Well, an Eid celebration was all that it took to socialize with old college friends. It was a nice get-together that brought a lot of nostalgic feelings along with it. It reminded me of the times that we had spent in college, those particular incidents, night-outs, endless computer game sessions and strategy making, talking about our friend's best rated hill station i.e. nandi hills (pun intended) and what not. There is no doubt that college days are the best.
Coming to the present, it was one of the few good home made lunches I have had in Bangalore. Thanks to my friend and his wife for hosting the get-together and doing the preparations. To call the food delicious would be an understatement. There was Veg and Non-Veg Biryani, Sevaiya, Cutlets, Chana and Dahi Bada. Even typing it in the blog makes me drool. I wish there were more such get-togethers.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The MBA Tour
This weekend is the MBA tour weekend in Bangalore and it is the first time that the MBA tour is happening over a span of 2 days. It is amazing that out of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, only Bangalore has an MBA tour spread over 2 days. That tells us a lot about the number of actual and potential applicants. I attended the event today and found it good but still below my expectations.
While going to the MBA tour, I did not expect so much traffic especially given that its a long weekend here. May be rains have forced a lot of people to rethink on their short vacation plans or many people are preparing for the next long weekend that is just 6 days away. MG Road is a total mess these days especially the stretch right before Trinity circle. I reached on time and registered for the event. I attended all the sessions before the fair and they seemed to be pretty generic. Given that this time I am better prepared, I was frustrated that some people had very basic or even irrelevant questions or may be I knew the answers. Whatever it was, I started feeling like the most knowledgeable. Probably the MBA tour is meant to spread awareness among the Indian applicants about most general questions and clear their doubts. Since I had attended one last year and am now well versed with the process by reading several books, I did not find it interesting.
Once the sessions were over and the fair about to start, I noticed that there are far fewer people this time than last year. But there seemed to be a lot of people either still in college or having just 1-2 years of experience. Not sure if that is good or bad. But the fair started very similarly to last year and there was huge crowd in front of all the big schools. I tried listening to the conversations on 2 of them and I understood that it is better to ask my questions after probably an hour when the crowd is tired and disseminates. So, me and my friends decided to eat something outside and come back. Well, it was worth it since most of the crowd started to lose interest and there were many empty counters.
I basically had some very specific questions. I first went to ESADE and asked my question. The director straight away told me laughingly that this is a very specific question. She drank some water and bought some time and then gave a general answer, which was acceptable given the other people standing surrounding me. She redirected me to an ESADE alumni and that guy (doing his internship in India) was very polite and answered all my questions. I felt very nice to know that he has the same undergrad degree as me and is into the same specialization that I am interested in. I then went over to HEC and the Rice University counters and had brief chats with their admissions representative. But I understood from my first interaction with ESADE that this forum is not meant for very specific school questions. Well, not exactly true, but if they have an alumni, the alumni will answer all the specific questions. I think the schools should bring along more alumni to help serious applicants. Anyway, there are always online channels to interact with them, but discussing face to face sometimes help.
While going to the MBA tour, I did not expect so much traffic especially given that its a long weekend here. May be rains have forced a lot of people to rethink on their short vacation plans or many people are preparing for the next long weekend that is just 6 days away. MG Road is a total mess these days especially the stretch right before Trinity circle. I reached on time and registered for the event. I attended all the sessions before the fair and they seemed to be pretty generic. Given that this time I am better prepared, I was frustrated that some people had very basic or even irrelevant questions or may be I knew the answers. Whatever it was, I started feeling like the most knowledgeable. Probably the MBA tour is meant to spread awareness among the Indian applicants about most general questions and clear their doubts. Since I had attended one last year and am now well versed with the process by reading several books, I did not find it interesting.
Once the sessions were over and the fair about to start, I noticed that there are far fewer people this time than last year. But there seemed to be a lot of people either still in college or having just 1-2 years of experience. Not sure if that is good or bad. But the fair started very similarly to last year and there was huge crowd in front of all the big schools. I tried listening to the conversations on 2 of them and I understood that it is better to ask my questions after probably an hour when the crowd is tired and disseminates. So, me and my friends decided to eat something outside and come back. Well, it was worth it since most of the crowd started to lose interest and there were many empty counters.
I basically had some very specific questions. I first went to ESADE and asked my question. The director straight away told me laughingly that this is a very specific question. She drank some water and bought some time and then gave a general answer, which was acceptable given the other people standing surrounding me. She redirected me to an ESADE alumni and that guy (doing his internship in India) was very polite and answered all my questions. I felt very nice to know that he has the same undergrad degree as me and is into the same specialization that I am interested in. I then went over to HEC and the Rice University counters and had brief chats with their admissions representative. But I understood from my first interaction with ESADE that this forum is not meant for very specific school questions. Well, not exactly true, but if they have an alumni, the alumni will answer all the specific questions. I think the schools should bring along more alumni to help serious applicants. Anyway, there are always online channels to interact with them, but discussing face to face sometimes help.
Monday, September 14, 2009
First Application 2009
My first application for the year 2009 i.e. ISB has been completed and submitted. Although, there is still one recommendation to go, but I hope it will be in by tomorrow.
After going through the application once again, I finally decided to submit it and wait for the results. I hope this time I get at least an interview call. But, mind you, that is not the goal. The goal is to get in. The goal is to get admitted to one of the best B schools. Lets see how the application comes along.
It was an intense day for me. I did a lot of programming today and a lot of reading including the ISB application. It feels great after such a marathon. But, I have to admit that this was just a trailer and there are many more marathons to come.
I wish I could catch some action at the US Open final (01:30 am), off course on TV.
Update: The second recommendation has also been submitted.
After going through the application once again, I finally decided to submit it and wait for the results. I hope this time I get at least an interview call. But, mind you, that is not the goal. The goal is to get in. The goal is to get admitted to one of the best B schools. Lets see how the application comes along.
It was an intense day for me. I did a lot of programming today and a lot of reading including the ISB application. It feels great after such a marathon. But, I have to admit that this was just a trailer and there are many more marathons to come.
I wish I could catch some action at the US Open final (01:30 am), off course on TV.
Update: The second recommendation has also been submitted.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Why foreign policy matters
Just wanted to archive a very good speech by Shashi Tharoor on "Why foreign policy matters". It is a must read. Click on the below link to read the speech.
Why Foreign Policy Matters
Why Foreign Policy Matters
The Mint Lounge
Lets get straight to the point. I have been reading the Mint newspaper since close to 2 years and there has not been a single moment where I had to say that I did not like something in this newspaper. The paper is really a welcome change from all the other business newspapers available today, which is very few by the way (Now slowly more foreign publications have started to at least start an India-dedicated website).
The newspaper's presentation and its use of colors is simply awesome. Everything attracts you into reading everything. Started as a newspaper to change the way business news was read, in only 4 cities Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Bangalore, it has come a long way now being circulated in Kolkata, Pune and Chennai as well. I really do not remember who suggested me to subscribe to it, but I am thankful to whoever it was. I really like the articles where it focuses on mixing politics, business, economy, environment, development etc. particularly the "our view" and "their views" section.
Mint on Saturday comes along with Mint Lounge, which I feel is the star of the show. Lounge is one paper which can be preserved and archived for decades similar to the way our older generation used to do when Dharmyug was the trend in those times. It covers multiple aspects from a big shot's biography to at least 2 articles on travel to a fantastic recipe to movie, music, book reviews to enthralling articles by Shobha Narayan and earlier Vir Sanghvi. I really keep the Lounge near my pillow and go over it for the entire week until the next one comes along.
PS : I do not work for Mint :). All opinions are entirely mine.
The newspaper's presentation and its use of colors is simply awesome. Everything attracts you into reading everything. Started as a newspaper to change the way business news was read, in only 4 cities Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Bangalore, it has come a long way now being circulated in Kolkata, Pune and Chennai as well. I really do not remember who suggested me to subscribe to it, but I am thankful to whoever it was. I really like the articles where it focuses on mixing politics, business, economy, environment, development etc. particularly the "our view" and "their views" section.
Mint on Saturday comes along with Mint Lounge, which I feel is the star of the show. Lounge is one paper which can be preserved and archived for decades similar to the way our older generation used to do when Dharmyug was the trend in those times. It covers multiple aspects from a big shot's biography to at least 2 articles on travel to a fantastic recipe to movie, music, book reviews to enthralling articles by Shobha Narayan and earlier Vir Sanghvi. I really keep the Lounge near my pillow and go over it for the entire week until the next one comes along.
PS : I do not work for Mint :). All opinions are entirely mine.
ISB essays version 3.0
Now that the ISB deadline is really looming over me and probably most of the fellow applicants, its time I take a re-look at my essays and modify wherever needed.
I had had my essays reviewed by 2 of my friends and they provided me with valuable suggestions to make the essays look even much better. Reviews are very necessary as they give you an opportunity to look at your essays from a different perspective.
I think I am pretty much done with my ISB essays now except possibly minor changes to the goals essay. But I am not so much in favor of touching any of the essays. The time has come to submit them and kick start the submission cycle with ISB. I even reviewed my whole application again yesterday and I realized that I should have done it earlier because it took a lot of time to make some necessary modifications.
Beware that the ISB essays are pretty short i.e. 300 words, so you are in fast forward mode when it comes to explaining anything about you or your goals or your achievements. But all the other schools ask for relatively longer answers and it will be a completely different thing to elaborate on what you already have written for ISB or what you have thought of during your "digging your life" process.
I had had my essays reviewed by 2 of my friends and they provided me with valuable suggestions to make the essays look even much better. Reviews are very necessary as they give you an opportunity to look at your essays from a different perspective.
I think I am pretty much done with my ISB essays now except possibly minor changes to the goals essay. But I am not so much in favor of touching any of the essays. The time has come to submit them and kick start the submission cycle with ISB. I even reviewed my whole application again yesterday and I realized that I should have done it earlier because it took a lot of time to make some necessary modifications.
Beware that the ISB essays are pretty short i.e. 300 words, so you are in fast forward mode when it comes to explaining anything about you or your goals or your achievements. But all the other schools ask for relatively longer answers and it will be a completely different thing to elaborate on what you already have written for ISB or what you have thought of during your "digging your life" process.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
How to tie a tie
ISB needs applicants to upload a photograph in a particular dimension and resolution. I had a photograph from last year, but it was with just a formal shirt. I thought I would get another one clicked in a formal shirt with a tie and a coat. Yes, you are right. I do not want to leave any stone unturned this time. So, I went and got myself a nice looking photograph in my pen drive.
Before going for the photo studio, I wanted to tie a tie. I have always watched the videos on Youtube about how to tie a tie and yet forget about it in a few days. I am not used to wearing ties and that's the reason I forgot how to tie a tie. I wonder how people before the search giant google emerged would have learnt all such things. Its true that our generation cannot imagine such a scenario.
Well, luckily I clicked on the first search result on Youtube and it was so good that I tied my tie in the first try itself. Literally no subsequent attempts. Here it goes:
Before going for the photo studio, I wanted to tie a tie. I have always watched the videos on Youtube about how to tie a tie and yet forget about it in a few days. I am not used to wearing ties and that's the reason I forgot how to tie a tie. I wonder how people before the search giant google emerged would have learnt all such things. Its true that our generation cannot imagine such a scenario.
Well, luckily I clicked on the first search result on Youtube and it was so good that I tied my tie in the first try itself. Literally no subsequent attempts. Here it goes:
ISB Essays - Drafts version 2.0
After attending Duke's admission event yesterday at the Taj Residency, I thought I would go back home and finish my ISB essays. I liked the confidence this time and little did I know that rethinking on your essays can be more time consuming than actually writing first drafts. So, I finished the first 3 essays and left the re-applicant essay for Sunday morning. When you do not finish the work that you planned for the day, the nights are pretty much sleepless.
So, I woke up late, wrote ahem rewrote the re-applicant essay and sent it across for review to some of my friends. I really like the way you stumble upon idea after idea while thinking about your essays and inventorying your life.
Now I think the ISB essays look neat and succinct. But, there is always something unexpected that will pop put at the last moment you hit the submit button on the online application. I hope I can now really start writing outlines for Fuqua, Kenan-Flagler and Foster.
PS: Resume creation is postponed to next week.
So, I woke up late, wrote ahem rewrote the re-applicant essay and sent it across for review to some of my friends. I really like the way you stumble upon idea after idea while thinking about your essays and inventorying your life.
Now I think the ISB essays look neat and succinct. But, there is always something unexpected that will pop put at the last moment you hit the submit button on the online application. I hope I can now really start writing outlines for Fuqua, Kenan-Flagler and Foster.
PS: Resume creation is postponed to next week.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Revisit - TODOs
In a recent training session, there was a question about who prepares TODO lists. And there were very few hands that went up. I was one of them, but I said only for office purposes. The trainer said you should try making it for daily work too. Well, she was right and I do do it sometimes. But there often comes a phase when you forget all the TODOs and just go along with the flow. Its like there is someone telling you to not remember lists and take up all the tasks later. Then there is a phase where you do not have many TODOs but you try to create some just to keep yourself busy. Now that the essay season is in full swing, I wish for those phases.
Anyways, coming back to the list, here is what needs to be done:
1. Revisit ISB essays and give them a new look (learnings from a book).
2. Start writing Fuqua Essays
3. Prepare a Resume
All these TODOs should get over by this weekend unless I procrastinate.
PS: I have already sent my GMAT and TOEFL scores to all the schools that I plan to apply and there is no looking back now.
Anyways, coming back to the list, here is what needs to be done:
1. Revisit ISB essays and give them a new look (learnings from a book).
2. Start writing Fuqua Essays
3. Prepare a Resume
All these TODOs should get over by this weekend unless I procrastinate.
PS: I have already sent my GMAT and TOEFL scores to all the schools that I plan to apply and there is no looking back now.
An Eye Opener - Almost
You (the faithful blog reader) must be wondering what am I up to. Well, I was not actually writing essays since the last 5 days. In fact, I was doing something that would help me in my essays. I was reading this book "Great Application Essays for Business Schools" by Paul Bodine. I have to admit that I made a big mistake to not read it much earlier. I would recommend this book to everyone who is looking to write essays for B schools. It was really an eye-opener.
In fact, I had my first deadline on 2nd September for HEC. But after reading this book, I realized that my essays have a lot of room to improve. It was because of this book and several other in the pipeline I plan to read that I took the decision to postpone my essay submission to HEC to the next round i.e. 26th October. And I think it was a wise decision.
There are some more books that I plan to read. I have heard a lot about Richard Montauk and Avi Gordon. Lets see which one I get to read. Its sad that many book stores in India do not keep such books at all.
So, last week was full of motivation and a self drive to do something. Starting from the influential book to a training on "planning and organizing" to meeting a Kellogg 2009 graduate, it was all full of gyan and about the desire to succeed.
In fact, I had my first deadline on 2nd September for HEC. But after reading this book, I realized that my essays have a lot of room to improve. It was because of this book and several other in the pipeline I plan to read that I took the decision to postpone my essay submission to HEC to the next round i.e. 26th October. And I think it was a wise decision.
There are some more books that I plan to read. I have heard a lot about Richard Montauk and Avi Gordon. Lets see which one I get to read. Its sad that many book stores in India do not keep such books at all.
So, last week was full of motivation and a self drive to do something. Starting from the influential book to a training on "planning and organizing" to meeting a Kellogg 2009 graduate, it was all full of gyan and about the desire to succeed.
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