SPJIMR, ranked among the top 20 most desired b-schools worldwide as per Forbes and the Top 5 in India, has always been known for its innovative pedagogy of teaching management education. One of the path-breaking innovations in the entire value chain of education at SPJIMR lies in its admission process. It is the first and the only b-school in India that offers an interview for admissions to its flagship PGDM programme based on the strength of one’s profile. We, at SPJIMR, firmly believe that there’s more to a person than meets the eye. This is one of the many things that set us apart from traditional b-schools.
With less than a month left for the D-Day, this is the phase when all of you must be rattling your brains with mocks and busy analysing your results. But, what if I told you to pause and forget thinking about the CAT percentile. I am pretty sure all of you would call me crazy. But, there is a little secret that I would like to share with all of you that will not only help you land a call from SPJIMR but will also help you throughout the admissions process at any premier institute. With all the talk and tips about to how to achieve a great percentile, the biggest blunder you could ever commit is to not give these applications their due importance. This is also the time when most b-schools open up their application forms for the admissions process.
With the kind of unpredictability that the CAT inherently possesses, no amount of preparation can assure you of getting a score based call from the prestigious b-schools. Even when you are able to secure a 99+ score, the interviewing panel is most likely to grill you on your profile. More often than not a profile ends up forming the most important part of your b-school application.
Rewind to 4th December 2016: I was standing outside the examination hall wondering what had gone wrong in my preparations. I had given every possible mock and tried my hand at every DI/LR problem I could find. I knew I had lost the chance to enter into a b-school this year, let alone a premium one. I felt like I would have to start all over again. It was going to be a difficult road ahead.
This is precisely where a good profile can make a huge difference to your probability of securing a call from SPJIMR. A profile is your story that is scripted by you and offers a peek into your journey. The questions are an attempt to extract your life’s experiences and a sufficient amount of time is provided for introspection to think thoroughly about your choices. The answers present an opportunity to the individual to talk about himself/herself. These short answers allow the interview panel to truly discover who you are. Therefore, it is imperative that you put in your best efforts in writing essays about yourself. These will help you answer questions in the interview that awaits you and also streamline your thought process.
Rewind to 5th Jan 2017: The fact that I still remember the date is proof enough of its importance. This was the day the profile shortlist was declared for SPJIMR. I was elated to have been shortlisted for the interview based on my profile. It was time for a flashback to the application days.
Flashback Oct 2016: Sitting at my desk in the office, a sudden phone call from the telecom service provider broke my concentration. I had been staring at the LED screen in front of me for the past hour. It was dark outside and I could see people rushing out for dinner. I realised I had overstayed at the office again. The deadline for filling the application form for SPJIMR was closing in and I had been pulling my hair over how to make a strong case for myself in the application. I thought to myself, it’s no big deal and I ought to spend my time practising mocks rather than filling up the form. I packed my stuff and left for home. I had this habit of reading random stuff while travelling back home and chanced upon an opinion piece about the importance of these short essays that go into building a persuasive application.
Back to 5th Jan 2017: The profile call came like a breath of fresh air. I knew the battle had just begun.
A candidates’ profile is unique to him/her and if presented in the right manner can prove to be a differentiating factor. A prestigious b-school knows that all its applicants are highly qualified. They are well aware of the fact that each one of these applicants will be able to handle the curriculum and derive benefit from the programme equally well. However, there is a fine line that separates the applicants from the converts and the profile forms an integral part of that line. The converts are able to demonstrate that there is more to them than just their qualifications. The story about how a b-school fits with their goals, passions and their past experiences is the one that makes all the difference.
About the Author:
Jatin Adhlakha
(PGDM 2017-19, Operations & Supply Chain)
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