Interview.. for MBA!!??

I had the first of my 2 interviews for a B-School yesterday. Now the exclamation and question marks in the title are to express my own state of mind. Almost everyone I know thinks I am just beyond them. Why am I still taking these interviews even after admits!! Well.. I have my own reasons. Moreover, after a lot of contemplation I realized what I wanted to do for life, well almost. I know I would be happy if I do it. It satisfies everything that I consider a necessity for a blissful life. But how easy it is to do that is beyond my comprehension. But I sure want to give it my best shot. Be it masters or MBA to me it is all the means to achieve the same end. The end that which I sure what to reach. If, for some incomprehensible reason,it does not happen, again neither of it would be a bad option. So here I went, for S P Jain's interview...

Before I straight go into it, I have to confess I dint go through any of the preparations that I should have. I am really sorry that I could not take a mock interview with my teacher, one of the best I have met so far. I know I should have taken one and I am sure he would have had a lot of useful points to make which might have made my interview way better than what it was. But, as always, I am very much more comfortable being honest and I really can not stick to the norms of how I should answer questions. This happened with my sop too, a different story altogether which I believe I would post sometime. So I went for this interview with just about zilch preparation.

The interview happened in IIM B. The first time I ever went to the place. My friend tells I still should not be saying that for I went hardly half a km into the campus to where the interviews were held and that's about it. The journey to Bangalore was one of the most tiring journeys I have ever had. Anyways, getting back to the interview. I reached the place almost on time and we were asked to wait till our names were called. As usual, I had a novel with me that I started reading. Getting to think about it, may be its my way to keep me from getting badly tensed. Not that I am absolutely cool even that way but it is loads better than just waiting for my turn. So my name is called and I had to submit some forms and finally we were escorted to the panel. If you dint know, S P Jain has this concept of group interview where a whole lot of people are questioned together. My group had 7 people, 4 guys and 3 girls(With all the 3 of us opting for finance. That's amazing right!!) So there we went. We had 2 professors ready for us.

One of the professors asked us to introduce ourselves in 2min each. So people started rattling off with their absolutely well rehearsed answers. I was the 6th person in the group and about 3 people before me got a "very good" for their introductions. Not to forget is the fact that everyone in my group, except me that is, had work experience, which I felt was a distinct disadvantage to me, more so after the interview got over. So finally I get the turn to talk about me.

Me: I am so-so doing such-such things, my father is this, I want to...
Prof: (I am cut off here) lets get to it later.
Me:(I continue with other things) I like this and being a prodie this matched...
Prof:we will get to it later(Oops!! I am cut again)
Me:(Damn!! Am I conveying anything at all) I did these things in so many years and I like to do this.
So finally I introduced myself but... okay.. you know how it went..
Then the questioning started at a personal level. Starting with their work ex mostly. Discussing about Satyam, global meltdown, Lehman Brothers and all that.
Prof:(to someone before me) Why do you think this company transferred from ICICI to SBI??
He starts pointing out to people to get their views and I was skipped when the 7th guy was asked his view. Damn!! Things are just not going my way.
The fourth guy is being questioned. One of those S P Jain students who was there to help with the process comes into our room and points to his watch and goes off. Time is up!! And only the fourth guy is on. So finally he is done and then the 5th person, a gal. She is being questioned. Another S P Jain student walks in and tells the profs straight. Its getting late. Damn damn damn!! After this came my turn to be questioned. Prof calls out my name.

Me: yes sir
Prof: ..................... (yeah he says nothing)
Me: Sir...
Prof: 5 were questioned before you. You know what we are asking. So go on
Me:(What the hell!! Why does it happen to me all the time!! Well.. I have to talk anyway.) I have opted for finance because I want this, so I need this and this has to be done and this is necessary so I need to do finance
Prof2: Justify your choice of production engineering
Me: I had these options, my background was this, so this seemed an obvious choice
Prof2: But this does not really need finance..
Me: No sir, this is the way to go about things and this-this needs finance.
Prof: If this is what you want to do for life why finance?
Me: Sir.. (before I start explaining I am cut off)
Prof: I know why all you guys want an MBA. The posh suits, great cars and blah blah are so very attractive that everyone wants to go for an MBA.
Me: No sir, I want to do this this and so MBA.
Prof: Have you ever heard of TIFR?
Me: Sir... (I hardly started)
Prof: No.. That's Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Any physicists who works there can do want you aspire to do.
Me: May be they can do this-this part of what I will do, but there r these-these-these for which finance is a necessity and without these-these no matter what I do would not be proper.
Prof: All that you guys are interested in is posh this-that. WHAT!! I am provoking you, say I am wrong if you want!!
Me: Sir..
Prof: Say I am wrong if you want!!
Me: No sir, its not..
Prof: you want to deny what I say. Say I am wrong!!
Me: Sir, you are wrong. Not everyone wants that. There are this-this-this reasons why people like me want to do MBA.
Prof: Okay, So why S P Jain
Me: This is the place..
Prof: No no.. be brief.. why? let everyone answer this question (point to a few people and then my turn)
Me: csr.. docc.. blah blah
Then he moved over to the next guy. And finally..
Prof: That's it. Thank you. No.. wait.. any questions to us??
Girl 1 : (asked something about joining dates)
Me:(Do I ask or no.. NO.. ASK.. NO DON'T) Sir, there is this myth that S P Jain does not prefer freshers...... ( I am yet to finish my question)
Prof: Who said so!! Last year's batch has about 30% freshers and realize!! 30% is a very huge number.
Me: Thank you sir.

That's it. We were done. Only if we qualify this we can go for the second round which is again a group interview to be held on the same day.Our wait for the results started...
My friend tells me the way my interview went and my not being asked a lot of questions and even skipped few is a very bad sign!! :( :( :( God save me..

(Okay.. This post is already too damn long with no essence that might interest many. So.. Let me continue again some other time.......)

Back to School...

High school days!! Guess that was the best part of my life as yet. Everything worked out just fine. Almost always happy and smiling. Had some weird gang of friends around who made life so much fun. Yesterday I was going through my high school community in Orkut when I came across few profiles that appeared vaguely familiar. Quite a few of them who are already in my list of friends. Quite a few more whom I could not place yet and hope to in the near future. And some whom I could recollect, two to be precise, one with a lot of thinking though. Well.. It would be good to add them and say a hello once in a while. One of them have already approved,the difficult one that is :)

So, thinking of high school days,actually those memories that were brought back when I was trying to think of these guys. One was a family friend. A very nice guy. Calm and kept to himself a lot. The first thing that I remembered was his father giving me a copy of the movie "5 Star" that was on when I was in class 10. Seems pretty silly, but thats what I got reminded of. The movie was pretty much in hype those times. One reason being that was considered some sort of a colorful movie, in the sense, it revolved around 5 friends who study in the same college and manage the impossible of getting placed in the same company and end up living in the same house even after their weddings. Well.. Did I mention that it was 3 guys and 2 gals. Another reason for the hype being a guy of my school, 4 years my senior, who ruined his education and went over to act in the movie. Opinions do differ and a lot at it. To me it was one of those very detestable things to have done. God knows what he is doing right now!! But all the same the movie was very popular for most of us had known him personally.

Digressed a bit too much from what I really wanted to say I guess. So, now going on to what came to my mind when I realized who the second guy was. If I remember right, this guy joined my school when we were in class 8. Quite the opposite of the first one. Very outgoing. Talked to almost everyone possible. But as it stands.. then, now and always, I believe people are to you what you are to them. Though may of my classmates and friends had a lot of problems with his attitude, I never seemed to. He was good to me and I was good to him. That was the end of it. Now, back to what I got reminded of. Treasure Hunt!! To more on it.. School Sports Days are some real big events with not just sports but a lot of other I-am-yet-to-decipher-why-they-do-it sort of stuff happening on the day. The worst of it being some sort of mass exercise program where almost everyone from class 6 to 8 is pulled it. It is always a huge competition and a matter of honor to those who are able to walk out of it, by hook or crook. Luckily that year I was one of those who had the pride of being out of it because of some other commitment that I had on the eve of sports day. So when almost the whole of the school was in the grounds trying to practice it out we guys enjoyed in class. After all it was a very small number of people and never needed looking after. This guy, amongst few others,happened to be one of them. After some boring chaat sessions and stupid games this guy came up with the bright spark. Why not treasure hunt?? After all we had almost the whole high school to ourselves. As long as we did not scream and squeal it was going to be a perfect way to while away the time. And there it started.. Every day we played, for almost two weeks till the end of sports day. What started with just about 10 of my classmates and neighbours gained a lot of momentum till almost about every other student who was around was playing it. We sure missed all the fun after regular classes started.

Small, stupid incidents though they are, brought back a lot of sweet thoughts. I don't really know if I would treasure any other part of life so far as much as my high school days. I am sure there are a lot of my another friends who feel the same. I don't really know, if these two guys happen to read this, if they will remember the same things that I do or not. But I am sure they will remember something which is bound to leave the smiling. And that happiness has a long way to go.