Interview with Aarti Subhash Pal, SYBMS Topper 2014, MNWC College

Name – Aarti Subhash Pal

College Name – Maniben Nanavati Womens College (MNWC)

Course Name – BMS

Which year – SY

Rank in SY : 2nd

GPA / Percentage: 73.80%

• Tell us about yourself, your background, why did you join BMS and what do you plan to do after BMS?

Ans : Talking about my background, I did my schooling in St. Tereasa’s Convent High, Santacruz. My dad is a businessman and mom is a housewife. I have two siblings, one elder sister and a younger brother. I did my junior college from MMK College, Bandra after which I I joined MNWC to complete my graduation.  I joined BMS because firstly I have a family background which was always into management. So with that childhood exposure I always wanted to make a career in management. Secondly BMS involves more practical work than any other courses. Here we are talking about presentations, Industrial visit and so. I want to get into the marketing sector, so I’m planning to do MBA in marketing in future.

• How does it feel to be a Topper of the college in Semester exams?

Ans: It feels great! You feel good when all that hard work finally pays off. When I look back, the journey till now, the deadlines for submission, exams, Practical assignments, projects, I feel I have not just made my parents, my teachers and myself proud but this also made me believe that fruits of hard work is always sweet.

• Whom will you credit your success to?

Ans: It’ll be my parents. They are always there supporting me. Be it during exams encouraging me or motivating me when I’m about to lose hope. My teachers and my friends who always there to support me acting as my strength.

• Did you start preparing from the first day of your FY / SY?

Ans: Yes

• How did you study for Sem I / Sem III?

Ans: Where theory subjects are concerned, it’s all about how well you understand the matter. Especially subjects like Law, it’s really necessary to understand the subject.  Attending lectures helps a lot here. Practical subjects is all about practice. The more you practice, the better you get.

• Which are the easy subjects in Sem I / Sem III?

Ans: Principles of Management, Business Communication, Marketing, Human Resource, Maths.

• Any special way of writing the answers? Do you write answers in bullet points or in paragraphs?

Ans: Writing the answers in bullet form is the best. It helps us to understand on how much the length of each answer should be. Like for a 10 mark question, the length of the answer should be 10-15 points. This also helps to cover all the points. The paper is also neat and presentable for the examiner.

• How do you crack case studies in theory and practical subjects?

Ans: It’s the same. In theoretical subjects it’s how well you understand the matter. In practical subjects it’s how much you practice it.

• Did you draw any diagram in any paper? Is it mandatory? Does it help to get more marks?

Ans: Diagrams are not usually mandatory. But diagrams helps us to understand the concepts better. Adding diagrams will show the examiner then we are clear with the concepts and it’s not just mugging so there we can score marks. It makes the paper more presentable and attractive too.

• Any specific study pattern adopted i.e. timetable / how many hours per subject per day etc.?

Ans: I give two hours to my studies daily. One subject each day. On weekends I usually work on practical subjects. Having a fixed subject for a particular day or a strict timetable tends to become boring. It is necessary that you love what you studying and so concentrate wholly on that subject. Two hours for study at any time of the day is good but avoid late night studies.

• How do you fight against mood swings and distractions during exam preparation?

Ans: There are mood swings during exams and distractions. Especially cell phones. I keep my cell phone away while studying.  Not only during exams but always. Also meditation helps a lot. I started to meditate during my 10th boards on the advice of my teacher due to all the stress.  It helped a lot. I still follow it. 10 minutes every morning.

• If you are made the Vice Chancellor of Mumbai University, what changes would you like to initiate in Indian education system?

Ans: Firstly I would make sure that more importance is given to practical work. More industrial visits and creative projects. Education should not just be limited to the classrooms and textbooks. Fun-filled seminars, workshops, events, entrepreneurial activities, international way of learning, understanding the mind-set of the international students and things should be added to the curriculum.

• Many students prepare sincerely but constantly live under fear that they are not from big college / not from English medium and eventually lose confidence. What message would you like to these students?

Ans: For those students I’d say they should definitely read the biography of Infosys founder- N.R Narayan Murthy. A boy who couldn’t get in the IIT due to financial problems and hence opted to go to a regional engineering college. It’s not what college you go to or what degree you get, it’s all about how well you make the most of what you get.

• Through this struggle and success, what have you learned? What is the wisdom of life and competition? What is your message to the upcoming BAF / BBI / BMS / BFM / BMM / BBA students?

Ans:  I’ve learned that only we know what we can do best. As I said fruits of hard work is always sweet. If you believe in yourself then no one can stop you. At the end of the day, in life, more than what degree you get from what college, what’s important is whether you have discipline, commitment, hard work, focus and, of course, a little bit of smartness.

• Your feedback for BMS.co.in?

Ans: I would like to thank bms.co.in for giving me such a platform where I can motivate my fellow students, share my thoughts, my experiences. Like its always said no matter how the beginning, it’s the perfect ending that makes the journey a success. Thank you once again!

Thanks on behalf of the readers, we wish you the best for all your future endeavors.