It's already mid-May, and the results of WAT-PI are now out! If you're anxious about "What's Next?", check out this detailed interview where B-school alumni have shared valuable tips to utilize this period before starting your journey Inside a B-School.
- Aditi Agarwalla: MDI Gurgaon Alumna, KPMG M&A
- Surbhi Kothari: MDI Gurgaon Alumna, Amazon India
- Ashi Jain: MICA Silver Medalist, Brand Manager - P&G
- Krish Chawla: IIM Nagpur Alumnus, Consultant at IBM
- Samarth Mehta: IIM Kozhikode Alumnus, Founder's Office, Liminal, talked about what they did before joining B-schools and how it helped them in their careers.
1. What did you guys do before you joined B-school? How did you utilise your time?
Ashi: We had ~1-1.5 months before joining a B-school. I started doing was to work on my Resume because in our heads, we are already there, and we hardly have 2-3 weeks before our Summer Internship Prep starts. As a fresher, it was essential to have talking points in the interview. I had completed many volunteer programs and live projects. Apart from that, I had completed multiple courses on Coursera. Excel & PowerPoint are hygiene factors, and since I was going to be a part of MICA, I went through basic Marketing stuff like 4Ps. I also spoke to a lot of seniors before joining.
Surbhi: As a person with Work-ex, I had to get those points ready. From experience, I can say that the CV building process is a lengthy and hectic one; it goes through many iterations. It helps to start early.
Aditi: Apart from CV building, I think one should start working on the fundamental questions, like "Tell me about yourself" because you have less time before SIP (Summer Internship Preparation) begins. Being prepared with these basic things also helps because Summer Internship Interviews usually clash with Mid-term or End-term exams. Apart from these, I did something different. I am a dancer, I have 16 years of training in Odissi, so I took online classes for a few students.
Krish: One more thing that I did was reach out to my seniors and get a sense of the college clubs and committees. Because once you join a B-school, there are so many things going on that you don't have time to gauge where your interest lies.
Samarth: Most of them have covered all the points, but if you want to do a stream change, let's say you're from a Tech background and you're interested in Finance or Consulting, then reading about what kind of questions interviewers ask and preparing a little accordingly. For example, if you want to go for Consulting, then going through IIM A or ISB Casebook is a good start. Or let's say you're a Work-experience person who has completed one or two levels of CFA, so brushing on those concepts before joining B-school along with what others have said is ample to start.
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2. One common thing a lot of you talked about, apart from CV Prep, is reaching out to seniors. What are the questions that one should ask the seniors that will help them?
Samarth: For initial ice-breaking, you need to be a little formal, but at the end of the day, even though they have joined a B-school a year before you and they are "seniors", they are there to help. You can ask them everything, from professional to personal questions. It's good to talk to the seniors who've worked in the domain of your choice or seniors with a similar academic or work-ex background. You'll get a fair idea about where you are and what you need to do to reach where you want.
Ashi: Along with questions about clubs and committees, you can also reach out to seniors with questions about assignments and what should you prepare, exam pattern and other academic-related queries because they will give you a realistic picture. You can also ask about Case Competitions, PPT formats required for them etc. A lot of competitions are meant only for first-year students, so if you do well in them, you have an opportunity to get PPIs too.
3. What can people do to utilise their time in the remaining two months before joining a B-school?
Aditi: Everyone should brush up on Accounts and Economics before joining B-school, especially people from a non-commerce background. Staying up-to-date with current affairs also comes in handy for your interviews.
Ashi: You can also check the course outline of the subjects in the first year and maybe take up some online courses. Thus, even when you listen actively in class, you can pick up on things much faster and grasp the concepts better because you have ground-level preparation.
Krish: For non-engineering background people, brush up on Quant skills. Every college provides some prep material to help you. If you take that material seriously, it can help you excel in college because they have a strong base.
Samarth: Many people struggle with case-based study and analysing those cases, which is critical for classroom learning. I'd suggest people read some Harvard Business School cases, analyse them, answer a few questions on them, and that will help you prepare on how to do a case study with technicalities involved.
4. Some people take up side-projects and internships to add an edge to their CVs and learning. How important do you think are these internships?
Samarth: Internships don't add that much value to a work-ex, but it is still a talking point for freshers in their interviews. Internships in growing startups help you understand how an organisation works on the ground level. After your Summer Internship Interviews, you can also take up live projects that will help you know how your Summer Internship or Post-MBA job will look. Through these Live Projects, you can also learn how to make professional PPTs and take that learning in your Case Competitions.
Surbhi: I think it's essential for people with work-ex when shifting from one domain to another. It gives you first-hand experience and an opportunity to implement the theoretical concepts. It's better than the certification courses. They're also an excellent way to understand what you don't like.
Krish: The focus should be on the quality of internships and not the number of internships.
Ashi: You also learn specific keywords used in the industry, which helps you in the shortlisting and interviews. Even though the Placement Committee provides many opportunities for Live Projects, it also reflects your part if you're able to build a Personal Brand and then seek a Live Project.
5. Do you think we should take this period seriously or we should relax? Because we know that the coming 2-3 months are going to be highly hectic?
Aditi: That's where I think most people go wrong. They relax way too much in these months, and the lethargy sinks in and then face trouble during their B-school. Preparing beforehand gives you a kickstart over your peers.
Krish: The point is not that you should be working or studying 12 hours a day. The point is not to get complacent. If nothing else, you should start networking with people. It would be best if you connected with your peers at least.
Ashi: Don't take it too seriously. If you want to meet your family and friends, that's basic hygiene; you should do that.
Surbhi: I think my peers are trying to say that "Don't go into extremes". Please don't take it too seriously, and don't chill too much. Find that balance, whatever works for you. It also depends on what you want to achieve and who you want to be in the next few months. Keep in mind that this will be the freest time you have in the next 4-5 months.
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6. Do you believe COVID has impacted the opportunities to do things?
Aditi: The way of doing things or the nature of the jobs will change, but COVID will not impact the activities' essence.
Surbhi: Most people realise that this is the New Normal, and they need to adapt to it. Our seniors had online internships, too, and they performed well.
Krish: It's allowing us to meet and interact with people who might not have come to visit us on campus. For students, there are always opportunities. It will just take time to realise where exactly lie.
7. Should one define the stream before they join B-school?
Samarth: It's completely alright not to have a pre-determined stream. In a B-school, there will be a lot of things that will happen in the first 2-3 months that will give you an insight into various domains and how things work there - be it your curriculum that has a mix of subjects from all streams, or it is the Prep groups for your Summer Internships.
Case Competitions will have several problem statements, and working for those will help you gauge your interest. Even if you don't know where your interest lies, there are programs by TAS & Mahindra in General Management roles that you can apply. There's a lot of diversity in those projects with work-life balance and a lot of exposure.
Aditi: Keep an open mind and be open to different opportunities. You never know where you find your interest.
Ashi: Before you get into super-specialisation institutes like MCA, check out the website, check out the Alums, where they are working, what kind of roles and work they are doing, interact with them. Don't just go for the brand name because it's challenging to change the stream once you get into a specialisation institute.
8. Any tips for non-engineers?
Aditi: Besides adding extra-curricular activities (which most non-engineers lack in) and working on Quant, I think what's essential for engineers and non-engineers is brushing up on Excel & Powerpoint, especially for Freshers. Some companies may also have Excel tests.
9. Where do we find Live Projects?
Samarth: Every college has Placement Committees that bring companies to provide Live Projects. Another way to get Live Projects is to be active on LinkedIn, where your connections will be sharing different opportunities.
Another way to go about it is to define which stream you're interested in and reach out to Alums working in the same domain in different organisations. Even if it doesn't have any pay involved, you should take it up if the project is with a reputable organisation and is respectable enough because you're on a learning curve, and payment doesn't matter initially.
An unusual way of getting Live projects is through Case Competitions - some companies may have it within the Case competition curriculum. In contrast, some others may offer a Live Project after reaching a certain level, say Nationals.
Ashi: Another point that people miss out on is, they shoot multiple emails expecting one to respond. But I'd say that invest in writing an e-mail, a cover letter before you reach out to someone, mention where you're coming from if you have any recommendations etc. Create an e-mail that people would want to respond to.
Krish: People often underestimate the potential of 300 character message on LinkedIn. Try to be unique or creative in that limited space. State your intent and speak to the point.
Don't take a lot of stress. Enjoy as you learn. It might be overwhelming but plan out your way of utilising this time. All the Best!
Watch the entire session here:
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