Unique Fishes In The Vast Ocean Of IIM Indore - 11 Reasons Why The Batch Size Of IIM Indore Should Not Scare You

 

“So you do know right that IIM Indore has the largest batch size across all IIMs? It means you have more people fighting for your spot in terms of academics, co-curricular, placements etc. So you have to work triple as hard to stand out from the crowd there! Keep that in mind and all the best, Swathika! “, said my CAT coaching class director one year ago when I went to him with the good news that I have secured admission into IIM Indore. With a huge *GULP* I nervously said, “Thanks, Sir. I will do well”. Overwhelmed with my IIM admit, I had not given the batch size much of a thought. Now that it was triggered, it started taunting me every moment!
Here I am now, ready to step into year 2 at Planet-I. As I look back, yes the batch strength of 561 (as of 2016-2018 batch), includes students from the Post-Graduate Programme (PGP) and the unique 5-year Integrated Program in Management (IPM) does seem overwhelming…But we do know that every coin has two sides; having spent a year at IIM Indore I look back…and trust me it does not sound as scary as it is. And here is why (in no particular order)…
1.    Networking benefits: Being part of the IIM Indore family gives you access to a wider channel of alumnus and thus better networking benefits. This could grab you better chances of business contacts, career guidance and even all the help you might need if you are relocating to a new geography etc.
2.    Infrastructure and facilities:  IIM Indore has a robust and state of the art infrastructural facilities comparable to world class standards. Starting from a fully equipped gym with personal trainers, Olympic size swimming pool, cricket stadium, badminton and basket ball courts in every hostel, a lot of food joints spanning the campus, spacious convenient hostel rooms etc, the campus has all the facilities anyone could ask for. The serene beauty of the campus is jaw dropping. With places like the sunset point, titanic point etc, the sights will be a feast to the eyes from the top of the hills.
PS: For all the movie buffs (I guess most of us are), the entire blockbuster Friday releases could be watched free of cost with friends in an in-house auditorium the very next day of the release.
3.    Competition is not a mere number: Most of us feel that competition is proportional to the number of people you are put up against. But no, let me tell you that competition is competition when there is one person against you and even when the whole world is against you.
4.    Competition is everywhere: Competition is everywhere! It prevails in every b-school and as MBA folks, braving this competition is part and parcel of our 2 year journey. Also, the best way to asses yourself is only when you put yourself amongst competition. You are not a winner if you’re the only one running the race.
5.    One has got to meet IIM Indore’s IPMers: There is this amazing bunch of people only at IIM Indore known as the IPMers (Students who have taken up the integrated 5 year programme). They are the most energetic group of people on campus and their perspective and approach to various problems are totally different from the traditional methods of problem solving we mainstream MBA folks probe around. There have been times where I have been in gasping in awe looking at their contributions during classroom sessions. Also they know in and out about the campus, Indore city and what not and never hinder from sharing it with us. So put away your worries of asking seniors about campus life, what will be available where in the city etc as here at IIM Indore your own classmates will be there to help you out.
6.    More the merrier :)  : Celebrations at IIM Indore are indeed celebrations! Every single regional celebration is taken up and coordinated by the students who belong to that region and is celebrated at a large scale by the entire Planet-I. You have the chance to experience every single region’s celebration here at IIM Indore without having to visit their state and understand their culture through these feasts. Most of the regional celebrations also give you the chance to dress up in their regional ethnic wears and experience their celebrations.
7.     Ample opportunities for recognition: Ample opportunities are constantly roped in by professors, committees and clubs in the form of competitions, case studies, live projects etc to give the chance to every single individual to grab hold of and shine. At the end of the day it is about you. If you do your part and put in hard work by grabbing all the opportunities roped in by various professors, committees and clubs you will definitely shine.
8.    Exposure to a vast variety of people: MBA isn’t only about the subjects or marks, it is also about the exposure. Here at IIM Indore, you are have more chances to meet people from all walks of life.
9.    You will always be exploring: Be it people, career options or even the campus, you will be constantly exploring. You will never be done with meeting new people on the campus in the 2 years and the perspectives you gain go beyond words. I can also assure you that every night walk you take around the campus can expose you to various varieties of flora, fauna, secret pathways etc. Trust me, one can never say “I am bored!” at IIM Indore.
10.    At the end of the day you are a better people person: You get used to coordinating any event with the larger scale and variety of people here that at the end of the day even extreme introverts are exposed to and leave IIM Indore with better people skills.
11.    One can go big if and only they have all that it takes: And IIM Indore has all that it takes to go HUGE! Let it be in terms of quality of professors and knowledge transfer, infrastructure, Himalaya Outbound Programme, Rural Immersion Programme, scope of clubs and committees, fun, celebrations, DJ nights etc. etc…we have it all! One has to be proud to be part of our huge family.
At IIM Indore, many are frightened that they will have to fight more fishes in the ocean that would make their lives harder to surface up from the waters as the winner! We are all different varieties of fishes, we are all unique. Like how the ocean is vast to accommodate all sorts of fishes, so is IIM Indore!

    ------------------ About the Author: Swathika is a computer science engineer from Coimbatore and currently, she is studying in IIM Indore. As part of the senior team of Merchand-I club (the Retail club of IIMI), one can often spot Swathika at their retail shop (a.k.a Pi-Shop), in the campus. With the passion for writing since young, Swathika has written and published a storybook titled “2 Meddlers” and hopes to publish more of her works in the coming years.