Mystory@Swetha Chilla: How I chose my course and college

I’ve been a bright student throughout school. I was always amongst the toppers of the class and good at Mathematics and Science. I had an interest in understanding the complex terms and their relevance that we often came across in Science subjects. Then came the time to make ‘the most important decision of my life’. Though I was a little confused between Medicine and Engineering, I understood that I wanted to study Engineering. So, I opted for M.P.C in class XII.

Similar to many aspiring engineers, I took entrance exams like IIT, AIEEE and EAMCET. I went on to complete my Engineering in ECE. Under graduation has taught me a lot of technical as well as life skills that are required in the real world. In the 7^th semester I got placed in Infosys as a part of campus placements. After working there for 2 years my dream of Post-Graduation took shape and I started planning for it.

How I cracked college admission

I wanted to have a work experience before I went on to pursue my Post Graduation. I believed that this hands-on expertise will makes things easier for me during my PG. So, while I was working for Infosys, I started preparing for my entrance exams too. As I couldn’t afford to take the number of leaves or take out the amount of time required to attend coaching classes, I chose the online medium to prepare.

There are many websites and portals that offer assistance for MBA entrance exams. I used to attempt as many mock tests as possible. It is through the mistakes that I made in these tests, that I understood my level of competency. Also, I had my basics clear and worked more on areas like Quant which were a little hard to crack. I mostly concentrated on CAT and CMAT.

Having a work experience of 3 years with 80 percentile in CAT and 97 percentile in CMAT gave me many colleges to choose from. National Institute of Bank Management, Pune, Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Mumbai and XIMB were some of my options. I could clear the interviews owing to my consistent academic and corporate performance. However, considering factors like location, fee, faculty, growth prospects etc., I joined Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad.

What I gained from my college experience  

The campus of IMT Hyderabad is vast, covered with lush green landscape. This gives a kind of calm and freshness required to go through the hectic routine of a B-school. A typical day at my college starts with breakfast at 8 am and the first session begins at 9:30 am. They can go on till 6:30 in the evening. Not all days are filled with sessions though. We have ample time between sessions to relax and prepare for the next class.

The first-year curriculum includes classes from across domains like Operations, Finance, Marketing, HR etc., Besides giving an idea of all the subjects, it also helps you understand the subjects you like or dislike.

As we all know, this depends mostly on the faculty who takes the class. Luckily, most of the Professors at my college are interactive and open to new thoughts. This helps in keeping up the enthusiasm and interest in the classroom. My personal favorite subjects are Corporate Finance and Marketing Mix Strategy classes.

IMT Hyderabad is a place where curriculum and co-curriculum go hand in hand. We have clubs for every domain and committees of the institute. I am a part of two such clubs and one committee:

Media Relations Committee: I’m a part of Social Media cohort, where I handle the official IMT Hyderabad page in Facebook and Admissions cohort, where I answer queries related to admissions in different portals.

Opuskriya: The Operations club of IMT Hyderabad. Conducted National level Business Fest.

PAHEL: The Social Cell of IMT Hyderabad. Visited an Orphanage, initiated Plantation drive in college etc.,

In addition to these, I’ve been a part of Organizing Committee for Impelz, the Annual Management Fest of IMT Hyderabad. I have hosted a few events as a part of Leadership Series in our college. I also contribute to our college blog – Pareidolia, with my articles.

From being a studious and reserved person to being able to come out of my comfort zone and do diverse activities, my college has helped me a lot. The appreciation for my work and encouragement from the Institute forms an important part of this.

Saving the best for the last, my college has given me a chance to be ‘Shiksha Campus Ambassador’, which I am very glad to be associated with.

About the Author:

I am Swetha, a BTech graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering with a work experience of 3 years with Infosys. I’m currently pursuing my PGDM degree from IMT Hyderabad. I love reading. Writing is my latest hobby besides organising events and fests in my college. My curiosity and passion to learn new things keeps me going, and I agree with Adam Smith’s quote, “The real price of anything is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.”

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