Trust your abilities -

… says Vaibhav Agarwal, class of 2011, IIM Indore. An MTech holder from IIT Delhi and presently, pursuing an MBA from IIM Indore. A member of the founding team of the first -ever Finance and Business magazine at the school, he is also actively involved in extra curricular activities like annual cultural and marketing fests. An all-round talent, Agarwal speaks to Suman Priya Mendonca.

Tell us a little about your academic background.
Born and brought up in Delhi, I did my schooling from Montfort School (SSC) and Sanskriti School (HSC). Thereafter, I joined IIT Delhi, where I completed my Integrated MTech in Mathematics and Computing. I wrote the CAT in the final year of my engineering and joined IIM Indore straight away as a fresher.

What made you to take up MBA?
To be very honest, until the final few months of my engineering, I had not decided if I really wanted to join an MBA programme at that stage. I was of the view that five years of my effort at IIT should not go waste. I actually submitted the CAT application form on the deadline day. But what made me change my decision was some inputs and advice I received from some of my friends at IIMs and the insistence of my parents, to some extent. The financial downturn during my final year at IIT (which led to me getting an ‘average’ job) coupled with the fat paycheck an MBA degree commands, also lured me. Add to that the fact that I actually converted an IIM call, and the decision was easy thereafter. Also, I have now realised that my IIT degree still has its significance. The analytical skills I picked up during engineering have, so far, helped me a great deal to cope with the rigorous MBA curriculum. What I initially thought was an unconventional specialisation (Mathematics & Computing) actually has a wide application in real life situations.

When did you start preparing for the CAT? What would you consider was your weakest area?
As mentioned earlier, I never really ‘started’ preparing for the CAT per se. What I did do, though, was join a couple of test series sometime in June just to get a feel of the kind of questions that can be asked. In hindsight, it was a very wise decision as it helped me focus on my weaker areas and strengthen the areas I was good at during the final few months of preparation. During the course of the simulated tests, I realised that I was pretty comfortable with Quant and DI. What bothered me to some extent was the Verbal Reasoning part. The analysis to the tests went a long way in clearing some of the lingering doubts and confusions in my mind. I made it a point to practice as many questions of each type (FIJs, critical reasoning, paragraph completion/summary, etc), as I could during the last 4-5 weeks before the CAT. This actually helped me a lot on the D-day.

Tell us something about the GD/PI experience.
Till last year, IIM Indore used to conduct a GD and a PI as part of the selection process. They have replaced the GD with an Essay this year. My GD was actually quite ‘boring’ to say the least. It was a case study with an ethical dilemma at its core, as was generally the trend with IIM Indore GDs. Contrary to the other GDs that I attended, this one was very peaceful and every candidate got ample opportunity to present his/her points. This does not mean that there was no debate. But the discussion was amicable at all times and though I did not start off well, I managed to chip in with some crucial points during the course of the GD.

PI was a different story altogether. It began with some general academic questions, and since I had prepared my mathematics subjects more than computer science ones, I wanted the PI to go in that direction. But as luck would have it, it veered more towards Computer Science. And though I managed to answer the initial few questions, the ones that followed were just unanswerable. I also got into a bit of an argument with one of the panel members since I stood my ground regarding one of my answers, which the interviewer insisted was wrong. Now that I think back, this might actually have helped me. Besides the academics part, I was tested on a few GK questions, which I managed to answer comfortably.

All in all, I was not really sure after the PI if I would make it. But I had a good GD, which must have helped me convert the call after all.

What has been your greatest learning experience at IIM-I so far?
Time management… From the relaxed environs of engineering to the helter-skelter and hectic schedule of management school – it was a big change that took some time to get used to. It is a management school more than it is a business school. The biggest learning for me has been to manage time among the many activities that happen on campus on a daily basis. Just to give you an idea, apart from the regular classes and the associated assignments, I am currently associated with Equit-I (Finance Club of IIM Indore), I hold important positions in the organising committees of the annual cultural (Mridang) and marketing (Utsaha) fests of IIM Indore and I am a member of founding team of the first-ever finance and business magazine (Invested Interest) of the school. Similar is the case with quite a few participants on campus. But to effectively manage time and resources between all these along with dedicating enough time to studies has been, for me, the greatest learning experience at IIM Indore. This is something that I think would help me continually in the future as well.

What kind of recruitment/placement are you looking at after the completion of the course?
This is one area where I have had no confusion since the penultimate year of my engineering. After I complete my MBA, I am looking forward to joining an Investment Bank in one of their front-end roles like the M&A consulting or Treasury. As long as the job profile is to my liking, I am comfortable with compromising on the pay package, since I am sure I can make the experience count as and when the need arises in future. A profile like this would help me apply knowledge gained from both of my courses, engineering as well as management. Besides, a finance role would also pacify my father (who is a Chartered Accountant, by the way). He was somewhat disappointed when I opted to break away from family tradition and join the science stream after Class Xth (humor intended).

What has your institute given you, which no other school could have?
I am not really in a position to comment on other schools but what I feel IIM Indore has given me is ‘perspective’. The past one-year of the programme has taught me, among other things, that having a point of view or an opinion about something is not necessarily wrong. But it is not the whole picture in itself. What I thus mean by perspective is seeing both the sides of every topic, analysing a situation from different angles and gaining an unbiased understanding of all the parameters of a certain issue. Only by looking at the subject in its entirety can one hope to be a good manager. And I owe a lot to IIM Indore for helping me realise this.

Your advice…
It is a general mantra, albeit a long one, that I followed when I took the CAT and during the subsequent GD/PIs: “Prepare well, be confident, stay focused & relaxed, take ample rest, have trust in your abilities.”