Mystory@Dipanjan Bhattacharjee: How I chose my college and career path

Mystory@Dipanjan Bhattacharjee

Studying in Khalsa Model Senior Secondary School, one of the decent CBSE schools in Northern Kolkata was a nice experience. It provided favourable conditions since the best of talents from Northern Kolkata gravitated to this school, so a sense of tough competition always prevailed. In school, I won various inter-school athletic competitions. In academics, I was good at Mathematics, English and Science but refrained from Social Science. I knew that it will be not be an easy task to get a decent score in Class Xth. So, I joined tuitions which was required for me to improve my score in Board exams. I got a decent score in Class Xth and like many other students, I was also influenced by my fellow mates to take Science. Soon I realised that it is not my cup of tea and this got reflected in my XIIth results.

In the final year of my graduation, I was offered internship in one of the leading pharmaceutical company of Eastern India. After my graduation, I joined ‘Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company’ to get exposure into the field of finance and marketing thinking that this will give me an edge over others in the long run as I already planned to do MBA. I was getting more inclined towards marketing and sales. This developed my interest in following peer marketing strategies of newer products and reading marketing books. But I still have to learn a lot in this field of Banking and Insurance, with an aim to become ‘Actuary’ in an Insurance company. IFMR was a good choice, as it is a known institute in the field of Financial Research. I will be getting ample amount of options to learn and enhance my skills.   

How I cracked college admission

During my working life in Dai-ichi Life Insurance I started preparation for MBA as decided. I joined coaching and attended weekend classes. But this was becoming too hectic for me, so I decided to quit the job and practice full time. My family did support my decision of resigning from job. As I was weak in Quantitative, I practiced it for long hours. Mock exams at coaching helped me to sit and take the test for long hours. GD/PI-WAT/PI sessions of coaching institute helped me a lot. I appeared for CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, CMAT and found CAT and XAT was bit tougher as compared to others.

I got calls through my CMAT and SNAP score. Coaching centres also assisted me in applying to colleges. I also appeared for selection procedures of few lower ranked MBA colleges to get a feel of the interview process in the month of December. I started gathering general knowledge from various sources, reading newspaper daily and watching lots of documentaries. Generally, interviewers of most colleges focused more on my work experience. I got calls from five colleges and converted two. I joined a college and even paid the first-year fees, but then I got call from a better college i.e. Institute of Financial Management and Research (IFMR) so I reversed my decision.

My college experience   

When I first arrived in IFMR, its infrastructure enthralled me with scenic beauty of hills, lakes, small stream of water in flowing around the campus with white ducks playing in it. I found the residential facilities comfortable, which is a basic assistance for studies. Induction process in the initial couple of weeks was very helpful to kick start the MBA program. As classes started we were bombarded with classes, quizzes, projects and exams. As IFMR has a trimester system, life is fast and hectic. I got the opportunity to attend guest lectures on current trends and this lets one get in-tune with industry trends.

Along with academics we have student council under which there are various clubs and committees to keep students involved in co-curricular activities. Members for each club/committee are selected through personal interviews and I was selected for ‘External Relations’ committee. Along with studies and committee work I was working on various live projects to get more industry exposure. IFMR has students from 22 states which shows the diversity on campus. Students celebrate all major festivals of India with great vigor. Being a native of Bengal I actively took part in organising Durga pooja. I actively participated in the annual fest of IFMR - Abhudaya.

IFMR has faculty from IIMs and with good industry experience. In the first trimester, I built an inclination towards Marketing and I never missed a class. Faculty members shared their real-life work experiences. IFMR also has great pool of PhD scholars who help us in learning more about their subject of research.
IFMR is also in close proximity to some tourist attractions. In the first week, itself we have been to Pulicat Lake, the second largest brackish water lake of India. In the 2nd trimester we planned a trip to Kodaikanal.  Life at IFMR is very enriching and full of new learning experiences.

About the Author:

I am pursuing MBA from Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR). I worked for one year as Bancassurance Sales Officer in Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance company. I like to watch documentary movies, listen to music and read novels. I am an adventurous person and like to go on long road-trips.