I did my B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal and passed out in May, 2017. I had decided to pursue my MBA after my B.Tech but I did not write the entrance exams in 2016-17 as I wanted to prepare well and I felt I would not have the time at the campus to put in the necessary effort. Also, based on inputs from seniors and friends I felt it was necessary to attend a good coaching center for my MBA preparation and there were no options in Manipal. I, therefore, decided to write the MBA competitive exams in 2017-18 to start my MBA in June 2018.
After finishing my B.Tech, I took up an internship with an environmental engineering consulting company. In order to prepare well for my MBA, I joined IMS for my MBA coaching. The reason for joining IMS instead of a TIME was convenience as it was located near my house and timings as I needed an evening cum weekend slot as I was working during the day.
IMS offers a very comprehensive and good quality study material for test preparation. The study pack comprises booklets with over hundreds of questions for concept learning and practice. With the pack, one also get access to online practice tests that are comprehensive and provides adequate practice for effective preparation
The IMS classroom is designed to revise basics, teach important concepts, illustrate the application of the concepts and assess the learning that is imparted in the class through various solved and unsolved examples. The faculty were all ex IIM and top B school alumni who are currently working in reputed organizations and so the teaching was very good and relevant as these guys had successfully cleared these exams and so had credibility. SIMCATs were also held which were mocks for preparing you in a real-life simulated test environment which was very effective. Based on scores and ranks in these exams which were held every 2 weeks on an All India basis one could improve and correct ones mistakes and assess ones relative performance. Special sessions were held on General Awareness which was required for CMAT. General tips on time management, how to plan and write the exam so that you minimize negative marks etc. were also taught through experience sharing.
I was, therefore, able to do all my MBA exams well especially CMAT and managed a percentile score of 97.51. After the CMAT exam scores were received, I was shortlisted for interviews in various B-Schools like IFMR, GIM, IMT, XIME, Welingkar and KJ Somaiya. Special coaching workshops were conducted at IMS to prepare us for the WAT, GD and PI sessions for these institutes. These sessions were very well organized with experts and alumni involved.
I did very well in these sessions for all the institutes I was shortlisted and managed to get admissions in IFMR and the others as well. IMS then organized personal counselling sessions to help us select the institute based on our professional and personal preferences. I visited some of these institutes too to make a firsthand assessment of facilities and other factors. Since I was keen to do my specialization in Finance and based on other parameters like institute location, campus facilities like accommodation and food, national ranking, market perception, placement and personal comfort feeling I picked IFMR as my institute of choice. Life has been good so far and I hope to enjoy my 2-year stay here and successfully complete my MBA, get a good placement, make good friends and leave with very pleasant memories.
Sowmya Ramakrishnan
"1st Year MBA student at IFMR GSB Krea University"