Mukul Dubey, Batch of 2022
“Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.”- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.
“I read the Alchemist long back but could relate to it only during my preparation phase for CAT 2019 while struggling to cope with a high-pressure internship, a strange new city, personal issues, and battling depression”, says Mukul Dubey, a 2022 batch student of IIM Rohtak.
The seven months before the exam were arduous. With a hectic day schedule, he burnt the midnight oil to realize his dream to get into an IIM. As it is said, “The darkest hours of the night came just before the dawn.”
Mukul, a resident of Jhansi, UP, has always been a bright student, working passionately for the tasks undertaken and has achieved several milestones.
Seeds for MBA were sown in 2016, during his first year of engineering at GLA University, Mathura, when he became a member of the Entrepreneurship Cell of his college, owing to excellent anchoring and debating skills and winning oratory competitions.
In college, he organized events, invited speakers, and gained partners for talk shows. Meanwhile, he also worked to publish the official campus newspaper, organized the Brij Literature Festival, and anchored TEDxGLAU.
Having engaged himself in multiple platforms, he realized his interest and passion for organizational and management skills.
In 2018, while still pursuing graduation, he ventured further into his entrepreneurial journey by joining an early stage start-up MerchantSaheb.com, based on an online platform for renting and lending goods.
As a fourth employee of the start-up, he worked as the COO overlooking the supply chain, inventory, and social media content and design. He says, “I got profound exposure while engaging in brainstorming meetings with intellectuals and participating in Business plan competitions.
I was humbled by the opportunity to reach the finals of a national-level Business plan competition by JARO. I got funding and workspace at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Cell by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.”
In 2018, during his two-month internship at Prudence Softech as a Business Intelligence Intern, he got his first-hand experience with marketing and business development.
He got further inclined towards these roles and got meaningful insights from the team that better perceived his interests and passions. Mukul states, “On my return to campus, I introspected about my experience, and it was then I made up my mind to go for an MBA to shape my passion into a career.”
His career’s turning point came when he got selected among the top 50 students of the country for DRONA, an in-campus Management mentorship program for undergraduates by IIM Indore.
The four-day program centered on case studies, GDs, presentations, lectures, competitions, and interviews. Mukul recalls, “I got the opportunity to network with many like-minded people and got spellbound by the rigor of the Institute.
It is the rigor that shapes you as an individual ready to face challenges and solve problems of the outside world.” He was ranked among the top ten performers in the program.
When he came back, he kickstarted his preparation again and found himself much more enthusiastic. “I bought a whiteboard and wrote TARGET CAT, kept a tracker for days and targets, practiced problems, and prepared for mocks. For the first time in my life, I prioritized something that had to happen more than a year later.”
In April 2019, he got placed in Juspay Technologies, the first company that visited the campus for an internship during his final year.
He prepared simultaneously for CAT 2019. The next seven months were hard, as he struggled to manage personal issues and professional commitments. But, he did not give up and prepared diligently for the exam. Finally, the D-day arrived.
“24th November 2019, a day that I’ll never forget as it was unique in itself; I was sick and threw up twice in the car while going to the center.
I performed well in the exam, except for the Quant section, where I made a few basic mistakes.” He thought he would have to prepare again for the exam next year. He went back to college and re-joined his internship.
In January, when the results arrived, Mukul’s hard work finally reaped success. He got shortlisted for prestigious IIMs and other top B-schools. He began his preparation for the interviews but still wasn’t sure if he would bag a seat at an IIM.
Overall, he enjoyed the process and learned a lot during his journey. He is grateful that he finally got selected in IIM Rohtak, including twelve other IIMs. He finally decided to continue his MBA from IIM Rohtak and is looking forward to the new adventures ahead!
Stay connected with fellow students on PaGaLGuY for CAT Exam 2020 Discussion
Stay connected with fellow students on PaGaLGuY for [OFFICIAL] 2020-2022 IIM Rohtak Admission Queries and Discussion