It’s that time of the year when IIMs roll out admission offers to the brilliant minds of the country who cleared multiple processes including GDs, WAT, interviews, and of course one of the toughest exams in the country – CAT. So, if you are one of those brilliant minds who have landed an IIM call, congratulations on this wonderful achievement.
About a month from now, you will be entering your dream institution to pursue MBA. There are a few things that you can take care of before joining an IIM that can help you with your journey ahead in the B-school. These steps outlined below can come in handy during your stint inside the IIM.
1. Take a Chill Pill
First of all, congratulate yourself on getting into the coveted Indian Institute of Management. It’s not a small achievement and it does call for a celebration. Celebrate it with your friends and family. If you get a chance, try to get a small vacation and enjoy some time off relaxing your mind and body. Things could get really hectic after your start your MBA journey and hence getting a break and relaxing before the hustle can prove really beneficial.
2. Exit the Current Organisation
If you are a working professional and have not already quit do it immediately. Inquire about the tentative admission date from the institution which you are planning to join and arrange to get relieved before that date. Talk to your manager to reduce the notice period if the need arises. Try to get your experience letter well before the joining date as you might need it at the time of admission, although other employment proofs might also be admissible.
3. Understand more about the Institution
Scan the official website fully to know more about the institution. Get to know about the life on campus, faculty, events, various clubs, and committees, resources available for research, etc. You can get the latest updates regarding the admission process and other activities through the social media pages of the institution.
You might be contacted by some members of the External Relations Committee of the institution for a city meet invite. If it is happening in your nearby city do attend it and get your doubts clarified. There are several online forums where your queries would get answered. So make judicious use of these platforms as well.
4. Specialisation
If you are very clear in your mind about which specialization or domain ( say marketing or finance) you want to choose, then read up on stuffs related to that domain. If you haven’t finalized the area of learning at least you must have zeroed in on two options that you might choose for specialization. Try to learn the basics of the domain even if you don’t understand everything at this moment.
5. Read
Reading has to become a habit if it is not already. Though you must have done a lot of it during your CAT preparations, you must continue to read. Also, try to increase your speed of reading bit by bit. There are a lot of techniques for speed reading available online that you can try to learn. However, make sure that while applying those techniques you are not losing out on comprehension.
I am stressing the importance of speed reading here because you will have to do a lot of reading including case studies, pre-reads, etc in a limited amount of time that too for long hours in a stretch. So, make it a habit of reading as much as you can while improving the overall speed and comprehension.
6. Excel it
Microsoft Excel is a tool that would be used extensively. If you are not very fluent in excel try some excel courses available online. Practice as much as you can. Here also you should try to improve your speed in handling excel sheets. You can start with learning basic formulas, creating charts, etc, and then move on to a slightly advanced level of excel including but not limited to regression, forecasting, linear programming, etc. Some IIMs do have separate sessions for teaching excel as you will be using it even after your MBA.
7. Presentations
You will be giving lot of presentations during your IIM Journey. So, it is imperative to improve upon our presentation skills. Make use of free online material to learn how to make awesome presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint, Pitch, or Canva. There are also websites that provide you with free presentation templates. Keep a few templates handy with you which you can use to make your presentations quickly.
The steps outlined above could give you a head start as you embark on this wonderful journey of two years. Practice these and you will be very confident going into the prestigious college. At the same time, you should remain grounded as it just a beginning.
A bonus tip for those who might be overwhelmed and has doubts over their worth that whether they will be able to compete with their peers: You have made it this far, you will do better. You have cleared multiple level of assessment and have been chosen to be a part of the institution. This is solely because of your potential that the institution has seen in you. There is absolutely no need to have any kind of worries. You will come out with Flying colours. All the very best.
