For thousands of MBA aspirants, securing admission to the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) represents the pinnacle of academic success. But according to a viral post by first-year student Vivek Kundu, life at India’s premier B-school comes with hidden costs that extend far beyond academics.
Kundu’s candid reflection, shared on LinkedIn, has resonated widely online, offering an unfiltered account of the emotional, mental and physical challenges of adjusting to life at IIM Ahmedabad. The post has garnered over 6.7 lakh views, sparking conversations about the pressures of India’s elite management institutes.
Having grown up in a village, later moving to Chandigarh and even participating in debates at Stanford University, Kundu said he entered IIM-A believing he was well prepared for the challenges ahead. Instead, he found himself grappling with an entirely different set of realities.
Learning to say ‘no’
One of the first lessons, Kundu wrote, was dealing with the overwhelming number of opportunities on campus—from case competitions and club recruitments to networking events and social gatherings. Trying to participate in everything left him exhausted and unfulfilled. “The real lesson wasn’t time management,” he wrote. “It was learning that saying no is a skill, and at IIMA, you learn it quickly or FOMO swallows you whole.”
The burden of constant comparison
Kundu said IIM Ahmedabad brings together some of the country’s brightest minds, including IIT graduates, Chartered Accountants, former gazetted officers and professionals from global firms such as Goldman Sachs, McKinsey and Google. In such an environment, he noted, comparing oneself with equally accomplished peers becomes almost inevitable, creating constant pressure to prove one’s worth.
When failure feels unfamiliar
Despite a history of academic success, Kundu admitted that receiving a ‘C’ grade in his first Finance quiz came as a major emotional setback. He described the transition from consistently topping examinations to navigating IIM-A’s rigorous relative grading system as a humbling experience that forces many students to redefine success and build resilience.
Staying connected with family
The demanding academic schedule also affected his personal life. Kundu realised he had gone days without speaking meaningfully to his family, communicating only through brief text messages. Determined to change that, he set himself a simple rule. “Video call home whenever, even for two minutes. Even just to see their faces. Some rules matter more than any deadline,” he wrote.
The culture of sleeplessness
Perhaps the most widely discussed part of his post was his observation that getting eight hours of sleep was often viewed as a weakness rather than a necessity. He said surviving on four hours of sleep is frequently celebrated as part of the “hustle culture”, despite the physical and mental toll it takes on students.
Online debate
Kundu’s post struck a chord with social media users, many of whom praised his honesty and related to his experiences. One user commented, “It’s a classic case of losing one’s own self and authenticity to fit in. No need to be a rat when you are born to rewrite the rules.” Others questioned the glorification of sleep deprivation. “Why is sleep deprivation glorified? It invites physical and mental health issues. Everything else can be managed, but not at the cost of health,” another user wrote.
As conversations around student well-being and mental health continue to gain prominence, Kundu’s account has offered a rare glimpse into the realities of life inside one of India’s most prestigious management institutions, highlighting that the true cost of an elite MBA often extends well beyond tuition fees.
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