The greatest learning for me has been the confidence that I have gained -

…says Siddharth Jindal of IIM Lucknow. A very active person who likes to involve himself in various business-based competitions, it is listening to music, watching movies and playing lawn tennis that enthralls him. And, it is his passion and goal to be in the top rung that motivated him to do an MBA. Here Siddharth speaks about his decision, preparation and goals.

What motivated you to do an MBA?
I did my engineering and was a part of the IT industry for two years. Being a team lead at EMC2, I discovered that I enjoyed leading the team. At that time, I was confronted with decisions like whether the new project should be done in .Net or java? Whether the new feature should be incorporated in a particular release or not, etc. But instead of making project level decisions, I want to jump one level up. I want to make company level decisions. Apart from technical aspects of my product, I want to know how is my product sold to customers, how are new customers attracted, how is it decided when to have end-of-life for a particular product and how is it decided that a new product should come into market.
I felt that MBA would give me the knowledge and impart skills required to be successful at that level.

Has your work experience proved to be an advantage or disadvantage in terms of pursuing MBA? 
I have worked as an Associate Software Engineer for a couple of years. The prior work experience has worked to my advantage. Being a part of an organization for two years, I can easily relate to the corporate case studies that are discussed in the class rooms. Even during lectures on topics such as employee appraisal, I was easily able to grasp the concepts as I had personally experienced it previously in my organization.

When did you start preparing for the entrance test? What would you consider as your weakest area and how did you work it out?
I started preparing a year in advance of the test. I had joined coaching classes and gave mock tests regularly.
My weakest area was getting a consistent score in all three sections of the test. I usually was unable to clear the cut-offs in one section. Giving more and more mock tests was the only option for me. I did that and could see an improvement in performance. Also, a thorough analysis of the mock tests proved really beneficial.

Tell us about your GD experience. Further, how was the PI experience?
My panel was given an abstract topic to discuss. There were 10 participants and we were given around 20 minutes to discuss. We had a decent GD and were able to bring in three to four new points at the table. There were only three to four participants who were actually contributing, and I guessed that helped my chances.
PI was a memorable experience and I was quizzed on various topics. I was asked questions about my work experience and family. Then they started grilling me on Einstein’s theory of relativity and his energy mass equivalence relationship. After that it went on to economics, and I was asked to explain interest rates, repo rates, reverse repo rates, CRR ratio and bank rates.
But I felt confident after leaving the room as I was able to answer all questions with finesse.

Did you apply in other institutes? What would you say is the unique feature of IIML?          
Yes I applied to all IIMs and other premier institutes. IIM-L’s USP lies in its rigorous academic curriculum. Add to it, the various business competitions and student committee related work, which keeps me engaged all the day.

Apart from CAT did you appear for any other entrance exams?
Besides CAT, I gave XAT as well.

What has been your best learning experience at IIM-L so far?
The greatest learning for me has been the confidence that I have gained in the past two years. Apart from learning various aspects of business and gaining a cross-functional knowledge, it is the self conviction which is the biggest intake for me. I have gained the confidence to tackle complex business situations lead diverse teams to success.

What kind of recruitment/placement are you looking at after completion of the course?
I am targeting the FMCG sector and looking forward to work as a sales & marketing manager.

Message for MBA aspirants…
Today, having an MBA degree has become a trend in India. I see everyone aspiring to become one, even before completing their graduation. There is no harm in that, but I would request all aspirants to think deep why they want to do an MBA. Only after finding a satisfying answer should they aim to become one.
And for aspirants who have cleared CAT, they should enroll for GD/PI sessions. Having two to three mock interviews before the real one helps them to frame answers to commonly asked questions in a better way. Participating in mock GDs gives confidence which the aspirants carry forward in real GDs.