Hello friends! I am quite sure if you are reading this then you must be a management aspirant who is aspiring to get into B-School. Few months back I was also in same shoes so I feel like documenting a part of my life and give an objective analysis of something which is so close to my heart. Nothing could be as tough for me in life than to select an IIM which has got no past, an IIM which is just born and about to start its journey. Trust me it is hard to reject an IIM when you get the offer letter because in India, IIMs are the most revered management institutes as they have carved their own niche among all the existing B-Schools. But in my case, it was tough to take a decision because I already had multiple options to weigh and was actually confused whether to go for an MBA this year or not.
As a fresh IT engineering graduate my joining in an MNC was scheduled for August and I had joined a profit cum non-profit organization called as Avanti Fellows from 1st June which I was potentially enjoying. An option to go for Gandhi Fellowship was also there in the basket and, on the other hand, six new management institutes established by MHRD, mentored by well-established management institutes were calling. Obviously, the decision could have been simpler had these IIMs been a little older (because that gives you a fair idea about the structure there and it becomes easier to evaluate and decide).
We have grown up with the phrase reiterating 'Old is Gold' but then I was also reminded of a quote of late American tennis player Arthur Ashe, "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can", so I consulted a lot of people and finally convinced myself that I will go for an MBA this year only and do my management studies from IIM Amritsar. I considered myself lucky to get this golden opportunity of sharing the starting steps with IIM Amritsar. After all, when an institute like IIM is new there are so many things to look forward to. We are just at the start of our timeline and it's exciting to think of all the great things that are waiting for us down the track. We can learn from all those wonderful opportunities around us. Today when I look back, I am glad about my decision of joining IIM Amritsar. It is not just because of the great internship opportunity with my dream company Ogilvy & Mather where I'll be interning during summers but there are many more wonderful learning experiences which are hard to count. One might claim that the initial few batches are at a disadvantage because they don't have a permanent infrastructure in place but you must not forget that there is always a trade-off. The rare privilege which few starting batches get to set up a culture in an institute like IIM truly outweighs everything and in the older institutes one just follows the set culture.
P.S.: This post was more about my personal experiences. I'm sure you must be curious about knowing the life at IIMs, particularly IIM Amritsar. I also understand that you have 'N' number of queries like faculty, quality of education, peer group, placement scenario (the most important part for most of us), hostel and mess facilities, co-curricular activities, extra-curricular activities, etc. The journey of past 7 months is full of innumerable memories so I'll come up with my next post 'Life at IIM Amritsar' soon and will try to cover all such FAQs. Meanwhile, if you have anything specific to ask, feel free to reach out to me at
https://www.facebook.com/adi.yadav.71 or Whatsapp me at 8953040027. Cheers !! Aditya Kumar PGP01 IIM Amritsar
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