Life at IIM Ahmedabad: Vibrant social life makes up for the many surprise quizzes

Ever wondered what’s the daily life like at an MBA college? What is it like to actually be part of the India’s top Business Schools (B-Schools)?

In an effort to bridge the gap between the MBA students and MBA aspirants, Shiksha spoke to various students from top B-schools. In this particular article, we interact with Gyan Vardhan Gupta, an ex-student at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) – Ahmedabad.

A fresher from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Gyan completed his Bachelor’s of Technology (BTech) in mechanical engineering. At IIM Ahmedabad, he is a member of the student placement committee and 'Eloquence', the public speaking club.

Gyan Vardhan Gupta gives us a glimpse of life at IIM-Ahmedabad and takes us through his daily routine. 

1. Which course and specialisation are you pursuing at present? And why are you pursuing it?
   IIM Ahmedabad offers a diploma in General Management. I felt that with a degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Madras backed with general management education, would give me wider opportunity of jobs to choose from. The people I will meet and lessons I will learn at IIM Ahmedabad, both inside and outside the classroom, would remain with me throughout.
2. So, who all are there in your family?
3. I stay in Hyderabad with my parents. My father is a business-man. He owns a flour mill. And my mother is a Yoga instructor. I also have two siblings – a brother (in Class XII), and a sister (in Class X).
4. Is life at your college exactly as you expected? What all did you hear before joining? Was it true or is life different from what you heard?
   Life at college is better than I expected. We were all aware of how challenging the academics are at IIM A.  I thought IIM A was all about academics. But the extra-curricular activities such as clubs, cultural fests, sports competitions, dorm life etc are just amazing, and I love the college atmosphere.
5. Tell us about your daily routine.
   Morning starts around 8:15 am, when you get up, grab something to eat on your way to classes, which commence at 8:45 am sharp. If you are late one day, well, the professor expects us to be on time the next day. We are not allowed to attend a lecture for which we are late as the institute rules do not favour students coming in late. This is a great way of teaching punctuality to the students.
   Classes go on till 1:10 pm. And then, the next 35 minutes are spent wondering if we would have a surprise quiz or not. If we are lucky, we don’t have a quiz, and go for lunch. But if our phones receive messages from the academic office informing us of a quiz (a quiz in a subject which we are informed only at 1:45 pm), we go through the last minute preps. Quiz is generally held from 2:45pm to 3:15pm.
   Usually, we eat something after the quiz, and get some sleep in the afternoon. In the evening, some of us end up spending time in activities such as photography, or club activities and sports. Post-dinner, we spend our time on assignments, class preparation for the next day, reading cases for discussion in class, working on group assignments, preparing for another surprise quiz the next day and so forth. This easily takes up till around 2:00 am, when we finally reach our rooms. On a few days, we end up studying for some more time, before falling asleep.
   And then, the cycle repeats!
6. What is the first thing people would notice when they step into your college?
   The legendary ‘Harvard Steps’, and of course, the ‘Red Bricks’.
7. Tell us some good things about your college?
   - Canteen is open till 4:00 am and IIM Ahmedabad is famous for good food!
   - The people you study with are amazing. You get to learn a lot from everyone. The friends you make here, stay with you forever.
   - The teaching case methodology is just brilliant.
   - The LKP lawns
8. Tell us five things you would like to change about your college?
   Nothing comes to my head immediately. It’s everything at college that makes it special and memorable. Frankly, the first year at college, though hectic, is going to be missed!
9. What are the popular hangout places at your college?
   Nescafe, ‘Tapri’, and the LKP Lawns. Oh, and the library for group assignments. Not to forget the famous ‘Rambhai’!
10. How is the college crowd like?
    A diverse set of students from all over the country and students on exchange programmes from universities abroad. There is a good mix of people with experience at various organisations. And then there are freshers without any experience.
11. How are the hostel facilities at your college? Do you face any problems?
    Every student has an entire room to himself/herself. There are hostels for married students as well. There is an old hostel block and then there is the new hostel block. Both the blocks are connected by a subway.
    There are no problems. We have all the facilities -- newspapers we can subscribe to, tiffin boxes which we can get delivered to our rooms, a central mess, and many more things creates a good atmosphere to stay.
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12. What is the best part of your hostel life?
    The one thing I will take away from my first year is the habit to check my phone at 1:45 pm to see if we have a surprise quiz or not!
13. Tell us about the classes that are conducted?
    Over the year, we have come across all categories of classes. Some professors are strict about punctuality and assignments. Some classes can get slightly boring if students have studied something similar in their previous colleges. Classes can be real fun as well with simulation games and group activities and not just lectures.
14. How much attendance is compulsory?
    We are expected to have 100% attendance, unless in certain circumstances when we are sick. We can obtain a medical leave from the institute doctor.
    
15. Do you all bunk lectures or is the attendance always full?
    Given the 100% attendance rule and surprise quizzes for some courses (within the classroom session and not at the usual 2:45 pm), classes are usually full.
16. Is coming late to classes permitted? How do professors react to it?
    The doors are locked for someone who is late. So, we usually don’t get to see a professor reacting to someone who is late. And the student is outside the class.
17. Is there a lot of study pressure?
    The atmosphere is competitive. Given the fact that we have regular surprise quizzes, there is pressure to attend classes daily. Having said that if someone studies on a regular basis and manages to complete all assignments on time, there’s not much pressure.
    But frankly, completing the assignments in groups along with managing individual academics is a challenge. And this is where we learn to work in teams and manage individual work. But, first year is challenging, and at the end, worth it!
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18. Looks like you guys get lot of surprise tests?
    Haha! Yes. Almost every course has a surprise quiz component.
19. What are the recreational activities you are involved in? How do you unwind?
    I have been a part of the organising committee for the cultural fest and a member of the marketing club and the public speaking club. I have also been involved in many college competitions. I love to go out of campus with friends, exploring the places to eat in Ahmedabad.
20. What are your hobbies?
    I love watching sitcoms, travelling, eating, playing the keyboard and reading novels.
21. How is your college canteen and food? Is the food affordable?
    College food is decent. It is affordable and there are many options to choose from. Tiffin boxes delivered to your rooms, college mess, canteens, food outside campus, ‘Rambhai’ and so on.
22. Rate your college canteen and tell us about the best and worst dishes.
    I had enrolled myself with the central college mess only for two months. There are so many options otherwise. The best food to eat is Maggi at Nescafe, tea at Tapir or Maska Bun at Rambhai’s.
23. So, final words from you, how would you rate your college life at present? Is there anything you miss here?
    I am dreading graduating next year, as I am sure I will miss college life. I am quite certain that people with work-experience are happy to be back into college.