Getting Started !!

Once I was in Ashok Leyland it didnt take long to realize how invaluable a management education is. And how work ex would add value to that education. I knew exactly what I wanted to add to myself before I got to ISB.  

I went through their formal induction and at the beginning of July'07 I was posted to Mumbai. My main reason for choosing Mumbai (over Mangalore - which was my hometown) was because it was the Maximum city. What people would take years to learn in any city, Mumbai would teach it to them in a matter of few months. Life here is tougher than other other place in India. People are tougher to deal with, you get a 500 sq.ft apartment at a rent which would fetch you a bungalow in any other city, living close to office is a luxury which meant you had to rent at a place which was atleast 25-30 kms from where your office was and thus journey times were in hours !!

In a few months I gelled into the city and felt I was ready for the journey to ISB. Thats when I brought my laptop and got a internet connection. Started with researching about GMAT and found that you had to get registered at mba.com and book a date and pay $250. 

Timing the GMAT was critical as it has a bearing on lot of things. It is important to get it out of the way before you start researching and applying to schools. Though GMAT is not a deciding factor but it is not something that can be ignored. It forms a very important part of your 'profile'. That more or less tells you which schools you can apply and forms a integral part of the admission strategy. So I decided on March 25 and booked my date with GMAT. 

The journey just got started !!

Ready for the Journey !!

ISB was a relatively unknown world to me when I had joined NIT Warangal. For me and lakhs of others, a fundoo MBA meant only IIM. Its as if the others never existed or we did not want to acknowledge their existence. Its only with the advent of Orkut in my life that I learnt about ISB.

Orkut had become quite a rage when I was in my third year at College. With orkut came alive all NITWs cyber-romeos. One such romeo came across this profile of a very pretty female who was studying at ISB. Needless to say he sent a friend request to her and she obliged. At that time though our romeo spoke highly of ISB I still thought of it as just another college with a Angrez name who keeps putting ads in papers. Towards the end of the year my impression of ISB took  a U-turn.

ISB had come to our college to conduct a information session with few of my alums to attract talent. The session totally changed my perception of ISB. This looked pretty like the US B-Schools that I kept hearing about on campus, blogs & CEO profiles. They were very clear in stressing the importance of Work Ex and how a work ex + MBA would add more value than a MBA before Work ex. This was when I decided to pursue management studies. Till then I wanted to be just a Engineering graduate from a premier Indian School working his way up in any company. I never thought a MBA was required or that it would add any value. Gosh !! How wrong I was !!

I had my road ahead clear. Work at Ashok Leyland (my dream company) for 3 years and then ISB. I had drawn the same on my room walls telling people clearly that IIMs were not for me. While some supported my dreams there were others who ridiculed my ambition saying that "You lose your academic touch by 3 years. You will not be able to devote time to prepare while working." But I knew only thing: Where there is a will there is a way !!

By god's grace in my final year I managed to clear Ashok Leyland's selection process on Day Zero on July 9, 2005 and was going to my dream company in less than a year. That was Stage 1 accomplished and I was ready for the journey !!