Surviving the final year of engineering and preparing for an MBA -By Naveen Ayyalasomayajula from SIMS Pune

Yes, MBA is a trendsetter these days. Currently, I am pursuing an MBA at Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies in Pune. It all started with a thought which went through my veins during my third year of engineering. One day, I was discussing future opportunities with my friends. Some of them were planning for higher studies abroad, while some of them decided to clear the GATE Examination. The remaining were still not clear about what to do next. I had two options. Either I could pursue a job or prepare for an MBA entrance exam. It was time for counseling on making a career. So, surviving the final year of engineering and preparing for an MBA was difficult. 

How an MBA could drive me to build a career

I discussed this with my mother and even went for the career counseling sessions at T.I.M.E (Triumphant Institute of Management and Education). The discussion lasted for 45 minutes. The mentors gave me a piece of their mind about how an MBA could drive me to build a career for myself. The discussion was fruitful. It intrigued me to join the coaching classes for the MBA program. There were eminent faculties who could provide us the ultimate guide for preparation for the MBA entrance exams.

After gaining insights from the faculties, I made up my mind to do an MBA. I had a lot of things to do before preparing for an MBA entrance, i.e. reading a newspaper and inculcating a habit of reading novels. I think every MBA aspirant should read this book “Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis”. As my cousins also appeared for an MBA. I used some of their suggestions for my MBA preparation and also discussed how an MBA could help my career grow.

The final year of engineering and preparing for an MBA

These suggestions motivated and intrigued me to crack the exam at any cost. Time passed quickly during the preparation period and then I started giving mock tests. Mock tests were very tricky. But my mentor had guided me with one simple rule. He told me not to focus on the scores, but rather continue giving the mocks along with new concepts. It was really very hectic as I was managing my time both in my final year of engineering and MBA preparation.

I had applied for CAT, SNAP, and NMAT in 2016. But I couldn’t clear any of them and felt dejected that this year I had missed an MBA seat. Being a self-motivator, I did not give up and made my mind for a second attempt. As I had my material with me, I enrolled at Career Launcher (CL) in Baroda and enrolled for a crash course. As I had completed my engineering with distinction, I decided to take a gap in preparing for an MBA entrance. This time I decided to just apply for CAT and SNAP in 2017.

When I was selected for an MBA program at SIMS, Pune

CL gave me a spectacular platform to prove myself. Finally, I was able to clear the SNAP Entrance Test. Clearing an entrance examination is as important as clearing the interview process. CL had also planned for extra sessions for both group discussions and mock interviews to ace the interview process at SIMS Pune. I made it into the Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies, Pune. My slot was set on 4th February 2018 for the interview. After completing the entire interview process, in the following month, I got a mail saying, “Congratulations…You have been selected for the MBA program 2018-2020.”

Finally, I was selected for an MBA program at SIMS, Pune where I am surrounded by intellectual people in a diversified environment. So, in a nutshell, MBA is surely a trendsetter today and also a way of life.

This article was submitted as a part of Become an Author conducted by Dare2Compete.