A Typical Day in the Life of a PGDM Student!!

I woke up at 7:15 today so I had to miss my morning exercise. I got to get ready really fast and had a quick bite for breakfast as I had to reach for my class starting at 9 am sharp. This ‘sales & distribution’ class had a very strict teacher who doesn’t allow anyone to be late even by 5 minutes. Class went-off well except in the last half-an-hour when we got the assignment to calculate the sales force for a particular business. I must admit mathematics is not my forte so I really had a challenging time there. A degree in Humanities has its limitations. My friends, Sumit & Sneha helped me to get a grip of it.

In the very next class I repaid them by helping them with the class assignment given by our ‘business communication’ teacher. My English major has its own advantages. Though the format of writing in business is slightly different than usual but a command on language certainly gives you an edge.

Next was the lunch time. Howsoever good is the food at canteen, it can never compete with Mom-made food. So you are bound to miss home during lunch time. But the paucity of time and pressure of completing the presentation before the next class doesn’t allow you to think much. In those 45 minutes of lunch I prepared for the presentation and squeezed a 10 minutes lunch in between.

In the subsequent class we had lots of discussion related to the assignment presented by my team. Working on team assignments is extremely difficult. Good B-schools have students from diverse backgrounds which makes it even more difficult. You have to convince your team mates about the course of action you want to take or sometimes change your own thinking as per their advice. You have to put team’s interest above your own. Fortunately, my team had good coordination; together we could make a nice presentation. They entrusted me to present our ideas. I was very nervous at the starting of the presentation but as it progressed I felt relaxed. This helped me in organizing my thoughts and answering the queries efficiently. Last class of the day had a shock for us. A surprise test was announced by our finance teacher. Though the questions were not tough but it really tested our attentiveness in the class. I think I will pass in this one.

After the formal classes finished, I had my entrepreneurship club’s meeting at the evening tea about the activity calendar. 

 We have to plan our activities and circulate the activity calendar so that the other clubs don’t plan their activities on the same day. Activity planning is a difficult thing due to the busy schedule of the students. As soon as our meeting got over I had to run for practice of the up-coming college fest. I have to anchor the show so I am deeply involved in the preparations these days.

After a hectic day, a football match in the hostel ground is the most refreshing thing. Then bath & dinner, before sitting for finishing tomorrow’s college assignments. When I finished those assignments I decided to pen down my day before I sleep. Its 2am but still I feel so energized with the thought that I am making most of my two years at my MBA program. In a good MBA college time management is the key to success. You learn to handle the pressure of corporate life if you have learnt to handle your assignments during your B-school stint.

For More  Information :- Asia-Pacific Institute of Management

          Email Id:-admissions@asiapacific.edu

          Mob No:-7042893436,7042893445

          Website:- www.asiapacific.edu

Written ability test: An important admission criteria for B-school !!

Written ability test is gaining importance in the admission criteria of B-schools. It is a pen and paper test where a candidate is asked to write a short essay on either a current affairs topic or on any other issue where people usually have diverse points of view. While writing an essay for admission to a top B-school, the focus should be on the time. Here, the key will be to write as fast as possible in order to finish the essay. Don’t waste much time on thinking and planning the structure of the essay. Also it is important to develop the ability to think and articulate quickly. 

For B-school panelists, essays are tools to see how you structure your thoughts and produce them in the least amount of time. It gives the panel a valuable insight of your mind. Management schools use essay writing as a pre-interview yardstick to assess you on clarity, logic, focus, structure and argument. Few tips to crack written ability test successfully are: 1. Expand knowledge base: The first and foremost step in preparing for any entrance exam or an interview is to expand your knowledge base. Know your subject well and keep yourself updated with the current affairs. This will give you substantial information to write on the topic given. 2. Write frequently: In order to communicate the knowledge you have, you should improve your writing abilities. Writing frequently on some of the current affairs topic will not only boost your confidence, but will also help in improving your vocabulary and language. 3. Structure your essay: Whether or not you have sufficient knowledge of the given topic, always remember to structure your essay to give it a logical flow. You are not expected to know everything, but by structuring your essay you will show the examiner that you are meticulous in your approach. Structuring the essay will reflect on the clarity of your thoughts, which is one of the important factors you will be assessed on. 4. Make your writing interesting: By this we do not mean you should use exhaustive vocabulary or language that is difficult to understand. To make your essay interesting, give it a fresh perspective. Be specific and avoid predictable, generic and clichéd writing. Develop your main idea with a few facts, events, interesting observations and reasons. 5. Manage your time: Remember, you are given very limited time to put down your thoughts. Spend the first few minutes on understanding the given topic and then structure your essay. Make sure you leave a couple of minutes at least at the end to review what you have written. Check for grammatical errors, punctuations, syntax, flow of thoughts and expressions used. Having said that, do not change too many things in the last minute. Make sure you present your essay in a legible and a good way.

          For More  Information :- Asia-Pacific Institute of Management

          Email Id:-admissions@asiapacific.edu

          Mob No:-7042893436,7042893445

          Website:- www.asiapacific.edu

Those Were the Tough days of My Life!!

Being from the non commerce field I was in doubt whether MBA course is relevant to the people like me (non commerce background). Generally it is being said that only BBA/B.COM students go for MBA. Later on I realized that those people have an extra edge over other students as they are familiar with the subjects and the course outline. After doing a lot of research and counseling I got to know that majority of the population in MBA of any B schools are from engineering or non commerce fields. No matter what background are you from, “MBA would transform you life personally and professionally (heard many people saying)”.  After reading the course outline, I was intrigued and interested too which seemed to me a very philosophical subject. I decided to go for it and took admission.

 I thought the class would be easy. Though I attended the first week preparatory classes arranged for non commerce students but believe me everything gone above my head. Subjects like economics, Accounting, Financial Management were like alien to me. On the first day of class one of the professors told us, “This first semester of your life is going to be the worst and the most productive phase of your life.” we were supposed to cover almost ten exclusive subjects including assignments and presentations in three months (as the course was on trimester basis). My entire two years life in MBA revolved around PG, class and library. It was such a rigor course. Not only in first semester rather throughout the course, I had to think deeply about my failures, regrets, role models, motivations and aspirations. It was an exhausting exercise meant to make us aware of why we act the way we do. The end goal was to develop the positive character traits that every successful leader must embody, including integrity, courage, accountability and humanity.

After completing the course, when my Father questioned, “Do you feel transformed yet?” To which I replied: not entirely but I’m grateful to have started the journey.

          For More  Information :- Asia-Pacific Institute of Management

          Email Id:-admissions@asiapacific.edu

          Mob No:-7042893436,7042893445

          Website:- www.asiapacific.edu

Campus Placements: The Truth of the Situation.

Many B-schools become lenient toward their admission criteria while admitting students for their PGDM or MBA courses. The logic behind this choice is that the atmosphere at college, the peer group learning, the teachers and the experts will transform the student. Little they realize the truth of an old proverb that ‘you can take a horse to the water but you can’t make him drink it’. Consequentially, these seemingly good B-schools get good companies coming to their campuses but can’t get the 100 percent placement. The biggest huddle is the not the academics but the attitude of the students. 

Once admitted to a good MBA college, students start thinking that they are entitled for a wonderful career and hefty pay package without realizing the responsibility they have to shoulder in order to get to this dream of great job. Their attitude toward the course work, assignments and overall learning becomes careless. This not only becomes a cause of degradation in their skill set but it also stops them in learning new things.

As a student one should realize that a MBA college can give you opportunities of learning, growth and a good career in the form of course work, teachers and job interviews. But utilizing those opportunities for your betterment is your responsibilities. The dream jobs even at the best b-schools in India require extra-ordinary efforts. Students have to put in their heart & soul in improving and refining themselves. Very few people get this kind of opportunity of growth and if you are amongst them, please make its full use by your dedication, hard work, sincerity and discipline.

          For More  Information :- Asia-Pacific Institute of Management

          Email Id:-admissions@asiapacific.edu

          Mob No:-7042893436,7042893445

          Website:- www.asiapacific.edu