Math at 8 AM, LEGO Failures & Other Lessons from: Term 3

If Term 2 was about finding balance, Term 3 was about accepting that balance doesn’t exist. This was one of the busiest stretches at ISB; case competitions, coursework, and resume prep all arrived in perfect coordination, like a supply chain designed to fail. Prioritisation became the only survival strategy, and even then, there was always something left undone.

Academically, the pace was on par with Term 2, but the lineup changed: Operations Management, Marketing, Managerial Accounting, and Art & Science of Decision Making. While the core courses had their share of rigor, I found myself gravitating toward the electives as they felt more relevant, more aligned with my interests, and frankly, more fun to sit through. 

Operations Management: Cookies & Calculations at 8 a.m. 

Let’s get one thing straight: Operations Management is not for the faint-hearted. On paper, it was fascinating -  Little’s Law, process capacity, lean operations, and supply chains. In practice? A daily math battle that began at 8 in the morning. Nothing like crunching formulas before breakfast to make you question your life choices (which I did everyday)

But there were bright spots. One case study that stood out was Kristen’s Cookies, where we untangled the true meaning of a “bottleneck” (spoiler: it’s a resource, not just a step). To make the experience relatable, our professor even brought Danish cookies to class. It was the perfect  sugar rush I needed. 

Managerial Accounting: The “Lesser Evil” Turned Favorite 

I’ll admit: I signed up for Managerial Accounting purely out of avoidance. The alternative was Business Analytics, a stats-heavy course I had no appetite for. Accounting seemed like the lesser evil and yet, it turned into the course I enjoyed the most this term.

From transfer pricing to break-even analysis, the concepts were not just understandable but oddly satisfying. My professor had a knack for making everything feel like a breeze. By the end of the course, I could confidently decide whether replacing or keeping an asset made financial sense, a skill that feels more practical than I ever expected. For someone who dreaded accounting, that’s saying something. 

Marketing 

Marketing quickly became one of my strongest suits, partly because I’d dabbled in it before and partly because of the way it was taught. Our professor, famous for his Hawaiian shirts and ever-present coffee mug, brought an easygoing vibe to class while grounding every concept in real-world examples. Some of the most fun takeaways were learning how to calculate cannibalisation rates and understanding the hazards of double marginalisation. The highlight was our end-term project, where we had to put these ideas into action analyzing and presenting marketing concepts in a way that turned theory into something tangible, practical, and surprisingly fun. 

Art & Science of Decision Making 

This elective was a continuation of my LSAT course from Term 1, but it felt more like a social experiment than a lecture. Each week, we became the subjects of surveys; the following week, we’d analyze results and uncover the biases or decision-making traps we’d just fallen into.

The most memorable moment? Building a LEGO airplane. Our group was the only one that couldn’t finish it, which perfectly demonstrated the planning fallacy. It also drove home the underrated costs of coordination versus delegation.

We delved into concepts like Daniel Kahneman’s Prospect Theory, Pluralistic ignorance, and dual entitlement. It was the only course which gave a human side to business decisions. 

Beyond Academics 

Psychology × Business SIG 

One of the big wins this term was getting our Psychology × Business SIG (Special Interest Group) approved. It wasn’t a small feat — we first rallied over 150 people from the cohort to show interest, then pitched our case through a formal presentation before it finally got the green light.

The whole idea of the SIG is to explore where psychology quietly influences the world of business  from the way we bid for electives, to how apps use nudges in their UI/UX. Much of the term went into planning, ideating events, and curating micro-content to keep the engagement alive. 

One Club Conclave 

If I had to pick one defining event of the term, it would be One Club Conclave. Think of it as all the professional clubs coming together for a learning weekend of speaker sessions, workshops, and networking.

I gravitated toward the product management track: sessions on using AI in PM, product management resumes, and product marketing. It turned out to be one of the most fun and insightful weekends I’ve had at ISB. I probably learnt more there than in a week of prescribed coursework.

The cherry on top? Networking with alums in the PM space, exchanging ideas, and hearing real-world stories that added so much context to some of my ideas. 

Case Competitions 

Like most of my peers, I dove into a few case competitions. I made it to some rounds, fell short in others. To be honest, I realized they weren’t really my cup of tea. While they definitely help build industry knowledge, a lot of outcomes seemed to hinge on luck as much as hard work and for me, the risk-reward ratio just didn’t feel worth it.

That said, one competition in the travel and tourism space was genuinely enjoyable. It gave me the chance to apply creativity through mockups and wireframes, which was a refreshing change from the usual spreadsheets and slide decks. 

Bandhan 

On 15th August, ISB celebrated ‘Bandhan’ one of the most meaningful events of the year. Children from underprivileged backgrounds and differently-abled kids were welcomed to campus, and the day was dedicated to them.

Different social clubs came together to organize activities, games, and performances. Volunteers poured in from across the cohort, and the entire campus buzzed with a rare kind of energy: warm, genuine, and unfiltered.

I was there as the lead photographer covering the event. Balancing the lens and the little moments was special in its own way.

What stood out the most wasn’t the scale of the event, but its impact. Spending the day with the kids was humbling; it put so many of my daily stresses into perspective and made my own problems feel smaller than ever. 

Some Memorable Moments

• Our photography club organized a photobooth fundraiser for Bandhan, raising a significant amount that directly contributed to making the event a success 
• I experienced my first electives bidding and managed to secure all my preferred courses using a smart strategy, leveraging game theory insights and trusting the cohort not to defect-defect, which helped avoid inflated clearing prices 
• We had an exclusive AI session on prompt engineering by one of the most sought-after professors, tailored for our cohort to improve prompting skills and harness AI for productivity and placement prep
• After returning from term breaks, classmates brought their hometown delicacies, turning the classroom into a small food fest 

Personal learnings from this term  

• As part of the photography club, I had front-row access to events without ever worrying about registrations. After all, everyone wants good photos and when you’re the one holding the camera, you’re always welcome
• A few hours at a club events or extracurricular often pays back more over a study session. The energy, the conversations, and the exposure stick with you long after the pre-read slides fade away
• In an environment as competitive and fast-paced, the real survival skill is knowing when to let go. Once you realize that some efforts are sunk costs, it becomes easier to shift focus forward 

Conclusion 

Term 3 wasn’t just about deadlines and case studies, it was about learning when to push harder, when to step back, and when to let go. The biggest lesson wasn’t in a classroom or a competition, but in realizing that growth comes from choosing where to spend your energy, and courage comes from knowing when to move on. Term 4 is set to raise the stakes even higher