fate lies in the hands of the professor. The level of punishment then is directly proportional to how sadistic the sir is.
7. Dress Code - No one cares about your clothes. Wear anything you want – Indian, formals, shorts, etc. However, if placecom has convened a meeting, better be sure you adhere to the dress code. Not shaving is a grave offence.
8. Don't get caught copying - Cheat all you want to, but if you are caught copying, well well well, you are screwed. Not even your fake tears can help you then. A grade drop is very much on the cards.
However, all these rules cannot match up to the most important rule, which is…
9. Always respect Booze-com. They are the real heroes.
As some learned man once said –
Beer, gin, wine or whisky,
They’ ll keep the stock even though it's risky.