They say getting into an MBA college in India is more about past mistakes and less about current achievements.So here I am with a 99.3%centile and no IIM call.
It all started in school with my measly board percentage(75%).But that did not stop me from entering DCE, one of the best engineering college in the country.Life in DCE was like a rollercoaster ride.Hanging out with friends, not attending classes and other things that i probably shouldn’t mention here became a part and parcel of my life.I eventually ended up with almost 15 backs(worst mistake of my life).
Doing an MBA has always been my dream.Unlike many people who do it just for the money it has to offer or the profile build-up, I was actually passionate about it.So i started studying and by the end of college i had cleared all my papers managing a face-saving 53% and a job worth 4 lakhs.Didn’t take the job since i had to sign a bond which forced me to work for 3 years.I started preparing for CAT after college.Got 99.3%centile.I was elated.But that happiness was short-lived once I came upon the criteria of various MBA colleges.Even colleges that would give me a call like FMS, MDI would be hard to convert because of my academics and no work ex.
Now I am not angry since it will not help me get a seat in my choice of college.I would like to say a few things:-
1.How is an IITian with 99%centile, 5 CGPA and very good extra co-curricular profile worse than a student from Bahadur Shah college of Engineering with same percentile and 9.5 CGPA(I didn’t even know this was possible!!!)??
2.Even if you do want to focus on academics, do it in just the final selection.What is the point of a high CAT score if it can’t even guarantee a place in the GD/PI round??
3.Also take into account the fact that different colleges are different in giving marks to students.Government college professors, especially ones at DCE give marks like uncle scrooge gives money.
The ideal procedure would be an entry into the GD/PI round based on just the CAT score.Final selection should be based on CAT score(50%), GD/WAT(20%), PI(20%) and work ex(10%). This would be the most fair procedure to select a candidate and it will also allow students like me a chance at a fresh start.Now i know that many B-schools would question my thoughts but i would just like to ask them one question:-
What are you looking for “Good managers or good marksheets”??