When Mayank Choraria was preparing for CAT, he had only one goal – to get all his doubts cleared. Though convinced that he would score over 95 percentile, he simply had to get all the calculations right. That would mean getting drenched in rain to travel across town (when things would be at a standstill) to get those calculations explained by experts. The commitment and dedication paid off as he made it to IIM Visakhapatnam. But then, as time passed, he made his own calculation. To the surprise of many, he quit the prestigious B-School to enrol for the MBA program at FLAME University. ‘It was a decision that was frowned upon, but I followed my gut instinct. The pros offered by FLAME University were perfectly aligned with my goals’, he says. We find out what Mayank’s goals are, the reasons behind his decision, and how it is working out for him.
Mayank admits that initially when he made this major life and career decision, he couldn’t talk about it with others around him. Withdrawing from an IIM was practically unheard of in his circle. But he was convinced about his decision. Getting 100% scholarship at FLAME University would be a good motivation, but for Mayank that wasn’t it. ‘Now I have the burden of maintaining 7.5 CGPA throughout’, he quips cheekily, before continuing, ‘College culture, curriculum, infrastructure, diversity, courses, professors, and few other things were on my mind when I made the decision. I had complete confidence in what I was doing, and now those assumptions and calculations are going in my favour.’ We dig deeper, and ask him to elaborate on these factors.
According to Mayank:
- Blending of Liberal Arts and Management courses at FLAME University leads to holistic development, which is absolutely essential for today’s managers
- Courses like theatre teach you about gesture, expressions, and body language; visual arts courses can actually help one with branding
- Sports is compulsory in the first year; you get to choose 4 sports engagements, which contributes towards physical and emotional wellbeing
- Courses like psychology and sociology can help one gain deeper understanding of caste, religion, etc. and insights into the various facets of the business world
- FLAME University has a state-of-the-art campus nestled in the lap of nature; the learning environment helps one maintain a good work-social life balance
While Mayank is enjoying his student life at FLAME University, he is also taking the initiative to make the most of it. He has been appointed Coordinator of the Sponsorship Department for the annual college fest FLAME Kurukshetra, and is a core member of the Placement Committee. He has also kept up with his CGPA, did an Import-Export offline course, and got a work-from-home internship as Assistant Sales person in Export trading. ‘By the second year of my MBA I want to crack at least one deal with a client in Import-Export business. I have also started my preparations for CFA, and will give it my best shot. I keep noting down the business ideas that come to my mind, and want to know as much about different sectors as possible. And since English has never really been my primary language, I want to work on my communication skills’ he shares, while discussing his to-do list. Clearly, he isn’t someone who rests on his achievements, and pushes himself further and further to achieve his goals.
His ambition is also the reason why Mayank had chosen to do a double internship before the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary halt to his plans. As someone specializing in Finance, he wanted to intern with an investment bank or as an equity research analyst trainee. So, in addition to campus drives, he tried to earn the internship of his choice through LinkedIn and personal referrals. He managed to bag internships with HDFC Securities in Equity Research and Metta Capital Advisory, an investment bank. Now restricted to just one of them, he is working doubly hard to achieve his goals. Talking about his journey after the big decision, he says, ‘If you are coming to FLAME University, you should be prepared to take the initiative and do things on your own. You probably won’t get the cutthroat competition, but you will enjoy all the resources you can find in IIMs and Ivy League colleges.’