IIHMR University has made me very disciplined and determined, says Ishan Dwivedi

I belong to a typical Indian family where everyone pressurizes you to choose Science as your stream because they feel that it provides a lot of scope to a student in the future. I was not sure what I wanted to do but my parents somehow convinced me to choose Science in my higher secondary. Despite scoring low marks in my 10th standard I managed to get Science as my stream through various references and donations.

Later my uncle and aunt convinced me to give NDA (National Defense Academy) exam to get the NCC- C certificate. I qualified for all the physical tests and interviews and got selected in NCC from the 7 UP Squadron Air Force, Banaras Hindu University. But to continue further I needed to join any of the undergraduate courses. So after much deliberation, I went ahead with BSc although I wanted to take a year drop after my 12th to be clear about my career choices.

After my first year of BSc, I decided to leave the course and took admission in Philosophy Honors at Banaras Hindu University. I met some scholars there who helped me in gaining good knowledge and hands-on experience in my field. During my second year, I started my own foundation named Kashvi that gave me a different perspective of living life happily and wholeheartedly. After completing my graduation I researched various post-graduate courses and came across the Rural Management course. It caught my attention as it includes my interest. So, I decided to pursue it. Currently, I am pursuing MBA in Rural Management at Indian Institute Health Management Resource, Jaipur.

After getting rejected by TISS in Rural Development, I got an entry into the directories of various career agents who would help me to get into the best MBA institutes in India. Soon, I started getting calls from various top institutions in India without even filling up the form of any of them. Being a fresher makes you pay a lot in this cruel world. I trusted my agent whom I thought to be my well-wisher but his aim was to extract money from me. I was lucky enough to not get trapped in his foolish blandishments. He suggested to me several colleges like Xavier's, Narsee Monjee, and many more. According to him, all of them were ready to give me admission without any entrance exam, GD, or PI. I am an average student and I was sure that I can't be so good that these colleges will just take me to their college without any GD/PI. All this made me question the intentions of my agent and I immediately decided to get rid of him. 

In February, I filled the form for the MAT exam and scored good marks in it. I cracked the admission in IIHMR University, Jaipur via MAT entrance exam. Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is a standard aptitude test conducted in India by the All India Management Association (AIMA). MAT is used for admission to Master of Business Administration (MBA). To be honest, I really didn't go to any coaching institute or online learning programs for this entrance exam's preparation. I was totally devoted to getting admission in this college only. After clearing Group Discussion and Personal Interview on zoom, I got admitted to this college in Rural Management. 

I belong to the 2020 batch. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have not experienced campus life yet. All our classes are conducted online through Microsoft Teams app daily for almost 4-5 hrs except for Saturday and Sunday. I spend my time writing down the notes during lectures. Whenever I miss any of my lectures due to waking up late or for any other reason I make sure to request my teachers to mail me the lecture's PPT. Right now, we have only four modules/subjects. All the subjects are taught by different teachers. The teaching is based on practical examples and ideas covering up the whole perspective of the particular situation or case. The college has organized Foundation Day and Teacher's Day till now. I took part in the singing competition as I can sing both in male and female voices. 

I am the Class Representative of my batch. Due to the online mode, we still do not have a clear idea about the college and its efforts towards its students. I think after entering the campus we will get a more clear idea about IIHMR. The day we will give our first attendance on the campus, the countdown of our career life, and the college's efforts to give their best on all standards will start. I believe the more experience you gain, the more perspective you get and this will clear your thought process in many ways. Sooner or later your experiences and hard work will make you successful. The college experience has made me more disciplined. I now make sure to submit my assignments before deadlines.

About the Author :

Ishan Dwivedi belongs to Varanasi (the city of Ghats). He is pursuing his Master in Rural Management. He loves singing and he is also the founder of Kashvi Trust. Being the founder of the trust has given me a different perspective of life. I have also served as an NCC flight cadet and earned a Camp certificate. I have tried my hands in the E-commerce business through  thestorelook.com. It was a USA based E-commerce website and got to know about digital marketing, SEO, and optimizing websites. I am also interested in the stock market and mutual funds.