Journey from GCT to IIM-I

Senthil Kumar, Production Engineering (2010-2014), talks about his experiences in GCT, IIM-I and much more.

1. An introduction about you to our readers

A simple guy from a farming community. Never had regrets during childhood, never looked back into the past, never had an idea for the future but always lived in the present. Had good academic scores, was good in sports and a role model student (well its hard to believe but that’s the truth ! ).This was until my 10th standard. Then the race started. Had to switch schools for better marks, gave up my hobbies, sports for studies and those 2 years were real mechanical and literally had nothing worth doing other than studies. When I wrote my board exams I deduced my scores even before the results came out (to my surprise it was the same!!) and started looking for a unique career in engineering rather than a good old common field and production engineering caught my eye. Honestly it was just because I chose production, I got into GCT and not the other way around. Well life in GCT was a whole new deal. Even  for a guy like me who spent almost half his life in hostel, GCT was real different. Professors taught but not instructed and  ‘freedom’ was the real thing in GCT. This was when I had time to explore myself and be the judge of who I am and what was I capable of,  developed a new interest in computers and stuff (well I was a SYSCOM guy), made friends. This helped in setting my goals (CAT) clearly and I started working towards it. Looking back all those years, I still didn’t have any regrets while my friends had a list full of them ( well cracking JEE, AIEEE to name a few).The decisions that I made was all me and nobody else and even if it might had been a bad choice it was me who made them. If a guy regrets his own decision then what good will it do if he doesn’t believe in his own decisions. And so at last I ended up here in IIM-I.

2. Factual description about your journey from GCT to IIM Indore

Right after I finished my 12th board exams, I researched for a unique field (as I said earlier) and this decision was made on the basis of a broader perspective of choices that I can make in my later years and  production engg was the most viable choice. When I started my 2nd year,I did a little research on my further moves after B.E. I had so many choices  (Job, M.E,M.S,MBA, govt. exams and even value added courses like welding and others). That moment I  analysed myself, I narrowed it down to MBA. I thought an early start would do justice to the cause and went for CAT coaching during my third  year. Learnt the what and what nots of the exam and made my way through to the initial process and got calls from IIMs. To be blunt the first interview process for the new IIMs was a complete disaster and it gave me a real thought process on refining myself to meet up the IIM standards. For an IIM interview,the questions  are always the unexpected ones. One can’t really know the thought process of an interviewer just by asking their fellow interviewee.The real expectations of the interview is not to know that one is knowledgeable but eligible for the course. And because of the experience I got, I was able to figure out and worked upon it. Well eventually, it had good results!

3. What makes IIM’s special when compared to other B schools across the country? How do you rate IIM -Indore when compared to other IIM’s and top B schools across the world?

Well IIM has well established structure with better hands-on approach. A quality teaching always indulges a quality learning and I found this to be prevalent in IIM’s. To answer your next question is a real paradox and I really don’t have the stats to support the facts. Every IIM is a star in its own way and a statement on  comparison with world’s top B-Schools can’t be just made by  a whim and I am no expert in extensive statistics for comparison.

4. Describe your typical day at IIM?

A typical day would always involve lectures (not boring as GCT).The classes always have a two-way interaction and they don’t just teach stuff but they also induce a significant fact that the problems that we encounter during the course aren’t the ones that always occur but also more complex or more simpler problems may also be a cause.They usually have assessment  and finals just like any other college. Apart from that we have rigorous club activities, other outdoor activities and stuff.

5. What are the different kind of opportunities that one can get after graduating from IIM’s?

A typical IIMian would always make an impression over other typical B-school grads.Whether it may be a job or becoming an entrepreneur or other things, they always stand apart. The recruiter always expects the best for his/her company and IIM’s deliver the best and the recruiters know that.

6. How will you describe your life at IIM-I. What are the different kind of opportunities that one can get outside their classroom?

Well, outside activities are mostly club activities other than going for competitions. Projects are given by companies for the students to impart new ideas for themselves and also to stimulate a corporate experience to the students.

7. How hard it is to compete and excel in a campus with the finest minds across the country?

Well,they are fine minds to compete but if I had gone through the same process as the finest minds , it does mean that I do posses some stuff comparable to them (well this is not about boasting myself or anything). People always know their stuff but on what degree and how you see them is what that matters. My classmates and roomies are experienced and I am a rookie and in that perspective I’m at a little disadvantage and that’s all.

8. Your plans after graduating from IIM-I?

Obviously for a corporate job in Marketing (hopefully). I have plans for my own firm after earning a sustainable sum for investing. Planning on what type of firm should I start. But still it is too early to decide for a long term goal and I still haven’t given it a proper thought.

9. Has the experience of studying in GCT helped you in cracking CAT and furthermore helped you in getting accustomed to the life in GCT ? 

Yes ! It was a self learning process and experience in GCT and that aspect was a significant factor in mentoring myself up in IIM.

10. If given a chance to go back to your stay at GCT , would have done anything different?

Nope. I would have done the same thing again.

11. If you are given a chance to go back to your placement time, would you still choose to go for higher studies?

Yes. I would rather take up CAT the next year even if had a failure in my 1st attempt than ending up in an IT job (No Offense intended :p)

12. Your message and advice to CAT aspirants across GCT.

Truth to be told, there’s no secret recipe in cracking CAT.There are 2 things that one need to be clear about him/herself before taking CAT

1.)Are you passionate enough to work towards it?

2.)Don’t you ever give up even if its a failure in the 1st attempt.

Well this is what I thought to myself and one need not take up on these words seriously or maybe take up as a passing thought by someone.The reason I say this is because the thought processes are different among people. So its important that how they perceive it matters.