IIM-A sleeps less than 4 hours!

It is a commonly held belief that students of IIM Ahmedabad get less than 4 hours of sleep in the first year of their PGP.

It is true that life during the first year at IIM Ahmedabad is no less than a roller-coaster ride. But, to say that it’s the same across the three terms, would be an exaggeration. The most stressful term is generally the first one.

There are three reasons behind it:

1. It’s a new environment altogether - the case methodology, surprise quizzes, long classes, group work, etc. So, it takes time to adjust to it.

2. First-term offers some CV points - For summer placements, there’s CV freezing that takes place during this time. Students often try to participate in more competitions and club events to get some CV points.

3. Summer Placements Stress - This is by far the biggest reason behind the sleepless nights. A lot of people feel upset due to lack of shortlists, then it’s mandatory to attend PPTs of recruiters and also the CV freezing.

So, during this time, no doubt that people often have only about 4 hours of sleep. In fact, it won’t be a lie if I had to recall and share that I often slept even fewer hours than that. There used to be 2–3 group submissions along with 3 classes (and hence 3 cases to read, each took about half-an-hour minimum).

I wish I could show you (hilarious) pictures of students sleeping in the class (yes, on-going class) because of the lack of sleep. For now, you can get an idea through this:

But, to say that nobody slept more than 4 hours would be wrong. I know at least 2 people (there must be many more), who never compromised on their sleep - they often slept at 10 PM and even had breakfast before the class (we generally used to skip breakfast because we woke up at 8:30 AM for an 8:45 AM class :P)

After the first term, things get better. People generally understand which courses would demand more time, which cases can be skimmed through or even skipped (yes, this happens so much). Time management also becomes better and some people (including me) just stop caring about grades.

It is often the students, who consistently wish to perform well in academics or extra-curricular, who tend to sleep less. But, as the first year progresses, it becomes more of a choice than a compulsion. People spend time together, hang out, binge watch, etc. which takes a cut on their sleep.

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Life at an IIM is tough, but manageable for sure. Like every other thing in the world, you just get used to it :)