Mystory@Srijita Sarkar: How I chose my course and college

Mystory@Srijita Sarkar

Ever since my elementary school days, I had an interest in Science. So, after my 10^th board exams, I selected Science stream for my Class 11 and 12. With my father being an engineer at KRIBHCO Fertilisers and my formative years spent in a township where engineers were the most in number, it was not a surprise that I had an interest in the subject. I decided to prepare for engineering entrance exams and thus was selected in Civil Engineering programme of Nirma University, Ahmedabad. In the four years I spent there, I realised that there are a whole lot of options available for making one’s mark in the world.

Civil engineering has taught me a lot of things and has shaped my personality a lot. And it also opened a lot of doors which I had unintentionally kept locked for myself. It freed my mind and made me try and accept the risks that came with experimentation.

How I cracked college admission

During my engineering days, I thought a lot about what to do next. Doing MBA was a natural choice and the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became. Though I liked the discipline of my graduation, I couldn’t see myself working and enjoying in that field. As a person, I love to talk, discuss with people, strategise and layout plans etc. and doing MBA from a reputed institute will enable me to do that. Due to this thought process I prepared for MBA entrances like CAT, SNAP, XAT etc. and I ended up joining the coaching institute which majority of my classmates who had similar aspirations attended.

I ended up receiving various GE-PI calls after the entrance exams but after the process got over and the call letters started arriving, I decided to join Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune.

My college life: classes, extra-curricular activities and more

SIBM Pune is well-known for its student-driven culture and this is visible from the day the aspirants come to the campus for the GE-PI-WAT Process. The entire admission process is managed by the Aspirant Relations Team, one of the nine teams that form the Students’ Council, along with the student volunteers. All the aspects of the institute, from admissions to PR to placements to cultural activities to social initiatives etc. are managed by members of the students’ council and their event associates. Being part of the Information Systems and Media Relations Team (which is the PR Team of the institute) has given me great insights as to how a brand image is created and maintained. As part of the team, I have learned the basics of photography, magazine editing and various nuances of taking interviews of corporates which I had not known before.

Apart from that, I am also a member of the women’s basketball team and have participated in XLRI’s Valhalla 2016 and in SIBM Pune’s Gravitas 2017. Being a part of a team and playing games enables one to approach a problem from various angles instead of developing a tunnel vision.

These activities have enabled me to grow a lot as a person and have helped me develop a calmer and a more patient approach towards problems.

About the Author:

I am Srijita, a Civil Engineering graduate from Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad. Currently I am in first year of MBA in Marketing at SIBM Pune. I am also a junior member of Information Systems and Media Relations Team which is the PR Team of SIBM Pune. I love writing short stories and poems and am a regular contributor at Fanfiction.net. My other interests include reading novels, watching anime, TV series and movies as well as playing basketball and badminton.