Mystory@Aman Saxena: How I chose my course and college

Mystory@Aman Saxena

I am proud of being an alumnus of City Montessori School, which bagged the Guinness World Records title for registering 39,437 pupils in the academic year 2010-2011. It provides its students with world class education facility and exposure at international level by organising various international competitions and seminars like ‘International Chief Justice Meets’. I was never a good student in Math and Science, and I always struggled in these subjects. My tuition teacher was well aware of this and advised me to go for Commerce as I may not be able to tackle Science in future. So, I decided to opt for Commerce in class XI-XII. In 2 years, the subject I liked the most was Economics. I performed well in XI and XII.

After class XII, I appeared for entrance exam of National PG College, one of the best college for BCom in Lucknow and was able to complete it with good marks. I opted for BCom as it was easy going for me I secured good marks in all the semesters. I was doing fine in graduation as well as in extra-curricular activities. As a student, I used to take active part in debates and elocution competitions and was always keen about getting to know and interact with people from diverse backgrounds to get to know about their perspectives on various social, political and other miscellaneous topics.  

How I cracked MBA college admission

In final year of my graduation, my friend insisted me to appear for MAT exam. At that point of time I knew nothing about MBA or MBA entrance exams. I accompanied my friend and appeared for MAT. Luckily, I secured a very good score in MAT. This unexpected score delighted my parents and they were reluctant that I should join MBA college based on MAT. But I decided to prepare for CAT, as I was now dreaming for top B-Schools of India.

So, for the next four months I prepared for CAT with undecimated dedication. Unfortunately, I failed to score a good percentile in CAT and this was a great setback for me. I somehow motivated myself again and this time my target was CMAT, and I went through the previous year and model question papers and had a look at the scores of students who secured 99 percentiles last year. Keeping that goal in mind I appeared for CMAT and secured a very good score and  was also able to secure a good percentile in XAT. I applied in IFMR, Great Lakes, K J Somaiya and TAPMI through my CMAT and XAT score. Though, I was not able to convert TAPMI but managed to convert the other three colleges. I did not get the stream of choice in K J Somaiya and looking at my Commerce background my parents asked me to go for IFMR.   

What I gained from my college experience

Till now life in Financial Management and Research (IFMR) has been full of learning new things and getting real time experiences of life in a corporate. IFMR is known for its contribution towards society. Events like ‘Lakshmi Bal Mahotsav’ and ‘Swachh Bharat Run’ organised by IFMR makes it stand apart from other B-Schools in this part of India. It also gives us a chance to get hands-on experience in organising events and negotiating with management through student council.

Student Council is formed which works for students needs and requirements. It is elected by students enrolled in the course. The Student council comprises of a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Election Officer, which is hierarchical in nature. Various clubs and committees have been formed by students. They keep students involved in various events based on the current trends in the corporate world. Here in IFMR, I also got a chance to be a part of ‘Model UN’ (MUN) just like actual UN meet where all the countries discuss on various problems and issues.

IFMR is known for its research work in the field of Finance and the same can be experienced in the environment developed by students and professors. Library in IFMR is well-equipped with numerous journals and databases. Location of IFMR is also an advantage for the students, IFMR is located in Sri City, an SEZ in Andhra Pradesh. Students frequently visit the nearby companies and interact with the managers, supervisors, technical and operational heads. These industry visits sensitise students to the practical challenges that organisations face in the business world and also give students better clarity about various management concepts as they can practically see how these concepts are put into action. Apart from studies, students are very enthusiastic about cultural activities. Festivals like Durga Pooja, Lohri, Onam, Pongal are celebrated with zeal. Even after the tight schedules of classes, I do put extra efforts in taking part in the events. I came to know in these 8 months that life is all about enjoying all the moments of life and managing your time efficiently to do the same.

About the Author:

I am pursuing MBA from Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR). I am a fresher and I want to pursue career in Risk Management. I like to read fiction novels especially Thriller genre, listening to classical music and spending quality time with my family.