It was a typical Sunday afternoon, and I was at home, preparing a list of all the things that I would be needing once my college would start. After being sad for days, I had finally come to terms with not being able to convert any of the top tier B-schools and was all set to join a middle-ranked private institute in Delhi. I was pretty complacent and was actually looking forward to joining the program, which was due in a week. Suddenly an email notification popped on my phone, and the entire situation turned upside down!
It was IIM Nagpur’s offer letter and I had converted in one of the subsequent wait-lists and was supposed to join within two days. Those two days passed in a blur! After around 40 hours of superfast planning, hurried packing, hasty documentation, last-minute ticket bookings, and even before the feeling of finally converting an IIM could fully sink-in, I was on a flight to Nagpur. As I was heading towards a place I had never been to, a city I had never seen and a college I had given up on, I finally got some time to process how life-changing this call from IIMN could be for me.
When the flight landed, I could hardly contain my excitement. Okay, before I proceed any further, I must tell you that I have always been a bit of a dreamer. So, in my mind, I had pictured this very moment as a significant milestone where a new life would greet me at the airport gate with a big warming smile.
As I stepped out of the airport, a gust of hot summer wind hit me right in the face which, I now think, was Mother Nature's way of telling me that what's coming next wouldn't be a cakewalk. I booked a cab and thanked the founders of UBER all-the-way, finally reached the IIMN Hostel, which was better than my expectations. Still unaware of the tight schedule I was about to have, I planned to get my registration formalities done as-soon-as-possible and get some sleep. (Oh! What was I thinking?!?). With this plan in mind, I collected all the required documents and stepped out, and I haven't slept since then!
On a serious note, the first two weeks were the most happening for me. Before the classes officially started for our batch, we had a week of orientation program which not only got us acquainted with the college but also inculcated a feeling of belongingness in us. Thereafter, we had preparatory classes for all the major subjects. As most of us were very new to business studies, the introductory courses were quite beneficial. This not only made us familiar with the basic concepts before actually beginning with a systematic study, but also helped us in gauging what all topics we are comfortable with and which subjects will require some extra efforts.
Apart from that, we have been pretty busy with events organized by various student-clubs and committee. From academic clubs of different specializations to non-academic committees and a student-based NGO, this place had something for everyone. We also had a session with a few IIM Nagpur alumni arranged by the Alumni Committee of the college. There are some insights that newcomers can get only from the students who have studied here before and if they have some good post-college industry experience, it’s just an added advantage.
For almost a fortnight, my life was bustling with quizzes, events, presentations, alumni interactions, photoshoots, corporate competitions, and what not! These activities and events kept us very busy. As a result, I have more than ten new WhatsApp groups which are enough to get me confused, a new mail id that keeps beeping with notifications all day and a pretty irregular sleep schedule. But, at the same time, it tested us on time management skills and gave me a feeling that I have actually landed at the right place to learn management.
By hook-or-by-crook, I knew that this college will make me stretch out of my comfort zone and, as it is rightly said, that this is where the real growth begins.
To cap this all is the feeling of being a student all-over-again and I must say that the batch I have here has a lot to do with all the fun I am talking about. Although I didn't know them well initially, I know them enough now to figure out that in the next two years, I am going to develop some new bonds which, hopefully, will be there for life. Meeting like-minded people in a new place is a rare joy but I have been blessed with that.
We have built our own little world within the college campus where late-night study sessions punctuated with tea breaks and pizzas; dressing in formals for the batch photoshoots made us feel all grown-up but are later followed by silly selfies; we sit together in lectures discussing the intricacies of business and then in hostels chatter about anything and everything and there are myriad of other examples that made me feel at home in this new world.
In the very beginning, we were told that the next two years would be a time of great transformation when we’ll develop some skills and form some connections to carry for the rest of our lives. Honestly, it has exactly been the same. I can foresee a period of growth and fun going hand-in-hand. The start has been incredible but just as at the beginning of any journey, I had some anxiousness with a significant amount of excitement too.
About the Author
Himanshi is a Computer Science graduate from G.B Pant University, Pantnagar. She worked for 3.5 years as a Software Engineer for Nucleus Software Exports Limited. She loves reading, writing (a blogger at WordPress.com) and sketching during her pass time. She likes doing open mic performances too.