Winning a Gold Medal is one of the highest achievements you can take away from your MBA life. All students strive to achieve this during their course, but have you ever thought about winning two Gold Medals? This is exactly what Kartik Kohli, from IIM Indore, achieved. He won a Gold Medal for his scholastic performance by coming out as IR 3 in the college and also won a Gold Medal for his All Round Performance. He worked on a startup, acted in short films, led huge teams in his co-curricular activities, and also worked on his research. In his own words, his "MBA journey was a fantastic roller coaster". Find out more about his story, his preparation for IIM Indore, His experience during MBA, and his advice to the incoming batch.
Q1. Please tell us about your educational and professional background, and what drew you to pursue an MBA.
I'm a fresher. I did both my undergraduate and post-graduate from IIM Indore, as part of the Integrated Programme in Management.
As a young student, I was always fascinated with organizations - how they were made, how they worked, how they produced goods & services. In the end, organizations were just like people. People who owned them, people who worked for them, and people who they worked for. And thus, for me, it was like studying the anatomy and behaviour of a different species. My passion to learn about them more, pushed me to take up MBA.
Q2. Please tell us about your journey from preparing for CAT to finally joining IIM Indore.
IIM Indore was nothing short of a dream. I've always had a variety of interests and a hunger to learn everything I can get my hands on. The IPM programme gave me an opportunity to do just the same. With a plethora of disciplines to learn from, the IPM programme caught my eye in Class 12. And that's when I decided to prepare for it.
My exam preparation involved solving all sort of CAT preparation books and High School Mathematics books. I also focussed on improving my vocabulary and critical thinking skills. On the exam day, I focussed on completing 80% of the questions with 100% accuracy, rather than attempting all of them. My interest and skills in Mathematics helped improve my score to a great degree.
As for the interview, I prepared for subject-based interviews and underwent multiple stress interviews to charge my quick-thinking skills. On the interview day, I was surprised by the panel when they quickly moved past subject-based questions to current affairs. I was asked to connect the theory I had learnt so far with the different events happening around me (Connecting how companies are structured while referring to Walmart's acquisition of Flipkart). Thankfully, my deep passion for such things really helped me through the interview.
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Q3. When you entered IIM Indore, did you expect to win the award? What did you expect from the program?
To be honest, I never really expected to win the Gold Medals. I was obviously in awe when I saw my seniors winning it, but I was never really expecting to see myself on the other side.
For most of my time at IIM Indore, I was always trying to soak in the experiences that were thrown my way. Every day was a new challenge, and I treated it like one. It was like one of those things that made you feel alive every day, and even 24 hours seemed too little to fit in everything I wanted to do. My expectations from the program from day 1 were freedom and exposure. And that's what I got. I was able to learn anything I want. Do anything I want. I was even able to contribute to my friend's startup (and now a successful & profitable venture) - Five Owl Films. I worked behind the scenes in post-production and even acted in a few short films. It was this freedom that made me feel amazing every day. I was able to take up leadership positions and work with huge teams while at the same time working on research with the brightest academic minds of the country. My journey was a fantastic roller coaster, nothing I would've imagined if I'd been anywhere else.
Q4. Given that only the crème de la crème of India makes it to IIM Indore, could you give us an idea of the degree of competitiveness at IIM Indore?
IIM Indore is full of talented people. I'm not just talking about academics, though there's a tough fight for that too. It's a place where I've seen people come up with the most amazing ideas, the best plans, and even some impactful business ideas. Everyone's working hard every day to polish themselves, to become better for what's to come next. It's a place that drives you to be better, to keep up - not because you need to but because you want to.
The competitiveness of the place never overshadowed the personal touch the people have here. It's the connections and networks that connected even our oldest alums and the most recent juniors. Everyone's always ready to contribute, and that's what makes this place very unique. I think there is an inherent idea of growing and progressing together at IIM Indore. I will always be thankful for this place and the people in it.
Q5. Please tell us about your Summer Internship Experience. How will that experience help you in the future in your career?
Summer Placements was an exciting time for me. I was engaged in so many activities during that time. It was the combined result of all those that helped me bag my internship. I was involved in a lot of competitions all throughout the time leading to the placement process. It gave me the confidence needed to do better. I focussed on building a strong foundation of domain knowledge and complemented that with preparation about a typical interview expectation. I practiced tons of cases, analytical problems that could be thrown my way. Most importantly, I tried to think on my feet. And that became one of my major strengths that helped me a lot in my interviews.
It was after all this; I bagged the internship with Goldman Sachs in their Investment Banking Division. I was really excited to be part of one of the biggest organizations in the world. But as fate would have it, pandemic swept away our hopes of a "normal offline" internship. As the world adjusted to working from home, Goldman Sachs allowed me to learn just like an offline internship, even in those difficult times. I was aligned with the Equity Capital Markets Team for the EMEA region. It was a wonderful experience interacting with all the amazing people from across the globe and getting an opportunity to learn and contribute to live projects. I was even partnered with a fellow intern to create a pitch deck for the presentation, just like investment bankers do for their clients. The learnings from my internship prepared me better for the corporate world. I improved on my communication, attention to detail and most of all, understanding of organizational culture.
Q6. What did you do differently and how did you study differently that helped you get the IR 3 rank?
The one thing that worked for me was consistency. I was never only focused on the highest marks, or all the positions of responsibilities, or all the extracurricular activities, or even all the certifications. Only took up what I could manage effectively as I didn't want to have peaks and troughs of my performance. I wanted to function at an optimal level and wanted a balance between the things I wanted to do and the things I had to do. Consistency helped me the most, as I was always in sync with all the commitments I had made. It was a satisfying feeling to not miss out on anything that I considered important. That has been and will be my biggest takeaway from all of this.
Q7. How does an MBA student balance studies and extra-curricular activities at b-school? Is it possible to balance the two, or must one be sacrificed for another? How did you bring about a balance?
MBA students turn into superhumans when needed. They can do a thousand different things all in a single day. Even after spending the whole night preparing for a dance performance, an MBA student can wake up for a 9 am exam and still ace it. They do this through willpower and time management. Obviously, some days the hours are too few to fit in everything, but we as MBA students learn to prioritize. It is 100% possible to balance the two, and I know numerous people who did it during their time at IIM Indore without even blinking twice.
For me, the balance came through the acknowledgment of priorities and then following through on them. I kept a balance between the things I wanted to do and the things I had to do. Though I did sleep through a few exams and classes over the years, I treated them as exceptions or even something that college life is all about. *winks*
Q8. What were your, your family's and your friends' reactions when you won the award? How did you celebrate?
My family and friends were ecstatic. They were so happy that they put out a dozen messages to all my friends and relatives. It was amazing to see them take pride in my achievement. It is all because of their faith and support, that I have been able to achieve this. My family has been immensely supportive of everything I wanted to do and I thank them for that. We celebrated by ordering in chocolate truffle pastries and tons of Whatsapp statuses & Instagram stories (obviously).
Q9. Regarding b-school life and academics, what are three crucial pieces of advice you would like to share with the incoming class of 2023?
I don't think I'm even old enough to give advice. But I'll definitely would tell them this.
1. You'll not a get chance like this; make the best use of this in the way you find it best.
2. Don't go looking out for the big mind-blowing ideas and lessons. MBA teaches you everything through little experiences.
3. Make as many connections as you can. Not just in terms of professional networks but genuine human relationships. Those will be the ones you'll carry with you always.