Epilogue

Sometimes in life you just wonder how time flies and that exactly echoes my thoughts at the moment.

This might be the last post here on this blog ....

I cant believe my journey of MBA is over and I am ready to plunge into the next adventure which mother destiny has in store for me ..

When I wrote my first weekly post I was excited to pen down even the minutest details but as the time passed I got busier and the story got repetitive ( assignments, exams, workload, activities) and I believe my writing skills did not do justice to the wonderful year I spent here...

It was a fabulous journey and there were great moments to cherish all throughout... The friends I made here , The learnings I had , The fun and frolic and of course the academic takeaways ... Words can never do justice ....

I also thought I would write every week but could not for obvious reasons... I tried to keep it updated but I know I lagged a lot ... Nonetheless it was real fun penning the most happening year of my life and I actually gave myself a pat on my back after penning the last week post .... The last chapter was over and so it comes to an end ....

There were hits and misses... joys and sorrows ... Successes and failures ... a complete mixed bag ....

The dream career which I thought remained a dream but nevertheless I have something which I will enjoy and hopefully do good in it ... The doors or corporate world are wide open and I cant wait to see it from new eyes ...

This blog has been a chapter of my life and tomorrow a new chapter will begin ... I just need to turn the page ... I will definitely revisit this blog frequently to relive the moments I spent at ISB and am sure to smile ear to ear while reading each one of them ...

It has been great writing in here and I sincerely hope folks who read this will enjoy as much as I did in writing these ...

I will keep signing in here to check if any comments/queries are there .. Just leave a comment and I will try to be as prompt as I can ... I might not be the best person for any MBA related questions but having been thru the grind I can always give an honest opinion ... 

I will be back to post some arbit MBA stuff if I feel like but as of now :-

Its curtain time folks !!!

Godspeed and Good Luck !!!

Pranay Raicha

A typical day... Shouvik style

Blatant copy paste from Shouvik. He is just so awesome.

Damn Obelix. Spare ribs, pork with cumin, pork roast, braised pork. Barrel of beer. You do the math, the man had it good. I’m not one to deny a good man his cholesterol, but when I’m armed with a catapult and a kitchen knife and the solo wild boar in the ISB campus doesn’t show up, my anger’s on boiling point. Pardon the pun, but at this juncture, I’m pretty darned ‘bored’ to death. So I make a few calls to the few good women on campus. Friday night and everyone’s busy looking pretty. Cucumbers, mud packs, almond paste on their faces, so I’m perfunctorily brushed off.
That’s a long fall, brother. From intrepid boar-hunter to feeling like a fly. Optionless, I optimize the situation, dial the digits of a few close buddies. Half an hour and we’re all tuneless Mohd. Rafis, bawling our larynxes off, with bottles of Old Monk and Teachers losing their colour as the minutes roll.

Monday morning and I’m feeling blue. Not the pale ‘ISB logo’ blue but hardcore deep, deep blue. Armed with nicotine, caffeine and common sense, I enter the class. Everyone looks fresh. I wonder how. Figures and facts roll by, the Mensa club wannabes stretch their arms to dislocation point for a fraction of class participation credit. No love lost there, but some points leave me a severe sense of déjà vu. Didn’t the teacher just mention that point, or am I dozing off, again? Never mind. Evening, and it’s time for some club meets, some study group meets (Lehar Kurkure, Thums Up, Haldirams, cashew nuts, and the course pack), a spot of football, where I dodder like a rheumatic rascal. But the point is I try.

These days, I’ve been planning an arm-wrestling and beer-guzzling gig, not to mention posters for Kargil Diwas. Hands and tiny brain packed to capacity, I am bothered with a nagging suspicion that I’ll miss this place sorely. Now for some rumination on that as I head towards Goel’s greasy gruel on a perfect Sunday noon. Shalom.

Profs I miss !!

I posted abt Mohan Sir and Prashant Sir but have not posted abt any other profes since then...
I need some energy and time to post abt a few more

Prof Jagmohan Raju
Prof Bhagwaan Choudhary
Prof Suren Mansinghka
Prof Ram Bala
Prof Sumit Kunnumkal

Each one of the above helped in groom ...
More on each one later ...

I wish I could add to the list in term 4 kicking off today ...

Good Bye Prashant Sir !!

This is sayonara to Professon Prashant Kale. He was another one after Mohan sir to ensure a place in my blog. So that whenever i revisit ISB year in my life I can recall him and smile.

Awesome !!! Simplicity , intelligence personified. He had an exceptional ability to dissect the case from several angles and yet present to us a new perspective everytime. He did every case in a way that none of us ever thought off. His class had a lot of "AHA" moments. Everytime we were stumped and reckoned
"Oh yes !!! What he is saying can also be deduced from the case"
"Ohh!!! I dint look at this fact this way"
"Oopsss!!! Where was this the case"...

He left us speechless everytime.... I just wish I had him for the whole term.

Coming to his other abilities... He dint need name tags even on day one. He knew everyone's profile before stepping into class... He knew beforehand which student would be right at which point of time ( based on profile ) to carry forward the discussion ... He overheard a collegue talking to her husband and could deduce that it was anniversary and started the class by wishing her....

Stumped us everyday !!!

If I have to compare him to anyone i adore... I would make the decision based on his ability to minutely observe everything and uncanny capacity to interlink each word spoken in the class and relating one point to another in a fantastic manner.... When he carried home the point we always felt this was so easy and obvious ... The decision would be easy..

He definitely is Sherlock Holmes of Competitive Strategy...

We gave him a send off on his last class by dressing as school going kids and I rocked the day when i came from pee pee and asked him " Sir please may I come in" .. Everybody was in splits !!!

P.S. --> I thought I would write a post comparing Mohan Sir and Prashant Sir but I believe they uncomparable .. Flawless in their respective fields ...

I personally liked Mohan Sir more because he taught a boring subject yet made it most interesting one in term 1..
Prashant Sir did the same to comp strat in term 2...

ISB mast jagah hai yaar !!!!

Ha ha Ha !!!

This happened during Eco sample question discussion.

Shouvik - What is output per hour worked ?
Deep - यार , एक घंटे में कितना काम किया ये बताता है ।
Shouvik - Thank you yaar. (Superb timing for sarcasm !!!! )

Pranay - ROTFL gasping for breath.

Sonites and Vodites !!!

Life contains only 2 things ..
Sonites and Vodites.

Details to follow on week 7 entry ...

Term 1 results !!!

I wish I had a magic wand to revert my silly mistakes.....
It would cost me a grade in 3 subjects....

GoodBye Mohan Sir !!!

ISB drives us crazy .. If i dont pen this down today .. I may never will ...

I am a bad student .. I always have sky high limitation set for my teacher.. I want my teacher to teach me so that I do not have to study more :-)

Mohan Sir stumped me and my expectations in one day ... It has been 5 classes only and for me accounting has changed from greek and latin to assets and liabilities ... He is undoubtedly best teacher I have ever had... Next prof has some very big shoes to fill in ....I am sure he will rock too !!!

Mohan Sir taught in a way that even an idiot can make sense.... Best part he keeps class on toes and grinning for like forever... his mercurial wit and amazing capacity to present and explain concepts is impeccable... Here are some examples...

He deservedly got a standing ovation from our section and I am sure all sections had same feelings ... All sections dunked him too .. Now thats sporty ....

When I was clapping for him today I did not want him to go .... He was the one who made me feel that ISB is a good choice (though he is visiting faculty) ... He was the only prof in whose class I could understand things with the clas.. I lag behind a bit in other classes but in this I was almost spot on !!!..

First question I asked him today - Would be back for any electives and he said "NO".. I felt bad ...

You can never have enough of Mohan Venkatachalam ...

Thank you Mohan Sir !!!
Good Bye and Good Luck !!!

My first assigment @ ISB

This is an interesting one. At least for me it was.
We submitted our first group assignment last week and today the results came out.
( Max marks 49)
Here is the conversation I had after the results were out.

Deep - Oye, number dekhe
Me - Nahi
Deep - 47
Me - Wow , cool .. (thinking the effort paid off , as we spent 5 hr more compared to whole classs)
Deep - Avg is 48.67
Me- S**t !!

Epilogue:
One whole year lies ahead obscuring such shocks and surprises.

The fun has begun !!!

Core term has started on Monday and on the night of tue and wed I have studied ( actually fun interspersed with study attempts) till 3 AM with my study group.

Did not want to not-blog this night. An year of such nights is here but first one deserves a mention.

Ciao !!!

Joined ISB !!

Finally,
I hv joined ISB

Orientation week is in full swing and it is fun
i am already falling in love with the place

lack of sleep and laptop are the primary reasons for scarcity of details in this post

probably later :-)

A night of confusion !!!

My previous posts should tell you the confusion.
I got admits from IIM Lucknow Noida campus executive MBA program ( IPMX) and from ISB Hyderabad.

Last day to submit acceptance fee at IPMX was 10th and so was the result date of ISB R2. I got an extension in IPMX as my couier was misplaced. Luckily I had the xerox of the DD which helped me convince the IPMX Adcom for the extension in deadline.

Here are the factors which helped me make the decision

1) Batch Size - IPMX 50 ISB 560
2) Infrastructure ISB way ahead of IPMX
3) Stability - IPM 2nd batch ISB 8th batch
4) Pedagogy - IPMX ( IIM Profs ) ISB (Global fculty)
5) Fee + expenses - IPMX INR 15L and ISB INR 21L
6) Frens advice - unanimously ISB
7) Placement ISB usually has a great record and this year approx 1/3rd hv been placed. IPMX batch 1 is still struggling.

I got holy mail from ISB at abt 6:45 PM and slept at 1:00 AM and in between my mind was facing juggernauts of thoughts.

And the verdict is

INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS !!!!!

Twist in the tale !!!

Dear P R,
Congratulations! We are delighted to inform you that on the basis of a comprehensive and careful evaluation process, you have been offered admission nto the ISB’s one year Post Graduate Programme in Management which commences on April 11, 2009.
We believe that your profile will add significant value to the diversity of backgrounds, outstanding talent and significant achievements represented by the students in our new class and also bring in a valuable perspective to our classroom discussions and international community.
Please confirm your intention to enroll in the programme by:
Remitting a non-refundable Admission Fee of INR 200,000 (Indian Rupees Two Hundred Thousand Only) or USD 5,000 to reach us latest by 25-Feb-2009, to ensure that your place in the class is retained. Instructions for making the payment are given in the file attached to this email.Completing the admission acceptance formalities in your ISB online application account. The instructions for this are also provided in the documents attached to this email.The formal admission offer is being sent to you by courier separately for your records. However, you should not wait for that to reach you to complete your acceptance formalities. The date of transmission of this email is considered as the date of official communication of the admission offer.
All dates and times are as per Indian Standard Time. If you do not wish to accept the admission offer, kindly login to the online application and decline the offer. This will ensure that another deserving applicant on the waiting list is offered admission.Please note: All disputes arising out of or in respect of Admission to the PGP shall be referred for Arbitration to the Dean, ISB, Hyderabad or to his nominee, whose decision shall be final and binding on the parties. The Arbitration shall be at Hyderabad and be conducted in accordance with the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
If you have any queries or concerns prior to your enrolment, please do communicate with us at pgpadmissions@isb.edu or +91 40 2318 7474.
We look forward to welcoming you into the Class of 2010.

With best wishes,
Sincerely,
Menon V.K.Sr. Director -
Admissions & Financial Aid
Indian School of Business
Gachibowli
Hyderabad 500 032Ph: +91 40 2318 7474Website: www.isb.edu/pgp
Instructions_for_accepting_the_Admission_Offer.

Dilemma Continues !!!

Till just about a week back I thought an ADMIT was all I wanted to conquer the world.. That is now long left behind and I have already entered a world of questions.. Bigger and Tougher..

The yahoo group is active and 2 topic doing rounds are
1 ) Loan - Andhra bank and PNB have tieups so it shoul dnot be a problem.
2) Brand Building of all Executive IIM courses - Thats an interesting initiative by common admits of PGPX ( IIMA) , PGPEX (IIMC) , IPMX ( IIMLNC) , EPGP ( IIMB).

I have an ISB R2 i/v invite and am not really able to concentrate on that. I still feel that IIMLNC invite should steer me thru ... Though a lot of suggestions have been pouring in to atleast take the i/v seriously and a fair share amongst them favor the invite too seriously ...

The plot thickens but an admit surely makes you smile every now and then.
Lets see...

Aaj se nayi kahaani !!!

I have never maintained this blog but from now on I will update this regularly.
And the reason is this.

My MBA sojourn till now says

PGPX - No i/v call

PGPEX - Dinged after i/v .. I was not deemed good enough to be a part of 3rd waitlist even. Sigh !!!

IPMX - Admit :-)

ISB R2 - i/v invite.

XLRI GMP - Applied.

iimc submitted

long time no c !!!!

submitted iimc pgpex form yesterday

not too hopeful..
not totally hopeless..

but pessimism takes a toll over optimism

fingers are crossed and hands folded in prayers

:-)

will post my pgpex essays at the end of this application season on my blog..
will help at least some i guess

Kickstart the journey

Am finally done with 730 celebrations !!! Treated myself and family.

I will apply next year. Though I know that I want to be in India, I can't help dreaming Harvard , Duke etc. Inspite of dreaming these schools I am still rigid on being in India ... Many reasons for this rigidity primary being the fact that I know I don't deserve these colleges... Secondary is finance and tertiary is a non-exhaustive list...

Since I have an year i want to prepare with ease but with vigour so that i get selected in atleast one good B-School next year.

Have to polish my portfolio this year and also need to make sure that I write decent enough essays next year. Its always helpful to know oneself and plan accordingly.

To kickstart i have added few good links in my blog and will visit them religiously. This is to make sure that I get the ideas about how essay are written and what pleases the AdCom of any good college.

The transcripts need to be ordered too.

The journey has begun ....