A Day in life of IIM Ahmedabad student
Before joining the institute, I had spoken to quite a few people from IIMA and what they said about MBAs in general and IIMA, in particular, went something like this:
Grades, Social Life, Sleep – Choose 2 /3 …
But, I wanted to try handling all three simultaneously thinking I should be able to manage things. Well, the results are there to be seen. Here’s what happens when you try to get all three!
Learn from CAT Toppers and get 99.99%ile to target IIM Ahmedabad
10:55 pm(yes, on weekends, days generally start after 6 pm) – Slam! The Managerial Computing (MC) Casemat shut on my table, I stare at the untidy bit of code on the laptop screen (which will work…eventually!), rub my eyes, glance at the watch – it’s 11:00 already! Off to the library!
11:00 pm – Media Cell meeting to discuss IIMA’s Social Media strategy for the coming year! One hour of intense discussion – very exciting stuff planned ahead! (Keep following the IIMA blog, Twitter and FB Pages to find out more!)
12:15 am – Running across to the new campus, through the subway that displays the proud history of the institute. Need to run to my CV mentor. Deadlines are sacrosanct here – PlaceCom deadlines, more so!
1:55 am – This time it is a calmer walk where I chance a glance at the pictures in the tunnel and read about Vikram Sarabhai at a glance. On the way to a Section-mate’s Birthday Bash! Midway into my 3rd packet of Chips, I realize I have to rush to a meeting in 5 mins!
2:00 am – Back to the air-conditioned environs of the library! Meeting with a member of the Forum for Industry Interaction (FII) – a consulting body entirely managed by IIMA students!
“ I am amazed by the volume of transformational work being done within the institute as I learn more about the projects we are currently handling and our past engagements! This year promises an even better representation from the industry – can’t help but look forward to it unfolding! “
3:45 am – SLEEP! (3/3!!!) The past week had been relatively light as compared to the norm, but as soon as I fell on the bed i startezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……..
10:00 am – “ALARM RINGS” – Snooze no. 5! (Thank GOD it’s a Sunday!)
10:10 am – “ALARM RINGS” – again! NEED to wake up this time!
11:00 am – Meeting with the Consult Club co-ordinator this time! I am preparing a sector report for an industry I have never worked on before. The information overload that will take quite some time to process and assimilate! Learned about some really helpful databases and other resources – time well spent!
Noon – Back to the dorm gathering my hazy thoughts of what to do next while making my way up the stairs. Just when I thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, I unlock the door to my room. Complete darkness! Try to feel my way through the wall to locate the tube-light switch to ‘enlighten’ me. No amount of ‘clicking’ works.
Off to the library … AGAIN!
“It is surprising how much time I have started spending in the library, especially considering the fact that during my undergrad, I went to the library twice – to enquire about the availability of Diamond Comics (supposedly that’s not crucial to our undergraduate experience!) and the other time, to get back my umbrella which I had forgotten the first time!“
2:00 pm – Back to my room (the electrical maintenance team here is surprisingly quick!) I open the MC casemate again! More pieces of incomprehensible code to follow! An hour of work and I finally nail the code! The instinctive #fistpump in the air becomes a slow #facepalm when I realize there are 3 more parts to finish!!
3:00 pm – Suddenly realize that the growling sound I’ve been hearing for some time, is actually coming from my stomach and not from the dog outside! Food! Off to disturb my neighbor – beg for some food – he’s all out ….Oh, wait! He has Maggi!? (Thank you, dorm microwave!)
4:00 pm – Decide to be a budding manager and schedule the rest of my day! Clear all backlogs in Financial Markets (FM) and Financial Reporting and Analysis (FRA), mostly because there is a possibility of a quiz tomorrow I am here for the learning?
4:45 pm – I open my eyes to find everything turned by 90 degrees! The first page of Chapter 1 is stuck to my cheek … I SLEPT AGAIN! (Ok, this seriously needs to stop!)
6:30 pm – Group Meeting! Finally, the possibility of some academic productivity!
” I have never appreciated group study so much before coming here! Working along with 5 other people through cases and problems makes it so much easier! “
7:45 pm – One last attempt to reconcile it– maybe it will tally this time! No such luck – I just hope I have collected enough material to explain why the Balance Sheet is not supposed to tally in the lecture tomorrow! Anyway – off to the next case
Get your GD sorted with us to get into IIM-A
8:00 pm – Marketing (MKT) Assignment on Buyer Behaviour – my group is collating our thoughts on insights derived by shadowing buyers near some shops – So much to draw from the experience!
I see people shopping for stuff all the time, but have never noticed how much the setting, the salesperson, the time of the day and even the cell-phone the buyer uses influences buying decisions!
Anyway, right now I am stuck with the mundane task of making a presentation out of it. Thankfully we’ve all done our parts – reach the final output in no time!
9:00 pm – First decent meal of the day! At times like these, I appreciate (or at least try) the mess!
9:30 pm – It’s back to studies again – still have FM, Prob Stats, MKT to read!
10:30 pm – Have some urgent work for Confluence (IIMA’s business summit) – should take an hour!
11:55 pm – Ok, it took more than that! I look at the screen, my blog page is open – almost a month and a half since the last post! I consider writing something now … Then look at my to-do list – still loads to do! Seems like there’s going to be another all-nighter.
Mental Note: this way, I will never be able to post anything!
Cognitive Dissonance …
I look at the items I’ve struck off from the list – “Hey, I actually got quite a lot done today, might as well spend some time typing something …”
