Back in the December of 2019, when the news of the novel coronavirus had started doing the rounds, little did we know that it would bring along with it, a series of long drawn and perhaps, never ending implications. While schools shut their doors to the happy bustle of their pupils and offices asked their employees to relocate to their homes even for the purpose of work, the world had seemingly come to a stand-still. However, that wasn’t the case for people like you (the incoming batch of oh-so-amazing learners) and me.
In the same context, might I ask as to what exactly comes to your mind, when you hear the word, “Interview”? If I am not very wrong, you might just picture a well-dressed, perhaps bespectacled interviewer questioning and cross-questioning an interviewee in a face-to-face setting. Needless to say, such wasn’t the case when I had appeared for the selection process at ICFAI Business School, Bangalore, around 10 months ago. Like any other interaction that used to be held in a physical format previously, selection procedures of B-schools across the country and the world had shifted base entirely to the online mode.
To be honest, it was altogether, a very different experience. In what sense you ask? Well then, allow me to elaborate.
Candidates were asked to prepare a 10-minute micro-presentation for the esteemed interviewers to judge their communication abilities/skills. This was followed by a quick interactive session to understand the candidate’s overall knack of pursuing a highly competitive course like an MBA/PGPM and whether or not he/she had it in him/her to pursue the same till the very end. In this context, I must add that the institution left no stone unturned to conduct a seamless selection process in terms of operational excellence. Every candidate was given a Zoom link and was invited to speak accordingly. Coupled with that, amiable and patient interviewers made the process easier, especially for a candidate who might be jittery on the D-day.
Fast forward to December 2021, the day I am penning this piece for all of you to read: It would be quite an understatement to say that it was an exhilarating experience so far, at IBS-B. Contrary to popular belief, I consider myself lucky that in my 20+ years of education (and work), I have had the chance to be in a physical setting as well as in an online system.
While studying online here at IBS, the administration of every class starting from the drawing up of the section wise class schedule to making session recordings available on our intra-learning management system, the eye for detail of the Academic team is impeccable. Despite falling short on the aspect of attending physical classes and the traditional methodology of gaining knowledge, every professor here at IBS-B made sure that we learnt and learnt well. Even when the institution decided to adopt a hybrid system of learning, catering to the offline as well as online needs, the strategy and the near perfection with which this approach was adopted, surprised many. Classrooms are well equipped with giant-smartboards and microphones so that the students who decide to attend their classes offline as well as those who cannot, can all learn in equal measures.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that hard times befall us more often than not. Whether or not we leverage what we have and make full use of the available resources or simply decide to give up and pine, it is completely our call to take! After all, as the famous footballer, Pele had once rightfully stated, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrificing and most of all, love of what you’re doing or learning to do!”
Sneha Das
Section: B
Enrolment ID: 21BSP3447
Batch of 2021-2023