Mystory@Aarushi Bhatt: How I selected my course and college

Life was blissful during school…sharing food, secret first crush, fighting and then becoming friends, learning new things etc. But all this changed when I entered Class Xth. Just like every other student, I too was confused about “which field”, “what background”, “what to do?” – these are normal questions which cross every student’s mind.
But with proper guidance from my parents (Thank God, they never forced me to choose what they like), and counseling session by my school management, I was able to select my branch easily. Every student in my school had to go through three rounds, which was more like a game and getting a free period back then but in the end it actually helped us know what we are good at. I chose Science stream with Computer Science as my elective in Class XI-XII.

Thankfully, subjects like Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics actually help to develop more interest towards engineering. During my engineering days, I took part in organising many college events, which made me realise that I am very good with handling people, can easily work with teams, and achieve targets on time and this keeps me happy during my work.

So, I decided to go for a management degree in Marketing and Sales. I chose SIES College of Management in Navi Mumbai. This college is ACBSP accredited, which gives me an opportunity to understand the global world values and culture. I like the traditional aspect of the college as well as this college maintains a temple on the campus.

How I cracked MBA entrance exams and chose my college

I have been preparing for my MBA from final year of graduation. Since I didn’t want to waste my year, I was desperate to get admission that year itself and started preparing. It is said that “Before going for a battle you should know your enemies first,” so I did a lot of research regarding colleges and preparation. I read college reviews, stories and asked questions to alumni online. I did this research on Shiksha website, through which I shortlisted top 10 colleges for admission. Shiksha was a great help. I didn’t have any time to join any coaching institute, so I started preparing through books like R S Aggarwal for clearing my basic concepts; I also took help of some YouTube video channels like Takshzila shikshak and Aptitudeacademy.

After 3-4 months of preparation, I started applying for various MBA entrance exams like CMAT, CET, MAT, ATMA and XAT, which were required for the colleges in my shortlist. I got a very good score in MAT and CET due to which I was able to fill the forms of my shortlisted colleges.

I went for GD and PI process in those colleges. I must tell you that even if you have scored well, it is important to prepare for GD-PI because most colleges see your overall performance rather than test score. I also included the habit of reading newspaper, which help me a lot in quoting examples in group discussions.
After I was done with all the testing process, I got selected for four MBA colleges and I chose SIES College of Management Studies (SIESCOMS), Navi Mumbai.

My college life: Classes, extra-curricular activities and more

If you want to succeed and become a more active learner, you must attend every class – not almost every class, EVERY class. I am very fortunate that my college teachers are very professional and give examples of a lot of practical and real-time situations, which help us understand the subject well. We generally have lot of Interactive sessions with people from the corporate sector coming especially for students so that we can get first-hand industry exposure.

I love to attend most of the classes in college but my favourite subjects are Marketing and Sales, Business Communication, Organization Behavior and Human Resources, which I generally never miss because these are more of real-time experience oriented subjects and help me think in multi-dimensional ways. We had one subject related to foreign languages which also encouraged us to take up one foreign language which benefited all students to learn and know different cultures. SIESCOM has Global Immersion Program for students, where students get to represent the college abroad and take-up small courses for three weeks.

I feel extra-curricular activities are the most important part of MBA life. I am an active member of Social-Media Community in our college, which deals with the branding and promotional activities for college. Besides that, I also participate in various competitions of other B-Schools which allows me to meet new people and learn new things. I am also doing various small projects and surveys with companies which helps me understand the market and behavior of people.

Time management is important for all college students. It is, however, particularly important for students who have other commitments (a job, sports, etc.). Managing time along with other activities gets very tough, so I want to allot time for each activity so that I should able to manage everything properly.
As a person, I have changed a lot and college has made me think like a manager and be like a manager.  It’s made me a better judge of character, taught me to value relationships and power of networking, and it gave me an obsession for learning different things. Finally, as change is inevitable, you have to change with the world.

About the Author:

My name is Aarushi bhatt. I’m currently working as Campus Representative for Shiksha and pursuing PGDM in Marketing and Sales from one of the best colleges of Mumbai – SIES College of Management Studies. My hobbies are traveling, making friends, blogging and doing Dubsmash. For me, life is full of opportunities, all you have to do is change your perspective.

Mystory is a new Shiksha initiative to provide students a unique platform to share their experiences right from college admission to career selection. Here’s your chance to get published on India’s leading education portal. We’ll be happy to publish your story.   Write in to us at: mystory@shiksha.com