Tis that time of the year again when I get to see hundreds of people getting admitted to b-schools in India and hundreds of them not making it. Some drop the idea of an MBA, while others get ready for another shot at entering their fav school. I have seen the kind of drive it takes for people to make it to some of the IIMs. A hell lot of slogging and preparing and ofcourse luck on the CAT day determines the fate of an individual and his bschooling future. This so reminds me of where I came from 
.
4 years ago, I had interview calls from IIMA, IIMC, IIML, MDI, SCMHRD, XIMB and a whole bunch of other institutes. I remember being rather elated. Keep in mind this was pre pagalguy.com time and I didn’t have access to even an IIM grad. Since I was a commerce grad, I had basically no network to turn to. No one in my college ever went to an IIM and whenever I spoke to the coaching class dudes I was misled 
. It was sheer determination that pulled me thru and got me my calls. I slogged like a possessed soul to prepare for the interviews, so much that I still feel I was way over prepared . I had printed, collected and archived approximately 6000 pages worth of material so that I could go through them and prep for my interviews.
My interviews went rather well and I was pretty sure that I would make it to an IIM. The result days were a different story altogether. It was a lost cause. One after the another, I was rejected at all the IIMs. I remained hopeful that I would atleast show up on the IIML 2nd or 3rd list. But that wasn’t meant to be. Interestingly I made it to MDI and a whole bunch of schools below it.
Decision time - I was asked by my parents to consider MDI , but I refused. I refused for a very simple reason. I didn’t like the people I had met that day on the interview panel or the students who had come in for the GD. Looking back, I cant even begin to imagine how arrogant I was in this situation. A 20/21 year old kid not joining a school because he didn’t like the people at the GD. Arrogant or plain marked stupidity, I wouldn’t know. Although I didnt care much about infrastructure or professors, for some god forsaken reason I didn’t want to goto a place where I couldn’t learn as much from the students. Till this day I dont know why I was that way and I remember explaining it to so many people and pretty much every one thought I was nuts.
I think I was being plain arrogant and cared about myself. I cared about the people I interacted, the place I learnt, what I learnt. I stuck to what I thought was right and ended up starting two companies. Its been an accelerated course in business if you may so call it and here I am sitting pretty with a Wharton admit and am probably one of the youngest indians to have made it to Wharton.
What went right?
The fact that I was rejected everywhere? I had money to start my businesses? When my friends graduated from the best schools in India and made more money than I ever did? When I was bleary eyed working 20 hours a day just to sustain a dream without a clue of whether it would work out ? The pain of losing my first client? The hit in your gut when you plan an advt. campaign with the only money you got and you get no response? The challenges of hiring people and sustaining them? The challenges of not whining when almost nothing ever seems to work out? The times I have had to work nonstop for 4 days only to find that it was a lost cause?
See, I brought this all upon myself because I didn’t get admitted to my bschool of choice when I was 20/21. I am sure many of you will make it and more people wont to a school of your choice. But you know what, stick to what you believe in. Its the only thing that will remain with you in the long run. When you wake up every day of your life and realize that you have lived life on your own terms, you will be a lot more happy and satisfied with how life turned out for you. You may be destined for bigger things in life, keep pushing on. The gods have to relent at sometime and give you, your due
Comments 39
I had the exact same exp as you did..although the B school’s were poles apart. I had calls from SCMHRD, BIM and LIBA. Converted LIBA, my parents thought I could never get anything else and nearly killed me to take it. I too did not like the place the students/faculty etc..But I knew I had it in me to do something better atleast if not IIM..and the next time I got thru SCMHRD!
Hmm,,I read in BW you got a BLICK convert..did u not take that up?
ps: me too a commerce guy with no extra curri and avg acds
Posted 26 Mar 2006 at 4:00 pm ¶great post……..loved it absolutely
Posted 26 Mar 2006 at 8:28 pm ¶Thank you, Allwin
Posted 27 Mar 2006 at 12:14 am ¶Finally I see the same Alz after a long time!
Cheers to everything you said! Dream on! Live on! 
Posted 27 Mar 2006 at 8:05 am ¶Life would be so different if we could take such
Posted 27 Mar 2006 at 9:54 pm ¶affirmative stand in every aspect; be it personal,
professional or social. It is a privilege to be so free.
Which one can be at 20/21 but not at 30 something.
Everything appears to be slipping. Right time is
absolutely essetial. Sometimes its really too late.
May you dream on and on Allwin and keep achieving them
This is Vintage Allwin.
Posted 28 Mar 2006 at 12:56 pm ¶I have always believed in the power of dreams. Reading your articles always reaffirms my belief in them. Thank you Allwin. Different people take different routes to success. The important thing is to believe in the courage of your convictions.
Deep is your longing for the land of your memories and the dwelling place of your greater desires (Khalil Gibran). All the best man.
Great post Allwin. Straight from the heart, it sounds.
Posted 28 Mar 2006 at 3:04 pm ¶GRRRRRREEEEAATTTTT POST!!!!!! TRULY INSPIRATIONAL!!!!!!!! AMONGST THE WISEST WORDS I HAV EVER HEARD!!!! ABSOLUTELY WOWWWW!!!!!
Posted 29 Mar 2006 at 6:54 pm ¶Great post, as usual…now give them a taste of “Arrogance of thought” too
Posted 30 Mar 2006 at 3:14 pm ¶Very inspiring. The path that chose has already influenced my thoughts and decisions and I know its for better. Thank you, PG
Posted 31 Mar 2006 at 7:21 pm ¶Awesome…man .. i am half way reading iCon (Steve Jobs)..u r arrogance quality
is very similar to Mr Job’s….
cheers ROCK on
Posted 03 Apr 2006 at 3:16 pm ¶That was a very inspiring post.
Superb
Posted 03 Apr 2006 at 8:44 pm ¶Greeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaatttt……you went in pursuit of dreams!!!Just believe in urself…….and u can do miracles!!
Posted 04 Apr 2006 at 1:15 am ¶I had tears in my eyes.
Posted 04 Apr 2006 at 2:15 pm ¶6000 pages? Can we see
Posted 05 Apr 2006 at 8:53 am ¶Gr88 Allwin!!
Posted 05 Apr 2006 at 11:47 am ¶ur postings always encourage my beliefs.I start possessing the ‘can do’ attitude..
it was truly inspirational..:)
Same as Bhuvan there…
Posted 05 Apr 2006 at 1:23 pm ¶Hey PG, nice write up man.
I look at all the 20/21 year olds preparing their heart out for IIMs
and I think what was I doing? I couldn’t get an engineering seat, and
when i dragged myself through graduation, I had little confidence to sit
in the “so called” toughest management exam of the country.
I tried working hard and got through my post graduation (MCA)
got a good opportunity to work and now its been 2 years…
i’m close to 25, and now I am preparing for my MBA. I donno when I’ll
do it and from where….i’ve given myself some time to think and decide
when i need to quit my job and persue my MBA…
I havent even decided whether to do a one year or 2 year MBA
however my inclination is for the former…
but PG and everyone there keeps my spirits high….grt job bro!
Posted 05 Apr 2006 at 3:48 pm ¶hey thanks Allwin..that post came just in time for me!!
Posted 06 Apr 2006 at 11:48 pm ¶the tought of getting up one morning say 5 years from now..and ooh how glad I would be simply cause I lived life the way I wanted!!
thanks ya for the reminder. and also for the BD interview on PGG. Its feels really good when someone appreciates the researchput in!
hiii PG…
Great post…I see ur determination…and I found the following lines for u and ur strong will….
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure , the process is its own reward.”
U r an inspiration for all of us…
regards
Posted 11 Apr 2006 at 2:00 am ¶Pratibha
Hey Bro …
Really inspirational …Messed up CAT in 2003 Now wid 2 years work exp and a post likeur are enuff to keep my spirits high …
Hope i can reach out sumwhre half of ur distance ..
Cheers
Posted 13 Apr 2006 at 11:08 am ¶Sandeep
I am overwhelmed! I never expected such comments to this post. While I am glad all of you can draw parallels at some point or the other with this story, I would be even more thrilled to hear your success stories!
Keep slogging folks!
Posted 13 Apr 2006 at 11:46 pm ¶hey allwin,
am facing this precise dilemma myself as i type. have been waitlisted at KJ
somaiya with bright chances of a final convert. but i can’t shake the feeling
that i can do better (also, i share some of your reasons for not wanting to
take it). and with the admission scenario looking as it is,
with potentially increased quotas et al, i’m aware that the prognosis on a
second attempt is dismal….yet i don’t wanna shortchange myself and settle
for less than what i feel i can achieve. i don’t know if i’m such being a silly
starry-eyed idealist or not. the jury’s out on that one. but your post has
tilted the balance somewhat. hope i find some answers really soon.
Gauri
Posted 19 Apr 2006 at 1:56 am ¶awesome post,,
Posted 26 Apr 2006 at 9:01 am ¶i think what made the difference was your attitude….
keep rocking
Great post
and very inspiring.. !
so ur example tells us we must believe in our dreams..and make them come true!
keep up the good work!
Posted 27 Apr 2006 at 2:07 am ¶PG will not do well at wharton. I see no reason why an entrepreneur should do MBA. MBA is all about academics
.Do an entrepreneur needs to cram all those MBA books and write the papers ? Karsanbhai K. Patel or sunil
bharti mittal did not take help of fancy MBA’s. Airtel was operating only in delhi as a local company when
mobile rates were Rs 16 per minute. Today, it is dreaming to be a $ 10 billion group by 2010.
In start up companies like pg.com or inzane labs or neutral web, 2 things are needed:1) one is Idea: The
Concept ; 2)Time Factor. 10 years, 20 years or may be 30 years. Sunil Bharti Mittal started his first
business at age of 20 in 1976 and that too in cycle parts. Time not only made the big business but also
helped to diversify.
The concept of PG is good. Some thing new- Quality Educational forums in India. Career launcher started
in 1995 with just Personality Development Programme (PDP). Today its operating in US too. The 2 things i
mentioned work well for CL. The idea was good-Training classes to fill out vaccum; and time factor.
pg.com satisy first criteria-Idea: The concept. Now it needs time to identify revenue generating options
and give time to form alliances, partnerships, diversify, raise private capital.Few years down the line
PG will be raking few crores rupees in sales enough for PG and his family to have a good living style in
Mumbai. Why to go through wharton academic stress, summer placement tension, killing competition?
Wharton, at best can help PG as a back up option. If pg.com fails, then wharton is there as back up. Wharton
gave admission offer to PG because he founded 2 companies and wharton admission panel saw team management
skills, leadership and high maturity. These all things do constitute MBA but it is just one angle and
very small angle in those 2 years. These skills do assume great importance once person starts working. Those
2 years what matters is academics and books. You can be unofficial MBA by reading all those books which MBAs
read. Recruiting, managing talent, marketing , partnerships with Business Schools and host of other factors
which are going on at pg.com is real MBA and very different from Wharton MBA.That WoW factor was present
in PG application- When you write 25 year old founder of India Largest MBA educational forum.
Now having applied to Wharton and getting an offer from it, its not difficult but close to Impossible to
Posted 05 May 2006 at 1:27 am ¶say No to Wharton. But if you are justifying that PG is going to United States to study in wharton, learn
business secrets and then expand his business, that thing doesnt make any sense to me. Wharton is not required
for Expanding company. However it is a lifetime experience and something very solid branding, PG is
finding difficult to say no. Business expansion plans will take backseat for 2 years and after that it
depends how PG steers the companies which he founded
Akhil,
Thats one helluva comment
. Atleast in theory that is what it sounds like. i.e Why I am doing the things I am. I think you have taken an either/or stance here - but that is not the truth. I am pretty sure you are aware I wont be too bothered by grades. I have a whole bunch of things I need to figure out at this point if I want PG to a billion $ co. in the next 10 years. Wharton def. is not a backup plan, rather it is something that blends in with what I will be doing at PG .com a couple of years hence.
Cheers,
Posted 05 May 2006 at 10:34 am ¶Nice post. Went parallel to something my friend keeps saying!!!
I took up CAT 05, was confident abt a gooa show, only for a poor 93 percentile. I appeared for XAT 06 and was more confident, only to see a quite-more-than-unexpected 63 percentile in DI and a mere 94 overall. When u’d send sad SMSs to my friend saying how i’ve failed in everything, she’d send just 3 words - ALL FOR GOOD!!!
Just as PG had said - u just gotta keep at it. How do we ever say “this is what i believe!!!” if we run away from it at the first failure.
We simply got keep saying “Mera Number Aayega”
Good work PG. Whatever ur plans for ur startups are - i wish u good luck in them all.
Iday
Posted 08 May 2006 at 12:57 am ¶Hi Pagalguy,
Posted 09 May 2006 at 2:52 pm ¶nice post. guess you are one of the guys who have the courage to act differently. Best of luck for wharton. I’m one of those guys who is going to iim with no idea why!(can you help me here :). I’m sure pagalguy will remained enshrined in our hearts for ever.
Really inspiring stuff PG! just registered on PG today out of a sense of deja vu..first came across the forum when I was preparing for CAT in 2002 and its absolutely amazing what you and your team have created! Keep up the gr8 work and good luck with Wharton, I hope you take it up:)
Posted 14 May 2006 at 1:28 am ¶Btw, I’m curious to know what you look like..why dnt u post some pictures on the site..:)
AMAZING dude!! Truly wonderful stuff!!!
Posted 24 May 2006 at 6:26 pm ¶I am happy for u….:)
Posted 27 May 2006 at 2:07 pm ¶WOW!
Posted 31 May 2006 at 7:08 pm ¶Excellent post bro!!!
Posted 06 Jun 2006 at 11:14 am ¶Truly inspiration.
ATB for Wharton.
Great source of inspiration Sir……welll…its rightly said
Man is not a man by the things he does but the choices he makes
it is not how he starts,but….how he ends it …..
GUD LUK for ur future endeavours
Posted 09 Jul 2006 at 7:35 pm ¶Good Post.
I have wondered many times about the person behind PG. PG is a great concept. By creating something like this, one would need something much more than a top rated MBA.
Posted 11 Jul 2006 at 4:30 pm ¶PG,
You are simply an inspiration and a real idle. All the best for yor Wharton life and beyond.
Abhiraj
Posted 03 Aug 2006 at 9:41 pm ¶it was truly inspirational……ihaven been more determined to follow my own dreams
Posted 10 Jan 2007 at 2:44 pm ¶…….thanks PG
congrats…err…m i missin sumthin out here… u don need ne more of those… they say WHARTON…. do u even care???… im sure u dont… for a person who has achieved such a significant feat (startin own company) at tht age… i dont think it matters…. i mean had wharton been ur 1st ever significant achievement in life.. then ok.. u can be happy… but DUDE… u dont need to prove ne thin more… neither to urself nor to the world.. i agree u cant stop at 1 achievement…but u had the balls to do things ur way…when every1 arnd was havin a herd mentality…thts enuf to boost ur confidence for all future endevours…
i totally agree with akhil…
u know the purpose of ur existence and tht is more imp than ne kind of education(read wharton)….
need i say more….
as ur name says it all… ur a WINNER ALL the way…. ALLWIN….ppl love u.. so does GOD…
Posted 28 Jun 2007 at 12:20 pm ¶god bless ya…. keep rocking…and remain INZ(S)ANE….
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