IIM Bangalore SOP

(Prepare a short essay of 600 words on yourself in the space provided below. You may wish to talk about your
background, significant events, accomplishments, experience at your workplace, extracurricular activities,
relationships with friends and family, career plans and how the Post Graduate Programme in Management from
IIMB fits into your dreams and ambitions. Please make sure that your essay forms a coherent whole.)

Sample # 1

My father headed the Accounts department of a chemical manufacturing company for 30 years. As a kid, I
always saw him immersed in numbers and excel sheets. I was drawn to his conversations about
revenues, profits, balance sheet and other financial jargons.

As a result, I intuitively opted for Commerce after my tenth grade and got admission in the very reputed
XX College of Commerce in Mumbai. I researched endlessly about my stream and signed up for the
Chartered Accountancy (‘CA’) to satiate my curiosity about the world of Finance. I completed my
Chartered Accountancy in 2016 in the first attempt and secured an All India Rank – XX in the
Intermediate Exam. This was the proudest moment for me and my family.

I realised the importance and seriousness of the articleship period and decided to work with a leading firm
to give myself the best possible exposure. I got selected as an article in XXXX, one of the leading big four.
I joined XXXX as a ‘Staff Accountant’ at the age of 19 and moved on to became a Senior Executive after
my CA qualification.

I thoroughly enjoyed my journey at KPMG and the learning has been immense. My primary responsibility
was to provide tax and regulatory consultancy services to private equity investors on buy and sell deals. I
was thrilled to witness and learn how investments were conceptualized. Unlike the usual belief, I
discovered that most private equity firms not only invest in firms but also provide them strategic
management expertise. Their guidance and mentoring creates a financial turnaround in a lot of
companies. This exposure aided me in drilling down my specific area of interest in the finance domain.

Apart from my professional aspirations, I am a trekking enthusiast.  To mention a few, I have trekked the
renowned Stok-Kangri ranges situated at height of 16500 feet and also the Dhauladhar Mountain range in
Himalayas. Trekking taught me that the journey is as beautiful as the destination. To understand more
about how companies can contribute via CSR, I completed a foundation course in Corporate Social
Responsibility from the Indian Centre of CSR (ICCSR). Recently, I was part of an awareness drive about
solar cooking. We led a group of 7,438 school children who cooked using a solar cooker. This event has
claimed a Guinness World Record for highest number of students using solar apparatus at the same time.

My mother is a staunch practitioner of spirituality and it is from her that I inherit my calm and composed
frame of mind. My sister works in the social-development sector and has always shared with me the
harsh realities of the under-privileged life and I think that has embedded the value of gratitude in me.

Post MBA, I aim to work as an analyst with a leading investment bank. An MBA with IIM-B will
complement my technical competence with strong strategic and financial management skills. The courses
offered at IIM-B aligns with my vision of learning about Strategy, Organizational Management and
Economics in depth.
In the long run I want to lead a private equity or a venture capitalist firm. The skills of negotiating deals,
analysing trends, working with diverse group of investors and consultants would be the building blocks of
my career path and I am confident that IIM-B will be school to learn and master them.

The initiatives at IIM – B such as NSRCEL, a mandatory course on entrepreneurial learning give it an
edge in creating an entrepreneurial mindset amongst its students. IIM-B strongly believes in encouraging
diversity in the program as learning curve increases exponentially when we have people from different
backgrounds, experiences, gender, perspectives in the same circle. With my Chartered Accountancy
background, I seek to assimilate and contribute to this diversity with my peers in IIM-B. IIMB has the
unique distinction of producing the country finest professionals. I look forward to joining IIM B as it would
hone my managerial skills and fastrack my career in line with my aspirations.

________________________________________________________________________

Sample # 2

I have always tried to step out of my comfort zone and I continually push myself to accept both personal and
professional challenges. The drive to achieve excellence enabled me to attain the third rank in my school in the ICSE
board examinations. After 10th grade I moved to an international boarding school in Bangalore for two years before
pursing my undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia. I maintained my academic standing in the
International Baccalaureate board examinations and throughout my University life as well. I was on the dean's list at
the University of Virginia and I also received a Certificate of Intermediate Honours for attaining high distinction as an
undergraduate student during the first two sessions in the College of Arts and Sciences. While it was challenging to
manage my academic commitment of a double major in Commerce and Economics with my extracurricular activities,
I persevered towards my goal of excellence.

Studying abroad for four years was a challenging, new experience that helped me broaden my horizon and gave me
the opportunity to grow as an individual and as a professional. I had the academic freedom to study subjects such as
History that were not part of my majors but helped in shaping the way I think. The work ethic that was instilled at the
McIntire School of Commerce, the undergraduate business school, helped me navigate professional challenges in
the future. I also joined a debating club that helped me overcome my fear of public speaking.

After graduation, I cleared CFA Level 1 and worked with Deloitte in the Transaction Services department in India. I
was involved in conducting financial due diligence on M&A deals and my responsibilities included data management
and analysis. My last project with the firm was highly successful and my team members were impressed with the
quality of my work and my curiosity to learn more about the deal. Towards the end of my first year at Deloitte, I was
due for a promotion and this was exciting but at the same time I had the opportunity to start an online sales arm for
our existing family business. I thus created the brand 'Vivace Homes'. This was a significant professional challenge
since I had not started a venture from scratch before. I was responsible for brand building, cataloguing, working with
partners and merchandising.

Social work has been an integral part of my life over and above my academic and professional commitments. In
college, I was the Program Director for CASH, a student run volunteer program through which we provided tax filing
assistance to taxpayers who needed it the most. I also received a scholarship for my work with CASH. For a year
now I have also been volunteering with Mentor Me India, an NGO that aims to match mentors with children from
underprivileged communities. I also volunteered to crowd source funds on behalf of the NGO and raised over Rs.
30,000. Along with social work I am also passionate about dancing. In college, I was an active member of the
Ballroom Dance club and the Salsa club.

With professional experience of working in two distinct fields, I believe that an MBA in Finance at this stage will be a
turning point in my career as it will propel me towards my goal of working in a Corporate Finance role. My long-term
goal is to lead a company as its CFO and be involved in making strategic financial decisions, maximising shareholder
value through financial planning and negotiating potential mergers and acquisitions. The challenging coursework and
the people, including faculty members and students, at IIM Bangalore will help in setting a strong foundation for my
career aspirations. IIM B attracts the best and brightest minds from all over the country and I look forward to engaging
in discussions with my peers and learning from their diverse experiences.