Memories of Term 1 @ ISB

Around this time last year, I was celebrating the first weekend of Term 1 at ISB. Only four days of classes and a three day weekend - coming from ITC where I had a six day working week -- Awesome! At least so I thought at that point of time. And add to it a party to celebrate the occasion (never mind you had to pay for the stuff you consumed) - what place on earth is this? The next one year was going to be fun.

At the same time, there were certain things that were no less than a real pain in the "neck". Those long queues at Goel, and random people trying to chat-up (yeah that's Networking for you) in those queues, quizzing you on almost every goddamn thing in this world. You might have guessed, I hated these Networking sessions. As if this was not enough, Speed Networking sessions were conducted the SLC - and you had to register for these sessions through the dreaded "Google Spreadsheets".

There were certain things that were extremely difficult for me to understand. Why the hell was I paying 5000 bucks for a class, when I had to read 5-6 chapters in advance on my own? If I read on my own, what will the professor teach? In my bank statements, Credit meant an increase in the cash I had at my disposal; not any more - thanks to Accounting 101. And yes, Marketing 101 - almost everyone bought the required textbook for the course, Marketing Management by Philip Kotler. Till date, that remains the most useless book that I have ever read (in my life, not only at ISB). If you are a current batch student and have not bought the book yet - don't buy it! And then there always was the Wine and Cheese story! Also, I never understood the mad race for grades (oh yes, I too was running!). Maybe that's because ISB is an Indian B-School, and Indians cant digest their food unless they rub their asses off - okay, that dialogue sounds nice in Hindi. But the fact remains, grades help only a few people to get a job, those 2% at the tapering portion of the normal curve in the one-tailed test.

So here I am thinking what could I have done differently during my stay at ISB. I know I cant change the past, but I surely can provide some tips for the future. Some of these tips come from things that I have done at ISB, and some from things I have not. I won't tell which ones are which.

1. Network, even as much as you hate it, you still need to network. Why, cant be explained if you hate it, but still give it the best of your tries.
2. Use the Rec Centre - Play! You will never have similar amenities at your fingertips. Ever.
3. Learn, don't just run after the grades. The profs are amazing, and make the most of it. Only sound learning will help you during job interviews, superficial learning will not.
4. Participate in school events. You need not do everything, choose a few things that interest you and contribute as much as you can.
5. Choose the right candidates for the GSB and Club posts. Attend the SOP Boxes. Every batch makes a mistake here, and wishes they did a better job.
6. ISB is a Consulting focused school, so you will hear a lot about Consulting from Day 1. If Consulting is not what you came for to ISB, do not worry. There is life outside Consulting, and a good one too.
7. Dont give your life for CP - you can manage good grades with very average CP.

Above all, make friends for life and have fun. Go on trips, bike rides, outings - do as much as you can. You will never realize that how fast the ISB dream would end.