My Background
I completed my Bachelors in Business Administration (Hons) specializing in Finance from Christ University, Bangalore in 2021. Post that, I had a brief stint of 8 months as a KYC Analyst with Deutsche India Private Limited, Bangalore, and a couple of social volunteering projects with Muskaan Foundation for Road Safety, Jaipur before finally joining BITSoM.
Why BITSoM?
I was keen to join the top business schools in Europe for their Masters in Management programs (MIM), which is why I started preparing for the GMAT alongside my volunteering work. During my preparation, I was constantly researching the internet to keep myself up to date with all the relevant programs and business schools abroad that were offering the courses of my interest and that is when I came across a YouTube video on BITSoM and within a few minutes, I was sold! Just like any of the top business schools abroad, BITSoM not only had a thorough profile-based admission process, that is not too anchored on just your test scores, but it also went multiple steps ahead by ensuring that it creates an environment where students get the best education possible on all grounds. Be it the top-notch faculty from some of the most renowned institutions across the globe, a unique teaching pedagogy that lets you deep dive into courses structurally, or the increased importance of soft skills as a part and parcel of the curriculum, the school has left no stone unturned in proving itself as a one-stop shop for a world-class MBA experience. And thus, it was a no-brainer for me that I had to give this new-age business school a shot and experience what it had to offer me for my growth as a well-rounded person.
My Interview Experience
BITSoM strongly advocates the importance of evaluating a candidate holistically and even though their detailed application process reflects this in volumes, it is the interview when you get to really experience this firsthand. My interview panel included an alumnus of BITS Pilani and the Head of the Industry Partnership and Career Services (IPCS) team at BITSoM. Just like any other aspirant, despite doing my homework and research on all the possible interview questions and going through my application multiple times to make sure that I do not miss anything, it would be a lie if I said that I was not nervous at all about what was going to follow. But, right from the start, I was assured by the panelists that the interview is not going to be a stressful one but a relaxed conversation about me and the school being a fit for each other. And it was exactly that. Unlike any other B-school interview, here I was not only asked to talk about my ambitions and career goals but also about the art form that interests me the most and that has stayed with me right from my early schooldays – Theatre and Dramatics. I was amazed to see the level of depth in the questions that the panelists asked me about Theatre which showed how they genuinely wanted to know about my pursuits in this area and how that has shaped me into the kind of person I am today. I got the opportunity to talk at length about the multiple stage and street plays that I had been a part of during my school and college, my process of understanding the characters and their psyche before delivering the final performance on stage, the creative conflicts and challenges that I faced during these experiences, and my approach towards solving them. Furthermore, I was also asked questions on leadership, my improvement areas, my reasons to pursue an MBA, and a couple of questions on one of my essays that I submitted with my application. All in all, the entire conversation which lasted about 45-50 minutes, was about figuring out my personality by judging me on the parameters that were specifically applicable to my profile and this level of personalization in the evaluation of a candidate’s potential is what makes the admission process here so unique and what I also admire the most about BITSoM.
Verdict: Converted
Takeaways and Tips for Interview based on my experience:
1) Take care of the basic hygiene factors that include dressing up smartly in your formal wear and ensuring that the room is well-lit, the internet connection is seamless and there are no audio issues with the mic.
2) Prepare beforehand for all the standard behavioral questions such as – Why MBA and Why BITSoM and most importantly, go through your application thoroughly before the interview so you remember what you wrote in your essays and extracurriculars and awards/achievements section. The major chunk of your interview would probably be about deep diving into these experiences, what impact did they leave on you and what were your learnings from the same. Ensure that your answers in the interview do not conflict with what you have mentioned in your application.
3) Have two to three life experiences ready with you wherein you took initiative/leadership, experienced success/failure, etc. Introspect deeply about what these experiences made you realize about your strengths and improvement areas, note these reflections down, and be ready to articulate them well in an effective yet simple fashion during your interviews.
4) Remember, being clear, thorough, genuine, and truly reflective about your stories, answers, and experiences is what will help you out rather than just superficially mentioning the same using complicated jargon and fancy words (which will only reflect that you do not know the topic well enough to talk about it in simple words. Hence, clear communication is key!)
5) Do not be nervous about any weak points in your profile (if you feel you have any). This could be a low test score, not-so-impressive academics, or anything under the sun that you do not feel confident about. Remember, that everyone has their flaws and you have your unique set of skills/traits that made you come this far. There was a reason why you got to the interview round. So trust yourself and take comfort in the fact that the interview will be more about your true reflections and viewpoints on your life experiences rather than grilling you on what you could not do despite your best efforts.
6) Lastly, just try to have a fun and engaging conversation and enjoy it! You will not get an interview experience like this anywhere else.
By Pulkit Khandelwal
(1st Year MBA Student at BITSoM by BITS Pilani)
My Bio: Seeking growth and learning through meaningful and impactful experiences, relationships, and conversations | Optimistic and Rational | Friendly and Cooperative | Theatre Enthusiast