This is my first blog to cheer up the guys who are entering the next phase in their life – the journey to acquire an MBA. Let us start with a rap song!!
A rapper from the US sang this amazing piece:
“If heaven ain’t like Detroit
I don't want to go. If heaven ain't a lot like Detroit I'd just a soon stay home If they ain't got no 8 mile Like they do in the D Just send me to hell or Salt Lake City It would be about the same to me”
Why did I like it, a guy with little interest in rap songs? This song tickled me and made me smile. Why? Apart from the slang, it was close to the life of an aspiring MBA.
Is your life journey for the next 1-2 years heading towards Detroit, Salt Lake City, Hell, or home?
While speaking to incoming MBA students at IIM – Ranchi, on their induction day, a rare privilege for me, I was reminded of my days 20 years ago. When I entered the world of IIM – Ahmedabad, with the magnificent Louis Kahn Plaza, I was awestruck by the rich legacy of the institution (both faculty and alumni). But I also had trepidation. I would be the oldest student in the MBA program, with 8 years’ industrial experience. Questions popped up: Can I adapt to a new environment? Will I measure up to the challenges of case discussions, group exercises, chai at “Rambhai”, queue for the food in the mess, the frequent late night “dorm screams”, and late night movies ??
The first week was close to hell. Everything new. On top of it, a quiz was held unannounced, and the results were disastrous for the whole batch. Nobody got an A. Only one guy got a B, all the rest obtained various subdivisions of C, C+, C, C-. The guy with the B was bragging all over the campus on how to crack cases. Second hit: professor called an emergency meeting, and said “Guys, shape up”. We will give you one more assignment. Time allowed for submission is 1 day.
We were given loads of exhibits, and data, which had very little to do with the case. A question on financial aspects, let to an exhibit that described topics on psychology. We were left wondering as to whether MBA has a greater connotation of linking psychology to finance. Everyone put a “night out” – groggy with red eyes, to figure out the puzzle. Submission done within 24 hours.
But it was a hoax! Everything was stage-managed – to test our mental/physical stamina, rein in our inflated ego of cracking the CAT, and brought us back to real life with a bang. But it was pulled off flawlessly.
Learning: Good marketing can fool anyone! And, do not assume that you are over smart!In the next blog, I will speak about something more pertinent: How to get shortlisted for anything, a job or admission, through a killer resume.