Pre Script: All incidents and stories below are not true except the results.. A lot of twisting and cooking has been done to save it from a boring read... ;)
First of all, let me tell you all that I always hated the interview experiences and admit stories from MBA guys. Even though I knew that such posts and stories are important for the future aspirants, yet I somewhere feel that these posts are usually meant to brag and project your god like image. So, I will be the last person who will write such a post. But this story has every element of a Bollywood movie: drama, action, emotion, villain, romance, sex … Ooops.. sex is not there… In short, it has lot of stuff which forced me to write about it. But let me ensure you, this is not a story about an extra ordinary gentlemen who conquered the world. This is a story of just another guy.
July 2010
“I regret to say this but…”
Silence was all over my face with a puzzled look of what went wrong…
“I am not interested in you and I have moved on…”
“But, I love you”, I said
“So what!! There are many people who love me… I had my options and I chose a better guy for myself… You are not worthy of my love. So, I am going now and please don’t call me again.”
“But…”, I said
“I have made up my mind..”
“What went wrong? Where do I lack??” , I told her with tears in my eyes.
“You need a lot of polishing in terms of communication skills. Your over all interview rating was below average and you need a lot of improvement in your interview skills. You need to improve your learnability. Your GMAT score is also lower than average”
I immediately woke up and jumped out of my bed. Damn it’s the ISB feedback of my last year application which was haunting me.
It has gone over my head. Nobody has ever given me such a bad feedback. But why the hell I was dreaming about it. May be my ego was hurt and that’s why it was telling my unconscious mind to do something about it. But it is not possible because my ego has already been killed along with his friend self esteem in last one and a half years when I was thrice rejected by Indian universities and twice by TAS, a sum much higher than my total rejections in life. I had just covered my modesty with 2-3 international university admits where I actually never wanted to go.
In between these thoughts I moved to the thoughts of how it all started.
June 2007
It was a lazy Sunday evening, when two of my friends were planning to give GMAT. Truly speaking, I never wanted to do MBA because MBA is modern symbol of success of presentation over content. And somehow business section of newspapers never interested me. Moreover, I had a naïve thought in my mind that you become salesman after doing MBA. All these factors developed in a hate relationship and this relationship always motivated me to insult MBAs wherever I find one.
So, coming back to the point, my friends were discussing about GMAT preparations and how MBA can be a life changing experience. It irked me and I jumped into the discussion and cracked few low grade MBA jokes to put forward my point. In between the discussion, they mentioned ISB and I had never heard about this name earlier (Yes, I was that dumb to MBA world). Somehow this name remained in my mind and I checked about it in my office next day.
It was the first time when I opened ISB website and it was the love at first sight. The more I started reading about it, the more I got involved in it. It infused so much of interest in me that I invested several nights afterwards looking and reading about ISB. With every passing day my love got deeper and stronger for ISB.
Then I decided to do something for this love and give GMAT a shot along with my friends. But then a lazy piece of me gave a peaceful thought to my mind that if she loves me she will come to me, why I have to suffer so much to get her, that’s not true love.
And, just to honor true love, I started avoiding GMAT :)
Jan 2009
“I don’t want to give GMAT because I have not studied for it and I am not scoring any good marks even in sample tests.”
“What you will lose?”, said Mom
“10000 Rs and let me tell you it’s not a small amount. I can shift the date to next month and then give the test with better preparation.” I said using all my senses and fears.
“Next Month you will be prepared”, said Papa.
“No. I don’t want to be a MBA”, I said after a lot of thinking.
“Then, why you are giving GMAT?” Papa said again with confusion on his face.
“I think I should cancel the appointment now and get back 5000 Rs. Something is better than nothing. I somehow got inspired 3 months back to get registered for GMAT which I now think was a mistake”, I said with a seriousness and confidence on my face.
While Papa was still trying to decipher what I told, Mom ordered “Ok. I’ll give you those ten thousand. Give it and stop the discussion”
Aug 2009
It was a day for the interview with SP Jain. Somewhere in my heart I always knew that I am not meant for IIMs/ISB and SP Jain can take me. So I was very confident before the interview. And, finally the time came when I was standing outside the interview door and they called my name.
There were 3 interviewers sitting in the room. 2 were looking like professors and 1 was from industry. They looked very nice but I didn’t know that they were wolves in the skin of sheep. So the interview started.
“Good Morning Sirs”, I said enthusiastically.
“Good Morning Sumit. Sit Down”, one old professor said while other two were smiling.
“So, you have applied for Marketing. Tell us more about yourself” Second old professor initiated while reading my profile sheet.
“My name is Sumit and I am working in telecom operations from last 5 years……….” I started my regular introduction and 1st professor interrupted me in between.
“Aaahhh. You are from Operations” said sympathetically as if he already knows my future and what’s going to happen with me in next 30 minutes.
“Do you want to give Operations interview? I can do that for you” 2nd professor said confidently.
“No Sir. I am interested in marketing……” I started but interrupted once again by 1st professor.
“What made you realize your interest? Tell us something about marketing”
I realized that they are ripping my clothes slowly now and soon, they will start raping me.
In response of every single line of mine, they throw scores of questions at me with a grin on their faces. For next 20 minutes my mind went numb and I didn't know what was happening to me.
Suddenly all my attempts to hide in bullet firing went futile, a bullet came and hit my head directly.
“Tell us one thing in which you are good?” asked the industry person.
“Movies” I uttered the crap that came to my mind at that time.
“So, do you mean to say that you have watched all the movies that have released in say last 10 years” 2nd professor enquired
“Yes” I said confidently once again.
“All the movies!!!! And you know about all of them!!!” 1st professor looked at me with a surprise.
“Yes”, I said with full confidence and I was ready to participate in this movie quiz and score some points.
“Don’t you think it’s a waste of time” industry expert said with a confusion on his face.
“I do it in my leisure time sir for entertainment purposes….. other type of cover up bull shit”
After few minutes, it was over and I knew my fate has been sealed.
Oct 2009
It was the ISB interview day and I was preparing myself to go into the interview waiting room with a positive frame of my mind. When I reached there, everyone was dressed in suits and the room was filled with so much tension that it started making me nervous. I somehow hold my nerve and tried chatting with a fellow candidate.
“Hi”, I said politely.
“Hi, My name is Ram”, he said and raised his hand towards me for a handshake.
I shake hands with him and it eased me somehow.
“I have been working as a Business Manager in a technology firm. I have also started my own consultancy firm and its annual revenue is more than 1 crore Rs. I have a GMAT of 750. What is your profile?” Ram said with a smile
Now to me it more seemed like a challenge. I was looking for all my highs but I got nothing which can be compared to his profile. I started thinking how on earth I got an interview invite. I should not have applied for ISB.
Immediately a lady sitting in front of me chipped in and saved me.
“Hi. I’m Neha. I’m a director in a logistics company. I’d initiated my startup two years back. I have a GMAT of 760.”
Now she has challenged him and it has started a war in the waiting room where everyone wanted to convince everyone else that he or she is the only eligible person to get that cup of ISB admit.
My throat got dried up after listening to all those profiles and I needed water immediately.
A person came out of interview room very happily and entered waiting room.
“Interviews are very cool. Just be sure with your goals and be ready with your numbers”, the recently interviewed guy said
“What were my goals? What are these numbers he is talking about? I know no numbers?” I started getting panic attack.
Immediately a well dressed guy came with a smile pasted on his face and called for my name. I stood up in anxiety. He put an arm around my shoulders and took me to the labor room.
He introduced himself to me but my mind was not in complete senses to remember any names.
I took a deep breath and infused all the confidence and strength left in me.
“Good Morning Sirs”, I said.
And the routine procedure started with a few questions here and there. All of them were plain faced as if I might get few answer hints from their expressions.
After 15 minutes, they threw me out of the room with the same plastic smiles.
I looked at my interview and didn’t find any single hint of wrong answer or bad interview. But, I knew something was wrong. After one month I got the results and they confirmed what was wrong next year in the feedback.
July 2010
“You are not going to office today?” a voice woke me up from flashback and I suddenly realized that I am late for office today.
------ to be continued-------
