Though this term is supposed to be as hectic as the last term, I have started relaxing. Yesterday, I was just sitting and watching TV. I am also noticing that most of the students have started relaxing. They might have understood that running like this till the end of the year is not a good strategy. This week might be free and next week comes the mid-term. We have mid-term for only one subject, Macro Economics.

When I say free or relaxing, don't assume that students are having a good 8 hours sleep. Markstrat takes care that students spend most of the time in it. The advantage in Markstrat is that though you put a lot of time in it, it won't be as tiring or boring as going through the book.

Sorry Gentleman ! I was so busy yesterday with Markstrat that I was not able to blog. Even the simplest decisions require hell a lot of time as everyone in the group has to be convinced. In my group, we have a good understanding and so even if we fight like wrestlers during the discussions, it does not affect relationships. I don't know how it goes in other groups.

I sent a mail yesterdar for election campaign. I came up with three different mails and asked my friends to choose one. They opted for the simplest one and I sent it. The mail just had two lines. The subject of the mail was "I was Pregnant!" Inside the mail, there was a photo of a pregnant man (yes man!) with caption "Have conceived many ideas! Give me a chance to deliver !!". Lets see whether this campaign works !! The screenprint of the mail can be found in "http://us.share.geocities.com/sujayath/campaignmail.bmp".

Yesterday I slept at 4:00 AM. As expected, the Markstrat discussion went on and on and finally we made some decisions at 3:30 AM ( We started at 7:00 PM). Our group lacks experienced candidates in operations and so we almost have to reinvent each and every concept.

I have decided to stand for election as Placement Committee representative. We will have 12 representatives and there are 27 contestants. I wanted to be in Placement or Admissions committee as these are the two aspects that decide the ISB brand image. I think I can contribute to ISB more if I am in these committees.

Class participation is becoming a head-ache for me. For example, Competitive Strategy has 25% marks for CP (Class participation) and so each and everyone wants to speak something in the class. Mostly it ends up with the same point repeated 4 or 5 times and students giving very vague and very evident comments. This is reducing the energy level in the class.

Yesterday there was a session on how to use the MARKSTRAT software. It is a simulation game where the students compete against each other and this constitutes significant portion of the grade. Seniors have warned that this game is addictive and could consume a lot of time. My groupies are so enthusiastic about the game and I can see sleepless nights awaiting me. Yet I see this as an interesting platform to test our competitive skills without causing much damage (Grade damage is there but we can afford it). Lets see how it goes.

What to get out of MBA?

Somehow I have landed in the MBA land, without having much idea of what to get out of this MBA. I was never a die-hard MBA aspirant, but just landed here by accident. Students who were dreaming of their MBA from their school days might enjoy the learning here. I am still contemplating about what to get out of this MBA.

Atleast after one term, I should have got an idea of what MBA tries to convey to me. This MBA has taught me the art of being with books. Even when I watch TV, I have a book in my lap. MBA has taught me the art of regretting. I chat and watch TV for one hour and regret about it for two hours. MBA has taught me the art of raising hands. I should say it is trying to teach me the art of raising hands. Even when the prof coughs, students raise their hands and try to explain the reason why he coughed. Still, I am very naive at this art. I don't raise my hand even when I know what the answer is. I should change this behaviour in this term atleast. MBA has taught me the art of using Buzzwords. Good example -> Some yesterday told me - "You have illusion of control. Don't stick to your prior hypothesis belief. Try to change your locus of control".

What has MBA taught me in this one term? It has changed my thought process. It has made me realize that it is not the outcome that is important, but the way how we reach that outcome is important. I believe this is the valuable lesson I get out of MBA. I have learned to question the basic assumptions. This forms the basis for any out-of-box thinking. I have started analyzing whatever I read in magazine or watch in TV and try to find the reason behind it. MBA has taught me to give importance to thought process and this lesson is what I learned in the first term.

Second Term Starts ...

The first class was by Jagmohan Raju from Wharton. The first class was impressive. But that doesn't mean no one slept in the class. While asking questions in the class, he displayed the photo of the student in the screen to whom the question is targetted. His chronological way of connecting warfare with Porter impressed me. His class has raised expectations for this term.

Whats the deal with "700+"

I think I confused you with my previous post while talking about GMAT score. What I meant was there are candidates with good GMAT scores (say 700+) but with less impressive Extra curriculars or leadership aspects. ISB mostly rejects these candidates however high the score is (Say 750+). Now with increased intake, ISB cannot do the same as it needs high GMAT score to sustain the average at 690. I never meant that 750+ are not preferred.Of course, they are preferred but they too have to show some extra-curricular aspects.

And Now Padmaja Leaves...
After the shocking news of Vinoo leaving, we received the next shock that Padmaja is also leaving. For those who don't know - Vinoo and Padmaja did the entire screening and interview for admissions till last year. There was a farewell party for them yesterday night.

The hottest debate going on in the campus is whether the increased intake is the reason for adcom people leaving. I met an alumni yesterday who said that they tried to convince the management not to increase the intake, but all in vain.

Yesterday I read an article in Business World about Great Lakes Institute of Management coming up in Chennai. The article was criticizing ISB for investing too much in infrastructure and passing the financial burden to the students. I have personally visited the institute in Chennai, spoke with the dean and deputy dean there. Though I am a well wisher of that Institute ( Two reasons - I like Bala and I love Chennai), at this point of time, the institute is barely an attraction for quality MBA aspirants. The article noted that the best faculty who visited the campus on the first and second year are not coming this year. It hardly matters to us. For me, the faculty list is impressive this year and the new professors (visiting ISB for the first time) who came for the first term, especially the Stats profs did a tremendous job.

The second term starts today. I have afternoon classes. The first class is by Jagmohan Raju. He has been voted the best prof for the core courses last year. I am eagerly awaiting his class.