MY IDEAL B-SCHOOL

It has been quite a while now, since I have been surfing [ for the lack of a better word :) ] the websites of some of the top B-schools in the world - each one unique in its own way & each presenting itself in the best possible light.

It was somewhere down the course of this endeavour that I realized something really basic & important - which I guess any prospective B-School aspirant should, before starting his dream-school surf ( oops!! I mean RESEARCH :) ]

This is to have a broad idea of his/her IDEAL B-School. 

At first look, this seems like a trivial exercise, a sheer waste of time - but in hindsight I realize that this exercise greatly reduces my effort of schools-research. I am sure everyone would be going through the same phase of going through the school websites - trying to figure out as to whether this one fits the bill....Having a broad idea of your ideal B-School makes us figure out things more quickly and efficiently.

I reflected on my life so far , and my likes/dislikes and tried to figure out a perfect school for me. So here it goes..........a ready reckoner for the dummies :)

I have figured out a way to map my ideal B-School with my personality traits - so as to find the perfect fit.

DISCLAIMER :This list is a personal choice and in no way a universal rule. Please use it at your own risk :) . However I would like to specify that the THOUGHT PROCESS going behind it is more important than the points listed below.

An IDEALISTIC REALIST:

I am an idealistic realist - surprised!!! yeah there is this kind. I want to go to a school - which is high on the ethical values & moral standards , whose mission goes beyond getting its graduates plum jobs, which has a culture for giving, which contributes to the individuals, organizations & society at large.

Yet at the same time, it is not caught up in the idealistic façades & moralistic rigidness. The school should be able to find a way in this imperfect world to get the job done - because the greater good is the most important thing.

Hence a School Mission and Culture is the most important thing.

RESEARCH DRIVEN & RIGOROUS CURRICULUM + FLEXIBILITY

As a career switcher with very less know-how of the 'management' sciences , I would want to go to a school - which has  a very strong core curriculum. This will not only help me build my core competencies - critical reasoning & thinking skills , decision-making under uncertainity, team-building skills , communication & leadership - but will also give me a base for my second year electives.

Now it is difficult to differentiate between schools - as all claim to have strong core curriculum. In a way their claims are true - as most top B-School have really strong core curriculum. However some of the key differentiators would be:

• Contemporary Curriculum : A B-School curriculum should reflect the times of the era it is in. It would be sheer waste of effort to teach students  a curriculum - which is not relevant in today's times. Hence once should watch out the for the updates on the curriculum.
• Exceptional faculty : Most top B-Schools have really exceptional faculty - outstanding scholars, experts in their fields. But the key differentiator is - whether a B-School student gets to take the classes of these famous professors or they are only reserved for the Phd or the Doctorate students.
• Research in Curriculum: One should also find out about the kind of research being done in the school. Nobody wants to go to a school which are simply graduates-producing industries. Recent awards & distinctions are good indicators in this field. Also , one needs to find out how much of this research is amalgamated in the B-School curriculum. In a cutting edge field as management - one needs to be updated with the recent innovations and developments - and what is a better way to learn about them than to do it in the  classroom.
• Flexible Curriculum: This is a non-issue as most B-Schools provide a lot of flexibility in terms of course curriculum. However it would be nice to find out the various electives on offer at your school. For people like me- who are unsure about their electives - a nice way to do this to find the Electives(you are interested in) at some of the Top B-Schools & then set them as a benchmark. After that one just needs to compare the electives of any school with that benchmark.

Hence 2nd most important thing - Research oriented  + rigorous + flexible Curriculum.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING:

The ultimate challenge of the management education is to determine " whether this would work in the real world". Hence only classroom theory and learning would do us no good. One needs to learn to put this knowledge in use in the real-world problems. This would give us the best-possible realistic simulation of the professional life after school. Hence one needs about the experiential learning opportunities in the school - internships , professional clubs , Real-life workshops, international opportunities etc. etc. The list is endless....

The crux is to determine the industry-led opportunites in the school. The school's website is the best place for this....

Hence 3rd most important thing - Experiential Learning opportunities.

SUPERIOR CAREER SERVICES & INTERNATIONAL LOANS(pref without co-signer)

A MBA education is a life-transforming educational experience. However, at the same time it can be a costly affair as well. Hence planning in advance does make that  ride a little easier.

One needs to find about the International Loan programs in the top-schools. Some of the top-10 US schools have full-tuition loans available. However, one needs to aware of this fact - that scholarships, if any in a B-School are few and very competitive to grab. Hence finances need to be planned well in advance.

At the same time, one needs to find about the employment statistics at the school. It always helps to have a superior career services - which can help in your professional development, erasing out the lines in your personality, resume preparation, networking skills & placements.

After all, everyone needs to pay those big loans :)

LOCATION & LIFE outside Classroom:

If you exclude the top 10 Schools , location of the school has a big bearing on your future employment. For internationals, it is always safer to opt for a school in a big city than in a remote village. Compounded by the fact, that I am a city-boy , a B-School in a big city is the obvious choice for me.

Moreover, one should also look out for the life outside the classroom. Professional Clubs & Extra-curricular activities are indicators in this direction. Apart from the providing us the right networking opportunities with present students, faculty & alumni, it also provides with a life-long friendships : something which is really important for me.

So this is what my ideal B-School must look like. I hope I do end up in one of my dream B-School. 

Till then....

Bon Voyage......

B-School : WARPED Sense of Reality

I recently went through an article on B-Schools by Alex Chu.  The article talked about Wall-Street and its ill-famed investment bankers , the current financial conundrum, the negative public sentiments against the financial-services industry, and the utter tone-deaf attitude of the financial aristocrats..

The article hit a raw nerve inside me , and made me look at the context in a broader view-point, which is independent, disconnected and impartial. While it was saddening to see the author juxtaposing the 'Wall-Streeters' to the B-School students, it did bring to light an important topic-quite relevant in today's business world - The relevance of B-School Education.

While the article makes for an interesting reading , I think it falls short of presenting the topic both equivocally and impartially. Lets dissect it :) :)

As a former investment banker, I experienced firsthand how an insular and self-referential culture could lead to a warped sense of reality......The Wall Street culture becomes so self-referential that investment bankers assume everyone else shares the same level of hypercompetitiveness, nihilism, and preoccupation with money as they do

Even if we assume that, all said above is true the bankers, it also is a fact that the same holds true for other industries as well. If being hypercompetitve, nihilistic etc. etc. can make a banker a Warped Owl, so it can to other professionals. Why isn't professionals from other industries - behave the same as the bankers do? This can only lead to two conclusions - wrong assumptions or wrong conclusion :)

The article further talks about how in a similar way the B-Schools are being made a soft target, and that the Schools should learn from the Wall-Street obliviousness. 

to be continued......................

How to choose an Ideal B-School

Thanks to MadBubbles for this informative article on the B-School selection.


I am sure , anyone who is ready to take that all important decision will find this article really informational and helpful. I surely did....


Thanks MAddyBubbles :)

Update- Story ready

I am ready with my story for the B-School Application. Its a milestone - an achievement. Bravo!!!!!! :)


Now lets get down to putting it on work and paper.


Phir Milenge!!!!

IT is a bright, warm & Sunny Morning outside

and I am happy and content - content to start my dreams afresh , content to work stronger on my relationships , content to believe in myself.


The bright sunny rays outside , with the chirping of birds in the background - all cheer me up , all prod me to look at things in a new light- in a bright shining hue, to look at the good things in life you have been blessed with, to the amazing and diverse people you have met , associated  and lived with all your life.


Reflecting on these moments makes you feel content and hopeful. Hope is a good thing. Hope is man's best chance in times of adversity, in times of trials & in times of tribulations. So I am hopeful - hopeful about my ambitions, hopeful about making a change in this world, hopeful about making my relationships stronger and deeper, hopeful about bringing a smile somewhere, hopeful about sharing grief and spreading love.


So lets this new day begin - for I am bright, sunny, happy,content & hopeful :)


Bon Voyage.

Life - Life - Life - You are my greatest teacher

LIFE - It is just a  4 letter word , but it takes 4 ages to comprehend it.

Life - with its twist and turns, with its smiles and tears , with its success and failures - brings out the best in everyone - sooner or later.

Its a humbling experience , a learning opportunity and an exciting kamikaze. With its sudden dead turns, smooth curves & deep pits - it makes your journey one hell of a ride. The key here  is - to go with the flow - to rise with crests & to fall with troughs.

It might be - a smooth sail at times or, it may be a rough weather storm at other. But the takeaway is to enjoy it to the fullest. Never miss a moment , never miss a beat - for one who does , misses the lead. The lead to the next destination , to the next stop, to the next milestone. For only the sailor can see new lands , the driver can see new roads & a tourist can see new towns.

Enjoy , Be happy and Calm, and Learn......

Adios

The world is all there waiting for you to unravel. Go reach out , enjoy and make the best of your time on this Planet Earth. Let the samba begin. :)

Kellogg - Not just selling on me

Kellogg - The Graduate Business School at the North-Western University at Evanston.


It has been over 30 minutes - that I have been at the Kellogg Website - going through the programs, history, culture, school life - but somehow it is just not selling on to me. Am I freak, psycho? Am I wrong to say: "One of the best B schools - with 100years of history behind it, with its alumni spanned all over the globe , with its distinguished & reputed faculty - is just not SELLING on to me". Any comments would be surely welcome. You would be my hero - just for a day though :)


It seems like I am comparing the different programs. I guess need to focus on what I want & what the program offers? Bingo.....


Let's get back to work...

BSchool Research - Trudging along

Today was good start....I played snakes & ladders with my 5 yr old niece in the morning for a start....feels good to be a kid all over again...moreover the smile on her face makes up for everything...For an update she won 2-1...Never mind.


I started to research in my prospective B schools today. I am going to start with the BIG 5 ( as does everyone else :)


My list with no order of preference

• Chicago Booth School of Business
• Wharton - Upenn
• Kellog- NWU
• Stanford GSB
• HBS - not sure if I even have the priviledge to consider it :) . But whatever, atleast lets get the taste of the thing.

Got to get back to work..Ciao

FACTS & FIGURES

Finally, finally & finally......


After days of procastination & laziness , finally I made some movement on the application front.


I started to list down the facts & figures of my life. Thanks to Juggler for the brilliant idea. Thanks a ton :)


I will log off...Need to work hard...


Good Night....

HAITI - A Challenge

Earthquakes can be devastating, debilitating & demotivating. They can test the best in us – our strength, our patience, our compassion & our love. They are horrific, heart-wrenching natural spectacles – thrusted upon us by no fault of our own. They destroy our buildings, our schools, our hospitals, our homes, but above all, they break the human spirit –the constant fighter, the Ninja warrior, the core of all human growth, progress &  development.

Haiti Earthquake 2010 is one of these human miseries – which we collectively face today as a human race.

On Jan 12, 2010 Haiti was hit by a earthquake, a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Its epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. As of Feb. 12, an estimated three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Government reports that between 217,000 and 230,000 people had been identified as dead, an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 homeless. The death toll is expected to rise. They also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. It is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. This has made the conditions in Haiti even worse. Following the quakes, thousands have been rendered homeless, sleeping in the streets of Port-au-Prince. According to the International federation of the Red Cross – more than 3 million people need emergency aid. Witnesses described dazed survivors wandering the streets holding hands amid choking clouds of dust, as powerful aftershocks continued to rock the city.

Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel. Communication systems, air, land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the earthquake, which hampered rescue and aid efforts; confusion over who was in charge, air traffic congestion, and problems with prioritization of flights further complicated early relief work. Port-au-Prince's morgues were quickly overwhelmed; tens of thousands of bodies were buried in mass graves. As rescues tailed off, supplies, medical care and sanitation became priorities. Delays in aid distribution led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors.

Aid is still needed. A single cent, a single rupee counts – it can bring the life back on track for the survivors. We understand that it’s not enough – but it still is important, it does make a huge difference, it does bring a smile back on a few faces, if not all.

Miseries no doubt are devastating, debilitating & demotivating, yet they are universal, unifying & uniting.…………

  

Road to Self-Realization - Journey Begins

Road to Knowledge........

Finally I did. Finally I did start on a journey to know myself - a young , enthusiastic , prudent fellow, lost somewhere in this nuances, subtleties of a race. A race called Life.

This blog today is a testament to my journey. A journey which I would have to travel alone - which I must travel alone. A journey that would lead to make me a little more..ummm..the word is "self-realization".

I started this blog today - to document the +'s and -'s in my life. The goals, the desires, the dreams, the tears & the smiles - all will be there , all present, all staring at me.

For a start , I am a regular Indian. Hell No.....I am an ambitious regular Indian - who dreams big - big enough to shake the world, who doesn't believe in the status-quo, who believes that the world around us is not all that BAD....that there is a innate goodness residing inside all of us - a goodness which probably is hidden behind our desires and greed , yet to be honest - it is present & prominently present.

Look Inside.........