The process of being admitted to IIM Ahmedabad’s PGPX program is not a walk in the park. It calls for more than just having an impressive career background and a well thought-out approach towards the application procedure. On this blog post, we will discuss one such experience that relates to an IIMA PGPX success story about someone who made it successfully through this path. For aspiring MBAs, this blog provides tips and tricks from her own experience of: choosing the right programs, preparing for exams, acing interviews and other life events. Here is her story where we will be looking at the key issues that led to her achievement and how GOALisB played its part in realizing this.
Q. Please share your profile, your work experience, and your results with us.
A. I have completed my graduation in Computer Science and Engineering back in 2016. Then I started working in the IT industry as a software developer. Gradually, I moved into a product profile. So, right now, I'm working as a senior product owner with close to 8 years of experience. By the time I joined the college, I had worked in different sectors. I have worked with intelligent document processing, which is a digital transformation arena. I have also worked with financial market compliance domain. So, this is my domain work experience.
Q. You've applied to the One year MBA programs in India as well as abroad. So, what were the factors that were important for you to select the programs, especially IIMA PGPX?
A. There were a couple of factors, both personal and professional, that I was considering while choosing the colleges. The factor was on the work experience. So, I wanted a college where I could justify my work experience and I could use it post-MBA as well. I also wanted to continue working in India even after the MBA. So, these were two major factors. Given these factors, I felt that the Executive MBA programs here in India would be beneficial for my profile and my future aspirations. I was also planning to apply to Singapore colleges and US colleges, but then after discussions with the members or students who were already working over there, I found that the job market in Singapore is a bit tough for immigrants. That's why I thought of not applying to the Singapore colleges and decided to stick with the Indian Executive MBA programs. I also applied for ISB PGP, but for that program, I felt that my experience age was a bit on the higher end. But I still liked the college, and that was the reason that I had applied.
Q. You are headed to IIMA PGPX! It is a very long process, writing the GRE and then going through the applications, the interviews. So, what are the things that you think are important for people from a mental health standpoint? How do you keep yourself focused? How do you remain disciplined in this particular process?
Everything comes to a point of what is your drive towards achieving your goal. So, that is the basic thing that gets you up every day, irrespective of what job you are in and how taxing it is. That is one important thing. Apart from focusing on your studies, you should also focus on some kind of meditation. Just 5 to 10 minutes of your day and some kind of exercise to keep your mental and physical health sound during the entire process.
From a preparation standpoint, I had opted for GRE instead of GMAT.
The GRE structure was more convenient for my profile. So, again, while choosing the exam, I had given sample or mock exams of both these tests, and I had felt that GRE suited my profile a bit more in terms of my aptitude. So, I went with GRE. So, I would suggest everyone do that because right now, you get information from a large applicant group who is also competing with you. You have seniors who keep on advising you to give one exam. But it comes down to what you feel more comfortable with. Even if you are listening to many people, you should also take a step back and see what suits you more, even with the exams and also in the future with the college that you want to apply to.
With GRE as well, don't give up on your score in just the first attempt. So, if you're not satisfied with your score, go ahead and give more attempts and get a strong score. Because though the score is not a holistic thing that will get you to your desired school, it definitely adds to the overall composite score that your profile gets. So, to summarize, a very common question is that does the school prefer GMAT or do they prefer the GRE scores? I don't think there's any preference in any case barring IIM Kolkata where there's any kind of preference that has been given to any of these exams. Don't allow just, you could choose either of these exams, whichever suits you better.
The idea is that you should see which particular test matches your learning style and your own individual preparation as you know what you've done since the past and where you can get a high score, which is more related to what your own capabilities are.
Q. What is your experience in terms of the IIMA PGPX application process? How did you go about telling your story and putting up a strong application?
One advice I would give everyone is that when you start to feel that okay, my profile is probably too common or especially for me since I came with that IT background close to the average experience age, you'll not understand more about your profile unless and until you start writing what all you have done. Prepare a master CV. These are some of the questions about myself and my professional journey. Don't be choosy with your words. Don't try to concise or brief your words. Write a whole story. You could use this as a central document to answer your college application. That's what I had done. I started out just writing out what all attributes I want to focus on and then started using it whatever the questions were started using it in those questions.
What was the interview experience like, and what were the important parts of the preparation that went into a good performance in the interview?
You need to carry yourself confidently. Nobody knows everything the interviewer is going to ask because the questions vary greatly. Whatever preparation you have done, if you are not presenting it confidently, it will not help. That's the most important thing, I would say. But apart from this, you could start reading the editorials that definitely help in building your perspective or opinions about certain topics, which is what the interviewers also look at. Mock interviews definitely help you, and sir helped me a great deal with the mock interviews. Getting feedback on those mock interviews is definitely a good thing. Again, the third aspect that I would suggest everyone focuses on is trying to know the college that you're interviewing for. So, say, you will find certain things on their official website, but there are also key things that the ex-students and alumni network could help you with answering. So, connect with these folks before you go on with your interviews and even before your mock interviews. Do your homework. Those are a couple of things I would suggest for people who are starting off on the MBA application journey, just made up their minds and starting off with the test prep.
Q. What would be your advice for them to take the process up for applying to IIMA PGPX the next year?
A. Don't be your own rejector. Let the college do it for you. Just go and start the process, I would say. Don't keep on ruminating whether it be around your profile or whether GRE score or GMAT score will be enough. Don't get into all these questions. Just start the process with a good consultant. I'll definitely recommend GOALisB because it was useful while figuring out how to portray my CV that I had created. In terms of the essays, that went smoothly because of you and sir. Do your research even when it comes to consultants. Don't just go by the word of the alumni. Every consultant suits each individual differently. Same goes with the consultant. Do your own research and homework. Then finally, I would say that sit and write your application, submit it, and that's it. Start with the process.
Q. Are there any criteria which were important for you while choosing the MBA admission consultant?
Yes, so honestly, the current market has become very commercial. Some consultants charge exorbitantly, but the delivery part is strictly kept to a commercial basis. I didn't find the both of you to be in that boat. I mean, I felt that you connected with me even so. I would just like to share the short story as in for IIMA PGPX. I remember that I had just connected with you three days back, and I had my deadline just in three days. I had to submit my essay, and I had the master CV, and I just showed it to you. You took your time. You didn't reject me. You took your time to understand my profile and go through it to help me with the essays. So, that thing I felt was really important and heart-touching for me because you could have very well said no because I had come at a very last moment. And with the interviews as well, you took more time with me when I was fumbling at the start. I was not able to collect my thoughts. So, I felt that connect was really important for me as a person. So, I felt I got these things from GOALisB.
If you're aspiring to join the IIMA PGPX, don't navigate the journey alone. Contact GOALisB today to start your journey toward your dream MBA program!
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