r/CATpreparation

2 UPSC attempts, 3 SSC attempts and 3 CAT attempts later, life finally gave me a beautiful chance...I got into SPJIMR and honestly this felt like a big win after so many years of hustle and failures.

But yesterday evening I got a call from the bank, and it shattered me. The bank rejected my education loan citing a bad CIBIL score. I tried asking them about a potential solution, but even they were helpless because they operate under a set of rules/system and the system wasn't designed to allow giving education loans to bad credit history candidates.

Now, I admit it is clearly my fault, I should have been more vigilant regarding my CIBIL score and timely previous education loan repayments. But in my defence, I come from a lower middle class family, and for one whole year I was the sole earner of my family. My salary used to get credited 17-20 days after the month was over (typical lala company), there were expenses to manage, bills to pay, and all of this often led to late EMI repayments from my end...but I guess no point discussing this now coz the damage is done 🫠

Tried asking around for potential solutions. A senior and my other MBA passout friends told me that they have never heard of anyone's loan getting rejected (so I'm the unfortunate one? lol).

I tried looking around for solutions, but nothing satisfactory has come up. Taking a loan from an informal money lender or an NBFC seems a bit too much hassle, plus the interest rates will break my back.

Besides, I've just 5 days before the fee payment deadline strikes.

Will write to SPJ, explain my case and ask them for potential solutions/help.

If nothing works out...then I don't know....

I don't know if I'll ever get such a golden opportunity again.

Super 30 ka dialogue yaad aa rha hai, *Pratibha diye hai, par saadhan nahi diye* 🫠🫠🫠

Thank you for reading this (aapka aaj ka VARC practice session done lol)

if you guys have any possible solutions, drop them in the comments below.

TL,DR: Got into SPJIMR; education loan got rejected due to bad CIBIL; Looking for potential solutions.

I feel there is less representation of people who haven't achieved anything significant in their life YET. We definitely will though! Ask away!

1. They have launched some new shit courses because of their new university - Now because of the pool placements, the amount of recruiters are the same but students have increased by 3x-5x -> Very unlikely that next batch will be 100% placed with good packages

2. The college life is not at all happening. Fewer case comms compared to other t2, fewer events, fewer activities, life will be boring while you'll see your friends enjoying

3. Apart from a few roles almost 60-75% of the batch will be placed in t2 cities only. Amul is the bulk recruiter and amul only hires for t2 cities

4. It's a rural management mba afterall. Even the sales and marketing roles will be related to rural management. For example MC'D comes to irma with Procurement role. Now because mcd makes so many french fries they need a lot of potatoes, Your job will be to negotiate with FPOs to buy bulk potatoes and strategy to procure them. You might do this for money, you might even enjoy doing this. But the problem is these type of roles are niche. It's very difficult to switch. Traditional mba gives you traditional roles, even if you start small you can switch easily and make more.

5. You think irma has a good ROI... That's actually true, because EMIs are around 20k only and you'll save more if in t2 city. But ROI is measured much more than first year package. Because you can't switch easily, it's more difficult to grow in this niche, open linkedin of any alumni and you'll find it. Moreover the kind of people come to irma are not so serious, whereas in other bschools you'll have a competitive peer group plus the brand name of irma is not so well known - You'll have to most certainly explain them and introduce them about this cllg... ROI and mba are something that'll stick with your name for lifelong so even if the fees of gim/tapmi/fore etc is 10 lakhs more, it might be worth it

I think this is a topic not covered much. Hence felt like sharing.

The Honeymoon phase

The phase after final results and before joining is the best. You usually go an a grad trip with ypur friends. Its one of the best experiences I had post mba and will always miss that trip :)

The Hope and expectations phase

You join your company. You feel you are some bigshot who will give the CEO advice what to do. You hope you will solve world hunger and bring world peace in 1 day. But soon reality hits and you start the normal corporate grind lol :)

The comparison phase

Once the initial corporate journey starts you start comparing yourself with your peers. People start switching already and you get fomo. You want to switch as well for a better position and even higher pay.

The true friends clarity phase

You only retain some friends from ypur bschool but you really love them. You rant about life,about your boss and everything else in between over drinks or just over group phone calls. Really helps as you know you are not the only one having self doubt.

The loan anxiety phase

With the loan hanging over your head you are scared sometimes and intrusive thoughts once in a while. What if I get laid off? How will I repay the loan? . Should I repay the loan agressively or stretch it out. You sometimes question why you decided to take this risk anyway of doing an mba.

The final acceptance phase

You finally accept you took the decision of dping mba for better or worse. You own it and work towards over bettering your career. You use ypur network to get better offers/try to establish yourself at work for better pay and promotions. You realize the roads a top tier mba and its network opens for you.

You finally accept you took the decision of doing mba for better or worse.

Note:Its my experience.Might vary from person to person.

Have been single since my college days ( whole college life went in Covid ) and most probably will be single in Bschool considering me being an introvert and the hyper competitive environment we are going to be in . When I graduate I will be 27 most of the people around me will be of the marriageable age and here I will be single and debt ridden . While most people around me are already dating or currently even living in and here I am just travelling back and forth between banks for education loan just don't know sometimes this makes me sad ...

Hi! I’m currently studying at Great Lakes, Gurgaon.

When I was applying, I had a lot of confusion about the campus, academics, and overall experience and I didn’t really have someone to guide me.

If you’re considering joining this college or have any doubts (courses, crowd, placements, reality vs expectations), feel free to ask here. I’ll try to answer honestly based on my experience.

No sugarcoating. Just real insights :)

I can’t go through this exam season again… but I feel like I have no choice. I didn’t convert any of the 10 colleges I applied to. I’m waitlisted in most of them even after good interviews..I still have hopes from GIM, GLIM C and FORE. If I convert GIM or GLIM, I can happily move on. But I’m not sure about FORE… it just doesn’t feel right to me🥲 If I convert fore, what is your advice?

Back in 2024, my first attempt, I used to think how can people appear for this exam 3-4 times… that’s so stupid. And here I am thinking about my third attempt🤡 I already said 100 times here I wouldn’t go for a third attempt because I’m exhausted from the last two years...But that Tier 1 dream just won’t leave my mind. Still I was ready to move on, but not converting any college this year is what’s making me so confused.

FIRST, my profile: 10th = 88 , 12th = 88.xx or 91.xx (depending on best of 5 or all subjects), Grad = 65.xx ,

No work ex.. BCom 2024 graduate. Basically a blank CV🤡 Does this profile even qualify for Tier 1 colleges? If it’s possible, then at least there’s a point in thinking about trying again… otherwise there's no point🙇‍♀️ btw, I'm GNEF

SECOND, is it even sensible to go for a third CAT attempt, second XAT attempt and first SNAP attempt? These exams are so unpredictable. There is no guarantee I will score 98+ this time. I already have two gap years, no work ex, no job and I don’t even know where to find one. LinkedIn and other apps are not helping😭 and I don't have any offline connections either...people who didn't have any skills, how did you guys get a job🥲??

THIRD, I don’t know how I will tell my parents… especially my relatives/cousins. I've been at home for last two years and it is embarrassing!! The mental toll of gap years is unexplainable🥲 I really wanted to leave my hometown this year and now the thought of staying another year scares me.

FOURTH, I have already spent 80k of my parents hard earned money and doing this again makes me feel so guilty. I self prepared for the first two attempts so it lacked structure and discipline. If I go for a third attempt, I am planning to go for offline TIME classes which will cost 50k+ , then forms around 30k, then gdpi traveling around 40k. I feel terrible putting my parents through this again....A job can help me in this but job kaha hai🤦‍♀️ Also recently, I've blocked another 75K to remain active in the waitlists

FIFTH, Cat24 = 89.xx Cat25 = 88.xx Xat26 = 90.xx....What if I score even less next time? What will be the point of another gap year? I would honestly die of embarrassment🙇‍♀️ I know we can't predict the future...it can be good or bad...it's all about trying...but man!! idk...

SIXTH, since I cannot find a job, is it advisable to reach out to local NGOs and take up a job there? Will that add value to my CV? Not volunteering… an actual job. Idk if I'll get it or not but It is the only option I can think of right now. Also, if I do something of my own (online, like digital products), is it a good discussion point?

I know this sounds messy😭 Maybe I just needed to rant. Maybe I am hoping for some real advice. Not justifying but CAT24 was my first attempt and honestly i didn't have much knowledge about this field...But I wanted to give my best in CAT25 but medical issues ruined my physical and mental health and the entire year....Also, I became active on reddit after my interviews were over..to avoid overthinking about results.. so please don’t judge me for my presence here🥲

I really hope I convert GIM Core and get out of this mess. Idk what will be my waitlist number..What if it is not convertible...Don't think I'm mad when I'll ask people to leave GIM just to move the waitlist😭 idk about GLIM waitlisted status....idk man...God please help me yaar bahut ho gya ab toh

Should I go for a local college? Should I switch to some other exams? The competition is 100x in govt or bank exams😭

If any senior who has gone through this process 2–3 times is reading this, please share your advice.

Also, if someone from Tier 1 colleges is reading this, does my below-average profile even qualify for a Tier 1 college?

My classmates are either in their first year or have already completed their MBA, and here I am…so late. I know comparison only leads to self-disappointment, but I’m human too... I can’t stop thinking that I’m so behind🥲

idk why I'm even writing all this...I don't even have a job to think about 3rd attempt...I'll regret making this post I know..logo ko lagega I have a complaining nature but nahi bhai sach me dimag kharab ho rha hai..pata nhi kyu likh rhi hu ye sab

​Hi everyone. R1 applicant here. Despite securing a 99.72 percentile, a 3-month internship, and 1.5 years of experience at a top company, I was rejected from the ISB YL program.

​Here are my main takeaways from the process:

1. ​Interviews felt like a formality:

Unlike the BLACKI interviews where a killer conversation can actually redeem your profile, ISB seems to have their minds made up before you even walk in. It really feels like they are hunting for specific tags—like IITs, CFAs, crazy PORs, or heavy extracurriculars. If you don't have those, the interview alone probably won't save you.

2. ​​The "too good to be true" vibe:

ISB interviewers are super chill and really don't grill you. Because it's so conversational, almost everyone walks out feeling like they just had the best interview of the season, only to get a rejection letter later. It can definitely give you a false sense of security.

​Ultimately, I had other BLACKI calls that I am confident about converting, so I'm looking forward.

​Just wanted to share my experience. Best of luck to anyone prepping for their upcoming interviews!

GEN-NE-Male-Fresher , I have 9-9 in my 10th and 12th but then due to Covid my college gave me a 5 in graduation. At that point MBA was not the plan, but now it impacts me a lot !

I did my Masters with an almost 7 , and scored 92%ile in CAT this year. ( Missed QA sectional) Still the best convert I have yet is from LBSIM . And FORE’s a maybe . I am thinking of giving it another try , but my biggest concern is how to offset my bad graduation scores, even though I have a very valid reason and proofs that my exams got cancelled still most good colleges hard reject my application.

So my question is -

1. can I offset it ?
2. how can I offset it ?
3. can a fresher get a good / decent college with such grades?
4. and if so, what is the realistic minimum percentile above which I would start to get good colleges ?

doing my mba most probably from a tier2 bschool. Wanted a plan to follow