With 26th November already behind you, its halftime to your journey of getting into the b-school of your dreams. Now that you have eliminated a major chunk of your competition through your aptitude and analytical skills, the next half begins. It’s now that you will be competing with students who are of equivalent or higher calibre and belong to crème de la crème.
This is, in the late Beverley Cross’s words - The Clash of The Titans.
So, now with ample free time and not much to do, how do you ensure that you secure your entry into your dream B-school. With most interviews beginning in February, what you do have for certain is two months in hand and starting early is always an advantage.
For almost all b-schools, the selection process comprises of a two-stage process comprising of either a GD or a WAT followed by an interview.
Preparations for both WAT or GD requires the intensive reading of different genres as well as having a logical opinion on major current events that happened all around the globe. This can be ensured by keeping yourself up to date with the current happenings as well as going through opinion blogs.
If you are averse to public speaking, it’s highly recommended that you join some grooming classes and make sure you are able to make an impact in the discussions.
While GDs and WATs have a minor contribution, the significant portion is contributed by the interview process. Keep in mind a fundamental concept, written exams are elimination tests while interview processes are selection tests.
Interviews are like first dates, while awkwardness can occur and outcomes are unpredictable, good impression counts.
The beginning step for preparation would be to find out your areas of interest and gather knowledge on the same. Freshers must have a thorough knowledge of their graduation subjects and make sure you are ready for all counter questions.
An important aspect of the interviews is that they are short and it’s really difficult for the interviewer to find the real you. Thus, it’s all about how powerfully you present yourself for those 15-20 minutes and convey a strong and distinct personality.
Also, make sure you are well versed about typical ‘introduce yourself’ questions so that your flow and delivery is smooth. On the other hand, don’t practice so much that it seems mechanical.
Surprise and differentiation have far more impact than noise
- Seth Godin
With all this in mind, give your best shot and you will definitely ace the process.