tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post3353224771656479320..comments2023-11-19T00:42:48.156-08:00Comments on balancing life: Alumni and their institutionsSunilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-24281780854094445132008-05-14T02:47:00.000-07:002008-05-14T02:47:00.000-07:00i liked your blogi liked your blogBharat Rajawathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05167140825246097596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-14579187518510488642008-03-09T15:19:00.000-07:002008-03-09T15:19:00.000-07:00Hello Sunil, Sorry for the slow reply. I went to S...Hello Sunil, Sorry for the slow reply. I went to SGSITS in Indore. Chances are, you have not heard about it. I am ready to graduate myself- with an MS.. :)Huzefa Mukadamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13260331363282749144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-68745820555441506902008-03-07T09:27:00.000-08:002008-03-07T09:27:00.000-08:00Bala...damn! It was only 80%? I lived all those y...Bala...damn! It was only 80%? I lived all those years thinking it was 90% (and since my classmates were so sincere in attending the boring classes, barely missed a single one).<BR/><BR/>What a wasted four years :-(Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-33526959420385266552008-03-06T09:01:00.000-08:002008-03-06T09:01:00.000-08:00sunil,>>mandatory attendance policy (of 90% of the...sunil,<BR/><BR/>>>mandatory attendance policy (of 90% of the classes each year).<BR/><BR/>to avoid the dreaded I, we had a 80%<BR/>policy. with 5% condonation available sometimes. That was a AU wide policy, or did IBT have a different policy?<BR/><BR/>(i was a couple of years behind you in college. so we are talking about the same time period)Balahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07378233879302227763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-60876299415380851362008-03-04T07:27:00.000-08:002008-03-04T07:27:00.000-08:00huzefa, welcome to balancing life. Where did you ...huzefa, welcome to balancing life. Where did you study? I may be a biochemist now, but I did study "engineering" in Chennai. Where did you go to school?<BR/><BR/>I won't call it all a loss though.....it was fun, and i did learn something.Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-10736392553600402052008-03-03T15:35:00.000-08:002008-03-03T15:35:00.000-08:00I discovered your blog today. My experience with m...I discovered your blog today. My experience with my undergrad college and my views on it are so eerily similar to yours that I wonder if we attended the same college. That sounds unlikely though as you seem to be a life sciences student.<BR/><BR/>Its such a sad feeling whenever I think what I lost in those four years.Huzefa Mukadamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13260331363282749144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-3369097194156506772008-02-26T11:55:00.000-08:002008-02-26T11:55:00.000-08:00thanks Amrit......I've done so.Vishnu....."mindles...thanks Amrit......I've done so.<BR/><BR/>Vishnu....."mindlessness" captures it all quite appropriately.Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-58146237669677925462008-02-24T20:52:00.000-08:002008-02-24T20:52:00.000-08:00Hi,I should say, "My Sentiments Exactly". Inspite ...Hi,<BR/><BR/>I should say, "My Sentiments Exactly". Inspite of spending close to four years in my undergraduate institution, I have no sense of attachment to it. <BR/><BR/>On the contrary, Even though, not very different from any other school, I have a great deal of love and respect for my high school, and to this day would consider it an important part of my success. <BR/><BR/>The draconian authority, the sheer mindlessness of existence during my undergraduate years have made reflect rather spectacularly on my more ordinary formative high-school years,Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-28591004196026471092008-02-24T08:52:00.000-08:002008-02-24T08:52:00.000-08:00Hi Sunil.Sorry for the "off-topic" comment; I coul...Hi Sunil.<BR/><BR/>Sorry for the "off-topic" comment; I couldn't find a "contact" link on your blog.<BR/><BR/>I'm preparing an online blog directory of blogs being maintained by Indians and people of Indian origin. Whenever you get some time, please submit a few details at <A HREF="http://indianblogdirectory.com/add-new-blog.php" REL="nofollow">http://indianblogdirectory.com/add-new-blog.php</A>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-78213723441531379382008-02-20T13:26:00.000-08:002008-02-20T13:26:00.000-08:00ashutosh......likewise. Which was why I would try...ashutosh......likewise. Which was why I would try to finish off my practicals in an hour or so :-))<BR/><BR/>Bongopondit.......I think we'll all agree that the educational environment in IIT is far, far better than most other schools (though most IITians might say IITs sucked as well). IITs, like BITS, will do much better in attracting alumni support.Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-46616650120382413132008-02-20T07:35:00.000-08:002008-02-20T07:35:00.000-08:00During my MSc. practicals, students had to ask for...During my MSc. practicals, students had to ask for permission to peeWavefunctionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14993805391653267639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-34454648249370217602008-02-19T21:46:00.000-08:002008-02-19T21:46:00.000-08:00Late comment - but agree with most of what you say...Late comment - but agree with most of what you say. IITs have somewhat managed to use alumni resources. Rekhi and Vinod Gupta have made immense endowments. Not sure how much philanthropic versus business decision that was, but most of the alumini get-togethers are more used as networking opportunities than anything else. <BR/><BR/>Also wanted to add that draconian discipline, insipid teaching etc happen not only in college, but often at school levels too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-31527777037327235702008-02-19T09:06:00.000-08:002008-02-19T09:06:00.000-08:00siva....alumni and alumni kids certainly are one p...siva....alumni and alumni kids certainly are one part of the picture, undeniably. But within an Indian context alumni and alumni kids would be a much smaller factor (given the size of the country and the insane and competitive demand for admissions). I think your experiences in college will go a long way in reinforcing or weakening a long term association with the college.<BR/><BR/>in the shadows....I've actually never been to baroda, though I thought (without any first hand source of course) MS was quite a good place to be for a student. :-)<BR/><BR/>Aniket....i don't think your comment was too ardent, and I got your point. I just distinguished that from "rules and bans".<BR/><BR/>rachit..... from what I know about BITS (a very large group of my friends are BITSians), it is one of those schools in India probably best poised to tap into its alumni. Most BITSians not only retain their own personal contacts from college, but also particularly cherish their time there. While the school may not have done enough to tap into its alumni, when the time comes (and conditions in India are slowly changing) schools like BITS will do much better than most in tapping into their alumni sources.Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-84955781672380384222008-02-19T01:23:00.000-08:002008-02-19T01:23:00.000-08:00Sunil,I can very well relate to the travails of a ...Sunil,<BR/><BR/>I can very well relate to the travails of a student in an Indian University because I am currently attending one of them. <BR/><BR/>BITS Pilani is pretty liberal. We can interact very freely with members of the opposite sex. We have no attendance whatsoever.<BR/><BR/>But yes, it has failed miserably to tap into its pretty decent alumni pool. I heard one of our alums say that he still gets mails from his Grad school but we have failed to keep in touch.Rachit Chandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06769839424534772829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-2649288289451556532008-02-18T21:44:00.000-08:002008-02-18T21:44:00.000-08:00Sunil,I meant it more as a joke after realizing th...Sunil,<BR/><BR/>I meant it more as a joke after realizing that my comment sounded too ardent. Yes, banning music in the lab is not that big a deal, but I know many students who are inseparable from their ipods at most times of the day and was imagining how they would feel if such a decree was passed in my lab.<BR/><BR/>AniketAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-12117638775975484842008-02-18T21:15:00.000-08:002008-02-18T21:15:00.000-08:00I guess you are talking about MS University Baroda...I guess you are talking about MS University Baroda !! My friends there described it as you have :-)In The Shadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11369846314400447513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-76142851725488491102008-02-18T19:03:00.000-08:002008-02-18T19:03:00.000-08:00Came here from DP. Nice blog. The contributions by...Came here from DP. Nice blog. <BR/><BR/>The contributions by alumni in US is not entirely philanthropic. There is a paper that analyzed the contributions and showed that the contributions increase when the kids of the alumni are in high school and almost stopped after that. I am not able to find it now. <BR/><BR/>But I can relate to your experiences in college.Sivahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10384199154638467979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-25288861956602785092008-02-18T09:34:00.000-08:002008-02-18T09:34:00.000-08:00Aniket.....thanks for your well articulated commen...Aniket.....thanks for your well articulated comments. I agree with most of them, and it isn't always a good idea to listen to music while working. Those things of course are work related issues. But what is more worrisome in India (in colleges) is that there are few individual liberties (from what to dress to what to speak, and whom to speak to) students are allowed in college. I don't think that is the same as avoiding music while working, isn't it?<BR/><BR/>Ashutosh.......the sizes of some of those sadistic egos could probably fill football fields. What was that saying again? The smaller the achievement, the bigger the ego or something like that?<BR/><BR/>Apu....absolutely. Which comes back to the point. Why on earth would I want to make a philanthropic contribution to a school run by incompetents?Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-60087800535133744922008-02-17T20:44:00.000-08:002008-02-17T20:44:00.000-08:00quite agree with you, although I had the advantage...quite agree with you, although I had the advantage of studying in a fairly liberal college, by Indian standards. Part of the problem, I think is, except for a few colleges, in most cases, teaching is the resort of the most poorly qualified/unmotivated people, plus, even good teachers lose their motivation when confronted by our bureaucratic systems..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-77675962480046602862008-02-17T11:07:00.000-08:002008-02-17T11:07:00.000-08:00The problem as I saw it was that there was no othe...The problem as I saw it was that there was no other way for these people to satisfy their egos except by torturing the students. Since their other achievements in life were usually close to zero, that was the only way they could derive sadistic pleasure.<BR/>http://ashujo.blogspot.com/2005/07/agony-of-indecision.htmlWavefunctionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14993805391653267639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8212356.post-85485658776102666032008-02-16T20:16:00.000-08:002008-02-16T20:16:00.000-08:00Sunil,I agree with you completely. I think that mo...Sunil,<BR/><BR/>I agree with you completely. I think that most schools in India, even the IITs, do not introduce students to the process of thinking independently (there are a few teachers who do, though). Instead, one often sees extremely dogmatic people running these schools. Add to it all the stupid stuff about banning this and that. At the same time, I feel guilty in one sense: I would want to introduce students to independent thinking, but I do not think I have sufficient motivation to do it and even that has to do with the fear of becoming a square peg in a round hole. I feel no emotional attachment to any institution I have attended in India, simply because I felt all the time I was there that they were not helping me to grow intellectually. I had to seek out opportunities myself for intellectual stimulation. It was the core of my emotional experience in those days, there was little possibility of forming a bond. I would give to the institutions only if I saw that the very few people who encouraged my intellectual curiosity were running the institution, which almost never happens. <BR/>BTW, read Watson's Avoid Boring People? He vividly describes his memories of the University of Chicago's system of education. I feel that I would have formed a great bond with that institution, for example. <BR/>On the issue of banning things, there is one interesting counterpoint. One of the 2007 medicine Nobel laureates prohibits people from listening to music while doing an experiment in the lab and I am afraid I have to agree <BR/>with him: it often takes the mind away from the actual process of doing the experiment. I have personally learned the most from messing with the procedures I was doing, it led to many interesting insights into how machines work. <BR/><BR/>AniketAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com