Ah..so we meet again...my Chicago GSB visit!

My first visit to a B school this year was to the ONLY school that showed me a little love last year. And an all-time favorite and top choice!!! The Chicago GSB. I like the GSB because of its great infrastructure and because it is a "good" school if you know what I mean. I have always found the GSB to be a school that gives credit where it is due and does NOT use the admissions process to boost its numbers and yield statistics. The students are awesome, the location great, the facilities fabulous and the professors par excellence. I knew all this. But why did I visit again? I guess I wanted to start this year on a good foot. And I have always felt something special for the GSB. So where better can I start? Also, I wanted to "feel" that connection again - hoping that it will make my essays better.

It was a nightmare finding a parking spot near the GSB campus. I finally tried my best at parallel parking between two cars on a narrow lane two blocks away from the GSB. I then broke into a sprint and reached the info session breathing heavily (now, for the Paw, running has become a way of life :)). Admissions director Kurt Ahlm patiently answered our questions on the essay questions, the admissions process this year and on reapplicants. Here are the main takeaways -
1. Essay 1 is the most important.
2. The "step into a person's shoes" question is asked to further know the applicant's personality and his creative bent.
3. The PPT is designed to make the applicant "stand out". It is used to test how creatively an applicant can present oneself. (I think it is the most difficult but rewarding part of the whole application process. I also think the best way to answer this question would be to first devise an overall strategy - or a bulleted list of what you want to convey. Then use the other questions to convey most of that. The remaining can be conveyed in as creative a manner as possible through the PPT). Mr. Ahlm said he is not sure whether the applications will go up or down because of the PPT question. But he expects one of the two to happen. My guess is that it will go down because it might be a part where people shooting off apps to other schools might not be able to reuse from other essays. This will be a major dissuading factor. However, all the more better for us chicago devotees :).

I could not manage to meet current students as it was summer break. However, I am in touch with a few of them I met during my last visit. So that is OK.

Also managed to click a few pictures of the GSB (for those applicants who have not had a chance to visit).



The above shows the main entrance to the Hyde park..oops Harper center. Below is a picture of a conference room I shot. I know this room is in the admissions office. So I GUESS this is the place where our fates are going to be decided :)



I am now gonna look at this picture everyday and imagine the ad-com sitting around in circle around the table going "ooh" and "aah" over my reapplication essays. Suddenly they will all jump up in joy. Ah! the perfect application! A Jonathan livingston seagull amongst the applicants. And they will unanimously vote for my admission. I believe such vivid imagery will help me "manifest" my destiny :)).

Philly....

After visiting Chicago and Kellogg yesterday, I took a breather and arrived in Philly today. Tomorrow I am visiting Wharton. I almost feel like a new bride all set to impress a prince who spurned her once. I was dinged by every school I applied to last year. Do I have a chance? Will the school visits provide me insight that I can capture in words in my essay which will in-turn take me that much closer to an admit? As I ponder over these questions, I look out the window into the Philadelphia night. A few blocks yonder, one of the best business schools in the world lies. Will I be back in Philly? Will tomorrow be better? Yes. All will be well! It always is.

LBS in Seattle

Till now, only LBS is going to conduct its informational event in Seattle. None of the other biggies are. Wonder why they are so averse to seattle!

"If you personal goal is sports, that's fine, but remember that the question ends with "the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals."" -

Best of luck!

Joanne (jleglergsb)

http://forums.chicagogsb.edu/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=1634&nav=messages&webtag=gsbadmissions

I found profound wisdom in the words above I gleaned from the Chicago GSB boards. Joanne has summarised everything in a nutshell. I believe all we have to do it lay out our STG,LTG (both personal and professional) and tie it to how the GSB (or any school) can help us get there. The other side of the coin - lay out our "significant" STE(Short term experiences), WEx, College ex etc. and tie it to how we will enrich the community.

I think all essays are about this. But then the difficulty is to pick the right experiences. And then say them the right way!

I am leaving on my B-school pilgrimage the day after tomorrow. I am very excited about the various schools I am going to visit. Nervous at the same time. I should not shoot off my mouth and say something stupid to an ad-com member. Have made a mental map -

Shoes shined . Check!
Clothes pressed . Check!
Firm Handshake.
Colgate Smile.
Look in the eye.
Sound Excited.
Look Excited.
Ask intelligent questions.
Meet max. # of people.
Get Business cards.

Now I almost feel like I am attending an interview. But then I have hardly any reason to take chances. I am also feeling a bit nervous. Whether to rent a car? Take a train? etc. Whether to visit Harvard or MIT first? etc.etc.

BTW, the more I read about London and Stern, the more I am getting excited about them. Stern's location near my favorite street in the world (Wall Street) is its main advantage. Now come on, I have always been inspired by people and places around me. Who wouldn't see a Armani-clad young, powerful, wealthy and successful investment banker and want to step into his shoes? If that is not enough motivation to do well in studies and work hard for that plum job, then what is? I am also having doubts about ISB. I still have not decided whether to apply or not. I mean, if I apply I will have to do it in the first round. And there is not much time left for the same. Also, I am not sure if ISB can help me in my McKinsey/Bain/BCG or IB dreams. (I feel I will have to help myself a LOT if I am at ISB to get into these :)). But the good part about ISB is that it is closer home and a lot cheaper. If my parents need me, I will be there for them if I am at ISB. And this is what is keeping me up all night. What is more important? My duties or my dreams?

On the application front, I have been hardly moving. I am postponing my personal goal of beginning to write essays to another week later. I also have a move coming up. My current apartment is getting expensive and what with all the app expenses, I am planning to move to a cheaper pad. I also have an interview with Deloitte coming up and if I get the job and decide to take it up, I will have to move to another city. Now with so many things up in the air, I am hardly getting anything done. But then that is what I guess takes time management. I have however decided which essays I will tackle first. It has to be London.


It is good to have a wife. My wife took out the directions to all the schools I am going to visit and planned everything out to the minute details. She created a neat little word document, printed out two copies and handed it over to me. I am ever so grateful!

War tactics...

I have started early this year (but still not early enough I guess). The strategy this year is to research the schools completely, pick the ones where I have the best chance, get essays reviewed by current students and apply to atleast 7 schools in R1 and 5 in R2 (I know thats a lot of money).

I hope to approach my app in phases -
1. Start researching schools. - Deadline - July 25 07
2. Visit schools as possible. - Deadline - Aug 06 07
3. Pare down the list to 7 top choices based on research and visit - Aug 07 07
4. Start essays Sept 07
5. Get Reviews done - Oct 07 (OMG.....will still run short of time).
6. Send.
7. Start preps for R2!

The old tome containing the distilled wisdom of the ancients by Mr. Montauk has been dusted off. The paw begins his run.........

LBS

LBS chat on July 25 at 12 noon EDT. Gotta be there!

The courtship dance begins!

"Fluff fluff, Put on your brightest colors". It is all planned. I am setting out of Seattle on July 28th for a Whirlwind tour of top US B Schools. The Plan -
Seattle -> Chicago -> Philadelphia (NYC, Boston, Philly) -> Detroit -> Seattle.

Visit Schedule
=========================
July 30 - Chicago GSB
July 31 - Kellogg
Aug 1 - Wharton
Aug 2 - Columbia, Stern (people say I must visit MIT instead of stern and must squeeze in Tuck!).
Aug 3 - Harvard
Aug 6 - Ross

Have to convince manager sometime later to get me a few more days off to visit Stanford and Haas!

I have stopped thinking about the dough involved. Phew! ( It is an all consuming passion - this B school thing. Often go back and wonder why the Paw cannot be happy with his hamlet in the forest. But then the Spirits have possessed him and he can do nothing. )

The Saga a few moons ago

The Paw applied to several schools in last year. But the omens were not right ( nor was the preparation!). After several heart wrenching rejections, misses by a hair's breadth etc. last year, I have finally realized the effort and planning required to successfully get in through a good B School. Here is what my stats for the last year looked like

Round 1
---------
IIM A - Denied After interview
Wharton - Denied Without interview
Kellogg - Denied

Round 2
-------------
ISB - Denied after interview.
Chicago GSB - Waitlisted and then denied.

A look at the above stats shows how naive I have been about it all. And so much wiser I am now. Plans for this year are afoot. A post-mortem of last year reveals
1. No proper planning.
2. Applied to top choices in R1 (without experience).
3. No back up plan.
4. Did not get essays reviewed.
5. Did not visit schools (The first question my GSB interviewer asked me was whether I have visited the school).
6. Started too late.

As for the interview, the things I have learnt is this -
1. If you are applying to Indian Schools and Say your goal is consulting, then better prepare for case type interviews. Else change the pitch. I got killed in my IIM A and ISB interviews cos they gave me case questions to solve unexpectedly.
2. Be prepared for the IIM A vs. ISB questions.


The US B school experiences were pleasant. (Though I think I went a wee little bit overboard animating to show my excitement with the Kellogg interviewer :)).
2. My US B School interview experiences have been very pleasant. My Chicago interviewer was THE BEST!!! She was ultra sweet and very helpful!!!

Looming deadlines.

I have decided to give this as many shots at this as possible. Another application season. I am more mature and will give it my best shot again. Last season we not good but an eye opener. My selection of schools this time covers a wider range and hence greater chances of success. BTW, the schools have published their deadlines. Here's a list of deadlines sorted by ascending order (R1).
I could not find the deadlines on some schools. So they are blank.

		Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
1	ISB	15-Sep-2007	15-Nov-2007
2	Harvard	2-Oct-2007	3-Jan-2008	12-Mar-2008
3	INSEAD (Sep 2008)	3-Oct-2007	5-Dec-2007	6-Feb-2008	3-Apr-2008
4	Darden	10-Oct-2007	14-Nov-2007	9-Jan-2008	2-Apr-2008
5	Colombia	10-Oct-2007	3-Mar-2008	16-Apr-2008
6	Haas	17-Oct-2007	9-Jan-2008	12-Mar-2008
7	Stanford	22-Oct-2007	7-Jan-2008	21-Mar-2008
8	Tuck	1-Nov-2007	3-Jan-2008	28-Feb-2008
9	Ross	1-Nov-2007	3-Jan-2008	1-Mar-2008
10	Purdue	1-Nov-2007	1-Jan-2007	1-Mar-2007	1-May-2007
11	Chicago GSB	5-Nov-2007	10-Dec-2007	30-Jan-2008	12-Mar-2008
12	Stern	15-Nov-2007	15-Jan-2008	15-Mar-2008
13	INSEAD (Jan 2009)	5-Mar-2008	21-May-2008	16-Jul-2008
14	IIM -A
15	London
16	Wharton
17	Kellogg
18	NCSU