Waiting for something becomes a whole lot easier if we know how long we must wait. But if the wait is not determined with a deadline, it becomes mind-boggling! We end up spending sleepless nights, biting off nails and what not. But here is how you can keep yourselves occupied in a productive way. Below is a list of things that I wish that I had done to utilize my time better, both before waiting for CAT/XAT etc. score and my final conversion results.
- GDPI/ WAT preparations: Many (especially lazy ones like me) come up with the best excuse to procrastinate preparations for GDPI, often with the excuse that percentiles are not out yet and why waste the efforts right now. That is one of my biggest regrets. Once you get your percentiles, you might end up having less than 2 weeks (at the worst case) before your GDPIs. And trust me, that is too short to prepare anything. My first GDPI was with DoMS, IIT Madras and I screwed up terribly that I was rejected (NOT even waitlisted!). And even in the worst case if you do not end up with any GDPI calls, never mind. It does not hurt to inculcate a new habit of newspaper reading etc.
- Make an action plan: This is probably the best thing that can lift your mind off things. With all these score calculators and what not, you will roughly have an expected score. It the best time to make an action plan for yourself. For instance, if you are expecting 90%ile, then make an action plane for a score above 95%ile, 90-95%ile, 85-90%ile and lesser than 85%ile. List down what are the institutes you might opt for, in each range of scores etc, after researching well about the institutes.
- Learn cooking: My mother often says that if I learn how to cook, I can survive anywhere. Well, it is true! Keep your taste buds activated and your tummy happy, you will be such a happy person. Once you are in the hostel, dependent on mess food (which is often not as tasty and what you crave to eat), things around you might seem harder. But if you can whip yourself a tasty snack (for instance I make pasta, kesari, French fries with cheese and white sauce dip, chilli gobi etc.), life becomes easier to take on! And this is a skill that will come with you wherever you go. So, you can take this an excuse and learn to cook. Food always makes life better :D
- Spend time with family and friends: I cannot stress this point more. Once you’re into your MBA life, you get busy. Yes, you can always make time for family and friends. But if you have a geographical distance barrier, you can go home only once every 3 months for a week. You will miss mom, dad, your sibling fights, lunch dates with bestie etc. Instead of worrying and missing them later, spend all this time with them. Have dinners together with your family, take them along with you for shopping etc. Once MBA is done you will get your calling from the corporate world and all your time will get swallowed again. UTILISE this time well and don’t regret later on.
- Get Fit: The best way to fight sleepless nights is by working out. Your body becomes tired and you automatically will want to doze off by midnight. Once your sleep cycle is spot on you end up becoming healthier and you will not skip breakfast etc., and this is your health cycle being on track. Once you become fit and healthy, you automatically gain confidence which is what you require to go rock that GDPI and convert your calls.
Happy Waiting! :D