Catching a breath

Requires time, and time seems to be something that we here dont have at all. Suddenly the buzz in the campus has caught on and you have some so many things happening that you can be a part of ( atleast theoretically given that you are not bothered about that important thing called grades) that its mindblowing. From language classes, to dance classes, to photography competitions, to speaker sessions, to recrutier events ( yes the official ones have already started) - phew!!!
And of course you have your academics to attend to. We have had some really interesting subjects this term and for me personally the phase of enjoying a class continues. I admit though that the initial classes i seemed to be getting back to my losing concentration habit, but i hopefully am back on.
Anyways coming back to the subjects, we have a course on global economics and our second professor has been phenomenal. and the most interesting part of the course is a documentary called "Commanding Heights" that talks about how the global economy and how it has evolved over the past century. Very interesting stuff. Go catch it at pbs.org.

Then we have a course on competitive strategy. With a purely case based discussion pedagogy, the course has discussed about some of the ways in which businesses in various industries have tried to strategise themselves to achieve their goals. An interesting basics course on someone wanting to know more about strategy.
For the mathematically oreinted there is the Decision Models and Optimization, which tries to use mathematical models to solve optimization problems in business. This one is a fairly involved subject, requiring time and effort to understand, especially for someone who might not have been very strong in mathematics. That said, with perseverance, one can do well. and it really would form a basic for someone intending to pursue operations.
But i guess, and i reserved my last for this, the most involved and to atleast those who are on top of the list, interesting subject has been Marketing Decision Making. And this is not just because of the subject itself, but more because of the online simulation game that we have to play. Called the Markstrat, its simulates an industry with five firms competing against each other to sell products in the Sonite and Vodite market, with a view to maximising profits. The game is extremely exciting and sees you applying a number of concepts to take your brand management decisions and all. And boy it can be addicitive to some.

Besides this, we have our student body structure in place, with all professional and social clubs formed and acitivities starting up. It sometimes does become difficult to balance one's activities with academics in this short period. But then i guess thats what a number of us here are for, to try and learn that balance. Some do well some dont but you all learn a lot.
Of course, this is the utopian veiw to a lot of things, you might say, since we are here to get the best placements too. But for the time being, id leave that in the background, and focus on trying to do the best. Aah, how idealistic i seem dont it. :). wait till i come up with the next post.

Hmmm, this ones become a little more serious than i thought. Maybe next time ill talk about what goes on in a usual class around here.

till then
adios