“Nervousness is good but stress is dangerous” says Akash Thakur, Pillai’s College TYBMS Topper 2013

An Interview with Akash Ajay Thakur, TYBMS Sem 5 Topper, Pillai College of Arts, Commerce and Science (75.83%)

• Tell us about yourself.

            ‘THE BEST BRAINS OF THE NATION MAY BE FOUND ON THE LAST BENCHES OF THE CLASSROOM’ – Dr. A.P.J. Kalam.

            The above sentence would be the best phrase to describe me.

            I am a motivated person and enjoy my life to the fullest. I am always keen to learn new things everytime. I am very anxious and curious by nature.

• Were you expecting to top in the exams? To whom would you credit this success to?

            NO, my result was a complete shock to me. Though I worked hard for last 2 weeks before my exams but did not expect to top!!!!!!

            I would like to thank the entire BMS faculty of my college especially prof. Prerana Sharma , Prof. Mmehek Chabbria , Prof. Nithya Varghese who are my subject teachers.

            As I was from science background it was difficult for me to cope up with Finance subject so a hearty thanks to Farhat Ma’am my finance teacher and  Subramaniam Sir from my coaching classes for improving my finance subject.

            Last but not the least I would like to thank my family for encouraging and guiding me always and my friends for helping me with notes, projects and supporting me throughout.

• Did you prepare religiously from day One or A few weeks before the exams?

To be very frank I started studying seriously 2 weeks prior to the exams.

When there were 2 months remaining for the exams I thought of starting my preparations…..but like every student I kept on saying ‘kal se start karunga!!!’.

            At last when I had only 2 weeks in my hands I pulled up my socks and started preparations which gave me fruitful results.

• How did you allot time to different subjects?

            Left with only 2 weeks time in my hands I thought of studying day and night. Every minute was important for me as I had to complete a vast portion in very short time span.

            We had six subjects so i allotted two days per subject and kept the last two days for revision.

            I used to sleep for 6-7 hours and rest of the day I used to study taking a break of half an hour after studying continuously for at least 3 hours.     

• Can you share some insights on how to crack the subjects before exams?

            To attempt any exam successfully Last Minute Revision is very much necessary.

            HRM and SSM are the easiest subjects of all .

            Presentation makes the impression on the moderators so keeping your answer sheet presentable is important.Present each answer with diagrams and examples  to make it elaborative.

            You should refer to last year question papers as well, as it gives you a rough idea how your exam paper will be set.

            Same should be done for case studies. Refer previous case studies and practice them.

• LOGISTICS could be made simple by concentrating deeply on 1st n 2nd unit as it is a base for the next 2 units.
• SSM was made easy by my college faculty who taught SSM with realistic examples.
• You can master FM and SSF only by lots and lots of practice. My subject teacher and coaching classes for the same helped me achieve that.
• BUSINESS ETHICS was boring theory subject. Assuming that i have to study it for the first and last time i studied this subject.
• HRM is an interesting subject in itself. One can easily learn and prepare for this.

• Do you think BMS student require coaching classes or is self-study enough? Had you joined any coaching class for a particular subject?

            Self-study is the best option. Better have faith in yourself than trusting others to guide you and college teachers are always there to help you.

            I joined coaching classes for SSF and FM as I was weak in finance.      

• Did you participate in college fests or extra-curricular activities? Do you think a BMS student can manage both studies and extra activities?

            Yes , I often participate actively in college events. My favorite are the sports activities.

            Though BMS has a vast portion we need to study hard. But ‘all study and no play makes jack a dull boy’ and college life is meant to be enjoyed so a BMS student can manage both studies and extra activities properly.

• Did you pursue any additional courses/ internships alongside BMS?

            Yes, I did internship at the JAWAHARLAL NEHRU PORT TRUST for three  months. It was a great experience working with them and provided me with vast  knowledge.

• Today, we often come across students committing suicide out of failure, depression or tension of exams. What do you have to say about this? Did you use any special techniques for stress management?

            ‘STRESS IS POISON!!!’

            Be cool and calm at the time of exams. Nervousness is good but stress is dangerous. It affects our mind and body.

            My 3 fundas helped me to cope up with stress:

• Manage time wisely – It’s important to give yourself plenty of time to work on your studies if you want to do well, and you can save yourself a lot of stress if you plan ahead with good time management skills
• Get enough sleep – If you want your performance to be optimum you need to be well-rested. Work your schedule so you get enough sleep, or take power naps.
• Keeping myself organized- a system of organization for note-taking, keeping track of assignments, and other important papers.

• Do you think the number of Industrial visits should be increased for BMS Students? Which industries have you visited?

            Yes, industrial visits give practical knowledge about the different subjects which is very useful.

            I recommend to provide students with more industrial visits as it gives them a new learning experience and students enjoy this way of acquiring knowledge practically.

            I have visited the Collaboration of Mahindra And Swaraj tractor manufacturing plant in Chandigarh.

• Do you think BMS students are flooded with assignments, projects and internal exams round the clock? What changes would you like to bring in the BMS Curriculum?

            Yes, I do think students have a very tight schedule. At beginning it seems to be very hectic but later we get use to it.

            I hope that teachers understand the students prospective and do not conduct more than one test a day. Also a whole slot of assignments should not be given at a time.

            The students should be given enough time to prepare for the tests and  for the completion of assignments.

• What message would you like to give to the next batch of BMS students?

            Create a strong base from the start itself ,this can be achieved by clearing all management related concepts in first year and second year as BMS is all about management studies.

            Get as much knowledge as possible through various newspapers and read the daily blogs of the management people.

            The next step is just study hard ,prepare from first day and achieve your goals!!!!

• What are the future plans post BMS?

            I wish to do masters so I will be pursuing MBA from UK and if time favours I would also like to appear for UPSC exams.

• Any Feedback/Suggestions for BMS.co.in?

                        BMS.co.in  is a very good site which provides regular updates to the students in BMS field and brings them together under one roof.

My wishes are always with the team of  bms.co.in