It is that time of the year again when many b-school aspirants across the country step up with their preparations for CAT. Amidst round after round of mock tests, coaching classes and what not, they often find themselves glaring at the placement reports of various b-schools in the country. Here, the numbers seem to do all the talking and this single page on the website tends to be the game changer for most while nailing down a decision on which college to choose the following year. But there is much more beyond the CTC when it comes to defining the calibre of a business school.
It's been over a month since I stepped inside IIM Indore aka Planet-I, and I feel I have already experienced a plethora of emotions. True to its perception, life at an IIM is truly hectic in every sense of the word. There are a lot of activities going on at the same time and it can become very difficult to prioritise one over the other, but that is what constitutes a major factor of b-school life - TIME MANAGEMENT!
Standing at the entrance of IIM Kozhikode, staring at the statue of Arjuna, ready with a stringed bow and arrow aiming at the sky with the beautiful green carpet covered mountains and endless blue skies as background, I remember the day, I stepped out of the train, nervous and excited, with my dad, proud and a lot more luggage than I could carry. The journey of 18kms from station to the campus with mesmerising beauty of Kerala enriched with slow rains, compelled me to fall in love with the place. We reached our target to find uniformed men ready to welcome and guide us to our respective hostel. Stepping outside of the taxi was a new me, energised and eager to meet my colleagues, the main entities of the two coming years.
Ever since I started my CAT preparation, I've been bombarded with a lot of questions. The most frequently asked question was this. People are curious if they'll get IIM calls or not. And no matter how many answers they read, they're never satisfied. The bottom-line is, if you don't have a 9/9/9 or 9/9/8, you'll have to compensate for that in some way or the other. Either by work-ex or by scoring high percentile. And there are a few colleges which don't consider marks or purane paap as people call it but they are a few only.
Do you still cherish the moment of converting a call from top b-school? Why not? You should! You have strived for attaining this for months along with your other responsibilities like corporate job, or studies if you were a fresher before landing into a top b-school. After celebrating all the happiness with family, friends, relatives, seeing that pride & satiation on your parents’ faces, after all the goodbyes, the journey begins. Right from the very first day at b-school, you face the rigour, sleepless nights, quizzes, interviews, selections. You get to introduce yourselves to the brightest minds. You see the number of competitions from different college committees, from other b-schools, from corporate world companies apart from academics. Guest lectures from the top most intellectuals from society, who speak with you like a family and help you carve out a niche for yourself as a business tycoon or a good human.
“Every event has a purpose and every setback its lesson. I have realised that failure, whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual kind, is essential to personal expansion. It brings inner growth and a whole host of psychic rewards. Never regret your past. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is.” ― Robin S. Sharma
The title of this article may seem eccentric to many. Had I read this article a year before, I too would have thought the same. But one year down the line, having made into the b-school of my dreams, I have a different story to tell. Just one year before, I was one of the many MBA aspirants, struggling hard to crack CAT and clearing those tough interviews that followed after the entrance exam. As I am a 2017 engineering graduate, all that seemed to matter that time was how to increase percentile, maintain grades in college (as it was known grades play an important role in the selection process) perform well in competitions and last but not the least, clear the interviews. Little did I know, there is a lot more to it besides scoring well in cat and acing the interviews. The reason I am saying this is because, just a few days after you land up in b-school, you will be bombarded with CV preparation workshops and deadlines. Before you even fathom you have made it into a prestigious b-school, you will have summer internships knocking at your door step. That is the time you are forced to ponder upon the x-factor in you. What is it that makes you stand out of the crowd? And believe you me, if you were a topper throughout your life and think that you have done pretty well in life, you will be competing against 400 other such people in a b-school. You will be burning the midnight oil to somehow make your CV seem different from the rest. Since summer placements take place within 2-3 months of joining b-school, there is little you can do to improve your CV after joining the institute given the gruelling schedule that you are going to be a part of. So, having an x-factor before joining the institute does make some sense. Not just it will help you in bagging internship in the company of your choice, it will also give you an edge over the other aspirants during those dreaded IIM-interviews. Now the question is what all courses to take/x-factor to have before being a part of the rat-race. Some of the things that I wish I were told before joining b-school are - If you are an engineering graduate and are interested to pursue a career in finance, having a CFA degree will help you go a long way during summer placements and also during IIM-interviews as it is an indication of your goal clarity. Those not willing to go for CFA, can take up finance related online courses too. A student who wants to pursue a career in marketing can opt for courses like Introduction to Marketing conducted by Wharton University, Brand Management, Product Management, Marketing Analytics etc. Also, there might be a few people who have got no clue as to what discipline they want to specialise in. For such people, you can always volunteer to learn a new language. Those who have a penchant for writing can start blogging as it shows your ability to articulate thoughts clearly. The creative heads can further sharpen their skill by taking up courses on designing and the like.The graduates with no prior work experience are found struggling on excel. Working knowledge of excel is an important skill to have. edX frequently conducts online courses on excel which can be taken up in this regard.Volunteering for social cause such as joining an NGO or working for various government initiatives such as Teach for India portrays one as a responsible citizen and is perceived in good light during the selection process. Having a good hobby such as playing snooker, squash, chess, solving Sudoku etc. also helps to get on with in the process, reason being, it keeps the conversation engaging and creates interest. Lastly, ability to read and read fast is a very important trait to possess. So try to read about anything that fascinates you. These are a few suggestions that I wanted to recommend. Hope it helps.
It is that time of the year again when many b-school aspirants across the country step up with their preparations for CAT. Amidst round after round of mock tests, coaching classes and what not, they often find themselves glaring at the placement reports of various b-schools in the country. Here, the numbers seem to do all the talking and this single page on the website tends to be the game changer for most while nailing down a decision on which college to choose the following year. But there is much more beyond the CTC when it comes to defining the calibre of a business school.
It's been over a month since I stepped inside IIM Indore aka Planet-I, and I feel I have already experienced a plethora of emotions. True to its perception, life at an IIM is truly hectic in every sense of the word. There are a lot of activities going on at the same time and it can become very difficult to prioritise one over the other, but that is what constitutes a major factor of b-school life - TIME MANAGEMENT!
Standing at the entrance of IIM Kozhikode, staring at the statue of Arjuna, ready with a stringed bow and arrow aiming at the sky with the beautiful green carpet covered mountains and endless blue skies as background, I remember the day, I stepped out of the train, nervous and excited, with my dad, proud and a lot more luggage than I could carry. The journey of 18kms from station to the campus with mesmerising beauty of Kerala enriched with slow rains, compelled me to fall in love with the place. We reached our target to find uniformed men ready to welcome and guide us to our respective hostel. Stepping outside of the taxi was a new me, energised and eager to meet my colleagues, the main entities of the two coming years.
Ever since I started my CAT preparation, I've been bombarded with a lot of questions. The most frequently asked question was this. People are curious if they'll get IIM calls or not. And no matter how many answers they read, they're never satisfied. The bottom-line is, if you don't have a 9/9/9 or 9/9/8, you'll have to compensate for that in some way or the other. Either by work-ex or by scoring high percentile. And there are a few colleges which don't consider marks or purane paap as people call it but they are a few only.
Do you still cherish the moment of converting a call from top b-school? Why not? You should! You have strived for attaining this for months along with your other responsibilities like corporate job, or studies if you were a fresher before landing into a top b-school. After celebrating all the happiness with family, friends, relatives, seeing that pride & satiation on your parents’ faces, after all the goodbyes, the journey begins. Right from the very first day at b-school, you face the rigour, sleepless nights, quizzes, interviews, selections. You get to introduce yourselves to the brightest minds. You see the number of competitions from different college committees, from other b-schools, from corporate world companies apart from academics. Guest lectures from the top most intellectuals from society, who speak with you like a family and help you carve out a niche for yourself as a business tycoon or a good human.
“Every event has a purpose and every setback its lesson. I have realised that failure, whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual kind, is essential to personal expansion. It brings inner growth and a whole host of psychic rewards. Never regret your past. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is.” ― Robin S. Sharma
The title of this article may seem eccentric to many. Had I read this article a year before, I too would have thought the same. But one year down the line, having made into the b-school of my dreams, I have a different story to tell. Just one year before, I was one of the many MBA aspirants, struggling hard to crack CAT and clearing those tough interviews that followed after the entrance exam. As I am a 2017 engineering graduate, all that seemed to matter that time was how to increase percentile, maintain grades in college (as it was known grades play an important role in the selection process) perform well in competitions and last but not the least, clear the interviews. Little did I know, there is a lot more to it besides scoring well in cat and acing the interviews. The reason I am saying this is because, just a few days after you land up in b-school, you will be bombarded with CV preparation workshops and deadlines. Before you even fathom you have made it into a prestigious b-school, you will have summer internships knocking at your door step. That is the time you are forced to ponder upon the x-factor in you. What is it that makes you stand out of the crowd? And believe you me, if you were a topper throughout your life and think that you have done pretty well in life, you will be competing against 400 other such people in a b-school. You will be burning the midnight oil to somehow make your CV seem different from the rest. Since summer placements take place within 2-3 months of joining b-school, there is little you can do to improve your CV after joining the institute given the gruelling schedule that you are going to be a part of. So, having an x-factor before joining the institute does make some sense. Not just it will help you in bagging internship in the company of your choice, it will also give you an edge over the other aspirants during those dreaded IIM-interviews. Now the question is what all courses to take/x-factor to have before being a part of the rat-race. Some of the things that I wish I were told before joining b-school are - If you are an engineering graduate and are interested to pursue a career in finance, having a CFA degree will help you go a long way during summer placements and also during IIM-interviews as it is an indication of your goal clarity. Those not willing to go for CFA, can take up finance related online courses too. A student who wants to pursue a career in marketing can opt for courses like Introduction to Marketing conducted by Wharton University, Brand Management, Product Management, Marketing Analytics etc. Also, there might be a few people who have got no clue as to what discipline they want to specialise in. For such people, you can always volunteer to learn a new language. Those who have a penchant for writing can start blogging as it shows your ability to articulate thoughts clearly. The creative heads can further sharpen their skill by taking up courses on designing and the like.The graduates with no prior work experience are found struggling on excel. Working knowledge of excel is an important skill to have. edX frequently conducts online courses on excel which can be taken up in this regard.Volunteering for social cause such as joining an NGO or working for various government initiatives such as Teach for India portrays one as a responsible citizen and is perceived in good light during the selection process. Having a good hobby such as playing snooker, squash, chess, solving Sudoku etc. also helps to get on with in the process, reason being, it keeps the conversation engaging and creates interest. Lastly, ability to read and read fast is a very important trait to possess. So try to read about anything that fascinates you. These are a few suggestions that I wanted to recommend. Hope it helps.
