1st step into the Future

Everybody starts thinking about what the next step is going to be as the graduation years are passing by. I was among the sheep in the herd as well. While pursuing my graduation in Bachelors of Science (a field that did interest me a lot when I took it up) my mind kept wandering as to, is this really going to be my future? A white lab coat which can never remain white regardless of all the efforts put into scrubbing it clean with all your might, a microscope that will never leave your side no matter how much you try to escape, a wax tray,some test tubes and specimens. I definitely could not see myself in this scenario all my life.

That is when the clocks in my mind started to tick and I started thinking about a change in field. I stumbled across the idea of doing an MBA and started looking for more information regarding the same.

Somewhere down my research process, I concluded that finance, HR, hardcore marketing are areas that don’t interest me much. So I thought I’d apply for something like advertising (a tad bit inspiration from Chandler’s profession in F.R.I.E.N.D.S) which is creative, exciting and fun. That tad bit inspiration gradually developed into interest and the interest into passion. This was the time I wanted to get into the field of advertising, come what may. I applied in Symbiosis for advertising as the specialization that was after going through the mundane procedure of giving entrance exams.

Getting selected for the GD/PI (as popularly known) felt like a war was won. But, the war had just begun. The admission process of Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (to get into which was my only aim at that point of time) was an elongated 5 part atrocity killing you 1 part at a time. Starting with the peer interface, an interview taken by 2-3 seniors was supposed to be an ice-breaker but for me became a head breaker when I was asked to sell them a pencil on the spot.

Moving on the next came extracurricular and previous year’s marks checking which was chilled out comparatively as one of the people on the panel started questioning me about my place of residence leaving aside my folder (arranged and assembled with great difficulty an hour prior). The 3^rd part was the assignment submission, 3 assignments given to us 15 days before the interview process which involved a lot of interviews, collection of business cards and the very embarrassing part, taking a photo of you with the interviewee (to submit as proof, extremely awkward to ask “may I please have a photo with you” to I have lost count of how many people.)This was completed juggling time between my TYBSc studies as well.

The final 2 regular procedures left were the Group Discussion and the Personal Interview. The GD went past as the topic given sounded pretty close to Greek but I was flummoxed as to it being Greek or Latin. Skipping through, the final and probably the most dreaded part was the PI. After a good grilling of 20 minutes (NO KIDDING) every second of which made me want to run away without looking back like seeing some evil spirit, I heaved a sigh of relief. I had a gut feeling of not having performed to the institute’s expectations. But still there was hope.

After a long and extremely excruciating wait of about 45-50 days, the lists came out. To my great dismay, my name was nowhere to be seen in the 1^st list which was for the Pune campus. Crushed and extremely disappointed, I started applying to other colleges as well when there was a miracle. I got a call from a good friend of mine saying I had made it through the Bangalore campus, (1^st year of SIMC in Bangalore) I could not believe my ears. My happiness knew no bounds.

Today here I am, 6 months and 1 internship down the course, in an institute which was once a thought, then a dream and now a reality, SIMC. The ocean of opportunities is yet ahead, a long way ahead. And even today I would say, “The war has just begun!”