My Unplanned Journey to an MBA:
Hi, I’m Sameer Suman from Mumbai. I completed my Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Mumbai University. If you had told me a few years ago that I’d be writing about my CAT journey, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. My story isn’t about always dreaming of an MBA or having a clear plan-in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
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The Dream That Wasn't Fulfilled:
I come from a humble middle-class family, and I’m proud to be the first engineering graduate in my entire family. Like many in similar households, I aspired to pursue a stable career in a government organization. That’s what led me to prepare for the GATE exam, hoping to secure a position in a PSU.
Despite preparing sincerely and cracking the GATE exam, I couldn’t achieve a high enough rank to make it to any PSU. After attempting the exam twice without success, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and like many others, I found myself lost and unsure about the future.
An Unexpected Turn:
During that uncertain phase, I was fortunate to be selected as one of just 2000 candidates for an apprenticeship at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, a Navratna Defence PSU under the Ministry of Defence. The organization builds destroyers, frigates, and diesel-electric submarines for the Indian Navy.
I began my professional journey here as a Graduate Apprentice Trainee in the design department, contributing directly to India's national defence by working on the P-15 Bravo Project, which includes the construction of four Visakhapatnam-class destroyers. I was involved in work related to INS Mormugao, INS Imphal, and INS Surat.
After completing my training, I joined IShip Design LLP, a subcontractor to MDL, as a Design Engineer. This role gave me end-to-end exposure to shipbuilding from raw steel plates to fully built naval vessels. I was fascinated by how multiple departments design, planning, manufacturing, and finance worked in harmony to deliver such complex systems. That curiosity ignited a new passion: I wanted to understand operations management deeply. This was the moment I decided to pursue an MBA.
The Rocky Road of CAT:
To get into a top B-School in India like the IIMs, IITs, IIFT, SPJIMR I knew I had to crack the CAT exam with a strong percentile. I started preparing while working full-time. After work, I’d spend my evenings in the library, and I dedicated my weekends to full-day study sessions.
Balancing full-time work and serious CAT preparation for six months was overwhelming. In both my first and second attempts, I couldn’t score well and didn’t receive any interview calls. But I wasn’t ready to give up. I treated the third attempt as my final shot. This time, I thoroughly analyzed my past mistakes and changed my approach.
The D-Day and Beyond:
On CAT exam day, I was nervous and underperformed in the VARC section. However, I made up for it in DILR and Quant. The days that followed were filled with anxiety, sleepless nights, and endless score predictions.
When the CAT 2024 results were announced, I had scored a good percentile enough to receive calls from top B-Schools like IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, IIM Ranchi, and several 2nd & 3rd generation IIMs, and even IIFT Delhi. Most importantly, I received a call from my dream institute: Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM), IIT Bombay, which is renowned for its Operations Management program.
The Uncertain Path of GDPI:
Scoring well in CAT was just one part of the journey. The next big challenge was preparing for Group Discussions and Personal Interviews (GDPI). Coming from a vernacular (Hindi medium) background, it was intimidating to appear for interviews entirely in English.
Thankfully, I came across BTRIBE, a community that helped me prepare through mock GDs and PIs. With their guidance and my hard work, I was able to convert 100% of my interview calls, including SJMSOM IIT Bombay, IIM Udaipur, IIFT, and more.
Receiving the final offer from SJMSOM IIT Bombay was surreal. Telling my family and close friends remains one of the happiest moments of my life.
Looking Back:
If there's one thing this journey has taught me, it’s that setbacks are often setups for comebacks. I never originally planned to pursue an MBA, but sometimes life’s detours lead you exactly where you’re meant to be.
To anyone reading this don’t give up. Even when the path is unclear or full of setbacks, trust the process. Things truly do fall into place sometimes in ways you could never imagine.
