Remembering The Prep Days...

May 27, I landed at IIMA for the preparatory program. There were 17 people selected for the FPM program. The next 3 weeks were spent in developing communication skills (???), fundas of mathematics, managerial accounting (supposed to reduce our workload for the first term!) and computing skills... (this too… to reduce our first term workload!!)
The prep course was fun... it gave some idea about the pressures ahead … Some assignments were submitted... some presentations given… We are still awaiting the results of many of those assignments!

Our prep course was clubbed with the ABM students (Agri-business). This only added to the fun… We encountered some fun profs like Prof. T. Madhavan, Prof. Sanjay Verma, some fun TAs- all from the communication department.

High stress was given to developing communication skills... (meant more assignments, more work, etc.!) On the commencement of the first term, we all realized that all that, was valuable time lost. At least I'm not utilizing even 5 % of the communication skills ‘developed’.
We also had an outing to a resort to unwind ourselves for the weekend.

We had a gap of 4 days between the end of the prep course and the start of the first term. I chose not 2 go home so that I cud cover up some more ground and be better prepared for the first term. But those 4 days were spent sleeping… sleeping... and more sleeping!

So, I was better prepared in terms of sleep for the first term!!

End Of First Term Vacations (Remembering The Path To Ahmedabad)

Calling the 7-day break a ‘vacation’ may seem a bit weird... but that’s the IIMA style. After the grueling first term, even a 2 –day break seems like a vacation.
The exams were a mere formality to be completed to proceed on to the vacation.
So, I’m at Nashik at my sister’s place... cooling my heels... licking my wounds… and recharging myself for the next term. Let me recount my first term… or even better... let me recount my journey to IIMA…

I was working with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) since 2002… was posted at a power plant at Kaiga, near Karwar (try to get that from the map!)

Got bored of my job after sometime (operating a nuclear reactor didn’t hold my interest for long!) So I decided to take the CAT... trying to study during the small amount of free time I got while working. Took the CAT in 2004, 2005, 2006… Kept improving my scores from 88% to 94.5% to 97.45%… While filling up the 2006 form, I thought why not try for the FPM program. Some of the fields looked interesting and the faculty was an obvious attraction. I applied to three IIMs - A, B, I (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Indore). The CAT percentile ensured calls from all three for the FPM program in the area related to Production & Quantitative Methods.

Interview dates for IIM-B and IIM-I clashed. So I decided to appear for the IIM-B interview. I felt that my interview went off well as they asked me about basic mathematics and use of operation management techniques in my job. The next interview was that of IIM-A. The difference between the two was that IIM-B’s area focused on the operations side. But A’s area was focused on both operations and quantitative methods. My preparation for quantitative methods was absolutely zilch. Even though QM was one of my favorite subjects in my engineering, I had been out of touch for nearly 5-6 years. The interview committee grilled me royally on QM, work experience, operations… the ordeal went on for around 45 minutes. I was totally devastated after the interview. I didn’t attend the dinner meeting that day and left for my friend’s place in A’bad.

The days passed by at work. I received the reject info from B’lore... and I was hopeless about Ahmedabad. I decided to go back to the drawing board and try once again next year. My quarter was in a total mess. Hadn’t really attended to it for nearly 3 months!

For a totally fresh beginning, I decided to start with clearing the mess. I had an off day after my evening shift. That was totally devoted to this task. I borrowed a vacuum cleaner to aid me in this herculean task. After 5 hours of hard work, I managed to complete the task. I check my mail… and lo... I receive the offer letter from IIM-A. Out of total disbelief, I confirm the offer from the IIM website and prepare for completion of the formalities.

I resigned from my job; the usual events of send-off parties, exit interviews, etc. followed and on May 16, I left Karwar for the last time.

The next 10 days were really good. Enjoyed the comfort of home and tried to orient myself towards rigorous studies ahead.

4 Exams Done With... 3 More To Go!!

Up at this hour...
Studying for the exams today... (only 6 hrs away)... basically, bored of studying...
An extremely good combination of Managerial Computing and Quantitative Methods!!!

Our skills of computing are tested on paper...
and our skills of mathematical modeling are tested through objective questioning in QM...

Things couldn't be worse than this...
The basic benefit of a computer is lost in the process... and grades get screwed in QM if you make one wrong calculation!

The good part of tomorrow's exams is... studying doesn't make a difference...
So we were watching the opening T20 game between South Africa and West Indies...
A brilliant batting display by Chris Gayle overshadowed by crappy captaincy by Ramnesh Sarwan!!
Hope India does well... they better do .. 'Coz I would be at home watching the matches...

The best part of tomorrow's exams is... Only one exam left b4 I head home...

HOME SWEET HOME!!!!!

End Terms!!!!

6 hrs before the first end term exam...
Exam tensions have decreased manifold after the mid-terms... Everyone says that the 'give up' attitude creeps in after the mid term results are announced... But, I don't think so... me thinks it's just the fatigue factor... Lotsa studies in the pre-mid-term sessions have effectively drained almost all of our resources and reserves.

Tomorrow's exam... (I mean today's!!!) is somewhere related to Operations Management...
Tried to study for the exam... but found there is no definitive answer to any question nor is there a definitive question for any answer... so, after racking our brains on the old question papers (which somehow seem totally brand new when you try to solve them!) we finally decided to chill out and watch Andaaz Apna Apna!!! That was the best part of the preparation.

The other exam is WAC (will be explained later) which is whackier than any subject I've ever come across... The lesser the time you devote to it, the better your grades would be! My future blog posts would shed some more light on this whacky experience!!

So... it's time for me to sleep... and prepare to tackle tomorrow's bouncers...

Byee!!!

End Term Preparations

It is thought that after mid-terms, students lose interest and become more lax in their approach to the programme here. I initially thought this will surely not happen with me. But the pre-mid terms are so taxing on one's mental ability that the inevitable happens.

One of my fav subjects of the pre -mid-terms was Economics... highly logical, easy to understand and grasp and with interesting concepts. I was in touch with Eco throughout pre-mid-term. Post mid-term, a day before the exams, I actually tried to find out what I should study for the end terms. A break after the mid-terms is desperately needed to maintain the intensity in the students and also the usefulness of the sessions.

So here I am, at 3 in the morning, tired of studying Eco and accounting, writing a blog...

Tomorrow's day is going to b even longer... trying to study operations management... one critical course for me as regards my core subject... so, gotta sleep now... get some energy for the next day.

I'll continue my recounting of the first term experience sharing some very memorable incidents in class... later...

Bye!!!

WOW!! 2 Days On The Trot...

Lotsa studyin to do as the end terms come closer... (oops! they are almost here...)
it's been only a month since the mid-terms ended and we are faced with the next dose of exams...

The tension in the students is much less maybe because they have got bored of giving so many exams!!! At least, I have...

Lotsa remedial sessions (will be explained later sometime) to make up for the course lost during sleep (both in class and out of it!) Lotsa intensive discussion sessions to make sense of the textbooks, old question papers and the subject in general... It's just too hectic...

Makes me close my eyes and go to sleep...

And that's what I'm gonna do now... wake up tomorrow for some more mugging (again... will be explained in detail later!)

Byee!!!

After A Long Timeeeeeee...

Me back after a long time ......
what was I up to?...

Not much...
Got into IIM-A for the fellow programme (FPM)...
So very busy with studies...
Looking to finish the first year with the required grades to actually begin my journey towards higher learning from the next year...

IIM-A seems a lot different from inside. There's no doubt about the quality of faculty or about the caliber of the participants, but I still felt that IIM-A would be radically different from the others in all respects.

Let me recount the beginning of my journey at IIMA.

There are rituals conducted by the 'so-called' PGP-2s to induct the new students into the IIM-A environment. I was not at all convinced by the necessity of those rituals and made my point aptly clear to many, of course many didn't and still don't subscribe to my viewpoint. Well, different people got to have different viewpoints...
So, things went on as usual (IIMA-usual!!) with quizzes, projects, assignments, etc. etc,. etc... The actual traits of the class actually comes to the fore when the grades of the quizzes are disclosed. This is where I thought IIMA would be different. Most of these guys (I don't consider myself a PGP... as for me, grades are meant only to get to the next year...) are solely aimed at grades as they are their passport to the 'Crore' galleries. I thought IIM-A would devise a much better way to impart learning.

Class Participation: One important issue for the grades are the class participation marks (CPs). I, personally don't like to interrupt the professor during his lectures... Somehow, my engineering days seem to continue with me even when the profs ask questions (general to the class... questions to specific students are termed as 'cold calls')... so, I generally tend to keep quiet in the class. Asking questions to the prof seems perfectly fine to me as long as the question is valid. The concept of CP dilutes this aspect of learning to such a level that most classes get totally disoriented and directionless because of the frequent, illogical interruptions.

Professors:
One professor I would mention here more than anyone else is, Prof. Sunil Maheshwari. He is truly a GOD. Imparting learning on HR is the toughest and Sunil Sir the best anyone can ever get. After working in the industry for close to 5 years and being totally disillusioned by the HR practices of my ex-employer, I was in no way looking forward to HR classes. But, the structured classes interspersed with his own experiences and the basic level interpretation of HR practices made me eagerly await each of his sessions. This was the most productive and useful course so far.


I will continue with my journey later...
May be a week later... when I would be enjoying holidays after the end term exams!!!...