IIM-C (2005-2007 ) GD/PI Discussions,,Experience etc

[carnalsingh]

had my GD/PI for IIMC at IIMC(applied 4 both PGDM and PGDCM)...

Background:
Xth : 92%
XIIth : 83.4 %
B.Tech (Final Yr) E & ECE , IIT KGP (7.43 CGPA)
CAT percentlile 99.93

GD topic was very general one... "manuf. sector".. no arguments or counter arguments. Very peaceful gd...

PI: myself (m) , three panelists (p1,p2,p3)

I am second in the list so have my PI early...

P2: Tell me something about yourself.
m: blah blah
P1: hmm so u r in ur final yr B Tech... So wats the topic of ur project....
m: describe the topic...
p1: where can this be used...
m: blah blah ( said something bout CDMA as well)
p1: yeah yeah cdma... do u know which company licenses the cdma tech...
m: said qualcomm and then related something which i did in my project to it.
p1: so which is better GSM or CDMA...
m: said both has its +ve and -ve aspects.
p1:no no pick one
m: chose CDMA over GSM and gave some reasons for the same.
p1: ok how will u rate data, voice and other telecom services in reagard to rural sector.
m: says something how each one is important and did the rating ....
p3all this while he was going thru my transcript)So wat is ur favourite subject?
m: Digital Communication (dont remember exactly whether he asked nething or not regarding digi comm)
p3:You have done a course in Operations Research. Can u tell me wats the use of studying this?
m: gave some gyan bout OR .
p3: but y OR in ECE dept?? went on to say that he teaches OR in IIM C.(later came to know frm seniors that he is a fundoo prof )
m: it wasnt a depth course sir but a breadth(elective)... of all the options i had i chose this coz i found the course interesting.
p3: i see u have scored an above average grade in OR. it seems u liked the subj.
m : yes sir
p3: so tell me some topics u learnt....
m: told him some ...( but as soon as i tell him travelling salesman problem he cuts me short )
p3: so where can u use travelling salesman problem in ECE??
m: knew nothing bout it ... (asked him to let me think for a while) then came up with some vague answer...
p3Sees a certi relating to CS(counter strike for the uninitiated)) Tell me something bout Counter Strike...
m: CS is a FPS game in which a team of 5 is generally chosen ... blah blah t's ct's etc. etc. (cuts me short)
p3: so wats creative writing...
m : blah blah
p1: so if i write something general its non creative...
m: say something vague...
p1 : ok ok so u think very creatively ... how about this situation... u find urself in mid ocean. u hear a child crying and an old lady shouting for help. u can save one.. whom will u save??
m: say something .. (p1 not very satisfied though)
p3: u can leave now... take ur folder...
m: sir wat bout the photocopies ...
p3: do u want me to carry these ?? (gives a smile)
m: (smiling)no sir it was written in the form ... thats y i asked...
p3: its only for verification..
m: ok .. thankyou sir...


No acads grilling... no quants(did revise a lot many topics for IIM C PI smile:... overall very chill PI...

[vaibhavgupta_2004]

Hi,

had my iimc gd/pi at imi yesterday.
GD topic was: Cats are better than dogs.

the topic was very abstract. moreover there were 11 ppl in a grp and the seating arrangement was also not proper. everyone was just speaking abt cat's cleverness, dog's faithfulness, blah,blah....

i spoke only once or twice but chipped in the cureent topic of diminishing tiger population in india(sariska, mp etc). i thought it was well received.

in pi my number was 6th. they were finishing pi ver fast. just 10-15 min for each student.
they were 3 panelists P1,P2 and P3 and I()...

P1:so what r u doing now?
I: sir i m working as a s/w developer in ..

P1: so r u engg?
I: Yes sir.

P1: from where?
I: IIT Bombay.

P1: which branch?
I: Che Engg.

P1: which was ur first job?
I: blah blah

P1: why did u took up a job as s/w developer?
I: ITrevolution..aim of opening a s/w company in bioinformatics..

P1: ur final yr project.
I: told them.

P2: u say bioinformatics, tell me what is microarray
I: told them something-something

P2: what is c in cDNA?
I: complementary.

P2: m in mRNA?
I: messenger

P2 then asked me something about biuoinformatics that i had not heard of b4.
then said that u must know all this.
I: sir my final yr project was purely computational based on analysis of data. i didn't do experiments myself.

P1: so urs was a dual degree program. u should have done phd also.
I: talked abt my long term aim of being an entreprenuer.

P1: so why mba? u should have started after iitb.
I: gave them some gyan.

P1: i m not convinced.
I: gave them some more gyan.

they grilled me some more on entreprenueral aspect and role of management edu in that but i stuck to my point.

P1: ok u r talking abt globalization, tell me what is globalization with a human face?
I: told them abt poor, marginalized, rural ppl etc....

P1: what is cmp?
I: told them.

P1: mention some imp points in cmp?
I: couldn't remember much at that time. just said abt EGS, Disivestment, health, edu etc.

P1: dont u think these measures will slow down globalization?
I: sir consensus has yet not build in india with respect to globalization. so i feel it is better to go slow than take some hasty decision and feel the backlash of common ppl.

P1k vaibhav, thats all.
I: thankyou sir,

i was not asked any technical, quan etc questions. more that half of my i/v was on grilling abt mba and entreprenuership. i dunno what to make out of it..do iimc has anything against entreprenuership???

guys and gals, pls reply to my post as iimc is my last hope....otherwise i m thinking of starting prep for Gmat.

pls give ur comments.....

[vaibhavgupta_2004]

Originally Posted by fragileninja

Venue: IMI Delhi
somebody once said, its difficult to screw up with more than 4 calls... I guess, im just one step far from it...

u r one step away from it, i guess i have already accomplished the difficult task ,

Vaibhav

[fruskee]

Originally Posted by vaibhavgupta_2004

u r one step away from it, i guess i have already accomplished the difficult task ,

Vaibhav

Vaibhav, I think you had a good CAL int... Just don?t be pessimistic...
Cool interview does not necessarily mean they are not interested in you

[piyushisnice]

hey guys!
those of you, who are already through with your gd pi please tell me something about the certificates verification.
i have got all my mark sheets attested but not my CAT score card, admit card and my extra-curricular certificates.
Do I need to get them attested as well?
I have got mine on 17th.

[supervish]

Originally Posted by catbert

Hey vish, I am from elec. emgg too. Please give details of elec related questions that u got!

How do ya estimate the load in an area? How is the billing done? Now these were very general Qs, they left it to me to explain the details... just to see to what extent I knew and understood I reckon.

Thats one thing I've seen... instead of asking very specific Qs, they like to let you have a run so that you can structure ur ans and explain the stuff... as to a layman of course.... the fact is... they're not elec engg... you are ... so you tell them how your world works.

Man.. i'm losing it.. forgetting quite a few things i was asked ... one of the first things ... what the difference between electrical and electronics was.

Originally Posted by piyushnice

i have got all my mark sheets attested but not my CAT score card, admit card and my extra-curricular certificates.
Do I need to get them attested as well?

Dont take your CAT score card with you. Why on earth would you want an attested admit card? All you need attested are ur marksheet copies and the intvw form.

[vaibhavgupta_2004]

Originally Posted by piyushisnice

hey guys!
those of you, who are already through with your gd pi please tell me something about the certificates verification.
i have got all my mark sheets attested but not my CAT score card, admit card and my extra-curricular certificates.
Do I need to get them attested as well?
I have got mine on 17th.

come on yaar.. u dont need to get ur cat score card,admit card or extracurricular certis attested. but do take care while writing ur cpi(or percentage whatever) and ur work ex duration as they are calculating on the spot in the iimcal pi and even a minor mistake may piss them off.

anyways all the best.

[maverickminds]

hi ppl.had cal itrvw yestrday at imi delhi.2 o clk noon.
10 ppl in grp.gd on women activist are actually hampering the advancement of women.(ye kya hai.)all boys grp.okish gd.made afew good points .not much to speck on the topic.overall think i did well.
yes the panel was vry rough.last batch told us they wr takin stress intrvw maths or even on why management.
was 4th for intrvw.previous intrvws of ppl b4 me went 35,24,18,18 min each.first two were stress.
panel :B(bearded guy), o(othr guy) m(me)
all thrugh B kept makn a sullen face and even o looked unimpressed.
Oronounced my name wrong evrytime(he was bengali).m, same route good marks in 12th,in 3rd yr engg mite hav joined CL,got good percentile now wish to join IIM`s .easiest route.why did u do engg then.
m: (lil takenb aback,kept smilin though) sir edu. never goes in vain bla bla.
o: ok what did u learn in engg?
m:bla bla
0:canu spk on any tech topic for 10 min without sayin a thing wrng?
(both of them stare at me)
m:confidntly yes sir
O:go ahd
m:i spoke on ntwrkin(only tech subject i n good at)
O:intrrots after 2 min.n asks a few question
m:keep replin to them(yuppie i knew the answers)
O:tried ti irritate me via absurd quesions from the topic.b often joined in the grillin
m:kept my cool n always replien smilin.
after 2-3 moe quesions says good
O:wht else shud we ask u.
Msmilin)extracurriculars
O:tell
M:tell thm i m coll coordinator.hav organisd fests n ll enjoy doin things etc.
B:very irritated what do u intend to show by telln this to panel
M(wht the hell) still cool.sir bla bla initiative,team member.bla bla
B:n u think IIMC shud take u bcoz u can organise fests?
m:sir its for the panel ot decicde wht they r lookin in prospective candidiates i m just tryin to put best foot forward n i think thes qualities r a mus in a mnger
B:sits back
o:how r u at maths
M:gud
B:whn did u last do it?
m:durin written prep.(shit!!!!)
B:whts prob.?
m:bla bla
B:if i say this roof has two outcomes fallin and not fallin.whts its prob
M:in case they r equally likely events 1/2
b:is aghast n shocked. u sure
M:i thot son said yes i m .
B:means any thing wiht two outcome will hav 1/2 prob
M:in case they r equally likely o occur.
B:then ur chances of makin toIIM c is 1/2
M:i smile back.
B:gettin more irritated.
o:u r not afraid the roof on ur head has a 50 percent chance of fallin on ur head n u hav 50 percent chance of dyin?
m:sir there is a 50 percent chance of it not fallin n my not dyin.i m not afraid
B:is 50 percent a gud chance.
M:depends on whtsa t stake
Bk fine u may go.
O:wishes gud luck
i leave smiliin
30 min.what do i make of this?
signing off.

[piyushisnice]

Originally Posted by maverickminds

hi ppl.had cal itrvw yestrday at imi delhi.2 o clk noon.
O:wishes gud luck
i leave smiliin
30 min.what do i make of this?
signing off.

Phod diya interview.
But i hope that you get selected in IIM A, or are more interested in IIM B and get selected there too.

[Evanescence]

The interview I was waiting for finally came. Couldn't have had cooler interview.

Venue: IFMR, Chennai
Date: 15 March.
Time: 9 A.M.

BG: BE(ECE) fresher, avg acads, low percentile

GD

7 members (one absent)

topic: "To facilitate higher rates of economic growth dictatorship(DS) is better than democracy(DM)"

Cool GD. Not very noisy. Made good contributions. Screwed up summary though. I presented all MY views and forgot to mention what consensus the group came to.

THE Interview

A: Alumnus B: Mr Bagichi S: Mr Sinha
M: Me

S took my file and was perusing it for a while.

A: What do you think about the GD? Your performance?
M: gas for a min.

A: What was your contrib?
M: Explain a few points I made.

A: All the people before you said the same. You are claiming you brought this point (abt globalistion).
M: I started off the GD with this point sir.

A: Why do you say DS will be unsuccesful in todays scenario?
M: More gas. (say something about stability)

A: In DM, govt changes so often = instability na?
M: By stability I mean wrt policies... more gas

A: Why would FIs invest in DM if DS offers more ROI? They oviously dont care about the people.
M: DM has representation from all sectors. More economic stability. People indirectly get to make the policies. Not so in DS.

A: Right. You have got this scholarship. What for?
M: ...

B: Do you have a job?
M: Yes sir. I got recruited by ...

B: So you know what your role would be?
M: Not really sir.

B: Explain your project.
M: ... explain for more than 2 min ...

A: How does Indian military camp intercept Pak camp's messages?
M: fundae (as much as I knew. At one point I said "dont know the specifics")

B: How was Saddam traced?
M: said something about GPS to find the location.

They all laughed.

B: About GPS.
M: fundae.

S asks me to fill Guardian's name and address (hadnt done that in the form)
M: did it.

S: Why are we asking for Guardian details?
M: Vaguely explained.

S: You are 21 years old. Old enough to start earning and and to be independent. Why do you need a guardian?
M: crapped.

Again laughter.

S: What roles do you play in cricket? (play cricket for col)
M: gas (used it to bring out my weakness and strengths) ... spoke for 2 min...

S: What is the diff b/w style & technique?
M: gas (used Lara and Ganguly to explain flair and style) ...2 min...

Laughter.

S: Ganguly is in such a pathetic state. Very far from the style you're talkng about.
M: I was talking about Ganguly's batting five years back!

Laughter.

S: What is technique?
M: Gas

S: What is one attribute of Sehwag that makes him successful?
M: Gas

I explained for like 3 min about Sehwag vs Dravid ... hand-eye co-ord vs tech etc

A: Can you come up with a s/w to simulate the way ball behaves in cricket?
M: State of pitch has a huge role. S/w cannot ccount for off the wicket deviations (which is pretty random). But in ideal conditions we can come up with a logic.

A: Given state of pitch can we accurately determine the behavior?
M: We would need the instantaneous value of the state of pitch cause it gets affected all the time. more gas here

B: Thats right. ( He sort of nodded ... Im hoping its an approving nod! )

S: What books do you read?
S: Fav author?
S: His style?
S: What parameters define "stye of writing"?
S:Compare with some other author.

This discussion went on for about 8 min.

B: Have you read Shakespeare's works?
M: none sir.

B: Something about english education in school.
M: gas.

A: So did you understand the meaning of "writing style"? Its like flowchart and code...
M: (I cut him off.. Dumb! ) Yes sir I understand. Flowchart is the plot and the s/w represents the style.

A smiles & he too nods ( i was relieved!)

A: What are the other calls?
A: What will you choose if you convert A & C?
M: C
A: I heard from the IIMA panel that you said 'A' to the same ques when they asked?

Laughter all over.

M: They never asked me that question sir.

A: So why IIMC?
M: more gas.

All three say thanks. Me thanks all of them and leaves.

Duration: 25 min.
Observation: In both A & C they have allowed me to direct the interview to my strong points. They rarely cut me off mid-sentence. I had enough time to elaborately explain.
Dunno what parameters they're evaluating us on.

I've done my best. Gotta wait for more than month to see if it was good enough.

Comments are most welcome.

ATB ppl.

Evanescence.