I have converted IIM Ahmedabad solely because of my reservation category and luck. I am too scared of joining it. Should I go to IIM Indore instead?

Your life success is determined by your abilities and luck. When you are chosen for IIM Ahmedabad, you have met the minimum requirements, which means you are competent. So it makes no difference that you received affirmative action for your support.

A study was once conducted at the University of Michigan Law School to determine whether students who received the highest score on their standard test were more "successful" than those who received affirmative action-based admission. They discovered that ten years later, there was no difference in their performance and that they were all equally good lawyers.

More than half of IIM Indore students, and even more at IIM Ahmedabad, would admit that luck plays an important role. You should go to IIM Ahmedabad. The peer learning factor would be superior to IIM Indore.

A friend of mine was from a reserved category and also passed from a top B school. Everyone has these apprehensions because you will see that some of the general category candidates have some really good credentials. At the same time, some of them will have credentials below you too. Here’s what I would suggest you do:

• You should think of all these people as your network because you will definitely get to learn from them.
• If you are considering a worst-case scenario, let me tell you, your job will pay you at least INR 70,000 which is quite a decent amount.
• Moreover, a lot of students from IIM A also end up doing managerial positions which will further provide you with more networking opportunities.
• You will surely get a sense of accomplishment and your life and perspective will change.
• The additional tag that you get with the university name is an added bonus.
• You should know that not every reserved category student has the chance to get into a top B-school like this one.
• You are lucky and you should exploit this opportunity to the fullest.

Even if you do end up doing a job that pays 70000, you will earn more later with increments in your salary. But remember that 70000 is just an arbitrary number. With your potential to crack IIM A, you will definitely be able to secure a well-paying job. My friend was also in a similar mindset as yours but he is quite happy with his present scenario.