How was your lockdown? How did you utilize this abnormal period?
Even though the pandemic was an emotionally draining period, there was a silver lining. I got ample time to prepare for various entrance exams which can otherwise be fairly difficult during normal days with work. Not having to commute for hours particularly helped me in being my most productive self during the lockdown!
You are planning to go for an MBA instead of CA. Any specific reason for the same?
While entering college, I wanted to experiment with almost everything. Naturally, being a commerce grad, CA struck my mind for a while. However, after participating in a range of activities including performance poetry, social entrepreneurship, leading 2 college societies, and going through my curriculum, I found about my inclination towards leadership, business, and public speaking. Resultantly, I dropped the idea of CA and started preparing for entrance exams for management courses.
You have won many prizes in poetry competitions as well.
I believe that poetry is a way of self-expression that has helped me in every facet of life because it essentially taught me how to make people feel emotions through art. I love to write about darkness, light, and every peculiar emotion in between. Even though I struggled immensely initially, once poetry came naturally to me, I was hooked. I was fortunate to have received prizes at 11 different spoken word poetry competitions, a special mention at the Free Verse National Poetry Competition, and an offer to be featured in the in-room magazine of OYO rooms.
What is the story behind your success in GMAT? What did it teach you?
Even though I started preparing for CAT, I was not very keen on going for an MBA right after college precisely because I wanted to enrol in a business program that offers both, professional and geographical diversity. Resultantly, I did some research and found out that GMAT was the standardized test my target business schools look for. Thus, I opted out of the CAT coaching and started preparing for the GMAT. As per me, my sheer enthusiasm and motivation to join my target business schools, coupled with some post-office, caffeine-driven study sessions helped me in improving my performance on the test. The whole process of studying for the exam taught me that hard work and determination help remarkably in achieving any goal.
What is your advice to students who are preparing for GMAT?
One factor that most of us miss is that standardized tests are not just about having knowledge but also about having a winning and resilient mind-set. I would say that deep introspection and understanding of one's weaknesses and strengths is important. During my GMAT prep, I took out approximately twenty days just to find out my weaknesses and strengths, and to tweak my answering strategy to make the most out of my understanding. I believe that figuring out who you are rather than what you know is the key to qualifying any exam.
What life lessons would you like to give at the end?
I would like to underscore the importance of passion, belief, and hard work in achieving any endeavor. I would also recommend spending conscious effort in nurturing relationships with family & friends to have a sound support system during the tougher times. Finally, I believe that sometimes, life has alternate & better plans so it is totally okay to gracefully let go and venture into the unknown rather than be stuck onto some predetermined plan for eternity.
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