The same feeling again

Every time I attend a cultural show, especially conducted by colleagues, I get this feeling of worthlessness. The people are so talented, that they no only excel in studies, but also in activities like dance, song, dramatics etc. I initially used to think that there is a negative correlation between extracurricular activities and the basic activity like grades in college. However, that is totally wrong. I have repeatedly seen that people who excel in study also excel in extra-curricular activities. They would volunteer for any events that are taking place, perform and network effectively. This is the hallmark of a complete person. As always I have decided that I will pursue some hobby religiously now. Only time will tell if I will just be writing the same thing on the blog even after the next event that I attend.

Best day since joining

Our (D-14) group mate Vipul won a business plan competition and we all went to Barbeque Nation to celebrate. This was one of the best days since I joined ISB. We had lots of fun, mostly at the cost of Moiz. I have laughed this much for months now. Nice break from the otherwise hectic and stressful schedule. We were the last one's to leave the restaurant. If we had not left for another 10 minutes, we probably would have been thrown out! We pulled each others legs and finally everyone remembered the most memorable moment at ISB. Wow, for the first time I am thinking I am gonna miss this life. Just 120 days to go for graduation!

Job scene is looking good. Met my mentor today and he mentioned that jobs are not a problem. There is enough demand for good managers and leaders in the market today. McKinsey has posted its job postings today, and I am sure more than half of ISB will apply. It is the dream company of so many people. It's amazing how some company drives so much excitement at such a broad level.

Pictures from the outing:

I ate so much today and after a relaxing evening, I think I am gonna crash now. I will need to get back to work tomorrow morning, as the to-do list is unending right now, and I better get started. There is so much to do. To list a few things:

1. Revise core terms.
2. Case Prep for consulting interviews.
3. Read up on IT industry for tech interviews.
4. Assignments.
5. Backlog of Term 6.
6. Finish the book that I am reading right now, Information Rules by Shapiro.

I better get back to work! Was this relaxing evening a dream? It's over already :(

Best day since joining

Our (D-14) group mate Vipul won a business plan competition and we all went to Barbeque Nation to celebrate. This was one of the best days since I joined ISB. We had lots of fun, mostly at the cost of Moiz. I have laughed this much for months now. Nice break from the otherwise hectic and stressful schedule. We were the last one's to leave the restaurant. If we had not left for another 10 minutes, we probably would have been thrown out! We pulled each others legs and finally everyone remembered the most memorable moment at ISB. Wow, for the first time I am thinking I am gonna miss this life. Just 120 days to go for graduation!

Job scene is looking good. Met my mentor today and he mentioned that jobs are not a problem. There is enough demand for good managers and leaders in the market today. McKinsey has posted its job postings today, and I am sure more than half of ISB will apply. It is the dream company of so many people. It's amazing how some company drives so much excitement at such a broad level.

I ate so much today and after a relaxing evening, I think I am gonna crash now. I will need to get back to work tomorrow morning, as the to-do list is unending right now, and I better get started. There is so much to do. To list a few things:

1. Revise core terms.
2. Case Prep for consulting interviews.
3. Read up on IT industry for tech interviews.
4. Assignments.
5. Backlog of Term 6.
6. Finish the book that I am reading right now, Information Rules by Shapiro.

I better get back to work! Was this relaxing evening a dream? It's over already :(

Should a customer be fired?

There was a very nice debate in our Customer and Market Performance Management class whether a customer should be fired or not. In this case the customer was very demanding and was bleeding the client. On top of that, because the internal processes were not right, the client offered discount to the customer. The case conclusion was fire the customer. It seems in realty also the customer was fired. However, I do not subscribe to this view. In my view, you should explain the customer that we had our internal process wrong and we need to change the way we bill you. If after that the customer wants to walk away, let him. But give him a chance to continue the relationship and be a strategic partner. What say?

How to Manage Multiple Tasks?

I am still wondering that MBA has not taught us anything on how to manage multiple tasks and priorities at the same time. Although MBA does expose you to prioritising your tasks, but that is not as a teaching but as a side effect. I think this should be the first course in term 1 that should be taught in MBA. How can one manage multiple tasks and set priorities. Just a thought!

Did I really pay so much to get this life?

We all keep discussing if we really took this decision to pay 17 lakhs and ask for this torturous life? Amazing! It's 3 AM and the assignment is still on. Then there is morning 8 AM class to attend. Quiz in 10:15 Class and then another assignment tomorrow. In between, 5 PM class also needs to be attended. Phew!

Day 20: The last day of the term 1

Section-D with Prof Bruce Allen

Section-D with Prof Richard Waterman

So, the final day arrived. We had the last classes for Marketing and Accounting. In Marketing we discussed the Vistakon case and the way Prof Piyush Kumar handled the case was just amazing. He has put so much structure to the case, that one can not go wrong. He also set the context for the Marketing course in next term, which is Marketing and Decision Making. In Accounting we covered the annuities and accounting for marketable securities. At end of the class, we gave a big applause to the profs. It was really an experience of a life time to be taught by the best in the business. You develop new notions about the subject when you view it through an expert's eye and then you realize that no phenomenon in this world is boring. You may feel some subject is boring because you have not been exposed it from the right perspective.

The last weekend before the final terms is here and the pressure can be seen all around. The normal activity around the campus is minimal, though there was an expection yesterday evening. We had our Accounting project due Friday midnight and and most of the groups including mine, struggled to complete it in time. At 11:30 PM we fired the print and went to collect it at the printer. We were welcomed by a panicy crowd, telling that there is no paper in the printer and there is a large queue of pending prints. Then it was a race against time, to run back to our rooms, fire a print to the printer in the library, run to the library to get it, sign it and drop it in the box 5 minutes before the deadline. There was a huge crowd and everyone was relieved to have made it in time! We took a few pictures of our killing! I will post them soon. For today I have a picture from the class.