I still remember the day I received the email from IIM Shillong. “Congratulations!”: one word, and countless emotions. For a few seconds, I simply stared at the screen. It felt like a dream. After months of struggling, failing, trying again, and hoping for the best, I had finally made it. And looking back now, the journey feels like one of the toughest yet most rewarding phases of my life. My Profile: 85.5/91.6/84.6, MIT Manipal (BTech in Mechanical Engineering), 3 YOE as Software Engineer.
I was working full-time as a Software Engineer when I decided to start preparing for the CAT. My job was demanding; I was handling live campaigns, managing client expectations, and diving deep into platform technologies. The workload was overwhelming; some days I could finish early, while on others I just didn't have the time. But I was clear on my objectives. I wanted to understand the bigger picture of business, strategy, and marketing, not just execute but lead. MBA was the answer, and IIM the dream.
So I began preparing. It started with early mornings and late nights. I’d squeeze in RC practice during lunch and revise quant formulas whenever I had a few minutes’ break. It wasn’t easy. There were days when I was too drained after work to even open a book. But I persevered, reminding myself that it is a marathon and not a sprint.
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Then came the mocks, and with them, a reality check. My scores varied widely. Some were decent, while most were disappointing. I’d work on my weak areas, feel like I was improving, only to receive a lower score next time. It was frustrating, honestly. There were moments I seriously questioned whether I was suited for this.
Somewhere in the middle, burnout struck me. Hard. I was mentally exhausted, physically tired, and emotionally just done. The constant cycle of work, study, sleep (or lack of it), and repeat was taking its toll. I wasn’t enjoying anything - neither work, nor preparation, nor even weekends.
That’s when I decided to take a step back. I started prioritising myself, both mentally and physically. I’d go on quick weekend trips with friends, or catch up over coffee or food. These breaks helped shift my mindset. They offered me a chance to reset, laugh, and return to my desk a little less overburdened.
Of course, that also meant I had to sacrifice sleep; a lot of it. I don’t recommend it, but in those final weeks, I was running on caffeine and adrenaline. I’d tell myself, “Just a little more. Hang in there.”
When CAT day finally arrived, I was oddly calm. Not because I was confident, but because I’d accepted that I had done all I could. I stuck to my strategy, didn’t panic, didn’t overthink, and walked out of the exam hall confident that I had given it my all.
My CAT score wasn’t anything extraordinary (97.84%), but it was good enough to get shortlisted by multiple colleges, including IIM Shillong.
The interview day was surprisingly smooth. My panel was friendly and made me feel at ease right from the start. I tried to incorporate my work experience, discussing marketing automation, campaign execution, and the kind of clients I’d worked with. We ended up chatting about travel and my heritage, which was a great way to connect on a more personal level. They also asked a few undergrad and stats questions, which I managed to answer fairly well. It honestly felt like a conversation, not an interrogation.
Then, weeks later, came the convert.
That one email made all the chaos, sleepless nights, mock failures, and self-doubt worth it.
If there’s one thing this journey taught me, it’s that progress isn’t always visible. Sometimes you’re failing forward. And sometimes, the most important thing is just to keep going.
It is not the end, but the start of a new chapter.
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