As far as my knowledge goes, I did not come across anyone from Pharmacy background who did an MBA, that too from an IIM, before joining IIM Raipur. I was a bit hesitant and intimidated before joining the course by seeing the profiles of students at CAP interviews, the majority were from IITs or NITs and others were from reputed commerce colleges across India. I thought I would be left out in the competition as I was the only guy who is from a pharmacy background in my batch.
On the day of joining I was amazed to see that all the admission related activities were performed by seniors. The seniors were very approachable and resolved all my doubts I had regarding the admission. The very first day I had the chance to meet some wonderful seniors who explained what to expect, what not to expect and the opportunities we would be having in the upcoming years. I was even directed to another pharma senior who was one of the toppers of a senior batch.
After the classes began, I was nervous about how things would go. But once the classes began, I was mesmerized by the way the faculty teaches here. I especially found Prof. Vinay Goel's classes (Finance and accounting) interesting, just after 3 classes, I was able to prepare balance sheets and profit/loss statements without any mistake. The professors here encourage 2-way communication a lot, they make sure that we understand each and every concept crystal clear. Apart from the textbooks the faculty also suggested several books that help in improving and understanding several concepts.
I am currently part of multiple study groups with people from diverse backgrounds. Each and every day I have the opportunity to learn from my peers, the different perspectives that they bring to the table is astonishing. Many people compare the infrastructure for choosing MBA, but it is the people who make IIM Raipur. The inclusiveness and the gamut of student experiences at IIM Raipur makes me feel proud of the decision I took to choose IIM Raipur for my MBA.
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
I would like to work for Ultratech Cements in ABG. The reason I chose Ultratech Cements is that I am interested in the cement industry. I think it is best for me to work in UltraTech Cement as it is the largest manufacturer of grey cement, Ready Mix Concrete (RMC) and white cement in India. I am particularly interested in the supply chain part as I curious to learn how Ultratech Cements has managed to proliferate all over the country. The distribution of cement to different regions be it villages and cities, we know that Ultratech cement is always within reach.
Kranthi Kumar Macha is a first-year student at IIM Raipur.