Life at Indus Business Academy, Bangalore: Anushree Sen

Until graduation, I wanted to pursue Finance, with the intent of becoming a financial consultant just like my father. However, over time, I realized that my inclination was towards marketing, especially advertising and digitization, and I wanted to pursue that in the long run. So, I decided to quit my job and pursue my Masters in Marketing, which would boost my career, broaden the scope of my opportunities, and give me a chance to explore the kind of work I wanted to do.

Moreover, I have always believed that only reading books cannot prepare us for facing the odds in today’s dynamic world. We have to constantly keep learning and upgrading ourselves to keep pace with the strong competition. And for this, it is important that we equip ourselves with additional skills, hone our interest areas and build a strong profile. I, honestly, feel Indus Business Academy, Bangalore is that place which offers all such facilities and opportunities to me.

Firstly, IBA offers dual specialization in PGDM, which would add knowledge about both the fields and help me execute challenging roles in my career. Secondly, IBA has really good placement record. It would certainly give me enough exposure to find a good match when it comes to jobs. I can get the opportunity to be placed in renowned companies like Deloitte, KPMG, Bata, Grand Thorton, Reckitt Benckiser, etc. Third, along with the studies, IBA also promotes recreational activities; there are student-driven clubs and committees, which organize several activities and fests to give exposure to students and hone their skills. Moreover, the college also hosts Ted Talks and other guest lectures on trending topics that are important for the growth of students.

This convinced me that investing two years at IBA would be an enlightening experience for me, backed by knowledge, opportunities, and great success.  

Since I was working, I didn’t have the luxury of time to study a lot for the entrance exams. However, I managed to get a decent score in CAT. The next and the crucial part was to decide which college to go for! And it was a whole new ball game altogether. Filtering through hundreds of these colleges and choosing the one, right college for you is certainly an award-winning task. Based on my profile, work experience, and my field of interest (Marketing), I had shortlisted 5 colleges out of which IBA seemed to be the right fit for me! I was, in fact, pretty determined to get into IBA. So I took all the admission activities very seriously. It started with writing the Statement of Purpose comprising of my career vision and how the PGDM program would be meaningful to me. I really enjoyed writing my SOP as it gave me more clarity on my goals and my expectations from this two-year PGDM program. Once my SOP and CV was shortlisted, I had two interview rounds, both on Skype. The first interview was mostly knowledge-based, with questions ranging from my work profile, the projects that I’ve handled, current developments in the business world, situation-based questions, and 1-2 political questions. I made sure to remain calm and confident throughout the interview. And most importantly, I never said “I don’t know” in the interview. Even if I didn’t know an answer exactly, I always gave it a try! That’s what is checked in most of the interviews – communication skills, confidence, persistence to face each question and the right attitude! I think that’s what worked for me and I qualified for the second interview, where I was mostly asked all personal questions, to get a deeper insight into my personality. In the end, I was really happy with the entire experience. I had a feeling I would crack it! And, I did!

A typical day at IBA starts with everyone meeting at 8 am for breakfast in the cafeteria. This is followed by our classes from 9:30 am to 5:15 pm and in between, we have our lunch break from 12:45 pm to 2 pm. This is a usual routine for 6 days of the week. Sundays are holidays. Besides studies, we have frequent guest lectures by industry leaders, club activities, fest participations, and live projects. These go on simultaneously with academics. Evenings are mostly to chill out with friends, eat, chit-chat, and enjoy the college life.

Attendance is mandatory at IBA, so there’s no question on missing classes. However, I personally love to attend Marketing sessions. It’s not only because I have an affinity towards it, but also because of the faculty members. They make it really interesting and engaging. Besides, I also like attending Management Skills classes. It’s not like any conventional course – it mostly focusses on building life skills and project management skills to fight and overcome the challenges in the corporate world. It gives a different perspective to look at life, people, and career.

I am an active participant in National Management Fests. In fact, I have won “Spardha 2018” (Marketing Vertical) organized by Jain University. Besides, I also participate in various club competitions and activities organized within the college like mock fests, marketing challenges, b-quiz, etc. I also contribute to the college newsletter, “Udghosh”, writing on various events held in the college.

The last 6 months in the college has really changed all of us in certain aspects or the other. As far as I am concerned, I have learned to manage time amidst several distractions and ensure meeting my deadlines. I have learned to open up, adapt to situations, and most importantly, prioritize my goals. Life has been hectic here but at the same time, it’s fun with all of us going and growing through the same thing. All I can say is, IBA is second home now for me and these two years of experience will certainly mold us into future leaders!

About the Author:

I am a B.Com (Hons) graduate with over 3 years of work experience in Operations and Digital Marketing. I am someone who is – ambivert, dogged, dreams big in life, shopaholic, web-series addicted, and cheese-lover. I love to write and doodle. Poetries allure me. And, I profoundly follow what Steve Jobs had said, “The only way to do great work is to love your work. And if you have not found it yet, keep looking, never settle!”.