Ten days into K and it's kinda paradoxical. The first couple of days left us wondering whether the sleepless nights people were talking about was just hype! But the next week has left us in no doubt. It's been quiz after assignment after presentat...
Ten days into K and it's kinda paradoxical. The first couple of days left us wondering whether the sleepless nights people were talking about was just hype! But the next week has left us in no doubt. It's been quiz after assignment after presentation after case in a never ending spiral.. and the profs seem to be still just getting into 3rd, from an uncertain start.
Met Ravi and Atrangi... but I don't blame those guys for not posting 
.
The place is beautiful - resort like, though much of the infrastructure is still being built, and the campus is expected to be completed in another couple of months.
Get back with more later-
Signing off for now
so...... howz life going in IIMK now?
Almost like Arnie - all i can say is "I am back!" Man, more than the schedule at K it's been the net conn that's kept me away. I like almost evrthng else here. But the net speed sucks 😞 It is worse than a dialup! this despite a 2 MBPS line ! Thx 2 people using damn P2Ps all day long !
Life has been fun ! I admit that I had my doubts abt K b4 joining and with 4 calls in all I really didn't think that I'd end up here. But guess, what - when i got here i realised i was lucky 2 get at least K. It's hard 2 find people with a combination of a lousy acads record and little extracurrs. I had no idea there were so many superachiever Type A personalities out there. Of, course there r guys like me 2 - but not all that many !
Classes r fun - little mugging 2 do. Most of it is just Apps - so unlike Engg.
But i gotta go - next week v have mid-terms and i gotta prepare a case 4 2mrw
Oh, BTW, the hostels and the mess in K r grt ! After Engg, this place rocks !
Ravi
Hi.
Abt the current term. Term 1 at K is normally 8 papers (out of which 4 r rated tough and anthr 2 as soft-courses and the rest as soft-courses which can turn hard ) But v had the bad luck 2 have 9 courses as our Operations prof is going 2 AIM 4 research during term 2. Ops was bumped up 2 this term bcoz of that. Man, that has increased the workload like hell ! There is so much work that u don't feel like working 
like, u know that there r at least a couple of subjects that u shouldn't b putting in much work. saving ur energies 4 the rest. And time mgmt is crucial ! I never realized how much time i used 2 waste loafing arnd - surfing the net, hanging out with friends etc etc. Here the most organized people won't win popularity contests, but r guaranteed of decent grades. Surprise quizzes ensure this. I've got creamed in a couple of them despite putting in a lot of work. Anyway, any plans of specializing in Ops is def out of the window ! That is my worst paper Guess it'll b Finance. But K is not a great place 4 Finance placements, at least going by last yr. But funnily enough the Finance dept has grt faculty. K has this reputation of being a Sys place, but the IT and Sys profs here r lousy. We do have good guest faculty though - some guys from US univs come over 2 teach ERP for the 4th term.
gtg. class in 5 min !
Ravi
Since Ravi has put it all so succintly, I don't think I have much to add. What I find the toughest here is keeping awake in class. As at all b-schools sleep is at a premium, and when we have one guy who thinks that his is the only paper we have, it gets kind of tough.
We're all settled in, and getting to know each other. And this time K has done a complete turnaround and picked a batch with > 50% freshers. Profs teaching us are kinda good, with marketing and operations by far the best. IT as Ravi said is lousy.
Got to go now, or Ravi will have me for not preparing for the case discussion
Adios
Hi PGites !
Ravi and coldfusion have covered a lot ! but let's c if i can add more......
1. night life at K is real fun. typically any extra curricular activities start at 9. all interest groups etc are scheduled then. Anyone feeling sleepy ( if at all ) after these go to night canteen. We have this night canteen with music and all foods and drinks. Typically case discussions and etc take place here if not on the room. This is the place where all the birthday and other small parties are held.
2. We have been having a number of parties. my count is 4 by now. they are held with all music and masti typically on saturday nights. it goes till 4 in the morning !
3. K-special. though the frequency has reduced now but we have beautiful foggy nights. u feel real good. with the campus lit in fog. It's sight to see !
4. We have four hostels as of now. u find people playing TT @ 2 in the night. the hostel let's say is in full swing @ 2. we have two categories valley facing rooms and nonvalley facing room. lucky juniors ( i am one of them ) or seniors get the valley facing rooms and the scene from rooms is real nice.
5. we had our elections for all committees just an hour before. i am also participating. Results due in 3 hours. guess there will be fun after that.
6. Lastly watching people sleep in class is real fun. we have innovative ideas in how to sleep and be not caught. it is quite a job to keep up with a prof.
Subjects :
operations is the killer !
marketing cases are real good !
eco u feel understand everthing but grades prove that u dont !
there's lot more but i guess i better go and study them now cause we have got mid-terms next week.
ok
bye for now
Atrangi
HI Ravi,
Great to hear from u pal, after quite some time. Keep posting.....
Cheers,
Sandy A.
Midterms are done. Don't think it could have been worse. Can't say all the papers were tough. But then my performance is nothing worth writing home about.
Eco looked more like algebra than anything else and after straight F's in quizzes, I hope for some respite. Maybe the eco guru Ravi did better, but I haven't seen him since then Organizational Behavior was cryptic, global gyan with "word limits" - as tough as you can get 😞 . About the rest the less said the better. And Manac - you guessed it- it never tallies
Tonight we PARTY and tomorrow we go right back to the grind.
--Signing off --
Hi guys.
As Coldfusion said, Mid-terms r over and we've started getting results 😞 So far it has been a mixed bag 4 me !
There r some things that i find weird - any research 4 any project seems 2 b carried out with just 1 source - the Net ! What did people do b4 the net ? life must have been tough. Now, if v get a tough case (paerticularly HBR ones), people rush 2 surf the net and download half a dozen solns and wade thru these 4 inspiration. Yeah - this doesn't help the learning process, but grades rule ! sad, but true ! And adding to that is the fact that a minute saved in this way is a minute u can relax and have fun or work on sthng else (which u don't have answers to )
There r people who google everything ! any word or phrase they don't know, they google it ! Admirable but me - i'm 2 lazy 4 that i'd rather ask the resident gurus on gyan abt sthng i don't know !
BTW, atrangi, I and Coldfusion r all in the same class - luckily 4 us, that is the easy going class - no CAs, and not many swotters ! So pretty relaxed and friendly bunch! When we were offered a choice of having a close book test or an open book test, our class voted 4 an open book. The other class was overwhelmingly 4 a closed book and we ended up having it their way ! They wanted it closed bcoz it'll benefit people who've been putting in regular work. God - if this is what competition turns u into, i don't want any of it
Cheers to the slackers ! Most of us have started trying 2 preserve our bodies by pickling our bodies in alcohol and the slackers r leading the charge !
Ravi
Sweeet post mate ! Haven't seen such a post in soo long .. Looks like you're getting back into the grove..
I was wondering about that google thingie myself. May be they should block google.com and then it should be fun to see how it goes ? Try dropping a proposal to the diro
No google for a week.. Wouldn't it be nice to see how you folks get the projects done 😛
pagalguy SaysI was wondering about that google thingie myself. May be they should block google.com and then it should be fun to see how it goes ? Try dropping a proposal to the diro
ROFL..!!! yeah if the ppl there really use Google..then sure block it ;-)
Be Indian..Use Indian..try http://www.rediff.com
anyway nice post there Ravi.. :-)
God - if this is what competition turns u into, i don't want any of it
Cheers to the slackers ! Most of us have started trying 2 preserve our bodies by pickling our bodies in alcohol and the slackers r leading the charge !
amen!!
LOL.....couldn't agree more with some aspects of the post pal...... life before googling came into being sure must have been tuf....
Now, if v get a tough case (paerticularly HBR ones), people rush 2 surf the net and download half a dozen solns and wade thru these 4 inspiration.
u bet that surely doesn't help the learning process..... but the shameless creature that i am, links
: 😉 and regarding googling......i've seen the strangest of things happenin here when it comes to using the net to research....
Cheers
ps: good post pal...... 😃
Hi guys.
More detail abt courses and stuff like that. we have 9 subjects this term.
1. Organizational Behavior (not my fave sub )
2. Operations Mgmt ( Amazing Prof 4 this - guy called saji Gopinath - if u want Ops K is a grt place 2 b) BTW this is really 1 2nt term course, v just had it in term 1 bcoz Saji is going 2 AIM 4 research and won't b here during term2.
3. Management Accounting - Tough paper as v don't get 2 do 2 many egs. in class
4. Social transformation of India - Amazing Prof - great subject 2 get 2 really know abt India - especially 4 people like me - i didn't have a clue abt what India is really like till this paper
5. IT - sthng what people here call a "Global gyan" paper - all stuff like "what can the internet do 4 u as a Mgr" etc
6. Quantitative Methods : Essential paper 4 all the Fin. guys - 1 Prof is good and the other is rank bad
7. Managerial communication: Half of this damn paper is all theory - imagine going thru diagrams detailing the 5 step process 2 communicating the other half has just started. Now it looks like the rest of it'll b fun - all practical stuff
8. MicroEconomics : Amazing Profs - both of them ! And as u might have guessed from earlier posts, this is my personal fave 4 this term
9. Marketing Management: Good Prof - though some girls find it uncomfortable when he cracks suggestive jokes in class ! He does it 2 drive home a point though - and u'll never 4get it having learnt it this way
Ravi
PGites - uncork the champagne ! And let us hope the forum continues to be a source of inspiration and a rallying point for all the CAT aspirants out there! Thanks a million to Allwin for this wonderful forum that he has created. And which has lived because of widespread support from a lot of people - important contributors were Bingo, Bharat, Gaurav and of course Aisha and PG himself - - modesty isn't one of my virtues so i'll count myself too as one of the people who contributed to te forum in its infancy
I hope the new entrants to the forum will remain as enthusiastic as we were. And the alumni is not doing a good job - yeah, including me! I hope this will change when summer internship intws start and we can give some insider info
Ravi
Hmmm....
Well it seems ravi is right... where is the rest of the alumni ??? As for Ravi's analysis of the courses and profs, not much to disagree on. But for one case. I do not consider both eco profs amazing . I could never keep myself awake through the first half of the course. Well... a matter of perspective.
This is kind of redundant but happy birthday PG.com. Kind of miss being an insider here, due to lack of time. The place has been taken over by the next batch and going by the posts seems to lack nothing from it. If anything quality of interaction seems to have improved manifold. Keep up the good work guys and this place will see many more birthdays to come.
The pace here is heating up now. Three weeks to go for the first term, and a lot of project work pending :-(. Summer placement preps in full swing, and so are extra-currs. A volleyball tournament doing the rounds. Along with the classes, cases and the quizzes, 24 hours is no way near enough.
Got to run now. This is by far as much as I can type. Kotler beckons ...
Hi folks,
found this write up at someother website
"Why am I doing MBA?"
- by Lalit kumar
After more than a year of introspection, self-realization and complete scanning of my mindspace, and then dissecting my 'needs' gingerly on Maslow's hierarchy, I have reached 'the conclusion' as to what I am doing here. Read on -
I am here for the money!
I vividly recall the imploring look on my project manager's face when I handed over my resignation at infy, "Stay on Lalit, you will be moving to Austin shortly for Schlumbergers project." I gave him a contemptuous look... Poor soul! Doesn't even realize that I am destined for higher things in life - consulting, investment banking and so on.
Well, after an year, the economy is picking up but unfortunately consulting & investment banking sectors are kinda small and software sector is kinda big; even Infy is recruiting massively again...
"You get monkeys, if you pay peanuts"... please, please, please, look closely at my face... don't I look like a monkey? Recruit me please.
I am here for the Holy Grail, 'gyan'!
I am here for learning, the quest to be a complete professional .
A month after I moved in last year, I noted in my diary -
"It has hardly been one and a half months since I joined IIMK, but the learning has been immense. I have realized the value of teamwork and learning together, sharing what you know with others, and appreciating other's viewpoints as well. I have learnt to be on my toes always, ready to face quizzes, or complete assignments or make presentations in a jiffy. I have learned to view things in proper perspective with 'the big picture' always in mind. Blah blah blah..."
Day before yesterday I noted down -
"Porter has become famous for his 5 forces, Kotler has his 4 P's, Ohmae has given his 3 C's... well Lalit is on his way to stardom with his 3 Z's -
Zero in - customers are like prey & you as a marketer are the hunter... zero in on your customer with full 'armory'.
Zoom - surge ahead your competitors by zooming past them... you ought to have Ferrari if you dream of taking on those 'big guys' out there.
Zzz... - never ever... (sleep), otherwise you will be overwhelmed by change... you know, most organizations die coz they are not able to adapt to changing external environment and not able to handle the negative 'externalities'."
I pat myself on the back; here is another management guru in the making.
I am here to hone my decision-making skills!
Every morning at dot 9 am, I am faced with a critical decision problem - to take a bath or rush for breakfast, or to have both bath and breakfast, or to have neither. After a quick debit & credit in my bath and breakfast accounts and a careful evaluation of my alternatives on SWOT and tracing the value-chain & cost-benefit analysis, I rush headlong for the class to take on 'the day'... naah it's not just another day, it's the day appointed for rendezvous with strategic management!
I am here to live 'life in the fast lane'!
Mr. Robinson of Stanford ('Snapshots from hell') was all nuts handling 4-5 courses in a semester, and here I am juggling 8 courses per semester... yes, I have handled pressure cooker stress with utmost ease... it's a different matter that few of the books are so valuable that I have preserved them brand new for posterity... I have cases, assignments, projects... you see, I slept at 3 am yesterday, coz I was stuck with that crucial presentation... (You scumbag, what you had in mind...?)
I am here for the 'damsels'!
One nanosecond of fever and it's gone... wasn't Infy a paradise in comparison? I curse my friend who had shown me the beauties in Symbi's prospectus, forcing me to believe B-schools are heaven for 'single and looking'.
I am here for Nirvana!
Yes, it's time to adopt a realistic attitude - when one has seen it all, one turns inward to attain moksha. I am in that state of bliss. All great men have been enlightened under one tree or the other - Buddha had his bodhi tree, Newton had his apple tree. Unfortunate for me, I have attained nirvana even before I can dash to the nearest coconut tree.
* All characters in this narrative are fictional and any resemblance to anyone living is purely incidental.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributed by -
Lalit kumar,
2nd yr. student,
IIM Kozhikode.
Regards,
Chandoo
Well, that was written by our resident Quizmaster and Bard, sometime back. Quiet aptly describes life@IIMK, though probably a bit pessimistic. Maybe having written it close to the end of the term would explain it.
Our end terms are almost over. Just MANAC to go. And then a week of complete utter bliss . How time flies.
I would have kept this post for tomorrow, but then that would be like bolting the stable after the horse has fled (that is the expression isn't it ). His Excellency the prez of India, the one and only Abdul Kalam is coming a visiting tomorrow. The campus is completely abuzz with activity, only we have an exam. The place is all decked out. It's unrecognizable almost 😃 . And the place is brimming over with policemen.
Keep watching this space. A more detailed report follows
Hi guys.
Today just proved that I am an enggr after all. I managed to screw up so bad at accounts that i think i really might end up with an F !!! 😞
The placements seen looks bad - just about 12-13 companies have confirmed 4 summers. Optimists say that the numbers will go up by the time it actually starts in Oct. I hope they r right ! With a batch of 120 IIMK is sure to have trouble otherwise. IIM aspirants, be warned - the picture isn't as rosy as it seems from outside. I hadn't had any great illussions about million rupee salaries or IB jobs. And it looks like even a half-decent job paying more than my last one might be difficult I hope i am wrong about this, though. More info on this once the laterals 4 the seniors starts in oct along with our summers.
Ravi
Hi guys.
Summers process started yesterday and our friend Atrangi got into GE Caps on day 0 ! Three cheers 2 him 😁 Mukesh was one of 8 people GE picked up. Those guys were delighted with K. Good news 4 placements next year, i guess.
ICICI Bank had a shortlist from which they whittled down with a test based on, believe it or not, CAT style Only grace was that u could use a calc.
Asian Paints started with a list of 56 and then finally took in one guy ! Hardly seems worthwhile coming all this way 4 just 1 chap.
Urs truly is having a tough time - it seems a s/w guy who wants 2 major in Finance is not really in demand Well - a lot more companies r supposed 2 come. V have a rolling placements and not a placement week 4 summers, so u can go on hoping till end of Jan that somebody'll pick u up Looks like it might come 2 that 4 me. There r a bunch of us who haven't made it to a single shortlist yet (5 have been out as of now -Godrej, Wipro and the 3 others already mentioned)
Term 2 starts 2mrw. Supposedly a laid back term - just 6 papers. V have Macro Eco, Business Ethics, OB-2, Financial Management (supposed 2 b the best paper in term 2 taken by our PGP Chairman Uday Damodaran who is reputed 2 b a fin whiz), MAnagement Accounting 2 (no escaping from accounting yet 😞 ) , Operations Research (our Director is rumored 2 have agreed 2 take a few of the classes 4 this. He is an Ops legend)
A gym has come up and luckily it is on my floor If nothing else i can start working out again !
Ravi