January 8, 2021

My CAT didn’t Meow! What do I do now?

I am looking for a tall, fair, very beautiful and professionally qualified girl in her mid 20s from a reputed upper class family for my 52-year-old divorced and unemployed uncle who is 5’4 tall and diabetic.  He doesn't believe in dowry but insists on a V-class Mercedes and a flat in Greater Kailash be gifted to the bride by her parents. In case you know such a girl, kindly DM me.

Do I sound like I am over-expecting by a mile and being too naïve? This is exactly how your messages sound when you mention that you have secured 30/40/50 percentile in CAT/XAT or scored 150 in NMAT and ask me which ‘good’ B Schools you should apply to. You may not have got the score you had expected and prepared for. IT’S OK! It really is. Trust me when I say that these scores do not define you or your ability in ANY WAY. But please understand that any college that admits you with these scores as qualifying criterion simply CANNOT be a worthy place to invest your precious two years and lakhs of your parents’ hard-earned money.

A good college won’t take a student with these scores and the one that will, simply cannot be good!
That’s the bare minimum reasoning ability I hope you would have developed in your CR classes. Please understand that the likes of IIPM and LPU prey on such students by luring them with blatantly false promises and fabricated placement records. The ones that call you asking to come for their GDPI process, even when you haven’t even applied to those colleges, are no better either. In life as in MBA 
colleges, be very circumspect of the doors that open for you before you even knock on them!

Your next obvious question then would be- “so what do I do now? My parents say that I must join MBA this year and also I won’t get a job as yet? Should I prepare again? What’s the guarantee that I will get a good percentile next time? Should I take the low-paying job that I am getting?” The answer to these and many other questions that you may find yourself confounded with are there but are for you to find. However, your trainers and those who have walked this path can help you find those answers and guide you on the basis of their years of experience and constant feedback with students graduating from all levels of B Schools and students working in diverse industries. As for the question of whether you prepare again? If you feel that you can get a substantially better %ile, or even an 75+ and are willing to work towards it with diligence and perseverance, then the answer should be a resounding YES.

DO NOT take a decision on the basis of what your favourite uncle or close cousin or even your parents press upon. Understand that while these people undoubtedly have your best at heart, they are simply not aware of the facts and figures pertaining to this particular specialized area of education. Nor do they have any experience in career guidance in the light of present day job-market and education scenario. DO talk to your seniors studying at different B Schools and to those working somewhere to learn about their experience of that B school/ work role. Think about what line of work you would like to get into and what roles align well with the skill-set  and bent of mind you have. Finally, in case you are still not sure, come and discuss your options with a person whom you trust has the knowledge and experience to guide you in what course of action would be best, after understanding your academic, financial, professional profile and your aspirations. Do not take advice from just any Tom, Dick and Harry.

In the meanwhile, if you are already enrolled with an institute, I would strongly recommend that you attend GDPI classes irrespective of your performance this year, as this part of preparation is not just fun, but also very knowledgeable and would most definitely be of immense utility somewhere or the other, most likely in the many college/job interviews that you all are guaranteed to take, whether this year or later. See it as a personality development or skill-development course that shall add value to your candidacy. 

Remember, your career has just begun…there are scores of opportunities floating around you. Abhi toh game shuru hui hai doston!!! 

Happy New Year to all!!

Lokesh Sharma


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3 comments:

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  2. Thank you sir. This information is really helpful for me.

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  3. Thank you sir for your guidance

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