Rocking in the Free World

Within 24 hours from now, I will be an alum of the Indian School of Business, having joined the class of 2010. I will have completed registration by tomorrow evening (or as I might have said in a previous life, EOD tomorrow) and commenced my one year PGP in Management in Hyderabad.

The standard definition of ‘alma mater’ is ‘Nourishing Mother of Studies’ and once you’ve joined the institute, you’re an alum, de-facto. Plus, by the time most you read this, I’d have coughed up some cash to join the alumni association in any case. (I was unaware of this funda of being an alum as soon as I joined myself until someone pointed it out to me on 31st March this year.)

I still have a full year ahead of me when I will have to slog my butt off and work hard to ensure that I make enough in a job post-college to pay the EMIs for my education loan. But I’ll see about that when the time is right.

This is not a post extolling my awesomeness, as you might expect, but more an admission of how I am significantly relieved that I have finally, after four failed attempts at writing the CAT to make it to an IIM, and two half-hearted attempts at the XAT, managed to make it to a good, reputed B-school.

Sure, there are thousands of debates about whether ISB is better than IIMs or vice-versa. I wish to dissociate myself from these arguements once and for all, so please don’t involve me. Just like how I relate to the Beatles song,’I'm so happy just to dance with you’ , I also relate to ‘I’m so happy just to study again’, and should you ask me which is better, all I have to say is that you’re not asking the right questions.

So this post is more about my being modest, because you’ve not had a chance to see that side of me, thanks to all the pseudo trumpet-blowing that I have so copiously indulged in. What was that bit about empty vessels making more noise?

I’ve got lots of funny, interesting memories of my various attempts at writing the CAT and so many other things associated with it, and I sure hope that I can write about it here in due time. I know for a fact that a few chapters in my book will be dedicated to that exam which remained my bug-bear, but I am glad now that I don’t have to write the GMAT again either.

The closest I came was in CAT 2005 when I had a call from IIM Lucknow, but I was waitlisted at the end, and didn’t clear it. Subsequent attempts at the various exams somehow never saw me get decent enough percentiles to warrant a call, even though the mock tests saw me getting double digit all India ranks.

I’d labelled myself with the ‘choker’ tag, and I am glad that I can cast it aside, at least partly for the time being.

I’ve never owned a proper belt after finishing school, and I had to borrow one that belonged to a friend of mine when I was in Hyderabad in the end of December, appearing for an interview at the place I’m currently at. Quite ironic considering I was all suited up for the first time in my life, and I felt like Superman.

I now have two belts and I have packed a substantial number of decent formal clothes which I hope I don’t have to wear much on campus.

All those of you who follow this website can rest assured that this will not be converted to a blog that is only about my life in a B-school. Sure, this is a big deal for me, and I will write arbitly about things here and there that transpire due to my life on campus. But this is not the only important thing in my life. There’s only so much nonsense out there in the world and I need to ensure that I do what I can to contribute to it and ensure that the cut-off quantity is mainttained.

So, don’t expect posts about subjects, study groups, quizzes, things I did on campus (unless it involves some major funda or concept worth documenting) and all that just so I get my hit counter on overdrive. I am able to do that with a decent SEO in any case, thank you very much. Props to headspace.

So yes, for those of you who have my Karnataka mobile number, please do save it for I intend to use it whenever I am in Bangalore / Mysore, and I shall get in touch with you. In the interest of experimenting, I am trying to see how long I can subsist in Gultland without a mobile, and good luck to me for that. If I do get a number there, I’ll update it on facebook so you can get it off there.

(If I’m not on your facebook, add me already!)

Harithekid goes back to school. So far, I’ve been relieved and not celebrated wildly. Guess its high time I did that, and here goes – yay!

Yup, thats it. I’m done. Onward to Bangalore and then to Hyderabad now.

PS – I will miss out on voting for the elections this time around. Jai only.

PPS – Don’t be surprised if this is the ONLY MBA / ISB specific post on my site. I’ve got gazillion other things to blow my trumpet about.