Mystory@Bristo Thomas: How I chose my course and college

Childhood days are generally inspired by the thoughts of parents, whereas when we reach the graduation level, we are mainly inspired by the opinions of our teachers and friends – the same happened with me.

I left my native place Kerala, and went to Karnataka to do my XII studies. I did PUC from Bharathmatha Composite PU College, Koppa, Mysore. Learning a new language was rather challenging, but I tried my best and brushed up on Kannada. I took Science as the major stream. To my surprise, my studies did not go as well as I was expecting, but to some extent, I managed.

I believe the years of my undergraduate studies to be the golden era of my life. The energy of young blood, and the support, love and trust of great friends made my UG studies incredible. Those are the most memorable days of my life. There were lots of assignments, exams, study tours, canteen and sports. Along with all this, something that holds a lot of value for me is that I got a chance to become friends with some amazing people.

After UG at Christ University, I came back to my home state after 6 years. Next, I thought of pursuing a PG course. Nevertheless, before enrolling in a college for PG, I made sure that I conducted a good research of the colleges. Currently, I am enrolled in a prestigious Institute of Kerala, SCMS Cochin School of Business, and pursuing the flagship program of 25 years’ heritage, Post Graduate Diploma in Management. The skills and talents I gained from my under-graduate period, today helps me a lot to excel in whatever I do here.

How I cracked college admission

It was my dream to study management program in one of the premium institutes of India, and thus I decided to go back to Kerala to get enrolled in a business school here. I applied in SCMS and Rajagiri. My first attempt was with SCMS and cracked it on the first day itself. I also got admission in MBA at Rajagiri College, but I was happy with my first attempt at SCMS Cochin and decided to stay with it. I had to attend a group discussion and a personal interview at both colleges. At SCMS, the Dean himself took my interview and he was extremely happy with my thoughts. Rather than a monologue, it was more of sharing of insights among us.

I enrolled in a leading coaching institute in Cochin with an aim to crack the management entrance test, but I believe that the money and energy I spent there did not pay off. At that moment I realized that cracking the entrance exam was my own responsibility, and thought of opting for self-study. I appeared for CAT and MAT and got a good percentile of 93 in MAT in the first attempt itself.

What I gained from my college years

I wish to make every moment spent at SCMS a milestone in my life. The hectic time table and other curricular activities kept us on our toes. The moment we think an activity is over, the very next moment we are given another responsibility. I believe this is the greatest moment of learning which I need to inculcate, to be able to live and excel in the global corporate world.

I like to attend the HR classes at SCMS. I value interpersonal relationships the most and therefore I wish to mold myself in people management. The course is designed in such a way that it makes me realize that rather than being competitive, being culturally and emotionally intelligent will help me reach the global standards of corporate ethics.

Participating in national level, state level and inter-college level management competition provided practical experience. We get to know how the competitors strategise challenges and find solutions. Employers’ Federation of India (EFI) conducted a national-level presentation competition at World Trade Centre in Mumbai, and my team was fortunate to get the First prize in the category “Future of Work”.

If given a chance, I wish to co-ordinate management fests and other activities in our SCMS campus. I wish to appear on behalf of my institute and achieve greater glory for my institute. My college has helped me to become a person who is bold, wise and innovative. The activities conducted here help me think differently and creatively. The main advantages of being in SCMS Cochin School of Business is that you evolve as a human being. I love and respect my institute, SCMS Cochin School of Business.

About the Author:

I am Bristo Thomas, and have completed my B.Sc. (Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology) graduation from Christ University, Bengaluru.

My hobbies are gardening, cooking, reading, drawing and making friends. I constantly aim at improving my skills and abilities, and try to think out-of-the-box in whatever task is given to me. I am empathetic leader and a sensible team player.

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