Well, now that I can't even fool myself that I'm busy, I guess this long due post is in order.
A year and ten months. That's how long I've been a student at one of the most coveted dream institutes for Management Studies in India. And I can confidently say that the adjectives used in the previous sentence to describe IIM B are not exaggerated or misplaced. Looking back to the girl in the mirror who was eagerly awaiting the IIM-B admission results two years ago, I see her to have undergone a sea change now.
At the outset, it is obvious that the pounds have increased to help me contribute more to test the bearing powers of mother Earth and bust myths about growing thin in hostels. But behind the hairline that has receded further, I sense the biggest change in me- in the way I think, act and see the world around me.
An Apprehensive Start..
I entered IIM B on June 19, 2011, as a very apprehensive 21 year old who had no clue of what was in store. The first week was just a trailer, packing in everything that I was to go through in the next two years. I was exhausted and excited, at the same time. Then the classes began. I was new to almost everything that was being taught, except a little bit of Quants and I was baffled. With tough-to-handle academics, awe-inducing competition and a first-time hostel life with no one close enough to guide me properly, it is apt to say that I was lost for the first couple of weeks. I applied to take up posts that wouldn't fit me, didn't apply to a few apt posts and in general did random stuff and was filled with overwhelming insecurity.
The Good things that did come by me..
Meanwhile, on the positive side, I found a really good friendship blooming between me and my neighbour in class, who, to my good fortune, was also in my hostel wing. We realized that we had very similar backgrounds and hit it off really well together. An illness that hit me a few weeks down the lane made me realize that I had been given very wrong impressions about cut-throat competition and the inability to form true friends at IIMB. Three friends- who have now become family to me- took me to a hospital and stayed with me throughout the few hours it took for an Intra-Venal injection to be given to me late in the night, with exams coming up in a couple of days. That night, I recovered physically as well as started feeling very secure mentally - I had a family on campus! :) A day-scholar all my life, I was introduced to group studies, late night shows at the cinemas and night-outs. I loved them all!
My Experiments with Finance..
The Summer Internship Placements were gruelling and stressful on most mortals. I fell for the Day-0 craze and took up the first job that came my way, without thinking if I'd really love it. Well, the internship was very useful in two ways: 1. I learnt what I do not want in life- I do have Findamental problems! and, 2. I had an awesome trip of Hong Kong and Macau- my first ever International trip, that too all alone. I gained a great deal of confidence, like never before, in myself through that experience.
No longer a Fresher, gaining a Fresh Outlook..
I entered IIM B on June 19, 2011, as a very apprehensive 21 year old who had no clue of what was in store. The first week was just a trailer, packing in everything that I was to go through in the next two years. I was exhausted and excited, at the same time. Then the classes began. I was new to almost everything that was being taught, except a little bit of Quants and I was baffled. With tough-to-handle academics, awe-inducing competition and a first-time hostel life with no one close enough to guide me properly, it is apt to say that I was lost for the first couple of weeks. I applied to take up posts that wouldn't fit me, didn't apply to a few apt posts and in general did random stuff and was filled with overwhelming insecurity.
The Good things that did come by me..
Meanwhile, on the positive side, I found a really good friendship blooming between me and my neighbour in class, who, to my good fortune, was also in my hostel wing. We realized that we had very similar backgrounds and hit it off really well together. An illness that hit me a few weeks down the lane made me realize that I had been given very wrong impressions about cut-throat competition and the inability to form true friends at IIMB. Three friends- who have now become family to me- took me to a hospital and stayed with me throughout the few hours it took for an Intra-Venal injection to be given to me late in the night, with exams coming up in a couple of days. That night, I recovered physically as well as started feeling very secure mentally - I had a family on campus! :) A day-scholar all my life, I was introduced to group studies, late night shows at the cinemas and night-outs. I loved them all!
My Experiments with Finance..
The Summer Internship Placements were gruelling and stressful on most mortals. I fell for the Day-0 craze and took up the first job that came my way, without thinking if I'd really love it. Well, the internship was very useful in two ways: 1. I learnt what I do not want in life- I do have Findamental problems! and, 2. I had an awesome trip of Hong Kong and Macau- my first ever International trip, that too all alone. I gained a great deal of confidence, like never before, in myself through that experience.
No longer a Fresher, gaining a Fresh Outlook..
Second year was much more fun- being on the other side during the freshers' orientation week, organizing fests, running a store on campus and much more! I learnt how to manage time, stress, people, multiple tasks and still have loads of fun, thanks to my wonderful group of friends. I was totally surprised in the first week when I received a phone call from my friend informing me that I was to be awarded for being in the top 5% of the Batch (the Director's Merit List) at the end of the 1st year. My surprise was no act of modesty- it was genuine because I had simply not expected this small-town girl from a relatively less-known college to excel in academics when compared with some of the best minds in India. This is not to say that only those in the DML were talented in IIMB or that academic excellence is the only indicator of one's talent or measure of one's success. But, to me, it was this award that brought out the confidence from within that I could achieve things I'd previously imagined myself incapable of, if I could put the right amount of efforts towards them. My self-esteem got a boost and my insecurity vanished.
Learning outside the classrooms..
There is a lot that I gained through the work I did for the clubs on campus. While one Sunday afternoon was spent in escorting the elegant CEO of JP Morgan India to the Vista Media Conclave, the following Sunday afternoon was spent in navigating through the bumpy and rain-sloshed narrow streets of a wholesale market, negotiating with stationery vendors in Hindi (yes, I learnt quite a decent bit of Hindi too :) ) for supply to our student-run store on campus. This is just an instance of the wide spectrum of learning that I was lucky to get! Getting to interact with people you have seen only in newspapers and television, gives you a perspective like never before. The small-town girl who used to be awed by celebrities on screen got to know how to hold her own ground with them. I am no longer awed the way I used to be. I see them as normal human beings just like me, whom I simply classify as those who are good, simple and grounded and those who are not. I am lucky to have gotten the opportunity to interact with people of both categories- it has taught me a lot.
And I am one of the lucky few on campus who learnt MBA practically hands-on, running a store! It isn't as simple as one imagines and in a campus where people are hard-pressed for time, ensuring that stock-outs do not happen, estimating what is to be bought at the next purchase and how much, taking care of seasonal demands and bringing deals for the IIMB-branded mercahndise that all of us just love to flout- T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Jackets and making students' lives easier through facilitating things like Photos and Suits for placements... The list here isn't exhaustive! Planet MARS on campus is the place where you learn to do all these and more importantly, you learn to do these in a group of 20 very different people, where each one's contribution is important and therefore team spirit is of essence!
In addition, I also took up Case-writing in my favourite area of Marketing- whether the outcome of that is any good remains to be seen!
Change of my "Unemployed" status..
Soon enough, it was time to start bothering our seniors again with our resumes to be beautified for the Final Placements. Having chosen a relatively relaxed set of courses in my final term, I had enough time to give my resume a proper spa treatment to ensure it looked pretty and fit. Well, I guess it did and I was shortlisted for interviews by the firms I was hoping to work for. I was guided very well by some good friends and some amazing seniors who took time out from their busy schedules.
But, as luck would have it, after a few interviews- some excellent, some good and some vague, I realized that I was not destined to become a Consultant. I wouldn't say I wasn't disappointed. Well, long-term career sustainability and all those common-sensical things notwithstanding, it does hurt when you see that you have prepared for something for about 1-2 months and you don't get to see your efforts translated into results and randomness taking over. I was hurt but I was able to see clearly through the haze. I denied to yield to the Day-0 craze again by appearing for interviews for Finance roles. I knew my options clearly. If I ever made it on Day-0, I never wanted it to be in a Fin role where I knew wouldn't be happy. After a gruelling day full of Group Discussions for the Marketing and General Management roles, I was exhilarated to be offered a role by Unilever in Marketing and Sales. I then realized that this was the kind of firm I wanted to join after about a couple of years, even if I were to enter Consulting. Well, no harm with an early start!
One of my most important learnings in IIMB came out during this time, when I saw many friends- batchmates as well as juniors, coming to tell me that they knew my worth from their personal interactions with me and that it was not something that a firm could decide in twenty minutes. And when I got my job offer, they came in hordes to hug me and tell me how happy they were. I saw genuine happiness there. That showed me how I had, unknowingly, left an impression on so many people. Ultimately, it is this set of cherished relationships that I carry as my biggest takeaway from IIMB. Not the textbooks, not the frameworks, not even the job. These relationships will last through my lifetime and the memories, even beyond that.
Learning outside the classrooms..
There is a lot that I gained through the work I did for the clubs on campus. While one Sunday afternoon was spent in escorting the elegant CEO of JP Morgan India to the Vista Media Conclave, the following Sunday afternoon was spent in navigating through the bumpy and rain-sloshed narrow streets of a wholesale market, negotiating with stationery vendors in Hindi (yes, I learnt quite a decent bit of Hindi too :) ) for supply to our student-run store on campus. This is just an instance of the wide spectrum of learning that I was lucky to get! Getting to interact with people you have seen only in newspapers and television, gives you a perspective like never before. The small-town girl who used to be awed by celebrities on screen got to know how to hold her own ground with them. I am no longer awed the way I used to be. I see them as normal human beings just like me, whom I simply classify as those who are good, simple and grounded and those who are not. I am lucky to have gotten the opportunity to interact with people of both categories- it has taught me a lot.
And I am one of the lucky few on campus who learnt MBA practically hands-on, running a store! It isn't as simple as one imagines and in a campus where people are hard-pressed for time, ensuring that stock-outs do not happen, estimating what is to be bought at the next purchase and how much, taking care of seasonal demands and bringing deals for the IIMB-branded mercahndise that all of us just love to flout- T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Jackets and making students' lives easier through facilitating things like Photos and Suits for placements... The list here isn't exhaustive! Planet MARS on campus is the place where you learn to do all these and more importantly, you learn to do these in a group of 20 very different people, where each one's contribution is important and therefore team spirit is of essence!
In addition, I also took up Case-writing in my favourite area of Marketing- whether the outcome of that is any good remains to be seen!
Change of my "Unemployed" status..
Soon enough, it was time to start bothering our seniors again with our resumes to be beautified for the Final Placements. Having chosen a relatively relaxed set of courses in my final term, I had enough time to give my resume a proper spa treatment to ensure it looked pretty and fit. Well, I guess it did and I was shortlisted for interviews by the firms I was hoping to work for. I was guided very well by some good friends and some amazing seniors who took time out from their busy schedules.
But, as luck would have it, after a few interviews- some excellent, some good and some vague, I realized that I was not destined to become a Consultant. I wouldn't say I wasn't disappointed. Well, long-term career sustainability and all those common-sensical things notwithstanding, it does hurt when you see that you have prepared for something for about 1-2 months and you don't get to see your efforts translated into results and randomness taking over. I was hurt but I was able to see clearly through the haze. I denied to yield to the Day-0 craze again by appearing for interviews for Finance roles. I knew my options clearly. If I ever made it on Day-0, I never wanted it to be in a Fin role where I knew wouldn't be happy. After a gruelling day full of Group Discussions for the Marketing and General Management roles, I was exhilarated to be offered a role by Unilever in Marketing and Sales. I then realized that this was the kind of firm I wanted to join after about a couple of years, even if I were to enter Consulting. Well, no harm with an early start!
One of my most important learnings in IIMB came out during this time, when I saw many friends- batchmates as well as juniors, coming to tell me that they knew my worth from their personal interactions with me and that it was not something that a firm could decide in twenty minutes. And when I got my job offer, they came in hordes to hug me and tell me how happy they were. I saw genuine happiness there. That showed me how I had, unknowingly, left an impression on so many people. Ultimately, it is this set of cherished relationships that I carry as my biggest takeaway from IIMB. Not the textbooks, not the frameworks, not even the job. These relationships will last through my lifetime and the memories, even beyond that.
The Vote of Thanks..
Well, my dear IIM-B, I shall not thank you for everything you have given me- the wonderful relationships I have been lucky to form within your stone walls and forested grounds, the academic knowledge I have gained and the life lessons I have learned through various activities on campus - because, Thank You is simply insufficient. I shall remain indebted to you for life, for all that you have given me - it is definitely more than what I came to you for. I shall hope to make you proud of me- that will be my way of showing you my gratitude.
Adieu!
