T minus 10

I'll be leaving for Hyderabad on April 10, just around the corner. It's been a long and arduous journey for my MBA, and I do hope that it will be worthwhile. The last few days have been quite hectic. The preliminary shopping has been done with, all that remain now are miscellaneous items and last-minute food stuff.

I'll be accompanied by Mom, Dad and Neha, presumably to take in the sights and sounds of Hyderabad, but I suspect it's more to ensure that ISB doesn't admit that it made a mistake in letting me in and turn me back at the gate :). Time permitting, they should be able to take in a city tour, Ramoji film city and the Jyotirling.

I'm finished with all the pre-term exams as well. It was fun getting re-acquainted with Mr Calculus. I realized how much I had missed the beauty, symmetry and unpredictability of maths while working in IT. Quant and Stats presented no real problem; it was Accountancy that I was worried about. Thankfully, with a little bit of reading, I was able to pass this test as well. After reading up and chatting many ISBians, I had decided that the pre-term was better spent networking and learning core subjects. The fact that the pre-term was not graded also weighed against it.

Finally, my housing at ISB was finalized yesterday. I'll be king of SV4-I11, dispensing favors from my high throne !! SV4 is the new student village, not even found on the current ISB map. Perhaps we'll all be put up in a 5-star hotel like the 1st batch of ISB was. At the very least, we'll get first use of a brand new hostel.

On an unrelated note, Neha cleared the written portion of the CET with flying colors - 166/200 with a 99.99 %ile, thereby almost guaranteeing her a place at JBIMS. In fact, she's done so well that she'll probably finish off with a single digit rank. Quite an accomplishment considering that CAT was so disappointing. Anyways, to get into JB is ordinary, to get in with 99.99 %ile is extraordinary.

As expected, mom's over the moon that both her kids will be starting MBA simultaneously. I think she's still unconvinced of the horrors that await us at placement time. Until then, she can bask in the glory of having taken the final step in the implementation of a plan that started many a year back.

Marhaba Bahrain

Dad's back in Bahrain since Nov 2008 and I finally found the time to visit the place where I spent the best part of 16 years. Woweeeeeeeee !! This place has morphed into something way more hip than when I saw it last in 2002.

One can almost see the petro dollars at work here. New construction has popped up everywhere. I might venture to say that it even eclipses the boom in India. The spending on infrastructure by the government is astounding. New marinas coming up in the city to house the new bussinesses. Free-hold apartments are also being offered. Bahrain is probably the best place to settle to a quiet, luxurious life.

Bahrain is positioning itself well as a financial hub. Throw a stone in the Seef area and you're likely to hit a bank. It's the Middle East's Bangalore of Banking :) Lots of diverse people are joining in and the population has pretty much exploded. Shopping malls have mushroomed all over the place.

It was great fun visiting some of the old landmarks, checking out new ones and mourning the loss of others. The Indian School is still pretty much the same, too bad I couldn't meet all the teachers. The Bahrain F1 circuit is quite beautiful, with lots to do.

Well, rapid development has come at a cost. Traffic snarls are now the norm in the city. The open spaces where you could catch a game of football at any time have almost disappeared. Children now hang out at malls and around PS2s. The scenic roundabouts in the city have been replaced with soulless traffic signals.

Still, Bahrain continues to offer the perfect mix of sun, sand and shopping that make it unique. To anyone who wants to visit, all I can say is Marhaba !!

PS: This post comes to you courtesy of my new laptop - HP DV4-1225ee

Free !! Now, tell me what to do...

I had dreamt about this moment for a long time. After my final day in IBM, I had imagined life to be much more exciting. I had hoped that I would have complete claim over those crucial 8 waking hours each day. Well, yesterday was my last working day before I join ISB and, to tell you the truth, it was a bit of a disappointment.

Trouble was brewing on the project front with the last release having a host of critical issues. As the team sought to fight the fire, there was very little time to say proper good byes. Besides, I had already talked to the people that mattered. Anyways, as per tradition, the team gathered around, wished me luck, appreciated my work and gave me a parting gift.

It seemed a little weird to leave. IBM was my first job and I was sorry to be leaving. But other horizons now beckon.

Sometimes I marvel at the human tendency to always glorify the grass on the other side of the fence. When I was working, I longed to be "free". Now that I was free, I longed to get involved in one final problem on the project. For almost a month, I had been like a dead man walking, cut out from all decisions and consigned to weird looks and glances. I hoped to be a Deus ex Machina, emerging one final time to save the project from embarrassment. Alas, it was not to be.

Ultimately, it seems, we are all lemmings, happy only until someone tells us what to do and absolves us of all responsibility and accountability. As long as someone dictates to us, we have a target to rile against and criticize. Left to our own devices, we seldom put our time and effort to good use.

As a management student, I hope that I am able to change that. I would not want to look back and say "My technical job was better", just because it was simpler. That would be a huge let-down. Perhaps I'll be motivated enough to assume more responsibility in whatever I do and wherever I end up. The one thing that I have learnt is that no work is completely bad or completely good. It's all a question of perspective and expectations.

Well, of all my posts, this one seems to ramble the most, perhaps because I have time to kill and no set plan. That reminds me of a great Chinese proverb to conclude this post - "A good traveler is not intent upon arriving"... 

In vino veritas...

I skipped the usual weekend post this time I had to travel to Nashik. The journey itself was quite tiring, mainly because the roads aren't all that great. However, Nashik is a quaint little place.

The first thing I thought was "This is was Mumbai must've looked like in the 70s". Hardly any traffic on the roads, acres and acres of fields, just beyond the city limit, nice dry weather. Since it's winter, the evenings get cool, a little like Pune. Beautiful time to visit.

Since my stay was quit short, I could only visit a few places. One place I insisted on visiting was the Sula Vineyard. Nashik represents the Indian wine industry and I was keen to get a first-hand view of this fascinating subject. Coincidentally, our tour guide told us that the owner was a Stanford graduate and had brought a scientific attitude to the cultivation.

Most of the product is consumed locally. Some of it is exported as an economy wine to Europe, although they also produce a limited quantity of high-quality aged wine. Still, we have a long way to go before we can put India on the international wine map.

The tour was quite insightful. Sauvignon was the primary grape variety grown there. Almost 27 acres of vineyards dedicated to wine making. Awesome !! I shall be going back in March to witness the harvesting of both, the table and the wine grapes. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to indulge in some wine-tasting the next time around.

We also visited Trimbakeshwar. Like all other holy places, this one reeked of crowds, ceremonies and cowdung. I guess that's the price you pay for admission to heaven !! Still, it was better than some of the other places I've been to.

Overall a very satisfying trip. On an unrelated note, I officially submitted my resignation today. It feels a little weird to know that I won't have a job for the next 14 months. IBM has been a roller-coaster of a job and I'm glad I'll be leaving on a high.

I desperately wanted the sabbatical to fall into place as a backup for the placement season. However, the policy diktats don't measure up to my expectations. Perhaps, I'll be able to rejoin at a later date, I'm keeping the option open.

For the next few weeks, I'll be busy saying goodbyes at work...

Sea of Poppies

The last few posts were all related to my MBA sojourn, primarily because that's been been occupying large chunks of my time over the last six months. In between, I did manage to squeeze in time to read Amitav Ghosh's Sea of Poppies. I very rarely like epic Indian fiction which tends to go on and on without really going anywhere. A Suitable Boy is a case in point. However, Ghosh's novel is different.

It's fast-paced yet descriptive, bringing to the forefront India's contribution to the Opium trade and its impact on the local communities. At the same time, it manages to evoke a vivid and raw image of the life of a sailor. The book seems to be well-researched as the author has managed to include lingo that is suitable to the period and the occasion. Moreover, in order to capture the mood of the times, the author uses Hindi words in English (a precursor to Hinglish ?), thereby lending a more phonetic feel to the language of the book.

In the course of the story, it addresses various ills of the times - Sati, Opium, Untouchability, Racism, Imperialism, Missionary zeal etc. However, it does so without judging the characters, and therein lies its charm. There is also a sense of humor pervading through the book, a sense of hope, a sense that better things lie in store for the characters.

Being the fist instalment of a trilogy, I can only wait in anticipation of the next two books. As I simultaneously read The White Tiger, I couldn't help but wonder why the Booker wasn't awarded to Ghosh. Perhaps time will correct this error with Book II of the trilogy.

Videshi v/s Swadeshi MBA

With all the time on my hands these days, I can now afford to post twice in one day :)

There has been some heated debate on the ISB group about whether to go for an MBA from the US in these troubled times. I too have sailed in the same boat until last week and can very well identify with the conflict. Having been admitted to UCLA Anderson and CMU Tepper, in addition to ISB, I was momentarily unsure about which option to pursue.

To tell you the truth, this is an inherently personal choice. I had given the GMAT only so that I could apply to ISB. Later, I had to consider the question of what to do if I didn't get in and that's when I started researching US universities. Gradually, I came to respect and admire some of the schools.

Even before I started applying to US universities, I was cognizant of the cost factor involved. Shelling out 60-70 lacs for a two-year course would be a challenge. Therefore, I had divided my applications into 3 categories:

1. "Dream" schools such as Wharton, Sloan, Stanford, where I would have gone irrespective of the cost
2. "Schol" schools where I would have gone if the admission was accompanied by a good scholarship
3. "Safeties" where I would have gone if not admitted anywhere else

As it turned out, I made it to schools falling in Cat 2, but the scholarship did not exceed USD 20,000. For a while, I was elated with the admits. However, when I went back to the basics, I realized that:

• I wanted to stay in India
• I wanted a quick turnaround post-MBA
• I wanted a cost-effective course without compromising quality

ISB seems to fit this bill perfectly. Given the present economic scenario, I'm concerned about the following:

1. Placements: I have heard of students from UCLA, Darden, Tuck etc being unable to find jobs. International students find it difficult anyway since most companies are unwilling to get into the visa tangle and don't always earn close to 6 figures.
2. Internships: For career changers like me, internships play an important role. As companies become cautious, it will become difficult to locate relevant internships, thereby directly affecting my chances of securing the job I want
3. Funding: I don't have any rich relatives in the US. Without any non-co-signor loans being made available by universities (after Citi withdrew the CitiAssist program) and the lack of sizeable scholarships, I would find it virtually impossible to cobble together the required amount. Of course, I could apply to schools like Marshall and Kelley, but the quality of the program would suffer, an option I am not prepared to accept.
4. Visas: The lottery system gives no guarantees of getting a visa after your MBA. Worst case scenario - Come back to India with a HUGE loan on your shoulders.
5. Indian Alumni & Brand Awareness: The strength of the brand and alumni associations in India is likely to be small when compared to ISB and IIMs. The benefit I would accrue is likely to be minimal.
6. Time & RoI: I would be spending the better part of the next 10 years under a mountain of liabilities. Plus, a two year course would be more time consuming.
   

when it comes to plonking for a US MBA. Therefore, keeping all things in mind, I'm 99% certain about going to ISB this year, ahead of other US-based universities. I have spoken to current students, past students, prospective students, professors, directors, industry peers and almost everyone seems to be in agreement with my logic.

As someone on the PG forums put it - ISB, the place to be :)

The ISB interview

The decision and planning that had begun in July '07 before I left for Canada acquired another milestone I received a call for an interview from ISB. After doing well in my GMAT and writing what I thought were coherent essays, I felt reasonably confident of at least being interviewed. Still, it was a relief to receive the official email in my inbox.

My interview was at Taj Lands End, Bandra. The Bandstand is one of my favorite spots in Mumbai, right after Marine Drive and it's always a pleasure to look out over the Arabian Sea. However, I was a little concerned that the panel in question might already have been fatigued by the time they got to my interview at 5:30 PM.

Anyways, the day started off rather badly. My suit wasn't ready, had to wear a blazer, which actually turned out to be not so bad. Combined with the Raj Thackeray fiasco, Mumbai was still tense. As it turned out, it would have taken a complete bloackade to stop me from attending arguably the most important interview of my life.

Mom and Dad were around for moral support and a quick drive. We reached waaaay ahead of time. The attendant wouldn't allow me to start on the essay till 30 mints before the scheduled start. I spent some time freshening up and chatting up the other candidates. Expectedly, very few people from the IT/Engineering background. I felt my hopes go up a bit :)

Finished the essay for the word "ferocious". I get the feeling someone at ISB had flipped the page to "F" in the dictionary. Everyone got an f-word that day :) My slot was delayed - I guess the interviews were longer than expected. Surprisingly, nobody prevented me from continuing on the essay. That was a little odd. Ideally, everyone should get the same amount of time. However, since the coordination was not being done by ISB, I guess it could be simply an oversight. It shouldn't really the candidate anything more than 10 mints to write a 100 words, anyway.

I was called not to one of those conference rooms but to an actual residence room on the 15th floor. Looks like someone messed up with the scheduling of the meeting rooms !! Anyways, the setting was quite informal and the view was excellent. There was Ms Hema from the ad-com, a gentleman from ISB and an alumnus.

The discussion started off with Raj Thackeray. The panel expressed surprise that I had traveled from Thane while many others had rescheduled their interviews. Since the TV in the lobby had been ON, I was able to offer further developments, much to my advantage (at least, that's what I think !!).

I was asked to recap my experience so far. They were curious to know why I hadn't shifted jobs like other IT professionals. My answer was simple - I enjoyed my work at IBM. I was provided for in every way - the money wasn't bad, flexi-hours, challenging work, international experience, vertical growth, WFH. What more could a guy want. They were keen to know whether I'd go back to IBM after ISB. Sure, I replied, provided the opportunity exists and fits. There followed a discussion about sabbaticals, policies etc. Hopefully, I managed to show that I had done my homework and was seriously considering the alternative. I feel many candidates will be asked this question, especially entrepreneurs, since the placements aren't likely to be great for the CoMMX.

We moved on to my blogs. There was a long discussion on affirmative action and other posts. We managed to cover the role of the government in daily affairs, censorship etc. In between, there was a quick reference to my strengths and weaknesses and to my stay in Bahrain and Canada. The most interesting part was regarding the loyalty management domain. My functional expertise really helped me out in describing the three avenues of growth for such programs.

All in all, it was a very pleasant experience. Of course, doubts started creeping in the moment I reached home, but there I saw an email from CMU requesting an interview and a whole different cycle started !!

My advice to other candidates:
1) Know yourself and your application
2) Don't bullshit. If you don't know an answer, say so
3) Do not fabricate stuff that you have no clue about
4) Stay positive, exude confidence in your abilities and be relaxed
5) Take initiative in directing the conversation if you feel it's going downhill

Hope this post helps others to prepare for their interviews.

Edit:
A brief comment about my profile. I am an electronics engineer by qualification and hold a B.Tech from IT-BHU. My professional experience consists of the 4.5 years with large MNC in software services, some of it (over a year) international and some of it leading my own team (around 6 months). I covered a host of technical certifications, submitted some code assets and won a few awards during this time, finally being recognized as the top 5% across India.

I've traveled a lot and spent close to 15 years in the middle east. My academics have been consistent, sometimes even eye-catching and include 90% + on most exams, a scholarship from CBSE and a 1st class in Engg. I generally enjoy reading, blogging and playing the tabla in my spare time.