Admission Story: Arushi Sharma, XIMB, 252, NMAT

Arushi Sharma is currently enrolled in the MBA-BM course at XIMB. She appeared for the X-GMT Exam and scored 91.16% aggregate. Arushi Sharma graduated from Dronacharya College of Engineering. She also has 1.5 years of work experience as a Product Software Engineer at Z scale.

Arushi Sharma Profile

Current institute: XIMB
Graduation College: Dronacharya College of Engineering
X-GMT and NMAT score: NMAT- 252, XGMT- 91.16
10th Percentage / GPA: 9.6 CGPA
12th Percentage / GPA: 82%
Graduation Percentage/GPA: 80.78 %

Work Experience: Zscaler, 1.5 years, Product Support Engineer. I worked as a Product Support Engineer in Z scale which is a cloud-based information security company that provides internet security, web security, next-generation firewalls, anti-virus. Zscaler provides Security as a Service(SAAS).

Check XIMB Course & Fees

Admission Experience

Did you avail of the benefit of any reservation?

Arushi Sharma: “General (No reservation)”

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

Arushi Sharma: “The WAT was online in my case due to the pandemic.There were around 15 members in each group and we had to select one among the three topics shared.There was 1 moderator in our group and we were given clear instructions on when to start writing the wat.

The total time given for the WAT was around 25 minutes so we could think and gather our points for 10 mins and write for the next 15 mins.The topics given were related to the current scenario and the general knowledge so I did not face any major issue while gathering my thoughts as I like to keep myself abreast with the happenings in the world.

We were given 300-400 words to pen our thoughts. My approach to write a WAT was to create a rough outline of all the points which helped in creating the flow of my essay.

In the introductory paragraph I used to present the topic in a way that garnered the interest of the person reading it by an eye-catching relevant fact, quotation, and statistical figure.

After that in the body of the WAT, I elaborated the points with an example.

At last came the conclusion,where I used to give my opinion on the topic.

So in a nutshell,I brought out the relevant arguments related to the topic,made short notes and started writing the WAT.

Also,my Pro-tip would be that whatever opinion you provide in the WAT,try to back them up with a stance.The structure should be strong and the quality of the content matters more than the quantity. The focus should be on making the language simple but unconventional. It is also very important to proofread your WAT after you have completed the WAT so that you can correct the errors if any.”

What was the WAT / GD Topic?

Arushi Sharma: "The exact topic given to me was - "How to tackle Size-Zero Problems"”

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

Arushi Sharma: “Size Zero figure is usually idolised by a lot of people.Everyone likes to have a perfect body but it is important to note that ,size zero figure is not at all healthy and it causes issues related to being underweight.Also,not having the right proportion of food will deprive the body of the energy and the nutrients it requires.

In order to tackle the size zero problems,we should promote body positivity and the ability to feel confident in our own skin.Every size is beautiful and what really matters is our health and not a picture perfect body.We need to be happy and fit from within and it would eventually reflect outside.Starving for days just to achieve the idea of a perfect body is like ruining your health and happiness.

When teenage girls or women look at the images of models on magazine covers and on Instagram with perfect size zero figure,they are bound to be intimidated by them which leads to them being unhappy in the long run.Instead,these magazines should share the images of the real women-flawed and still beautiful because no one is perfect and we need to accept that.

Also, I feel if anyone we know is following extreme diets and unrealistic exercise methods, we should talk to them immediately and bring them under the professional guidance.

Thus rather than criticising their bodies and achieving a size zero figure,the focus should be to exercise daily,drink plenty of water,lower our calorie intake and appreciate the body that has been given to us.Let's change how we think first and then see the change we wish to see because until and unless we don't do so,the youth of today will carry on believing that the benchmark for beauty is above 100 likes on instagram.”

Describe the general setting of your personal Interview.

Arushi Sharma: “My interview was conducted on 21st Februrary just a day after my TISS exam. I was high as a kite and anxious at the same time. It was one of the best calls that I had got after my entrance exams and I wanted to give my best in the interview.The interview call was a reward of the sleepless nights that I had spent preparing for my interviews and it was a chance for me to prove myself.

Then came the day I had been waiting for.After my morning coffee and reading the newspaper for the day,I got dressed in formals for the interview.The mode of the interview was online.There were three panelists- 1 male and 2 females. The male was Dean of XIMB- HR and the females were a part of the faculty at XIMB.

The interview took place early morning at 9.The interview duration was around 25-30 mins and thankfully,it was not a stress interview for me.They asked the questions very politely and were keen to hear my answers.It was more like a conversation than an interview and there were 1 or 2 questions that made me think hard before answering.Overall it was an enjoyable experience and I was confident after giving the interview.

For anyone who is preparing for the interviews or is an aspirant,I would suggest to be confident in your answers and be authentic.Try to present yourself in such a manner that they’d be interested in you and would be keen to hear more,leave baits for the interviewer so that they ask questions on your comfort areas.

Also,try to maintain composure during the interview and have a smile on your face.If you don’t know a particular answer, say you’re sorry rather than taking`time and then giving a wrong answer.”

Check XIMB Admission Process

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

Arushi Sharma: “Interview Process

3 panelists- 1 male (Dean of XIMB HR), 2 Females(Faculty)

Male- Good Morning Arushi!! We will be conducting your interview and if you face any connection issues,do not panic,you can connect again.

I smiled and greeted the panel and then my interview process began.

Question 1.So Arushi,you worked as a product Support engineer at Zscaler,What is SSL ? And what are the Zscaler products and services?

Answer given- Sir,SSL stands for the Secure Socket Layer. It is a protocol used for establishing authenticated and encrypted links between the computer networks. SSL is also to secure credit card transactions, data transfer and logins, and more recently is becoming the norm when securing browsing of social media sites.

Zscaler provides security as a service.It’s products include-

Zscaler Internet Access(Web filtering,Authentication,Traffic Forwarding),Cloud firewall,Bandwidth Control,cloud DLP.

2. What is the latest news that you have heard?

Ans given- Ma’am I recently read about the Toolkit controversy where three activists-Disha Ravi,Nikita Jacob and an engineer were accused of collaborating with a Khalistani group to create a toolkit to defame India across the world on the issue of the three agricultural laws passed by the the Govt.

Disha ravi’s role figured in the probe as the Editor of the Toolkit Google doc and as a key conspirator for sharing the document.

The toolkit was further shared by the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on twitter and has been claimed as a proof of the Khalistani orgnaisation against India.

Thus all the three activists involved in this were arrested.

3. Male - What is the population of India?

Arushi- It’s 1.38 billion.

Male-What is the ratio of male:female?

Arushi- Sir, 60:40 ratio of Male:female.

Male- So what do you think out of so many Males in India,why did Priyanka Chopra marry Nick and not someone from India??Is there anything wrong with Indian men?

Ans- (Took a few seconds to answer)- Sir,I feel there is one person for everyone and being from a different nation does not matter, what really matters is the connection between two people.I think Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra first met at the Met Gala and connected with each other instantly.

They both respect each other’s work and have a mutual understanding and that is why they are together.She must have not felt the same with any other person.

Also,there is nothing wrong with Indian men,it’s just that she had this beautiful connection with Nick that she wanted it to turn to marriage.

4. Male- I see that you left your job in Jan 2020.Could you let me know how did you spend this time?

Ans- Sir,I was preparing for the entrance examinations as I wanted to get into a prestigious B-school and wanted to devote adequate time to the preparation.Also,I was associated with an NGO Aashman foundation which works towards resolutely towards the cause of women,empowering single income families and promoting child education through it’s various livelihood programs.

I was working under the Fundraiser team and as the HR intern of the NGO recruiting the best people to be associated with the NGO who are willing to help.

Female-Don’t you think you would have gained the same experience had you been doing the job,rather than working here?

Answer given- Ma’am the skills that I gained from my job were problem solving as I was responsible for troubleshooting the issues.I was also able to improve my communication skills by interacting with clients from different parts of the world,getting to know their issues and then solving their technical queries.

While I was associated with the NGO,I learnt empathy towards the underprivileged as I was able to put myself in their shoes and then think of ways to improve their conditions and to spread awareness among the people about the NGO.

I also learnt the HR skills which build up my interest in selecting the specialization for the MBA.

5. Name some Recruiting tools and softwares that are used by the HR?

Answrer- Hiretual is an AI powered candidate sourcing and engagement solution that helps companies find the best talents faster.

Fetcher is a cloud based recruiting platform designed to automate the routine tasks like sourcing,candidate engagement among others.

XOR also enables to automate and streamline the parts of the recruiting process deemed as inefficiencies within the HR world and thus saving time to focus on other important tasks.

6. Name your favourite subjects?

Ans- DBMS, Network Security,data structure.

Male- What is RDBMS

Ans given- Sir RDBMS is the Relational Database management system.It is the collection of related data in the tabular form.

For example,when I access the IRCTC website( the Indian Railways website),It shows the details of all the customers who have already logged into the website,the details of the trains ,booking etc. in a tabular form .It won’t show me the details of all the residents of Delhi or Mumbai which is unrelated.

Also there can be different operations which can be performed on it like insertion,deletion,updation.

Female- Okay so since you have studied DBMS,can you let me know in a university data of all the students,which field should act as the Primary key?

Ans- Yes ma'am. The student Roll No. or the student ID would act as a Primary key as it is used to uniquely identify a row/tupple.

Female- Okay and what would be the Candidate key?

Ans- Sorry Ma'am,I cannnot recollect it exactly.

Male- Do you have any further questions from our end?

Arushi- Yes Sir, How is the academic diversity at XIMB and also,while going through the website, I was quite intrigued by the immersion program so could you please let me know about it?

Male- They informed about the academic diversity and how students are selected from different parts of the world with different academic background.

The Immersion Courses are a wonderful opportunity for students to get a hands-on experience of the current business practices and management techniques. The most prominent benefit of these interactive class-room sessions is the close interaction and knowledge sharing between the lecturer and the students.

I thanked them after the interview and left the meeting.

They seemed impressed and satisfied with my answers.I had a great experience overall.”

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

Arushi Sharma: “

I chose this college over the other colleges that I had converted because it had the best ranking and because of the below mentioned reasons-

1.A Glorious Legacy that XIMB Carries-Since its inception in 1987, XIMB has offered a functional specialisation in HRM in the PGDM program. A full-fledged 2-year PGDM-HRM program was launched in 2011. This is now offered as MBA-HRM, the flagship program of the Xavier School of HRM. Continuing the climb that it started in XIMB, the School of Human Resource Management today is numbered amongst the top HRM courses in the country.

2. Amazing Campus life and culture at XIMB- Since it is a residential campus,I have heard from my seniors that the campus life is great and it is a "college that never sleeps".The vibrant culture of XUB is well known where students are always engaged in one activity after another. It is a student-driven college and by becoming a part of the various core, functional and interest committees the students can develop their managerial skills. There is always a committee to fulfil every kind of necessity.

3. Strong Alumni Base- The alumni of XIMB are national and international ambassadors as they disseminate their management knowledge to their professional and social networks all around the globe. The HRM programme boasts of a wide alumni network that has been built over the years.

4. Faculty and international Exhange Program- The esteemed faculty of this institution includes big names from academia as well as industry experts who bring the intricacies of the business world to life within the classroom.Also,the campus offered international exchange program that helps to interact with students of countries like US, Spain, England.

Also the placement at the college is good and many Alumni are placed at well-known companies with good profiles.”

Check XIMB Reviews

What was the reason for you not converting to other colleges?

Arushi Sharma: “I converted to other colleges like Great Lakes Institute of Management, SIIB Pune, SIBM Bangalore, KJ Somaiya, GIM.However, XIMB had the best ranking amongst all these colleges and thus I wanted to clear the interview for that and I am thrilled beyond words that I managed to do so.

The mistake that I felt that I did in my KJ Somaiya interview was that I mentioned to them that I had taken part in athletics in school and had an achievement as well but I was only able to answer 2 of the 5 questions that were put up regarding the famous athletes, the strategy that needs to be followed. So make sure that whenever you mention any achievement, you are well aware of the same and all the latest news related to that as well.

So, from the next interview onwards,I prepared all the questions that could be put up and was well prepared for the other interviews.”