Mystory@K Sushmitha Seshu: How I chose my course and college

Mystory@K Sushmitha Seshu

As I was the school topper during my higher secondary education, my relatives and close friends insisted that I go for MBBS. But somewhere in the corner of my heart I knew that it was not my cup of tea, cutting open frogs, earthworms and for that matter human beings. Being born into a South Indian family the process of elimination left PCM as the only option, which I finished as a topper in my college.    

Next was the question of choosing the branch of engineering which I had to pursue. Like many of the students, as I suppose, I had no clue as to what specialisation should be chosen. I barely had any idea what each of the specialisations dealt with, and this made my search for colleges directed towards my dream of graduating from a college of University.  Fortunately, I got into Osmania University College of Technology with chemical engineering as my specialisation. Though I finished my course with an A+ grade, I was still doubtful about my career as I was during my intermediate.

With the craze of going abroad I took my GRE with a decent 309 in my stream; it was not out of passion for studies but to enjoy student life in the western countries. However, this lack of passion made me withdraw my plans of flying abroad as it would involve humongous amount of money.

When you have no idea what to do, do the best possible. I just wanted the best of the B-schools and possibly stay in my home town. That’s how I’ve landed at Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), Hyderabad.

When in doubt, do not waste your time and energy trying to figure out what your passion is. Instead grab the opportunities that come your way, put your sweat and blood into it. Then immaterial of whether you find your passion or not, you would definitely not regret spending your time in something productive instead of spending your entire life in answering one question “what is my passion?”

How I cracked college admission

When I decided to do my post-graduation in management studies, I started a search for the best B-schools and possibly in Hyderabad. Based on a personal suggestion of my family friend, I narrowed down to only one college, IPE. By the time I applied for the college, ATMA test conducted by All India Management Association was round the corner. I didn’t approach any coaching centre as that would consume a lot of time which I couldn’t afford. As an engineering graduate, I had good knowledge about aptitude tests and I’ve previously taken few tests during placements in college. With the same confidence I decided to prepare for the test all by myself and had to crack it with a good score to get into IPE.

My preparation started 15 days before the test and I focused first on areas of the aptitude test which I was weak in. After a vigorous practice in those sections, I moved on to building up my speed in answering the questions as time management was the vital contributor in scoring. As the test was nearing I concentrated on solving the previous question papers online. After about a couple of weeks, the scores of the test were released and I was very much happy and satisfied with my score, 98.47 percentile.

Immediately after the scores were announced, I received a call letter to attend the Group Discussion and Personal Interview for the college. I brushed on my basics of engineering and some current affairs to help me during the GD. When I was done with my GD and PI I was pretty confident of getting through, the result was also as expected.

What I gained from my college experience

Compared to my undergraduate days, my schedule at IPE is more productive because of two main reasons. First, as I avail the hostel facility the commuting time is saved. Secondly, the lectures during the class hours, alongside the syllabus also imbibe a sense of responsibility towards our career and society. The course is designed in such a way that all the subjects are relevant to the current industry trends which makes it inevitable to attend all the classes and not to miss any one in particular. However, lectures which are not mundane and are activity based attract my full attention.

Most of the time I spend in the college is attending the lectures, which implies that the professors make the students get entirely into the subject. Once done with the classes, newspaper reading, brisk walk, participating in online competitions are some of my past times. Being a member of the quiz club, keeping myself updated with current affairs and preparing for a few prestigious quizzes is a must. I’m also a part of the social media and communications club, which asks me to keep updating the events happening in the college. Apart from these regular activities, I’ve been a core team member for Startupedia’17 which a national level b-plan competition organised by our institute annually. Engagement of college ambassadors for our annual management fest and competitions is one thought I have in mind, which I’m working on.

My present institute has taught me true management skills of dealing with people. I should say that it has an appreciable impact on me with regards to my personality and attitude towards life. It has ascertained that respect, not attention, is desirable. With the positive environment around and the type of friends that I made here, I get enough motivation to work towards my ambitions. I would like to quote the situation where we, a group of four friends, have participated in a case study competition conducted during Insight’16 at IIM-A, with the mere motivation of one member of the group. We stood at second position and also got a chance to work with A C Nielsen as interns which I consider as an achievement. This shows what influence do people surrounding you can have on your life. But at the same time life wants each one of us to be independent and, to be more precise, self-sufficient. This is a key take away for me from life at IPE. My post-graduation study has made me mature enough in planning out my career and making crucial decisions in life. Finally, I would say that this institute has not only added to my educational qualification but also made me a better human being.

About the Author:

As a chemical engineer turned management graduate, I would like to know all the aspects of a business and promote green technology to gift a safer and greener Earth to the future generations. Dance being my hobby and passion, I have a keen eye for arts. Do-It-Yourself is another past time for me to recycle waste products. I view life as a pessimist as it makes me walk that extra mile to achieve the goals. But when it comes to people I only see the positive side of them, after all a pessimist is a good optimist.