Mystory@Mir Noaman Ali: How I selected my course and college

Mystory@Mir Noaman Ali

My choice of going with the Science stream in XIth and XIIth standard was due to several reasons like sibling rivalry, IIT aspiration, and school culture, but if something particularly drove me towards this choice it was my love for Mathematics. There were times during my IIT JEE preparation where it was more important for me to score really well at Math compared to even getting into IIT!

The same love for Math along with a desire to understand how financial statements affect corporate strategy drove me to B-School and I’m glad that I secured admission into Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi University, that enjoys such rich heritage and reputation among the Indian corporates. MBA as a career option, in general, is quite enriching and getting into a top B School has only multiplied the advantages at several levels.

How I cracked admission into FMS Delhi – Prep tips

For Indian citizens to get into FMS Delhi, a valid CAT Score is mandatory. Right from my late engineering days itself I started appearing for mock CAT papers. This helped me prepare for the actual exam not just academically but also strategically. If you are to do well in CAT you have to be good in strategy and decision making, in addition to being thorough with the syllabus.

As a B-School aspirant who was doing well in mock CAT papers, I was very clear that I had to get into a Tier I college and with a decent CAT percentile backed with good PI+ extempore performance I could convert my FMS call and secure admission into its flagship MBA program.

I did not appear for any other entrance test but I would suggest others to appear for as many B-School entrance exams as optimally feasible. On the exam day, it is equally important to have a positive mindset that will help you raise your performance, as the occasion demands.  Also, care must be taken that preparation for round 2 of admission (GD-WAT-PI-Extempore) should be started as soon as a candidate is through with the entrance exams. This will give you ample time to prepare well and convert any interview calls into admission offers.

How I made the most of my college years

The best part about getting into a good B-school is the kind of challenges you face throughout the tenure of your course. At FMS, the journey so far has been a roller coaster ride with loads of unpredictability and rigor. A packed schedule does put me under pressure which works as eustress and aids in performing to the best of my capabilities. The preparation for summer placements was quite rigorous at FMS, and the placement season was immediately followed by our semester exams.  

Apart from academics, I’m the General Secretary of VKRV Rao Hostel, Delhi University, so majority of my times goes in shuttling between academic activities, placement related preparation and discharging my responsibilities towards the coveted VKRV Rao Hostel (named after Prof VKRV Rao, believed to be the brainchild of FMS). In my free time, which is elusive since entry into FMS, I love to catch up with my old friends and family members, watch educational videos or enjoy a delicious meal in Old Delhi. If given a chance, I’d love to replicate my leadership success at FMS too, in a suitable role.

Being the campus representative of FMS Delhi at Shiksha, I take a lot of pride in helping FMS aspirants clear out any misconceptions and in providing all the necessary support and information to ensure that they come out with flying colours. I’m grateful to Info Edge India for giving me this opportunity at this platform of Shiksha.

About the Author:

I’m Mir Noaman Ali, currently a first year student at FMS Delhi. I completed BTech from IIT Roorkee in 2015. I’ve worked in Oracle Financial Services Software in the 9 month period between my graduation and MBA. I scored 99.87 percentile in CAT 2015 and 99.41 percentile in CAT 2014. I’ll be pursuing my internship this summer at TAS.