What I Wish I Knew Before Joining IIMC Delhi
What I Wish I Knew Before Joining IIMC Delhi
"The institution opens the door. You have to learn how to walk through it."
Just like every other student who dreams of being a journalist, anchor, reporter, or PR specialist — it was my dream too. I might be living it now, but the truth is far from what I had imagined it to be.
This is not a post to scare you away from IIMC. It's the honest account I wish someone had shared with me before I walked through those gates.
The Preparation: CUET PG and the Uncertainty
Back in 2023, I started preparing for my CUET PG examinations. Uncertain. Anxious. Not entirely sure whether I'd be able to clear it — call it a lack of confidence or maybe a lack of clarity, both were present.
While studying, the syllabus felt like an impossible mountain to climb. There were days it seemed pointless. But I had made a promise to my parents, and that promise became the only reason I kept going.
"It all seemed like an impossible task to complete — but I had promised my parents I would do it."
Getting In — and the Reality Check That Followed
When I cleared the examination, I was short of words. And then came a new wave of uncertainty — would IIMC select me? In my desired course? At my desired campus?
Students who prepare for premier institutions always carry this idea in the back of their mind: once I get in, everything will fall into place. Life will be amazing. The hard part will be over.
⚠️ This is exactly where most of us go wrong.
The belief that the institution alone will make your career is the most common — and most expensive — assumption a student can walk in with. I know because I walked in with it too.
What IIMC Actually Gives You
After spending time at this prestigious institution, here's what I can say with complete honesty — IIMC will give you things. Real, valuable things.
"But yes — in the end, the institution cannot spoon-feed you. You have to learn from your mistakes and make whatever opportunity is in front of you work."
The Real Lesson: It Comes Down to How Well You Optimise
In my experience, it all comes down to one thing — how well you optimise the opportunity given to you.
IIMC is a door. But doors don't walk through themselves. You have to show up, take risks, pitch stories, fail at assignments, rebuild, and do it again. The institution gives you the room; you have to decide what you build inside it.
Seek Opportunities Actively
Don't wait for assignments to push you — go beyond them. Pitch. Intern. Cover stories no one asked you to.
Mistakes Are the Curriculum
Some of the most important learning at IIMC happened outside the classroom — through failure, feedback, and trying again.
Create Space to Grow
The institution won't carve out a path for you. You have to make space for yourself — to grow, create, and innovate.
Not at the Cost of Happiness
Optimise — but not at the expense of your own wellbeing and peace of mind. That part matters more than any byline.
Your Rank? It Matters Less Than You Think.
Your rank or marks might feel significant on day one — when you're introducing yourself in front of 60 students, it briefly becomes a part of your identity. But that phase passes faster than you'd expect.
💬 What actually counts after that?
- How well you grasped what was taught to you
- How quickly you applied it in real situations
- How honest you were with yourself about where you were falling short
- How consistently you showed up — in class, on assignments, in conversations
The classroom is a leveller. No one cares about your entrance rank once you're sitting in the same room, doing the same work.
"Life is anything but a bed of roses — and IIMC was just one step I took on the ladder. There is more to come."
The One Thing I'd Tell Every IIMC Aspirant
IIMC will open doors for you. Real doors — to the media industry, to credibility, to conversations that wouldn't have happened otherwise. That part is true and that part is valuable.
But here's what nobody tells you before you get in: the door opening is not the destination. Walking through it is. And how far you go after that is entirely, completely, and only up to you.
🌟 What I genuinely wish I had known
- That clarity comes from doing, not from waiting until you feel ready
- That the best opportunities at IIMC are the ones you create for yourself
- That struggling is part of the process — not a sign that you don't belong
- That your personal happiness is not a distraction from your career — it is the foundation of it
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