Mystory@Abhishek K: How I made the most of my college years

Mystory@Abhishek K.

I love Mathematics and chose MPC in my intermediate education. My parents also suggested me to take the same combination. As I was already a student of Siva Sivani Degree College, I had more chances of getting admission in Siva Sivani Institute of Management, Hyderabad, which is one the premier B-schools in India. It offers PGDM triple specialisation so that one gets the knowledge of three specializations, to have better opportunities in the market place.

There are many guest lectures at Siva Sivani Institute of Management which gives us an opportunity to interact with delegates of corporates, so that we can improve our networking. Siva Sivani Institute of Management also provides internship opportunity for each and every student who joins SSIM, so that the student will have working knowledge and can know the industry atmosphere which will be very useful for them. All these factors made me choose Siva Sivani Institute of Management to pursue my post-graduation.

How I cracked college admission

I had sent an application to Siva Sivani Institute of Management as I had qualified the required eligibility to get admission into it. They had conducted a Psychometric test online just to test the candidate’s aptitude, which helps to take the desired specialization in 2nd year and I had got Marketing specialization which I am looking to take up in 2nd year. The test was followed by group discussion which is a very common round conducted in most B-schools to check the candidate’s general knowledge and communication skills. Once I cleared it, I had to finally appear for the personal interview.  

I have followed the guidelines of my family members, friends, seniors to get a good score in MAT and CAT exams. In order to get admission everyone should get a minimum of 50 percentile in management aptitude tests like CAT, MAT, XAT, ATMA etc. I scored 89 percentile in MAT, which easily got me a seat in Siva Sivani Institute of Management. I opted to join this institute and I liked the fact that it offers triple specialization course in PGDM.

My college life: Tips on successful time management

First of all, I prepare a schedule of my To-Do list which helps me manage all my activities. College always supports and encourages students when they are on the right path. They are also considerate with student attendance when one can show reasonable justification like participating in other college events like paper presentation, seminars etc.

Siva Sivani Institute of Management follows Book review session which is very useful and essential for a management student. Having to give presentations helps the student overcome nervousness.

Samanvay is one of the college fests where I was given the task of fund raising which tested my spontaneity, stress handling, multi-tasking and gave exposure of almost all the hardships. But the experience helped me learn how to manage time, how to give priority to work, how to build a strategy, how to conduct a meeting and most importantly how to deal with colleagues, how to maintain a team, how to control others, how to make a deal with sponsors, and how to negotiate with sponsors and other partners and how to handle a conflict.

I spend most of my time in college i.e. from 9:30am to 4:30pm and after that I go for a part-time job as junior accountant which pays me Rs 5000. Even though it’s difficult to go for a part-time after completion of college, but I am interested to work there as I get to gain working knowledge as an accountant. This is how I manage both my education and work life. Our college invites many guest speakers for Finance related topics which increases my knowledge in the area. These guest lectures allow for gaining a professional perspective on things. Yes, definitely these learnings in our college will have an impact for a bright career which made me opt for a part-time job and earn while I learn. It’s helpful to prepare a schedule for what you want to do in a day and complete it within the scheduled time.

About the Author:

I am Abhishek K. I completed BCom in Siva Sivani Degree College and now I’m pursuing PGDM. My hobbies are reading books and listening to music. I am interested in Financial Services and want to become a financial planner in a multi-national company like Deloitte.