They say change is the only way of life. Perhaps this is the
directive which has been guiding my life in therecent years. My Journey to
pursue MBA froma premier Institute in India started 4 years back in the final
year of my graduation institute. The journey has been a bitter-sweet experience
as it spawned across 4 years. I struggled with demanding work pressure from workplace
and juggled it with preparation for MBA entrances. This process has had it
virtues in theform of lot of invaluable experiences. Come SNAP 2014, my life
was about to be turned in a newand exciting direction.
I appeared
for SNAP 2014 conducted by Symbiosis International University in the month of
December 2014 for admission to one of their most prestigious institutes in the
Country: SIBM Pune, founded in 1978 by theexemplary vision of Sir S.B.
Mujumdar. It ranks among thetop 15 Best B-Schools in the Country with alumni in
top positions across the corporate world. The exam went lucidly well in
accordance with my preparation and I eagerly awaited the results. In January
2015, the results came and I was shortlisted for GE-WAT/PI process by SIBM Pune
for themonth of Feb 2015. I can never forget the morning I drove into the
Lavale Campus of SIBM Pune. It is another charming world of its own. The
breathtaking 300 acre campus set on atop of the hill, lush green with manicured
gardens and trees andphotographic scenery totally bowled me and left me
awestruck. The ART team, one of constituent student councils-the pride of SIBM
Pune, facilitated the process fluently and ensured convenience and support to
the students present. I had one of the best experiences of GE-WAT/PI process.
Come May
2015, I was shortlisted to join SIBM Pune. I wasselected fromamong the 60,000
brilliant applicants across the country. I could remember my first reaction to
the result was to quote Ellis Boyd Redding from the iconic movie ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ –“I find I'm so excited I can barely sit still or
hold a thought in my head. I think it is the excitement only a free man can
feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain”.
I joined the campus
on 2nd June 2015a amidst heavy rains. The monsoons have made this
place even merrier. There was one week pre-induction program for the new
joinees. It started with address of directors and VC. The address of President
Sir S.B. Mujumdar was very inspiring with his guidance of holistic approach to
MBA program. Mr Prakash Iyer of ‘The Habit of Winning’ fame was thechief guest for
the induction programand his experiences of his MBA days were really motivating.
I spent the initialdays interacting with my batch mates and was glad to see
that students from different parts of the country and even fromoutside India
formeda good proportion. This will greatly facilitate cross cultural
interaction which is in itself a great learning experience. On exploringthe
campus, I found best in class infrastructure with respect to academic block, large
convention center, huge well-equipped library and a well maintained football
ground, sports complex equipped with basketball court, swimming pool, facilities
for playing snooker, table tennis, carom, badminton and squash for leisure
activities and also a well-equipped gymnasium. The campus has been designed to
be self-sustaining in itself. The classes started on a good note and we were
exposed to some of the best faculty members. The philosophy of academic rigor
with equal emphasis on extra-curricular strives to bring out the best among the
candidates.
As
like the sporting grounds, the post dinner time becomes ahotbed for networking
among peers and with seniors near the hostels. This provides aunique
opportunity to know the family members of Symbiosis. It is a great fortune to
be among the most motivated candidates with varied background and rich
experiences across the country. The interaction keeps my motivated and sets
higher standards to evolve into a dynamic personality inculcating both academic
discipline and extra-academic activities. I intend to make themost of the time
here and learn as much as possible and collaborate with fellow candidates on
numerous occasion of competitions, events etc. Last but not the least, I would
like to recall Allama Iqbal for his wise couplet-
“Khudiko karbuland itna ke hartaqder se pehle;
Khudabande se khud pooche bata teri raza kya hai.”
(Elevate yourself so high that even God, before issuing every decree of destiny, should ask you: Tell me, what is your intent?)
Khudabande se khud pooche bata teri raza kya hai.”
(Elevate yourself so high that even God, before issuing every decree of destiny, should ask you: Tell me, what is your intent?)
