End of week 1

There is this very hot babe on campus whom everyone wants. Atleast 400+ out of the total 425 students have heard of her even before they have come to campus. They have no idea what she's like, have never talked to her, don't know how good their life will be with her but still want to be with her for the rest of their lives. Some have started to know her a bit & even though the voice inside them tells them that she is not the right one for them, they're still unable to resist her sex appeal (Heck, even I was tempted ; fortunately it wasn't for more than 10 mins & I realized with reasonable certainty that she is not the one for me)

Her name?

"Consulting"

Yup, this is the big one where almost everyone wants to get into post ISB. Any & every session on consulting is jam packed with people. If its for the reason that everyone wants to know what consulting is all about, thats great. However, I suspect that at every session, the questions reflect the thought in almost everyone's mind 'How do I tweak my resume so that McK or BCG will shortlist me'. If this thought is an outcome of sufficient understanding of consulting, reasonable analysis & honest introspection (which more often than not, its not), these are the people who should direct their efforts towards it. I believe that one of the most important aspects of self discovery at a b-school is actually getting to understand what you want to do after a year, following it up with more information & then directing your efforts towards that goal, irrespective of how many people around you want to go in for consulting or investment banking.

Happiness is the 'end' for all of us. Pursuit of happiness is inherent in human behaviour. The 'means' or path to this end is ours to choose. A simple poor fisherman living in a coastal village can be happier than the CxO of any top international firm. Personally, I believe in choosing the path of least resistance to the destination that is happiness. Now, how do I create this path of least resistance? Well, this is for each of us to choose based on each one's individual signposts on that path i.e. individual goals. Finally, everyone is trying to reach the same destinations - happiness & peace of mind.

Alums are almost out of campus now. A huge amount of gyaan has been imparted to us. We now have to translate that into implementation. In the words of an alum yesterday night at 2 a.m. 'Be action oriented, don't just sit here & talk'.