When one sets out on an IIM journey, they are met with a torrent of information, a rigorous academic schedule, and club orientations. While seemingly overwhelming at first, this initiation carries a playful undertone—its purpose is to fortify individuals for the corporate odyssey ahead. Case competitions, integral to comprehending real-world corporate dynamics, quietly embed themselves into the B-school curriculum.
When our B-school year began, the Amazon ACE challenge served as our first foray into the world of case contests. The task at hand: forming a team of novices navigating this unfamiliar territory. Heeding the advice of seasoned seniors, we learned the delicate art of striking a balance between our commitments to competition, extracurricular activities, and academic rigor. Thus, the trio of Aishwarya Vhatkar, Deepankar Nagarale, and Jaya Mouncia Tenali materialised as my chosen teammates.
Guided by the Amazonian ethos, our journey involved conquering quizzes and presenting solutions to discerning decision-makers. While working on finding solutions, disagreements and different ideas were bound to happen. However, each disagreement contributed to our overall collaborative effort, creating a more cohesive and effective outcome. The Preparatory Committee (PrepCo) at IIM Nagpur played a crucial role as behind-the-scenes leaders, coordinating a well-prepared effort by revealing our strengths, uncovering our weaknesses, and providing valuable insights.
On the D-day, we encountered technical glitches in the opening moments of the presentation, putting our resilience to the test. Nevertheless, our thorough preparation became apparent as we skillfully handled questions within the allocated time. The nail-biting wait for results ended in celebration—our ticket to the National Finals of the Amazon Ace Challenge was secured.
Our encounter with a amusing naming hiccup on Unstop became an amusing story in itself. Initially assigned a system-generated team name 700998-U74VH63L, which during the result announcement was referred to as an affinity with Elon Musk as if we named it like Elon Musk named his child. We later christened ourselves Team ADAM (Aishwarya, Deepankar, Anshul, Mounica) for the finals.
In a surprising turn of events, our team secured the highly sought-after first slot for the finals, aligning perfectly with our chosen name, ADAM. Despite facing an onslaught of questions beyond the stipulated time even, the experience enriched us with knowledge. Despite a temporary disappointment from the results, our return to campus was marked by a treasure trove of knowledge, experience, and a bond forged within the team— a team that went from being new faces in college to some of the best people I have come across.
Anshul is a first-year student at IIM Nagpur. He has completed his Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and has 15 months of experience as an operations manager in the operations field. He is an avid anime enthusiast. And when MBA life is making his head go around in circles, he is watching 20 Formula One cars go round and round around race circuits.
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Comments
Rohan Khandelwal
Thanks a lot mam. I just have one question (although it isn't related to this post). What dis advantage does a gap year student have in IIM selection process??
13 Jun 2017, 03.20 AM
+Read Replies (2)
Akshita Agarwal
Akshita Agarwal is an MBA candidate at IIM Ahmedabad, Class of 2017-19.
Depends on how your performance has been in other areas: 10th, 12th, graduation GPA, work-ex - If everything else is in good shape, then your gap year may be compensated for. Otherwise, I would advise against a gap year.
13 Jun 2017, 05.32 AM |
mihir bathia
Sports above all guy, good books and good music key to a good life. Religious. Workhorse. Trying to make way against the strong tide known as CAT.
Firstly, thanks for the article! Secondly, how to compensate, if 10th is bad, 12th is better and Graduation is bad as well? And does work experience from a reputed NGO sound good?(Proper work experience, including internship then full time, not voluntary work)
20 Sep 2017, 12.07 AM |
Akanksha Sinha
Hi mam , is I have the chance of getting into good mba colleges as I have academic result is class 10-78.8 and class 12 -67% and graduation -8.5 and can u suggest me tips for cat as a beginner to score good percentile
3 Sep 2018, 08.01 PM
Karan Jain
Thanks Akshita ! That would really help.
15 Sep 2018, 08.50 AM
Ravi Mishra
Please tell about coordinate geometry also, that what should be the priority of doing the chapter coordinate geometry ?
16 Sep 2018, 03.22 PM