Perfection is my goal...

...… excellence will be tolerated

When I last read this on my hostel wall in IIT, I think I had no clue as to what it meant. But as with a lot of meanings in life it also got cleared lately, with a bad taste too.

Last semester, in our Strategy class, it was announced that top 2 students from each section will be chosen to compete for “Strategy Scholar of the Year”. So that means among the 6 sections professors will choose 12 students that have excelled in the strategy course. These students will then compete among themselves in front of some of the major consultants of McKinsey & Company to be the “McKinsey Strategy Scholar of the Year”. As McKinsey is one of the key companies I am eyeing here, I thought it will be a great opportunity to present my skills in front of them and I had put a lot of efforts in my Strategy classes. People in my class really thought I made a great impact in terms of my class participation and I think I really cracked the final exam too. It was as good as it gets and I was almost sure I would make it to top 12.

However, as the results were announced a few days back, I found I didn’t. To make things worse, a lot of people, upon finding out that the results are out, came up to me and congratulated me on making it… going back in surprise upon learning that I didn’t.

This was really a BIG thing for me so I am feeling a bit sad about this. With 4 excellent grades in as many subject I was feeling very bad today for my last semester. Anyways, I think I have managed it well now and I am focusing on the things ahead. There are many ways to make it to the top firms and if not this one I can certainly try for others :)