The college helped me to overcome the pent-up fright of speaking: Naquia Mamoowala

I knew what I wanted to pursue for my higher studies since 8th standard. My inclination towards the idea of having my own business and being an entrepreneur made me take up commerce in +2. Further, choosing a management course was the best option available. I took up BBA as my undergraduate degree which I am pursuing currently from ILEAD. The reason I chose this college because of its infrastructure and the scholarship offered to the students which is a wonderful financial aid. I won’t say ILEAD is the best option for a management course but definitely it will emerge out to be a better one in the coming future. Comparing with other colleges in Kolkata, ILEAD is an average college. However, analyzing the growth of the institution from the time of its establishment, it has definitely shown a notable improvement and has a lot of scope of reaching the top in future.

The admission procedure of ILEAD (Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development) includes group discussion and personal interview rounds. Then, the students have to appear in the mandatory CET/IMAT examination which is an aptitude test consisting of basic logical reasoning, quantitative and general knowledge. Preparing for the exam does not really require any additional coaching. Self-study and practicing from previous year exam papers is enough. In a nutshell, it is pretty easy to crack the admission in this college provided you meet the basic admission criteria of scoring at least 55% in your boards and having English as a mandatory subject. While I was searching for colleges, I had applied to JD Birla Institute and ILEAD. I had prioritized JDBI as my first choice. After getting selected for the interview I came to know that the college doesn’t have any standardized exam; the institute has an oral aptitude test system where the students’ overall performance in academics, extracurricular activities and general knowledge about the subjects are evaluated at the time of the interview itself.  

Depending upon the course, the total duration of the classes is 6-8 hours long. The college follows a strict rule of attendance and thus, most of the time is spent in attending lectures. During the break, I spend my time in the canteen or playing football or pool in the sports complex. After college, we mostly have our weekly football/cricket/basketball practices for both boys and girls. During the first two semesters, I found the classes very boring as it was a repetition of what was taught in +2. However, currently, in the third semester, the subjects have become much more interesting with the introduction of new topics like business law.

Speaking of the activities in the college, I volunteered for most of the seminars and events held at the campus like intra-college competitions, business events or intercollege fests.

Talking about how college life and experience change you as a person, it is difficult to pen it down in words. The experience and changes vary from person to person. Generally, the college environment has a major impact on your personality in terms of how you interact with peers, mentors, and others. It gives you a taste of how things work in the real world and makes you come out of your shell. In my case, the college has made me come out of my comfort zone and try new things, helped me to overcome the pent-up fright of speaking in public and made me take a step forward to achieve my goals. Moreover, it has given me opportunities to work, interact with new people and think rationally in difficult situations.

About the Author:

Hi! I am Naquia Mamoowala. From a very young age, I always aspired to be an entrepreneur. So, this led me to take up Commerce as my subject in +2 and BBA as my Undergraduate course from iLEAD, Kolkata. Other than this, my passion also lies in reading and writing especially snippets and micro tales. I love playing football and pool.