Kochi: In a heartening display of giving back to their roots, a group of IIM alumni from Kerala has returned to the state this weekend with a new mission- helping the next generation of aspirants crack the toughest interviews in the country, at no cost.
The initiative is being driven by the OpenGrad Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by IIM Indore alumni from Kerala. They are currently hosting a free offline interview preparation bootcamp in Kochi, catering to students who have cleared the Common Admission Test (CAT) with high percentiles and are now facing the final, decisive selection round for India’s premier management institutions.
The two-day bootcamp, which began today, serves as the final leg of a year-long mentorship journey. Over 20 mentors, comprising alumni and current students from elite institutions such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Mumbai, IIM Indore, and FMS Delhi, have flown in or dedicated their weekend to engage with aspirants.
The sessions are designed to mirror the high-pressure environment of actual IIM interviews. Activities include mock personal interviews, group discussions, storytelling workshops, and confidence-building exercises.
“Clearing CAT is only half the journey. Interviews test clarity, confidence, and the belief that one truly belongs at the IIMs. This bootcamp focuses on building that belief,” said a representative from the foundation.
OpenGrad operates on a unique peer-to-peer, community-powered model. Successful candidates return as mentors to guide new aspirants, creating a cycle of support. This approach has yielded good results as the foundation enabled 112 students from Kerala to secure admissions into IIMs and the top 30 MBA colleges across the country, during the 2024-25 academic cycle.
While the Kochi bootcamp focuses on MBA aspirants, the alumni network is also working to democratise education in India’s most underserved regions. The foundation has partnered with the Tribal Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu to provide end-to-end career guidance to over 130 tribal schools. This initiative alone saw 135 students secure admissions into Tier-1 colleges in the last academic year.
