For When I Feel Like It...

Silicon Valley Comes To Oxford - 2009

2009-11-24T03:57:00.005+05:30

This event was supposed to be a highlight of my Oxford experience. It was one of the reasons why I applied to Oxford, one of the reasons why I came here. It's reasonable to therefore say that I came in with very high expectations. And I was still blown away.. I wish the event has lasted longer and I could have attended all the masterclasses instead of choosing the ones I was most interested in.. all these people were so down to Earth when you met them.. it's the experience of a lifetime.. seriously..

Some nuggets of wisdom:

"If you're not embarassed by your first product, you've launched too late." -- Reid Hoffman

"You pitch an entrepreneur with success.. not with work-life balance." -- Reid Hoffman

"Don't fall in love with your product. Stay close to the market." -- Kim Polese

"The future will be there." -- Reid Hoffman

"There is an alchemy that takes place when you decide to share something publicly rather than privately - it becomes valuable" -- Biz Stone

"Deciding to take on a global issue doesn't mean you need to be arrogant enough to think you're going to solve them." -- Biz Stone

"Don't be afraid to start over again. Don't forget to trust your gut. Contradictory? Maybe. But you need both." -- Kim Polese

"Most people use only 7 sites. If you want to insert a new one into their lives, ask yourself.. which one are you replacing?" -- Reid Hoffman

"Innovation is spelled R-I-S-K." -- Reid Hoffman

"Which one of the 7 deadly sins is your social product subscribing to?" -- Reid Hoffman

"Humour is the delivery mechanism for truth." -- Biz Stone

"Sometimes the founder isn't the best person to be the CEO.. kinda like a rock band!" -- Kim Polese

"There's nothing that is massively successful that doesn't have some luck. But you have to plan for both good and bad luck." -- Reid Hoffman

"Entrepreneurism means becoming mortal.. being able to give it 100% and be able to fail." -- Biz Stone

"The future is always sooner and stranger than you think." -- Reid Hoffman

"You don't motivate people by being a cheerleader." -- Kim Polese

"The failure of imagination does not constitute an insight into necessity." -- Reid Hoffman

Sachin completes 30,000!!

2009-11-20T13:51:00.002+05:30

^:)^

~ Parul ~

And It's Coming...

2009-11-20T05:30:00.005+05:30

A few weeks ago, we discussed monopolies in the Managerial Economics class and we discussed the most famous case out there - DOJ proceedings against Microsoft. The prof turned to me for an explanation of what JRE was and how it was affecting Microsoft's competitive advantage in the OS wars. Then we moved on to why Netscape might have been a threat.

As I tried to explain the intricacies of the technologies involved, I was very aware of the fact that my audience wasn't the usual techie group that I've been used to. And so I kept it simple. My language changed, I used different words. And I also kept a few thoughts to myself because the details may have been too complicated and outside the scope of what we were trying to do in economics.

So I briefly mentioned that a browser could become an OS, noticed that a few people didn't quite understand and then didn't push the point further. But the basic fact of the matter is that Bill Gates was wary of Netscape and wanted to cut it off because he was aware that one day the browser could really render the OS defunct. For someone who once famously said that 640KB ought to be enough for anyone, it's incredibly far-sighted.

Welcome Google ChromeOS.

To Write Or Not To Write

2009-11-19T07:12:00.002+05:30

"Better to write for yourself and have no public than to write for the public and have no self." -- Cyril Connolly

Interesting times!

2009-11-18T18:54:00.004+05:30

This is not about Oxford and Said Business School, let's not make this blog too one-dimensional :). Some of my classmates are regularly blogging over at the SBS blogs and you can head in that direction if you want more of the business school flavoured fun.

Even though I've left my job, I continue to watch the e-commerce space with a lot of interest. I loved it when I was working and maybe if I'm lucky, I can head back to the industry post my MBA as well. Unlike some of the others, a move out of technology wasn't my primary (hidden or unhidden) motive for the MBA!

Anyways, the first interesting piece of news is that eBay (for the first time in the past 5 years at least) broke one of its cardinal rules and introduced significant new functionality on their website during the holiday season. Site stability is really important at peak traffic times but eBay decided something had to be done to try and pull back the dipping page views. Amazon has clocked higher traffic numbers than eBay this October and that's hardly good news. Although with more than 50 mill unique visitors each month, it's not like eBay will become a minor player in this space anytime soon. Unless it implodes.

The other very interesting news (and I loved this one!) was that the law was finally starting to catch up with the very shady post-transaction-marketing tactics that many, many e-commerce sites engage in. A post at TechCrunch describes how these companies cheat customers with false promises and free trial offers. About a year ago, someone had cursorily explained to me how WebLoyalty makes money and it's really quite horrid. I'm glad someone is taking a deeper look. The timing of this piece of news is a little funny (just from a personal perspective) because we just submitted a florist industry marketing assignment in last weekend. While the case in point was very different, most of the companies that we talked about find a place in the Wall of Shame (1-800-Flowers, FTD et al.)

Addendum: eBay had a site outage 3 days after this blog was written. Oops!

The High Table at Christ Church

2009-11-13T22:42:00.007+05:30

Last night, I think I spent my most enjoyable evening at Oxford till now. And that's saying a lot because I have spent quite a few of my evenings doing some pretty amazing stuff.

So yesterday night, I was invited to the High Table at the Christ Church Formal Dinner. If you've seen Harry Potter, that's the table where the professors sit. My advisor at Chirst Church is allowed to take her advisees to the High Table once a term and yesterday had been booked for 3 of us. I've specifically told her that I'd be up for another visit if anyone else drops out. But anyways, let me begin at the beginning..

I had classes till 5 yesterday and Allison (my advisor at Christ Church) had told us to meet her at her office at 6:50 pm. At that moment if I had a choice, I probably would have skipped it. I really wasn't looking forward to the 20-min walk in full sub-fusc to Christ Church. And I was right, it continued to pour and on top of that, it was very windy which meant that my umbrella was flying all over the place. Wrapping my overcoat around me, I forced myself on and ended up at Christ Church just about on time.

I knew Allison's chamber was at Peck 1:1. Deciphering what that meant (Peckwater Quad, 1st Staircase, Room 1), I headed in the direction of the quad. Tushar joined me as I got half-lost and we finally ended up where we were supposed to be. Allison went over the procedures and protocols a little bit and then we headed to the Senior Common Room (SCR).

Now, Christ Church has 3 common rooms and the SCR is only for tutors and fellows.. and their guests. So today was the one day of the term that I was allowed inside. Now, I've talked about how I had really liked the GCR (Graduats Common Room) in one of my previous posts but this place was a gizzillion times better. And I think it also had to do a little bit with the ambience of the place.. everyone was there for the High Table dinner which meant that the gowns were out in full splendour. It was an extremely scholarly atmosphere, it wouldn't be a complete exaggeration if I said that one of those people might win the Nobel Prize one of these days (by the way, Amartya Sen is here on the 19th with an open-for-all lecture at the Sheldonian!). The walls were filled with portraits of those who have been fellows at Christ Church over the past hundreds of years and are therefore entitled to entry in the SCR. One of those photos was that of Albert Einstein.

I was just gathering in the atmostphere of the place when the butler came in and knocked his mallet on the door three times. In a deep voice, he shouted out.. "Dinner is served!"

I thought we'd head to the first door now, the one we had entered from but I realized that people were lining up in the other direction. We exited from the other door, and would you believe it, there was a hidden staircase (ok, not exactly hidden, but it was a winding single file staircase that seemed somewhat secretive) that led straight to the front of the dining hall! We stood behind our tables as 4 lines were spoken out in Latin (I don't know what they meant) and then we took our seats. I guess that was the closest I'll ever come to feeling like Dumbledore..

I was seated next to a Christ Church alumni who had walked these halls 40 years ago. All through dinner, he told me tales of how things were back then. He had very deep connections in India and talked about when he had been invited to Indira Gandhi's house sometime in the 70s. Interestingly, he had worked as an foreign investment financier for quite a few major deals back in the land, including the opening of the telecom sector in India. "India works at India's pace," he said in connection to the privatisation of the banking sector. There was no frustration in his voice, only a laid-back acceptance. I guess you really need to know the country to understand that.

Opposite to me was a Mathematics professor. His conversations were entirely different, he was talking about a paper that he had just published and which he was quite proud of. "It's bloody difficult finding a new idea," he was lamenting. "There's no one in the world these days who knows everything about everything. Some people know everything about something, but we need people who know everything about everything. People like Newton, there's no Newton now." Subconsciously, I've always considered Newton a physicist and that example left me confused. I had to remind myself about Calculus before nodding my head at the professor.

The food was brilliant, the dessert tasty, the wine flowed like water, and it was a great dinner. We headed back to the SCR where I chatted with Allison for quite a while, with another serving of yummy dessert. The logs burnt in the fireplace, the couches were comfy, the atmosphere relaxing, and the conversation led to the addition of another book to my must-read list. A truly enjoyable evening and I hope one of Allison's advisees backs out in the next round because I'd love to do this again!

The Contrast

2009-11-11T23:52:00.007+05:30

I used to drive by them almost everyday. At the Koramangala Ring Road Junction, a group of children would run up to the vehicles when the lights turned red. The boys usually barechested and the girls in flimsy mud-coloured frocks, they would quickly split up and walk through the traffic. It was the same routine everyday, they moved along tapping on windows trying to get the driver's attention, the dirt on their faces pressed up against the glass. Most were ignored deliberately, sometimes a coin or two was handed out by the saahibs.
And then the lights would turn, a million honks would drown those soundless pleas for help. They would run back, sometimes tripping over, hurrying back to the pavement where their mother sat on the ground. Sometimes, if the baby she nursed wasn't crying, she would run her hands over their oily, discoloured hair when they returned. A few more red lights and maybe they'd have enough for some roti...

***

I pass by him almost everyday. He stands on George Street, leaning against the wall, watching the traffic drive by. He's wearing Nike sneakers, his jeans are slightly torn. The wind is chilly but he doesn't seem cold. His hands are snuggled deep within his sweatshirt pocket. As I walk past him, he whispers to me, catching me off-guard.
"Some change, mate?"
I look at him confused. He has his eyebrows raised, his unshaven face stares at me with curiosity. The universe seems to stop for a second as my mind rushes back to Koramangala.
I evade his eyes. I don't know what to say...

How To Make Education Fun

2009-11-08T20:45:00.005+05:30

If you've grown up like me in the 90s in India, you'd perhaps agree that education wasn't really fun. Sure there have been teachers we've all respected and they have been great in their own way.. but really, has it been "fun"?

I'm only mentioning this because I find that some profs here at Oxford go to great lengths to make things fun. And that really makes me wonder why more teachers didn't do it when I was growing up, why it was always about just the textbooks.

The example I have today is that of a course called Decision Science. It's essentially a course about statistics and I have to say I've been lucky to have some amazing teachers in this subject (which can sometimes be very boring). Prof Birbal oh-that-means-the-lawyer-is-a-lady Singh at BITS Pilani was just amazing and now I have Prof. James Taylor going through the routine at Oxford.

The highlight of his classes (at least for me) have been these little quotes that he has added to each powerpoint slide. Actually, there are two professors teaching the course and I don't know whether the slides are shared, so perhaps Prof. Dolores Ramero Moralez should get some credit as well.

Anyways, some of those quotes are below.. take a look, they're very enjoyable.

On Description of Statistics:
Don't set too much store on statistics,' said the quick-witted salesman. 'After all, statistics prove that most people have more than the average number of legs.' -- New Scientist

On Statistics of Stock Portfolios:
If you bet on a horse, that's gambling. If you bet you can make three spades, that's entertainment. If you bet cotton will grow up three points, that's business. See the difference. -- Blackie Sherrod

On Distribution for Supermarket Customer Expenditure:
The consumer isn't a moron; she is your wife. -- Confessions of an Advertising Man, Ogilvy (1963)

On Summary of Sampling:
Beauty is the first test: there is no place in the world for ugly mathematics -- A Mathematician's Apology, Harding, 1940

On Model Building Methodology:
Thou this be madness, yet there is method in't. -- Hamlet, Shakespeare (1601)

On Model Comparison:
A: How is your wife? B: Compared to what?

On Forecasting and Confidence Intervals:
If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then unto me. -- William Shakespeare

We're only half through the term and this is only a random selection. I'm sure there are more to come. Also, to avoid getting beaten up by my fellow MBAs, I have to mention Prof. Tomo Suzuki (Financial Reporting) and Prof. Mungo Wilson (Managerial Economics) in the fun context as well. And although I'm not taught Strategy by Prof. Thomas Powell, I've heard he's pretty good too. Maybe I'll talk about them in some of my later posts.

Glitch in the Matrix

2009-11-06T04:49:00.002+05:30

One of my friends, Dileepan, had this up as his Facebook status today. It pretty much sums up my feelings as well, so I'm just going to leave it here..

The clock has turned back. I'm watching cricket again. India is again a one-man team; Sachin reigns amidst the ruins. All is well with the world.

I wonder if he's recently read Kamala Das. I couldn't find the text of "The Fancy Dress Show" online to link to.. if any readers get hold of it, please leave a comment and I'll add it in :)

Panic Sets In

2009-11-04T03:20:00.005+05:30

Yup, it's time for the panic to set in... and in the past 8 hours, I've tried my best to push the following thoughts out of my head at least a dozen times each!!

- Oh my God!! It's already Week 4!!! Time's travelling so fast!!!

- Oh my God!! I've put in my first job apps!! And I don't even know anything yet!! And even if I did, the odds are soooooooooo difficult!!

- Oh my God!! The assignments are piling up!! I mean really piling up!!

- Oh my God!! There's so much to do!! I haven't played tennis for a week!! There's no time!! There's no time!!

- Oh my God!! Is my calendar up to date?!! Have I missed any events I really wanted to attend??!! When was that Poetry Society Meeting?!! When am I going to the Christ Church High Table?!! Check!! Check!! Re-check!!

- Oh my God!! I haven't checked Career Connect today!! Did I miss something?!! Anything?!!

- Oh my God!! There's no time for the readings!! No time for the cases!! No time for anything!!

- Oh my God!! Why am I typing out this blog?!! Why am I not buried under the Nestle Balance Sheet?!! Why?!! Why?!! WHY?!!

...

[Some things never change!]

...

Lovin' it! :D

Failing Small...

2009-11-03T02:43:00.001+05:30

I have this friend who I think writes beautifully. I don't think he'd want to be identified, so let's leave that aside. But the title of this blog refers to something that he wrote once..

He called the phenomenon "failing small"...

Failing small is when you are called upon to exhibit courage and emotional honesty and you shrink from that calling and do something flippant or shallow. Maybe you go with the flow when you know it's not true to yourself. Or you make the safe choice knowing you'll regret it. You fail small.

You fail big by throwing yourself into what you do with all of your energy. When you fail big you make the bold choices you really want to make, the ones that define who you are. You go all in and bluff life for everything in the pot. Sometimes you win, but even when you lose, you still win. That's failing big. And it's usually better than failing small.

Why am I remembering all this? It's because of something that happened a few months ago, and which has been pricking me a little for a while..

A few months ago, I reviewed MBA essays for a friend. They were nicely written but as I moved along, a particular line caught my line. In fact, I think it was actually a whole paragraph. It had been lifted off directly from a TV serial. The lines were beautiful, they had caught my fancy when I first heard them, and that is why I recognized them immediately. They fit into the essay perfectly.. but they weren't original.

I mentioned this to the friend and he replied, "Yeah, that TV show wastes a lot of my time but sometimes it provides some great inspiration..."

This wasn't inspiration and the reply troubled me. There was nothing in the essay to indicate to the reader that the lines weren't original. Anyways, I didn't say anything, these things happen sometimes and even the line of what's acceptable seems to have changed. That friend got an admit from the target business school (and let's face it, it's not like those couple of lines got him in) and I wish him the very best.

But I think I failed small...

Stream Of Life

2009-10-28T01:07:00.003+05:30

The same stream of life
that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world
and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life
that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life
that is rocked in the ocean-cradle
of birth and of death,
in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious
by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages
dancing in my blood this moment.

~ Rabindranath Tagore ~

SBS Diwali Bop 2009

2009-10-27T04:32:00.003+05:30

A bop is essentially a themed party at Oxford and last weekend, we celebrated the Diwali Bop. The following is a marketing idea that we ended up not using... it didn't matter in the end because the event was sold out. The bop was a spectacular success and so I'm leaving this unused advert here as a memory...

-----------------------------------------

Location: Said Business School Common Room, Oxford
Date: 29 September, 2020
Event: Reunion of the MBA class of 2010

CEO 1: "Hey, buddy.. it's been so long.. how've you been?!"

Serial Entrepreneur 1: "I've been good.. just taking a break now.."

CEO 1: "You deserve it, man.. read about your deal in the FT.. great going!"

Serial Entrepreneur 1: "You're not doing that bad yourself.. smart move, getting into Africa early.. you really built the market there.."

CEO 1: "Yeah.. hey, look.. is that John Doe?"

Serial Entrepreneur 1: "It is! Hey.. JOHN?!"

John Doe: "Hi!"

CEO 1: "Hey man, how's it going?!"

John Doe: "Going pretty okay.. can you believe we're back here again, in this very common room?!"

Serial Entrepreneur 1: "Yeah, we had some fun times here..."

CEO 1: "You remember that first Bop of our class?! The Diwali Bop?!"

Serial Enprepreneur 1: "Oh yeah! I loved the food there.. in fact, I haven't told anyone this but my chilli pickle start-up idea first hit me that very day!"

CEO 1: "Really?! Good for you!"

John Doe: "Ummm.. I wasn't there for the Bop..."

CEO 1 & Serial Enprepreneur 1: "WHAT?!!"

...

Do you really wanna be John Doe?! Diwali Bop 2009... get your ticket NOW!

-----------------------------------------

Oxford, orientation and eccentricity

2009-10-20T03:32:00.003+05:30

I haven't written anything about my first two weeks at Oxford and I really should. Especially because time is just passing by so fast and I feel I might forget!

Orientation for Said Business School starts a week early compared to the other freshers in Oxford. A term here is counted in weeks, starting from Week 0 to Week 9.. and Week 10 is the exam week. Week 0 in the Michelmas Term (which is the October to December term) is supposed to be the orientation week for the freshers here. But as I said, it starts a week early for MBAs, so in essence we started out in Week -1. This "week" thing is really ingrained into the system. For example, assignments won't be due by a date, they would be due by the Monday of Week 5. That's how they refer to it. Note the word "eccentricity" in the subject of this blog ;)

The most stand out aspect of the orientation week for me was just how amazingly well these people spoke. Each and every one of the faculty members or sector consultants or even the admin staff, all of them had a story to tell and they knew how to tell it. I sat in the Nelson Mandela Lecture Theatre thinking that if I can speak half as well by the end of this year, perhaps it would have all been worth it.

There was also this feeling of everything being new. Suddenly being thrown in amongst a group of people that I barely knew was a little unnerving sometimes. But then they weren't complete strangers, Facebook conversations finally had faces attached to them. And everyone seemed even more brilliant in person. I only realized later that perhaps, just perhaps, everyone else was feeling the same way as well. Stephan Chambers, the MBA Programme Director, put it eloquently when he asked us to remember [this] feeling, "the feeling that everyone else is here by merit while I'm here by mistake..."

A lot of emphasis was put on Career Services during the orientation week. The nature of a one-year MBA is such that you pretty much get on the train running at full speed. Or at least are expected to. It's only been two weeks of classes and I've already attended so many recruitment presentations. The thought is a little overwhelming sometimes ("I only just got here, I don't know anything yet!") but with the market being the way it is, Oxford knows it has to get us ready damn quick. And the orientation definitely wasn't wasted.

There was also a lot of emphasis on the fact that this is the University of Oxford. And that opens doors that would remain closed for most people. The eccentricities were laughed at, the traditions maintained with reverance, the aura politely embraced. I found the conversations around why the University didn't have an MBA program for so long quite enlightening. It was funny to hear the Tutor of Politics telling us that he had discussed it "in this very hall" (we were in the Freind Room). The crux of the question that the University stumbled upon was simple. Is the MBA an academic subject? It tells you a lot about the University and how it sees its place in the world when you understand the dilemma.

We also had two whole sessions on plagiarism. In the words of the Proctor, "The University of Oxford takes plagiarism very seriously. We understand that this may be quite different from what you may have been used to at other educational institutions where you've studied. We're not just paying lip service here, when we say 'very seriously', we mean 'very seriously.' You can and you will be asked to leave." Interestingly, almost every piece of written work submitted in electronic form (assignments etc.) passes through TurnItIn and if there's a match, it's really a very, very big problem.

I complete a month in Oxford in a couple of days and time is running very fast and very slow at the same time. There's so much to do, the Oxford experience is really about a lot more than studies. I thought I was pretty okay at time management but there have been days when it's a struggle. As one of my friends was saying in class today, "It's funny how it's only week 2 and people are already starting to feel how crazy it's gonna be as we go along.."

If you've actually read this far, thanks for sticking around. Maybe these posts are a little drab for the readers but I want to keep track of my journey here and there's so much to write. And after all, this is "for when I feel like it" :)

PS
Here are some things overheard that Naz put up on her blog. They're quite cool, and a much easier read compared to my long winding tales! Remember that you're seeing them pulled out of context, so they may sometimes seem icky.

Life inside Said Business School, Oxford

2009-10-18T02:18:00.008+05:30

My blog tracker tells me that quite a few people end up here after a search on "Said Business School" on Google. So this post is for you people. Let me start with a disclaimer though. I haven't been to any other business school other than Said Business School at Oxford. I haven't seen the classrooms at other places, I haven't attended open days so I don't know how good the professors are. Hence whatever I narrate may be the same in every other b-school out there, I'm only talking about what I saw here over the past few days and how I felt as I went through the cycle.

So here goes...

The Building - Said Business School is a new building and it stands out in the city of Oxford. It was built 10 years ago with a view to create state-of-the-art business school infrastructure and has quite obviously succeeded. The main lecture theatre, Nelson Mandela Lecture Theatre, seats about 500 I think and is often used for regular University programmes. So you might run into physicists and mathematicians sometimes within the b-school. The classrooms are all horse-shoe shaped and can seat about 100 students at a time. The chairs are comfortable pushbacks with multiple back level controls, I liked that. Every visual aid possible is at the disposal of the professors to use. Access to various parts of the building is controlled by an eletronic card system. There's a lot of open space around, which is great on a sunny day. Construction for second level expansion will start next year. All students are given lockers within the campus. These are big enough to hold business suits and therefore are very important! I've already put a blazer and a couple of ties in there, so I can move around in my usual sweatshirts and change if needed in a jiffy.

The Library - As a student of the University of Oxford, you'll have access to almost all libraries in Oxford (including the Bodleian), so it's pretty much impossible that you won't find a book. Especially because they're all searchable through a central system. The Sainsbury Library in particular (which is within the b-school building) is spread across 2 floors and houses an extensive collection of business and management books. The e-resource has to be seen to be believed and is again linked to the University of Oxford resources. People usually roam around with laptops but every library desk has a terminal if you need it. Printers and copiers are available through an electronic system which charges a nominal fee. I initially found the area space of the library to be a little small. But then I realized that I was comparing it to my undergrad which caters to 10 times more number of students. Like all libraries, some books are for reference only, others can be taken on short loans.

Connectivity - There's wi-fi within the building (duh!) and I found the availability of plugpoints very heartening. They are everywhere and for those like me who have chosen not to spend that much money on laptop batteries, they're a life saver. The intranet is extensive and technology is very central to how things work here. The only painpoint I've felt is that various domains don't seem to carry over sessions very well and so you need to enter the password a few times as you move from one system to another. It may be a security precaution since the intranet is readily available over HTTP(S) but I'm not completely convinced. Especially since the main University of Oxford system works on a single-sign-on basis. Surely the b-school system can be integrated to that. Anyways, the problem is easily solved if you ask your browser to remember your passwords.

Food - Students are expected to be around quite a bit and the dining hall serves all three meals. The prices are about average, the quality is good on most days. Free coffee and tea is available for both the morning and afternoon mid-class breaks. The real awesomeness is the food in the Common Room (a deceptive name, because it's more like a huge lounge). The snacks are good, great cakes and pastries. And made-to-order sandwiches, burgers and baguettes are available at lunchtime. I also love the doughnuts! The usual juice/chocolates/coke is anyways there, so I'm not mentioning that in particular. There's a Happy Hour every Friday with really cheap alcohol. Most professors come down for a beer, so it's a good time to get to know them out of the classroom.

Classes - The class environment is very conversational, much more than I had expected. It doesn't matter if you don't know the answer, there are no set marks for class participation. I particularly loved this fact because I've heard b-schools set marks for class participation and I find that very weird. There's no added pressure to put a question in or make a nice impression on the professor. You don't have to worry about getting cold-called and what the professor might think of you. One would think that the class conversation would become one-sided but that's really not the case. We speak more than the prof usually! The professors are just amazing, I'm so in awe of how they go about their stuff, how interesting they make things, how they go out of their way to make sure people understand how one course relates to another.. and how it relates to the real world.

Evaluation - Within the structure of the University of Oxford, the Said Business School fits in as a department. This means that it occupies the same position as the History department or the Law department. This also means that there are no special provisions for the business school, it fits right within the University of Oxford regulations. The reason I'm bringing this up is that as per the Grey Book, the University is in-charge of all examinations. Not the department. Hence the basic University rule regarding evaluation automatically applies to business school students. And the rule is - all examinations are blind double marked. Every paper, every assignment is marked by 2 people and neither of those 2 is the person who has taught the course. If their marks differ by more than a set percentage, they are supposed to get together and come to an understanding. The markers also do not know whose answers they are marking. One of the examiners is usually an external examiner to whom the copies are sent. There is no indication of the student's identification on the answer sheet. This anonymization is achieved through a complex process that each answer sheet goes through. So there's no question of bias. I loved this! Really! The minute they told us about this, I had such a big smile on my face. This is how it should be. No bias! Too many times in my undergrad have I missed grades because the prof knows I haven't been attending classes. Too many times in my undergrad have I seen others get marked more leniently because they've spent their time running around the prof. Even if it's subconscious, it happens!

That's about it.. more later!

Applying for an MBA at Said Business School, Oxford

2009-10-11T05:56:00.003+05:30

It's obvious what the content of this post is going to be around, so let's get to it. For the record, I am currently studying for my MBA at Oxford, so I know a little bit about what I'm saying!

Step 1:
Write your GMAT and get a good score. Like with all other b-schools, the definition of "good" at Oxford too is dependent on your background. If you've been dealing with numbers all your life, you're expected to get a high quant score. For an Indian male in IT, anything less than 700 will make things a little hard. However, this doesn't mean you retake the GMAT if you've gotten 690. The time may be better spent by concentrating on other areas of your application.

Step 2:
Check whether you need to write TOEFL/IELTS. The English language test requirements have changed this year, particular the clause for waiver of the test. Make sure you read the fine print. Engage with the Admissions Team early if you feel you're on the borderline and want the requirement waived for your specific case. If it's not a big issue, give the test. It will make life easier.

Step 3:
Decide who your referees would be and involve them in your application process. Make sure your referees know you well, make sure they have specific examples and stories to tell. Oxford is very particular about what the referees say (as are most business schools), it's a huge part of your application. If you're not sure your referee would give you an excellent recommendation, you haven't chosen the right person to recommend you.

Step 4:
Find out about the school. I mean, really find out. You should know what you're getting into. Oxford is a young school, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Find out what they are. Talk to alumni, read student blogs. Both the official and unofficial ones. If you're interested in technology, do you know about the Silicon Valley Comes To Oxford event? If you're interested in social entrepreneurship, do you know about the Skoll World Forum? Do you know what the business school's relationship is with the wider university?

Step 5:
Plan and think about your essays. The Oxford essays are unique in their size. The career goals essay is somewhat standard but it is a 1000 word limit. You have to plan it through. And the other essay, the one that asks you about your life's greatest influence in 2000 words, that's the one that requires the most planning. Think about it, instrospect and choose your topic. Try and bring out different aspects of your character. It's an essay that gives ample scope for creativity, stand out in how you treat it. It's not easy to hold someone's attention for 2000 words, how many times have you flipped through a newspaper, read the first 300 words of an article and moved on? Make the effort, it will be worth it.

Step 6:
Don't ignore the rest of the application. Your essays are important but the rest of the application is no less either. Use the various fields to showcase different aspects of your personality. Show that a 9-5 job (or 9-9 job) is not the only interesting thing about you. The Oxford experience is about a lot more than just the b-school. You have to convince the Admissions Committee that you'll be a good fit in such an environment.

All the best!

Some there be...

2009-10-07T18:12:00.023+05:30

Below is an inscription outside Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford... above a long list of names, mostly related to World War II...

"All these were honoured in their generations and were the glory of their times. There be of them that have left a name behind that their praises might be reported. And some there be that have no memorial."

I found the lines hauntingly beautiful, I had goosebumps by the time I left.

On a completely unrelated note, I would also like to draw your attention to the questions Dilip D'Souza raises in this post. Do note that I definitely am not drawing a relationship between the inscription at Christ Church and Dilip's narration.

At Oxford

2009-09-29T00:52:00.004+05:30

So, I'm at Oxford now.

I took the British Airways flight over to Heathrow on Sunday, mostly sleeping on board. Immigration was somewhat of a hassle as the Officer wanted to do a detailed check for some reason. I sat in one of their chairs feeling a bit like Shah Rukh Khan while the lady whisked off with my passport and other documents. When she came back 20 minutes later, all was cool. A quick stamp and I was off.

Buses to Oxford are available directly from Heathrow and the signage on the airport guided me to it pretty easily. I didn't have to ask anyone even once and I found that pretty amazing since it was a complicated route with inter-terminal trains and everything. Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world and I guess it's really important that people can self-help their way through. The bus hit the highway directly, so I haven't seen London yet.

When I got into Oxford yesterday, it was late in the evening and so I really didn't have the time for anything. The real exploration of the city started today. I headed to Christ Church first, I was supposed to meet the academic assistant for graduates there. That establishment is really breathtaking, porters with bowler hats guide you through and there are a crazy number of visitors around taking pictures etc. Especially around the Great Hall where they shot portions of Harry Potter, there even were a couple carrying brooms and dressed like wizards! I found it strangely uplifting to be able to enter doors that all visitors were being shooed out off. The porters have this strict expression on their faces but immediately break out into a smile when you flash your University card at them!

So I finished the paper work and then headed to investigate the bank account, sim cards and all that jazz. Then there was some accommodation related stuff to be done and after I wrapped all of that, I went for a walk around the city.

Seriously, this place is just the most amazing architecture I have ever seen. I guess Rome, Venice and all those places would be like this too (or maybe even better) but every Oxford college, every building around the corner seems from another era. I took a few pictures and it felt blasphemous to let a car or a bus come in the frame even a little bit. Like it would drive away that misty aura of the 400 years that have passed by. There were times when I just waited to make sure I got an empty frame with just the building. There were other times when I didn't have the patience.

I also took a quick tour of the Bodleian Library, not spending as much time there as it deserved. I'll probably return there sometime soon and go around thoroughly. One of the plaques there says that the library is entitled to receive a copy of every book published in the UK. Whoa, that must be one crazy book filing system! It's not a lending library either, one of the other "did you know" fact listed out is that King Charles 1st (or was it James?) was refused permission to borrow a book too.

I headed to the Said Business School as well. The MFE orientation had started over there, so everyone seemed pretty busy. I ran into Justin who had just come in for some inquiries, I chatted a bit with him and his fiancee. On the way back to the BnB I'm staying at till I get my final accommodation, I made a quick stop at Christ Church again to check out the GCR (Graduates Common Room). I'd been hearing a lot about it ever since I got admitted to Christ Church, so I thought I'd try and find it. The Christ Church building is truly a maze with staircases leading everywhere. Thankfully, I found the GCR with not much trouble and turned my key through the door.

I don't know if you've seen it but there's a Frasier episode where both Frasier Crane and his brother try and get membership into some exclusive Seattle club. That episode was the first thing I remembered when I entered the GCR because the interior of the GCR resembled that club, with maroon leather chairs and giant portraits of wigged-men on the walls. There were a couple of guys there (one of whom was the GCR treasurer, I later found out) playing chess and some Beethoven/Mozart type symphony floated through the CD player in the background. It seemed like such an inviting place that I couldn't help sit down on one of the leather sofas and flip through today's copy of the Independent, trying to make sense of British politics!

The sun had set by the time I headed out. In about 5 minutes by bus, I was back at the BnB. It's been a little over 24 hours over here at Oxford now. I know that coming over just 3 days before the SBS orientation starts, I haven't given myself a lot if settling-in time. But then, the orientation is 2 week long and it isn't supposed to be very taxing. The real grind will start after that!

I think I'm ready for it.. as much as can be under the circumstances!

Finally...

2009-09-28T01:27:00.005+05:30

Ah, I finally have access to a fast net connection. Over the past 3 weeks, there have been many things that I've wanted to blog about but the crappy net connection has acted like the biggest dissuader out there. I've forgotten most of it.. except this one quote that I found hidden amongst some papers that I was sorting out. I think it was up on my cupboard in BITS as well..

A man is born gentle and weak
At his death he is hard and stuff
Green plants are tender and filled with sap
At their death they are withered and dry
The stiff and unbending is the disciple of death
The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life
An army without flexibility never wins a war
The tree that is unbending is easily felled
The hard and the strong will fall
The soft and weak will overcome.

PS
I've reached Oxford.. post about it soon.. tomorrow probably.. too tired right now.. good night!

Quote of the day

2009-09-03T14:33:00.001+05:30

"A crisis is a terrible thing to waste" -- Paul Romer

Donating Old Clothes In Bangalore

2009-08-24T15:55:00.003+05:30

I have a few clothes that aren't torn or anything but I just don't wear them anymore. For some reason, my clothes don't tear that often. It's probably a testament to their durability than any special care that I subject them to. I also haven't changed much over the years, so I haven't outgrown my clothes. I still wear t-shirts that I see myself wearing in photos clicked in 1997. But there are some clothes that you just, you know, retire. As I'm moving out of Bangalore, these are the ones that I don't want to carry along with me. They would be of much greater use to others around me, who aren't as lucky as I am.

So over the past few days, I've tried searching the net for some places where you can go to donate used clothes. I would have thought that in a city like Bangalore, there must be quite a few charities that you could go to if you wanted to donate and you would be able to find them online. But a Google search renders almost nothing. It's a little sad..

But then, we all know that someone above holds all the strings.. so last week, when I was at my bank for some stuff, a walk around led me to what I was searching for. So here's what I did.. my footprints in the sand. Hopefully, if you're looking to donate clothes in Bangalore, this post would help you..

Take the 100 Ft. Road in Indiaranagar from Domlur Flyover to the CMH Road Crossing. At the Crossing, turn right. A 100 meters in, you'll see ICICI bank on your left and right next to the bank, a road cuts in. Take that road, within 50 metres you'll reach a T-junction that hits a road called the Sri Krishna Temple Road. Across the road, a little to your right, you'll see Nilgiris and right next to it is a School for the Visually Impaired.

They have drop boxes outside the school, 3 of them in bright yellow colour. One of them is for food, another for clothes and the third one for old newspapers and books.

An hour ago, I dropped off my old clothes in the clothes drop box, told the girl sitting at the reception inside and walked away. It was simple, really. And it felt pretty good :)

Addendum: If I hadn't come across that school, I would have headed here. You can try this one too and contribute to their clothes bank. I had called them up and they seemed like nice people.

The Magic Word

2009-08-22T13:57:00.003+05:30

I've been in Bangalore for more than 5 years now and this is my last weekend here. It's kinda come full circle, at least as far as my mode of transport is concerned. I started off commuting in autos and now that I've sold my car, it's back to those yellow-black vehicles again.

But something strange happened yesterday, something that hasn't happened in the 5 years of commuting in autorickshaws. I took an auto to MG Road and when I reached my destination, the metre showed Rs. 38. I handed the driver a 50 rupee note, he dung into his pocket, took out Rs. 12 in change and placed it on my palm.

And then he said, "Thank you."

Just like that. He said thank you. If you haven't been to Bangalore, you probably wouldn't know what a great miracle that was. He said thank you! I smiled back at him, a little shocked, but the smile stayed on my face for the rest of the day.

On a separate note, Fri was my last day at Vendio. Over this weekend, I have ended up on the Vendio webmail site at least a dozen times before realizing that I can't login anymore. I've spent 5 years here and have some great memories that I'll treasure forever. Some people had some very nice things to say at the farewell, it left me a little surprised because over the past 2 years at least, I've really been a pain in the neck, not taking anything at face value, questioning everything that I felt should be questioned. I did get an email from this one person who said he appreciated my "candour", that's sounds about right! :D

I remember telling Shilpa this when the Tirupathi trip was going all wrong. For some strange reason, the moments that you remember the most are the ones that were the most screwed up. It's the same with my Vendio memories, I remember the cage-move, the free-listing-day night outs, the critical crashes, the calls at 3 am, the quickly cooked up implementation over the Diwali weekend. Those things were crazy when they happened but you couldn't have dragged me away. I know now that I'd rather have been there right in the thick of things than anywhere else in the world.

Thank you, Vendio (and Andale). It was great fun and I loved every minute of it.

Updates from here and there

2009-08-15T22:42:00.003+05:30

Well, so this Monday I'll start my last week at Vendio. A few of us from office had a small party Fri night at Bill's place and it was awesome fun. Over the past 5 years, such outings have become a pretty important aspect of my Vendio experience. And they always end with biryani. For some reason, it tastes better after booze! It was raining damn hard when I got back, I was in an auto but still got completely drenched. Not to mention that I had to pay Rs 150 from Forum to my place. Crazy!

I'm also having Visa issues. I find the UK Visa process a little frustrating because there's no transparency. The processing can take an infinite amount of time, there's no upper limit, and all you can do is wait. Meeting the Visa officer (as in the case of US) is harrowing in its own way but at least, you know the outcome then and there. The wait is killing here. Right now, as far as I'm concerned, a mad scramble is on to get more supporting documents ready. The first batch didn't seem to work as I had expected it to. Hopefully, it will work out but things are starting to get tight. Fingers crossed.

Yesterday night, I got my first academic-related correspondence from Oxford. A Financial Reporting exercise has been forwarded, something about balance-sheets and income-statements. Since the class will have grads from more than 40 countries, the prof says one of the objectives of the exercise is also to standardize terminologies as different people use different terms to refer to the same thing. Very ominously, the last line of the text states that there will be a test in the first class. And so it begins!

With A Whimper

2009-08-09T23:48:00.005+05:30

So we were at Lipi's place last night for a dinner party (she made yummy mushrooms!) and as usually happens when this group of people gets together, the conversation turned to tech stuff in general and to Yahoo in particular. There was some talk about how things were going down but that didn't mean it was all gonna end quickly.. it would be a slow decline that would take years and years.

And in that context, one of the people there, someone I was meeting for the first time said, "That's how it happens, right? It ends with a whimper..."

I looked closely at his face. Did he know where that line came from or was he just repeating something that he had heard someone else say? Was he an Eliot fan? Did he know that April was the cruellest month of the year?

Even if the person speaking the line knew what it was about, I don't think anyone else in the room got the reference, there was no flicker of recognition anywhere. And for some reason, just for a split second, even though I was in a room filled with people, I felt alone. The feeling returned a few minutes later when I talked of W.H. Auden and the name didn't ring a bell with most of the group.

I miss the BITS Poetry Club. I hope they have something similar at Oxford. Actually, I'm sure they'd have it.. I hope I can take out the time for it.

The Successful Work-Avoider

2009-08-08T14:17:00.009+05:30

"The successful work-avoider combines a fake eagerness to help with just a hint of likely failure"

I must confess that even in my relatively small professional career, I've met some of these guys!

(The Dilbert strip wasn't fitting into the earlier blog template and prompted a change!)