3 Things To Do As You Begin Your Journey at a B-School!

To people who are new to my blog, I am Anushree Naik, and I graduated from IIM Ahmedabad with a degree in their flagship post-graduate management course in April 2022. I deliberated over the circumstances that I witnessed in the last two exceptional years and analysed what possibly went right in my decisions and actions. I put them together for anyone who is going to be starting with a very academically heavy course or a course that focuses on an individual’s all-round development with a genuine intent to help students deal with pre-joining anxiety. In India, it is mostly an MBA or a master’s degree.

I am going to put out a very blatant disclaimer. Everyone’s journey at a B School is different. People have different skills, they make different choices, and hence generalizing or comparing any two journeys wouldn’t be the best thing to do. Some people have great clarity over what they want to make out of their MBA; it could be an institute rank, a scholarship, a foreign exchange program opportunity, or kindling their hobbies. And if you are one of them, you should probably just listen to your heart and follow your goals. While I am a true believer in being an architect of your journey, I have learned immensely from the experiences of others and they have aided me in times of distress. I’d want you to read this blog with an open mind and amend it as you deem fit.

So here are 3 simple things to do as you begin your journey at a B School!

1. Get into the habit of making a schedule

If there is one thing you just cannot fail to learn at a business school, then it is ‘Time Management’. You won’t get the opportunity to learn it separately. You will have to learn it on the go and the correct way to learn it is by practicing it daily. Making simple day-to-day schedules for finishing up the things on your to-do lists within the limited amount of time at hand will help you win mini battles every day. Not only will it give you daily doses of achievement but will also help you be more productive and efficient. Trust me, the way you manage, save and utilize your time, will define your journey at your B School.

Make timetables; like the ones you made in school. Make it even if you have a not-so-hectic day. Add your class timings, assignment work, club meetings, sports/hobby activities, etc. to your schedule. If you have a ‘Hang Out with Friends’ plan one day, add it. If you are supposed to make a call to a senior or a mentor one day, add that too. Those are as important as your assignments. Put it down in your diary and also update your Google Calendar so that you get notifications on a real-time basis.

“Allocating time to everything that you wish to do, is the only way to do it”.

You cannot wait for time to be available for you to execute your plans. You’d have to squeeze things into your schedule. There are many consequential advantages of this. You’d be punctual, more often than not, you’d be known as someone who respects everyone else’s time, and hence your time would be respected too. You’d be applauded for your work ethic. And trust me, if there is one common thing that everyone admires about colleagues in a business school, then it is an exceptional and consistent work ethic.

A screenshot of my Google Calendar of a hectic day having multiple assignments, pre-reads, and club meetings

A screenshot of a ‘Not-So-Hectic’ day in my Google Calendar with two opposite action items; an exam and a dorm dinner.

2. Do not compromise right from the beginning

I repeat, do not compromise. Neither on the goals that you set for yourself nor in the amount of effort you need to put in in order to achieve those goals. The world only allows big dreams to manifest themselves into reality if someone tirelessly works on them consistently, sincerely without any compromises. To put it in simple terms, what matters is your willingness and attempt of putting in your one hundred percent in everything that you do. In the first month of your course, this becomes even more important because you shouldn’t get into the habit of ‘settling’ or ‘compromising’. It could be very easy to be a settler at something or everything that you do in a Bschool because the eagerness to prove your capabilities would be lesser than it would have been in the early academic years of your life. While you enter a Bschool, you’d already have a feeling of achievement; your want for validation would be less. But this very feeling could restrict and curtail your learning. And an MBA is not something that you should take for granted.

You won’t get the time and the energy to make every output of yours, flawless, but you would need clarity on the things that matter to you, and those should never be compromised. The simple way to do this, is by prioritization. For me, I wanted to make the most out of the extracurricular activities during the entire tenure of two years but I also wanted a decent CGPA at the end of my course. Hence I decided that no matter what I’d have to learn to balance both. There was no way I was going to compromise on either of them and hence my effort would also have to be top-notch.

If you need a genuine resume point on your CV, try and get the proof for it, no matter what! If you want to get into a certain club, spend a night working on how to ace its selection process. If you want to be friends with someone, you genuinely adore, go make the first move. Things won’t happen to you at a Bschool without putting in an effort. And you certainly don’t have the time to wait for it.

3. Build your confidence and nurture it

Confidence is not something that you are born with. It is something you need to build and nurture at every phase of your life. Many qualities will help you succeed in an MBA, but if there is something that can differentiate you from the others, then it is Confidence. The first month at a business school will throw you into a frustrating Club Selection Process, a CV-making procedure, while simultaneously expecting you to settle into campus life with people all around the country. While all of it is challenging, the right way to make every step remarkable is by having the confidence to enthusiastically try new things, without having the fear of failure.

In my first year, I decided to be a part of 5 IIM Ahmedabad clubs/ Student Interest Groups (SIGs), a very unpopular and inadvisable choice. I wouldn’t say it is the most ideal choice, but it was THE BEST one for me because it was in line with the priorities I had carved out for myself.  The average number of clubs, a student signs up for is usually 2-3 because of the hectic academic schedule, summer placement stress, lethargy, and underconfidence.

Also, there is a difference between making bold choices and being perpetually confident with your life choices. Making a bold choice once in a while is easy, but the latter is not. No matter how unpopular, unvalidated, untrusted, infamous, or petty they are, they are YOUR preferences. You need to keep nurturing your confidence and promise yourself to never lose it inorder to exercise your preferences.

I had an opportunity to host IIM Ahmedbad’s TEDx event in December 2021, and I was nervous to do it initially. I hadn’t hosted an event for 3 years, courtesy: Covid; TEDx seemed to be huge responsibility; I hadn’t slept for 2 nights before the event, thanks to last-minute event logistics management and I had just recovered from terrible diarrhea the same week. I had no idea how my academic schedule or mental state would be on the day of the main event, nevertheless, I took it up. With a solid belief that my friends showed in me and a confidence that I chose to nurture, I pulled off an impromptu anchoring.

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These were the three non-complicated things that I believe I did right in my initial days as a student of IIM Ahmedabad, that worked wonders for me throughout the 2 years of the course. No matter what, 2 years of an MBA is going to change your life and you should be proud of your journey when you look back at it. I wish you the best of luck with everything!

“How is Graphology different from Astrology?” – My IIM Bangalore Stress Interview

Date: 29/02/2020 (Morning slot)

Location: Mumbai

Interview duration: 35 minutes

Fifth in my panel of 8 students

Result: Interview Converted

Note:

C: Candidate, C.A., B.Com, 12 months work experience in Corporate Finance – Risk and Control Management, at a Consumer Durables manufacturer.

F1,F2: Two female interviewers, who were professors at IIMB. They looked very stringent right from the beginning of that morning. Approximate age of both of them: 55 years

M1: Male interviewer, alumni of IIMB. Approximate age: 35 years

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F1: Hi Anushree, I see that you are currently pursuing M.Com. Why did you want to do a master’s in commerce when you already are a qualified Chartered Accountant.

C: I explained my reason for the same.

F1: I am not convinced. What value does it add?

C: I tried to give a more specific answer this time and did not lose my calm. They had every right to question my justification but in these situations, one should stick to the original beliefs and not try to contradict their own answer.

F1: So basically, ever since your 12^th board exams, you have only been studying.

C: Ma’am, I have always tried to focus on my academics along with my extracurricular activities. I pursue my hobbies and I really believe that this balance has brought out the best in me.

Here I tried to get the discussion on my extra-curricular activities since I am most comfortable talking about them and they are my comfort zone. It really depends on the interviewer if they want to follow the lead. Nevertheless, you make a wholehearted effort.

F1: I see. But I see too many degrees on your CV. This must have been boring.

C: I said that I had always enjoyed studying. I also tried to mention how each and everything on my CV, especially the academic qualifications, helped me at my workplace and how pursuing those did not stop me from getting a first-hand working experience, be it an additional Company Secretary qualification or an M.Com degree, both were pursued along with my CA articleship and my job simultaneously. Also tried to reason, how the dynamism of work and study, motivates me to give my best. Also this was another attempt to drive the conversation to another comfortable zone for me and that was my job/work experience. And this time it worked.

F1: Oh, so you are working as well.
C: Yes Ma’am, I am.
F1: Tell us about it.
C: I told them about my job role, the key responsibilities and a little bit about the company but ended the answer with the most important aspect of my job. So as to be asked more about it. And it worked again.

F2: You mentioned that being a graphologist helps you in your work during a forensic audit investigation. What exactly is a graphologist?
C: Explained graphology, and its application in my job functions.

At this time, both the female professor interviewers seemed triggered and continued an entire discussion on graphology. While I did enjoy it in the beginning. They kept circling back at how it was a pseudo-science and shouldn’t find its application in real business situations. It went a little out of hand and the interviewers seemed annoyed and unconvinced or at least pretended to be.  They ridiculed the concept and tagged it as an “unreliable science”. I believe they wanted to see an impulse reaction from my side but all I did was to maintain a confident smile and choose not to argue any further.

Sometimes things don’t go the way you expect them to. In these times, letting that emotion not show on your face is the best and only thing that one can do.

F1: The inaccuracy of this pseudoscience could also lead to incorrect decisions. How would you justify the correct application of graphology in organisational decisions like recruitment? You could reject an applicant’s resume if you incorrectly analyse his signature to be that of an inefficient person. Don’t you think, this is unreliable?

C: I understand your concern ma’am. The accuracy of this pseudoscience is almost 85% and I would also not treat it as conclusive evidence. I would rather use it as supporting and complementary evidence and base my final decision depending on a lot more factors. But personally, graphology has helped me understand people and their behaviors a lot better and helped me build long-lasting relationships.

F2: But it’s unfair to base opinions on a pseudoscience. It creates a bias.

C: I tried explaining but to no avail. While the professors kept targeting the same question, the third interviewer kept observing my body language quietly. The repetitive questions indicated that they genuinely wanted to know if I really believed in my passion. I kept answering in the favour of graphology and made sure that I do not sound arrogant.

While the female interviewer asked these questions, she maintained an extremely cold demeanor. She maintained a poker face and it seemed like she was not convinced by my answer or at least pretended it.

F2: How is Graphology different from Astrology?
C: Explained.

M1 : So if you were the Finance Minister of the country what would you do to boost the NBFC sector that is now on a decline? Tell me 3 things that you would do.
C: I wanted to take 30 seconds to think of three crisp and relevant points but I was asked to answer in a rapid fire fashion. So I gave them three points without giving it much thought but I think, it was a decent answer.

F2: Mention 3 things you would want to do for Mumbai
C: Again answered rapidly as they weren’t allowing me much time to think.

M1: Mention 3 things you would want to do to ensure that the startups survive.
C: Took 15 seconds inspite of the added pressure and answered to the best of my ability.

F2 : So what does a Chartered Accountant do in the profile of Risk Management?
C: Explained my job role in detail.

F2: What is the difference between risk and uncertainty?
C: I had this question asked to me even in my job interview and hence this was a easy question for me.

F1: Okay what do you want to do next? Maybe, after M.B.A.?
C: I started answering this question but I got interrupted.

F1, F2: Okay that’s enough. Thank You.
C: Thank You, Ma’am, Thank You, Sir.

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This interview was more of a stress interview. But when I left the interview I felt satisfied and confident because I did not fall prey to the stress instead kept calm all throughout the interview. Sometimes, that is all that you need.

In madness, you have to find calm! – IIM Ahmedabad Interview Experience

Hello everyone!

I am writing after a year and hopefully would be faster at writing (typing) now that I am done with more than a thousand assignment submissions. But I aim to keep this as authentic and relevant as possible. I wished to publish this last year itself. But, thanks to a horrible Term 3 at college and my preserved interview transcripts from 2020, I can finally post my experience from my selection interview for IIM Ahmedabad conducted back in February 2020. I have mentioned all the questions and some of the answers along with some tricks and tips that I feel will be helpful to any MBA aspirant. Please feel free to modify them as you deem fit. There is no right or wrong in how an interview must go, it’s how you make it the best attempt you can. Let’s dive right into it!

IIM Ahmedabad Selection

IIM Ahmedabad, New Campus Gate

Date: 22/02/2020 (Afternoon slot)

Location: Mumbai

Analytical Writing Test Problem Statement:

An owner of a private school is opposing the reservation of below poverty line (BPL) students as he believes that they won’t be able to fit in and will eventually drop out.

Interview Experience:

Interview duration: 50 minutes

First in my panel of 8 students

Result: Interview Converted

Note: C: Candidate, C.A., B.Com, 12 months work experience in Corporate Finance – Risk and Control Management, at a Consumer Durables manufacturer.

P1 and P2: Interviewers who seemed neither too stringent nor very compassionate. Both of them were poker-faced throughout the interview.
P1 : Professor for Public Policy at IIM Ahmedabad
P2 : Probably an alumni

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P1: Hi Anushree, did you have lunch?
C: Yes Sir, Thank you!

P1: So tell us about the company you are working for and also a bit about your job role

(Described the company and the industry in short and explained my job role in detail since I believed it would be interesting to answer prospective questions on the same. But, I got interrupted in the middle without any intimation)

P1: So, what are strategic risks? (I had mentioned my job role being related to the analysis of strategic risks as a part of the answer to the previous question)
C: (Explained the meaning with a few examples and got interrupted again, but this time I did not expect an intimation, and hence I wasn’t surprised)

P1: What do ESG risks stand for?
C: ESG (short for, environment, social, and governance) risks impact the environment, society, and government due to the business activities of a company. For eg. Climate change is a long-term impact of companies in the HVAC industry.

P2: What were the social risks faced by your company?

C: Social risks are the risks faced by the communities due to possible social destruction, conflicts, and social damages. In a manufacturing concern, any community displacement to establish a manufacturing facility in that location would lead to inevitable community unrest.

(The interviewers seemed pretty convinced about the answer but did not nod or smile. They just maintained a straight face, but I made it a point to keep up a confident smile on my face)

P2: We see that you have also cleared certain levels of CS. What is the difference in the curriculum of CA and CS?

C: (Mentioned a few subjects that are common in CA and CS as well as mentioned a few peculiar subjects in both of them. I mentioned that the GST subject was introduced in the CA curriculum with immediate effect as soon as the government had started its implementation but the CS curriculum hadn’t included GST in their curriculum full-fledged until then. While I felt this was a good distinguishing factor, I immediately realised that I had invited an underconfident zone of questions for myself. I was just hoping that I don’t get questioned on GST right after. I had heard from my seniors that the professors at IIMA wouldn’t dwelve much into core taxation. We were wrong. And if I had to change one thing about my IIMA interview, it would be this)

P2: What reforms has GST brought in?

C: Mentioned a few provisions of the GST Act.

P2: Do you think GST is a value-added tax?
C: Explained how GST eliminates double taxation.

Until this time, I was pretty confident with my answers and just wanted to move ahead from the GST topic as I felt that there were better subjects/ themes I would be comfortable talking about. But there was very little scope to divert the discussion as the interviewers asked very specific questions, and there was no scope to change tracks.

P2: You did not answer my question. Is GST also a Value Added Tax and if yes, why the change in the name of the law?

The interviewers were right. I hadn’t exactly answered the previous question. Giving general answers to very specific questions could land in trouble and lose out on precious time. I tried to answer the question this time around, and they seemed satisfied.

P2: Have goods become expensive after GST?

C: I mentioned the Input Tax Credit system, peculiar to GST, that allows businesses to take advantage (refund or set off) of the GST paid on purchases/inputs. Tried to reason why it doesn’t lead to a massive price hike of goods unless the rates of GST are considerably higher than the older tax rates.

P2: Doesn’t that defeat the claim of the government of trying to avoid increase in prices?

C: I tried explaining cascading effect and input tax credit benefits, but they seemed to be dissatisfied with the answer. The under-preparedness of these questions was making me uncomfortable. I tried my level best not to let the discomfort show in my body language as it would only mean an additional round of GST questions. And it did.

P2: Tell us what strategies have businesses inculcated to keep demand constant in spite of increased GST rates?

C: I requested the interviewers to give me a minute to think about this and then get back to them with an answer.

I suggest taking a break of a minute or two to think of creative ideas because it helps give a better structured answer than a haphazard one in most cases.

P2: We would now want you to show us the comparison of tax calculation under the VAT and GST system. For the numerical you can consider, a 5 star hotel serving pasta of Rs.500. Please go ahead with the calculations.

C: I had studied bits of this during my CA final exams but a lot of it was very faint in my memory because I had never practiced it again, and my work experience also did not involve anything related to GST. Honestly, a GST numerical is the last thing I had imagined to encounter in an IIMA interview, and it was killing me to spend about 7 mins on it, but I tried to be my patient best.

 
P1: Seems like you have taken some flawed assumptions.
C: “Yes sir, it seems so. I am sorry.”

Always accept your mistakes when you have realised them. More so, in an interview. Voice it, it is okay to explicitly state that you have realised that your answer wasn’t upto the mark. More often than not, it is better than concealing or denying your mistake. But come what may, your confidence must never sink.

P1: Explain what you wrote in your AWT to us in 1 minute
C: I explained it.

This led to a segment where I was asked a couple of questions that were remotely connected to the topic of AWT for that day. They were questions based on public systems, and the professor, who did seem to have expertise in that field, asked those questions with a lot of passion. I guessed a few, but I also mentioned that I wasn’t too sure of my answers as I cant recollect them very categorically.

P1: Do you think it’s unfair to have EWS reservation in B schools? (question based on AWT)
P2: What is the difference between EWS and BPL sections of the society? (question based on AWT)
P2: What methods are used to calculate the BPL income level? (question based on AWT)
P2: If you would have been given the choice to devise a new method to calculate the BPL income level how would you do it? (question based on AWT)

P1: Mention a few of your extracurricular activities?

C: As soon as the interviewer asked this, I knew in my bones that I had to excel this segment to make it an easy decision for my panel to give me a straight convert. There are two things you need to make a mental note of in these times. First, do not get overwhelmed by a question that you can nail. This often leads to performance pressure and an underwhelming output. Second, do not let the leftovers of the underconfidence of the previous questions taint these good ones.

I have always believed very strongly in the importance of extracurricular activities. I have thrived on the balance it creates while pushing myself harder at academics or work. And this shows, every time I speak about it. I did not try to tone it down even in the interview. I spoke about how public speaking, blogging, event management, and graphology, have helped in the shaping of my personality. I stated examples and instances of each of them to prove that I had nurtured these interests for long to excel at them. I also mentioned that my hobbies like painting, doodling, and traveling help me rejuvenate myself. I spent about 5-6 minutes talking about my extra-curricular activities and the interviewers seemed quite interested.

Usually, you shouldn’t drag the answer to any question, but if you feel that the interviewers are interested and if you have enough content to talk about the topic, it’s okay to continue. A lot of times, interviewers would maintain a straight face and wouldn’t even ask a new question. In those times, start mentioning more about the previous question, state examples, mention life experiences, life learnings, etc. Do not repeat yourself or contradict your own statements. Stick to the topic, try to hold the conversation to the best of your ability, and hint towards something that you would like to answer a question next.

P2: You mentioned Graphology. Please analyse my handwriting.
(He was writing something on the sheet while he was speaking and then quickly handed over the sheet to me)

Again, this was my time to shine. I mentioned about 17-20 things that I could analyse from his handwriting. I had always been very confident about my analysis. When being an analyser, it is required to drop the role you are in (in this case, that of an interviewee) to avoid any kind of situational biases. And I did just that, I did not taint or amend any details just because of the scenario I was in. I was honest and authentic. Though the interviewer, whose handwriting I was analysing, was not approving my analysis completely and was mocking me, the other interviewer stayed silent and continued to observe me and my body language. I did not stutter or fumble. I continued till they asked me to stop.

P1: Okay that is enough. Tell us your opinion on the Aarey Colony dispute in just 1 minute. We are running short of time.

C: I explained what, in my opinion, were the positive and negative outcomes out of that situation in about half a minute and then quickly stated my view on the same.

The interviewers are more interested in your thoughts, opinions, and ideas; make sure you mention them. They aren’t very keen on knowing the facts.

P2: Your take on the Shaheen Baug Protests in 1 minute. Be quick.

C: I mentioned only my opinion about the protests. Though it was an unpopular opinion, the interviewers were receptive and did not cross-question me on it.

P1,P2 : That’s it. Thank You. Good day.

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I had carried my folder of academic and  extra-curricular certificates, and I wanted to share it with the interviewers, but it just did not seem appropriate to push the interviewers to spend some more minutes on the same. When I came out of the interview room, I regretted not finding the courage to present my folder, but in retrospect, I feel that it would have been not-so-humble or pushing-it-way-beyond. If they refused to look at my certificates, my interview would end on a bitter note, something I did not prefer. I chose to play it safe.

Always remember, in madness, you have to find calm!

“Why did you take up Psychology in graduation?” – CAP (New IIMs) Interview Experience

Hey there!

Happy New Year 2021!

With CAT results out today, most of you’ll would be gearing up for the interview process. I wish this article on my interview experience (transcript) at the CAP round helps you get some direction in your preparation.

Here is the link to My IIM Kozhikode Interview Experience:

https://virtualanushree.wordpress.com/2020/12/13/can-you-see-the-picture-on-the-wall-what-is-it-my-iim-kozhikode-interview-experience/

The Common Admission Process (CAP) is a common interview process for selection into the new IIMs. IIM BODH GAYA / IIM JAMMU / IIM KASHIPUR / IIM RAIPUR / IIM RANCHI / IIM SAMBALPUR / IIM SIRMAUR / IIM TRICHY / IIM UDAIPUR  participated in CAP 2020. IIM Rohtak had opted out of CAP 2020 and conducted its own PI-WAT round for final admission. Each CAP participating IIM made a separate final admission offer in the last week of May 2020 on the basis of PI score obtained in CAP 2020 and the weightage on other parameters as per the admission policy released by each IIM.

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CAP Interview Round

Interview Date: 13.02.2020; Afternoon slot; Volunteered to go first in the panel for the interview.
WAT : Should Placements be the only motive for students to join a business school?
WAT Duration: 20 mins

Interview Transcript:

F : Female Interviewer (possibly a psychologist or an HR executive)

M : Male Interviewer (looked like a finance professor or finance executive but pretended to be more interested in making a coffee for himself than in my answers)

C : Candidate

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F: So who are you?

C: Ma’am I am..

F: Don’t tell me the boring details, I want to know what makes you special! What makes you unique?

With some pressure of wondering if my answer will excite the interviewers enough or not I mentioned 3 things I thought were unique about me

F: So, what is whistleblowing?

I had mentioned that I had used Graphology to aid the investigation of a whistleblower case at work and hence the follow up question! I answered it satisfactorily.

F: Do you have a whistle-blower policy in your company, and what does it state?

Answered

F: What is the negative voice of an employee? And how would you deal with it?

I gave a very generic answer related to employee grievances and dissatisfaction. Here, at IIM Ahmedabad, we call it GLOBE :p

F: Case : If you are a CEO of a company that has already invested in constructing a metal production plant but is now facing objection from the local citizens and environmental activists, what would you do?

I spoke about how I would try to employ the local villagers in the plant itself and also establish a very organised resettlement and redevelopment project for the residences of the local citizens. I also focussed on collaborating with the local authorities and reaching a solution that is mutually beneficial to all stakeholders.

M: Another case: Investment amount of the project: xxx; Expected Revenue: xx per annum for 10 years. Would you invest in such a project?

C: Sir, may I know the interest or the discounting rate?

M: x %

C: No, Sir. It doesn’t look like a profitable business as the total sum of individual annual discounted cash flows is lower than the investment amount.

I had done a rough mental estimate before answering this but alas, he wanted the details!

M: Tell me the value of the discounted cash flows.

I took about 15 seconds to solve this without a calculator and he stopped me. Calculating the discountiong rate is cumbersome

M: Okay never mind

M: What were the subjects in your graduation?

This was the point I realised I hadn’t prepared enough for an interview. I couldn’t recollect the subjects I studied in my graduation. This led to panic. I could only recollect three, namely accounts, costing and taxation all of which were the subjects that overlapped with my CA curriculum. And an interviewer is smart enough to make that out. Read on 😛

Pro Tip: Don’t just revise the subjects that you studied in your graduation but have the list of the subjects memorised. These are little things that you probably don’t give a second thought to but these are also the things that matter. It shows your level of preparedness, your power to recollect things under pressure and ofcourse how seriously you took your graduation!

M: What are the 3 golden rules of accounting?

Told

M: Define Bank

Answered with a rather substandard definition of a bank. I had never read its dictionary definition. I just explained the functions of a bank.

M : I asked you the definition not what a bank does. Anyway what is the difference between a Bank and an NBFC

I laid down about 2-3 differences.

M: What were the other subjects that you studied in your graduation?

C: Ma’am, I studied psychology and human resource management too.

Another mistake. Rather a consequence of speaking without giving it a thought.

Pro tip: The trick to avoid foot in mouth situations is to be 100% attentive, listen to each question correctly and think twice before you utter anything. I can’t even begin to tell you how easy it is to zone out from an interview conversation especially when you are a little underconfident as you’ll keep thinking about either the questions you already answered or the prospective questions that could come up. But I personally believe, you must consciously try to leave all your thoughts outside the interview room. That is exactly how an interview would seem more like a conversation than an examination. And trust me, this will only come with practice. The more mock interviews you take, the better you get at focussing on the questions. Concentration is the second most important thing in an interview. Confidence, continues to remain the first!

M: What is sustainable development?

I swear, this was so random. I wasn’t expecting this as a question and may be that is the reason I could answer it well. But alas, this didn’t mean that I had hit a sixer. It only meant that I did not know that the next ball would be a googly 😛

F: What are the 3 pillars of sustainability

C: I am not aware, Ma’am.

F: Why did you take up psychology as an optional subject in your graduation?

I gave my reason and also mentioned that I had a deep interest in understanding personalities which I why undertook a course in Graphology. I said this, and like the earlier question on sustainability, I expected questions on Graphology because that was my comfort zone. But Rule 1 if a Bschool interview is to ‘Never get upset over your failed prediction of the next question’. If you are able to direct the interview in the avenue of your choice, nothing like it, but if its not going your way, just stay calm.

F: What is EQ, IQ, SQ?

Answered in detail.

F: Okay that’s it, Thanks! 

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I thanked the interviewers and left the room. It was such a unique experience. It had a few totally unexpected questions and a few easy ones too which I could not excel at. I remember going home with a feeling of incompleteness. And that feeling isn’t nice. When you leave an interview room feeling that you could have done better, you feel guilty and that is exactly the time you should pull your socks up. Luckily for me, I had another 9 days for my IIM -Ahmedabad interview and my office colleagues were kind enough to be gentle on me. I devoted the next 8 days to intensive interview and mental preparation.

“Can you see the picture on the wall? What is it?” – My IIM Kozhikode Interview Experience

Hey Guys,

I hope you all had a great CAT 2020. Like every year, we will crib about the nasty LR-DI section and cry over how annoyingly surprising CAT gets with every passing year. But all of this doesn’t change the fact that it is time to prepare for the next leg of the journey and probably the most interesting one. I enjoyed my time after CAT until interviews because I perceived the entire interview prep time to be a very creative process where you get time to stop by and reflect on your life choices to prepare for honest answers to be given in an interview.

So, here I am resuming The Academia Series with a string of blogs to share my interview experiences at various MBA colleges. I will try to post atleast 1 article on this subject every week and I’ll be happy to reply to your comments if any in the comments sections. Also, I will be writing about what to do and not to do (according to me) in an interview in the middle of the interview transcripts (script in italics). I hope that helps! But please beware that everyone has their very own style of presenting themselves in an interview. So something that worked for me, might not work wonders for you. Try to take as many mock interviews as you can and you’d know what’s your forte. I would have asked atleast 30 people to take a mock interview for me. From my professors to my colleagues in office to my friends everyone saw my profile differently and everyone knew different things about me, so I was asked extremely different questions every single time and that just helped me know myself a lot better. And anyway I love talking to people so that helped. You’ll have to find out what works for you. And I am sure you will 🙂

Anyway, starting with a brief about my profile to help you’ll understand where did questions in my interview crop up from.

Student Profile (as on the date of interviews):

Name: Ms. Anushree Naik

Age: 24 Years

Education:

10^th SSC: 94.15%

12^th HSC: 91.85%

Graduation, BCom: CGPA: 7/7

Professional Qualification:

CA, CS Executive

Work Experience:

Assistant Manager: Risk and Control Management, Blue Star Limited

11 months until interview dates

Institute: IIM Kozhikode

Result: Converted

Interview Date: 24/ 02/ 2020 ; Afternoon slot; Volunteered to go first in the panel for the interview.

WAT Topic: Should Supreme Court Judges be appointed for life?
WAT Duration: 25 mins

Interview Transcript:

(P1, P2: Interviewers, C: Candidate)

Interviewers:

Two senior men (50+ years) (hereinafter referred to as P1 and P2). Both of them were probably professors at IIM Kozhikode. They did give me a few instances to drive the interview. They asked follow up questions from the answers that I was giving. They did not intimidate me or try to put me under stress.

Duration of the interview: 20 minutes

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P1: Can you introduce yourself?
I started with my introduction and got interrupted in about 15 seconds, just after finishing the second line of my introduction.
P1: Recently, the company where you are working won an international award. What do you know about it?
Since I had played a pivotal role in the company getting the award, I answered that question satisfactorily and thanked my stars! The interviewers were pleasantly surprised.

P1: What do you understand by Corporate Governance and if given a chance, what changes would you like to bring in your Company’s Corporate Governance System?

The award I spoke about earlier was won for my company’s excellence in Corporate Governance and hence the follow-up question. I answered all of it confidently since I had full clarity with respect to the topic.

Pro Tip: The interviewers always want to know about your opinions, your recommendations, your suggestions. Seldom do they want facts and figures

P1: Good.

P2: Can you see the picture on that wall. What is it?
C: The Taj Mahal, Sir
P2: What does it signify?
I told everything I knew about the Taj Mahal but kept it quite precise because I did not want to invite any questions on history. But, alas!

P2: Can you think of any recent activity conducted there?
C: Yes Sir, Mr. Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump visited the monument today, early in the morning and as I am speaking they would have visited the Sabarmati Ashram! (Check the date out in the picture below)

Pro Tip: Read the news headlines and as much as you can about whatever is happening in the world on that very day before you step into your interview room!

As soon as I uttered, “The Sabarmati Ashram”, I knew that I had invited trouble. And if I am not thinking extremely highly of myself, they would have caught my facial expression.

P2: What is the Sabarmati Ashram famous for?

Spoke all that I could recollect about the Ashram, I hadn’t read about it very actively before the interviews, but to my very own surprise, I could tell almost 6-7 points about it. The judges seemed impressed and my confidence was now intact for 5 mins in the interview.

Pro Tip: Be calm at all times. I know, it is easier said than done. But panicking in an interview can cost you a covert. You’d realise that you are in a better position to think on your feet when you are relaxed and composed. And answering the questions correctly, especially when they have been out of the sylabbus that you prepared for, can boost your confidence to another level.

P2: What is Charkha famous for?

I explained the Swadeshi movement in brief and was not really liking where the interview was going but kept smiling.

Pro tip: Keep smiling at all times. Trust me that is the most critical thing in an MBA institute interview.

P2: Which other country did Gandhiji make his presence felt?
C: South Africa, Sir
P2: Official Language of South Africa?
C: I don’t know, Sir
P2: Official Language of Belgium
C: I don’t know, Sir
P2: Official language of Poland
C: I don’t know, Sir. (I knew it was Polish, but my confidence had sunk and I did not want to err, I just wanted this streak to end. I wept on the inside, but I kept smiling)
P2: What is the GDP of China?
C: Answered correctly
P2: What is the GDP of USA?
C: Answered correctly
P2: GDP of India?
C: Answered correctly
P2: What is India’s ranking in the world for GDP at current prices?

C: Answered correctly

What are the other nations ranked above us?
C: Answered correctly

Pro Tip: You need to know these basic economy figures and facts. They can be asked to you in any interview at any point and can instantly boost your morale.

P1: Where in the world have you stayed for more than a month apart from Maharashtra?
C: Sir, I have been born and brought up in Thane, Maharashtra and have lived there all my life. The only place I remember spending my summer vacations back in school is in my hometown, which is in Karnataka (I had prepared basic facts and figures of both Thane/Mumbai/Maharashtra and Karnataka so I thought it was safe for me to drive the interview hereon)

P1: Tell us something about your hometown.

I mentioned a little about my hometown and was interrupted with a few questions. Apparently one of the interviewers knew a lot about my hometown.
He asked me a little about the rivers and districts in Karnataka. He also tried to confuse me a little by repeatedly saying, “Are you sure you are from Karnataka? You clearly haven’t stayed there for a long time”. I knew I wasn’t 100% sure about the state’s geographic and demographic details, but I had answered most of the questions satisfactorily. So I just smiled after they tried to ask me rhetorical questions and so did they.

P2: Tell us something about the river dispute in Karnataka

I spoke about the Kaveri River Water Dispute as I had read about it in detail. That was a good answer to end the interview with. The interview ended with all of us smiling. And that is how I like to end all my interviews.

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Feel free to drop in your questions in the comments section 🙂

All the best!! Enjoy the process!! You are going to do great! Believe in yourself 🙂

What I learnt from my first exam at IIM Ahmedabad!

Disclaimer: I cribbed and complained about how the last 2 months sucked the blood out of us, but today I am going to write about all things positive and all things beautiful, not to paint a pretentious picture but because all I can think of doing today is ask each one of my batchmates at IIMA to remind themselves of how far we’ve come in such a short span and in extreme unforeseen circumstances!

Quick Recap: 5 weeks of lectures, assignments and submissions, CV reviews and the competitions that helped us freeze those CVs, surprise quizzes, the crazy club selections and ofcourse the exams that finally ended today. We are done with just one out of the twelve and I find in me, a different person today. Someone who’s learnt to take it easy inspite of knowing how conditions can worsen. Someone who is constantly trying to keep up with the pace but often finds herself loaded with 10 incomplete tasks at 4 in the night and decides to not give a damn. For someone who couldn’t sleep with even a single homework undone until a few years ago, trust me, this is a huge change.

Credits : Section D, PGP 2022 Memers (Don’t have the intellectual ability to create such content)

6th of August 2020 we started with our (online, lets not get there) lectures and in just a month and 10 days we are done with half a trimester. I have never had the pleasure of writing exams in my loose tee-shirts and pajamas before. But I have also never been as clueless and as confused about what to expect in the exam ever before. Exams at IIM A are not the usual kind. In my opinion they don’t really test how well you know your formula or how well you can reproduce something that you read a day before. They actually put you in an extremely life-like situation, where you don’t really know what’s going to come up next, how long you’d have to deal with an adversity and how well you can prepare for one. And after 8 odd surprise weekly tests, it goes without saying that predictions don’t work.
What they test is your ability to adjust, adapt and rather deal with a situation. Nailing it can be a little far fetched, but you can hope for the best. All you need to keep in mind is to not succumb to the pressures that it can create. As much as I am trying to elicit this gyaan, I know I have not performed the best I could. I have been best friends with silly mistakes and have bumped into last minute panic attacks quite often in the last 3 days of my mid term exams but that’s not important. What’s important that I sailed through it. We all did. And these exams brought people together. Not quite sure if the grades would do this too, but the exam preparation, the doubt solving sessions and the infinite conversations we have over zoom and whatsapp just so that we can help each other in subjects that we are equally screwed in, is just so amazing.

Congratulations Slot 1, PGP ’22 survivors! We made it!

P.S. We have some really cool memers in our batch this year. The meme that you saw above is from the Section D PGP 2022 Shared drive. I haven’t been able find the creator! If you happen to be the one, ping me! I’ll happy to give due credits.

Life of an INCOMING IIM Ahmedabad PGP Batch of 20-22 student

I wrote this an hour before the virtual Inauguration and Orientation ceremony for the PGP Batch of 2020-2022 started at IIM Ahmedabad. I posted this on Instagram with a few throwback pictures! I thought it will be fun to read this again in May, 2022 when there will be an hour to go for my Convocation Ceremony and I’d want to look back at how far, we as a batch, would have come! Hence posting this really personal and extremely close-to-my-heart write up here!

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Today, in about an hour, finally 440 of us will pledge to be responsible and worthy members of the IIM Ahmedabad student community!

 

We, the batch of 2020-2022 have waited for way too long. Waited, with hope, aspiration, ambition but also with curiosity, anxiety, and sometimes panic.

Having spent almost 85 days as an INCOMING student of the PGP at IIM A there are things I want to crib about (thanks to COVID) but there also are things that I want to be grateful for! Today is a happy, new and exciting start and hence let’s focus on the latter.

 

I believe we are the batch that got the longest time to prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for the grill and the rigour to begin. Who, ever thought we’d get 3 long months to chat, interact, video call, and know each other by being hundreds of miles away even before getting on campus. Who ever thought that we’do the funniest FB challenges, play online games with our batchmates, share music and dance videos on WhatsApp, give a zillion introductions, do a trillion zoom calls and form a gazillion WhatsApp groups even before the Academic year starts. 

Who, ever thought that we’d be so special, the special ‘COVID Batch’, the batch, that knew nothing that was in store for them yet was insanely hopeful and ever so enthusiastic about things that came their way.

The batch, that was overprotected, excessively loved, and taken care of, by everybody from the college staff to the seniors.

Who, ever thought that we’d get books safely delivered at home, we’d have online welcome parties specially organised for us on video calls, and mentors that would go the extra mile to make sure we don’t miss out on much.

The experiences are different for sure, but the efforts are no less. We’ve had all-nighters already, several mentors’ guidance meets (also gyaan sessions), maybe not with the pleasure of sipping hot coffee at the college adda, but definitely at the comfort of being in our pajamas with a white shirt on the top, trying our best to not munch, yawn or look like a zombie while on zoom calls.

With many reasons to be upset about not being surrounded by the Red Bricks with my 440 other equally thrilled fanatics for our Orientation and Honor Pledge session today, I take a moment to be glad and grateful for the last 3 months that were absolute roller coaster rides. From submitting assignments at 11:59:58 pm, to hustling for CV proofs we have all been getting extremely overwhelmed with the information overload. But let us not forget the moments when we accidentally unmuted ourselves on video calls and then messaged each other to save our asses, smiled looking at each other through rectangles, laughed when 200 people sent hilarious memes at 1 in the night, had a blast discussing about DCP, SPFS by shamelessly tagging our not-so-good-friends knowing that they are going to be our hommies for the next 2 years! No matter what, I can’t wait for the journey to unfold. 

I now need to rush to find my best business casuals (out of the only two I fit in, ah thanks to COVID) and a place with a white background & sufficient light. The struggle is real.

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The inauguration and orientation was beautiful beyond words, more so because of the efforts that were put in and the warmest welcome that we received.

 

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#QuickRead – A brilliant brain lost!

I write articles on exam preparation, self enhancement, movie reviews, abstract topics and so on! You can choose what you would like to read by clicking on the ‘Menu’ (top right corner of your screen) and then selecting your genre. Happy Reading 🙂

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Its been a week but my brain doesn’t stop thinking about the possible reasons that might have led to it and my heart doesn’t stop weeping. This is not about pleading everyone to be kind. This is not about depression or nepotism.

I have consumed a lot of content about the case, from watching his movie clips, to Kangana’s statement, Arnab’s debate and million others’ tweets and yet the uncertainty of reaching to the conclusion is what upsets me. We all have our opinions. We are craving for justice for this one of a kind actor, and human. We all want to believe in something and desperately want our questions to be answered. Atleast I do. But I genuinely don’t know if we would ever find solace in the fake statements and worthless justifications.

My heart weeps for this brilliant brain that existed among a hundred dumb ones. For this talented boy whose smile made us go weak in our knees and eyes made us believe in Mahi, Anni, Manav and Mansoor so much so that we strongly believed that even today, the outsiders of this business could give us pleasurable cinematic experiences.

But I guess, everything has been too opaque for a long time. We, the janta, the lovers of bollywood, the ones who binge watch Hindi cinema so much that we almost dream of lives that are shown on the big screen, couldn’t and wouldn’t be able to SEE THROUGH so many things.
It disappoints me.

Today, I look down upon the 13 year old Anushree who watched those talk shows with all her heart. Somewhere I question my loyalty towards actors, directors who have been my favourites for so so long. And this is what hurts the most. I feel cheated and stupid, both at the same time. And the worst part is I don’t know how to deal with it. Just move on? Like everyone else is trying to do? I would have, if it wouldn’t have been for the unfathomable Sushant Singh Rajput. I would have if it hadn’t hit me this hard. But this will stay. And I allow it to.

Let’s be the strongest versions of ourselves today. Not going to be a hypocrite anymore by claiming of being there for everyone and anyone because no matter how much we try we probably are conditioned to think and act a certain way. Just in the last 7 days I have not answered calls because I did not feel like talking, let alone being there for someone who would have probably reached out to me. Mainly because I had to fix myself first. We can definitely try to help each other out. Don’t get me wrong. But first, be the lion/lioness that seldom roars yet hunts for dreams and also for help when required.

P.S. I was never a huge fan of SSR. I accept and regret. But I’ll try to reconsider and recalibrate the content I would like to consume for years to come.

What did my first exam failure teach me?

20^th July, 2018 is the day that changed how I looked at so many things in life! It was the first time I had ever failed an exam. Having had a stellar academic record since childhood, this was something I wasn’t ready for, at all.

It’s been almost 2 years to that day and yet all I had been doing all this while is contemplating whether to put this experience up on my blog or not. It was something that I had never wanted to talk about.

But ever since I shared about my admit to IIM-Ahmedabad in the ‘Backstory’ to my new ‘The Academia Series’ (https://virtualanushree.wordpress.com/2020/05/15/188/), I received so many messages from CA aspirants from all around the country asking me about my journey to IIM – A.

I realised that there were so many people in the exact same position as I was 2 years back. They were the ones who had insane dreams, were willing to give their very best for building their careers but somehow felt that the CA failure was a dent, not only in their CVs but also in their dreams. Some also regretted not being All India Rankers (AIR) in their CA exams to an extent that they felt they aren’t good enough to be even trying for the top B-Schools in the country! And that very moment I felt I wanted to talk about this! Because misconceptions and myths don’t stand a chance to crush your dreams!

While I know that clearing CA Final exams in the very first attempt is a dream to many and that everyone aims at adding those golden letters – ‘AIR’ in front of their CA qualifications, I also have learnt it (quite the hard way) that not being able to do these two things is NOT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Having said this, every CA aspirant must definitely aim at being AIR 1 because ultimately the goal is to aim as high as we can and being a ranker certainly has it own advantages. So when I could not do that, my world, though for a very short span, did come to a standstill. I thought nobody really would be interested to read about this so I kept brushing it under the carpet. But in the end, a huge part of me felt that if I don’t really share this who really am I?

So let’s come to the point!

I cleared all my CA Final papers in the very first attempt BUT ONE. And thanks to our unquestionable CA curriculum, I had to reappear for 3 papers in that group again after a span of 6 months.

I cringed, cried and wept for few days. I experienced something unusual; Under-confidence.

It killed me to see a smile on my papa’s face knowing that his heart also wept. I could feel the shiver in Mummy’s body and her heart racing faster as she held her tears when I hugged her tight every night.
But all this lasted for only about a week. And then things changed.

When you face something you aren’t ready to, you tremble. And it can make you fall if you don’t handle yourself. It took time for me to come to terms with it. But I did. And I did rather quickly.

There are a few things that made a lot of sense in the last one year. I thought I’ll share three of my very personal Mantras today.

1. ‘No Regrets’ help!

I gave my best efforts in my first attempt and hence there wasn’t any regret for sure. This held my rather shaky confidence in place. Had I not given my 100% in the first time, I would never have the courage to aim higher again. So no matter how unpredictable your future is, put in your bestEST efforts every single time because you don’t want to apologize to yourself later for not putting your best foot forward.

2. Change, for the good.

Every change hurts. From changing your hair partition to moving into a new house, everything is painful. But trust me, if you know that the result is nothing but desirable then don’t think twice before taking the smallest or the largest steps to change a few things about yourself or things around you. I am aware that social media boasts about the ‘Self love’ ideology which is acceptable unless you are just in denial of your flaws. But there is no harm in learning from your mistakes and reforming your lifestyle.

I had a very chaotic sleep cycle. I have always been a night person. Loved painting, studying, reading and writing after everyone in the house went off to sleep. But I realised that my mind started to over think when I was left alone to myself at night. Often negativity overpowered my newly found motivation to get back on track and hence I decided to change my sleep cycle from a rather junk 4am to 10am to a 10pm to 6am. Not only did I start sleeping longer but I started feeling fresher when I woke up. Of course the comfort of studying either in the morning or at night differs from person to person. But the point I want to make here is, that don’t be scared to change. If you know something is for the better, work towards it. I miss my midnight sessions of deep thinking sometimes and I do have cheat days but the feeling of accomplishing something really simple that I once thought was impossible is a glory in itself.

3. Breathe, trust me, it is temporary.

We all over think. We all make assumptions. And we are all in different intensities, negative thinkers. But don’t forget to tell yourself that nothing is permanent. Neither success nor failure. We are all going to get tested, examined, challenged, rewarded and appreciated either now or later. And accept that you can’t control the forces of nature. Disappointments and desires are both dangerous and often grasp us tightly. Don’t cling on to either for too long. To move on, is important, come what may.

And as I begin to end this extremely personal post rather abruptly I cannot miss out on telling you how important it is to taste failure (though I don’t really consider it one) at least once. It makes you crave for success like never before. It makes success taste better too. It makes you unafraid of everything and in ways you wouldn’t have even imagined. No matter how big or how small a failure or a disappointment looks to you, punch it harder in the face and don’t forget to learn from it. Trust me, it is by far the most precious learning experience of my life.
I am sure you will emerge 100x times stronger. And you would eventually start to know yourself better.
Aren’t we all here just for that?

P.S I cleared that one paper with more than double the marks in my second attempt. The jump in marks was huge. But the learning was enormous. Also, no matter how cliche this sounds, ‘nothing is impossible’!

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A big big thank you to everyone who stood by me during that time. I count you in my blessings every day. You know who you are, and you know that come what may, I will always be there for you.

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Guys, our family and our closest friends are our backbone. We cannot function without them. So come what may, never ever give up on them and do not let them give up on you!

Your tribe is your most precious possession!

My most favourite part of the entire journey – The Journey after CAT 2019 till the Interviews!

If you are new to my blog and want to read the posts under ‘The Academia Series’, I’d suggest go to the ‘Menu’ on the top right corner of your screen and choose ‘The Academia Series’ page. You’ll find the links to all the blog posts under the series there. Start with the first one and then continue chronologically! Thanks!

My most favourite part of the entire journey – The Journey after CAT 2019 till the Interviews!

To break the monotony of Exam preparation blogs I decided to upload a candid script of my experience post CAT 2019 so you know how much you need to work hard in order to live the fun times of preparation for the interviews!

I enjoyed studying for CAT. But I enjoyed the time after it even more. It comprised of really exciting discussions, annoying yet fulfilling college form fillings and really hilarious and interesting mock interview experiences!

Until this time I always felt that I was a little unaware of the things around me, in the industry and in the world in general. Ofcourse taking up a job and working in a corporate helps, but unless you are an avid newspaper reader or genuinely interested in world affairs it is difficult to keep up with the current affairs encompassing politics, economics, tourism, natural and climatic changes and so on and so forth. And this is exactly the time when you get the opportunity to learn, study and read a lot about everything. I genuinely started to develop an interest in knowing the ‘How’s and the ‘Why’s of everything and this indeed helped to boost my self-confidence. And in the end, amongst all that you need to crack an interview, confidence and self-belief have the largest market share!

Hence I thought let me just share my experience post CAT and then move on to interview experiences!

24.11.2019 | 17:15 | I came out of my CAT examination hall with a smile. Till the time I walked down to my parents who had patiently waited for 5 hours (we have to report to the venue 2 hours before the exam time) outside my exam hall I had already done a mental calculation of my score. Of course I had decided to not discuss it with anyone because CAT score is an amalgamation of too many things that you can’t really predict upfront. Hence I just messaged my mentor (about whom you’ll read later) of the number of questions I had attempted and silently whispered in my mom’s ear, ‘My score should be around 140 (out of 300)’.

29.11.2019 | 13:00 | CAT Response sheets (A pdf that has the correct answers to each of the questions and the answer that you have marked for each question alongside) were released and I was in my office ready to go for lunch when CAT prep Whatsapp groups started flooding. I immediately found a quiet corner in office, downloaded my response sheet and started calculating my score while simultaneously panting heavily. I just calculated it once; without a calculator and without an excel sheet (an achievement in a stressful time like this and considering the fact that CAT negative marking rules are pretty confusing); definitely not having the will (and the nerve) to calculate it twice. 144! That was my raw score. Not knowing of whether it was enough or just enough or more than enough or just short of a few extra marks, I messaged my mentor and called my mom. By the end of the day, I was made aware and warned that it was acutely borderline. I alone know how I gulped my lunch that day and stopped myself from recalculating my score. Every other opinionated person had something in common to say, ‘Your score would get you somewhere around 97.5 percentile’, and this was definitely far from being reassured of Interview calls from top B schools. Nevertheless that day, I returned home from work and re calculated my score and was proud that it was still a 144 (got reminded of and took pride in being a Chartered Accountant at heart). The only thing I believed in at that time was Mom’s prayers and my mentor’s trademark statement ‘It’s not over till it’s over’.

04.01.2020 | 13:00 | CAT Score cards were out while I was at my CA Convocation. I quickly found yet another quiet corner, punched in my roll number on the requisite website and downloaded my Score Card as I simultaneously chanted Hanuman Chalisa. An overall 98.2 percentile with a quite balanced percentile across all three subjects. I sent it to my mentor and to my parents while a tiny drop of tear rolled down my contoured cheeks. Suddenly a flashback of the last 6 months played in my mind and I wanted to run home from my Convocation.

06.01.2020 & 10.01.2020 | Shortlisted for IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Bangalore interview rounds respectively and I had to pinch myself twice to believe that I had to now prepare for the last and most important leg of this very exciting long race. After a very fulfilling treat at Aroma’s the next day I decided to give all that it takes to make it to one of these two top B-schools in the country.

16.01.2020 | My first interview. I had a profile based interview call (a type of interview call very specific to S. P. Jain Institute of Management Research that shortlists students based on their overall academic performance and extra-curricular achievements) at SPJIMR which was right after I had taken only a very few mock interviews at my Coaching Centre IMS. I went in positively, attempted the psychometric test (a test that tries to analyse a student’s personality, integrity, morals, instincts and basic writing skills) as honestly as I could and went in for the group interview like a boss-lady because I was the only female candidate in the group, also the only non-engineer and there were 4 other male engineer candidates, all of us shortlisted for the Finance specialisation (SPJIMR has a subject specialisation oriented 2 years Post Graduate Diploma in Management equivalent to a 2 year MBA – One of the most sought after colleges in India for a course in management). I already had a little bit of an upper hand there, hence that boosted my self-esteem and I mentally prepared myself to nail this interview. 3 of us got selected for the next round and were then reshuffled with the big group. This was the round which tested the authenticity of our answers in the Psychometric Test! We were a team of 3, two girls and one boy and all three of us were extremely talkative. It was one of the most interesting interviews I have ever had as it ranged from choice of clothes for an interview to choice between ethics and profit. All three of us had excellent points marinated in strong opinions and were very eager to voice them. One of the interviewers who was also an ex-army man said in his very captivating voice, ‘We’ll give all three of you a chance to speak. Please calm down!’ That’s when I got my first hint of how life during MBA would be!

TO BE CONTINUED…

Will write in detail about my interview questions in my blog next dedicated for interview experiences! Stay tuned!

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You can now follow me on Instagram for regular updates! Handle : https://www.instagram.com/virtualanushreeblog/

@virtualanushreeblog

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I also had some really interesting conversations over this weekend! You might want to have a look! I swear you will not leave the video without useful insights. Each of them were on different topics and you might want to choose the ones that you think will be most useful for you at this point in time!

WICASA Webinar – Youtube LIVE on ‘Is Failure a Real Roadblock?’ specially curated for CA aspirants and CAs who would want to go for an MBA!

RK Edu App – How to crack Bschool Interviews and tips to absolutely nail interviews!

Career Acceleration Masterminds – ‘Profile Building and Public Speaking for a win in the long run’

All the best!