Everything happens for a Reason!

Hey Exams time! and I felt like blogging a small post before exams begin! dont worry its not doubts and queries abut exams!

Everything happens for a reason is wat I always believed in! and It would ultimately lead to something gud if u direct it in the right path!

today I suddenly realised how lucky i am! Dont worry, the reasons are as crappy as my Fin grades! :P

I was given a door which doesnt fit properly into the space and it shud be sort of pushed into the space to fit properly! first day of college, I didnt like my room for tht one reason! Wanted to change badly but decided to wait for two more days until things settle down. And in those two days, i realised tht i didnt have to bolt my door from inside since it is pushed into the space to fit it n it stays thr until someone pushes it from outside.Lo Behold! here comes the best part. I dont have to get up and open the door of my room if someone knocks it! I just ask them to push it and it opens offff!!!! Woah! Lucky me! And now after three quarters, no one even knocks my door and all my bewarse frends just barge in by pushing it open since they know its never bolted from inside! waaah! God wanted me to be lazy u see!

I hated the fact tht my room was too small and not even 4 ppl at a go can sit in my room. Then over the time, I placed my table such a way that I dont have to get up to pick something on the table. I can be on my bed, bend and pick up stuff from the table! I think its an Optimised solution! :P

I started studying OM(Operations Management) and i suddenly realized how better can OM help me in my room layout. where to place the table, where to place the two racks, where to place the chair, minimise the no of trips to door and table and cupboard, where to place my shoes and chappals so tht dirt doesnt get too much into the room, where to place the bag so tht i dont have to bend to pick it up on my way to door, where to place my buckets so tht i can rush to take bath at 7.59am for 8am class, where shud my iron go so tht I dont have to keep packing n unpacking it, where shud my lappy go, which shelves shud be given for books, which ones for eatables, which ones for toothbrush paste powder deo etc(so as to minimise hand extension done to reach it :P, where shud my alarm clock go, where shud my timetable be pasted(currently on the back side of door), what shud be distance between bed chair and dustbin so tht I can throw waste directly into it without getting up from where i am!!!! Phew!!!!!!!! Yes, I am done talking now!

If any of my frends see this post! they will scream in unison tht the available space doesnt even demand an optimised solution since thr cant be more than one solution possible :P....but I say there can be! Tht is wat Om is all about!OM shanti OM! May OM help my roOM!

Back to studies now!

Comment from Yashu on my interview post!

Blogger didnt allow a comment tht is this big :P....so posting it here for junta to read his experience as well :)

forgive him for he uses the shortcut language for words and many shortcuts.....u might not understand few words but wil surely grab the essence :D...Happy Reading

Comment from Yashu:

Sexy one!..As always! :)

N as far as my exp goes..most of it is already in ther :P..i wud try to dissect that "Ossum experience" as sahiti put it :)...

Dat was the time wen most of us wer travellin half the country anxiously 2 impress ppl :P..different instis...different GDs...different processes..i guess the whole experience got the critic out of me..as i was constantly comparin different process wid considerable amount of subjectivity :)

Then comes the IITM interview :)...

The whole structure was gud..neatly laid out...almost on schedule..thanks to ur seniors :)..Has a brief session wid the HOD, which was gud :)...n as sahiti tels me, who happens 2 b a rock star in the dept :)...

Moving on to GT..Surely!!!..one of the most polished group activites i had in the whole season! :)...v were 6 or 7 in all...had a kind of situation where in u r in-charge of the Sales division..and ur best guy is using unfair/unethical practices to achieve targets..has been the best sales guy of ur comapny.. in the wake of this discovery...how wud u handle the situation....

Havin had a very bad experince in my previous insti...wid some guy startin off the GD wid the crappiest and the most random details possible, i decided i wud not let it repeat :)..So, i staarted! :P...

the case was on a piece of paper, n as i cud see few guys werent finished yet wen the panel gave the cue 2 start, i started articulating the situation bein confronted by the manager quickly....30secs.., not long enuf 2 make some one else feel the same way abt me :P...Then..started off wid wat different dilemmas the manager faces and the challenge of balancin n shit...it was only after 5min...dat i realized dat this GT wud be peaceful all throu the given 15min! :) ...everyone was speakin at their own ace...none acting smart or grabbin the max airtime...n after 12min r so...v were actually encouragin oders 2 speak :P..In all, had a decent enuf discussion...in the end, the profs asked each one of us to sum up wat v discussed in the last 15min..This was my moment!:)...This was one thin i picked up dat season...scribbling imp point during discussion..Believe me!!.Comes in very handy!!:).. I was the last person 2 present the summary...n i guess i put my best frwrd :)..<> ..i vl tel u wat impresses the profs....u apparently need 2 highlight all the imp points discussed ( not only urs! :P )..This is wat gen happens..ppl summarize wat THEY feel abt the topic...nt wat they discussed..n it becomes a summary of wat U think..nt wat u discussed...and never add any new points in summary..instead say..."While v discussed all these points..I think v cud have also looked at other perspectives as...the emotional dilemma, favoritism...etc etc.."..This wud come across as brownie points..if somethin occurred 2 u at the last moment..

Now, the interview..:)

tuk some special permission to get mine slotted in the beginnin as i had a train 2 catch :)

they were 2 panelists...one guy was a US returned guy(referred to as US)..the oder one did his masters in civil(refered to as H)...and of course..on the oder end of the table...was a professionally dressed..suave mannered, admission deserving individual :P..me..Yashwanth :) (refered to as Y)..

US n H:Good afternoon Yashwanth!

Y: (Are u stil readin this?!..i mean...wat do u xpect me 2 say? :P)

H: Before v begin wid the process, i want ur opinion on smthin...I am a masters in Civil engineering..He is a Us returned guy..how do u think v cud assess u as a candidate for an MBA prog

(Ah!..Valid Question!..Can i have a change of the panel please!?:) )

This was one thing which i love :)..talkin abt seemingly unrelated stuff..and drawin logical conclusions frm it :)..then i went on abt how the process was not 2 test whether u r proficient in the technicalities but whether u fit in2 the scheme of mba prog...n ur experience wid the students in the past wud have enriched you in terms of lukin thru potential candidates and zeroin on them..and how the us guy cud bring in his experience n the students can learn so much....blah blah blah :)

<>

H: Great..If u feel so, i think v wud try our best to live up2 ur expectations...Temme somethin abt urself..

I went on and on..giving reasonable pauses...tryin my best to make it sound like..i was having a "Self-introspection" session right there...

H: Talked about some current topic...in the news...dnt quite remember...

US: So..u like Chess!..

( Oh yeah! :)..)

Do u know of this somethin called Elo rating?...

(Did i say..i "like" Chesss...Scratch dat...i "Love" Chess! :)...Ofcourse i know!!! )

Started off how Elo rating cam into existence...and how its used by FIDE 2 rate chess players..and hhow fascinating it is...dat only 4 players cud ever cross the mark of 2800!!..:).....

Wid the kind of things i was rambling...I was like..marrofying over action at a break neck speed...:P..bt then..Dude!..it was me at the wheel!...:)

and then, he tells me that he is also very much interested in Chess!..then he says..Which opening do u think is most effective?...

For a moment, i was caught offgaurd..Oh man!..U are takin the Chess thing forward!..Oh!!.I shud play this safe...If i m nt careful here, i wud end up bein marked as someone who puked it all out from wat he read on wiki the previous nite..So, i said.." Thers nothing like a perfect opening...It depends on a lot of factors like wether u want 2 b offensive..defensive..n shit...(Did u notice!.I was already an MBA!:P..I was answering using the "it depends...Contingency!:P"...)..

Then he said...Lets paly Chess for sometime..Me: (:-O)....then he says..( At this level, i realized that the depth to which this disc was leadin to was great...if i answer..i win big!..if i dnt, i dnt really lose much:)..)...Ok, wait..just tel me few initial moves of the Giuoco Piano opening...<>...Now, this was where i was showin off! :P.. I said...there are 2 types of nomenclature..and explained how the old system used to address the moves by addressing whether the piece was on the kings side or Queens..and how eventually ppl realized that such a sytem was 2 confusin :P..Then came the modern system!..wich was much more simpler! :)...I quickly recollected the opening moves of Giuoco Piano..was tellin him...bt smhw messed up the last move...n gues wat!..He corrected me!!!..I cudnt help!!..I was impressssssssed! :)...I wud hav taken him if i were interviewin him!:P..Bt then dat last hitch din really matter much i gues..he was happy wid me :)...

Ooops...got 2 rush...my FIN assignment!:)

So, cutting the long story short :P...the H guy askd me some techinical stuff ...ECE engg..cant really recal those questions...some basic fundae...Then..both of them wished me a Happy Journey!:)..Soo nice of them! :)

Post-interview:

Came out..waiting 4 sahiti...there was this cute gal who had her interview on bharatnatyam and different kinds of dancing..somethin..4got her name :)..i guess she ur batchmate now...Say hi 2 her 4 me! :D ..N also, she was lukin cute the oder day! :P..

Cant 4get the Nice feelin of the interview v celebrated wid Idhiyappam :D..

Cheers,

Yashu :)

Batch of 2010,IIM I [:D]

My IITM Interview

This is the last but one interview of mine and I wasn't tensed at all. With just IITD left in queue, I was all happy about going to Chennai for the Interview. Me and Yashu left by the bus from Hyderabad to Chennai and stayed at the Bank of India Guest house which Yashu's dad had arranged for us :)...To the uninformed, Yashu is my best friend's younger brother and had interview in the same slot as mine.

Had a quick breakfast and took some inputs from the guest house keeper about how to bargain with the Chennai autowallas! Must say, they are worse than the Hyderabad ones! Finally arrived at the gate and then didnt know where to go! Some bus came in and we promptly got into it, not even wondering where it would go to! Asked the driver if it would go to MBA dept and he didnt seem to know!!!! Our first management funda in place! When you dunno what to do, always blame it on outsiders :P....told the driver about how someone guided us to get into the bus. Then one of the students came to our rescue and told the driver to drop us at DoMS(Department of Management Studies) at Gajendra Circle(All you junta coming down for interviews this year, get into the campus bus and get down at Gajendra Circle or GC as they call it!

Having got down, asked for direction and sure enough, we saw the DoMS board at the GC itself on the left lane. Started walking towards it. Two striking things about the department from outside. The big tree in between the lawn and the CCD outlet( computers and compact disk outlet :P). Just Kidding da! The Cafe Coffee Day outlet it was!!!.....

The inside view of dept was very spacious and sure enough, we were ushered to the registration desk by some seniors. Having registered ourselves, we sat down and started observing the place. We saw a board where students have written feedback about their interview experience and I was jobless enough then to read the whole board. Everybody mentioned the HoD L.S.Ganesh's name and thanked him for the experience. i brushed it off as people maska marofying to the profs :P.... Many said it was thoroughly enjoyable experience!!! Is this a roller coaster ride or water sport!! How can an Interview be enjoyable I say!!! Perplexed I was!... many thanked the seniors for their help which I found quite an honest remark since the seniors did help us by answering our umpteen number of queries ranging from forms to GDs to previous interview questions :)

There was an introduction about the department by the seniors and they clarified the concerns that were raised. The HoD, Prof. L.S.Ganesh spoke for a while and wished us all the very best for our interviews.

I was slotted with a group of 12 people and given the group task. A GT is unlike a GD where people fight. In fact, my group didnt even fight for opportunity, everyone was given a chance to speak. And the few who didnt, the professors asked them to have their say towards the end of the GT. Haan Haan! pata hai ki maine ab tak GT topic nahi batayi! :P....I thought people are engrossed enough to not notice :P..... Anyway my topic was "You are a bunch of managers for a mall. There are many people who visit the mall and window shop or return back without buying anything. You are here suggesting various possibilities and strategies to turn these window shoppers into buying customers." I dont remember who started the GT but someone set the context properly by saying that lets identify potential reasons why people wont buy and address them individually. I dont rem all the points mentioned but I sure do remember my points :P My inputs were

• Women who come with kids have tough time handling them and generally dont complete their shopping if the child gets unmanageable. Hence I suggested opening up a small play area where two nannys can take care of kids while moms shop peacefully.
• I suggested appointment of women helpers for sections like cosmetics, clothes and jewelry since its easier for many women to communicate better with women sales person.
• Someone suggested coffee and eatery outlets where people can stand and eat with only one or two tables to sit. This would reduce time spent by people in sitting and chatting away and would encourage them to explore the whole shop.
• Someone talked about running user group specific sales promotions to encourage impulsive buying.
• Someone talked about installing sound systems inside the mall for announcing various offers running at various outlets and make the customers aware of them.

I dont remember the rest of the inputs given but this should have given you a fair picture of how our GT went. L.S.Ganesh and one other professor were our panelists who took final summary from two people who havent spoken till then. Finally, all of felt nice that none of us argued or fought over the issue :))

I came out to find yashu also done with his GT. We sat down and waited for chance to be called for the interview :). I was the first one to go in my Panel! :(....I was petty nervous but Mayank Batra(the senior who was handling our group) asked me to be cool and confident for the interview. He said "The professors are very friendly. They wont make you nervous and wont bother you too much. Just be yourself." I was still nervous and sat at the office waiting for the Profs to call me in. 15mins....20mins....30mins....I was outside and I didnt know what was goin on inside. Mayank told me that a German delegate was here to visit the HoD Mr. Ganesh and hence I have to wait for a little more time. I waited and finally after 40mins, I was called in :).

The professors asked me to sit down. LSG and one other professor on the panel. After I said Good Morning, both the professors apologised to me!!!! Sorry for keeping you waiting. It was an emergency. Man!!! Who would say sorry to just another student at their dept to take an interview! i said its okay and then LSG said "you have waited for quite sometime, isin't it?" and gave a smile. All my nervousness went down the drain! His face was so peaceful and I was so comfortable by then :). Now for the Interview Questions:

• Sahithi, Tell me something about yourself? I have rattofied this answer for so many times and even repeated it for atleast 2 interview of mine. There I go again with my blah blah blah introduction.
• Sahithi, You have left your job in 2007! you have one year of experience then, right? Yes sir. What did you do for the next one year? I studied for Cat and other mgmt exams. Why did you resign so early? Gave a proper explanation about how there was dependency in my project and I had to leave then or in Feb, 2008. So I choose July,2007.
• You have written quite a lot in your achievements. Quote one experience which is very imporant to you and why? I quoted my 11th and 12th experience in hostel since I was all by myself and learnt being independent and became emotionally stronger and so on.
• LSG asks "Sahithi, you score is really good but why is your Quant so bad? Did you find it tough?" No sir. I didnt have enough time towards the end and couldn't do justice to quant. I really regret that. LSG says " I was the one who set your quant paper this time and the general trend has been a low score in quant. Just wanted to know the reasons."
• Can you talk about the kind of work you did in Infosys? I told about my project and responsibilities. Some more questions followed on it.
• There was one question on my hobbies that I cant recollect right now. I think it was about why I discontinued my music practice after 10th.
• What other calls do you have? All IITs and IISc. What if you convert IITB and IITM? Which one would you take? I cant comment without getting sir. Just tell us what you would do? I would consult my parents before my final decision since they want me to stay down south if possible. Hence, even if its IITB, for me IITM would come first if my parents want me to stay south. Hmmmm, okay we buy that!

There were few more questions which I cant remember right now. I came out and felt so refreshed and happy. All those compliments on the board were actually true! Of all the interview experiences I had, this was my best. Btw, I went to all the IITs for interviews and to IISc as well! Only IIT Kharagpur was taken up at Bangalore.

I went to the feedback board and gave my feedback. Your professors rock and I love the experience. It might sound cliche but I am sure many of you would write the same when you come over for the interview! I waited for Yashu to come back from his interview and finally he was back! He was all smiling and said "Went well! how about yours?". "Same here!!!"

We grabbed some tea and snacks that were provided and sat down to discuss the questions asked. He had two profs on his panel, one of them being Dr.Ashwin Mahalingam. For those of you less informed, he is a US returned Ph.D who is with civil dept as faculty adviser. Yashu's interview revolved around chess and its intricacies. Even some concept of chess like check mate and all were asked. So all of you who wrote your hobbies without thinking, start thinking now :P. There will be questions on it! Since Yashu was a fresher, he had questions on his engineering subjects.

Yashu gave his feedback now. "Ossum experience!" "Thanks to seniors!". We walked out of the campus and took the bus to the gate. Took some rtc bus which the seniors had suggested to take to avoid chennai autowallahs!. After going back,had am amazing "Idiyappam and Kerala Chicken" combo at one of the hotels near our guest house. Then packed our luggage and left for Hyderabad!

And the post ends here. Hope this post helps all of those prospective students who want the seniors to narrate their experiences. Good Luck to the ones who will be shortlisted for the interview!