Admission Story: Kaushal Verma, IIM Ranchi, 90.17%, CAT

Kaushal Verma has graduated from St. Xavier's College Kolkata with a 6.61 CGPA. He has an experience of 2 years from Jagaran Microfin in the field of getting finance from banks and Fis. He scored 90.17% marks in the CAT exam and is currently studying the MBA course at IIM Ranchi.

Kaushal Verma Profile

Current institute: IIM Ranchi
Graduation College: St. Xavier's College Kolkata
CAT score: 90.17 %ile
10th Percentage / GPA: 93.80%
12th Percentage / GPA: 90.00%
Graduation Percentage/GPA: 6.61 GPA
Work Experience: Jagaran Microfin, 2 years, getting finance from banks and Fis

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Kaushal Verma Admission Experience

Did you avail of the benefit of any reservation?

Kaushal Verma: “OBC”

Describe the general setting of WAT / GD (if any)?

Kaushal Verma: “The WAT for me was in an offline manner. It was held in hotel Novotel in Kolkata. All the candidates who were called in that slot were made to write the WAT, at the same time, in the hall. The topic was related to the economic conditions prevailing in India at that time. The exact topic I am unable to recall, but it revolved around the Indian economy. The total time given was 15 minutes which included 5 minutes of thinking time and we had to write the essay in an A4 size paper within the stipulated time frame. The aspirants must-read news articles and should be aware of the ongoing major national and international events and occurrences.”

What was the WAT / GD Topic?

Kaushal Verma: “The WAT topic revolved around the Indian Economy.”

What were your answer/points put forward for the WAT or GD respectively?

Kaushal Verma: “The topic was familiar to me as I used to read newspapers called The Statesman on a daily basis. And this, I was kind of aware of the happenings of the last year or so. I was able to frame the answers properly and to the point. I even mentioned data points so as to highlight my grip on data statistics. Since I don't remember the exact topic, I won’t randomly mention anything as an answer. But surely I would like to state that reading newspapers will help the aspirants to present a well to read WAT answer.

Describe the general setting of your personal Interview.

Kaushal Verma: “The Interview Panel comprised of eminent faculty members from CAP (common admission process). Since IIM Ranchi organized the CAP interview that year, so mostly professors were from IIM Ranchi. The panel included a total of 3 professors. The mode of the interview was offline and it lasted for around 30 minutes for me. It was not at all a stress interview. The questions asked were smoothly answered by me. The aspirants must maintain a calm and composite appearance before the panel members. They must think before they make any statement or answer any stress question. They must be well prepared with their graduation subject, work-related details (if the aspirant has relevant work experience), about their own details, etc.. The aspirant may mention some hobbies if asked and they must have solid answers to back their statements. The aspirants should make normal eye contact with all the panel members. It should appear as if it is an engaging interview session and the point will ultimately go in favor of the candidate. Remember aspirants, you are selected for the college before you enter the interview room. It is just your performance in the interview that confirms your admission in the particular college. So having a confident mindset and perfect answer deliverables will grant you the entry key to the college.”

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Mention at least 5 interview questions that were asked to you and your responses to each of them.

Kaushal Verma: “Ques. Why MBA?

Ans. I had mentioned that after I graduated from St. Xavier's College Kolkata, I took up a job in Kolkata. But the profiles of my seniors made me interested. It develops an inquisitiveness inside me to look and research upon the director’s profiles of other companies. I found that most of them had MBA from premier institutes in their respective buckets. Henceforth, I decided that I would start preparing for CAT and get into MBA. This will enable my career trajectory in a growing rate. Overall, to boost my capabilities, career paths, global opportunities, widening the mindset, etc., I decided to take up MBA.

Ques. Tell me about yourself?

Ans. I come from a lovely town called Sahibganj (Jharkhand) situated between the hills and river Ganga. Since my childhood, I have been involved in several extra-curricular activities while maintaining my interest in badminton, cricket, chess, and cycling. Being a Xaverian all my life, I have deeply inbuilt core moral behaviors such as discipline, punctuality, etc. During my college life, I spent a significant time developing bonding with the alumni and other important affiliations. Having work experience in micro-finance, I stand a better chance to develop myself further and better in this organization

Ques. The major significant changes that have occurred in your life so far. Bring out the people, purposes, goals, and other significant changes that have caused these significant changes/decisions?

Ans. The most significant change occurred in my life in the year 2005 when my father met with a rail accident and his right leg was amputated below the knee. It was a tough time for my family and we fought against it together. I even started giving tuitions in class 6 so that I did not add any extra burden on my family members. This event made me stronger from within and gave me a concrete impression that dedication and hard work brings out the best in you. The purposes were converted into goals and I started my journey with a brave heart and determination.

Ques. Tell us 3 strengths of yours with examples. List some attributes of yours that you are really proud of. Describe some instances where your attributes helped you achieve a good outcome?

Ans. My strengths include a determination to execute a task, increased performance under pressure, and a positive approach towards things in life.

I am really proud of my self-dependence and that I believe that adversities bring out the best in you. It shapes you with immense strength and willpower to execute tasks.

I stayed outside the gates of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata to seek admission. People told me that it is very difficult especially when I have less marks in one subject. I was determined that I have to read in this very college. After 6 days I got to meet the principal Rev. Fr. Felix Raj and I explained my statement of purpose in 30 seconds while he walked inside his office. I was called after 2 days and was informed that I will get admission to the college. This is how my determination to execute a task guided my path into college where I received several positions of responsibility. It shaped my learning process and boosted me to do better and better in life.

Ques. Who is your role model? Why do you admire him/her? In what way are you similar to your role model?

Ans. Dr. Raghuram Rajan, ex-Governor of RBI, is my role model. I admire his deep knowledge, personality, attitude towards life, way of dealing with issues of national importance, etc. I find myself as a hard-working person with an interest in economics. I understand economics by relating it to the practical scenarios in life. I feel that someday I will surely rise to a position where I can put myself into his shoes and work for the betterment of an organization and the society at large."

Mention 3 reasons why you chose this college over other colleges which you converted.

Kaushal Verma: “I had converted all the new IIMs and baby IIMs. I chose IIM Ranchi over these colleges owing to the below-mentioned reasons:

The reviews of IIM Ranchi obtained from my friends, relatives, peers, colleagues, etc. were very good. These reviews revolved around placements mostly as I had to see my RoI as well.

The marketing course in MBA offered by IIM Ranchi is a renowned one and they have eminent faculties in all the departments. As such, learning under the graces of well-learned professors is always a blessing for the students pursuing MBA.

IIM Ranchi is a purely student-driven campus when it comes to student activities, clubs, committees, and SIGs. Despite the lack of campus during 2019-20, it had a lovely hostel at Khelgaon Sports Society, Ranchi where all the campus activities except classes took place. As such, it was very engaging from a student's perspective. Whatever facility a student needs, you name it and you have it there at IIM Ranchi. Hence I decided to go for IIM Ranchi."

What was the reason for you not converting other colleges? (if any)

Kaushal Verma: “I could not convert IIM K which was my best call. The best reason for this is obviously with the respected selections team. As far as my analysis was concerned, my interview went really good. And my WAT was also concrete. I might have fallen short in my percentile which did reduce my overall composite score. But I still feel confident about the interview which went really engaging.”

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