Well one thing you can be rest-assured of while attending IIM calls is that life wouldn’t have been like that for you ever before; well I am not saying this because the grilling by panelists will tear your cerebral nerves for the 1st time or you wouldn’t have seen a pretty girl with green eyes in a business suit ever before but the learning you would be undergoing through that phase will definitely be unprecedented.
Here are a few things which defined erudition for me:-
•The Environment:- well this undoubtedly is the extensive chapter of attending MBA calls, new faces with loads of intellect sharing space with you, the quirky grey haired man from the college faculty giving you a devil’s smile from a distance, banters going on around you with loads of IITs/NSITs slogans inclusive (which will give you a big inferiority complex if you don’t belong to that bandwagon, like it gave to me), the guy who just came out of the interview room and thanking God that it didn’t last any longer and explaining how he was screwed, the guy sitting next to you with a stack of certificates (in a hope that it might lure the panelists but least he knows it wouldn’t happen)
•The Interview Panel:- Well, you might not be offered admission but one thing that even God can’t take away from you is the 30 min life you will spend with some of the best professors/admin staff people from the country in a confined space. You might have been grilled to the core but one fine day when you become nostalgic about it, you would know it taught you a lot.
Here are a few things of utmost importance to remember before attending your calls
•Necessary Documents:- Make sure that you are prepared with all the certificates and their photocopies well in advance because it gives a huge headache in the end.
•Get yourself neatly dressed up: - Well its not your friend’s party, neither is it a corporate meeting but be mindful of putting on a well ironed shirt, a neat looking pant that at least makes you look serious for the thing; blazers should go along with the weather but make sure that you put on a tie if you forfeit the idea of a blazer.
•Reach well in advance: - the lazy creepers out there, make sure that you reach the venue of your call at least an hour before to get accustomed to the conditions and find your feet well settled.
•Self-confidence:- always remember its you against yourself and no-one else, self-confidence is a key not just to crack a MBA call but crack any hard nut in life, but do remember there is a very thin line between confidence and over-confidence.
•Body Language:- maintain a positive body language all throughout, it gives a sign of how well you can fight the pressure. You should also be knowing that there will be at least one guy from the interview panel whose inquisitive senses would seem inactive but actually he is there to observe your body language, your appearance etc.
And here goes my experience
IIM Kozhikode, 25th Feb 2011 at Hotel Vikram, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi
1st call, 1st experience and no idea what’s happening around me. Well the 1st call in more than one way can be an ordeal for you and I was no different. I reached way too early and had to wait for a long time for the noon batch proceedings to undergo.
Finally the proceedings began and we were given sheets for the Written Ability Test (WAT); my hands shrivelled to pick it up and fill in the info.
The topic was quite an abstract one and I wish I had an elephant like memory to recollect what exactly the topic was but it went something like “Data is not information, information is not knowledge………..”. I did prepare for a lot of current affairs topics but I knew I was equally capable of writing on any abstract topic because of my own written abilities of writing for more than a year now, I believe I managed it quite well and that probably was my best piece of writing amongst all my calls
My number on the interview list was 4 so I had to rush for the interview proceedings as soon as the WAT got over. I had to sit outside the interview room for quite some time and that appeared to be the longest wait ever. Finally I went in and greeted the panelists. There were two of them P1(was quite young, had a French beard and was busy binging on his biscuits and coffee inside a room which appeared nothing less than a 5-star business suit), P2(was young too, looked chilled out).They asked me to take the seat, I passed on my interview folder.
P1: So Mr Anshul, you are from Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Technology, so who was Maharaja Surajmal?
Though it was expected but to my shame I only knew a little about it, I left it far too late to be googled.
Me: Sir Maharaja Surajmal was a Maratha ruler from Jaipur (though he was a hindu ruler)
I blabbered unknowingly through the answer, wasn’t a good start definitely.
P2: your percentile in LR-DI is a little incomparable to that of verbal and Quants, does that mean you are weak in logic, any specific reasons?
Me: Well I gave a number of mocks during the course of my prep and I faired quite well in LR-DI, most times better than even Verbal and Quants, I would rather judge myself on a scale of 9 mocks than one CAT.
P2: who is CAG and what is his role?
Me: Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr Vinod Rai…..details about the expenditures of the govt. and his role in 2G scam…….faired this answer quite well
All this while I observed one thing, P1 was observing me quite closely, the way I was dressed, my shoes, the postures I made, and that made me nervous for a little while.
P1: what is the composition of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and why is Lok Sabha called the Lower House of the Parliament?
Gave the exact composition, people of India elect the members of Lok Sabha…that’s why it is a lower house.
They took a lot of time frisking my certificates so it gave a little pause to the proceedings and then began the most interesting part of the interview.
P1: so you are from the computers background…hmmmm…
P2: you must be knowing what is an operating system, do you think a company like Apple’s future is safe knowing that they develop platform dependent OS and mobile apps and a mobile OS like Android being platform independent is creating waves all around and is expected to capture a larger market share..whats your take on that?
Me: one thing that nobody can deny is the brand recognition that Apple Inc. forms with the masses, people are willing to spend hefty amounts even after it being platform dependent. Any business works on just one fundamental and that is quality, all other things are secondary and Apple forms its USP through it. It does not mean that they don’t need to be mindful of their rivals, it just means that they need to carry on the good work that they have been doing, and quality will itself kill most of their competition. Anyway it will take some time for others to form such brand recognition and appeal the masses to that extent, it’s not by a fluke that they are the most recognized brand in the world.
A lot of cross questioning passed quite a bit of time on this question
P1: u must have heard about e-commerce sites, what exactly do websites like Amazon and Flipkart do.?
I explained them
P1: if you were given an opportunity to make such an e-commerce website, how would you go about it.?
Me: suppose I am deciding on my apparels section and I take clothes, I will categorize it on the basis of age groups because different age groups follow different trends, same would go with watches, handbags etc.
P1: why are sites selling clothes not famous?
Me: Sir everyone wants to have a physical feel of the dress before buying because look is not the only thing to look out for in such a case, the fit becomes equally imp. And a website is incapable of such a thing.
There were a few questions in between of GK and current affairs, fumbled a few and answered a few. Overall it wasn’t that grilling as expected and people from God’s Own Kampus were definitely the ones to spend the time with (the final result depicts that too) though I wasn’t sure of my selection.
Verdict- Konverted
IIM Indore, 16thMarch 2011, Hotel Stallions
The second of my MBA calls, already had a taste of what it looks and feels, but then every call carries its own nervousness, own excitement.
This time I reached the venue well within time (not too early) about 45 mins before, my mom was sitting next to me for most of that period and as soon as the proceedings began she was asked to leave.
They explained a few DOs and DONTs and began distributing sheets for WAT. I quickly looked at the topic, but this time around there were two questions, one related to extinction of animals on which we had to write a summary after reading the paragraph and one was related to smoking- should or shouldn’t be banned in public places, I did reasonably well in both.
Again like IIM Kozhikode my number in the interview list was quite early and I was asked to go to the respective interview room with a person (least I knew he was the interviewer himself), he asked me to wait for a little while outside the room and after sometime a loud voice penetrated the walls “come in”.
I opened the door nervously and went in, greeted the 3 panelists and sat.
They asked for my folder, I forwarded. P1 (middle aged, had specs, looked quite intellectual), P2 (the most familiar to me as he travelled with me 3 floors up, the green eyed boy with less hair), P3 (grey haired so looked a little old but was into his late middle age)
P1: So Mr Anshul, you are from CSE background, what is a scripting language?
Should have answered easily but may be due to a little nervousness fumbled along my way.
P1: how are nested SQL queries implemented?
Again I fumbled but this time I answered slightly better
P2 suddenly looked at my 1st semester marksheet and cried “there is one subject Workshop, what actually happens in it”??
I told him about sheet cutting, welding and stuff, he questioned, “what are the different types of welding?”
I almost said to myself, “Bye Bye IIM Indore” and then gave 2-3 of its types
“Sir gas welding, arc welding…”
P2: what is phenomenon by which gas welding works?
Fumbled again
They soon realised, I was a normal IP student having high grades but less practical knowledge, they passed the reign to P3 who was quiet all this while
P3: can u tell me any current affair topic of greater significance?
I thanked God to finally get something to make me feel it wasn’t a one way game.
“Sir I think a topic that no-one can take an eye off from nowadays is the 2G scam”
P3: but I think its not even a scam, Kapil Sibal came out with a statement that the govt is at a zero loss, then how come it’s a scam?
I gave them many conditions on how it’s a scam, stated how Kapil Sibal’s statement was based on a time parameter and how the 2G licenses were being sold much higher above the expected price.
This part of the interview ate up most of the time as a lot of cross questioning occurred, I replied back with utmost confidence.
Was slightly more grilling than IIM Kozhikode and I was totally unsure about this one.
I came out but I realised that I took one of the interviewer’s pen along with me (took it while solving the SQL queries), I knocked the door again and he came out with a smile.
“Sorry Sir I forgot to give this back to you”. He replied, “Not an issue” and closed the door.
Verdict- did not convert
IIM Rohtak/Raipur/Trichy, 17th March 2011, IIM Lucknow Campus, Noida
Well this is one day I completely want to remove from my MBA calls, it was horrendous to say the least and that to after little euphemism attached.
1st of all we did not have a WAT but rather a GD, the topic was related to farming and agriculture, we were 6-7 of us, interestingly two were absent.
As expected in a GD, it turned into a fish market but ironically with people wearing suits. I faired average, did make my presence felt.
Then started one of the most hilarious interviews of my MBA season
P1 (grey haired, this guy did not utter a word during the interview but was keep enough to laugh on my stupid answers), P2 (middle aged, knew the chancellor of my university), P3 (the villain of the show, I can never forget him, he spoiled my day)
P2 asked me about data mining and its practical usage
I answered
P2 then asked me the name of the vice chancellor of my university, I said “Bankopadhyay…chankopadhyay”..actually I did not remember
He then gleefully whispered to P3 that he was his batch mate, I was like “Its over Anshul”.
P3 then looked at my intern certificate of National Informatics Centre and asked some questions only God knows what I answered.
“Tell me the complete significance of the emblem….how did it come about…..how did the name Bharat come about??”
“Mahabharat…..Ramayan……blah blah”
“Who wrote bhagwat gita..??”
I gave the most stupid answer I could ever give, “kalidasa”
P1 burst into laughter as I replied grinning
By now P3 was all over me, firing one question after the other and I felt like being raped.
The molestation carried for about 15-20 minutes more and they looked in despair as if to say, “We cant rape you any further”.
I picked up my folder in the most dejected gesture, I felt numb as I walked towards my mother, I had nothing to tell her about what happened.
Verdict- converted IIM Raipur (even I don’t know how)
IIM Bangalore, 21st March, India Habitat centre, Lodhi Road
In simple words, the biggest interview of my life, I had many a sleepless nights leading to this day and everything till now was more of a dress rehearsal for me, I still remember the day I was called by IIM B, it changed me completely.
At the venue, not all the faces were new, I knew somebody there, I met this guy during my IIM Bootcamp on 12th Feb, and so I had some company to kill my nervousness.
Suddenly an elegant looking guy enters the place gazing his watch pensively, he came close to our group and started interacting with us asking if we were feeling nervous and all, in a little time we became quite open to him. He signed off saying that he was a pass out from IIM B 2003 batch and was there as a part of the interview panel, he reached early and that’s why he was looking at his watch continuously. IIM B just gave us its first shock.
We were divided into small batches and taken into separate rooms where we were given a topic for WAT which was related to sports stars getting lured by money and going into excessive advertisements, “Saina may go the Sania way” . We started writing as the panel members were busy discussing a day before world cup encounter.
Interestingly this time around my number for the interview was last, I did now know if that was good/bad for me but I was eager to get in and spend the time I waited for so long.
They finally called me in. I walked inside with nervy footsteps looking into the eyes of the 3 panellists, they asked me to take seat and feel comfortable.
P1 (French beard, was the most influential during the world cup talk, looked extremely intellectual and kept mum for most part), P2 (late middle aged, grey haired, was the most fun loving interviewers I ever met), P3 (middle aged again, always kept a smile while interviewing)
If there was ever an interview I would like to give to save my life, it would have been this; it seemed everything was scripted for me, who the hell would have thought that I would spend talking about JabbaWockeeZ or hip hop dancing for 10 mins in a MBA interview. I damn care about the rejection I got through the final results, I will always cherish that I was a part of this selection process of IIM B.
P3: so u still into your graduation, why do you want to do a MBA at this stage and for that matter why do you want to do a MBA anyway?
Me: Sir according to me, technology and management form a combination that is world beating and I am saying this through my own practical experience. I and 3 of my friends started an event “Brainstorm” for the college techfest. We had the technical skills with us and I helped the team with management inputs, became its marketing manager and promoted the event all across; so in a way we integrated creativity, technical skills and management skills all combined into one and the result was an event that lured a 750 odd participants from all across the country and became one of the highlights of the techfest. I have professional technical skills and now I would like to go for the professional management skills.
P3: how did u promote the event?
Me: internet is the most powerful medium and facebook its most powerful child, we made facebook groups, facebook pages, messaged people personally, e-mailed. Apart from that I went into individual classrooms and promoted the event, gave sample questions so as to tell what the event was all about, and most interestingly introduced this concept of after the “event promotion” where the top 3 participants’ photos would be pasted all throughout the campus.
P2: why should we consider you over a guy who has work experience?
It was an obvious thing that a work ex guy would be better anyday and specially looking at the trend that IIM B follows it became more obvious but I had to answer something.
Me: Sir I think, fresher exhibits a huge amount of creativity, sometimes what happens is that work experience can make your mind act only in one direction as you encountered that problem before, but a fresher would always be having a more than a one eye thing on that problem and would frame multiple solutions.
Nobody would be impressed with this answer and this anyway was an easy question to grill me further so a lot of cross questioning happened.
P2: ok so what are your hobbies..?
Me: sir I have been into writing for the past one year and soon planning my 1st novel, a big fan of an American Dance crew JabbaWockeeZ, also an ardent cricket follower.
P2: why is that people always consider every American product as world class.?? (Laughed and looked at the other two members)
Me: sir I don’t like them because they are American, I like them because of their shear brilliance and professional and an American brand attached with them is just a co-incidence, I am sure if you youtube them, you yourself would be mesmerized.
By this time the interview became a complete fun ride.
P2: why is the young generation after hip hop dancing? I could never imagine myself doing anything of that sort (laughed again)
Me: the fast paced nature of hip hop dancing connects well with the youth sir.
P2: hmmmm..well can you sell us hip hop dancing right now?
I interacted with P2 for 2-3 minutes and told him that trying it would be a good exercise for his health, tried to lure him with every possible thing.
Suddenly P1 intervened and said, “I must say I am impressed by your ideas and thoughts “(he was observing me all this while and kept a mum)”but what I would want to know is your idea about the MBA and why is it a sure shot thing for you?”
I explained him about the idea of a college friend’s company which he has already started; and how he has brilliance in the technical domain and I would like to contribute to the management domain to make it a world class reality.
A slight discussion on him and his company followed.
Then they asked me why IIM B and stuff, asked me how I felt after reading Kite Runner (as I stated that I read it) and a few questions from here and there.
P2: would you like to ask anything to us?
Me: sir recently you people were accredited with EQUIS from EFMD, can you tell me how this accreditation takes place? And what are the parameters to select a college/university for it? Since IIM B is only the 3rd college in Asia to get one.
They looked at each other and P2 took the initiative to answer, he then explained me how the parameters are set and how a college is selected.
They thanked me and I walked out with utmost happiness as if I conquered the world. I wonder if I was that much happy ever before. 21st March, 2011, I can never forget you.
Verdict- did not convert but I did not go empty handed either.
JOINING INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT KOZHIKODE
