Home Home
Home | Overview | B-Schools | Jobs | Alerts | Advertise | Contact Us | About Us | Forum | Link to us
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Choose Language: English | German | Portugese
MBA Resources
MBA Articles
MBA Books
MBA Case Studies
MBA B Schools
MBA Current Affairs
MBA Downloads
MBA Events
MBA Notifications
MBA FAQs
MBA Jobs
MBA Job Consultants
MBA News
MBA Results
MBA Courses
MBA Sample Papers
MBA Interview
Questions
MBA Training
Institutes
CAT - 2009
Online CAT 09
About Online CAT
How to Prepare for
CAT
CAT 2024 Faqs
GD Tips
Pursuing MBA
MBA aspirants
What is an MBA
Why an MBA
Returning to B-school
Value of MBA
Good MBA Candidate
MBA Overview
Overview
Scope of MBA
MBA Programs
Career in Vogue
B-School Ratings
Top Universities
Top 30 Ranking
Admission Process
B-School Profiles
Management Colleges
in Bangalore
Distance & Online
MBA Preparation
Aptitude Tests
Tips for CAT
GD Made Easy
MBA Entrance Exams
CAT's Eye
About CAT
CAT Class Room
CAT Course Materials
CAT Bulletin 2024
CAT Eligibility
IIM Cat Centers
CAT Institutes
How to Apply
Important Dates
CAT Instructions
CAT FAQs
Sample Papers
CAT GD/PI
CAT Resources
CAT Results
MBA Careers
Business News
Case Studies
Interview Tips
Build Resume
Seminar Topics
Business Schools
B-Schools Profiles
B-Schools Rankings
B-Schools Selection
B-Schools Hot News
B-Schools Events
B-Schools Diary
B-Schools Seminars
Placements 2008
Placements 2007
Placements 2006
Top Business Schools
Top Business Schools
(Part Time) in Asia
Top Business Schools
in India
Top Business Schools
Worldwide
Education Loans
Career Resource
Admission Process
Admission Alerts
MBA Admissions
Application Dates
Full Time
Fellow Programmes
Executive MBA
Distance Courses
GMAT Preparation
What's GMAT
Eligibility Fees
Importance
GMAT CAT
GMAT & MBA
GMAT FAQs
MAT Preparation
What's MAT
Exam Notification
Online MAT 09
MAT Institutes
MAT Test Centres
AIMA Study Centres
Bank of Baroda
Branches
JMET Preparation
JMET 2009 Important
Dates
JMET 2009 Eligibility
JMET Application
Process
JMET 2009
Participating Institutes
JMET Test Pattern
JMET Paper Structure
MBA Jobs
Senior Management
Positions
Marketing/ Sales/
Advertising
General Management
Analysis Zone
Analysis of MBA
Entrance Exams
Exam Notification
Mock Exams
Mock Exam [2024]
Verbal Preparation
Math (Quantitative)
Analytical
General Awareness
Free Downloads
CAT Papers
XAT
FMS
MAT
IIFT
CET
SNAP
JMET
GMAT Verbal
GMAT Math
Miscellaneous
Distance Courses
Success Stories
Advertise With Us
MBA FAQs
MBA Forum




Diaries


Expert Suggestions on Preparation for Computer Based CAT-09


Election Time at IIM-A

- by Vinamra Srivastava *

All through my life, I had held various positions of responsibility. School head-boy, house-captain, class-monitor, general-secretary... but all of them were linked through one common thread - they were all selected positions, not elected. I had never ever contested in an election.

And hence, when the time came for the election of the Students Affairs Council (SAC) Secretaries at IIM-A, my eyes lit up. I knew here is another chance for me to do something which I had never done before; IIM-A is going to give me another first in my life! 

The SAC consists of 8 secretaries representing diverse spheres of activities, namely Recruitment, Cultural, Sports, Acads, Media, IT, Mess and the Gen Secy himself. Once I made up my mind to stand for the elections, the next decision was not very tough. There was no doubt in my mind that I will contest for the post of Sports Secy. Sports is a field about which I have always been very passionate. And I had strong opinions about how the sports infrastructure and opportunities at the institute could be made better. After the Sangharsh victory, I knew that there is no dearth of sporting talent at IIM-A. And despite the huge academic load, people do take out time to indulge in their favourite sports. All this was motivation enough for me to apply for this post.

Application submitted, the real test then began. I can say with confidence that the next few days were the most hectic and tough days for me in the third term, except for the time I spent working for Chaos. And since there was not much gap between Chaos and the elections, I was on my toes for almost the entire first month of the third term. And all this does not include the long hours that needed to be put in for academics, which was in some ways 'first term revisited'. Anyways, I will come to that in my next post.

So why was this period crazily hectic? Ok, so here it goes! After filing our candidature, the next step was to come up with an election manifesto that needed to be uploaded by a certain deadline to our central server. I had to spend considerable time on preparing the same since each and every point written there would later on be scrutinized by everyone. Once this was done, the next step was campaigning - the most hectic period. I had prepared a 10 minute pitch highlighting the central areas of action that I would act upon, if selected. Campaigning did not mean the 'Vote for Vinz' slogans! Neither did it mean explaining to people why you are the best candidate for the post. All it meant was to put forth your agenda of what you intend to do for the students and the institute, if selected.

Now, the aim was to ensure that all fellow fachchas (only fellow batchmates are allowed to vote; not the seniors) have heard my pitch. This in turn implied that I had to go to each of the 23 dorms and catch hold of as many people as I could and pitch to them.

Since its practically impossible to find everyone in the dorm at the same time, I had to keep track who I have missed out and make repeat trips to those dorms. All this meant that every day, till the end of campaign time, I had to make multiple visits to all dorms to deliver my pitch. I had to compromise on my studies and group work and 24 hours started to seem less.  

But this was not my story alone. Every candidate for every post had to undergo the same routine. Just imagine the plight of poor batchmates! They had to listen to the pitches of 25-odd candidates day-in and day-out and towards the end, it seemed that all that the people on campus were doing was either delivering pitches or listening to them! Some dorms even went a bit whacky as they put down 'pitching rules' on the dorm blackboards: 5 minutes or less, all votes guaranteed; 5-10 minutes, few less votes and so on! Ha Ha Ha... I can understand how tiring it was for them. I remember in the end how I would literary drag people out of their rooms to listen to the pitch.

Anyway, once the campaigning time was over, the last step before voting was the 'Soap Box'. It takes place in a classroom where every candidate appears before an audience (comprising of fachchas as well as tuchchas), delivers the pitch, and then answers sharp and probing questions thrown at him/her. The entire event is video-recorded and essentially measures how well the candidate is prepared for the post, and whether he/she can withstand pressure and maintain calm while answering challenging questions. The Soap Box is intended to help the voters make a much more informed decision. Mine went quite decent, I suppose, I was able to answer almost all questions thrown at me satisfactorily.

And finally, the D-Day arrived! Voting started in the evening. Turnout was nearly cent-percent and after 2-3 hours, counting began for each post. I remember how we all were gathered outside the classroom, chatting with each other, trying to quell our anxieties! After every 15-20 minutes, one result would be announced... cheers, jubilations, and of course, bumps would follow! And then it was the turn of Sports! My fellow candidate was a strong favourite, and deservedly so. He was one of the best sportsman on campus and had good experience in handling such posts in the past. But somehow I felt confident inside and waited with bated breath! 20 minutes of agonizing wait, and the results were finally out. I was beaten quite comfortably. It took time to sink in. I at least expected the margin of defeat to be very narrow. Alas, that was not to be.

But I was happy for him. I had no regrets in losing out to a person who completely deserved the victory. His passion, commitment and humbleness are his biggest strengths, and I was sure the post has gone into the right hands. I got reminded of a statement one

of my friends had made prior to the voting, "Irrespective of who wins, we know that Sports at IIM-A would be in safe hands." It was an honour for both of us.  

I was selected to the Sports committee later on and now it is indeed a great pleasure and experience to work with the team together. We have already hosted few events in the third term and will be working out on plans for the coming year. The elections were a great experience. The frenetic pace at which I had to work was killing, but it was once in a life-time moment. I made friends with so many more people in my batch; that was one of the biggest gains. The highs and lows have etched themselves as yet another unforgettable experience of my life at IIM-A.

Discussion Center

Discuss

Query

Feedback/ Suggestion

Yahoo Groups

Sirfdosti Groups

Contact Us

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

 

 


Members Login Here!
EmailId:   
Password:


  Forgot Password?
  New User? Register!

Start Your Own Website

India's Best Web Hosting Company
Interview Q & A eBook

Get 9,000+ Interview Questions & Answers in an eBook. Interview Question & Answer Guide
  • 9,000+ Interview Questions
  • All Questions Answered
  • 5 FREE Bonuses
  • Free Upgrades

Useful Resources

Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad
IIM - AHMEDABAD

Indian Institute of Management -  Bangalore
IIM - BANGALORE

Indian Institute of Management - Calcutta
IIM - CALCUTTA

Indian Institute of Management - Indore
IIM - INDORE

Indian Institute of Management - Kozhikode
IIM - KOZHIKODE

Indian Institute of Management - Lucknow
IIM - LUCKNOW

Master of Business Administration MBA course Exam Institution Admission Details Related Pages


CAT | IIM | JET JMET | MBA | MBA Entrance | MBA Distance | MBA Entrance Exam | MBA Programs | Top MBA Universities in India | B-Schools Profiles | Management Colleges in Bangalore | Aptitude Tests | CAT Tips | CAT Bulletin 2008 | Common Admission Test | CAT Papers | XAT Papers | FMS Papers | MAT Papers | IIFT Papers | CET Papers | SNAP Papers | JMET Papers | GMAT Verbal Papers | GMAT Math Papers |

Copyright � 2024. onestopmba.com. All rights reserved Privacy Policy | About Us | Terms and Conditions
Our Portals : Academic Tutorials | Best eBooksworld | Beyond Stats | City Details | Interview Questions | Discussions World | Excellent Mobiles | Free Bangalore | Give Me The Code | Gog Logo | Indian Free Ads | Jobs Assist | New Interview Questions | One Stop FAQs | One Stop GATE | One Stop GATE | One Stop GRE | One Stop IAS | One Stop MBA | One Stop SAP | One Stop Testing | Webhosting in India | Dedicated Server in India | Free Website Templates | Sirf Dosti | Source Codes World | Tasty Food | Tech Archive | Testing Interview Questions | Tests World | The Galz | Lalu Yadav Jokes | Vyom | Vyom eBooks | Vyom International | Vyom Links | Vyoms | Vyom World | Shayari
home page