IIFT-Final Destination -

Admissions have wrapped up and students have settled down to a new routine; schedules packed with assignments, tests, extracurriculars and making new friends. Pranav Bajoria a new entrant to the batch of 2010-12 at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Delhi, is a BBA graduate who had set sights on an MBA degree, post which he hopes to create a mark in the field of finance, corporate and equity finance in particular. Having majored in finance at his BBA from St. Xavier's College Kolkata, Pranav is also passionate about sports, extracurriculars and reading. In conversation with Serena Kallian, he shares his journey to IIFT and his initial experience at the institute.

About Me
I finished my schooling at La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata and as I was sure that I wanted to do an MBA later on, I decided to start off by doing a Bachelor's in Business Administration from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata specialising in Finance. My aim was to get into a top MBA institute; and I wrote the CAT and other management entrance tests, including the one by IIFT. I aced IIFT in my second attempt. At IIFT, I was particularly interested in Finance and trade as a combination, which would boost my aspirations.

The Selection
As is widely known IIFT has its own entrance test for shortlisting candidates and is similar to the CAT in its testing. The Mathematical and DI sections has more calculations which are time consuming. The English sections were moderate to easy in the difficulty levels.

The next round of selection was the GD/PI, which was conducted very smoothly. On the day of our GD/PI, we were first briefed about the entire process to ensure that we do not face any confusion or uncertainty in the process. We were divided into three groups with each group having around 12-14 candidates. The group discussions were conducted simultaneously for all the three groups and each group faced the same interview panel. All the groups were given the same topic for discussion 'Should reality shows on television feature children?' Two schools of thought emerged during the discussion; in favor and against; it was not one sided.

My interview experience was good, the panel asked me questions on my academic background. They touched upon my BBA specialization which was finance. I had expressed my interest in trade and so they asked me the reason behind the interest and also what I knew about trade. After my graduation I had a gap of one year before I gave the IIFT test, during which time I had worked for four months with a startup company as an analyst in Delhi. The panel quizzed me a little on the work experience in that particular company and put forward a few technical questions. Apart from that I was also quizzed on current affairs. On the whole I would say it was a holistic interview.

There was nothing unusual or surprising in the whole selection experience, however one exception was the 'moderator concept' followed in the GD. While the GD was in session, the panelists would randomly choose a person from among the group to act as a moderator for a few minutes. I found this practice quite different. This was probably done to test our leadership and channelizing skills. The moderator was expected to bring the discussion to the right track.

Strategy
My preparation was good the first time, but it was a new experience. Managing the stress and the pressure during the test was not easy. I had practiced a few test strategies but somehow they did not fall in place the first time. For instance, I did my quantitative section first followed by the Data Interpretation. I thought I would devote extra ten minutes for the DI section but in reality I gave more than ten minutes to this section. The result of this was that I was short of time for my Verbal section and I faltered.

I learnt a lot from these mistakes and I worked on my flaws. I learnt to manage and distribute my time better and stick to the time strategy. All this was backed with a lot of practice. In the second attempt I was bang on target and managed to sail through.

Hot Tip
Do not neglect the verbal section. Give equal importance to all the sections. To excel in DI, practice is the only way. For the quantitative section be sure of all your basics and fundamentals. Have a fixed strategy in place, one which you have practiced ample number of times.

Initial Experience
First I'd like to say that the seniors here have been extremely helpful right from the selection process to the first few days. I arrived at IIFT two days before the course could commence. The seniors guided us on almost every aspect of the student life at the institute be it the hostel, the classroom, what to expect etc. There were presentations made by them which helped break the ice.

Getting around the campus and getting to know new faces has always been an exciting prospect. On the first day we had an informal inaugural function where the director addressed us. Later we had a formal orientation session where Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia was the guest of honor.

At the informal inaugural event we were introduced to all our professors and understood how the classes would be conducted, the evaluation criteria etc. We were also given special sessions by our seniors who briefed us on what to expect in each stream; the career prospects; the opportunities available; choosing specializations etc.

At the end of the first day we had an orientation for the new batch where we exchanged introductions and got to know the class better. I realized we were a diverse batch, with people coming from different academic and social backgrounds. Our batch has people who have done their MBBS, BBA/BMS, Arts and humanities, Commerce, Engineering, Pure Sciences, Fashion technology, Biotech/ life sciences etc. Each of us shared our backgrounds and achievements and I found this to be an exhilarating experience. We have settled down to the busy schedules of our MBA student life, shuttling between various classes and assignment deadlines. I hope to make the best of my two years here.