IITian by choice, IIM by chance — Manisheel Gautam, IIM Ahmedabad

Manisheel Gautam writing here. I hail from an army family. My dad served as a colonel in the army so I belong to many different places and not just one. IITian by choice and now in an IIM by chance. I am a football fanatic, an ardent biker and a cartoonist

You are an IITian and you are in IIM Ahmedabad, what’s the difference?

CAT was a very different experience from JEE prep. JEE was all about understand things in detail and being a master at it. CAT is about practice and a little bit of speed. I started preparation with mock tests to analyse what I had to improve on and improved those areas with time. CAT is all about time management and risk taking. And both worked out well for me.

Why MBA and why IIM A?

There are a few reasons for MBA. Firstly your knowledge increases. It may sound cliched but it is true. Second is that, it will give me a jump in my career.

Finally, in a scenario where jobs are getting dearer, quality and education matters.

Why IIM A, this has to be the easiest question ever. Every single person I have asked in my life to choose between A and others. I have got A as an answer even from people who have studied in other IIMs

How did you prepare for the interviews?

Brushed up on what I learnt in my graduation and tons of current affairs.

General HR questions such as strengths, weaknesses, long termgoals , short term goals, why MBA, etc

And finally, I practiced a lot of mock interviews with my friends and in coaching programs

Special tips for WAT?

WAT preparation was mostly done about topics shared in pagalguy forums. I read current affairs. More than this WAT is about comprehensive thinking. They want to test your thinking. Never give a one sided or biased opinion. Always weigh pros and cons.

Interview experience in brief

I gave interviews for ABC and L and cracked all 4

In A and B the interview were more like a conversation so it becomes essential to keep track of what you are saying.

L interview was abstract and had a variety of questions which no amount of prep can help with. It is better to be genuine in such cases.

C interview was a stress one. They went after me from the word go. It is important to not change your answers depending on their reactions. Stick to your points and don’t say anything you have half knowledge of.

Pro tip for all B-school call getters

From an interview perspective, do not speak anything in the interview you are confident about. Interviewers can smell that and you are done. Also, confidence is the key.

What after the interviews?

Enjoy as much as you can , travel, pursue your passions because if you get through next two years are going to be ride of a lifetime