Doing things differently

Today is the last day of classes for me at ISB. There are no mixed feelings, i am definitely happy. As the ISB journey comes towards the end, i wanted to write a post on what would i have done differently, if i were to repeat the entire experience at ISB.

For the records, i am clearly not looking forward to such an experience of doing it all over again, but may be the future batches might find something useful in this post. The views expressed here are purely my own and hence some (or many) might not subscribe to them. But after all this is my blog..

1. Study like crazy in core terms. Do not be swayed if someone tells you grades dont matter. The point is despite all your efforts you might not be in the Dean's list or may be not even somewhere close to it. That does not matter. At least you tried your best.

2. Term 2 is one of the most important terms. It separates the men from the boys. Make sure you work double hard during this term.

3. Be sure that the consulting bug is going to bite you. The hype in the campus, the build up given in the campus by alums and the repeated visits by consulting firms will for sure affect you at some level. From all the sweet talk that happens, every student believes internally (or is led to believe) that he is a right fit for consulting. But the hard reality strikes only towards the end.

Do explore this option seriously. Talk to alums, attend these sessions, make up your mind if you really like this option as a career, look at the history of recruits done by these firms and make a realistic estimation of your chance. But do these early enough and move on. You will save yourself so much time, effort and tension.

4. With respect to placements, make three choices:
a) Same industry target - A company from the same industry which you would like to go back to.
b)Realistic career switch target and
c) A dream career switch target.
The kind of efforts you need to put in is very different for each of these choices. Develop your strategy to tackle each of them. Ignoring any of these options might harm you severely towards the end.

5. ISB is all about "relativity". Your absolute strengths and weaknesses dont matter. These matter only in the context of what is it compared to your other batch mates. This applies in everything from grades to b-school competitions to your previous work experience to extra curriculars. So, keep working on your "differentiation" strategy. Remember these differentiations have to be both meaningful and credible.

6. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Be extremely cautious and intelligent in whatever you do at ISB. I am purposefully leaving this vague enough, but hopefully you would understand the meaning when you are here.

7. B. School competitions - There are a ton of them which happens. Most of them do not even count on as "spikes" in your resume. The filtering criteria for these competitions which i used are: Participate only if
a) Prize money is good
b) There is something interesting in the format/ outcome and
c) If it can work as a spike in your resume.
No point in writing mind numbing essays on "Challenges for Indian leadership in the "Nano" era" along with a million others.

8. ELP (Experiential Learning Programme) - A vast majority of them is pure bullshit. Do not feel compelled or pressurized to take this up. Do it if it is in your area of interest or if it will help you in someway in your placements. In most cases, people are better off taking an additional elective instead of ELP.

9. Develop your BATNAs (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) with respect to your placements, at least two months in advance. Prepare yourself for the worst possible outcome in placements. Even before the placements commence, try and make sure you find at least two companies which are ready to take you (on a "as is" basis). This will not only help ease the pressure but also increase your bargaining power at the table during placements.

10. Keep juggling with business ideas. You will get ample exposure to various business ideas during your stay at ISB. Keep your eyes and ears open. You never know whats in store for you.

11. Networking - One of the most important words you will hear at ISB. To me networking is not just knowing names and exchanging cards. It is "exchange of value". Do not miss your opportunity to reach out to others and at the least make few trusted friends.