Why Is IIM Ahmedabad Student Vivek Kundu Going Viral?

‘5 Hidden Cost of IIM A’ : From FOMO to Burn out what students have to go through

Vivek Kundu who once participated in the Stanford University debate, thought that he had it all to survive in the IIM Ahmedabad campus life. However the reality hit him in the very first week of the 2 years course. Thus he listed out

1. “Casualty of Choices”

Apart from the sound academics IIM Ahmedabad has more than 30 clubs to offer which candidates can choose to join. Kundu referees this plethora of opportunities as the “Causality of Choices”. Vivek tried it all and realised that to avoid ‘fear of missing out (FOMO)’ he has been participating in all of the events however failed to enjoy any of that . From that he revealed that the biggest lesson that IIM Ahmedabad offers is ‘how to say no’ which management students need to learn quickly or the guilt of FOMO will shallow you.

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“Casualty of Comparison”

Apart from the plethora of choices which might crush down upon the students, another hidden cost the IIM A students bear is they become the victim of the ‘imposter syndrome’ . Describing ‘Casualty of Comparison’,

Vivek explains that if one starts comparing themselves with the classroom which is filled with IIT engineers, chartered accountants, ex-government officers, and professionals who've worked at Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and Google, soon they will start doubting themselves. Kundu describes IIM Ahmedabad environment as something that ‘resets your scoreboard to 0 on Day 1’ without erasing the previous achievements.

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2. “ Casualty of Expectation”

Kundu, who has been a decent student throughout his life, received his first grade “C” in his first finance quiz and it was a setback for him. “Am I even supposed to be here?” Kundu talked to himself. However, rather than feeling from the scene, Kundu returned to the drawing board, asked batchmates for help to understand the basics and realised how humbling IIM A can make you feel inside it.

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3. “Casualty of Home”

Vivek also recollected how all these grinds and the hustle also took a toil for his personal life as well. In what he describes as the ‘Casualty of Home’, Kundu reflected that because of his hustle he could not talk to his family for a week rather than just casual ‘sab theek hy’. However he realised that some rules precede any deadline and now he video calls home whenever he gets time even if for two minutes.

4. “Casualty of Sleep and Silence”

The final lesson that Vivek focused on was mental well being and the importance of a good sleep cycle. IIMs are known for their hustle culture and relentless activities both academic and non academic. Vivek Kundu says that the continuous cycle of case studies, assignments and late night meetings makes the “8 hour sleep cycle” look like a failure on individual part.

However Kundu highlighted why celebrating that is not a great thing in itself as a lesser amount of sleep does not really mean that one is only losing sleep but at the same time losing the clarity of thought too.
Learn More: IIM Ahmedabad Cutoff

Why People Resonated with Vivek Kundu MBA Challenges and His Life at IIM Ahmedabad

Kundu's honest response resonated far beyond the IIM-A campus because it highlighted something MBA graduates rarely admit: the real cost of a management degree from a premium institution isn't only the fee you pay while taking admission — it's the mental and emotional toil. It's the sleep, the family time, the mental peace, and sometimes the sense of self-worth that gets quietly spent along the way. As there has been dialogues about student mental health and well-being gaining more attention across Indian campuses, the viral Vivek Kundu MBA challenges retrospection of IIM Ahmedabad highlighted the human cost of studying at the top B-School in India. Rather than being a complaint, Vivek Kundu’s post is a reflection of the life at IIM A which every aspirant must be prepared about beyond the CAT cutoff and placement.