Well, the final grades are out and I am pretty much average guy.. not bad prediction at all :)
Showing posts with label currics et all. Show all posts
Showing posts with label currics et all. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Average
Monday, January 18, 2010
Montreal, Molson & Masti!
A quick background: We receive mail from Caleb about John Molson MBA Case Compeitition from Concordia University, Montreal - Elims based on CV and some case. I apply. I get invitation for elims presentation. I end up with wrong slides. Maintain my cool. Get selected to represent NUS.
Cut to: January 1, 2010
What a way to start the year! Flying 32 hours through 2 different countries finally to reach -25 degree celsius from +26 degrees! Finally reach Montreal, Canada! For a person who never saw snow, it was exciting! To see snowflakes! To see inches of snow lying on roads! To feel the feet freezing and mouth go numb! To expose less than 4 square inches of body to open air and with 4 layers of clothing!
We dint do great at the competition but the experience was amazing. A quick quote from roomie - At competitions, either you win prizes or earn experience!
But seriously, never we had been so productive! 3 hours and we could present situation, complications, analysis, alternatives, risks and mitigations and the financials! All without Powerpoint or excel! Thats a different story that we could never adapt so quickly and maintain the level judges expected us to! And with agility, it also promoted thinking outside the box (with concrete proof of things happening inside the box as well) ! But if we had this approach to all case studies in MBA, we would have not only been far more learned but productive and efficient as well!
Not forgetting to mention the best team for so far - a team so diverse, a team so brilliant, a team where complementary skills was not just another adjective - With Hugo on broader strategy, to Suveer on detailed operations and Gaurav on Marketing, my role was mainly to stick with financials and I loved it! Thats in the room! Outside the room, it was a laughter riot! Some phrases will just stick with me for life! And the situations especially with Hugo with darker side! Notable Mentions: Italllyyyy Schooool of Businesss and Have you considered Mexico?
And oh the coach - Paulo Molson.. oops Paulo Magalhaes! A guide and a friend - but most important a great host! How comfortable it feels in a new city when you have such a warm host! Never mind his driving skills :-)
A North American city with great architecture, it seemed so European! And while city was freezing, the underground city concept was very unique! We did not get much time to explore around, but whatever we saw was simply 'beautiful'!
All in all, a trip to remember for all reasons!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
That time of the semester....
Its again 4 weeks to go for finals.... and the professors hav started the compeitition yet again... who will keep the students'most busy.... projects... presentations... games (oh yes, we have simulation games - I suck at these)... assignments... homework.. readings... and of course, the finals...
The major factor though this semester has focussed on grading through out (with exception of Macro Econ) and has the finals would not play a major role in deciding your final grade... that said, this semester the learning also has been better terms of presentations and other non theoretical activities like case studies... And also, with higher emphasis on these, you tend to take it lil more seriously than before... and in subjects you really love, you would not mind going an extra mile...
Was just wondering why should Sem 1 be different?
The major factor though this semester has focussed on grading through out (with exception of Macro Econ) and has the finals would not play a major role in deciding your final grade... that said, this semester the learning also has been better terms of presentations and other non theoretical activities like case studies... And also, with higher emphasis on these, you tend to take it lil more seriously than before... and in subjects you really love, you would not mind going an extra mile...
Was just wondering why should Sem 1 be different?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Sem 2 - Acads, extra currics and school
Too lazy to actively continue writing the blog regularly! Just trying to summarise the first half of the 2nd sem.
Well first things first - you have lot of flexibility to choose the subjects and the timings and the days! As a result, someone like me who cannot rise in morning without a reason takes up all morning classes to ensure that I don't waste my day! However, my friend, Shekhar has taken almost the same subjects and has avoided almost all morning classes! This is what I mean by flexibility!
Coming to subjects - even with finance background and CFA - I have taken mostly all finance courses. Reason - my fundas aint that clear except in corp fin. So some subjects are repetitive but some subjects are eye opener. In some subjects like Macro Econ, its more like a discussion about U.S. printing money and effect of lower consumption on Singapore's economy and hence more practical view. Some subjects like Private Equity are must for me if I have to show an interest in the career. However, my friend, Ankita who is from finance background believes she has to learn more in entrepreneurship courses than in finance!
With flexibility, most of us don't have any reason to complain about any subject! We were given couple of classes before we could add or drop modules! That was good time to decide and hence the batch is now more content about selection of subjects! Finance frogs dont have to think about 4Ps while marketing monkeys are spared with discussion on equity and debt!
The number is also flexible but majority of people whom I know have taken 6 MCs to ensure that next semester can be little lighter for the job hunt process!
So next thing you would guess is about internships - which I shall not talk about in this crisis after receiving more rejects in my inbox that I can count on my fingers! Btw, the number of applications would have crossed half century easily!
The extra currics has picked up this semester - or this is it what I feel? The clubs are trying to do what they can! Its now upon our team to shape what we want to see! All clubs and activities are now active - the marketing guys have come up with this innovative idea of this colorful bulletin board and its wonderful! We, at Fin Club, could only make our board half as attractive! However, I believe trying to get hold of Bloomberg training is one accomplishment I am proud of as a President of Finance Club. Consulting club is all gung ho about cases and guiding wannabe consultants on how to crack case interviews! The social impact club with sports club organised a Futsal tournament (with involvement of Alumni and corporates) to donate the proceeds to patient care centre local hospital! Mentorship process was kicked off with help of Alumni Relationship Team and I found a mentor who works at P.E. firm. And ya, forgot to the most important team - the one which takes care of all fun and happening events at NUS MBA - the student activities team! We have had celebrations for Chinese New Year and Exchange Students Ice Breaking Session over barbeque party!
Guess, I am just trying to show off how cool our MBA Student Council ;-) Check the updated website - http://www.mba.nus.edu.sg/mbaclub/index.htm
How can I forget case compeitions and business plan challenges! I am yet to crack any of them. But one of the teams, including my roomie KC, represented NUS at Microsoft FirenzeChina at Beijing and got covered by Business Times Singapore. Check more out here - http://nusmbabuzz.blogspot.com/2009/01/brief-stunt-with-microsoft.html
I know its a loooong loong post! But just wanted write all that I missed in last two months!
Well first things first - you have lot of flexibility to choose the subjects and the timings and the days! As a result, someone like me who cannot rise in morning without a reason takes up all morning classes to ensure that I don't waste my day! However, my friend, Shekhar has taken almost the same subjects and has avoided almost all morning classes! This is what I mean by flexibility!
Coming to subjects - even with finance background and CFA - I have taken mostly all finance courses. Reason - my fundas aint that clear except in corp fin. So some subjects are repetitive but some subjects are eye opener. In some subjects like Macro Econ, its more like a discussion about U.S. printing money and effect of lower consumption on Singapore's economy and hence more practical view. Some subjects like Private Equity are must for me if I have to show an interest in the career. However, my friend, Ankita who is from finance background believes she has to learn more in entrepreneurship courses than in finance!
With flexibility, most of us don't have any reason to complain about any subject! We were given couple of classes before we could add or drop modules! That was good time to decide and hence the batch is now more content about selection of subjects! Finance frogs dont have to think about 4Ps while marketing monkeys are spared with discussion on equity and debt!
The number is also flexible but majority of people whom I know have taken 6 MCs to ensure that next semester can be little lighter for the job hunt process!
So next thing you would guess is about internships - which I shall not talk about in this crisis after receiving more rejects in my inbox that I can count on my fingers! Btw, the number of applications would have crossed half century easily!
The extra currics has picked up this semester - or this is it what I feel? The clubs are trying to do what they can! Its now upon our team to shape what we want to see! All clubs and activities are now active - the marketing guys have come up with this innovative idea of this colorful bulletin board and its wonderful! We, at Fin Club, could only make our board half as attractive! However, I believe trying to get hold of Bloomberg training is one accomplishment I am proud of as a President of Finance Club. Consulting club is all gung ho about cases and guiding wannabe consultants on how to crack case interviews! The social impact club with sports club organised a Futsal tournament (with involvement of Alumni and corporates) to donate the proceeds to patient care centre local hospital! Mentorship process was kicked off with help of Alumni Relationship Team and I found a mentor who works at P.E. firm. And ya, forgot to the most important team - the one which takes care of all fun and happening events at NUS MBA - the student activities team! We have had celebrations for Chinese New Year and Exchange Students Ice Breaking Session over barbeque party!
Guess, I am just trying to show off how cool our MBA Student Council ;-) Check the updated website - http://www.mba.nus.edu.sg/mbaclub/index.htm
How can I forget case compeitions and business plan challenges! I am yet to crack any of them. But one of the teams, including my roomie KC, represented NUS at Microsoft FirenzeChina at Beijing and got covered by Business Times Singapore. Check more out here - http://nusmbabuzz.blogspot.com/2009/01/brief-stunt-with-microsoft.html
I know its a loooong loong post! But just wanted write all that I missed in last two months!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Collective Responsibility - An Utopia? Not quite!
When people are cribbing about their groups not working efficiently and spending hours on worthless meeting and suffering from improper work allocation and say more than 4 is a crowd, I proudly stand up and say my economics group should be ideal group!
Group members: Ram, Rahul, Saurabh, Suhas, Abhishek, Pavithra and Me.
Number of Assignments Done: 6
Number of Presentations: 2
Number of group meetings: 2
Strategy: Believe in each other to complete the work much before deadline.
Volunteering or Free Riding? I would I say was almost free rider and that was a guilt factor. But I would go ahead and say that we never allocated work to anyone. No one was leader. No one was responsible. Everything was voluntary. To put it in three simple emails which used to come to prior to every submission.
"Done. Please Check"
"Checked and corrected."
"Uploaded"
We collectively knew that someone will do it and we had full faith in ourselves.
Today, when we sit in class after receiving standing ovation from Prof after presentation, I am really really proud to be part of this group. Rarely, in future I will be working in this kind of group - hard working, intelligent, smart, work-horses, and most important who believe in collective responsibility!
Just to end with a quote which we have proved otherwise - "Everyones Responsibility Is No Ones Responsibility" - Not quite True!
Group members: Ram, Rahul, Saurabh, Suhas, Abhishek, Pavithra and Me.
Number of Assignments Done: 6
Number of Presentations: 2
Number of group meetings: 2
Strategy: Believe in each other to complete the work much before deadline.
Volunteering or Free Riding? I would I say was almost free rider and that was a guilt factor. But I would go ahead and say that we never allocated work to anyone. No one was leader. No one was responsible. Everything was voluntary. To put it in three simple emails which used to come to prior to every submission.
"Done. Please Check"
"Checked and corrected."
"Uploaded"
We collectively knew that someone will do it and we had full faith in ourselves.
Today, when we sit in class after receiving standing ovation from Prof after presentation, I am really really proud to be part of this group. Rarely, in future I will be working in this kind of group - hard working, intelligent, smart, work-horses, and most important who believe in collective responsibility!
Just to end with a quote which we have proved otherwise - "Everyones Responsibility Is No Ones Responsibility" - Not quite True!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Blog Update!
For the certain predicted circumstances* in MBA, the blogger has decided to take a small break from the blogging!
Shall see the loyal readers of the blog sometime in early December! Till then pray for me that I survive!
* Includes following things
a) Projects
b) Presentations
c) Reading for Projects
d) Meetings
e) Elections (btw, the horizontals are over and I am eagerly awaiting for verticals and the MBA Club President tomorrow)
f) Working on Projects (Sometimes, I have to)
g) More Meetings
h) Lectures
i) Reading for final terms
j) Chutku (Small) submissions
k) Swinging on the indifference curve (Copyrights belong to KC)
l) Checking and keeping tab of emails for meetings
m) Applying for internships
n) De-stressing (read a Can of Beer)
o) Downloading new bollywood songs
p) Working for Fin Club and Cerebration
q) Apartment Hunting (how could I forget this - this had to come in top 10 things)
r) Travelling from the border of Malaysia to school and back
s) Finding deadlines for internships
t) Chatting at 2 AM about nothing in general
u) Thinking about Mumbai (everything including pollution and trains)
v) Thinking about good food (read ghar ka khana, AMar Juice Centre pav bhaji, mithibai ka dosa and vada pav, Filter kaafi and Kanchipuram idli at RK, pani puri at sahkari bhandar)
w) Thinking about what all I have to do when I am in Mumbai
x) Resolving not to repeat same mistakes in 2nd Semester
y) Thinking about grades (yes I cannot afford two subjects beyond B- level)
z) Blogging when I am supposed to 25 things mentioned above!
Shall see the loyal readers of the blog sometime in early December! Till then pray for me that I survive!
* Includes following things
a) Projects
b) Presentations
c) Reading for Projects
d) Meetings
e) Elections (btw, the horizontals are over and I am eagerly awaiting for verticals and the MBA Club President tomorrow)
f) Working on Projects (Sometimes, I have to)
g) More Meetings
h) Lectures
i) Reading for final terms
j) Chutku (Small) submissions
k) Swinging on the indifference curve (Copyrights belong to KC)
l) Checking and keeping tab of emails for meetings
m) Applying for internships
n) De-stressing (read a Can of Beer)
o) Downloading new bollywood songs
p) Working for Fin Club and Cerebration
q) Apartment Hunting (how could I forget this - this had to come in top 10 things)
r) Travelling from the border of Malaysia to school and back
s) Finding deadlines for internships
t) Chatting at 2 AM about nothing in general
u) Thinking about Mumbai (everything including pollution and trains)
v) Thinking about good food (read ghar ka khana, AMar Juice Centre pav bhaji, mithibai ka dosa and vada pav, Filter kaafi and Kanchipuram idli at RK, pani puri at sahkari bhandar)
w) Thinking about what all I have to do when I am in Mumbai
x) Resolving not to repeat same mistakes in 2nd Semester
y) Thinking about grades (yes I cannot afford two subjects beyond B- level)
z) Blogging when I am supposed to 25 things mentioned above!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
NUS MBA - The Student View!
Well, I have been putting up a lot of nonsense stuff I have been doing which apparently is not what B-school is about... Get a real view of NUS MBA from the horse's mouth... Shipra, my batchmate, is avid blogger and here is her blog http://mynusmba.blogspot.com/ which talks about student life at NUS!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
MBA - 1 month 1 week later
Extremely bad time to post but I just need to spend some time here blanking out..... I have Eco project to be submitted tomorrow, marketing mid term on monday and statistic presentation on thursday - but still I find its pretty manageable! Tough - yes but not quite impossible!
Well, before you put me in the race of super humans - I am not! Here at NUS - you have set your priorities straight from the day one - what you want to do! There are so many opetions that you have problem of plenty..... Studies is just one aspect in MBA here... If a cap score of 4.5+ (out of maximum 5) is a priority - then you concentrate on your acads from day one because class participation forms a quite a bit of .... Not on my list though!
Now what else - extra currics - but yes this too has huge meaning here - you got your usual organising and business cases and stuff... but what stands apart here is the enormity of the "university" - At uni level, there is so much happening - randomly speaking - you have all sorts of sports (archery) and all sorts of art (operas) and all sort of cult following (how about toast masters club)... Falls somewhere in my list! But yes majorly on usual stuff - havent been able to pick up a sport yet....
And there are companies which come to cmapus day in and day out... so if you wann "network"... you got all the opportunity to do so... and believe me if one clicks - nothing like it!! Coz your job depends upon on you effort - unlike Indian schools where companies come shopping with gunny bags of cash to lure yet-to-enter-corporate-world students... Here, its all about meeting the right people at the right place at the right time!
And ya - party!!! Man, Singapore is big happening place!! The government does not want people to go out in the night coz it stops MRT and bus services and the cabbies charge 35% extra but still the party places are open all night!!! Clarke Quay is a major spot - though I found it too be too hyped up and steep! Just been to Ministry of Sound - and yes it lives up to the name!! If you are a trance fan - this place is must must visit!!
Yea - this is what I have been doing in MBA!!! Coz I see that this is the last time in my life I am really gonna enjoy life! These days wont come back again... your last visit to campus and last bit of freedom before you go back to professional grind.... and sober down a bit when you settle down socially... so for me - MBA is all about having to study very optimally and enjoy my time as much as I can!!
Well, before you put me in the race of super humans - I am not! Here at NUS - you have set your priorities straight from the day one - what you want to do! There are so many opetions that you have problem of plenty..... Studies is just one aspect in MBA here... If a cap score of 4.5+ (out of maximum 5) is a priority - then you concentrate on your acads from day one because class participation forms a quite a bit of .... Not on my list though!
Now what else - extra currics - but yes this too has huge meaning here - you got your usual organising and business cases and stuff... but what stands apart here is the enormity of the "university" - At uni level, there is so much happening - randomly speaking - you have all sorts of sports (archery) and all sorts of art (operas) and all sort of cult following (how about toast masters club)... Falls somewhere in my list! But yes majorly on usual stuff - havent been able to pick up a sport yet....
And there are companies which come to cmapus day in and day out... so if you wann "network"... you got all the opportunity to do so... and believe me if one clicks - nothing like it!! Coz your job depends upon on you effort - unlike Indian schools where companies come shopping with gunny bags of cash to lure yet-to-enter-corporate-world students... Here, its all about meeting the right people at the right place at the right time!
And ya - party!!! Man, Singapore is big happening place!! The government does not want people to go out in the night coz it stops MRT and bus services and the cabbies charge 35% extra but still the party places are open all night!!! Clarke Quay is a major spot - though I found it too be too hyped up and steep! Just been to Ministry of Sound - and yes it lives up to the name!! If you are a trance fan - this place is must must visit!!
Yea - this is what I have been doing in MBA!!! Coz I see that this is the last time in my life I am really gonna enjoy life! These days wont come back again... your last visit to campus and last bit of freedom before you go back to professional grind.... and sober down a bit when you settle down socially... so for me - MBA is all about having to study very optimally and enjoy my time as much as I can!!
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