Continuing on
our journey to various levels of the first 3 months of a b-school, let’s look at other levels which will lead you to your dream company. The next levels are as follows-:
Level-4 “Becoming A Club/Cell/Committee Co-Ordinator”
As soon as you are done with your PDP, the selection process for junior co-ordinators of various clubs and cells and committees will begin. In your PDP program, all these CCCs will come and pitch the CCC to you giving you an idea as to what that CCC is about, what is their function and what you will be expected to do as a JCC. Listen to them carefully as this is the only place where you can decide which all CCCs you want to apply to and become a member of.
You will understand that becoming a JCC is also about gaining a good CV point. Majority of your batch mates will apply to become a JCC of the premier CCCs (i.e. the CCC having more importance than others, generally finance and marketing ones). It is basically your differentiating point from your batchmates who have a very similar profile to you but not that CV point of being a JCC of that premier CCC.
It's also a good talking point for your summers interview
. You can show to your prospective recruiter that you have handled more responsibilities as compared to your batchmates which makes you a better fit for their company. However, it comes with a caution. You will actually be working more as compared to your batchmates- helping out in all the Knowledge transfer sessions, preparing your batch for guest lectures and helping out in other CCC events. Hence, you will have less time in your hand in an already filled schedule as compared to your fellow mates to prepare for your SIP.
My advice would be to
apply to become a JCC of only those clubs and committees in which you are actually interested and not just for a position of responsibility. That way, your work will not become a burden for you. You can research about all these CCCs from the website of the b-school you are going to join and then prepare accordingly. Remember, it can be a good talking point but
it’s not necessary to be a JCC to get a good company. Be confident and hold your ground. You will make it even if you are not a JCC.
Level 5 “It’s Exam Time!”
In no time, you will realize that the first semester has ended and exams are here! High probability is amid all the classes, competitions, knowledge transfer sessions by seniors, batch meets and preparing for summers; you forgot to prepare for exams! One of the contributors would be the statement “You are here to get a placement and not a great GPA. Prepare for the summers. Let the studies take a backseat”. This will be the case with many of your batchmates and you will not have much time to prepare. This is the time you turn to your commerce undergrad friend to teach you enough accounts, to your CFA L1 friend to teach you enough statistics and economics and all other “experts” so that you can pass your exam!
You need to understand here that your GPA will actually matter in your final placements- especially for finance enthus. Yes, you have to prepare for summers but don’t let your studies hit the bottom. If it has hit the bottom in the 1
st semester, please work hard to maintain a good GPA in the coming semesters. Not all subjects will be interesting. There will be professors whose lectures will act as a lullaby for you. But then
there will be real gems who will try to give you the real-world knowledge, who will engage you in interesting discussions and whose subjects’ knowledge will go a long way in your placements and later in your jobs. You have paid a hefty fee, to get placements- yes but also to get knowledge. You don’t want to remain an engineer with an MBA degree. You want to get the actual management knowledge. Never miss out on that!
Level 6- “Summer Internship Process”
This is the final level of your 3-month journey- your elixir after all the hardships! As soon as the exams are over, companies will start visiting your campus (SPJIMR is an exception here with the autumn internships). You will have your CVs ready. You will be filling all the EOIs and waiting eagerly for shortlists in your dream company (which may not happen. Please don’t lose your heart then
). Day 0 will see big names the day 1 then day 2 and as the no. of days increase, the brand name of the company and the stipends will start going down. You will feel the pressure as your friend gets placed and you still have to face a lot of GDs tomorrow. You will see your best friend becoming your arch-enemy not allowing you to speak in the GD. You will see finance enthus become marketing enthus and vice versa as they apply to all the companies coming irrespective of the role. You will be running from GD of one company to the interview of another- the time for which your PDP process was trying to prepare you! You will also see the placement committee coordinators become your friends as they console you when you couldn’t make it or celebrate with you as soon as you get placed. They are also humans and you will see that human side now!
It's a harsh truth but people will cry as they inch closer to their dream company and still could not make it. There will be someone getting all 5 shortlists in a day and someone with no shortlists at all.
Remember,
at the end, everyone will get placed- maybe not in your dream company, maybe with a lower stipend as compared to your friend but you will get your offer. You need to keep working on yourself. You should be prepared to ace the 1
st opportunity you get. You want to be out of the rat race as soon as possible but it’s okay if you couldn’t get it in the first strike. Keep on striking, every time harder!
Your project during the internship will matter and not your stipend. The day you get your offer will be one of the most relieving days of your life- ending your austerity. That day you will begin a new chapter of your life with a smile
During all these levels, there will be many challenges as having been listed but
you will get your lifelines along the way- strangers you met on the 1st day will become your best friends. You will party with them, you will cry with them. You will share every feeling you have, with them. At the end of those 3 months, you will realize that it was a roller coaster ride with you sticking to your friend and him to you saving each other from falling
. You may not remember the case study in a competition but you will remember the nights you spent solving them with your group- the coffees you had and the maggie you shared with them! B-school is not only to gain knowledge and placements, it’s a place to form memories and life-long friends. Enter a b-school and experience your life take a 180 degrees turn!
All the best!
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