From toiling through multiple CAT attempts, persevering through multiple failures and not settling down on the lowest hanging school, aspirants go through a whole lot of struggle to land a position in their dream b-school. While this journey is not easy, there are some who find it even more daunting due to adversities in their lives. Going through personal setbacks, professional hurdles and financial difficulties, these people still manage to persevere and attain their goals. Here are some awe-inspiring stories of people battling all odds to pursue their MBA dreams that will motivate you today!
In this video, Ankit Doshi, Founder of InsideIIM, CAT 2008 99.7%iler, and an IIM Indore alumnus, talks about the key things a CAT aspirant should keep in her mind. He talks about how he couldn’t crack CAT in his first attempt, and more importantly, how he managed to crack the CAT in his second attempt. Ankit emphasizes the mindset an aspirant must have before and on the C-Day. Watch this video to know why CAT is no longer popular and why you shouldn’t give more importance to the CAT than it deserves.
Amidst the lockdown and looming uncertainty over a lot of careers, today we share with you an inspiring story of a boy who used to deliver newspapers door to door and had one dream in his eyes; to wear a suit and become a manager.
Rakesh Kunbi had no option but to look for a job at an early stage of his life. To support his education further, he took up delivering newspapers in the mornings and continued with his education. He took CAT and cracked IIM Rohtak to pursue his MBA and with that, he earned that suit that he always dreamt of. Watch this inspiring story of a Mumbai boy who never bent in front of circumstances and always challenged the status quo to achieve his dream.
Here is how the author describes himself -
"I am Durga Madhab Satapathy. Just another average GEM from Odisha who never gave up on his MBA dreams." Having faced many obstacles and rejection in his life, Durga Satapathy considered himself to be mediocre. Having been struck with a family tragedy, it became immensely challenging for him to focus on preparing for MBA entrance exams and get into a good B-school. Despite all odds, Durga managed to convert some of India's top B-schools, and ends his story with some inspirational words for MBA aspirants. Take a look!
Dealing with anxiety and depression can be an arduous and enervating experience. While many suppress their feelings and succumb to their depression, this anonymous author decided to come out of it. The author has faced rejection and disappointments, but never gave up hope, despite many failures. Ultimately, their perseverance prevailed and they made it to XLRI. In this article, read this extremely detailed account of the author's struggles on their journey to an elite B-school!
"I started preparing for CAT amongst constant repudiations from almost everyone I knew. My parents, friends and family, all told me that my eyes would get in the way of placements."
Shreya Upadhyay was born differently abled, and faced numerous challenges beginning right from her childhood. She went ahead and pursued Psychology, excelling in it and ultimately deciding to pursue an MBA. In this motivational post, Shreya describes her journey from the small town of Ujjain to becoming a PGP student at IIM Udaipur!
Ankit Gupta had one goal in mind - to pursue an MBA from an elite B-school. As he planned to work towards his goal, tragedy struck - Ankit suffered a brain hemorrhage that left him temporarily paralyzed. Undergoing severe mental stress due to factors apart from his health, Ankit managed to gather the motivation to overcome challenges and ultimately fulfilled his dream of getting into an IIM, and becoming one of India's most employable MBA graduates. Read his story in this morale-boosting article!
At a young age, Nitesh Pasari had a spinal cord injury that restricted him to a wheelchair. But instead of treating this as an impairment, Nitesh used this as motivation to excel in life; so much so, that he landed a job with Goldman Sachs and DBS! Nitesh's story will leave you inspired and will most definitely drive you to overcome life's obstacles and reach new heights!
We met Chitra on a rainy day at IIM Indore. Her journey from studying in a single classroom in Jammu, to rejecting top schools of DU because of logistical problems and her current life at IIM-I is truly inspiring. Her love for animals and someday pioneering change in the Indian healthcare sector is what keeps her motivated along with the people in her life who believe in her. Stay tuned till the end to know what #GoBigGoBold means to her
Not everyone makes it to a B-school in the first CAT attempt, and Agni Udhayan was one such candidate who attempted CAT many times before achieving success. In this post, he tells his story of making it to a premier IIM, dealing with a severe inferiority complex and coming from an impecunious background. This is one of the most viewed stories on InsideIIM.com, and has left thousands inspired. Take a look!
MBA aspirants are human beings, and with that comes the possibility of a not so good day during their CAT day. Although well prepared, things might not go their way as planned. But there's no reason to lose hope. With a plethora of top MBA colleges that accept scores of different B-school entrance tests, aspirants should understand that there is life beyond the CAT and you can ace it.
In this episode of CAT-apult, Debrup Poddar, a 99+%iler in several entrance tests, throws light on the importance of exams like XAT, IIFT, NMAT, SNAP & MICAT and how one's CAT preparation can be the base foundation to catapult their performance in these exams.
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