“I’ve always been a survivor,’’ says Rupali Agrawal (Indore campus, batch of 2013-5). And she is not wrong. Agrawal’s parents were told that their newborn would not survive too long, but Rupali beat the odds going on to graduate with a B.Com degree. Unfortunately her dream of becoming either a doctor or a chartered accountant went unfulfilled because of the strenuous preparation required. Undaunted, Agrawal did the next best thing – she joined an MBA programme. 

“Jaipuria Institute of Management, Indore is the best place to learn,” says this young lady from Hoshangabad, who has always been of the firm conviction that a management degree from a good institute greatly facilitates the climb to the top of the corporate ladder. Agrawal shortlisted in on Jaipuria Indore after a great deal of research. “I read all the reviews and rankings. My cousin who coaches MBA aspirants also recommended Jaipuria Indore,” she says.

Looking back on her days at Jaipuria Indore, Agrawal says that she learnt a great deal from the industrial visits, interaction with speakers and the way the faculty taught students. “Students also gain a lot of practical knowledge as the Institute understands that they should be made aware of the realities and not just the theories,” she adds. 

Speaking of her own experience, she says, “I was given many opportunities to excel. I was part of Industry Mentorship Program (IMP) Chisel as well as Super 50. Under Super 50 about 80 students were selected from across the Institute’s four campuses after a written group discussion and personal interview and were given intensive training to make them career ready.” “My chosen major was Finance but during Super 50, I was also taught Sales and Marketing in a very fundamental way. An exercise in Sales and Marketing was conducted in Delhi where we were asked to sell various products made by us. So, now even as a Finance student, I have the ability to sell a product!” 

Agrawal’s summer internship with National Innovations Foundation (NIF) of India, Ahmedabad, honed the skills she had learnt in Jaipuria Indore even further. Here, this young lady undertook a project under the Business Development team. Committed to finding a viable market for grassroots innovators, Agrawal’s responsibilities at NIF included costing each stage of an innovation and finding a feasible market for it. “My project was selected by the state government of Gujarat as one of the best research projects,” she says proudly. 

However, the going was not all rosy for Agrawal. During placement time she got the maximum number of rejections. “I have a problem with my eyes,” she explains and this was discovered by the interviewers. “Their concern was only one – was my health going to impede my work?” It was a difficult time for her and if it had not been for the full support of the “Jaipuria family, my family and my placement manager, Mr Abhishek Singh, I might never have made it,” she says. 

All this is behind Agrawal now. She is currently working in S&P Capital IQ, Hyderabad as a Junior Research Associate where she studies the annual reports of top companies and provides information about their debt and overall position in the market. 

Joining the long list of successful Jaipuria Indore alumni, her message to students is simple. “Never lose sight of your dream. Believe in yourself that is the most important lesson.” To fellow Finance majors at her alma mater she has this to say: “Don’t be out of touch with the news. Observe and do practical things to learn the subject.”