CAT topper opts out of rat race, won’t join an IIM
He scored 100 percentile and was among the eight all-India toppers of the Common Admission Test (CAT), but for Shashank Prabhu, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) hold no particular allure.
He scored 100 percentile and was among the eight all-India toppers of the Common Admission Test (CAT), but for Shashank Prabhu, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) hold no particular allure.
Prabhu, who got the top score in his third CAT attempt, has not followed up with the admission procedure of any of the IIMs. The CAT results determine admissions to the 13 IIMs.
The institutes announced their shortlists within a day or two of the results on January 11, and are now in different stages of screening shortlisted students.
Prabhu has, however, decided he will be continuing at the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi, where he is about to complete his first year.
“I’m not going for any of the IIM interviews and I didn’t fill in any forms,” said Prabhu. “I just wanted to take the CAT because I hadn’t scored well in my previous attempts.”
Prabhu, a doctor from Mumbai, received shortlist calls from all the IIMs except IIM-Shillong. Though his name did not appear on the IIM-Bangalore online shortlist he later received a letter from the institute.
“People have commented on my decision but there were a lot of things to consider and I had no second thoughts,” said Prabhu.
FMS has an excellent placement record, he already has a summer internship in hand and the institute has a strong marketing focus, reasons Prabhu cited for deciding not to switch.
“I would have ended up spending three years doing an MBA,” said Prabhu. “Also, at FMS I am paying Rs10,000 per year, for the IIMs it would have been between Rs12 and 14lakh for two years.”
This year, each of the IIMs is following its own screening procedure. While some are conducting written tests, others are planning to use personal interviews or group discussions.
The final lists are likely to be out by the second week of March.