DISCLAIMER: This article is opinion based and has inputs from a variety of students from B-schools with drop years. The information given here is merely collated to give you a direction and should not be taken as hard rules governing interview procedures as the procedure itself is highly subjective.
A few reliable sources have told me that a b-school interviewer has two basic hygiene criteria for candidates:
1) Is this candidate place-able?
2) Can this candidate keep up with the rigour of B-School?
and other questions are an add-on to the above hygiene criteria.
Whether a candidate is leadership material is important only if the above criteria is satisfied.
While reading this article, always keep these two points written above while analysing the article. Try to answer questions about the drop on the basis of the following parameters:
1) Tangible growth Example; Certifications like FLIP, CFA etc
2) Non-tangible growth Example; Risk-taking ability showcased with the decision to take a drop
Non-tangible challenges are showcased in the article: Challenges of a drop
Will anything related to my drop come up in the interview?
There is a high probability that it will come up. If the interviewer notices the gap in your information sheet, he will bring it up. If he misses it, he won’t probe. If you want to avoid questions along those lines, don’t bring it up on your own during the interview.
My Experience: It came up in all my interviews. In fact during my SJMSOM interview, I mistakenly talked about it on my own and they asked me about it.
Expert opinion:
What do they ask if they notice you have a drop year?
It usually is a very simple “Why did you take a drop?”. The interviewer wants to know your reason and is looking for red flags when he asks this question. The traditional follow-up questions that come up are:
1. Why were you not able to manage your time?
2. Why should we pick you over someone who has managed his time well?
The second doesn’t come up anymore but should be prepared for nonetheless.
My Experience: I wasn’t asked for any follow-up after my initial answer.
What is the intent of asking this question?
This answer is opinion-based as it varies with each professor asking the question. Whilst the primary hygiene criteria mentioned at the start of the article hold; A variety of reasons may lie behind why this question was asked, a few of the common reasons are detailed below:
· Is the candidate capable of handling multiple tasks? (Given the evidence that he left multiple tasks to focus on just one)
· Does the candidate waste time unnecessarily?
· Or a simple one: They are just interested in knowing what happened and there is no behavioural trait they are looking for.
My Experience: I believe they just wanted to see if I make up stories about having done multiple things during my drop or not. I did not make up any stories and they did not ask any further questions.
Does this affect my conversion chances negatively?
If it violates the hygiene criterion, it can affect your chances negatively. But otherwise, HAVING A DROP YEAR IS NOT A DECIDING FACTOR.
For people who say it is the reason they were rejected, the panel must have picked up other red flags that in addition to the drop combined resulted in a REJECTION.
My Experience: I strongly believe that it is not a negative factor as the times have changed and it talks more about how well I know myself as compared to being a laggard.
What is the answer I should give?
I will try to detail the principles behind framing this answer.
1. Do not violate hygiene criterion
2. Be honest. Do not try to hide any perceived shortcomings
3. Showcase your strengths for taking this decision
While this decision is always seen negatively, it speaks volumes about a person’s courage, risk appetite, perseverance and emotion handling. A person faces a lot of psychological hardships during a drop and one attains a better understanding of himself. These challenges can always be spoken about. For more insight, please read Challenges of a drop
My experience: “I wanted to give my 100% to the CAT and furthermore I felt that I wasn't doing justice to my job or my CAT preparation. I don't regret my decision otherwise I would not be sitting in front of you"
What alternatives can be done to justify the drop?
Your attempt is not to justify the drop but the usage of time. As mentioned above, did you have any tangible or non tangible growth during the period. While aspirants commonly fail to identify their non tangible growth, a bit on introspection can give lot of insight into how you have changed as a person. A tangible growth can be as simple as having learnt another language to a complex certification like CFA.
My experience: I had a small gig as a proofreader and editor of a textbook. As for non tangible benefits :https://insideiim.com/i-ve-taken-a-drop-what-is-coming-my-way?src=rishabh
Calls: SJMSOM, NITIE, IIM K, IIM S, MDI, New IIMS and FMS
Converts: SJMSOM, NITIE, IIM K, IIM S, MDI, New IIMS
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