My Experiments with Competitions

With trembling hands and an accelerated heart beat as that of a marathon runner, she clicked “SUBMIT”. A zillion thoughts rushed across her mind: Was the naming convention correct? Was the submission format adhered to? Will we win this one? Alas! It’s too late to fret over all this. So, she tells her team members, “Chalo. Night canteen chalte hai! Ab yeh toh gaya!”

Most of you would have already guessed what this discussion was about. Or rather might have just come back from one. For those who didn’t, this is a typical after-submission discussion. And not a clichéd case submission indeed. This is one of the most dreaded, the most anticipated, the most tiring submission. Yes. It is the B-SCHOOL COMPETITION SUBMISSION.   

Of late, most of us would have had to answer at least 1 or perhaps all of these questions: How do you make these ppts? What’s the thought process? How do you solve these case studies? I can’t help but reminisce similar discussions last year. And just like last year, we tell them: It’s an experiment with competitions.

An experiment is a scientific procedure undertaken to 

A. Make a discovery, 

B. Test a hypothesis, or 

C. To demonstrate a known fact.

B-school competitions are also experiments. How? They too are undertaken to 

 A. Make a discovery: Of how you underestimated so many people, accurately estimated many others and overestimated yourself.

 B. Test a hypothesis: I would rather put this as ‘Test several hypotheses’

1. The number of likes on a company’s FB page follows a bell curve

I have come across several cases which require us to find a solution to a Digital Dilemma. But web analytics probably never take this factor into account. The number of likes increase gradually once the teaser for a competition is released; reach its peak when the details of the competition are revealed and decline the day the results are declared. Why decline? Because of the disgruntled students unlinking the pages as they aren’t shortlisted for the next round and hence there’s nothing left to be notified about.

2. Multiplier effect is only theoretical

Being a finalist in one competition doesn’t imply that you would be a finalist in the next one and in the one after that. And if you think that winning a competition triggers this effect, think again.

3. N=5 (where N=no. of steps from the time the details are sent to the time when the solution is submitted)

1. How many members (m) are required?

     a. If m=3, your team is ready

           b. If m=4, the search for the 4^th member begins

           c. If m=5, check if the 5^th member is mandatory or can the team be formed  with 4 members as well

     2. Is there a campus round?

           a. If Yes; go ahead, register

           b. If No; go ahead, register (but don’t submit)

    3. When is the submission deadline? Or rather how many days to go before the deadline?  

    4. What is the submission format?

            a. If word doc; how many pages?

            b. If ppt; how many slides?

Oh the joy that comes with the smaller submission format and the frustration that comes later when you realize that there’s so much to write and so little space!

   5. Is there a possibility of a deadline extension?

C. To demonstrate a known fact:

Fact #1: Deadlines are sacrosanct

23:59:59 for an ordinary submission means 00:30:30. But if you think this would work for a B-school competition, it wouldn’t. With a blink of the eye, the uploading link gets disabled.

Fact #2: Surveys are fraudulent, seldom genuine

If you conducted an ‘in-depth interview of 20 customers visiting a kirana store’, you probably got 5 of your friends (maybe the team members themselves) together and had a less than 5min chat on the topic.  

Fact #3: The font size is directly proportional to the slide/word limit

The amount of information that can be filled in a 1 page word doc is equal to

                  1. The amount of information that can be filled in a 6 slide ppt.

                  2. The amount of information that can be filled in a 10 slide ppt.

                  3. The amount of information that can be filled in a 40 slide ppt.

No. This is not a multiple choice question. All the 4 are equal, albeit with minor differences. As the slide/page limit increases, the font size increases, the number of SmartArts increases. But the amount of information always remains constant.

But all said and done, nothing summarizes my experiments with B-school competitions other than these lines of Rudyard Kipling,

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.

To solve an unsolved case: A Case Study (A)

Case (n): an instance of a particular situation; an example of something occurring

But as a B-school student, I would rather define:

Case (n): a minimum 20-page report, usually taken from Harvard Business School, for which we are expected to provide a 2-page solution

These days, whenever I check Facebook, the only notifications that I see are: ‘X_i likes Y_j’. Pardon me for the excessive use of variables. But it is the effect of the Marketing Research test I just gave. Rather as I would put it, the post-test effect. So, ‘X_i likes Y_j’; where X_i includes all the students presently studying in a B-school and Y_j includes the FB page of all those companies who launch case-study competitions in B-schools with the aim of, as they call it, ‘Getting a fresh perspective of solving real-time problems’.

Until last year, these competitions were a taboo. The reason for not participating was as simple as: ‘We’re just in our 1^st year. We don’t know how to solve a case.’ Almost 2 months into my 2^nd year, and I still wonder if I could give the same reason to evade from participating in them. But unfortunately, they are now the raison d'être for a 2^nd year B-school student.

With almost all professors resorting to the case-study approach pedagogy, I think it is time to reflect on how a case is actually solved.

1.  If you think reading the chapters mentioned in the course outline would help you find a solution to a problem faced by a Mr. …..(a name you can’t pronounce) from …….Ltd. (again a name you can’t pronounce and are probably checking  Google to know more about the company) as he looked out of his car window on a rainy day in August 1995, think again.
2.  Always count the number of pages that the case runs into. Get your concepts right. Page count is always back-to-back. Avoid creating a feeling of utopia to the other person by telling him-‘The case has 7 pages’. Tell him, it has 14 sides. One needs to be mentally prepared of what lies ahead of him.
3. When you mention the number of pages, make sure that you accompany this count with the number of pages of simple-plain text.                                                                                     NOTE: Exhibits are never read and hence are not to be included in the modified page count.
4. Should you discuss a case before submitting the solution? If yes, then where? In a friend’s room? In the mess? In the hostel common room? In the library or in the Computer Center? How long should the discussion last for?                                                                                       NOTE: Case discussions have been known to have lasted for hours together, sometimes even after the case has been submitted.
5. NEVER discuss a case. Why so? Because a case discussion would always be preceded by several other discussions: A discussion on the venue for the discussion, a discussion on the time for the discussion and a discussion on the members that were present for the previous discussion and a discussion on who will be present for today’s as well as the next discussion.
6. The best way to solve a case is, initially (in the 1^st year) to divide the number of questions and assign them to the group members. And as the number of cases increase (in the 2^nd year), to assign each case to a group member. In this way, every member gets to enjoy the pleasures of free-riding.
7. Google will always be your best friend. It will give you all the possible solutions for the case. But remember, plagiarism is an offence, isn't it?
8. Ensure that your solution has less of text and more of SmartArts, Charts, and frameworks. Not only does the solution become easier (and beautiful) to read, it suddenly makes you look more knowledgeable (although just a misconception).
9. It is imperative that your group has at least 1 member who claims to ‘understand’ the exhibits and is able to fill in 5 sheets in an MS Excel Worksheet. Make sure that you use all the primary as well as secondary colours as highlighters in those sheets. Again, although just a misconception, it suddenly makes you look more knowledgeable.
10. Never submit a case more than 60seconds before the submission deadline, least you miss out an important conclusion from a not-so-important case fact.

If these points are taken into consideration, your submission will definitely earn you a good grade. But more than the submission, it is the case-presentation in the next class that will earn you brownie-points. So how do you pass with flying colours there as well?

Now, Harvard case studies never reveal the solution in Part (A), do they?  

The mystery will be solved in: To solve an unsolved case: A Case Study (B).

The Inhibitions of a Senior

This is my first post as a senior at IIM K. Feels strange, doesn’t it? It seems just yesterday that we were the younglings going with our smallest queries to our seniors. But now, the time is not far when it will be our turn to rise from being mentees to mentors. Life at a B-school is all about transitions: from home to hostel, from a triple-sharing room to a single room, from classes that used to begin at 9:15 a.m. to classes that end at 9:15 p.m. , from the dreaded Fin subjects to the amicable Marketing electives and of course, from juniors to seniors.

As the 1^st week here draws to a close and the countdown to the arrival of the juniors begins, I couldn’t help but notice some very peculiar instances on campus. It all started with the 1^st class when we were welcomed with the words:

“Welcome back. It’s going to be a great year.” projected on the screen.

Here’s how the events unfolded:

·  When should I leave for class? 

This is about deciding the optimum interval between the time taken to leave your room, have breakfast and the rush to class. 5 minutes before the class begins, I believed would suffice. But I was wrong. Strange isn’t it? This used to be the optimum interval last year. This year, it would have to increase. Why? Because when I entered class, I was faced with another dilemma.

·  Where should I sit? 

With the fixed seating arrangement system removed in the 2^nd year, the only seats that were left vacant were those in the 1^st row. As I unwillingly sat there, I started calculating the best possible time when I should leave my room to avoid this disaster in the next class. But no matter what your Quants score was, all calculations fail when there comes up another problem. And it is a grave one indeed.

· Whom should I sit with? 

This could as well be the topic of my Game Theory term paper.

       a) If my best friend has taken the same subject, am I left with the choice of seat?

       b) If a) does not hold true then: should I sit with my classmate or rather section-mate?

       c) Should I sit with my hostel neighbour?

       d) Should I sit with my friend who used to be my room-mate last year?

       e) Should I sit with my regional gang?

       f) Should I save space for my friend?

       g) Should I refrain from anybody else occupying that seat?

In each of these cases, how happy would I and the person who I’m sitting next to be?

· How should I form my project groups? 

The answer to this question is a 3-step procedure:

Let   N=number of members per group

       S=number of students in that elective who were in your section last year

Step 1: If N=S, immediately form your group

Step 2: If N>S, join a group such that S>N/2

Step 3: If N>>>S, join any group which is ready to take you

· How to effectively utilize the 10 min break-time? 

In the 10 min that I get between 2 classes, should I have a cup of coffee to wade off my sleep? Should I use the restroom? Or should I rush for the next class, which is in a different room so as to avoid the first 2 problems that I encountered? Or should I waste my time calculating the least time in which all the 3 tasks can be completed?

· Did somebody just knock my door? 

With no room-mate to wake you up from your slumber, even the slightest sounds in the dorm sound louder than the alarm which has been ringing for the past half an hour. Did I over-sleep and miss class? Is it my neighbor who just left for class after banging the door so hard that the entire dorm is awake except me?

· Am I checking the correct time-table? 

Checking time-table never seemed so difficult. This too has several steps:

      a) Check the google spread sheet sent by the PGP office

      b) Check the personalized time-table

      c) Re-confirm the subject and the classroom with another student who has the same

      d) Ask your friend to confirm your time-table

      e) Repeat all the above steps as many times as you can till you leave your room for class

· How will I address my juniors? 

Being a fresher in a B-school is analogous to being a kid amongst adults. So, addressing seniors was never a problem. All seniors, irrespective of the age difference are addressed as ‘Aap’. With batch-mates, it hardly matters whether they are addressed as ‘Tu’, ‘Tum’ or ‘Aap’. We’re all in the same batch after all. But how should I address my juniors who would probably be 3-4 years elder to me? Should I respect them for their age or should they respect me as their senior? And what if some of them were my seniors in school or college? The Queen’s language is a 1-word solution to this problem. All juniors, irrespective of the age difference will be addressed as ‘You’. Mischief managed.

Some other stark differences that I observed as compared to last year:

· The time taken between the announcement of the requirement of a Course Coordinator to the time taken for a student to be appointed as one is greater than 5 min, where these 5 min are spent exchanging glances and unwilling nods

· With you and your best friend opting for different electives, group study has now become a thing of the yore

· An 8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. class always seems longer than a 9:15 a.m.-3:45 p.m. class

· Despite the erratic electricity, the projector and the professor’s computer continue to operate and so does the class. Gone are the undergrad days when a power-cut meant the end of a class

It’s OVER

“It’s OVER,”I said. “Really? It’s OVER?” “Yes. It’s OVER.” It ended after 8 long, agonizing summer weeks. But we did have a few days that I shall always reminisce; our first meeting, a lot that happened over coffee and especially our last lunch. We’ve moved on. Moved on to what destiny has planned for us. Whether we shall meet again, I don’t know. But what I do know is that whatever happens will be for our good. No. I’m not sad that it’s over. I’m glad that it happened. I had never experienced this before and the lessons that I have learnt will remain with me for a lifetime.

Since Facebook these days is filled with reasons and signs that indicate one thing or another: “20 Signs that you have the Best Roommate ever”, “15 Reasons why Sarabahi Vs Sarabhai was the best show ever”, I decided to coin my own.

11 things you will agree have happened to you as well (provided you read this till the end):

1. You want to create an impression in your 1^st meeting. You go out of your way to prove yourself better than the other options available to him.
2.  You are NEVER late. Probably way before time. But you just can’t afford to be late.
3. You are diligent, obedient and ever ready to do whatever it takes to impress him. Whatever is told, your reply is always, “Yes. Definitely. I can do it.” And you will. Why? To gain brownie points of course. The ‘options’ are still available, you keep reminding yourself.
4. Your phone is either switched off or in silent mode, least an irritating comrade wants to tantalize you, especially in your 1^st meeting.
5. Well, I have been watching a lot of episodes from the sitcom ‘Seinfeld’ and can’t help but agree with George Costanza. ‘You look annoyed all the time. Because when you look annoyed all the time, people think that you’re busy.’ And this is exactly what you would have done as well; to show that ‘special someone’ how important he is for you.
6. So, this marks the end of halftime. For me, it lasted for 3 weeks or maybe 4. For some others, it may have lasted a little longer. But as they say, this too shall pass away. And so did this rosy phase of your life. It is now that you are jolted back to reality
7. When you are in his company, your phone, albeit still in silent mode, your ears are attentive to the lowest level of vibration. 
8. There was a time when your online presence was on an hourly basis as you were busy in your efforts to please him. This has now increased or rather reduced to a time-span of a few seconds. You don’t care about him any more.
9. You long to meet your friends who have left you ever since college ended. You can’t help but envy all those smiling faces and check-ins on Facebook after ‘A day well spent with….at….’. But, it’s only him that you see everyday.
10.  You come up with excuses to avoid meeting him and suddenly start spending more time at home than you do with him. When at home, you don’t want to talk or even think about him. It only worsens your already bad mood.
11. Finally, on your last day, the day it all ends, your happiness knows no bounds. And so does your anxiety. Probably, after your 1^st meeting, it is this day that you once again have butterflies in your stomach. You can’t sleep the night before it ends. And the day it ends, you sleep like you’ve never slept before.

Yes. It’s OVER. Your Summer Internship is over. After 8 long, agonizing summer weeks, the internship has come to an end. There were just 2 days in these 60 days that you were anxious: your 1^st meeting on the 1^st day and you presentation to the MD on the last. Whether you will get a PPO or not, you don’t know. But it was an experience to remember. You will probably never meet him (your mentor) again. No. You are not sad that it’s over. You are glad that very soon, you will be in the company of those who mean the most to you-family, friends and of course Kampus.

Finally, as Facebook always says, so will I.

                 Share this on Facebook if you agree.

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                The remaining posts on this blog.

A Tale of Every Home

‘Mid pleasures and Palaces though we may roam;

Be it ever so humble there’s no place like home!’

With the endless assignments, submissions and quizzes luring all the time, thinking so is often the best alternative we have. How often have we gone into a reverie as this one: “Aah! HOME! Just a week more and I shall be free from the shackles of late-night studies. Free from the daily routine of quizzes and submissions. Free from that mess food which once forced me to think-‘Yeh bhindi mein oil hai ya oil mein bhindi?’ “

We study life-cycles everyday- product life cycle, business life cycle and many more. But come to think of it, home-coming is also a life cycle. How? Most of us haven’t had a chance to spend more than 7 days at home after the end terms. Each day is one stage of this life-cycle. Confused? There’s no need to. It goes like this:

DAY 1: Exhilaration stage

This stage begins approximately 7 days before the date of departure from campus. The endless Facebook updates (Kolkata I’m coming…), vacation itinerary, phone calls at home, messages to friends back at home leave you wondering-this agony of FB updates too shall pass away. This stage goes hand-in-hand with the end terms, packing for the journey, the road trip to the airport, through the supposedly entertaining in-flight entertainment and on your way back home-all that you do is plan for your sojourn at home. Alas! Stage 4, 5 await!

DAY 2: Siesta stage

The itinerary would probably include

a.       Shopping or visiting malls to the extent that your pockets would be empty by the time the vacation ends or

b.      Eating like a glutton to make up for all the home-made, road-side fast food that you have missed to the extent that you have an upset stomach

However, there is no other spoilt sport than this stage. Yes. The Siesta stage- where all that you want to do is sleep. Sleep to your hearts’ content. Sleep to make up for all those sleepless nights that you’ve spent. Sleep to the extent that even if someone kicks you out of your bed or a political leader preaches at the top of his voice in a rally, you just don’t seem to wake up from your slumber.

DAY 3: Ennui stage

Now comes the stage you least expected would. The feeling of boredom, listlessness and lethargy seeps in. The internet doesn’t work. You did away with your ‘daily soap’ watching habit ages ago (almost a year to be precise due to the lack of TV facilities in the hostels). Your old friends are too busy with their new jobs. The new ones are probably as lethargic as you are.

DAY 4: Cognizance stage

The most dreadful stage in the home-coming life cycle. With nobody around to listen to your complaints, you whine in front of the only ones who would probably lend their ears for the same- your parents. However, it’s not too long before you realize the gravity of the mistake you just committed. No sooner did you finish your saga of ennui, comes the list of household chores-from the pettiest ones like getting milk, vegetables and other inventory to most supreme ones of throwing away your old, unused clothes, books etc. What’s worse-it has to be done right now. At this very moment. Why is this stage called so? In the words of a friend, “This stage makes you realize that no matter how qualified you are, ghar ka doodh lene tumhe hi jana padega.”

DAY 5: Congregation stage

Exhilaration-Gone with the wind. Siesta- The more I sleep, the sleepier I am. Ennui-never to return with the list of household chores assigned to you. So what’s next? Congregation stage or the meeting and greeting stage. This is the stage where your father’s mother’s sister’s son’s wife’s father’s mother expects you to ‘At least make a phone call if not come and meet me. After all, you’ve come home after spending a year at IIM!’ The list of phone calls to be made- endless. Thank God for those long distances and the congested traffic, which saved the effort of giving the airhostess-like smiles to those distant relatives who would probably not even remember your name. 

DAY 6: Melancholy stage

The word says it all. You are completely unaware of the reason behind your sadness. Is it the fact that you itinerary has gone to the dogs? Is it because you would be leaving home? Is it because of the mess food that awaits to welcome you back on campus? You just don’t know why.

DAY 7: Adieu stage

The day has finally dawned. Time to return to campus. Time to meet new friends again and bid the old ones goodbye. No matter how frustrating your stay at home was, you don’t feel like leaving. No matter how much music your parents made you listen, you can’t help but notice their glistening eyes as you leave for the airport.

And thus, the 7 stages of the home-coming life cycle come to an end. Only to be repeated next term. No matter how accustomed you are to hostel-life, these stages will repeat- every time you’re away from home. No wonder reading this article you must have felt, ‘Yeh hai Kahani har ghar ki. Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki.’

To Sir, With Love

Term 1 at IIM K was one great learning experience- a new environment, new friends, new subjects and of course an insight into the corporate world. Nevertheless, it also meant cut-throat competition, endless quizzes, projects and finally the Summer Placements. So, when Term 1 ended, we were all left wondering- is this what we shall be doing for the next 5 terms? Will this drudgery continue in Term 2 too? But, it was not long before we got our answer.

In the wee hours of 16^th October, 2013 (Yes, 9:15 a.m. is considered as wee hours here), there came with a gleam in his eyes, a warm, welcoming smile on his face, our Business Law lecturer, Prof. Sebastian Tharakan. What most professors do here on the 1^st day of class is put up the course outline on the screen, number of credits assigned for the course, percentage distribution of marks allotted for quizzes, mid-term, end-term, class participation, and the list is endless. And what most students do is take a note of all these distributions and start making a mental map of their methodology for that subject-‘Oh! No CP for this subject. Wonderful! I can sleep!’ ‘Damn! 40% for quizzes. I need to prepare well for them.’ But, when Prof. Sebastian showed his first slide- there was something that left us awestruck. Something that made us develop an instant liking for the subject, even before we learnt what a legal right means. And it was this:

“Dear students of Batches : PGP-17 & FPM-07 of  IIM-K,

      Welcome to the exciting study in the commercially important and vibrant subject of ‘Business Law 2013’.  As your Faculty-Resource-Person, I invite you to enjoy and to actively participate in the learning of this vibrant subject. I invite you to focus on ‘enjoying’ the learning process and I assure you that all our BL-Sessions will be exciting voyages of knowledge,    discovery and innovative creative learning.

    Sebastian Tharakan – your friend                                                                   

    The Businesslawlecturer “

Yes, voyage of learning as he calls it. And thus began our journey of the Vibrant Subject of Business Law-2013.

‘Fantastic Aff’, as he calls our class, eagerly awaited the BL classes. Every class was an experience in itself- a new learning, a new concept and a new case that none of us will ever forget. A new case? What’s so new in a case? We do it everyday, in every subject- a Harvard Business School Case-Study, which I am sure none of us remember. So what made these cases unforgettable? Well, when you are studying about contracts of bailment and you see a slide which says:

Ms. Prakriti Sharma purchases a piece of cloth and delivers the same to Kavita Fashions, a fashion designing / tailoring  and boutique unit owned by Ms. Kavita Yajnik, to stitch a salwar.

Who is the bailor? Who is the bailee? What are the rights of both of them?

Will you ever forget what contracts of bailment are? Or rather, do you even need to memorize something where you yourself maybe the plaintiff or the defendant?  

Business Law was one subject which had no marks for Class Participation, no project presentations. Yet, the class would be on its toes to answer every challenge, every question that was posed before us. Intriguing, isn’t it? Why would a student who once imagined taking his 40 winks in a class that had no marks for CP suddenly be ever so vigilant to answer a question? Well, it was in the pride associated with it. Pride? Yes, the pride to make Sir ‘climb the highest mountain and swim the deepest sea’ to give you a handshake as warm as ever. The pride when Sir would write on his slide a ‘Well done Ms. Kavita Yajnik’ or when Sir would tell the other sections how well you had performed in the debate or how you had answered his toughest question.

Such were our BL classes- vibrant and filled with childlike enthusiasm where, Sir, with his eloquence made every class memorable. Sir, we may not remember the details of every case that you taught. But, we shall always remember your words- ‘Before the ink on the paper could dry….’, ‘For all the rubbish that you right, you can get a copyright.’, ‘I have taught 25 Sahils. But you are the 1^st one… (Details best left to Section ‘Aff’ or else Sahil might sue me for defamation by way of libel).’

How we wished 13^th December would never come! How we wished that our voyage of learning with Prof. Sebastian would never end! But, as all good things must come to an end, so did our BL classes. 

As I clean up my shelf today to mark the successful completion of Term 2, I might do away with all the quiz papers, but the quizzes with the 4 blue stars and a well done note by you, Sir, will never be disposed off. So Sir, until we meet again, I assure you that we shall, in your words, ‘Seize and enjoy every moment of great learning in our PGP Course @ 'God's-Own-Kampus': IIM-K ! ’

Thank You Sir.

I saw a dream with my eyes open

It’s been almost 2 months since I last wrote an article. For somebody else it might seem just 60 days. But for me, it feels like eternity. I can’t remember how it all started. All I know is that writing has now become my passion, a reason to put aside all the pressure, all the stress, a reason to unwind myself from the ever so hectic schedule at IIM K. I can’t agree less to the words of Joss Whedon-“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I am afraid of.” With these words, I take you through a journey of my dreams- dreams that I saw with my eyes wide open- some of which were never fulfilled, some which were and some which I am living at this very moment as I write this article. 

Years ago, in school, when her friends used to cite their dreams of becoming doctors, engineers, astronauts, this little one would wonder- why doesn’t anybody wish to be  writer? Is it not good to be one? All through school, this young girl dreamt of becoming the next J.K. Rowling, the next Jane Austein. She dreamt of making a career in writing. But alas! Her dreams were short-lived. Come class X, come the cut-throat competition to perform, and her dreams were shattered. What was the reason? Was it because she had forgotten all about her dream? Was it because ‘others’ made her forget her dream? Or was it because she felt too embarrassed telling people about her dream? The answer to these questions remains oblivious to her too. She followed her peers. She did what everybody else asked her to do. And finally she did what she never thought she would. She ceased to dream. She felt they are never fulfilled. Why waste time seeing them? Rather, why not focus on the present and outperform her peers. Today, when she looks back, she wonders how she could have been so immature. How could she have stopped dreaming? How could she have stopped doing what she once loved to do?

A few years passed. She entered college. She still ceased to dream. Probably she was afraid to. But then one day, she started dreaming again. She dreamt of getting into an IIM. When everybody else around her wanted a high paying job, wanted to pursue their higher education in the US, she remained firm. She knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to study in one of the best places in India.  She knew why she wanted to do it-not to get a high salary. But for an experience that would remain with her forever.  She was still skeptical as to how she would fulfill her dream. But she was determined to. And she did everything that she could to accomplish it. Finally, after overcoming a lot of hurdles, trying situations and failures she did it! Her joy knew no bounds when she saw her admission offer. She realized that dreams do come true. So why stop dreaming? With new dreams, new aspirations and a lot of determination, she entered God’s own Kampus. 

But soon, like it had happened before, she didn’t realize when she stopped following her dreams. When she, once again, like before, started following her peers. She started worrying about petty things like grades and placements. True, times when you are put to the test get the best, and sometimes the worst out of you. But, mature that she was, and with the help of her newly made friends, it didn’t take her too long to get back on track. As Zig Ziglar rightly puts it- “You cannot tailor-make the situations in life but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations.” And this girl did just that. She learnt to make the best out of her 2 year stint at IIM K. Suddenly, things became so different. Subjects stopped becoming a burden. Placements stopped being a concern. She realized that she was living in the best phase of her life.

And then one day, she started writing again. She started doing what she had not done since years. That writer, which was trapped in a cage for more than 4 years, was finally set free. She promised herself that it would never be trapped again. It was now that she began to live her dream. It was now that she had nothing to complain about. It was now that she wished that these 2 years would never come to an end. But as all good things do, this too shall pass away one day. Yet, 2 years seem quite distant- 4 more terms to go, so much to learn, so much to gain, and so much to experience.  

Careers after an MBA: Passion or Package?

“I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places plains, and the crooked places will be made straight, and before the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

50 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. gave this soul stirring speech that inspired millions, and brought a new hope in the minds of the Americans. Like everyone else, this speech never fails to inspire me. 

When I again heard this speech, a few days ago, I had nothing but nostalgia- of my days as the best orator in school, one of the best writers and of my dream to pursue a career in Journalism. But, only a few of us get the opportunity to realize our dreams. Most of us end up running the rat race. I was no different. A Topper in school, opted for Science in class XII, followed by Engineering and now an MBA. I crossed every milestone determined that I would stop running this race and follow my dreams. But lacked the courage every time and continued to run. So, does an MBA from IIM K mean the end of my dream to be a Journalist? Probably yes. But does it mean that I can’t pursue a career in writing? Definitely NO.

Why are people so eager, so determined to join a B-school? Is it for the pride associated with the IIM tag? Is it to learn something in a non-conventional way? Or is it just for a good placement? For most of us, it is, beyond any doubt, the latter. Dream careers after an MBA are either that of a Brand Manager in HUL, a Consultant in PwC or a high paying job at Deutsche Bank. But careers after an MBA from a top B-school are not limited to these. There is a plethora of opportunities available. We just need to grab the one that is meant for us.

A career after an MBA could be that as an Author. This career has begun to gain popularity in the past few years with IIM alumni like Rashmi Bansal, Amish Tripathi, Chetan Bhagat choosing to tread this path never travelled before. Cynics might wonder- what value addition would an MBA degree give an author? Taking the examples of these authors of Bestsellers’, an MBA degree gave Amish Tripathi the confidence to publish and sell his 1^st book using Kotler’s guidelines when all the publication houses refused to publish his book. The exposure and rigorous training at IIM A gave Rashmi Bansal the required skill set for her publication. To put it in the B-school jargon, MBA teaches you the ‘business’ of writing. But, would becoming an author improve your career prospects? Shaishav Solanki, the 1^st official author from IIM Indore, when asked- Will the book add to your placement chances or better job prospects? replied- ‘It doesnt matter; because that was not the reason why I wrote the book.’

A career after an MBA could even be that of an entrepreneur. Every year we come across news reports giving statistics of the number of students at IIMs who opted out of their Final Placement process to become entrepreneurs. Examples of successful entrepreneurs are unlimited. Deep Kalra, with $2 million from a venture capitalist, an investment of his life savings to buy back his own company in the dotcom boom went on to make India’s leading travel portal- makemytrip.com. Cyrus Driver quit his private equity job in Singapore to launch Calorie Care, India's first professional, calorie-counted meal delivery service. How did an MBA help them? It gave them the much needed knowledge about identifying the customer requirements, understanding the present market conditions and setting up a company which would give them the first mover advantage.

How about starting an NGO after an MBA? This concept will definitely raise eyebrows; not only those of the readers but also of the well wishers of the ones who braved all odds to do so. Vinayak Lohani, the Founder of Parivaar, an NGO working towards the overall development of children- orphans, girls highly vulnerable to exploitation, victimization, and trafficking, extremely impoverished children from tribal areas from several districts in West Bengal and Jharkhand is an IIM Calcutta alumnus. GiveIndia, conceived by Venkat Krishnan is an online platform that allows philanthropists to support a cause of their choice from about 200 NGOs that have been scrutinised for transparency & credibility. How did these social entrepreneurs avail of the benefit of an MBA degree? An MBA helped them to expand their NGO from a very grass root level to one of the largest institutions in their region. It helped them to gather financial resources and work force for their noble cause.

What these outliers have done proves that MBA is not just about Placements and Salaries. It is much above that. If we start counting the list of people who have chosen unconventional careers after an MBA, the list goes on and on- Harsha Bhogle, Siddharth Shah-Founder of Dialhealth, R Subramanian: Founder, Subhiksha and many more. MBA from an IIM is more about the passion, the experience, and the learning. What these MBAs have done proves that success is not about securing a high paying job after your Post Graduation. Success is about following your dreams, your passion and achieving it. All that we need to do is stop running the rat race, face the social barriers with courage and continue to move forward in our direction to achieve our goal. As said by Swami Vivekanand, ‘Arise, Awake and Wait not till your Goal is reached.’

The Dilemma

Another ordinary day at IIM K…but one thing made it rather unusual…

The 9:15 a.m. lecture- Business Ethics. As we ran to class, panting, we realized that the door was already locked and that we were marked absent for the day! Everybody complained-‘It’s just 9:13!’, ‘The clock inside the classroom is 3 minutes fast!’ But nobody moved, nobody went back to their hostels. Everybody waited in anticipation for the door to open. Hoping to still get the attendance, we silently took our seats as the professor later allowed us in. Business Ethics is not a subject that I am too fond off. And when you sit on the first bench, it’s definitely a daunting task to ward off your sleep. As I stared at my watch to calculate the time still left before we would have to plead for attendance and rehearsing as to what I would say to persuade the professor to grant me attendance I suddenly realized- Same day…Same time….a year ago I was anxiously waiting outside my CAT 2012 centre. And I went into a nostalgic reverie…how hard I had worked, how eager I was to get into an IIM, how upset I was when I had finished my Quants section with low attempts, how relieved I was when it all finally ended…

It brought back many memories- the joy of getting an interview call, the rigorous efforts that had followed, the mock PI, the absolutely abstract WAT topics(one of them being-‘To be or not to be’) on which we were expected to write 500 words!

And then I began to wonder how I had developed as a writer- from writing experiences of my visits to zoos, museums, planetariums, to writing on serious issues like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. From writing on clichéd topics in school to writing my views on ‘We are all prisoners: some in cells with windows and some without’ (I would not have written this but for the IIM K WAT practice). From writing for my school magazine, to writing for blogs - the writer in me had definitely come a long way. 

Since I have now made it a point to write regularly, what should I write on today? That is the question- and the most difficult one indeed. Whether to write or not to write? If to write when to write? What to write? How long to write? Would this article be as good as or even better than my previous article? Should I write in the same style as I always do or should I try a different genre? People often ask me to start my own blog. They are surprised when I tell them that I am not ready yet. What is it to be ready about?-they feel. Just write anything and upload it. But that is not what writing a blog is about. Writing a blog, I believe is one of the most creative and the most challenging tasks ever- not because you need to think of different themes to write on. But because when you write a blog, you are competing with yourself. Every article of yours is being compared to another one of your own in the archives. Readers need to experience your writing. They develop a character sketch of you through your writing.

So what theme should I write on? When I can’t think of a topic to write on, I take the next recourse- ask people. Ask my family, friends to give me a topic which I can develop. But this I realized, never works. Your article reflects your feelings, your emotions. How can somebody else tell you what to write? So, I continue thinking- Should I write on my emotions just before, during and after CAT’12? This seems interesting at the onset. But as I begin to develop it, I realize something’s not working. What?- I don’t know. All I know is that it’s not going to be better than my previous article. Should I write on some political issue? No way! Politics has never been my cup of tea and if I attempt it, I will end up with another  Cntrl+C, Cntrl+V. Should I write on my experiences in Term 2 at IIM K? Well if I did that, I would be stereotyped as a writer who just keeps writing on her experiences at IIM K- 1^st month experience, Term 1 experience and now Term 2?

I finally decided that I will write on my dilemma on ‘What to write’-something that I have often experienced. Something that has prevented me from starting my own blog. Yet something that I have never written before. And thus I started developing this article…

When I looked around a few minutes later, everybody was busy closing their books, running out to grab a cup of coffee, and a few of them asking the professor to pardon them for coming late. As I had expected, he did not revert his decision. As disappointed faces went back to their seats, I gave a little smirk- How could Post Graduate students be so childish? Anyway, what difference does it make to me? I know what I am going to write on for this blog- that’s all that mattered to me!

The 4P’s

Any marketing student would understand what these stand for. But I choose to re-define these 4P’s- PLACECOM, PLACEMENTS, PACKAGE and PARTICIPATION (that is, Class Participation). These 4Ps are the most spoken about on Kampus since the past 2 months. Philosophy is not a genre that I usually write. But the recent turn of events that have occurred here have made me contemplate…made me realize the harsh truths of life… This piece is probably the result of the intellectual session that we had with our Director yesterday.

The first month here had left me awestruck-the serenity on Kampus, the intellectual treasure here everything was so different from the usual hustle and bustle in the life of a Mumbaikar. Month 1 at IIM K was filled with the zeal to succeed, the enthusiasm to excel, and of course the frenzy of Roobaroo. But slowly as time passed reality started sinking in. I soon realized that studying in an IIM is much more than just the pride associated with it. The pride of making it here lasts for just a few days… In no time, you need to pull up your socks and run the race again…the race to excel…the race to outperform your best friends…the race to make yourself visible in a crowd of 365 students.

In no time, life at IIM became as monotonous as my undergraduate college. Rushing through breakfast, 5 hours of class where I found it extremely difficult to cope up with the C.A.s, C.F.A.s, Economics and B.Com. Graduates. The 4 years that I had spent in Engineering began to haunt me again and I began to wonder whether I was really meant to be here. The feeling of inferiority escalated with every passing quiz, every passing lecture and finally the disastrous mid-term. Every second person was discussing about their grades, class median, course topper, lowest class score and finally-PLACEMENTS, PACKAGES. 

Everyday these discussions continued-while having coffee in class breaks or during lunch breaks in the mess. The atmosphere on Kampus changed from the care-free attitude of PGP17 to the sudden seriousness, the pressure, the anxiety and the anxiousness of what the future has in store for us. As goes the saying, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’, I too found myself staying up till late trying to fit into my mind the formulae of Statics, the demand and supply curves of Economics, the concepts of Accounting which I never seemed to get right and worse- the anxiety of Placements. I forgot what I used to tell my friends back in college when they used envy the salary students at an IIM get-‘I am not going to IIM for Placements or Packages. I am going because I want to be proud of the IIM tag which will remain with me forever. I wish to experience the intellectual excellence at an IIM ’.

I distinctly remember my first interaction with the Placement committee. They had asked a question-‘How many of you have come here to get a good Placement?’ All hands in the packed auditorium went up except probably 1-Mine. Obviously this was followed with surprised glances by the students and of course the Placement committee. But I didn’t care. Why should I when my ambition was just the IIM tag? When I was proud just to be here? When I knew that a bright future awaits me? So why then did I suddenly start running the rat race, start worrying about Placements and salaries? Why then did I stop enjoying the knowledge that I was gaining from the course? Why was I so focused on getting a good grade that I closed my mind to the intellectual excellence here?

8 years ago, I had won an Inter-School Elocution Competition-‘Does Success or Failure in an Examination really matter?’ I distinctly remember the last few lines of my speech:‘ Failure is an opportunity to start once again. Failure dosen’t mean that you should give up. It does mean that you must try harder. Success or Failure in an examination hardly matters. ’ A deafening applause had followed. Why then, 8 years later, was I afraid of failure? Why was I so disheartened if everybody in my class outperformed me?

But when you stay in a hostel, it’s your friends who become your family. You go to them with the smallest of your problems. You no longer feel skeptical to pour out your feelings to them. And they go out of their way to help you, to be with you in your worst times, to motivate you whenever you are feeling low and to help you regain confidence in yourself. Thankfully, I did not take much time to find such friends. It was then no longer difficult to cope up with the curriculum, to face problems as they came, to overcome them and succeed. I then realized how wonderful life at IIM can be.

Placements no longer haunt me. Salaries are no longer a motivation to join a company. Though it may seem quite philosophical, I agree with what our Director said yesterday -‘All of you have something unique within you. If only you could realize what it was…you will find the right organization for yourself.’

Month 1 at the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode

‘The Unexamined life is not worth living.’ I had read this saying of Socrates, tried to understand the philosophy behind it and even made an attempt at writing an essay on it. Quite a surprising activity for an Electronics Engineer, isn't it? But all those who have gone through the difficult WAT/PI process of IIM K would empathize with me. Imagine my joy when I read the same sentence on my way uphill to the IIM K campus.

January 9, 2013: CAT Result

January 28, 2013: WAT/PI Call from IIM K

April 1, 2013: IIM K INTERVIEW

And then the anticipation…….the anxious wait for the first list of selected students to be declared….

May 9, 2013: Portal says ‘Sorry you have not been selected for the Post Graduate Programme at IIM K’

Oh the mourning after reading this message! But probably, this was just a test of my faith in God and in his OWN KAMPUS..

June 10, 2013: Waitlisted at 44

June 18, 2013: Waitlisted at 22

And the wait begins again…..the anticipation continues….and finally after a long, tiring wait comes my day to rejoice, my day to celebrate, my day to shout out loud that I have achieved what I had once only dreamt of.

June 26, 2013: Received an email from IIM K-‘Congratulations. You have been selected for the Post Graduate Programme at the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode.’

The next two days were the most hectic days that I have ever had. Right from packing my bags, to arranging for the documents that were to be submitted to booking tickets- so much to do and absolutely no time! Every passing second was filled with a mix of emotions- excitement to reach ‘Kampus’, tension to complete the formalities and a sinking feeling that I am going away from home for the first time, away from all the care of my parents, away from the busy life at Mumbai to embark on a new journey.

June 28, 2013: Finally the day arrived! With a new zeal, enthusiasm, hope and a lot of confidence, I left for my destination- The Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode- a place where I had dreamt to be right from the day I began my CAT preparation.

For someone who is accustomed to the concrete jungles of Mumbai, landing at the Kozhikode airport makes you feel so close to nature. The beautiful, pollution free forests of Kerala leave one with no doubt as to how this state got its name- God’s own Country. After a long journey from the airport the IIM K gates welcomed us. The winding road uphill seemed unending. Nevertheless, it made us realize the reason behind this campus getting its name as God’s own Kampus. The road uphill greeted us with the words of wisdom from Socrates, Mother Teresa, Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekannda to name a few.

For a minute, it reminded me of all the WAT topics that I had prepared for. But indeed these words of wisdom gave me a feeling of the intellectual wealth that I will have achieved when I leave this campus. A little further uphill and you are left awestruck! As the Director of IIM K Prof. Debashis Chatterjee rightly stated in his speech during the Convocation this year, “You walked the steps Arjuna once walked.” A statue of Arjuna, bent on his knees with his bow and arrow aimed towards the unending skies welcomes you.

It makes you realize the determination, dedication and discipline that the students are expected to follow here. A look around the administrative block and you see the deep Indian culture that is associated with IIM K. In which B-School in India would one find a Library and Computer Centre named Takshashila, Business museum- Nalanda, and Administrative Block-Kautilya? Where would you find hostels named after the Indian Ragas? IIM K has established a niche of its own. The campus truly lives up to the brand that it has created for itself- Globalizing Indian Thougts.

June 29, 2013: My first morning at IIM K. Behold the beauty that lies before you! Indeed, the pictures of Mother Nature on the official page of IIM K are not Photoshoped! I was left speechless with the breathtaking view on my first day here. The zephyr, the misty mountains, the first rays of the sun that touched the Kampus… it was a photographer’s delight. Alas I am not one!

Thus began my life at IIM K. Induction programmes, interactions with seniors, assignments with ‘sacrosanct deadlines’ gave me a glimpse of a typical B-school life. As a part of the induction programme, we had a visit to the business museum, and the library -places which we would be of utmost importance to us during these 2 years. Places which would mould our character. The first few days here made me rethink my decision of doing an MBA. With seniors giving us assignments on topics that were very new to us to deadlines as particular as 23:59:59, life here was not going to be as easy as I had assumed it would.

And then began the lectures. Oh the pride when I saw my name written in front of my seat! New subjects, new classmates and a very different environment compared to my Engineering college back home. The Indian culture is deeply rooted here as students are expected to rise and greet the professor when the professor enters. The professors are indeed incomparable.  They are dedicated to the cause of not only making us efficient managers but also responsible citizens of India. The patience with which they explain the tough concepts of Accounts, Economics, Marketing etc to us, ‘Coders’ is really commendable.  Every lecture here is interactive. And we had a different experience altogether watching movies as a part of our curriculum. No sooner did we start coping up with the rigorous academic schedule here than came the most dreaded announcement:  Accounts Quiz this Saturday. To add to it came another Marketing Case Study and we found ourselves staying up till morning trying to do our best to complete our first case study. Surprisingly, the quiz was not as bad as we had expected it to be and we all passed with flying colours. Phew! One week down.

Now begins the fun! ROOBAROO- the Inter Section Wars announced. And then began the preparations for it in full swing. Each section had the passion, the desire to win. To outperform the other 5 sections because as they say it ‘Because Revenge is Inherited’. Roobaroo unleashed the hidden talents in us. It made us explore our strengths. 3 days of fun, entertainment, passion to win. On a lighter note, the fervor was so much that it could be comparable to an India vs. Pakistan match. Nevertheless, it brought us all together as a class, strengthened the bonds between us and made us proud of the comradeship shown by our section.  Roobaroo ended on a high note, we proud of ourselves on coming 2^nd, our seniors proud of the efforts put in by us. Indeed, we became the best of friends- our section, other sections as well as our seniors during the week that just passed.

And Monday morning, we were jolted back to reality. We were made to understand our purpose of being here. Micro Economics quiz on Saturday! The next few days were filled with packed schedules. PGP17 was juggling time between student body meetings, assignments and quizzes. Every student committee, Interest Group and Club introduced their work to us. Then began the applications to the various committees. The remedial sessions by the Interest Groups to make us understand the difficult concepts of Accounting and Economics made us realize that we are not alone in our struggle. Our seniors are there to help us even at 3 a.m.! And every PGP17er would agree that our Inboxes were never so full with unread messages! Come Tuesday and 2 case submissions are announced for the next 2 days. At this point we realized that Team work would be the only way to succeed here. Or else we would be lost in the crowd. Come Wednesday and a Marketing quiz is announced for Saturday. Plus an Economics surprise quiz the next day. As we fought against all odds-hunger, sleep, leisure came another quiz. As we waited for a quick dinner on Friday, we almost lost our appetite. Accounts Quiz tomorrow. Wow! It was now that reality struck us. We are in an IIM!! Disastrous Saturday came, quizzes happened and by afternoon we stepped out of our campus after almost a month. The outing was the nearest Reliance Fresh outlet- to buy soap, snacks and other utilities. For a person like me who is used to the busy life of Mumbai, it was so good to be out of the campus, so nice to see people around you, so much of familiarity to see the traffic on the roads. Because once you are on campus, you are in a different world altogether- a world of beauty and serenity, away from pollution and very far away from the mundane local train fights of Mumbai.

My first month at IIM K gave me lessons for a lifetime. It taught me to be independent, to be more responsible and most importantly to aim at the sky like Arjuna.  If the first month was such an exciting and learning experience, I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. As they say it,

For K…Today... Forever….