If there was an award for most domains explored in a lifetime by 2022 I'd probably be on track to win it. I did a Political Science degree from Ashoka University from where I made the very logical leap(made sense to me) into the Venture Capital industry followed by a very short stint in market research and a then a lengthier stint working in Policy Consulting for the Minsitry of Commerce. (I won't even go into my internship experience as I did everything from helping an International think tank advise the British Government on Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul to selling Flavoured Makhanas at a petrol pump). Although my overall work experience was a little short of two years, by 2023, I was sure that an MBA at this time was the right choice for me thanks to the variety in my work experience.
Why BitSoM?
Keeping my short term and long-term goals in mind I knew I wanted a college specifically based in India with three critical things:
1) A nonstandard and cutting edge pedagogy
2) Good Placement outcomes into the types of firms I was broadly interested in (PE/VC and Consulting to name a few)
3) An influential alum network which was active in both industry and entrepreneurship.
Keeping these things in mind BITSoM was one of my top choices as it strongly fit my first two criteria with an amazing line-up of professors and a block teaching method as well as great placements into PE/VC firms right from the first year. However, I felt that the third criteria would probably be a deal breaker as BITSoM is a new school. However, the more I researched the more I realized that the school leverages the alum netowork of BITS instituions such as BITS Pilani and BITS Goa etc, far more effectively than many colleges are able to utilize their own alum networks. The sense of warmth and close-knit nature of the BITS institutions meant that my third criteria was also ticked off leading to my decision to come to BITSoM.
Interview Transcript
My interview was conducted by a three-member panel. I had the head of the admissions committee in my board as well as two BITS alums. The interview started with an introduction where I gave a brief background of myself including my propensity to explore different cities, foods and job roles. The alums introduced themselves: one of them had built a multimillion-dollar company in the USA and one of them was a C-suite executive. (Can't lie was extremely nervous hearing their credentials). From there onwards I braced myself for a stress interview which never came. Instead what followed was the most conversational interview in my life. I was asked about my hobbies, what I consider my leadership style to be, why I chose the job I did, how did I enjoy the various cities and sports I had played and even a question on politics which I wasn't quite expecting. The so-called technical questions I had braced myself for never really played out as the panel asked me questions which seemed to mirror thoughts I'd already had reagrding the domains I had worked in (Things such as do you think the Indian VC space is overvalued right now, is ed-tech funding necessary for all companies in a hyper competitive and high burn market, what were my opinions on the success of the Make in India mission which I'd worked in and so on).The style was entirely conversational and the panel seemed interested in my opinions more than anything. At no point in the interview did I feel like a verbal trap was being set for me and I was actually disappointed when the interview ended as I'd been having fun speaking to and listening to the panel.
How I answered the questions
1) I followed the Barbara Minto principle for answers which required me to take a stand.
2) I answered all situational and behavioural questions in a STAR format.
3) I dropped in hooks for the follow-up questions about things I wanted to talk about in every question. For example I spoke about how I had lived and travelled to more than 12 countries and enjoyed unconventional sports such as surfing in my introduction paragraph.
Tips for the readers
1) Make sure you have an understanding of the domains you are working in and the latest issues that are being talked about in them. Be curious and have an opinion.
2) Treat the interview as a conversation with a respected older colleague, put across your points and hear the panels feedback. If you are very sure about a position feel free to pushback respectfully.
3) The interviewers are looking for a reason to take you in not a reason to reject you. Put across your unique life and business experiences through the interview and leave hooks for the panel to notice.
4) Don't do anything for the CV alone, do and talk about things which actually excite you because passion is very hard to fake in front of veterans with 30 plus years of experience.