Best of Blogger Results/stats

I've been marooned in the island of dinged blogs ;) Anyway, congratulations to the winners! Rungee, you don't really need an iPod, send it to over to me.

I do hope to keep blogging, if nothing for the fact that I could look back on my posts years from now and see how my journey evolved. From a statistical point of view, for the first time since I began observing visitor stats, I'm getting more hits from Google (direct) than from referral sites like opencoder and clearadmit. I have close to 50/50 on new and revisits, which is pretty good. As I acquire new customers, I also need to keep my current ones! ;)

Thanks for reading.

My top 10 gadgets and software for school

I will be heading back to school, after a long time, in August. In preparation, I'm making my own little list of what is important and what I will be using during studies. Without further ado, here is my list of 10 essential gadgets and software that one should have while going to school.

1. Tablet PC - school environment requires some note taking, collaboration, annotations, impromptu diagrams/idea generation - and a Tablet PC is the right device. Traditional notebooks are simply too cumbersome to use. It's the same thing like sitting in a meeting with a notebook and trying to take notes - it's annoying, slow, and simply not spontaneous. I'm thinking Lenovo Tablet PC is a good choice. I've used IBM previously and they are solid devices.

2. Palm Treo 650 (or greater) or Windows Mobile Device - I've owned a Palm Treo (650) and now own a Windows Mobile 5.0 phone/PDA (Cingular 8125). You cannot go wrong with either - they are pretty full functional PDA and mobile phones. I was pleasantly surprised with the Cingular 8125 Windows Mobile 5.0 phone/PDA which is a quad band GSM phone (should work in US, Singapore, France and India..everywhere I go) and has excellent Microsoft Outlook integration. Comes with pocket word, power point and excel and I purchased this really cool add-on software called SPB Mobile Shell which enhances the functionality of the OS by a good deal, making it very easy to use. This will act as my integration mail + on-the-go documentation + quad band phone + media player + camera + video camera + data storage (supports memory card add-on) + possibly Skype too (support Wi-fi and works fine). INSEAD has Microsoft exchange e-mail and my phone will work handy.



3. A Google account with subscriptions to gmail, iGoogle and google docs. Everyone knows GMail. But iGoogle is Google's 'customized' homepage which is very handy to put all kind of online gadgets and web tools in one place. You could have a page with all your blog feeds, email, your calendar, weather, bookmarks, top news from preferred sources - and many more. So when you start your day, don't waste time web hunting, just go to one place for consolidated information. Google docs has documents and spreadsheets and pretty good collaborative capabilities. That means it's much easier to share, edit and view documents with multiple ownerships/authors. While we may use Microsoft office for e-mail (outlook), these online tools are great for access from anywhere.


4. Google desktop - why waste time searching for documents (or contents inside documents) when you can have them 'popup' almost instantaneously as you search for a file name or phrase inside a file, cached web page or e-mail? I use this very regularly - in fact I've pretty much stopped folder hopping. I just type into the deskbar and get what I want, in a fraction of time if done otherwise. And it's free! (Apple MAC users will use inbuilt Spotlight.. and Windows Vista search - am not too sure yet)


5. XPlorer2 or XYPlorer - I use the free edition of XPlorer2, which is a replacement for your standard Windows explorer (file browser). The typical windows explorer is very limiting - just opening multiple folders, copying around, seeing contents of different directories - is all a pain. XPlorer2 is really good - you can have a single explorer window, have multiple tabs, have bookmarks for your often used paths, view 2 directories side by side, and quit/restart will restore all your previous paths! It also has many other features but I find that these alone save a ton of time for me and reduce annoyance. Google desktop + XPlorer2 = save lot of time searching for stuff.

6. Launchy - bet a lot of you haven't heard of this. This little handy software will popup when you hit 'ALT-SPACE' and type a letter or two and your program names will show up (with autocomplete) and then you hit 'enter' to launch your program. If you're the type with lots of programs and you keep going to program files->..etc..etc.. or have shortcuts scattered all around the place, this super little launcher is a time + clutter saver.





7. Google Earth - simply the best 'see the world' software out there. It's free and available for Apple too. Do your place search, location recon, neighborhood analysis, school campus check-out, places to go - everything from here. I do all my place scouting from here.


8. Adobe Reader 8.0 - for essential PDF viewing. If you have older versions, then uninstall them and get 8.0 which is faster and has a cleaner interface. Much nicer to use.


9. Microsoft Office 2007 - many complained about the new 'ribbon' interface and revamped UI even before really using it. I got office 2007 free in a MS event and my own experience is the new UI is a huge productivity improvement. Often used features are so much easier to use, and the new PowerPoint is pretty good. Hey, gotta make good lookin' resume now. Office 2007, in my opinion is still the best. There are open source alternatives - I've tried them, and I don't like them. Check if you get student discounts and that might go easy on your pocket.


10. Skype - you know why. Google talk is very good too.


So that's my bare essentials list. I'm sure there are some questions you could ask


1. Why not use Linux?
A. In the past I've tried getting me a fully Linux desktop environment, and it's still not ready for prime-time business environment. Too many quirks and those at Slashdot seem to think we all have time to recompile kernels and keep track of patches. Thanks, but no thanks.


2. Why not buy a Apple Macbook/Pro?
A. I actually own a Macbook Pro and had a Macbook before that. Again, for wide business integration and number of software applications, Apple Macs are still a step behind. It's kinda fashionable to say you own a Mac, but after using one for an year - I don't see a point in creating a dual boot (I have Parallels desktop which lets you boot to Windows from within a Mac) and keep using Windows. Might as well just get Vista. But with new Intel Macs dual boot works great and if you should have a Mac - go buy one and use it. It's a matter of personal taste. And BTW, iPhoto sucks compared to Picasa and Picasa isn't available on Mac.


So, time to get-set-and go soon!

sundry this and that

Work's been keeping me *very* busy, but I plan to ramp down slowly over the course of the month.

In the meantime - I'm welcoming Le Blog Hog and Bharat to the Class of 2008 blog list. Stefanos of Brutal Facts, class of 2007 is also back on the roll.

For some reason, I wanted to do a collage of Lord of the Rings as "Lord of the Labs" (for something else), and I realized that the title text of none of the 3 movies have an 'a' in them! "Fellowship of the Ring","The Two Towers", and "Return of the King" - I can understand 'b', but 'a'?

I've been playing Call of Duty 2, great game. It's been a while since I gamed -- so I'm enjoying it instead of worrying about moving my family, finances and what not ;) I've also been doing some thinking on 'what really do I want to do post MBA'? the answer so far is 42.

I got a new Windows Mobile 5.0 device (Cingular 8125) after breaking my Treo 600's screen. I actually like this new phone! excellent Outlook integration, browser is pretty cool, and I got some nifty software to make it easy to use. Since it's quad band GSM I should be able to use it in India and in Singapore and maybe in France or Philly - wherever. Thank GSM for at least being one technology that's widely adopted that you don't need 4 phones - unlike electric outlets. It makes you wonder sometimes - electricity is possibly the most widely used modern invention (discovery?) and we don't have common outlets. Problems of legacy and national egos and no end in sight due to the sheer logistics of conversion (it wouldn't make much sense anyway - but I'm commenting on the state of things).

More soon. I think I got dropped off again from Hella's list - thank you blogger >:/ I'm too busy to investigate it right now.

Tough consulting interviews? I bring you '300'!

Some interviews can be tough - my first big job interview with a German company had the following stages

a) Initial selection, based on our CV, from a certain region of India (comprising multiple states), and only certain set of schools (IITs/NITs)
b) A test with quantitiative/aptitude sections and electronics/computer engineering questions
c) A group discussion with other groups
d) First interview with a panel of thirteen people (and I was just a kid out of engineering school)
e) Second interview with 10 of the above 13 + General manager of the facility
f) Third interview with the department head + 4 of his team
g) Final interview with HR

Seriously -- what were they thinking? Finally they selected 2 and I was one of them. Really painful experience. My second job interview, with a US electronics giant, was much better, but very competitive again. Looks like I'm headed towards more soon...

After reading some general posts and also those by domodomo - great INSEAD blogger, I already see dings in my McKinsey interviews..and therefore, without much further ado, ladies and gentlement, I bring you....

From the pages of Necromonger's epic retelling of the "battle for the MC job",

(chap:5, "the gates of hell", para:3 - 2008 A.D. the season of the moon)

"And there they were, the barbarian hoardes with their awful CV's. The brave recruiters, for they had the hearts of wolves, look'd on as low GMAT after GMAT was thrust upon them. "Where be the salvation"? said he, of the mane of the lion, for each arrow of case study he shoot upon the barbarian hoardes, they fell by the hundreds. In the end, 300 fell. The hall littered with ding letters, words sharp as the eidolon's sword, and the lonely bard sang by the corner where retreating armies had put rejection letters to fire..."

(you may buy hard copies of the first print, to be out in June 2008)

=====================================

Glossary

Dunder Mifflin

Getting a US job after INSEAD/Oh the pain!

One of the more common questions asked about INSEAD is "how easy is it to get jobs in US after INSEAD" I'm not in INSEAD (yet), and here is my own perception. Getting a job in the US is certainly harder than if you tried from a US school. For a couple of reasons

a) Location - a lot of companies simply prefer local recruitment. That eliminates large number of US companies. It is also a lot harder for international students to go to US for interviews - the logistics itself eliminates many possibilities.

b) Awareness - INSEAD is not as well known in the US as the US biggies. But my own take is this is really not so much of an issue because it's not important whether your neighbor's hair dresser knows about INSEAD but whether those that matter in MBA recruiting know. In that list, a lot of people will know about top schools. It's more about networking there than flashing a school name badge which only gets you so far.

But in my mind, the biggest problem really is US immigration laws. As things stand, it's simply a major pain in the rear end to visit the US for a job search or to get US work permits. This keeps companies away from selecting students, it also dissuades many deserving students from even attempting.

Here are some reasons,

1. The H1-B sillyness makes it both unpredictable and ridiculously difficult to take up a job in US. This year's visas are being allotted in lottery which means almost 1 in every 2 applicants won't get the visa and those who were offered jobs can no longer really take them. And then the spouse cannot work.

2. The permanent residency laws that force employees to be chained to an employer for even up to 6-7 years. It's sort of strange that the law expects people, many who may have houses, children, and have worked for years, paid taxes, to leave the country in 15 (or 10 or whatever it is) days if they lose a job. The law treats employees like the 'daily wage' replacement workers instead of a global work force.

3. Policy that sort of clubs Ph.D's, master degree holders, engineers, doctors, and those who jump across the border all in the same lump. .

I've been to the US 8 times, and have been here for last 3 years. I love the country and the scale of opportunities but never really bothered to apply for a green card etc. because I like my freedom.

It surprises me that for a country which has benefited as much from immigrants is so unwelcoming of them - no matter how qualified. In contrast, UK's HSMP is progressive - if you're from one of the top 50 MBA schools as identified by UK treasury, you automatically get the chance to work in the UK. That simple. And now London is beginning to rival New York as the financial capital of the world.

So, in my case, I am looking at some possible companies where I am interested in applying to. But I'm not too optimistic - not because I think I'm too dumb to get in, but because my non citizen/resident status will disqualify me out right. So - bottom line - getting a job in US after INSEAD -

easy? No.
Hard? Yes.
Impossible? No.

Let's see.

Pragmatism, School Research and My choices

The topic is 'pragmatism when applying to schools' or my take on 'should I apply to school X?'

This post is a result of my many responses on the web, questions sent by applicants to me by e-mail, questions I've answered on phone and my own journey from preparation to my admit to INSEAD. The usual disclaimers apply.

Applying to business schools is an expensive process. You want to spend that money and time meaningfully so that it yields a satisfactory result. The approach to applications must be pragmatic - not oblivious to reality.

One of my pet peeves is 'false encouragement' without giving a reality check. This is a business school application process where your destiny is mostly out of your control (except GMAT score) because it depends on what you did in the past and how you fare against thousands of other applicants. When you are ready to apply, or are planning to apply, see if you have asked yourselves the right questions.




When you tabulate your answers, a picture emerges if it makes sense to apply or not. In some cases, the school might not be the right fit for you, and in some cases, it will be extremely unlikely you will make the cut. A focused, realistic approach to applications will be both more productive and also reduce your misery. In evaluating chances, I have three lines

1. Competitive - You actually stand a good chance of getting in
2. Ambitious - Give it a shot, there might be a chance, 'reach' schools
3. Stupid - Waste of time, waste of money. Wasting time here might affect the effort you can put into better quality applications for a school you actually stand a chance.

When I say 'stupid' I don't mean you are stupid - I mean it's stupid to apply.

Unfortunately, many people fall into the stupid category for certain schools and few tell them that. Those who say it like it is get flamed by others for being rude and obnoxious - but like Jim Cramer says "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to make you money!" or rather "I'm not your mother, I'm here to tell you what I really think!"

I fell below the 'stupid line' for Stanford. Why? my composite when compared to what the school looks for, has such a large gap that it's nothing but a waste of their and my time to apply. Same would apply to Harvard. I thought I had a chance in Wharton ('ambitious') but Wharton failed the test of my 'is the school right for me'? It wasn't - because of cost and my family conditions.

Ultimately, INSEAD was the perfect fit for my experience, cost needs and I put a lot of effort into creating the right application instead of worrying about filling 15 random applications and spending thousands of dollars.

How do you know if you fall beyond the stupid line? Evaluate the school 'admission chances' questions and how you fare against the general trend. If the school GMAT average is 710, has stellar applicants and high rejection rate, small class and values diversity - and if you have a GMAT of 640, nothing distinguishable in your application (e.g. I wrote code for 6 years and I have no hobbies), you are a Chinese or Indian IT from a no-name school and you have a bad GPA - you really fall below the stupid line. Really. No number of cheerleaders or 'Paula school of feedback' (see American idol?) is going to get you in. Might as well spend that time and money where you can make it through.

If one aspect of your candidature is weak compared to the school composite, you are doing OK - but if you're below in almost all, better look elsewhere.

I know I'm going to draw flak for this about this post. That's Ok, all of us have opinions. When it comes to identifying schools for applications - do due diligence, be ambitious but don't waste time and money.

For those curious on how I evaluated my chances -

a) Stanford and Harvard - stupid to apply. No chance.
b) Wharton, Columbia and Chicago GSB - fancied my chances, ambitious, but financial and personal situation (family, 2 years, and not US resident, visa hassles..) kept me out from applying to US 2 year programs.
c) INSEAD and IMD - great fit, in my mind Columbia, Chicago, INSEAD were roughly similar so that left me with INSEAD. I preferred INSEAD over IMD and I got into INSEAD earlier so I never applied to IMD.
d) Oxford - next. Thought I had a good chance but dropped it for later after INSEAD results
e) ISB - initially in the race. I dropped it after evaluating if the school was a good fit for me.

I'm no rankings hater. I pay attention to rankings and that did influence my application decisions.

Good luck - prepare well, prepare with focus, create high quality applications instead of 15 boiler plate bore-them-to-death submissions.

Vote for me or else!!!

I got nominated in the best of blogging awards from Clearadmit. Thank you Clearadmit!

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME! I WILL GET YOUR VILLAGE FREE ELECTRICITY! I WILL PETITION YOUR FAVORITE ADCOMS TO GET YOU AN ADMIT! I WILL BUY YOU PLENTY OF ALCOHOL SO YOU CAN PASS OUT FOR FREE! I WILL MAKE A BLOG POSTING PRAISING YOUR VIRTUES AND BRILLIANCE!

Or wait a minute...

DEAR SIR,

I AM MAURICE ODUMBE AND I HAVE 20 MILLION DOLLARS IN MY BANK IN NIGERIA AND I WISH TO TELL YOUR KIND PERSON THAT................

So, this is your chance to get super rich. VOTE FOR ME FOR BEST BLOGGER! ZE BESTE BLOGGER!

Interesting...INSEAD in Second Life

INSEAD plans to have a virtual campus within second life. The whole concept is pretty interesting.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/04/02/execed.virtual/

 

Of course, as with any virtual world, a certain level of sustaining participation is necessary. If the school uses the virtual campus for real courses, and even perhaps create real-time exchanges between Singapore and Fontainebleu (and perhaps Wharton too), it could become a very interesting model. The concept then can aid alumni and students in job searches, discussions, and even enterpreneurship.

 

Nice to see such an initiative, it will be interesting to see how it evolves.

 

 

 

so..is it time to create a resume?

I'm sort of interested in coming back to the US to work. Not entirely sure, but there is a certain interest.

Maybe I should start preparing a stand-out resume.. heard you barely get time during the insanely hectic INSEAD classes....

On the other hand, does it make sense to work on a resume so soon? does it make sense to apply to a couple of places now to see how the reception to the resume is? Just thinking aloud...

(PS - looks like some fell for my Stanford admit post..it was an April fool's.... ;) )

Admitted to Stanford! Woohooo!

Some surprises are best kept secret. After a long and arduous journey, I finally received my letter from Stanford GSB.

It was not something I wanted to talk about before, simply because a lot of them would consider me "out of place" at GSB - what with me being over the hill (30+), Indian, IT (cursed). But this is an example that if you keep your eye on the ball, and focus on what you want (assuming a realistic chance of course), you might get what you seek. Don't get me wrong, INSEAD is amazing, but Stanford...well, it's in the heart of Tech industry, has an amazing world wide reputation, and is an exclusive program.

After 2 interviews, hours on essays, a unique presentation I made to adcom, I finally received a call (which I could not take as I was in a meeting) and a mail. Here is the text, It is an incredible feeling.

"Dear [xxxx],

I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to the prestigious Stanford Graduate School of Business Class of 2009. You are among the few who make it every year. The competition is intense and we pride in getting the best of the best.

You may be an old coot, a relic of the distant past. Never mind you are one more of the gazillion Indians running amok with a 700+ GMAT and asking everyone if '740 will get you into Harvard'. Never mind all the other traits we really need. Even your essays made no sense with all that technical mumbo-jumbo (take it to Sergey Brin). But we figured, "hey, if we let one of this type into GSB, we will have 100,000 new applications next year. We can build a new campus with the money" and therefore, we took this intelligent decision of letting you in. You, Crackhead Bob and Negative Nancy are three entrants to enhance our diversity this year.

Welcome to Stanford GSB.
Sincerely Yours,
[xxxxx]