Michigan Ambassadors program

When I went to the Meet Michigan Reception in New Delhi, the lady there told me about the Ambassadors program where I could chat with some current students. This was in direct response to my question because I could not find it on the website myselves. She was also not sure how to get to that link.

Today I tried to reach to that page, but not before I wrote to the Admissions Committee about it. I later used Google and found my way to the correct link. Then I read the reply from Admissions Committee. The response was quick, but not upto the mark. The person there copy-pasted a typical write-up on visiting Michigan, arranging for a tour and talking to the current students. It mentioned the Ambassador program, but no links for it. It did give me the link to the page that helps you plan a tour, and perhaps that page has the link to the Ambassadors program, but they did not give me the thing I specifically asked for: the link to the ambassadors program.

Anyways, I have short-listed two Indians to chat with. One is an IITB alum himself.

PS: Sometimes, when I see the profiles of these guys, I wonder if I would fit among these guys n gals...

Visited the World MBA Tour

It was great visiting the World MBA Tour. But it had its share of disappointments.

First, I got a little late in reaching the venue, and had to park at a great distance away. Then once at the venue, we had to stand in the queue for atleast 10 min. before we were asked to pay up 100 bucks to enter the fair. Disappointing, because even though this is not a great amount of money, it was not mentioned on the website. Since I had read about it in the ad of the fair in the print media, I was not much surprised.

Then when I went in, I was a little surprised with the looks of it. Of course, it had to have small stalls for the so many schools that were represented there. I had to talk to two people and spend 5 min before I could get the map that told me where each school was.

Then I headed for my No 1 school, CMU (later in the night it slipped to below 3). I was very dissatisfied with the way their stall was managed. Only one adcom member. No current student or alumni available. The lady was not able to answer my questions. (I had found their website very useful. It let me write to many current students who answered my queries and who all encouraged me to apply to CMU. Compared with that, theirs was a no-show at the fair).

The stalls that I really like were those of Tuck and MIT. Tuck had one adcom, one alumni, and one admitted student (who had talked a one year defer). The MIT stall had one alum representing the adcom. But this guy was able to answer all the queries put to him by the crowd and was able to sell the school to them. I went to MIT stall because I had overheard two guys admiring his vocal skills and confidence. I found some new information about funding your MBA using what I would call a 'half guaranteed loan'. It basically lets you borrow one year's student budget (tuition living and other expenses) over a two year period without needing a US co-signor. Although MIT does not guarantee this type of loan, but Raoul said that no one seems to have been denied this loan by CitiAssist. Darden guarantees this type of loan, (Yale said in its brochure that it guarantees, but the website says otherwise), and its called the GATE Loan (by Bank of America).

I then had the costliest soup I ever had, in the coffee bar of the hotel. But it was not only very necessary (I had to go for the Meet Michigan reception later in the day) but also very tasty and refreshing. And the croutons server were great too. The tab was taken by a friend of mine. I would have to treat him someday.

I'll write about the Meet Michigan recepter after lunch. I'm feeling hungry :)

Immortalized

Today I came to know that for whatever work I have done for Acrobat 7, my name would be coming in the credits list in Adobe Acrobat 7. This version shall be launched sometime before Christmas this year. Its so great to have your name in the Credits list of a product so many people use worldwide.

I hope no one up there spoils the party at a later date

I'll keep you update on this once the launch is over

This is a piece of information I saw on Times of India, New Delhi edition dated 25 July 2004. I could not find any reference to it on Google News. I think its a great initiative from Sony 

Techbook

Saw this great thing today, while surfing ISB's website for their first B-School fet, Poseidon. It works, as of now.

Techbook: "Heh, just open http://www.microsoft.com/india/default.aspx, let the flash thingy load and try to click on any of the three links. And you get a 'No Such Link' page each time!"

If

I was watching "India's Child Genius", a quiz show, hosted by Siddharth Basu, that is looking for genius children in India. The game's first elimination round started and ended by reciting a line from Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If'. I read it and found very inspiring. I am reproducing the same here.

'If', by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on';

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!"

SMS Language in Examinations?

I was browsing the IndiaTimes website, when I saw this article on the extensive user of SMS language in examinations by college students. I read these articles on IndiaTimes with a pinch of salt, but I still think that a few of those who type out anyting between 20 and 50 messages in the most cryptic version of English might forget to write proper english when taking their exams. Its like mixing Hindi words while conversing in English, giving birth to Hinglish.