Date: 9
th January 2013
All the CAT aspirants were glued to the computers screens. Everyone was frantically refreshing the webpage and inserting their roll numbers again and again. I was one of them. I appeared for the CAT in October 2012. Due to traffic overload, several servers were crashed. After 2/ 3 hours of waiting, when it was almost dawn, a number flashed on my computer screen – 99.9. I screamed and shouted. I was on cloud nine. My friend nudged me and said, “It is a day of 9’s for you Sayali.” It indeed was.
Subsequently, I interviewed for almost all the IIMs and cleared all the interviews. The decision to choose the campus was in my hands. IIM Ahmedabad was indeed the unanimous choice. I have heard so much about this campus. Not just about the star alumni like Harsha Bhogle, Sanjeev Bhikchandani and Chetan Bhagat, but about the architecture as well. I was in love with LKP and the legacy it carries.
IIM Ahmedabad was my dream come true. I packed my bags and readied myself to call this place my alma mater. I told myself. It is not just the classroom education that you are looking forward, the whole experience on campus was what I was eagerly waiting for.
PGP 1 was rigorous as everyone said. “A is for acads” was also true. However, in the flurry of assignments, examinations and placements, I made new friends. I pulled all-nighters for the assignments and all night bakar at tapri with friends. The walk at 2 AM and tea at Tapri became my routine. The heated arguments with study group mates over a petty issue and going out for dinner with same group filled my mind with unforgettable memories.
In a residential campus like IIM Ahmedabad, your dorm becomes your home. Every dorm has a rich culture. Your neighbours are your partners in everything. In the last two years, I had enjoyed my time with my dorm mates. Diwali decorations, dinner and movie outings, studying together and waking each other up for 8:45 class are a few incidents which turned into memories.
“Experience is the best teacher”. At IIM A, I learnt a lot more outside the classroom than in the classroom. Be it a random chat at CT or a panel discussion of professors, I learnt from each of these events. The environment and peer group plays a big role in shaping you. This place taught me to question. I developed my personality.
Being at IIM Ahmedabad, a top-notch B-School in India teaches you many things. I honed my management skills. I learnt to manage my time effectively. I became a multitasking person. I started learning different things. I played TT, badminton, acted in a drama and danced. The lessons one learns here are applicable in real life as well as professional life.
IIM A was a place of firsts for me. I pulled my first night out (for studying), excelled at multiple extracurricular activities at the same time, danced till my feet ached, came up with different tempo shouts and enjoyed dunking.
My projects in marketing or finance sharpened my business acumen, while my project with school teachers in Gujrat and with the NGOs in Ahmedabad opened my mind and gave me a chance to give back to society. I am passionate about social service and had worked in NGOS before. With the enhanced knowledge, I was better equipped to serve the society in a meaningful way.
All the cases that were discussed, participating in competitions and going on field visits made me mature. I started considering multiple possibilities for a problem, be it in marketing or in life. IIM A has taught me to face the world out there. I am more equipped to take on challenges and fight for my rights. Last two years at IIM A had indeed been wonderful. It was a journey to remember.
