Free coffee and other incentives to attend class

I was wondering if I would have attended more classes in college if there was some free beverage on offer ?

After doing a one year full time course in the UK, I have emerged wiser, and of course almost bankrupt. The course (I did an MBA from Cranfield School of Management), was very nicely designed and I was very comfortable in setting a good pace against it. Exams were not a major headache and obtaining grades were just a formality.

 

And now I know why I hated studying while I was doing my bachelors degree in engineering in India. Yes, laziness played a major part in it. But there were many reasons for us (at least a lot in my cohort) to hate studies at college.  I am no way implying I had a bad 4 years at NIT Nagpur, oh no . In fact the time was awesome, spent mostly on non - academic stuff. Now, coming to why I hated studying  - reasons were plenty, and here are few of them - outdated syllabus, and outdated mode of teaching, lack of good content, lack of connection between profs and students, exam (grade) centered culture and so on.

And these were the same reasons I loved studying in the UK. In fact, just after being in the university for a few weeks, I knew why I hated going to classes back in India.

And there is one more reason - free tea/coffee at the Cranfield SOM. While it might not matter that much, but it was much of an incentive to at least turn up to the college building, hangout with fellow students, profs etc and also attend classes for a change. I remember waking up during my undergrad days, and rushing straight to the mess/canteen to find some tea or grab something to eat, before rushing off to attend the 11am lecture (classes used to start at 9). Having a vending machine to serve tea near the classroom would have definitely helped ;) Now, don't ask me the practicality/operational-plan of such an idea.

Now, one might argue that college is not for fun, relaxation and comfort, but a place for hard work in spite of challenges and to get the max out of it. Well, I agree, but I am also a lazy person, a Bengali by heart , and I love to live a slow paced life with as little hiccups as possible. So a degree on a sliver platter served with minimal effort from my side, while I was sleeping (and occasionally playing cards) in my dorm was exactly what I was looking for !

I am back...

After a long long break , I am back to my blog. It has been a busy period. A lot has happened in between. And among all the distractions, the MBA goes on.

And yes, an amazing last term awaits. Here are a few things that are going to happen.

1. IBE - As part of the mandatory International Business Experience, am going to Mexico with 3 other people. Will be a fun filled week ahead.

2. Wimbledon (probably) - After I spent 3 hours seeing Federer lose in French Open (and I lost a lot of pounds on my beer at the social), I am so looking forward to the Wimbledon where I can possible watch him win the title. (At least get in and watch on the big screen, thats the plan)

3. Regatta - Cranfield Annual Regatta is during the last week of July, and we are sailing ! Has to be fun.

4. Lords - India VS Eng - 1st test - last week of July, must watch game. Tickets booked and we are definitely going.

This is just a list of planned things, and a lot of unplanned things will come up for sure.

During the last 2 months or so, I have been busy as well. Here is a list.

1. Visited Wales - 3 day trip to south Wales, Cardiff etc.

2. Visited Lake District - lovely place and a lot of good drives. Amazing.

And also visited a lot of places in London, like touring the Big Ben, London Eye, Greenwich et al.

Also went to a visit to the London Metal Exchange to see live trading. Awesome.

 

Almost half way through my MBA

Yeah, I am doing an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and already neck deep into it. Next week, we have mid term exams and I will be half way done through my MBA.

Here are a few musings from my MBA so far:

Its fun : Those who think doing an MBA is tough, competitive and way too difficult after lots of work experience, I would say its not. Its quite a lot of fun actually. The work load is manageable, competitive and we do have lots of parties here (especially since we live far away from London).

There is always something happening here: We are always upto something. We had the VCIC competition recently, some people are doing Hult global challenge, a few are deep into preparing for Regatta, Ski Trip, Eastern european extravaganza etc. We had pancakes day last week, having a St Patricks day this week, an auction for supporting London Marathon this friday apart from Career's fair tomorrow, and Venture capitalist's briefing, Exam reviews, couple of assignment submissions, and job interviews for a few of us. Boy ! Its a lot to chew.

And if I add what all we had in the first term, I would be going on and on about it... People here have amazing levels of energy and are extremely supportive.

 

Vote for Project 'Paani' (Water)

http://apps.facebook.com/hultglobal/contests/101940/voteable_entries/17796207



A few of my colleagues are working on Project Paani for a Hult Global Case challenge.

Sincerely request you all to vote for this amazing idea of solving water crisis in countries around the world that need it.

FT Global MBA Rankings 2011

Here is how Cranfield fared in the FTMBA 2011 rankings:

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  6th in the UK

  
  


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  13th in Europe

  
  


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  34th in the world

  
  


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  3rd in the world for teaching Economics

  
  


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  5th in the world for value for money

  
  


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  8th in the world for career progresion

  
  


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  8th for top salaries in Europe

  
  

See full rankings in FT website here.

[Source : CMAWorld]

[Source : FT Rankings]

John Glen on Economics of Cricket

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P06WMO8b8fk

Professor John Glen is an economist and teaches at Cranfield School Of Management. Personally, the best professor I have come across, and also the one without whom I would not have liked economics.

Love to hear him, now and then. The other day at the coffee machine, we were talking about the ongoing IPL auctions and the Ashes. Here in this interview he talks about what the recent Ashes win will do for Cricket in UK and sporting in general. Also the upcoming tour of No 1 Test Team India in summer will generate huge interest and huge returns for the two boards.

 

Feeling Sleepy in class ...

Here is the video of my friend and neighbour Subhash who is notorious for sleeping in the class.

This was taken by yours truly sitting in the bench behind him during a Supply Chain lecture by Mike Bernon.

A 16 hour slog and still going ...

This has been one of the most hectic days of my MBA life so far. And I suspect that term 2 is going to be this busy the whole period. Wow.. I am loving it.

We had a simulation exercise today which started with a submission of a project plan etc in the morning followed by the project simulation which involved a lot of running around, number crunching, trending, charting, planning, replanning, allocating resources, re-scoping, and more !!! We, in teams of 6, needed to plan to build a warehouse using optimum resources with maximising profit being the aim (a proportion of credits depend on that).  We planned for 14 weeks of activity, allocated labourers needed, calculated overheads and other costs, loans needed, repayment schedule, equipment/materials/cranes needed and lot more. Each week is sped up in 15-20 minutes by the simulation software and we get the progress of work after each week, after which we re-allocate taking into consideration the random delays the software puts in, and other incidentals.

8AM :Review project plan, collate documents, print and submit at 8:45

0845: Simulation Starts.

1000 : Already in the middle of the project and experiencing lots of delays in procurement etc. Our planning skills put to test.

1100 : First major disruption in plan - increase in scope. An unplanned activity comes up, everything else gets delayed by 2 weeks alteast.

1200 : Anothe major change, 2 of us have been deallocated from the project and people from different teams have replaced them for an hour. We managed it well as no one was indispensible in the team - good project management !.

1400 : All look good even after delays, but there are huge cost overruns because of delays.

1600: We finish with a positive profit figure but very low from what we expected earlier. Disappointment dawns. Damn it !

1700 : We also have to present the results, variances, and learning tomorrow and so we continued with preparing for presentations. And yes, for lunch people grabbed what they could get hold of and kept working.

1900 : IBE briefings were also squeezed in for today in the timetables and so we had to attend those as well. International Business Experience (IBE) is a programme of one week where we visit various companies and institutions in a different country (in June). I will be going to Vietnam !

0000: Finished preparing for presentations after that, and its 12 midnight now. Need to hit the sack as it will be an early start tomorrow at 0830 for presentations.

 

Another Ranking - 5 Palms ...

http://www.eduniversal-ranking.com/business-school-university-ranking-5palms.html

Cranfield is placed at no 46 in this ranking. This ranking is for 'Business Schools with major international influence'.

The criteria for this ranking is a simple question asked to deans or directors of 1000 top academic instutes over the world - 'Which business school(s) would you recommend to anyone wishing to study in this country?". The rankings also depend on the level of International recognition through accreditations, memberships and other rankings.

Interesting to note is that IIMs show up here. IIMB at 25 and IIMA at 52. IIMB has been India's no 1 in this list since the last three years. (Source : click here)

 

References:

http://www.mybangalore.com/article/1210/iim-bangalore-rated-universal-business-school-in-india.html

Accounting WAC : Video

Here is the feeling of our cohort after getting the accounting WAC. As usual, there was a duration of 24 hours in which to turn in the written assessment of a case (WAC).

Exciting times and I really enjoyed the case and the time we had while discussing and writing it.

About Cranfield MBA ...

A lot of people have asked me recently about how is it at Cranfield, and how life is when you join an MBA.

I am giving a shot to answer a few questions here.

Q> How is life at Cranfield

A> Cool ! I must say, and I have enjoyed every bit of it as of now. The pressure kicks in from day 1, but you get used to it. You learn to pace things up, and also learn to prioritise. Also you know how to be efficient when learning in teams.

Q> How is education/quality of curriculum.

A> World Class ! The professors are aweeeesoooommmmeeee.. About the curriculum, do have a look at our school website and see if it suffices any of your requirements.

Q>How is the post MBA job scenario in UK ?

A>Its quite dim. But it depends on person to person. Do see my earlier posts on "Getting a job in UK post MBA" and others to know more.

Q> What if I want to return to India after MBA ?

A> Not an issue. Many people have done that. Only thing is getting a good paying job to pay off the loan, otherwise not much an issue, as we do have good job market in India. But, if you want to go back to India, better do an MBA in India, from some reputed institute... as Cranfield is virtually unknown in India.

Q> I have x years of experience, do I qualify.

A> Let me answer it straight, if x<5, dont even think about it. If its more than 5, do write to the adcom and have your profile evaluated. Or email me, I could help. (for free !)

Q> US or UK ?

A> Deciding between US and UK schools

Donate for Charity - Via London Marathon

Our dear friend Ram is running the London Marathon and by doing it he is also raising funds for charity.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=Ramotherunner&pageUrl=3

Please donate generously. Your donation will not only help the needy but would also encourage him to perform better.

Here is how you choose how to donate :

1. £1 for every 4.2 kms ie -  £10. This says "I encourage you Ram.


2. £2 for every 4.2 kms ie -  £20. This says "Go Ram. Go"


3. £4 for every 4.2 kms ie - £40. This says "Ram! You can do it"


4. £6 for every 4.2 kms ie - £60. This says "Ram! You rock.  I will be there (morally/physically) to support you."

 

 

Friday nights at Cranfield...

Today is Friday night..... and its the best it can get in Cranfield......

Lots of booozeee , lots of enjoyment and lots of party !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kitchen party of course........

we had a awesome kitchen party... and a hell lot of enjoyment......

Its the end of  a long week, and its the night we have been waiting for the weekend.....................................its fun for everyone...

And after the kitchen party at our hall ( Strinfellow hall ) it was the CSA party that we went to and it was a lot fun... Music, DJ and a lot of dancing... it was fun....

MBA journey - Part 1 : the start

And it started, and God, what an start it was. An action packed, hectic orientation week, consisting of parties, sports, and a lot of activities. Had an amazing week. If that was not enough, the party in Friday night was even better. CSA (Cranfield Students Association) has amazing parties on Friday nights. The dance floor was rocking, and a not a single square foot of space to step foot on.

Just when I thought it was going to be over (at 2AM), we moved the party to our kitchen, (at stringfellow) , and it was awesome. Wines, vodka and Rum, and a drinking game. Lot of noise, guitar, shouting, and lots of chaos - all the elements of a party. Celebrating our entry to the world of MBA, the Cranfield experience.The party lasted till 5.30, and then we went to sleep (after eating tortillas with cheese which I dont remember the taste of).

And then the weekend started, which called for a visit to London (to visit my wife), and then came the Sunday, which brought the fun filled week to an end.

Questions in mind before accepting Cranfield MBA

There are a lot of questions in my mind regarding the Cranfield MBA. I must have thought about them before applying, but I think its not too late. Also got a mail from a fellow Cranfield admit who asked few of them, and now I am forced to think about them. I think I have concrete answers to them. Comment if you think otherwise.

"Concerns about post MBA job prospects & economy" - Well, I do have my own views on the job prospects and the economy. As suggested by many people in the industry, the job prospects depends on number of factors like the sector you want to work in, and the role/profile you desire. Since I do not have very clear picture of what I want to do post-MBA (except for the fact that I want to go into consulting) , I have not got very good picture of the job prospects.

But overall, one thing is clear, an MBA will give a lot of weight to my resume, and will definitely make me employable. One of my friends who works in UK says that with my profile (experience in IT software development) I can get jobs now even without MBA. So it means jobs are there. But with an MBA, I would like to get a job as a consultant, or a project/program/product manager in a niche sector, which might be difficult to get into. There are two main reasons for me to join Cranfield - to work in UK post MBA, and to get a quality education. And as I am not looking for a specific profile (as of now), I think I would be able to land a job.

"real ROI for people like us in IT industry." - About this, I think ROI should be very good. As IT is still a 'hot' industry and there are jobs around in the UK. And the ranking as per ROI being high in Cranfield helps, as it suggests ROI is indeed high, regardless of industry.

"Another concern is couple of top ranked Unis rejected my application due to my lack of management experience" - this happened to me as well, and I do not have answer as to whether its good to go for an MBA without managerial experience in the UK, as the course is for 1 year only and the class we will be attending will have quite a lot of people people with lot of managerial experience. It will be competitive, but at the same time there might (just slight) be a disconnect.  I do not know.

"Also do u know which electives (specialization) is preferred by students at Cranfield?" - I did not do such research, but I am personally interested in Entrepreneurship, and electives related to IT only. As I do not want to move out of IT. Overall the course structure is very good with emphasis on personal and professional development, so I think the investment will be worth it.

How Cranfield fairs among its peers

A lot of people compare Cranfield MBA with HEC-Paris, Manchester and LUMS. Here is how I take this comparision.

How Cranfield weighs among other schools above mentioned will depend on how you want to compare. (In my opinion of course), example:
1. Where do you want to work - If you speak french, and want to work in France, HEC Paris will be a better choice. If you want to work in the UK, Cranfield is a the best choice among these.
2. Which sector you want to work ? - If you want to work in finance sector, Manchester might have an edge (just an minute little one) as it is a better known for finance (I have a friend from Manchester who can vouch for this). If you want to concentrate more on general mgmt, or consulting, Cranfield/LUMS might have edge over Manchester (find out profiles of people placed in consulting).
3. ROI - Cranfield has best ROI among these. It is ranked 2nd in the world for ROI (see BW ranking by ROI- Ranking Return On Investment ) Also there are scholarships available at Cranfield, which will help.
4. Another positive thing about Cranfield is its proximity to London, which is an advantage when you need to travel to London frequently for interviews (as told by one alum).

All this might look like tilted towards Cranfield, but why not, because I have an admit from Cranfield
But please do your own research before making any decision and do post your comments if you think otherwise.

For more information on how Cranfield is ranked in various rankings refer to http://followingmydream.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/admitted-to-cranfield-school-of-management-class-starting-sept-2010/

Cranfield School Of Management ranked 3rd by WSJ

Cranfield has been ranked 3rd by Wall Street Journal (2009 rankings).  [Source http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125191359248380317.html]

Its good to hear, especially because I have been offered a place for the Full Time MBA starting Sept 2010. I am pretty excited about it and very happy to know about the rankings.

Admitted to Cranfield School of Management, class starting Sept 2010

Wow ! Was waiting for the acceptance mail from Cranfield soon after the interview ended. Was very eager and when it finally arrived I could not believe it really did. The Subject read "MBA offer", and I did not have to guess what was the result of the interview.

Yes, I got an offer from Cranfield. And so the quest for admission to a good/decent B-School is over now. It all started in June 2009 when I started preparing for the GMAT, and after long nights of studies (for GMAT) and application writing, it finally paid off. I am happy and excited.

Though I have not yet accepted the offer formally, I have made up my mind to join the school. As this is the only admit I have got ;). Though, there are few formalities which I need to complete before I can say for sure that I am joining. Paying the initial deposit, and loan approval being two of them. Of course, I will need a visa to travel as well. Have started researching about these things and I think I will ready by Aug, if not before. Also planning to attend the preparatory course at Cranfield that starts a week or two before the actual start of the program.

About the accommodation, I will be staying in campus, and have shortlisted Fedden house meant for couples. I do not know for sure if my wife will be staying with me as she is yet to get a job in London, but to be on safer side will book the studio apartment at Fedden house.

About the cost of the program, it is 31,000 GBP + Living expenses (approx 12,000 GBP). So a total investment of 43,000 GBP. Will apply for the HSBC loan, as its the only hope for me. None of the banks here will give me this huge a loan without a collateral.

About the admission packet, I am yet to receive it, but eagerly waiting for the same.

About the VISA, will apply as soon as possible. But only after loan gets approved.

About Cranfield School of Management:

1. See complete details on the SOM website , and About Rankings/accreditations

2. Cranfield Ranked 26th in FT 2010 rankings. (Download PDF of FT 2010 rankings). 5th in UK, 12th in Europe, 6th for top salaries today in Europe.

3. Cranfield Ranked 9th in the world for Value for Money as per FT 2010 rankings.

4. Cranfield Ranked 10th in the world for Career Progress as per FT 2010 rankings.

5. Cranfield Ranked 2nd in Businessweek rankings by ROI

6. Cranfield Ranked 16th in The Economist 2009 Rankings (above INSEAD !)

7. See the full school profile by The Economist

8. Triple Accreditation - Cranfield is one of only a handful of business schools worldwide to hold triple accreditation from EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA.

9. The QS World MBA Tour 18th annual MBA employer survey reveals the business schools employers prefer to recruit from, and Cranfield ranked top 3 in the UK and top 11 in Europe.

10. Forbes ranked Cranfield as the 2nd in the UK and 5th in Europe in the top business schools ranking of one-year programs.

Another interview call – Cranfield

Received an interview invite from Cranfield. It will be a telephonic one and will be done by Sean Rickard, the Director of admissions at Cranfield SOM.

This is only the second interview call this season for me, the first being XLRI GMP. Pretty excited about the same.

As per the information gathered from various resources, the interview will be an informal talk and will be mainly focused on why MBA, why UK, why Cranfield only. I hope I get to communicate smoothly, as I think telephonic interview is not the best way to face an interview. Also I hope to get some amount of scholarships as well.

As about Cranfield, here are the reasons that made me choose the school:

1. Location - proximity to London. (about 1 hour away)

2. Batch profile - average exp near to mine

3. Brand - Good recognition of the degree and the school within and outside UK.

4. Good in consultancy

5. Good ROI. Very good career progression of students passing out.

[updated on 22 March 2010]

Had an interview with Sean Rickard, the director of admissions.  Not so convicing I would say. Lets see what happens.

Here were a few questions asked to me:

1. Discussion on the essay/case-study that was given to me prior to interview.

2. India-vs-china after 25 years.

3. Why Cranfield MBA?

4. How will you cope with highly experienced students of cranfield class. My age is 29 and avg age at Cranfield is 33.

5. Any questions I had - I asked a few.

Overall 25 minutes, and I would say, it can go either way. I could have answered better, I believe.

[updated on 24 March 2010]

Got an Admit !

Finally an admit. I feel like being on the moon. Did not get any scholarship though, but its worth it.