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simbarulez.com May 15, 2007

Posted by Simba in : MBA, General , 8 comments

Phew! Finally, I managed to build this website. For a long time, I have been planning this but never had the time to sit down and do it. Now, it is up! When I got admitted into Duke and other schools, I had almost two full time jobs - working in Reliance and other, answering queries from prospective students. I managed to pull up a lot of emails and publish them as I believe they all have tons of information. :) It is not so user-friendly though!

Check out Simba Rulez and let me know.

Sitting back… May 9, 2007

Posted by Simba in : Life Marvels, MBA, Work & Beyond , 5 comments

Ok, now, finally I am done with all my coursework and officially signed off except for the graduation bit. I haven’t blogged for a long time and I wont start making excuses. This last Term was busy as usual and I just got busy with academics and interviews. I had finally started getting some good news on the job front when the visa situation became bizarre.

For those of you in it, I am sorry - our timing really sucks! And for others who are not aware - Well, the H1B visas were all taken on the first day of application i.e April 1st. And about 20,000 visas that are reserved for all those who graduate from US Universities, they were taken a few days ago. While many with job offers played their luck with lottery, I stood wondering what would happen to me! It has always been a hard ride for me and I didn’t expect this to be any different. So, all my interviews and almost offers got stalled due to the visa situation. That truly sucks! Basically, though many companies want to hire us international students, they wont be able to due to legal restriction. I have about a year to stay here and make my stay worthwhile. I don’t think it will be any different next year or the year after till the government takes some measures. We all have been signing petitions to voice our concerns and hoping for some miracle. So, till the ah-moment, I guess I should fend for myself.

While I am not too happy to be in this position I have a feeling that things will be ok. I don’t think I would have been excited at something I wouldn’t enjoy doing for a long time. But I feel sad that I wont have a full time job and get into a comfortable life after all; after all this work! Phew! Who said life is easy, ah! Anyways, amongst some of the things I wish - more retailers on campus, more retailers willing to recruit internationals, more efforts from my side (who knew things would turn so dire so soon!) These days I have been doings ups-downs on a daily basis. I can work for non profits or keep looking for firms that will take a chance on me, But I am leaning on entrepreneurship - I plan to start my own small business, of course something to do with retail; either I go bust or make enough money to pay up my loans, only time will say! The next couple of months will be a lot of research and groundwork. Hang in there, I might just spill some beans in a few days :)

So, what happens if I go bankrupt? Ouch! I will pack my bags and go home! Now, let’s pray that it won’t be that bad….

And then she woke up… February 18, 2007

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Frivolous Me , 10 comments

Ahhh… I hate myself for not writing as often as I would like! I have almost disappeared from the face of earth. Now, thats what I would like. Hmmph! From the time I got back and the school started, it has been BUSY! But more than ever, the feeling that I will be out of here haunts me. I will so miss the school, my friends, my life-style..my everything. Fuqua has grown to become sucha part of me that I will truly miss it.

Anyways, this Term has been a personal favorite! Probably the best one I have had. The courses I have taken are a little different and that adds the zing to the whole thing. I have taken a writing course which demands so much writing that no wonder I have not written on my blog! But still I argue, for a 2 credit course, it is way too much writing. I thought I was good at writing till I started seeing the grades for this course.. phew… the Prof ’s green indents.. ah, I hate them! And learning a foreign language is soooo cool! :D I have taken Mandarin which will last for the whole semester. Though I wont be able to do a 15 day immersion program in China at the end of the course, this has been the most satifying learning I must say.

Ni Hao. Zaoshang Hao! (Hello, Good Morning!)

I have never had a chance to learn new languages, or maybe I did, but never really thought about it! It is so awesome.. personally, it liberates me.. two weeks ago, I didn’t know anything about ‘Chinese’ language. But now, I not only know that there is nothing called as a ‘Chinese’ language… but also can read & understand a little bit of Mandarin! Thats a wow effect! I should learn more languages.. I owe that to myself!

On the job search, it has been dampening. The firms & industries I really want to be with don’t want to have me due to work authorization requirements. And that’s when I am pretty confident that life really sucks! Why did I come so far and do so many things if I dont get a chance to do something that I truly enjoy. But then again, what makes me sure that I wont enjoy other kind of work?! I dont know.. I just feel sick. I have working real hard to get merchandising, startegy, leadership rotation firms in retail/ fashion retail/ luxury brands but they either don’t need an MBA or can’t sponsor me. Boooo….

On the other hand, I am so happy for some people who are doing really well. One of them is getting married.. thats one helluva surprise. Good Luck ‘S’. :) And another has just started a new way of sending greetings - by recording your voice on the card! Now, that is fun, try Teledora What’s better? He is a Fuquan :D So thats the update for now… I will try to be more around this place… now, thats the promise I make every time, ain’t it?!

Crazy days… October 2, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, MBA , 11 comments

I dont remember the last time I have been so busy! Phew, what is with B-schooling? Aren’t the Second Years supposedly the official slackers… thats the joy of being a second year student! But looks like the joy is crushed with tons of assignments, case studies & exams. So, even as a second year, I am slogging my a*** off to at least keep my head afloat, if not the whole part of myself :)

Nothing much has been happening otherwise. I actually had planned a lot of stuff, apart from the academics & career part but looks like all that might have to wait. For e.g, the development of this blog into something more substantial, learn some new languages, learn golf etc etc… but I must agree that I am doing some interesting things in the whole grand scheme of things… trying to sqeeze in gym & racquet ball sessions regularly (yeah, trying ;) ), bakin’ & cookin’ some interesting stuff & learning salsa dancing! For now, that should keep my platter busy! Day before, we headed out to ‘Hindu’ bhavan here which had organized Navratri celebration on a grand scale. I had always heard of Garba & Raas but never had tried my hand at it… & now, I did! :D Went late, hence missed the Garba part but the Dandiya Raas was sure a lot of fun! I think I kinda got pretty good at it.. its pretty simple & easy to learn! And of course, there was some sheer thrill in having hot samosas & garam masala chai in the middle of the night.

Career has taken a paramount position in my to-do, must-do lists. I havent heard back from my summer and I am not very surprised considering they are not pro-internationals.. but what’s wrong in being cross-fingered! The companies are back on campus & there are tons of things to do almost everyday. Last week, we had the Duke MBA career fair and I had a chance to talk to some of our seniors (Class of ‘06) and some interesting firms. Lets see how that goes. So, it is down to this one now.. have to get a job offer so that I can get a work permit… else pack bags & back home! Home … *sigh* where is it?!

Right now, I am working on dropping off my resumes & coverletter… so, I will get back to that! Alrighty… am out for now…

Hey, BTW… Happy Ayuda Puja & Gandhi Jayanti :)

Welcome Class of ‘08 September 4, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, MBA, Duke , 1 comment so far

I know its a little late for the official welcome of the First Years to Fuqua. But I think, it is the appropriate time to do so. This post is officially dedicated the ‘08 Fuquans :D Hope each of you had a great time at the Orientation Week, the ILE Week and the first week of classes. I have had a chance to interact with many of you and its been great knowing each one of you. I wish you all the very best in your classes, assignments, club activities, job search and zillion other things you wish to do when you are here. Fuqua is an amazing school. Period. Ensure that you get the best of it!

I am always amazed by the people I have met here and the Class of ‘08 has been no different. I am specifically interested in knowing all the ‘Desis’ who flew in directly from India because I know how hard things can get and how badly you need someone looking out for you! It is very weird being a second year as you are suddenly in the harsh light of close inspection by the first years who want to ensure that they get every ounce of knowledge outta you, again by the first years who view you as a demi-god for surviving the ‘terrible’ first year at a business school, by the Profs who suddenly assume that you are more smarter than when you applied and hence expect more out of you, by the Career Centre who expect you to be an expert in the world of job-search and career management, by team mates who expect you to bring in a lot of worldly knowledge from your 2-month stint of summer internship, by classmates who are all fidgeting by the expectations of everyone around them and by the first years again, who think you have the ace weapon to land the stupendous internship! Phew! If you think it was hard being a first year student, think again… second year can drive you insane! Am I kidding?! Ofcourse I am :D It has been an amazing ride and this year, the last in my life time as a student, I better get everything outta this place and people here!

It feels so nice when people instantly recognize my name or when I see people grinning as their eyes light up when they address me as ‘Simba’. It is pretty amazing that so many people know me through this blog of mine! When ‘The’ gets prefixed tp your name, its kinda flattering & scary at the same time. LOL, some people are actually surprised by the low profile that I maintain around here! I am serious! I am low-profiler! :) Taking the cue from Ms.N I feel the need to share some of the pointers with the First Years. I agree with her on all counts and would like to stress on the last one. Have fun…

Have fun - In the process of running around for classes, winding up the finance assignment in the nth minute, cursing the team mate for not doing a great job on his/her part, grabbing a quick frozen meal due to lack of time, trying to accomodate the gym session once in a while, doing the cold-calling, reaching out to the career centre and the second years… stop for a moment and take a deep breath. It is ok. It is fun! Trust me, start seeing beyond the everyday ‘to-do’s’.. you have invested an awful lot to be here, you were selected out of god-knows-how-many candidates… it is just an MBA! Just a small break from the normal life. Enjoy every bit of argument, dis-agreement and every mug of beer while you are here! :D

Job-search - Everyone lands up somewhere or the other either for an internship or a full time role. But no one hears of the struggles some of them have to go through and the insecurities that each of them face when they dont hear back from firms.. we all have been through hard times of self-doubt. Career Centre is here to help and so are the people around, utilize them to the max. Absorb the wealth of knowledge and the potential networks in your own classmates & seniors & alums. Work on your strategy. It is easy to push the job search for the months of Jan & beyond, even more easy to put all your money on the on-campus recruitment… but be realistic! Why take a chance with only on-campus firms, why not your dream firm which doesnt make it to your campus, why settle for something lesser than you think you are capable of, why put all the eggs in just one basket?! There are innumerable firms out there.. if they dont get to you, go out and feast on them! ;)

Get outta groups you feel comfortable with - This advice is especially for the International students. Dont stay with the people you feel at home with.. I know, there are times we all need it but ensure that you really get out and meet other people. Talk to other international students, americans, seniors, profs etc. Get to know people and learn about new things & new ways. I didnt do it as much as I would like to but something I learnt from my summer job. You are here to feel comfortable in uncomfotable situations, so start getting used to it…

Clubs, extra-curicular - Dont take too much, dont take too little. Balance it out! My big advice to all first years have been, take leadership positions in 1 social & 1 professional club and be active in any other club you want without any official posts. You must take on some load to ease the pressure of the course work but be warned, when you do sign up for work… there is work to be done! It is not just a set-up! ;)

I can go on and on rambling about what can be done better! But seriously, the best way is to meet as many people you can and start thinking about ‘why’ you are here… the bigger and larger picture of how these 2 years fit into your big fat album of life!

Internship - Nailed! April 20, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Work & Beyond, Success , 29 comments

I cant tell you how happy and relieved I am today. I just got an offer and I am so thrilled that I cant even think! Hugs to all those who stayed with my nags through out. I will give more details later on. Am just so happy that I cant think straight now! :D

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! So, I am working this summer too!!!!! LOL!

Restless in Durham April 9, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, MBA, Duke , 11 comments

No, its not the name for another romantic flick! Rather it is how I am feeling these days. If you have been following my i-hunt page for the last few days, you might have seen my ups & downs, mostly downs! Hmmph! I dont even know why I am blogging now, maybe just to let out my frustration about things not happening. I am a hyper person who wants to get work done fast, that minute. But this slow painful process of looking for jobs is becoming more of a drag. I am not sure how things will roll out for me but I am just worried sick! Why are there lack of opportunities?! I keep asking myself, as one of the alums had written in his article in Fuqua Times.. you will always feel that you are not doing everything thats to be done, so, stop fretting! *Sigh* Attimes I feel that the reality of many such things is not disclosed in the right manner… like how tough it was for SYs to get an internship, how they settled for something lesser than anticipated, how some just got extremely lucky, how the early birds really got their due.. all these & much more. Maybe that is a human reaction, I mean, after you pass a sickness or a bad period, you tend to forget the self-doubt moments you had and you also forget to pass it on to others!

Even if I dont pass on anything to my readers, I will say this, getting through an MBA with high lofty expectations can be tougher than actually getting admitted. Its a test of your skill and patience all through your 2 year period at a B-school. I guess, thats one of the things that Adcoms are really concerned about, apart from all the application stuff, I am sure they sit back & ponder whether you are strong enough to even make thro’ the 2 years. Wow! I wish people had told me how hard it will be and why you should always be more alert about the off-campus events too. Why dont more people write articles about stuff like this. Everyone talks about the great things etc etc but why dont they mention the small battles that had to fight & the self doubt moments they had to pass,though, I wish someone had told me! For me, at this point of time, it seems like a no-brainer.. I should have been more proactive, but, before it didnt strike! Complacency pays back sooner or later! I will ensure that atleast the Class of ‘08 and beyond are more active with regards to their job-search! X, Y or Z school, it never hurts to go beyond what you are told and search for places you want to be & want to work! Never trust only on your campus recruitment, you might get some good ones but you might also miss out on something awesome had you looked harder! I fret about the breaks which I let past & the people I didnt write to, more often! Now, in the last minute, the ball is still rolling and wonder when it wil halt!

This Term has almost been a blur with my mind off all the courses. I dropped one course earlier on so that I can have a breather with my i-hunt. I think I did try my best and am still willing to do that… small fights aint hurt anyone! But I am not really into the courses I am taking. I feel bad that I am not gonna able to get an A plus in Corp Finance though I love it! No, I dont fret about all courses nor am I an academic person with great scores. I like to learn courses which I pick up a serious liking for! I am sooo restless to even look at anythingelse, my mind wanders about the 2 months when I will be doing nothing, I mean, nothing substantial!

Surviving an International MBA - Part 2 March 31, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Duke , 4 comments

Foreword: I guess this has been one of the most disappointing article of mine! Maybe things have not been so bright for me that I wasnt able to put some fantastic stuff, I kept hitting road blocks, its almost like the last few months of Term 2 & Term 3 have been like a distant dream! I had to sleep over this piece for a long time & also ask my good friends to remind me what we actually did! So, hopefully, you all, my readers & prospective B-School applicants can gain something out of this. Now, coming to the question of why I had to write this piece if I was not so ready! Well, time flies and I am almost coming to end of the first year and the moments pass by so fast that it is hard to document anything. If I hadnt written this, then I would have leaped directly into summers which would not have justified the whole experience! So, here I go… Comments, Brickbats all welcome, as usual ;)

—————————————————————————————————————

Welcome to Term 2 and you are back to losing sleep in the night and catching a few winks during the class. By now, you know who the class stars are and pretty much who are the people who just talk in class for air-time. You try to do everything around you, assignments and quizzes and club activities. But you will be warmed up enough and resigned to the fact that you might after all say adieu to your sleep and social life! But I feel that many of us get too carried away at this point. Things start looking too big and you go through the motions of everyday life without really savoring it. My advice, take it easy! It is just a 2-year stress period in life, all the hard work will pay off and at least you will know how much you are capable of stretching yourself. You survived Term 1 and I am pretty sure you will survive this one too, just keep the ball rolling. In Term 2, you essentially start off networking with alums and second years. You are ideally supposed to start off-campus research at this point but I can count on my fingers the number of people who actually did this.

Networking is the BIG thing in B-schools.You network with maximum number of people, on and off campus! ;-) Many people shy away from it as it makes them uncomfortable. Yes, networking is an art in itself, some people shine in such things but it is something that can slowly be picked up if you are really interested. Come on, why did you land in a B-school?! To meet people and to overcome challenges; now, networking helps you achieve both of these. But I like it because it takes a lot of nerve to do it initially. But, slowly, as you talk more often, it will make you a lot more confident and soon you will be clear of what your strengths are. I still need to do tons of this myself to land in a good internship position but the sooner you acquire this skill, the better for you!

And from my experience, I can tell you that the courses in Term-2 are harder than the ones in Term-1. This might not be the case in all the schools but at least we felt so at Fuqua. What might be the reason? Maybe the first Term was just meant to start you off. With so many guys coming from the work force, there is no point in loading them and scaring them right away. So, Term 1 is like… well, things might get mad & Term 2 is crazy! We had the biggies like Finance, Accounting, Marketing etc. Week in Term 2 makes you feel that Term 1 was indeed a cakewalk! But you will have enough courage to go through the strains of Term 2. You will just be used to stretching yourself and it won’t seem like a chore. And then again, if you haven’t had a Finance course, trust me it is interesting! It is hard but if you are lucky enough to get a great professor, you are truly blessed.

Read the complete article

Internship Rambling March 20, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Duke, Work & Beyond, General , 17 comments

Ok, Stop grinning! I am desperate! My time is running out! And I got this fantastic idea from a good pal, long time blogger, DMN. :) We all are looking for Summers aka Internships and with each passing day, I am losing patience! Now, lets not get into the argument about if I ever had some! Term 4 began today and I am the least loaded as I have to concentrate on job-hunt! Phew, I wish I was sitting in my cool,air-conditioned office way back in Mumbai taking my nice pay chek and fighting with my boss! Nah, I would never say that! Thank God, I am sitting here worrying about my summer job rather than be doing the kind of work that I used to do! LOLz! Puneet, I know, I still need to get to you about the kind of requirements I am looking at! In brief, I have been a techie, worked on Optical & Wireless technologies for about 6 years prior to MBA. Any strategy, business development or consulting position in the Technology or Telecom sector would be great as I would be helpless in coming out with creative strategies to sell some ketchup! :) Actually, for a while, I toyed with the idea of working on the Finance side as that really interests me but then again, without any prior experience, its hard to make a transition! Now, dont even get me talking about some of the interviews we, as international students, cannot apply! Hmmph!

Back to my rambling, till date, I have given 4 interviews and only the first one I managed to make it to the second round. For all others, I still havent heard from them! Now, does that mean a Ding from them! Maybe or may not be, but one thing is absolutely sure, they are not crazy about you! If they are, they will get back to you a day or two after your interview. So, I might be in for a surprise if I actually get to hear something positive from these. Anyway, moving on, the off-campus job search is painful as there are no rules for this game. You might turn out lucky if the alums reply back or you might get some real bad, cold shoulders. So, how am I going to wade through these things. I dont know but I guess, I will survive! No, at this point, I am not hopeful of getting an awesome job but it helps to get a decent one that I would enjoy for my summers. Most of the engineers are in pretty much the same position, at least the desis but some of them have been lucky to beat the rest in this cat race! Most of the commerce grads have accepted various positions in different sectors of the Finance world. So, does this thing gotto do anything wrt the engineering bit, I am not really sure but sadly, most of the technical companies that were here called only US citizens which kinda made it hard for all of us! If the tech sector dont want the tech junta, I cant see anyone else needing us! There are a few tech consulting firms around and they are doing a host of activities in the wireless domain! Would I be interested.. absolutely! But they are a very few and you need some tremendous patience to follow through till the end. So, with time running out.. I have just about a month to finalize this else I am pretty much free for the summers! :|

Now, am I disappointed about being at this stage. I guess not when you talk about the whole grand scheme of things, that is basically when I sit down with my grand-children to tell them gory tales about how recklessly I survived a summer with no food & no money but with tremendous energy! But for time being, I must accept that it is very disappointing not to have the opportunity (mind you, not the job perse!) to put forth a stellar candidature. So, what will I do? LOLz, you will see a lot more action in the PaGaL land and a lot of thought-dump here on this blog! So, would I be considered a failure..and should not be writing my MBA articles…Ahem! Only time can answer this question! :) Hey, Class of ‘08.. dont be scared when you read this! I wish there were many many more desis who were writing blogs who would convince you that getting a summer is a stroll in the park.. but there aint many! So, take my words with a pinch of salt! Its better to be aware of the reality bites, not to be disheartened! Fuqua is a great school and my getting/ not-getting a job is not a good estimate about the school perse! Comments in form of job offers would be highly appreciated ;) LOL!

Edit - I have started the Internship Hunt page to keep track! I have no reason to crib if I dont try enough! :|

Ahh.. the break March 10, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Duke , 6 comments

Finally the break.. yohoo, Term 3 is gone! Phew! And almost 50% of my MBA is over.. almost! Times fly I guess! And I have been busy with building up my forum PaGaLGirL and man, it takes a lot of time. I would have never guessed the amount of work that goes into building sucha place. At times, I am so beaten with a lot of work but still keep going online and thinking about what else can be done! Fresh dose of entrepreneurism!! :-) And it gives me kicks. Hope to see the community grow & prosper.

On unrelated side (ahem!) I am happy that Term 3 is over. 2 courses went okie dokie but Operations went off my head. I might need to take a couple more courses if I have to get the funda of logistics right! I am looking forward to my Term 4 courses which has more of quantitative like Corporate Finance and Fin Statement Analysis. Also I have the GATE course. I am going on a Travel program to Japan, China & Hong Kong in May & we have a couple of reads & presentations during the Term. I am actually looking forward to the GATE classes. And there are a few companies coming in the next few months & I might have like a 1% chance of getting in. Am I being pessimistic, LOL, just realistic! I am still hunting down Alums to help me with my internship hunt! But am not sure whether I even want to get back to Telecome/IT stuff, you know, it will be a difficult choice for me. For summers, I am fine with just about anything but for Full Time, I have better ideas.

Congrats to all R2 admits. Welcome to Duke and make sure you meet me :) LOL, no big deal even if you dont! And guys who heard the Dings, I am sorry, maybe there are better things waiting for ya all. If you need any assitance, do email me. And waitlists, what can I tell ya all. You all need to fortify your chances this minute. Try to send sufficient materials to fortify your case. Do your best to improve your chances. This might be the last chance for this fall atleast! :)