Tell us a bit about your educational background
– were you a topper all through your undergraduate and school days?
What brought you to an MBA?
I was born and
brought up in Mumbai. I studied Chemical Engineering from Institute of Chemical
Technology, Mumbai (UDCT). I was a top ranker in school. During college, I
fared well but was not a topper.
I worked with
Reliance Industries in the petrochemicals sector for around 3 years when I
realized I want to contribute to more than just the technical aspects of the
job and be a part of the managerial decision making process. With an
engineering degree and a core production background, pursuing operations
management seemed like a good career prospect.
Walk us through your academic journey in the
first year – How did you pace yourself academically in the first, second and
third term?
SPJIMR follows a
semester pattern with each semester comprising of two modules. Each module has
5-6 subjects each following different evaluation criteria with a combination of
projects, assignments, presentations, exams. In order to juggle multiple
submissions for various subjects, time management plays a very important role.
Prioritizing the assignments & projects, based on date of submission and
weightage assigned, helped me in managing majority component of the grade.
For doing well in
written exams, my strategy was to attend all classes attentively and take
notes. I believe that doing the pre reads, participating and paying attention
during lectures is very critical in grasping the key concepts. In order to be
attentive in class, I ensured that I did not compromise on sleep.
Did you encounter situations where you were in
a group in which others were not as committed as you were? How did you handle
this?
I have been very
lucky in this aspect. All the groups that I have been a part of have been great
to work with. Your academic group is very important in a B school because as
high as 60-70 % of your grade depends on group projects, assignments and
presentations. In fact I would attribute my good grades to all my group members
in the first and second semester. My group used to spend the right amount of
time discussing the requirements of each project, how to go about it, division
of responsibilities and then each member came up with the best quality parts
which led to a good group performance.
What were your thoughts and goals when you
entered the SPJIMR Campus? Did you expect to top the program in the first year?
When I entered the
campus, I was really excited to be back to school after 3 years of work
experience. My goal was to learn a lot of new concepts and thoroughly enjoy the
process. I did not expect to top the course; it was just a by-product of the
learning process. I believe there are many factors which decide one’s grades
and I concentrated only on those which I had control over. Rest like I said, I
was lucky to find the right group members and sound guidance.
B school life is always buzzing with all kinds
of activities and distractions. What did you do to keep focus?
Firstly I would not
call the activities as distractions because they play an equally important role
in shaping your personality at a B school. Also, it is necessary to pursue a
hobby in order to avoid getting bogged down by the academic pressure. Even the
employers don’t look for candidates who have had their entire focus only on
academics/grades.
Working in the
organizing committee, being a part of cultural performances, participating in
competitions has helped me keep my life at SP fast paced and interesting.
Tell us about your DOCC and autumn internship.
How was the experience?
I did my social
internship/DOCC with an NGO SOS Children’s villages of India near Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh. It was a great experience as I got to work with differently
abled children and make a small contribution to their lives.
My autumn/corporate
internship was with Hindustan Unilever Ltd. where I worked in the customer
service department in the supply chain function for West Branch. My project was
to improve secondary service levels in general trade and rural distribution
channels. The project was a good learning experience as it gave me insights
into the complex supply chain of FMCG companies. Since it was a live project
which was implementation based, I could see the improvements in the service
level percentage as a result of steps undertaken by me.
What was your reaction upon knowing that you
had topped the first year? How did you celebrate it?
As my grades were
consistently good, I had expected to be in the dean’s top twenty list (DTT) of
the batch. But that I have topped the first year was a big surprise and I
shared the good news with my family. Then there was a small party with a bunch
of close friends.
What is your advice to a student entering a B
school, in the first term? How can they achieve their academic goals? Apart
from academics, what should they focus on?
I would suggest that
academics is just one part of the whole B school experience. Although scoring
well gives you a sense of confidence that you have a grip of the concepts, what
really matter are the soft skills and a balanced personality. MBA basically
teaches you to take on challenges, manage constrained resources and make sound
decisions without letting anything affect the calm of your mind. Developing
this ability is what the student should focus on.
As far as the
academic goals are concerned, managing time and discovering a learning
technique that suits you best should do the trick.
If you could distill the necessary qualities
for success into one, two or three unique attributes, what would those
attributes be?
This is a really
difficult question as there is no one recipe for success. Everyone has to
capitalize on their strengths and overcome their shortcomings to succeed in
life. However, I think the underlying common attributes which are important are
an appetite for knowledge and sincerity.
If you could go back in time and you had to
live the first year differently, what would you do?
I wouldn’t change a thing
as it is the sum of all efforts, activities and decisions that has brought me
to where I am today. Applying for an international exchange was one of those
good decisions which has added to my basket of novel experiences.
What are your future career plans?
Based on my autumn
internship project and a PPI, I have received a PPO from HUL to be a part of
the UFLP 2015. I intend to continue working in the supply chain function and
contribute to it.
Apart from imbibing academic knowledge, how
else has the first year of MBA enriched you? What is the greatest non-academic
learning you had at SPJIMR?
Participating in B
school competitions, being a member of organizing committee for management
fest, choreographing dances and being a part of all cultural events on campus
along with keeping up with lectures, assignments, projects, exams has given the
biggest learning of time management. So I have learnt the art of maintaining a
balance between what you need to do and what you want to do.
I have gained a lot
of insights from interactions with my batchmates, each of whom brings something
new to the table due to their diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Usually toppers are regarded as nerdy
types, and in the high-stakes environment of a B school, they are subjected to
a lot of peer pressure in ways that range from good-natured banter to mockery
and bullying. Did you face this? If yes, how did you deal with it?
I did not face
anything serious at SP. All my close friends know that I am not someone who
slogs all the time for getting good grades and there is much more to my
personality than just being a topper. So most of the remarks passed are light
hearted and in good humor.
How was your performance in SPJIMR? Which
institutes did you interview with, which ones did you convert, and
approximately where did you lie in the final list of candidates selected for
SPJIMR?
Based on the scores
of various entrance tests, I received calls from IIM L, K, I, New IIMs, S.P
Jain, MDI, NITIE, NMIMS, SIBM. I converted all interviews except IIM L and I
decided to join SP Jain. I am not sure about my position in the final list
though I was selected in the first list of operations management specialization
which I had applied for.
