Friday, December 31, 2004

A Very Happy 2005

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Itz a New year..A new start.The confidence is high.
Wishing everyone an excellent year ahead.
May you work hard towards your goal and achieve it.

Have you made your new year resolutions yet.?
As for me, I think the same as last years would hold good.

1. Brush teeth first thing in the morning instead of checking the emails.
2. Loose Weight.Start Exercising.
3. Reduce Junk food and beer intake.
4. Call up home more often.
5. Learn Something New- Perhaps I'll learn a new language or a musical instrument.
6. Get Organized -Keep my room clean.
.....and the list goes on

Was going through Anita Bora's blog when I read this post
. Do think about those questions. Am sure u'll be able to define how 2004 was for you. And of course,Anita's awarding prizes too. :)

Your ‘high’ moment of the year.
Your ‘low’ moment of the year.
Faux pas/greatest regret.
Something that got you 'almost famous' and nearly catapulted you into the Hall of Fame.
The 3 things you wanted to do the most this year, and did!
The 3 things you wanted to do the most this year, and couldn’t/didn’t!
Number of resolutions you made for 2004. And how many you actually stuck to.
The list of cities/ places/ countries you visited in 2004.
Your movie of the year award goes to...
A friend lost? A friend found? A friend made?
You will remember 2004 as the year of …
The 3 things you really want to do in 2005.
A set of 13 words that will be your keywords for 2005!

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Looks like ppl are leaving condolence messages for me.:)
I have made a few friends here. Haven't I?

Well, life doesn't work based on emotions,right?!

For all those folks who are preparing for your interview, here is some stuff on
Outsourcing.

If you can get your hands on the book -Rising Elephant, do have a look.
There is some good stuff on Outsourcing. The book is a sellout in
Europe and America.

Blog on outsourcing:


The evolution of offshoring


A report on Outsourcing


Outsourcing to India:


History of Outsourcing in India:



Why outsource to India

I don't want to sound desperate but Iam being honest here.
A few years ago,I started blogging because I wanted to just let my thoughts out.
My blog then basically covered my fears,concerns or frustrations. I could share my happines with others. But fear ..with whom could I share..no one. So, I blogged!
Over a period of time, I realized that I shared a lot of aspects of my life.
Blogging helped the restless me turn into a patient me.

When I started this blog (Fight to my flight), I was in a upbeat mood.It has not been a smooth ride for me anywhere in life but I have always reminded myself of one thing -if it wasn't for my aptitude, my attitude took me to where I wanted to go.

Wondering why Iam writing all this...Coz the overseas interview invites have been sent and I haven't got one. I know only one person who hasn't got an invite till now. Rest all have got.Itz clearly a case of my low GMAT score being the cause of my elimination. If you are wondering why I didn't retake the test, I did take it..but that is the best I could manage.

Well, life does not end here.OK...for the time being, it definitely stops for me here. Iam still hoping that I'll get a call tomm. If I don't get, it will take some time for me to absorb the fact that the dream is over.I think I need to draw some inspiration from King Bruce and the Spider.Perhaps,they would understand how it feels to fail .

I could have not applied to the school and continued with what I had in life.
My chances were slim but I believed that my extra currics and essays would fetch me an interview call and I would get a chance to prove myself. Perhaps, I overestimated my abilities.

Itz 09.00 am here amd am still at home. My heart refuses to believe that I did not see an email from the Admissions department but my mind says that itz all over.
I think I'll put on a mask,swallow my disturbed thoughts and head to the office now -as if nothing happened.

If I don't hear anything by Monday, I'll send in the acceptance amount for the CMU thing.

And change my name..Perhaps,I wasn't made for ISB.!

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Ouch!

Nothing much to say .
Couldn't think or do anything today as I spent the major chunk of the day at the hospital.

Today morning, my Project Manager (who is also one of my recommenders) slipped on wet ice while dropping his son to the school.He has hurt his leg and has a 'bruised bone'. The doctors initially suspected a case of fractured leg.But he is lucky .He has been advised 2 weeks of complete bed rest.Else the situation might worsen.

The wait for the interview call continues.! :(

Monday, December 27, 2004

Tsunami Help

The blogger community requests you to extend your support and assistance to those affected by the tsunami waves.

How can you help?
Visit this blog
http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com


What is a reasonable contribution?

Simple tables to steer your generosity and kindeness, if you wish to contribute funds to government and non-government organisations helping in rehabilitation and relief efforts following natural and other calamities.

When we make contributions in cash, we must each decide how large a sum we should donate, according to the ongoing constraints imposed by our normal lives. Money is a means to some security, no doubt, but equally, it is also an important means to restoring security when it is lost.

In the table (refer link),we have listed a single day's earning for different income levels; please use this to compute what appropriate contribution (a day's wage, a week's, or a month's etc.) you can make. The information is independent of currency, simply make the donation in the same currency as the one you earn in, using these numbers.

Mera number kab aayega?

"Over seas candidates.....communication on short-listing by end December"

I was thinking about this yesterday evening and was wondering if I have missed the bus.Have the interview invites been sent and am I not in the list?The thought definitely made me anxious and restless.

Nah,Iam not scared of failure.What I want is a chance- an opportunity to prove myself. I don't mind loosing coz I have worked hard and believe that whatever happens now will happen for good.

I realized that Iam not the only one who is going through all these jitters. Dip was the first person to send an email to the group today morning expressing his anxiety and then everyone in US and Europe started responding.Spoke to K and chatted with MBA04. Everyone seems to be going thru the same experience.

Spoke to Dip in the evening..a nice friendly guy,generates a lot of warmth and affection.MBADreamer was busy and couldn't chat much with him.He is from Chennai and is disturbed by the Tsunami waves incident.A very tragic incident.I hope things get better in SE Asia.

In the afternoon, spoke to K. During the conversation, we realized that both of us are from the same state and he turns out be one of my cousin's best buddies.

I have realized one thing.The next batch of ISB will be very competetive and of high quality.Each of them has something in them to contribute to the class.

Folks,The interview invites for overseas should be going out soon.To all those who are waiting to hear from the adcom and are reading my story,my best wishes are with you all.If you have been true to urself and given the best,Iam sure u'll receive an interview invite soon and get into your school.

Metal is busy working on his ISB applications and I wish him all the best. He works for the same organization as mine,so I have a soft corner for him.:)

BTW, here is a new blog from another ISBian.Check it out.He writes under the name Chanakya and Iam adding his link .

Good night, Sleep well and check ur email first thing tomm morning .



Sunday, December 26, 2004

I can see the ripple effect everywhere.The warmth and affection of Christmas is seen everywhere.Every one is in a good mood.The best week of the year is from Dec25 to Jan 01.:)

Got up today morning and wondered if the next Christmas will be in India (ISB) or somewhere else (CMU?).

Informed all my recommenders today about my admit at CMU. To thank them for writing a reco for me,I gave each of them a gift.One of them was very pleased.He helped me and saw me succeed.I could see the joy in his face.

The ISB Mumbai interview invites have gone out. The Delhi folks are writing about their experience.

I had emailed the adcom a few days back and this is what they said:
"Overseas telephone interviews are tentatively scheduled from first week of January onwards and we will send out communication on short-listing by end December"

So..Let me wait and watch how my application is treated.


There is a IT shutdown at office and work will be relatively less.Have been watching a lot of movies these days. Saw Alfred Hitchcock's-To Catch a Thief today afternoon.I like such kind of movies -Italain Job, Catch me if you can and Big B's Aankhen are my favorites.

A merry christmas to you all. All the best!

Friday, December 24, 2004

Wake Up and get Going!!

I seem to be loosing focus these days.Focus on what I want- Prep for the ISB interview has been pathetic. It started on a high note and then became lazy after hearing that the interview for overseas candidates will be held in Jan.
Earlier, I used to prepare for the ISB interview or I atleast thought about some possible question and itz answers.But since the CMU news has arrived, I seem to be taking it easy.
Damn me ! Iam angry with myself for this.The shortlisting for overseas candidates start next week and if I get shortlisted,it will be less than a week before I face the adcom.And because the GMAT score is low,the interview should go good.

Itz like in Cricket. When you have a low score to defend, you have to make sure that you bowl out the other team.A lower run rate is not going to help.The interview team can just about ask me anything.

I seem to be enjoying the white christmas (itz snowing for the past 2 days) and busy attending parties.Christmas party at the office...at my client's place..My roomates farewell party....My friends house warming party.

This is not good...No not good at all.Get back on track dude.There is time for all this -Just focus on the goal.So, get back into that mode,force yourself and go for it.
Even if I loose a battle,I will be convinced only if I have given my best fight.Otherwise,I won't forgive myself.C'mon boy.Ready..steady..Go.

C'mon brother...Just keep reminding what you always believe in
(Yes..itz from a favorite movie of mine.)

Two mice fell into a bucket of cream. One gave up and drowned. The other paddled so hard that he churned the cream into butter and walked out of the bucket.

I am that second mouse


You gotta do it !!

Top Controvories in 2004 - India

Source : Economic Times

a)Family Matter: Birla-Lodha -
Priyamvada died leaving assets worth Rs 50,000 cr to Lodha which is being challenged by the Birla family.

b)Taj Corridor Project -
Mayawati Govt almost put the Taj Mahal in peril by allowing the project which already had 17 cr of public money spent in it.

c)Dalmia VS BCCI -
BCCI faced controversies over the election of President, telecast rights & elevation of Dalmia as the Patron-in-chief.

d)Census 2001: Goof Up -
The report raised a political storm because it stated that the Muslim population had risen during 1991-2001 by 36%.

e)Right To Die: Euthanasia -
Venkatesh wanted to die to donate his organs. His death has raised a debate on the ethical & legal aspects of Euthanasia.

f)Anupam Kher: Censor Board -
Anupam Kher was called a 'RSS' man & was asked to quit after the board’s action regarding films on the Gujarat riots.

g)Ambani VS Ambani -
Both the brothers have been writing letters to each other & the employees, but the final decision is still awaited.

h)Best Bakery Case -
Tehelka has filmed an expose which shows BJP MLA Madhu Srivastava bribing Zaheera Sheikh to recant her testimony.

i)IIM Fee Cut -
Inspite of Joshi's best efforts, the proposal of a reduction in the fees charged by the IIMs did not materialise.

j)MMS Exposed -
The arrest of Avnish Bajaj, CEO of Baazee.com, in the MMS case was severely criticised by the IT sector.

10 Things We Learned About Blogs

Here is an interesting article in the TIME about blogging. It will be interesting if they conducted a survey and find out why people blog. Or based on my observations,I'll just put up a post on why ppl blog.

The interesting point mentioned in this article is that most bloggers are woman.
If I remember right, I saw a comment on Sumit's blog from a lady asking why there weren't any female bloggers at ISB.. and why were all the bloggers techies.
What can I say here...I think techies have an 'awesome' social life which results in addiction to the internet.;). Also, google is their best pal.

Anyway,I hope that she becomes ISB's first female blogger.:).
Girl with Big Eyes also blogs about her life at IIM K.


Anyway,read this article and enjoy your X mas holiday.

Radio had its golden age in the 1930s. In the 1950s, it was television's turn. Historians may well date the golden age of the blog from 2004—when Merriam-Webster.com's most searched-for definition was blog. How long can it last? Who knows? Here's what we discovered about the new medium this year

By CHRIS TAYLOR


1)Blogging Can Get You Fired

When Delta flight attendant Ellen Simonetti, 30—a leggy blond and self-styled "queen of the sky"—began her blog, she thought it would be fun to post pinup snapshots of herself in uniform. Delta wasn't amused and promptly fired her. Undaunted, Simonetti retitled the blog Diary of a Fired Flight Attendant and detailed her legal battle to get her job back.

GO TO: queenofsky.journalspace.com



2)Bloggers Get Scoops Too

After book editor Russ Kick read that the U.S. military was clamping down on press photos of coffins coming back from Iraq, he didn't just pen an angry rant on his blog, the Memory Hole. He filed a Freedom of Information Act request—and embarrassingly for the Pentagon, was mailed a CD from the Air Force with 361 coffin snaps, which he promptly posted. The national press, which hadn't thought to ask whether the military had pictures, beat a path to Kick's door.

GO TO: thememoryhole.org



3)Bloggers Keep News Alive


So your blog hasn't succeeded in getting national attention for your pet issue? Don't lose heart. Just blog, link and repeat. It worked for conservative bloggers like Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, who trumpeted the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's claims this summer, as well as for liberal blogs like Daily Kos, which investigated evidence that President Bush wore a wire in his first debate. Some of the issues had questionable merit, but persistent bloggers made the subjects tough to ignore. Say it enough times online, and someone is bound to hear you.

GO TO: Instapundit.com, dailykos.com



4)Bloggers Can Be Titillating

In May a blog graphically detailing the sex life of an anonymous Capitol Hill staff member prompted D.C.'s most intriguing game of guess-the-author since Primary Colors. Jessica Cutler, a.k.a. Washingtonienne, was later outed and fired by her boss, Ohio Republican Mike DeWine, for "inappropriate use of Senate computers." (Her site is not for kids.) In another sign of the times, her first postfiring interview was with Wonkette, another Washington blogger.

GO TO: washingtoniennearchive.blogspot.com, wonkette.com



5)Bloggers Can Be Fakers

Plain Layne, a highly personal blog supposedly belonging to a Minnesota lesbian named Layne Johnson that drew thousands of fans over 3 1/2 years before mysteriously disappearing, was revealed to be a hoax. Hundreds of fans helped track down the real author, Odin Soli, 35, a male entrepreneur from Woodbury, Minn. Later in the year, fake Bill Clinton and Andy Kaufman blogs became hits.

GO TO: plainlayne.dreamhost.com, billclintondailydiary.blogspot.com



6) Bloggers Make Money

Earn a living in your pajamas! Online ads (along with Google's automated ad server) allow popular bloggers to go pro. Joshua Micah Marshall of talkingpointsmemo.com, a political blog, says he makes $5,000 a month from banner ads—enough to hire a research assistant.

GO TO: talkingpointsmemo.com



7)Most Bloggers Are Women

Men may have taken the lead in the early (read: geeky) days of blogging, but that's not the case now. According to a survey of more than 4 million blogs by Perseus Development, 56% were created by women. More bad news for the boys: men are more likely than women to abandon their blog once it's created. Call blogging a 21st century room of one's own.

GO TO: blogsisters.blogspot.com



8)Candidates Love Blogs

O.K., so Howard Dean never wrote his blog. But his campaign workers posted a surprisingly intimate online diary of life on the road, and Dean had collected $20 million in contributions via the Internet alone by the end of January 2004. It didn't take long for other politicos to catch on. When New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer announced that he was running for Governor this month, he did so on his blog.

GO TO: blog.deanforamerica.com, spitzer2006.com


9)Pets Have Blogs Too

It started as an in-joke among feline-friendly bloggers: why not post pictures of their cats every Friday afternoon? Friday catblogging became a hit, and soon even NASA was playing along by posting pictures of the Cat's Eye nebula.

GO TO: carnivalofthecats.com



10)Anyone Can Do It

Blogs wouldn't be such a democratic medium if they weren't so easy to set up. The most popular service, Blogger, owned by Google, boasts features like push-button photoblogging. Microsoft has launched a trial version of its own blogging service.

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

ISB sets up body for small businesses
From Rediff.com
BS Regional Bureau in Hyderabad | December 23, 2004 10:13 IST


The Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business has launched a business accelerator initiative called the Knowledge Hub, which will help entrepreneurs in the small and medium enterprise sector take businesses from conception to a commercial stage.

The K-Hub, launched by the Wadhwani Centre for Entrepreneurial Development at ISB in association with the Andhra Pradesh government, was unveiled by Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy on Tuesday evening.

M Rammohan Rao, dean of the Indian School of Business, said, "The hub will provide mentoring and a range of related services that give client enterprises a strong competitive advantage so that they will be well positioned to achieve success."

The hub will primarily act as virtual facility offering business guidance for idea-stage entrepreneurs and growth-entrepreneurs by creating a one-point stop for sourcing support services.

"To start with, the K-Hub will focus on the creation of entrepreneurship in information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and agro-processing. Apart from directly entertaining business proposals from prospective entrepreneurs, the K-Hub will also welcome referrals from venture capitalists, incubators and R&D centres," Rao said.

The ISB K-Hub will commence activities within the campus as a combined physical and virtual access model with minimal initial investments. The industries department of the state government will provide the running cost of the K-Hub for the first few years.

"The government has also agreed to contribute to the initial corpus of the germination fund. The fund will be utilised to meet project-specific out-of-pocket expenses and project-specific business development service providers' charges," he said.

Delivering the keynote address, N Balasubramanian, chairman and managing director (in-charge), Small Industries Development Bank of India, said that the hub provided the missing link between the academia and industry.

He said the bank had already taken initiatives to help the SME sector grow. "For the development of the sector, Sidbi has created a technology bureau and the Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) Sidbi Venture Fund," he said.

"We are also in the process of forging alliances with more management institutions for helping entrepreneurs in the sector," he added.

Monday, December 20, 2004

Phew ! What a relief

Pour some Beer.
Open the Champagne.
Pass the Tequila.

Yes ! Finally,some good news before the year ends. Iam a relieved man today.
I completed the formalities in 2 days and applied for this program
And here Iam...I receieved an admission offer today.

Yo folks..Muah got an admission to the Master of Information Systems Management program at Carnegie Mellon.And they have offered me a scholarship too!

I just followed the instructions given by S and I got an admit. Thanks S.You are the girl, a true friend.But,she says that I should bargain for more. :(
Till yday I did not have an admission and now I am asking for more.He he he !
Anyway,it is 01.30 PM and I feel so relieved to get this email.

I have loads of work to do in office.But I feel light and energized.
So will finish that and read the offer letter again and again.
But whatever it is, if ISB accepts me there is no second thought as to which place I'll be going.
ISB ...Take me...I wanna return to my Desh...Swades..!!




Dear XXXXX :

On behalf of the Admission Selection Committee, it is my great pleasure to
offer you admission to the Master of Information Systems Management program
at Carnegie Mellon, beginning May 2005. As you may know, admission to
Carnegie Mellon is very selective, due to our high admissions standards,
the significant number of talented students who apply, and limited class
size. You have been chosen as a result of your notable accomplishments,
both academic and non-academic, and we sincerely hope you will accept our
offer of admission.

Based on your professional work experience, you will not be required to
complete the new internship requirement. You are invited to begin the
program in the summer semester beginning in May 2005. You will be able to
complete the MISM degree in three consecutive semesters (graduating in May
2006). It is not possible to complete the MISM degree in three consecutive
semesters if you elect to begin the program in the fall semester.

You have also been awarded a MISM scholarship of $2,000 for your first
semester. This scholarship is renewable for your remaining two semesters
of study, contingent on your continued high academic performance.


Congratulations on your acceptance into the Master of Information Systems
Management program. The faculty and administration join me in welcoming
you to Carnegie Mellon and look forward to meeting with you in the near
future!

Yours truly,



YYYY
Director of Admissions

Sunday, December 19, 2004

A few more reasons for Why ISB? :)

We all do a through analysis of a School before applying to it.It is a case of the best fit for self.We also have our answers ready in case the adcom asks why that school.Yeah, I also have been preparing for my answers.

But I noticed something today.Once you make up your mind to apply to your dream school,the more you read about your school, the more it looks like the school is the right fit for you. Isn't it ?

So,on a lighter note,here are a few additional reasons (which I will be not be able to tell the adcom) on why I should be a part of the Indian School of Business.


1) A Squash Court
I have played Squash for over 8 years now.Here,in the United States, I play racquet ball.I learnt the game to loose some weight but could never suceed at it.However, I developed a strong liking for a game where you constantly hit a ball hard against the wall.
If I make it to ISB, MBA Dreamer and I can play this game on a regular basis.


2) Toastmasters International
I joined the club in Bangalore to improve myself. But having been associated with it since 2000 and being very active in the clubs in two different countries,I just can't live without it.The ISB Toastmaster is an active one and I hope to contribute a lot to it.


3) Hyderabad:
ISB is in Hyderabad. Am not from Andhra,nor did I do my engineering there.But having spent a lot of years there in different stages of life, I would love to return to the land.Paradise Biryani,the Alligator bowling competetion,the Outswinger Pub,Deccan Park,Drive thru Necklace road and
the Hyderabadi attitude is something I want to experience again.


4) Parties and Dunking:
Parties are a common scene at ISB. 'Dunking' is an ISB ritual! In fact, the Poseidon this year had a dunking event called "Torpedo" that created lots of interest. The objective was to throw a team member like a projectile into ISB's swimming pool. Imagine throwing someone into the pool...What fun! Iam all game for it.;)


5) Solsctice:
Dx.Kanishka.Ramkee.Kashayp.Raja.Sujayath.
Abhishek.Dan.Vineeth.Parag.Seemant.Alok.
These guyz have been very helpful. In fact, I have mailed them a hazaar times and inspite of having a busy schdeule,they have always taken the pain to answer my questions. I have met only 3 of them. Am Hoping that I can catch these folks at the ISB Alumni meet- Solstice

I saw Swades today. I read this article last week. I was touched by it.So, wanted to watch the movie.

Also, during the movie,I was thinking about Suhit Anantula of Deeshaa.
If one can make a difference to somebody's life,do something for the welfare of the people,one has done justice to the education he has attained.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

"Telecon interviews will be done along with Hyderabad interviews (around 2nd week of Jan)"
Whoa ! Even had I been in Hyd at this time of the year now, I would have got an interview invite only in 2005. So,itz the same.
Santa Claus...Hope you know what I want this Christmas.!

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Search the net

The hits on my blog these days are increasing ...and it comes to me as no surprise that the recent visits to my blog are as a result of Google searches.
"ISB Interview,essays,low GMAT" are the key word on Google search.Yes, this is what the Blog Patrol says.MBA dreamer is the other source from where Iam getting new visitors.

Anyway,the next round of interviews for ISB are scheduled at India's IT hub-Bangalore.Therefore,it is quite obvious that the techies will research the net for tips and tricks for their interview.

To all those people who have their intervies this weekend,all the best.
Bangalore holds a special place in my heart because I did my Engg from there.

BTW,I was trying out the beta version of Google Suggest,which gives a person search suggestions, in real time, as he types. Google Suggest not only makes it easier to type in the favorite searches but also gives a fair idea of what others are searching about. A nice utility.!

Can you guess what are the number of searches for ISB...
Have a look at this.:

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Surprising..isn't it?

Anyway, if you ever wondered why the name google for a site that is ur best companion for anything, here is some trivia for you.
The name "Google" is a play on the word googol. Milton Sirotta, nephew of U.S. mathematician Edward Kasner, made this word in 1938, for the number 1 followed by a hundred zeros. Google uses this word because the company wants to organize a very big quantity of information on the Web. Andy Bechtolsheim first thought of the name

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

CMU Chat

There was a CMU MISM program online chat session today with the admission director.
It was a good one.Got the answers to a lot of questions.Asked about scholarship and my chances of admission.
Itz an expensive course.I applied to this program only because S asked me to. She will be graduating this year from the course and she is pretty satisfied with it.

The results of it will be out before this month end. So, probably, this will be the first school from where I will hear about the results.
Let us see what happens.


Will hit the bed now.

Another Interview at Chennai

"Interview went well.. was for abt. 30 mins.. and panel
composition admissions-diro n manager n an alumnus.

I dont have a gr8 amt. of work exp. behind me... they
asked me abt. my btech/IIT/projects/job etc., then,
DRDO experiences n why am I working in consultancy now
which is non-techie.... i am enjoying the present work
n job - why ISB? Why not IIM? Q's n discussion on
future career goals... how wud ISB fit in to the
scheme of things.. any questions for ISB?

This was the major chunk of the discussion.. I
remember these things rite now.. I'd drop in a line or
two if something else comes to my mind. You can send
me a mail for any specifics or gimme ur contact no.
sothat I can call u up sometime n discuss/chat.

All the best people... just remain cool n composed
before n during the intv.. They just want to know you
better. Dont stress up much, be yourself and speak wat
u r..

chalo..cya
panks."

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Big Don'ts: 15 Ways to Torpedo Your Application


1)Write about the high school glory days. Unless you're right out of college, or you've got a great story to tell, resist using your high-school experiences for the essays. What does it say about your maturity if all you can talk about is being editor of the yearbook or captain of the varsity team?

2)Submit essays that don't answer the questions. An essay that does no more than restate your resume frustrates the admissions committees. After reading 5,000 applications, they get irritated to see another long-winded evasive one. Don't lose focus. Make sure your stories answer the question.

3)Fill essays with industry jargon and detail. Many essays are burdened by business-speak and unnecessary detail. This clutters your story. Construct your essays with only enough detail about your job to frame your story and make your point. After that, put the emphasis on yourself—what you've accomplished and why you were successful.

4)Write about a failure that's too personal or inconsequential. Refrain from using breakups, divorces, and other romantic calamities as examples of failures. What may work on a confessional talk show is too personal for a b-school essay. Also, don't relate a "failure" like getting one C in college (out of an otherwise straight-A average). It calls your perspective into question. Talk about a failure that matured your judgment or changed your outlook.

5)Reveal half-baked reasons for wanting the MBA. Admissions officers favor applicants who have well-defined goals. Because the school's reputation is tied to the performance of its graduates, those who know what they want are a safer investment. If b-school is just a pit stop on the great journey of life, admissions committees would prefer you make it elsewhere. However unsure you are about your future, it's critical that you demonstrate that you have a plan.

6)Exceed the recommended word limits. Poundage is not the measure of value here. Exceeding the recommended word limit suggests you don't know how to follow directions, operate within constraints, organize your thoughts, or all of the above. Get to the crux of your story and make your points. You'll find the word limits adequate.

7)Submit an application full of typos and grammatical errors. How you present yourself on the application is as important as what you present. Although typos don't necessarily knock you out of the running, they suggest a sloppy attitude. Poor grammar is also a problem. It distracts from the clean lines of your story and advertises poor writing skills. Present your application professionally—neatly typed and proofed for typos and grammar. And forget gimmicks like a videotape. This isn't America's Funniest Home Videos.

8)Send one school an essay intended for another—or forget to change the school name when using the same essay for several applications. Double check before you send anything out. Admissions committees are (understandably) insulted when they see another school's name or forms.

9)Make whiny excuses for everything. Admissions committees have heard it all—illness, marital difficulties, learning disabilities, test anxiety, bad grades, pink slips, putting oneself through school—anything and everything that has ever happened to anybody. Admissions officers have lived through these things, too. No one expects you to sail through life unscathed. What they do expect is that you own up to your shortcomings. Avoid trite, predictable explanations. If your undergraduate experience was one long party, be honest. Discuss who you were then, and who you've become today. Write confidently about your weaknesses and mistakes. Whatever the problem, it's important you show you can recover and move on.

10)Make the wrong choice of recommenders. A top-notch application can be doomed by second-rate recommendations. This can happen because you misjudged the recommendors' estimation of you or you failed to give them direction and focus. As we've said, recommendations from political figures, your uncle's CEO golfing buddy, and others with lifestyles of the rich and famous don't impress (and sometimes annoy) admissions folk—unless such recommenders really know you or built the school's library.

11)Let the recommender miss the deadline. Make sure you give the person writing your recommendation plenty of lead time to write and send in their recommendation. Even with advance notice, a well-meaning but forgetful person can drop the ball. It's your job to remind them of the deadlines. Do what you have to do to make sure they get there on time.

12)Be impersonal in the personal statement. Each school has its own version of the "Use this space to tell us anything else about yourself" personal statement question. Yet many applicants avoid the word "personal" like the plague. Instead of talking about how putting themselves through school lowered their GPA, they talk about the rising cost of tuition in America. The personal statement is your chance to make yourself different from the other applicants, further show a personal side, or explain a problem. Take a chance and be genuine; admissions officers prefer sincerity to a song and dance.

13)Make too many generalizations. Many applicants approach the essays as though they were writing a newspaper editorial. They make policy statements and deliver platitudes about life without giving any supporting examples from their own experiences. Granted, these may be the kind of hot-air essays that the application appears to ask for, and probably deserves. But admissions officers dislike essays that don't say anything. An essay full of generalizations is a giveaway that you don't have anything to say, don't know what to say, or just don't know how to say whatever it is you want to say.

14)Neglect to communicate that you've researched the program and that you belong there. B-schools take enormous pride in their programs. The rankings make them even more conscious of their academic turf and differences. While all promise an MBA, they don't all deliver it the same way. The schools have unique offerings and specialties. Applicants need to convince the committee that the school's programs meet their needs. It's not good enough to declare prestige as the primary reason for selecting a school (even though this is the basis for many applicants' choice).

15)Fail to be courteous to employees in the admissions office. No doubt, many admissions offices operate with the efficiency of sludge. But no matter what the problem, you need to keep your frustration in check. If you become a pest or complainer, this may become part of your applicant profile. An offended office worker may share his or her ill feelings about you with the boss—that admissions officer you've been trying so hard to impress.

Asian B Schools group


A Yahoo Group for all those who are interested in applying to the following B schools.
a) National University of Singapore
b) Nanyang Tech Univ
c) Asian Institute of Management, Manilla

Here, we discuss our application strategy,share our concerns, raise any questions and get answers. Please join so that together everyone achieves more.

We are trying to get a few Alumni from these school enrolled in the group.


Subscribe: AsianBschools-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsianBschools

ISB interview season kicks off

First Interview details for 05 admissions posted at B-Week.
http://forums.businessweek.com/bw-bschools/messages?msg=44446.1205


1) Deepak Ganapathi
Profile:
"B.Com grad from Chennai, worked for 4.5 yrs and have a GMAT score of 620 and am 24.5 yrs old.Story wise, I have worked in Colombia, S. America for a yr and in Norway for 2 months with a start-up venture with which I still work in, based out of Chennai heading their Indian operations. This venture is essentially into Intl Marketing. Prior to that, I worked with a non-profit organization and an MNC in sales and business development. I speak fluent spanish and have travelled around the world during my previous stints as well. "

Experience:
From: dganapathi 5:26 am
To: ALL (1205 of 1206)
44446.1205 in reply to 44446.1204

Hi all

I just completed my ISB interview today and I thought I would share my experience with those who could be interested in knowing how the ISB interviews could go:

The interview was supposed to be a 30 min interview , but went on eventually for abt an hour. There was a panel of 3 ppl who interviewed me, including Mr. Menon, the Director-Admissions.

Unexpectedly, I was very nervous in the first few min of the interview, but as the interview moved, i warmed up. My interview was quite focused on my work experience and the job that I currently do. I would in fact say, I was grilled on my knowledge on my industry and my knowledge on the markets I have worked in. I can safely say that this formed a major portion of the interview. Since I come from a sales and marketing background, they even asked me to talk developing a marketing strategy for a glass (the glass where we drink water from!) that was in front of me!!:)

Expectedly, I was asked abt my low GMAT score. Also, I was asked abt my academic background and where I stood in the class in my B.Com.

There was only one question on my Post-ISB plan.

Finally, I was also given the opportunity to ask a lot of questions about ISB.

In all, I think it was a very professionally conducted interview, but definitely more formal than the interviews I have done in the past with some other schools in the west. Surprisingly, there were no questions put to me on working in teams or leadership or anything like that, that are normally asked in all B-school interviews.

I would like to wish all those who have got interview invites all the best. If there is anything more specific that any of you want to know about my interview, kindly write me an offline email.

Cheers!

Deepak


2)Pankaj
Profile: IIT,"not much work ex"

"Interview went well.. was for abt. 30 mins.. and panel
composition admissions-diro n manager n an alumnus.

I dont have a gr8 amt. of work exp. behind me... they
asked me abt. my btech/IIT/projects/job etc., then,
DRDO experiences n why am I working in consultancy now
which is non-techie.... i am enjoying the present work
n job - why ISB? Why not IIM? Q's n discussion on
future career goals... how wud ISB fit in to the
scheme of things.. any questions for ISB?

This was the major chunk of the discussion.. I
remember these things rite now.. I'd drop in a line or
two if something else comes to my mind. You can send
me a mail for any specifics or gimme ur contact no.
sothat I can call u up sometime n discuss/chat.

All the best people... just remain cool n composed
before n during the intv.. They just want to know you
better. Dont stress up much, be yourself and speak wat
u r..

chalo..cya
panks."



3)Archana Reddy
"GMAT : 690
Work exp : 3.5 yrs in a chinese company - Huawei
College : REC, Warangal 2001 batch Electronics.< top 5 among class consistently >
+2 : Stood 7th in Andhra Pradesh
Other interests : have been a classical dancer ,public speaking , crosswords < The Hindu of all of them >

Reached the venue a full half hour before schedule ...
met three guys already waiting there....<< everybody
is with the isb group >> Kept talking about our
profiles and ISB for a while .... my interview was
scheduled at 11 but i was summoned in at around 12:15
...the panel consisted of the adcom dir Mr.Menon and
two alumni... the interview went on for half an hour
.... it started on a tell me abt urself note ....from
there why isb ? why mba ? abt my work ex, interests ..
since i work for a chinese firm they wanted to know
why only one chinese company is in india ? ...my long
term and short term goals.... since politics happens
to be one of my long term goals ... the interview took
off on that front for a while ... what plagues indian
politics today .... what would u suggest to improve
the political scene ...

i was given a chance to ask them questions abt ISB at
the end. asked them a couple of questions ...

It was very professionally conducted and was very
profile based ... my only advice to those who are yet
to attend the interview ... be urself and let the
panel know all u want to tell them... dont assume its
already in the resume or the essay so i neednt mention
it... good luck !"



4) Sudhama.Vemuri
720:GMAT,REC Calicut,4.5 Years IT ,Wipro


"Hi all,

Finished my interview just now.. about an hour back...
Met a fellow wiproite (Abhishek) at the venue (The Oberoi). The interview lasted for about 20 mins.. a panel of 3.. . went along expected lines.. I wasnt asked anything that I wasn’t prepared for .. luckily.. ;-))..
The usual Q about .. what is unique about u ??.. how do you stand out from the large pool of IT guys.
Fellas.. if you are in the IT industry... be ready with a good answer... I am sure everyone will be able to find something or the other in his/her profile.. project it with confidence..
Apart from that they wanted to know more about my professional experience.. short-term and long-term goals… etc etc
In the end.. I asked a couple of questions to wrap it up...
All in all.. it was pretty ok I wud say..
My advice.. just be calm.. and clear in what you say out here… and also have a good set of Qs ready for them ...
Best of Luck everyone…
Suds.




5)Chandra Interview:
Hi Folks ,

Interview Experience -

Scene 1 -
I "thought" that the interview was to held in Taj Residency .. so i
went there .. realised it isnt taj residency .. cursed my self about
my sloppiness ... cursed myself that i became so happy reading the
mail .. that i didnt bother to double-check where the interview is to
be held. .. ran to taj gateway because interviews were being held
there also ( learned from the forum ).. meanwhile i get a call on the
mobile that asks .. where are u .. we are waiting in the taj oberoi.
All this because i am terribly tied up in work , am getting married
next week and running a bad temperatur ( Excuses ). Made it to venue a
good 25 minutes beyond scheduled time. Perfect start to Phase 2.

Scene 2 -
The interview panel had Mr Ajit Rangnekar ( Deputy Dean, ISB ) and a
member from the adcom and an alum. As expected , the first question ,
what punishment should we give you for coming late ?

Scene 3 -
Apart from the first few minutes , i thought i had a rocking time and
was able to answer most of the questions to my satisfaction. But again
.. it is like those interviews .. where you can never make out how you
did .. the more you think about it, you think you could have improved
on some aspects .. at the same time .. you are generally optimistic.

Scene 4 -
Total interview time 45 minutes , current affaris , explain job
hopping ( 4 jobs in 4.5 years ), how would you sell a solution to a
client , since i had something "Different" in the essays .. there was
some amount of "leg-pulling" about the same. Technical challenges ,
managerial challenges , in fact so many areas that i probably dont
recollect.

Summary - You can't prepare beyond a certain point , It has to be
natural , you might come prepared with a lot of answers to stock
questions like "Why MBA" , "Why ISB" .. but there could be other
questions that they ask , whose answers could contradict your "well
prepared" answers. So be your natural self ..

The folks on the panel were awesome .. because they were so
friendly .. i could recover in 1 mintue from the "flustered state "
that i was in. These guys rock ..

Preparation -
last week of bachelorhood .. so have been having major parties and saw
swades the day before the interview and collated data from various
forums and blogs about possible questions and interviews. Very minimal
preparation

Advise -
Make a list of all the Taj brand hotels the route maps. Keep a vehicle
handy , in case you want to roam around the different hotels like
me.

Apologies for the typos and grammatical errors .. have a train to
catch in a few hours. Best of luck to all the folks having interview
calls and to those who are waiting for them. Also all the best to
folks who have finished interviews.

rgds
chandra



6)Vijay Kumar:
Finished my interview this afternoon in Taj West, B'lore. The panel
consisted of Mr. Menon (adcom director), a girl (current student) and
an alum. They were very professional and cordial through out. Most of
them were standard questions such as "Tell us about yourself", "why
did you switch over the job 3 months back", "what is the difference
between previous job and this", "long term goal", "Post-ISB immediate
goal", "who is the IT leader whom you admire" and finally "how would
you rate George Bush".I felt I was very relaxed through out the
interview since the panel was very friendly.

I felt the interview went decently well, but feel I could have done it
better. Keeping the fingers crossed....All the best for other
candidates...

Regards,
Vijay.

Saturday, December 11, 2004

IT Outsourcing



India is undoubtedly the most popular choice for most IT outsourcing jobs, but is it actually the best spot? Wharton Business School's Knowledgebase has some advice to offer.
China is moving up!

2004 Ranking:

1. India
2. China
3. Malaysia
4. Czech Republic
5. Singapore
6. Philippines
7. Brazil
8. Canada
9. Chile
10. Poland
11. Hungary
12. New Zealand

2003 Ranking:

1. India
2. Canada
3. Brazil
4. Mexico
5. Philippines
6. Hungary
7. Ireland
8. Czech Republic
9. Australia
10. Russia
11. China

According to Kearney A.T., 2004 index is not comparable with its 2003 rankings, because the parameters and methodology vary significantly.





Here are a few links on Outsourcing:
a)The evolution of offshoring
:

b)A report on Outsourcing


c)Outsourcing to India:

d)History of Outsourcing in India:


e)Why outsource to India

Friday, December 10, 2004

Where Leaders Inspire Leaders.


The ISB Leadership Summit will be on Dec 10th.

This logo was designed by an Ex-Isbian (Ramkee).

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

This year’s summit is a tribute to the renowned management guru – late Dr. Sumantra Ghoshal, one of the founding fathers of the ISB. As a tribute to his philosophy and his vision of “World Class in India”, the ILS ’04 will focus on the following three themes:

World Class in India
Managing Across Borders
Business as a force of good

Check out this link for more details.


Late Dr. Sumantra Ghoshal
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Here a few tips that I gathered from the GMAC site today.:


Identifying “Red Flags” in the Application Process
"The Directors Symposium participants found that many of the markers of less successful students can be identified in the application process but are often overlooked—everything from numerous job changes in a short period of time to strange personal interactions or difficulty communicating. These signals should not be ignored, said participants. It may be useful to discuss any “red flags” with other colleagues, to determine which shortcomings can be mitigated by other qualities and which should be reasons not to offer admission. "

a)One red flag that is often ignored but should be taken seriously, said some symposium participants, is excessive contact with the admissions office. Termed “Hassler Syndrome” by one participant, extreme dependency on the admissions office may signal a lack of self-confidence that manifests itself as neediness. This trait may show up later in the learning environment, when the student is unable to contribute meaningfully to classes and work groups and becomes known as a “net taker.” The same person may be a drain on career services, unable to take initiative in a job search.

b)Another characteristic of unsuccessful admits that can be detected in the admissions process is arrogance. Is an applicant rude to admissions office staff? Does he think his grades or GMAT® scores make his acceptance a sure bet? Watch out, said some symposium participants. People who exhibit arrogance as applicants rarely change. They may be unable to work as part of a team, may have unrealistic expectations about their job prospects, may have a sense of entitlement when it comes to student and career services, and may put off recruiters with their self-centered attitudes.

c)Other hints that an applicant may not be successful are inconsistencies between the application and what the applicant says in interviews, odd personal interactions, and applications that seem to change on the basis of what the candidate thinks the admissions office wants. Paying attention to these characteristics can help avoid admissions “misses.”

Thursday, December 09, 2004

Managing Expectations and a Career by R. Gopalkrishna, Director - Tata Sons
These are the personal views of Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Director - Tata Sons.

Great Stuff from a great ex-HLL manager. A Story on how to manage your career & your expectations by R.Gopalakrishnan

There is a Thai saying that experience is a comb which Nature gives to man after he is bald. As I grow bald, I would like to share my comb with your people, about their career ahead.

1. Seek out grassroots level experience.

I studied Physics and Engineering at University. A few months before graduation, I appeared for an HLL interview for Computer Traineeship. When asked whether I would consider Marketing instead of Computers, I responded negatively : an engineer to visit grocery shops to sell Dalda or Lifebuoy? Gosh, no way. After I joined the Company and a couple of comfortable weeks in the swanky Head Office, I was given a train ticket to go to Nasik.Would I please meet Mr.Kelkar to whom I would be attached for the next two months? He would teach me to work as a salesman in his territory, which included staying in Kopargaon and Pimpalgaon among other small towns. I was most upset. In a town called Ozhar, I was moving around from shop to shop with a bullock cart full of products and a salesman's folder in my hand. Imagine my embarrassment when an IIT friend appeared in front of me in Ozhar, believe it or not! and exclaimed, "Gopal, I thought you joined as a Management Trainee in Computers". I could have died a thousand deaths. After this leveling experience, I was less embarrassed to work as a Despatch Clerk in the Company Depot and an Invoice Clerk in the Accounts Department. Several years later, I realised the value of such grassroots level experience. It is fantastic.

I would advise young people to seek out nail-dirtying, collar-soiling, shoe-wearing tasks. That is how you learn about organizations, about the true nature of work, and the dignity of the many, many tasks that go into building great enterprises.

2. Deserve before you desire.

At one stage, I was appointed as the Brand Manager for Lifebuoy and Pears soap, the company's most popular-priced and most premium soaps. And what was a Brand Manager? "A mini-businessman, responsible for the production, sales and profits of the brand, accountable for its long-term growth,etc.,etc. I had read those statements, I believed them and here I was, at 27,"in charge of everything". But very soon, I found I could not move a pin without checking with my seniors. One evening, after turning the Facit machine handle through various calculations, I sat in front of the Marketing Director. I expressed my frustration and gently asked whether I could not be given total charge. He smiled benignly and said, "The perception and reality are both right. You will get total charge when you know more about the brand than anyone else in this company about its formulation, the raw materials, the production costs, the consumer's perception, the distribution and so on. How long do you think that it will take?" "Maybe, ten years", I replied, "and I don't expect to be the Lifebuoy and Pears Brand Manager for so long"! And then suddenly, the lesson was clear. I was desiring total control, long before I deserved it.

This happens to us all the time - in terms of responsibilities, in terms of postings and promotions, it happens all the time that there is a gap between our perception of what we deserve and the reality of what we get.It helps to deserve before we desire.

3. Play to win but win with fairness.

Life is competitive and of course, you play to win. But think about the balance. Will you do anything, to win? Perhaps not. Think deeply about how and where you draw the line. Each person draws it differently, and in doing so, it helps to think about values. Winning without values provides dubious fulfillment. The leaders who have contributed the most are the ones with a set of universal values ¡V Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King for example. Napoleon inspired a ragged, mutinous and half-starved army to fight and seize power. This brought him name and fame for twenty years. But all the while, he was driven forward by a selfish and evil ambition, and not in pursuit of a great ideal. He finally fell because of his selfish ambition. I am fond of referring to the Pierre de Coubertin Fair Play Trophy. It was instituted in 1964 by the founder of the modern Olympic Games and here are two examples of winners. A Hungarian tennis player who pleaded with the umpire to give his opponent some more time to recover from a cramp. A British kayak team who were trailing the Danish kayak team. They then stopped to help the Danish team whose boat was stuck. The Danes went on to beat the British by one second in a three hour event!

What wonderful examples of sportsmanship! Play to Win, but with Fairness.

4. Enjoy whatever you do.

Sir Thomas Lipton is credited with the statement, "There is no greater fun than hard work". You usually excel in fields, which you truly enjoy. Ask any person what it is that interferes with his enjoyment of existence. He will say, "The struggle for life". What he probably means is the struggle for success. Unless a person has learnt what to do with success after getting it, the very achievement of it must lead him to unhappiness. Aristotle wrote, "Humans seek happiness as an end in itself, not as a means to something else". But if you think about it, we should not work for happiness. We should work as happy people. In organisational life, people get busy doing something to be happy. The more you try to be happy, the more unhappy you can get. Your work and career is all about your reaching your full potential. Working at one's full potential, whether it is the office boy or the Chairman, leads to enjoyment and fulfillment.

A last point about enjoyment. Keep a sense of humour about yourself.

Too many people are in danger of taking themselves far too seriously. As General Joe Stilwell is reported to have said, "Keep smiling. The higher the monkey climbs, the more you can see of his backside".

5. Be Passionate about your health.

Of course, as you get older, you would have a slight paunch, greying of hair or loss of it and so on. But it is in the first 5 - 7 years after the working career begins that the greatest neglect of youthful health occurs. Sportsmen stop playing sports, non drinkers drink alcohol, light smokers smoke more, active people sit on chairs, starving inmates of hostels eat rich food in good hotels and so on. These are the years to watch. Do not, I repeat do not, convince yourself that you are too busy, or that you do not have access to facilities, or worst of all, that you do this to relieve the stresses of a professional career.

A professional career is indeed very stressful. There is only one person who can help you to cope with the tension, avoid the doctor's scalpel, and to feel good each morning - and that is yourself. God has given us as good a health as He has, a bit like a credit balance in the bank. Grow it,maintain it, but do not allow its value destruction. The penalty is very high in later years.

6. Direction is more important than distance.

Every golfer tries to drive the ball to a very long distance. In the process, all sorts of mistakes occur because the game involves the masterly co-ordination of several movements simultaneously. The golf coach always advises that direction is more important than distance. So it is with life.

Despite ones best attempts, there will be ups and downs. It is relationships and friendships that enable a person to navigate the choppy waters that the ship of life will encounter. When I was young, there was a memorable film by Frank Capra, starring James Stewart and Dona Reed, and named IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. It is about a man who is about to commit suicide because he thinks he is a failure. An angel is sent to rescue him.

The bottomline of the film is that "No Man is a Failure Who Has Friends".

Conclusion My generation will never be twenty again, but when you are older, you can and should be different from my generation. Ours is a great and wonderful country, and realising her true potential in the global arena depends ever so much on the quality and persistence of our young people. Good luck in your journey, my young friends, and God be with you and our beloved Nation.

Homework

Do you watch movies for fun.? Perhaps.
But my company HR trainers have a different purpose when they show us a movie.

The movie is not meant to kill time or to relax us.
Instead, it is to explain concepts like Leadership,Teamwork,Integriy, Ethics in a nice and easy manner.
And yes,it is easier to understand when you see view a movie and dissect it.

In our training sessions, we are shown movies.
12 angry men,Groundhogs day and Remember the Titans were a few I saw in the last few weeks.

Since, the christmas holidays would start and it snows heavily here, my movement will be restircted. If I think too much about ISB results, I'll get stressed out. So, I decided to do some internet surfing and came out with a few movies on these concpets which I can watch in the next few weeks.

So, here is my list. Air Force One is one of my favorites. Harrion Ford was brilliant.A leader like him can inspire anyone.
Italian Job is also a adventurous one..but if you observe carefully, itz a nice example on team work.;)

Lagaan is another good one.
A professor at IIM Bangalore, Biswajeet Pattanayak uses it to teach his students lessons on leadership.

BTW, I have just another movie to watch before I earn my MBA in movies. :)
Sounds strange. Just visit this site and u'll learn more.

List of movies on Leadership,team works, integrity..and what not

In case you have something to suggest, please do so.

Seven Samurai
Hoosiers
Shawshanks Redemption
Apollo 13
Breaker Morant
Chariots of Fire
Dave
Drumline
Henry V
Hoosiers
Lean on Me
A Man for All Seasons
October Sky
Patton
Pay it Forward
Remember the Titans
Rudy
Stand and Deliver
Tucker
Bridge on the River Kwai
12 O clock High
Courage Under Fire
Wall Street
A Few Good Men.

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Tips from Raja Banerjee for ISB application

1) Please stick to one-page resume
2) Devote more space in resume to work experience than education.
3) Get recommendations preferably from work place, not educational institute. Also, request recommender to write more than just one sentence and to cite specific examples.
4) Think clearly why ISB and MBA are crucial at this stage for you. It should come out well in the Goals essay.
5) Use the essays to give us an insight into your professional life. A resume does not capture all the nuances of your daily work life, so the essays should give me an idea of how good you were at work, integrity issues, team work etc.
6) When you say you ranked 20th, also mention out of how many. For example, ranked 20th in the entrance exam for Noname University. Now how do I know if 10,000 people apply there or 25?
7)If you say you got client satisfaction rating of 4/5, give me some context – it’s better to say: the only project in my division to receive CSS of 4/5 ; or, got a CSS of 4/5 – the highest for this account since it started. I need to know how unique it is to get 4/5, is it a big deal?
8)Mention dates in resume, and show progression in responsibilities. For example, if you were onsite for a year, mention that in a separate line in the resume so I know the length of time you worked there. Just saying that you worked in TCS from 1999-2004 and spent some time onsite doesn’t tell me for how long you were onsite.
Most recommenders are shying away from mentioning your weak areas. It would be good if you mention it yourself in the critical evaluation essay maybe.
9)Most resumes are strictly professional, and don’t give any insight into the person behind the resume. You might mention some personal interests, hobbies, sports etc at the bottom. For example, if you have been following the Yankees or the White Sox, or are particularly good at playing some sport, or have piloted a plane, or a Tintin comic book collector etc. I need to know if I want to sit next to you in class or not. If you have a well-rounded personality, you are an interesting person!
10)Do some homework to find out what is taught in an MBA program, and why it would help you. Why an MBA is needed in your career, and what an MBA can do for you.

Does money grow on trees.? Sometimes,I ask myself this question.
This money, which I spend crazily on applications and GMAT prep is the output of the hardwork and energy that I put in at work.

Sometimes, I get irritated by the thought....Is all this pain , the torture to self worth anything...Cut back on ur social activities...
Get up early..sleep late..work on ur essays..think about GMAT....
So much money spent on things that don't not even guarantee a result..

If I realize my dream, I guess, each and every cent of the dollar spent will be worth it .

India loses steam in GMAT

Joydeep Ray in Ahmedabad | December 08, 2004 09:08 IST


GMAT performance of Indian students wanting a place in top business schools abroad is nothing to write home about as they are being outstripped by peers from across the globe -- even by students from the strife-torn Gaza Strip in West Asia. Some Indian management experts say complacency could be a reason for this.

While the demand for Indian managers and IT professionals has been witnessing a steady growth overseas, Indian students are falling short of expectations at the GMAT hurdle in comparison to students from at least 15 other countries, a report by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), US, has revealed.

It said that GMAT candidates from India reported total mean scores much less than students from the developed countries like the UK, Australia and Canada.

Not just this, the report said that over the past five years, Indian students lost the battle even to students from small countries like Bermuda, Uruguay or from the disturbed Gaza Strip. They now rank 16th on the list.

The only silver lining is that Indian GMAT candidates have been consistently faring better than their US counterparts, if that is any consolation.

They bettered the Americans in 2003. Candidates from the US have a total mean score of 524. The data for 2004 is yet to be compiled by GMAC, which conducts the GMAT worldwide.

Leading the pack are the Chinese, who have been fetching the highest GMAT scores for the past five years, proving their undisputed superiority over candidates from any other country, said the report.

The Dean of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), Indira Parikh, sees the revelation as startling.

She has a piece of advice for Indian students: They should increase their speed in responding to questions as those from other countries like China have developed the habit of answering questions faster than the Indians do.

"There is also another reason for such poor results in spite of the fact that Indian students do fairly well in overseas B-schools -- they are more comfortable in responding to questions in text format rather than in the objective format. Also, Indian students are still not habituated to responding questions during online examinations. This is an important issue and needs to be addressed urgently if their performance is to be improved in international examinations like the GMAT," Parikh told Business Standard on Tuesday, reacting to the GMAC report.

For the GMAT 2002-2003, the total mean score of Chinese students was 593 against 587 fetched by Australian students, who shared the second spot with those from New Zealand and the United Kingdom, both reporting an identical total.

Students from Bermuda reported a total mean score of 585 to be placed third and were closely followed by students from Belgium who reported a total mean score of 584.

According to the report, a total mean score of 556 saw Indian students failing to get a slot among the top 10. Students from the Gaza Strip with a total mean score of 570 stayed ahead of the Indians to share position with North Korea.

Students from Romania returned a total mean score of 571 and Singapore candidates' total mean score was 568. Students from Uruguay, who appeared for GMAT last year, reported a total mean score of 563 with Canadian students scrolling 560.

A senior member of the Indian Management Association fell in line with the findings of the report. He said: "While the performance of the Indian management students in international entrance examinations is slipping every year, the Chinese students are doing better. The reason for the poor performance is, perhaps, a little bit of complacency has crept in. They are also spending less time working on dummy questions."

In the 1998-99 GMAT, the total mean score by Indian students was 566, which dropped to 563 the next year, and in 2003, it came down to 556.

In comparison, the total mean score of the Chinese during 2001-02 was 592 and in 2002-03, it rose to 593. There are also differences in performance among students from North Korea and South Korea.

Candidates from the Communist North reported a total mean score of 587 last year while students from South Korea fetched 554. Russian students' total mean score in 2002-03 was 540 while Germans had 545 to show for themselves, added the GMAC report.

Monday, December 06, 2004

I think I should have mentioned that attribute of mine....
I should have worked harder on the GMAT...
Did my evaluator write a good reco for me....
Have all the componenets of my application reached the school...
Why haven't they sent me an interview invite yet....

Am I the only one who goes through these emotions.? I guess not. It is difficult concentrating on work when you are
anxiously waiting for something.

The days appear long. I count them and they still don't seem to proceed. I check my email after every 25 mins, participate in the Bweek discussion forums ....and still no peace for me...

"C'mon, you restless boy! Thoda so thand rakho" -a voice within me shouts and then I get back to work.

Phew.!! I have been going through a lot of emotions lately.

I was getting a bit restless...So what do I do ?

I realized that I could talk to another ISB applicant...He too probably would be in the same situation as mine and we can share our feelings,concerns and of course plan what to do next.

So I contacted Mbadream 04 today. Hez a nice guy.We had a chat on the yahoo msn. He gave me an honest feedback about my application. We shared our feelings about ISB and what we should do to make it to the school.We analyzed our strengths and weakness and promised to help each other for the interview.I met this guy for the first time.I mean I chatted with him for the first time today...The way we discussed many issues,one could have never guessed that we were strangers.....We had some good discussions and were at ease at giving and receiving feedback from each other.

A common goal for us -Indian School of Business. Amen!

Now, thats what I call a dream project

Ferrari picks TCS for Formula One IT needs
December 06, 2004 14:04 IST

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd will provide IT and engineering services to Scuderia Ferrari for development of formula one (F1) racing car for the racing season beginning next March, making it the first Indian company to enter the F1 stadium in the global arena.

In addition, TCS solutions will also provide IT solutions for the racing car's popular cousin, the Ferrari sports car.

"This is no ordinary recognition. We are delighted that Ferrari has chosen TCS technology and solutions to retain its pole position," TCS Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer S Ramadorai said on Monday.

The F1 car is the most complex and advanced car platform in the market, packing research in aerodynamics, engine technology, brakes, tyres and modelling to name just a few, said Ramadorai in a media release.

"This collaboration is a tribute to our work, to the solutions we provide and to our engineers who strive ceaselessly to make this company what it is today," he added.

The F1 family consists of an extremely limited number of companies from around the world selected for their excellence and market position, it said.

"We only work with excellent companies because that is what makes Ferrari what it is today," Ferrari Managing Director Jean Todt said.

As I go to bed in this country (United States),there will be a set of ppl reviewing applications at ISB (India).
They will shortlist ppl and send interview invitations.

From what I have heard, the first set of personal interviews will be at Chennai.
Telephone interviews might be held any time.

Will I be get shortlisted? When will the interview be? How much more time do I need for my preperation.
Will ISB accept me?

My heart skips a beat when I think about it.
I haven't started working on the interview questions but have been doing some research.

Broadly, I have to do good research and be ready for any questions on the following topic:


a) Std Interview questions -Why ISB? Why MBA ? Why me? [ Need to have clear answers]
b) Information about my employer and clients.
c) Me experiences at work -leadership,team work,conflict.
d) Address any weakness in my application - Low GMAT.
e) Knowledge about the IT Industry that Iam working for.
f) Knowledge about the domain that I work for.
g) My hobbies and interests and how they have shaped me.
h) My interest in ISB.
i) My questions for adcom.

If there should be anything more, please let me know.
Iam not sure how much of weightage is given to Interviews.An interview will be my last struggle to my flight.
I have to make a honest attempt. I shouldn't worry about the result.That will stop my thought process.

Let me get up in the morning and see what is the update on my life.!

Sunday, December 05, 2004

Essays

I think every applicant when answers those essay questions while applying to a B School initially gets frustrated

Describe an ethical dillema. Describe a situation where you failed and learnt. Tell us how you are different.
These questions made me think...And somehow, I didn't like them initially. It was more of a burden that I wanted to get rid of.

But over a period of time, as I wrote my essays, I started enjoying the process of writing the essays. In simple words, I can state that I felt I started rediscovering myself . I think writing essays is an act of introspection. Whether you make it to a B school or not, the whole essays process makes you think about your life.At the end of it, the applicant realizes that he understands himself better.

What happens after you write those long essays?
You, in fact, are now very clear about your strengths and weakness. You can list down the instances/experiences in your life which have made you what you are now. Nah, Iam not exaggerating.Iam stating how I felt.
Until I started writing my essays, I was so busy with myself that hardly did I stop and think about the things that made me what Iam.
Tommorow, if someone gives me a negative feedback, I think I will be able to take it or rather understand it better and will improve on it.

At the beginning of the year,when i started this blog, I always thought that it was stupid for the B schools asking us to answer those long essays. Exams in India (CAT,XLRI) never ask one to write essays. Don't they? Then why do the other schools focus so much on them.!
Well, the stupid me now has the answers.I think the essays are an important part of the application. It not aids the admission department to make a decision but it also makes the applicant sum up his life till in a few words.

You must be wondering why on earth am I talking about essays now..Iam done with my essays for ISB and should be thinking about interviews now.Well, the reason is quite simple.I had a look at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) application form today. And guess what ...they have a lot of essays which one is supposed to answer. Can you guess the number of essay questions...
Nah.Itz not 1 or 5 or 10 essays.

They have a set of 14 essays (one can be eliminated) that have to be answered.

I guess, answer all these questions and u'll be all set to write your biography.Writing essays takes a lot of your energy.Simply for the reason that you have to think hard and analyze ur own life. I have not started working on these essays but I think I'll start thinking about them for now.
It will help me for my ISB interview.

Here are the 14 essays.

a. Describe a major extra-curricular activity in college that you feel is very important to you. Explain why you consider it so.
b. Describe a major community activity that you feel is very important to you. Explain why you consider it so.
c. What recognition (distinctions, honors, awards, etc.) have you received in your academic, extra-curricular, business, community and
other activities?
d. Aside from the present and the last two organizations that you have worked for, what other work experience do you believe will
help you during your studies in AIM?
e. Describe your interests and hobbies.
f. Evaluate yourself as a person, discussing in order of importance, the personal characteristics you feel are your weaknesses.
g. Describe what you believe to be your three most substantial accomplishments and explain why you believe them to be such.
h. Describe a situation (in family, school business, community, etc.) where you felt you had some responsibility. Describe how
this situation developed you and what you have learned from such experience.
i. As briefly and explicitly as possible, explain why you would like to attend the MBA or MM Program.
j. Having decided to attend the MBA or MM Program, what steps have you taken to prepare yourself for the course?
k. Other than what you have already written, what do you believe will strengthen your application for admission?
l. What are your plans after graduating from AIM?
m. Rank, in order of importance, the reasons for choosing AIM
*Contacts for career development
*Presence of overseas participants
*Reputation
*Influenced or referred by colleagues
*Others (please specify)
n. Do you have any impairment or illness which might affect your academic progress or which would necessitate special housing
arrangements? If yes, please elaborate.


Saturday, December 04, 2004

Purpose of life

Suhit Anantula?
I read an email from him in the yahoo groups of ISB that stated that he is not applying to ISB this year.
To be honest, my initial reaction was .."Good.! Competetion decreases" !

But then I noticed a few emails flowing pleading him to to apply. Whatz so special? I wondered.
I visited the website that he had mentioned http://www.deeshaa.com/about_us/index.html and realized what a stupid Iam .

Hats off to you Sunit. I would say, that you are crafting a dream. At a point in life,you ask yourself -"What is the purpose of my life ?
With the education and knowledge I have gained, am I doing something that makes me feel contended at the end of the day. Is there anything that I can do that to help the society. Can I help shape India better"

This man Suhit Anantula has found his answers. Hats off to him !
If he joins ISB,his mere presence will inspire ppl. I strongly feel that he should apply to ISB.He will enrich ISB .
I wish him all the best in his life and hope that he decides to be a part of ISB.





Growth of a blog
Iam an avid blogger for the last 3 years...But, this blog (with ISB in mind) was started as early as January 2004. Itz just that I made this blog public a few days ago.

For me, this blog is a learning place. Itz a place where I have asked questions and found answers.
I started this blog hoping that this would be all the place where I will store all the gyaan and info related to ISB.

Over a period of time,as I started preparing for GMAT against tight deadlines at work, the blog was more of a stress releaser.
It was a place where I shared my apprehensions,fear,anxiety and worries. I got peace when I blogged

Once I made up my mind to apply for R1, this place became a source of inspiration for me. And now, this blog is a story of my journey.
A few months back only my sister knew about it. Now, the world knows about it.And there are a lot of spectators to this blog.

They are watching the show of a man whoz going thru different moods at different times of the day. A man who is passionate about getting into ISB. They are watching newkid's struggle to tame the sucker beast called GMAT. Yes, itz my story and I have audience.

I have been received feedback from ppl.A lot of them talked about my dedication and commitment to get into ISB.
Well, I honestly do not know what to say or do.

Iam another applicant, who is a behind in the race now, but believes that he will surely touch the finish line.
Will he or won't he...In just a few days, we will know the story.

But I belive in what Paul Coelho writes in "The Alchemist"
"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."



ok..More interview tips and questions can be found at: Accepted.com
http://www.accepted.com/mba/tips.aspx
http://www.accepted.com/mba/questions.aspx

A snapshot of Raja's interview can be found here:
http://www.accepted.com/mba/interviews/search_details.asp?IntID=7806

FYI, these were Raja's responses:

-What was the most difficult question?:
Tell us something about you that you have not already mentioned in your application.

-What was the most interesting question?:
How would you garner more business from your present client?

Friday, December 03, 2004

Latest Update
***********
* Application reviews start on Monday.
* Interview invites from third week of this month.
* 60% seats are likely to be filled (if good number of applications)


Iam nervous.How do I prepare for the interview.
Questions bothering me.
a) Will I get an interview call.
b) Iam known for working hard and messing up at the end moment.
Hope to keep my cool and stay alert.
c)What to do for improving my chances?
d) How do I negate my low GMAT scores.

I will have a telephonic interview and my expressions, interest and behaviour
will be judged thru the my voice modulation and clarity of answers.

What research do I do for the interview?
Herez the info that I could gather from the group.:

a)Get to know about my workplace ,learn more about the
industry in general.
b)Read thru the essays to identify possible questions.
c)Think about examples from your work place where you showed leadership potential, teamwork, conflict management, time management, relationship management etc.
d) Go through the ISB student blogs.


BTW, CMU confirmed today that my application is complete.
Good.

I have to strike gold this time.!

A rebel is born.

If you feel your are right and are convinced about it,do go against the system.You might be called a rebel,but if the ppl believe that you are right -the rebel will become the leader.

A new ISB PGP group was born today.This will be a UNMODERATED group.Finally.
The good thing is that it is supported by the ISBians.

It was irritating to wait for the emails to be approved in the earlier group and with the R1 deadline over (and the interview invites all set to be sent), I guess this was the only option.

Ideally, I would like ISB to set up its own disussion board.Just like the S2S board of Wharton. I had given Raja and co this feedback. I think it might get implemented next year.

I don't understand why the moderation was necessary in that isb-pgp05 grp. I had volunteered to be a moderator there but nah, they didn't listen to me.

Interesting concept that I had learnt at the training in Chicago.
Any system that has strong enforcers in it will give rise to a rebel. And if the rebel is right, he will have a lot of followers. Yes, Enforcer here became an opressor and the rebel -a leader.I won't be surprised if a lot of folks join the new group.

There might be some confusion for a day or two...but I guess,we can all live with that rather than waiting for a email whoze reply was sent immediately but the moderator had not approved it.

The new group site is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/isb-pgp and to subscribe, you need to send a message to isb-pgp-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Thursday, December 02, 2004

Not fair

An email on the yahoo groups says:

Hi everybody,
I just attended the Mumbai event and there are some
useful feedbacks I got:
1) either u apply with GRE or GMAT score , the
percentage will be considered which should be approx.
90%.
2)There are only ~ 60 (out of 320) applicants
selected in R1 if they have exceptional academedic and
work ex. all other applications are evaluated along
with R2 applicants. So R2 applicants need not worry
they will still have 260-270 seats to contend for.


If this is true, Iam very disappointed. If my application is going to be pushed to R2,then I should have applied in the second round itself.
How can they just take 60 ppl for R1.
If that is the case, Why does everyone keep saying that it is best to apply in R1. Chances are high.!

I would have given another shot at GMAT or made my essays even better if I had to apply in R2..Sometimes, you get up in the morning and read an email and it pisses you off. Damn ! Damn ! The person who has sent this email must be sure about what he is stating.Else, how could she dare to mail such stuff to the junta.


I have started hating myself more. I knew ISB is where I wanted to go. I just couldn't improve on my GMAT.I strongly feel that the other parts of my application are strong..but if the screening is going to be solely based on GMAT score, I might have already lost the battle.
I'll take another shot at GMAT. If itz not my aptitude, it will be my attitude that will take me to ISB.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

The Rediff Interview/ISB Dean M Rammohan Rao

Here is his complete profile

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us


The sprawling campus of Indian School of Business at Gachibowli on the outskirts of Hyderabad is a much sought after destination these days.

Within three years of being set up, ISB has emerged as one of the most prestigious business schools in India.

ISB's governing board comprises business leaders, entrepreneurs and academicians from some of the world's leading business and management education institutions. Its partnership with the Kellogg School of Management, The Wharton School and London Business School makes ISB one of its kind in Asia.

Professor Mendu Rammohan Rao took over as the Dean of ISB early this year. His sole aim now is to bring cutting-edge global research into the school to make in a globally reputed institution.

Rao, who headed the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, before he took charge at ISB, is an illustrious academic, renowned worldwide for his research and teaching abilities.

Rao earlier taught as operations research at the Stern School of Business, New York University.

"I want to establish ISB as a thought leader in management education and research in Asia," says Rao in an exclusive interview to Deputy Managing Editor George Iype.

Is ISB the best business school in India today?

We are not comparing. Comparing business schools is like comparing apples and oranges. But what I want to say is that we are positioned differently.

We believe that business is a force for good. Our school wants to be the hub for cutting-edge research on issues affecting high growth emerging economies. We have a one-year postgraduate programme, unlike the general two-year MBA at other institutes.

Our model is getting people with an average two years of work experience. The average number of experience for our students is around five. The average age is 27. Our idea is not to really think in terms of becoming the best in India. We want to position as a global business school.

In a few years, ISB has become one of the best-known business schools in India. How did that happen?

People have worked hard on the project. Our partner schools from abroad -- Kellogg, Wharton and London Business School -- and our executive board members, who are corporative executives, have helped.

Our aspiration is to create synergies between India, Asia and the global business environment. We have been able to achieve a lot, but still there is a long way to go.

What is your recruitment policy?

We have a good recruitment policy. We have what we call 'lateral placements.' From most of the business schools such as IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management), MBAs are recruited at the entry-level management. Our placement always is lateral, at a higher level because our students have already work experiences.

Each company takes very few people from us. So we have to get more companies here on the campus to recruit. Our last batch was 219 and all the students were placed in good companies.

What was the average salary?

Last year, it was around Rs 9 lakh (Rs 900,000). That is one of the best in India.

What is your fee structure?

Our total fee -- including stay and food is Rs 13.9 lakh (Rs 1.39 million) for the one-year programme.

How do you react to the fee controversy that gripped the Indian Institutes of Management last year?

I think whatever IIMs are charging now is probably lower than what they should charge.

IIMs should be permitted to charge the fee they are comfortable with. I never understood why the government wanted to reduce the fees.

Always, IIMs have been giving scholarships, even though they have not been much advertising the scholarships. The point is that anybody who is admitted to IIMs is not denied education because of lack of financial resources. IIMs either ensure loans or scholarships.

IIMs were always doing that. The fee-cut was not at all necessary. After all, IIMs are capable of running themselves, without getting funding from the government.

Do you think the Indian business schools are creating two classes of people: one section of students which has the money to study and another section which does not have the financial resources to enter the business schools.

That is not true. Our policy is that anyone who is admitted will not be denied education because of lack of money. We give lots of scholarships. We need to increase these scholarships also. We are already setting up a part of the fees towards scholarships. We have some scholarships given by companies.

Our stated policy is that anyone who is admitted in ISB will not deprived or denied of education because of lack of money. So I don't think the Indian business schools are creating two classes of people.

See, many of our students are not all that rich. They are not also all from the metropolitan cities. They are from smaller cities. We are going out to smaller cities also to recruit people from all sections of society. Most of them are studying here with bank loans.

Over the years, many business schools have sprung up across the country? Why?

That is partially unfortunate. There are about 1,000 business schools in the country that give MBAs or other similar courses. But sadly, several of them are not doing well. I was the chairman of the All India Board of Management Studies for an year or so.

We looked and studied very closely the proliferation of the business schools in India. Many of them are not at all good institutions.

But there are some good private institutions also. I think what has happened is that there has been lots of demand and hype for business studies that people just started institutions. But many students get out of these institutions are not getting good jobs. It is really a sad situation.

So running business schools is also a money-making business?

Some of them are, indeed. But not all of them. So you have to distinguish between good ones and bad ones. The good ones provide excellent facilities. So they have to charge higher fees.

There are also bad ones, who do not provide any good education and charge higher fees. There should be a regulatory body to prevent the proliferation of business schools in the country. The regulatory body should curb or prevent the bad, money-making business schools.

It is important to realize that there are institutions, which are good and not good. We must do something about institutions that are not good; especially those that overcharge. We should curb and bring them under control, rather than put restrictions on those who are doing well and providing all the facilities.

These business schools are churning out thousands of MBAs every year. Do you think the Indian industry has the capacity to absorb and employ them?

If the quality of the MBA students is good, yes, the Indian industry has the capacity to absorb them. But the catch is, really, the quality. I do not know how many MBAs are of good quality out of the thousands of students who pass out every year.

I would be very surprised if 500 of them are of high, or reasonably good quality.


What is the biggest problem facing the business schools in India?


The biggest problem that many business schools in India face today is that there is an acute shortage of faculty. I cannot fully blame the institutes for not maintaining the quality, because they are unable to get good faculty. Everyone is trying to get good faculty and they are unable to get.

If they cannot get good faculty, naturally the programmes cannot go ahead in the right direction.

Do you think there has been a boom in business schools because there is an economic boom in India?

Yes. There is a lot of demand for business graduates in India. Each institute should look up and plan as to what they plan to do for the country, for the industry. We should not think that all the institutions should be like the IIMs or IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology).

Do you plan to start any ISB branch outside India?

Not right now. We want to stabilise now and then chalk out the future. We want to grow in India. Our emphasis is different. We want to increase our student strength to 560 or 600 in the next five years.

What is the nature of your tie up with Wharton, Kellogg and LBS?

It is an academic tie-up. They help us formulate the curriculum development and the academic programmes. The faculty members from these three business schools come here and teach. Of course, we pay their faculty.

ISB and the three institutes jointly sign the certificates. We want to now set up some centers of excellence. We have centers of excellence in entrepreneurship and analytical finance. We will be starting centers in strategic marketing, technology, leadership and change management, and manufacturing logistics and supply chair.

Our collaboration with Wharton, Kellogg and LBS help in structuring these centers, in faculty in research, development of faculty, recruitment of faculty. We do not have any financial tie ups with these foreign schools.

Do you think the Indian business schools have grown in stature as India has progress economically over the years?

Yes, IIMs and other business schools have grown in stature after India began liberalising its economy in 1991. They were allowed to raise their own funds. I think institutes like ISB have come up because of the economic reforms.

The Indian industry itself has changed a lot in the last decade or so. And the academia has changed. Now there is a lot more interest in India, a lot more interest to do business research in India. That is our core emphasis at ISB.

We want to do cutting-edge research in emerging economy at ISB. The economy has been doing well, led by software. Now the software fever has spread to other fields. People now say in software if you can do, why not in other areas also.

Our manufacturing is also picking up. And we need to do lots of educational service for the industry in India.