In Conversation with Ujjwala Kaushik
- Editorial Board 2020-2021
- May 17, 2021
- 6 min read
Hello folks! I am Ujjwala Kaushik and I graduated from Miranda House in the year 2020 with a Bachelors in Mathematics. Currently, I am pursuing my MBA from IIM Indore. My batch was the first one to experience a virtual MBA program. However I have also been lucky enough to experience offline classes for a period of 3 months in term 3 when I went to Indore. Currently, I am in my hometown in Meerut, UP and working on my summer internship project.
How would you describe your journey at grad school so far?
They say if you can survive your first year at a B-school, you can do anything in life and there is not even an ounce of lie in this. I find myself really short of words right now to accurately describe my journey at IIM Indore. It was no doubt very overwhelming in the first few months. Right from the first week itself you are bombarded with batch meets, placement preparatory sessions, academics, selection process of clubs and committees and of course meeting so many new people! And all of this being online, was a challenge in itself. Academics are challenging as there are quizzes, assignments, presentations almost every other day. However, today as I have already completed a year of my MBA, I can say with utmost certainty that however gruelling it might have been, it has been really a rewarding and an enriching journey. The exposure and the numerous opportunities this place offers is unparalleled. The journey has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride with its share of highs and lows but at the end I can say that it's all worth it! Considering that we still have 2-3 months left before classes for the Fresher batches start at various B-Schools, what are some online courses that you will recommend for skill development or otherwise?
This is actually a very crucial part of preparing yourself for B-school that can have a dramatic effect and to be honest, no one really stresses enough on this. This is the best time to hone your skills that will come in-handy in your B-school journey as well as summer placements that will happen right after a few months into the college. There are a lot of interesting courses on Coursera, Udemy, et cetera which will prove to be really beneficial and if you are someone who has absolutely no idea of finance, accounting, and economics, I would definitely recommend some basic financial courses. Needless to say, throughout your B-school and the years to come, Excel and PowerPoint will be used extensively, so it is advised to brush up and improve upon them. Apart from this, people and development skills like interpersonal communication, observational skills, critical thinking and teamwork will help you to tackle all the different kinds of challenges you’re going to face after getting placed in such a human-centric atmosphere as well as the major changes that you will encounter in your hostel life.
Link to few of the courses I find useful-
We have been hit by a second wave of Covid-19 and the Batch of 2021 is, once again, expecting online college education in their first year of post-graduation. What suggestions would you give them for maximizing their college experience?
Truth be told, I am not really a big fan of online education. However things have come to such a pass that we are not really left with an option. But if managed and utilized properly, online education can also prove to be really beneficial. If I talk about academics, it is of utmost importance to listen well in the class and make proper notes,even if it is online. It is equally important to network well with your peers and seniors alike. Networking is a vital part of the MBA course and online mode of learning shouldn’t be an excuse not to do that. At the same time, it is highly recommended to sit for the pre-processes of various clubs and committees because the kind of exposure and grooming it provides is unparalleled. Case competitions are also very common in B-schools and it is advisable to take part in a few good ones before the summer placement process happens. Not all battles have to be fought alone, so it is very important to take help from your peers and seniors. Since the batch is usually very diverse in a B-school, people can always help each other in many aspects. And lastly, be patient and enjoy the journey because it gets over very soon:)
As an MBA student, summer internships are a big part of your budding professional life. What have the summer internship placements been like this year?
There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that summer internships are of eminent importance in helping an MBA student to kick start their career. It provides hands on experience of the corporate world and what one can expect from it before one actually steps into the job environment post MBA. Mine was the first batch in the history of the college to experience an online summer placement process. The college tried their best to make the entire process seamless for us and though the pandemic impacted the process to some extent, the placements have been decent for the entire batch with most of the students interning with famous and big corporations.
Most B-Schools give a lot of importance to experiential learning and hands-on training. What can the incoming students at a B-School expect from their professors and peers?
The professors here are some of the greatest minds of the country. They are of great help and knowledge and are ready to support the students in every possible way whether it is an academic or a personal issue. The lectures are so organized that it promotes two-way interaction between the faculty and the students and a lot of weightage is given to class participation of every student and the professors inspire every student to take part in the class discussions to maximize the learning experience for everyone. MBA is not just about academic learning and B-school training that one undergoes but there is a lot more than that which includes peer learning as people of different skill sets, experiences and backgrounds are put in the same place and same atmosphere so they help each other in understanding the things well and coping up with the hectic curriculum and schedule. Peers can be a good source of enhancement since one can exchange the skills and knowledge with them. So here it becomes very important to network with your peers so that your horizon of knowledge broadens which proves to be an asset later on in life.
B-Schools are notorious for giving unrealistic assignment deadlines and grueling group projects and for holding classes at ungodly hours. What does your average working day look like? What is your strategy for optimizing your day?
This is actually very true. The hustle never ends in a B-school but slowly you adapt yourselves to it. A normal working day in the campus begins at somewhere around 8:00 am with one getting ready for the classes, rushing to the mess for breakfast and then with breakfast in one hand, running and trying to make it to the class on time at 9:00 am. B-schools have a reputation for punctuality, so one minute late for the class and you don’t stand a chance to enter the classroom. The lectures are 1 hour and 15 minutes long with 15 min breaks between every session and they continue till 4:00 pm or sometimes even 5:00 pm. However the day doesn’t end here. The second half of the day is packed with numerous assignments, group submissions and everyone can be seen struggling to make the last minute submissions at 11:59:59 pm.There are some other days when everyone can be seen inside their rooms, preparing for a quiz or end-terms scheduled the next day. However not all days are this much heavy in terms of workload and some days are relatively light as well.
My go-to strategy for optimizing my day is a to-do list in order of my priorities. It is very imperative to complete the work as and when it is given otherwise it will just keep piling up and will seem like a nightmare just before the deadline. Prepare the notes well in class and trust me when I say this, half of the work is already done if you listen attentively in the classroom.
Finally, what is one piece of advice that you will give to those appearing for CAT/XAT/etc. this year?
I believe consistency is the key to achieve anything that one desires. Setting aside a few hours everyday for preparation, come what may, should set the background. It is of paramount importance to perform well in all the three sections and therefore not one section should be abandoned during preparation. Aim should be to complete the entire syllabus with a good understanding of the concepts as soon as possible and the remaining time should be pledged to giving sectional tests and mocks in full measure. I cannot stress enough how vital it is to give mocks and analyse them. The key here is to analyse them later on without which the entire process of mock giving becomes futile. Just keep practicing and be positive during the preparation.
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