Yesterday I went to the written analysis test and interview of the 6 IIMs, namely, Ranchi, Raipur, Rohtak, Kashipur, Trichy and Udaipur. I was shortlisted by 5 of them, the one that dint was Rohtak.This entire experience was not just an eye opener, it was a brain opener for me.
The aspirants were so passionate about getting into the top B-Schools of India, unlike me who would take admission even in Sinhagad Institute of Management. But after seeing their zeal, even I am inspired to raise my bar. So coming to the candidates, there were 100 boys and 5 girls, yes thats the ratio 1:20. I was sitting in a pool of IITians and NITians. These students had a profound work experience too. Everybody had a fabulous English diction too. And never have I seen so many good looking boys all in one place :D they were undoubtedly academicaly smart and had a great persona too. These boys had been to places like SP JAIN, XLRI, ISB, the IITs for mba admission processes, it just barked on me, how small I thought and never wanted to go an extra mile and always wanted to settle only for how much I could do.
We got to meet the Director of IIM- T Mr. Agnihotri and a couple of other faculty members from the institute. And I actually got the feeling of how it would be to be taught by such professionals. I got an insight about the entire environment at the IIMs, such was the organisation of the process, very co-operative.
The WAT topic was 'Outsourcing is welcome to India, Walmart is not. Political double standards?'. I was very well prepared on FDI, so i could write a good content. the interview panelists too were bigwigs from
industries, but it was a very chilled out interview. I just went in with a cool, gave the most candid answers and came out smiling. They asked me about wines, my hobbies, cyber laws, nothing techincal, thank God!
Dont know what the end result would be, but I wish I get selected.
The center for this process too was a prominent place to be. The Institute of Hotel Management and Catering, the oldest in Dadar. A very good studying atmosphere there, i could sense the quality of education by just being there. I saw the oldest residential area in Dadar, the parsis (whom we dont usually get to see in Nasik), the kabutar khana. The taxi driver who dropped us to college was a 78 year man who was not only driving for a living but also did the profession to help children and pregnant women with medicines, i was moved to acknowledge the charity done by that old man in an age when people want to retire and rest. When you see new lifestyles you get a new enthusiasm to lead your life, i wont be able to describe it but its a fresh zeal to lead your life. I guess its the acquaintance with another lifestyle that brings in the novelty. But its often short lived.
I came home in the night and took the newspaper in hand and the supplement was about the next generations of businessmen in Nasik. It was an enterprising edition in itself.
I felt like the day made my brain open to new horizons, just with the experience I had throughout the day. We should think about and should go an extra mile :) probably find the best of the institute to study.. facilitates your growth, yes its the atmosphere around you, you cannot help but get moulded :)
