WHY I CHOSE SPJIMR OVER YIF?
Well, a lot of people have asked me this. Actually, not a lot but only a few who truly understand what YIF is and hence the question. For others, it seems there is no comparison. Anyways, I have been thinking of writing this for long, so today is the day.
For those who don’t know, YIF stands for Young India Fellowship. Simply put, it is a one year post-graduate program which is multidisciplinary and is guided by the best of the best in their field. The Young India Fellowship, like it says on the website, seeks to groom young women and men who will lead India through the 21st century.
For me, getting in to YIF was a big achievement. I remember seeing such bright minds during the interview that I had little hopes of getting in. The interview was truly awesome, one of my best I can say. I enjoyed the conversations with Mrs. Anuradha Das Mathur and Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha, both of whom are very well known, especially Dr. Sinha who was also the founding dean of ISB, Hyderabad.
Anyways, coming to the point – why I chose SPJIMR over YIF? This was probably one of the toughest decisions I had to make. There are a lot of things which influenced this, some of which are:
1. I have always tried doing things differently. After graduation too, I didn’t take up a job which my parents were insisting on but rather joined a startup at a very nascent stage and then ended up having my own startup. But, there was tremendous family pressure, always.
2. We live in a society which doesn’t appreciate bold moves that much. Honestly, my startup doesn’t make much money (as yet) so the axe was always on me. Social pressures were taking a toll and something as unconventional as YIF took a lot of effort to explain.
3. In the last one year, I have met a lot of entrepreneurs and have read about a lot more. The hard truth is that an education from a premier institute automatically creates a gateway for you. I don’t say they don’t deserve it, but it’s like entering Bollywood if you are the so and so of a Kapoor or a Khan. Get my point?
4. I have heard a lot about how MBA is just a pathetic degree and entrepreneurs shouldn’t waste time and money on it. I don’t agree to it that much. An MBA from a prestigious school has lot more to offer than just education. The experience around brilliant people, the network, the resources are all much bigger takeaways.
5. I fell in love with SPJIMR and especially the way they value ethics in today’s age. I love their coursework and activities. I love the way they have built their entrepreneurship cell and are motivating people to take risks.
So, in short, my heart was definitely stuck at YIF because, well, there are just too many reasons to love YIF. But at the end, the mind wins over and is being successful at pulling the heart towards SPJIMR. I hope it is the best decision for me. I know my folks are really happy about it.
So, for once, I will do something conventional and something that makes my folks happy too. But, dreams aren’t taking a backseat at all. There’s lots of me yet to come.
For those who are starting YIF soon, have a rocking year ahead. I am sure you’re going to have lots of fun and that does make me quite jealous.
As for the ones at SPJIMR, our journey is just about to begin.
Originally posted on my personal blog