It was around this time last year that I was busy preparing my application for ISB. The amount of time spent over analyzing each essay, reading and re-reading same essays till you felt no one could like it, running after the recommenders and begging them to complete the recommendation without being pushy (it could affect what they wrote about you). One of the difficulties in writing essays is trying to defend what you have written if you have not thought through it enough. Wondering the number of different questions that the AdComm could ask...it was an arduous task.

The BITSIAN community was a real help to all the BITSians who applied last year, there are 11 of us here at ISB. Preparing together often acts as a motivation to get the job done. The concept is even more prevalent in a B-school in the context of interviews.

The interview took place in The Taj Hotel in Delhi, and it was a really chilly day. I remember meeting other candidates there, but it was difficult to strike up a conversation given the fact that some of them were nervous, others writing an essay and yet others pacing the room. We had an essay to write, something in 50 words, and the topic was such that you definitely couldn't do justice to it in the time and space provided.

My interview had gone well, but my interviewer left ISB this year, and I would have really liked to know about the answers to the questions he had asked. I remember feeling relaxed, as they chatted with me and the whole process went smoothly, it got over in 25 - 30 minutes.

I am recounting this, as it is time for the cycle 1 deadline and all ISB aspirants gear up to face the challenge of the Admission process.

Good luck to all!
One of the things to remember is, "failures are the pillars of success".

:)

There is a similarity in lives led, and when you talk to a person, it is sometimes uncanny to find that situations leading to a decision were very similar in both lives, repeated in different geographies.
I was talking to my friend here, and when she described her reasons to pursue higher studies, her job and experiences...there was a common thread that I was surprised to find. Which is heartening to note, that our experiences are really not so unique.

Joe Liemandt, the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Trilogy, Inc. came visiting the students the other day and talked of his journey from being in the garage and developing configurators with his five friends to being a billion dollar company.
His 1 point agenda was to convince us to become entrepreneurs, "to get up, and start". He had dropped out of Stanford to do that, and asked us all to do the same.
In entrepreneurship, "the highest of highs and the lowest of lows are within 30 secs of each other". To prove his point he told us his story, and he is an amazing orator, in fact bordering on theatrical. His actions, voice, everything makes for a great story telling. From being doomed when asked to show the Demo of his product as he was sure it wouldn't work, to getting the contract, coz it worked (! - a probability of 1 in a billion at that time), Joe has come a long way.
His story on credit cards, the quirks of law was as interesting to hear as was his dad's opinion on him when he had dropped out ( " You are a complete moron").

All in all, a great way to pass an hour. A fundamental requisite of entrepreneurship is the blinding belief that that the idea would work, as the support base wanes with time.
Another interesting observation that I made from the several talks that I have been to - is the importance of a garage. You need it, not for your cars, but to make an empire. Apple, Trilogy, and several others was born in someone' sgarage.

It is September...and I cannot believe it!
Time just zips past in this place.

Term 3 is over, term break went by (was at ISB), and now jumped into Term 4. The last of the core terms...

Management of Organization course made us fly paper planes and it was such fun. To understand the working of organizations, big and small, you gotto work to gether to get the idea.

Was reading the book "Blink", and it was informative to know about the idea of "thin-slicing".

Lots of work to do...mostly thinking. And there never seems to be any time. Sometimes, it is hard to find answers to all the questions that trouble the mind. Makes you so desparate to settle those confusions... Makes me appreciate those who know the answer.