The more I read about it, the more sicker I get. Other IT applicants claiming that their IT background sounded the death knell of their applications! I mean, c'mon. I refuse to believe that I will not make it to a top B school because I am an IT guy. I refuse to believe I am not good enough, do not have good experiences,do not have good academic potential or do not have enough to contribute to the class. I refuse to believe that ad-com will say, "ouch, another IT" and toss my app in the bin. I refuse to believe that all my efforts are going to be wasted because of a (according to me- wise) career decision I made 6 years back!

B Schools look for people! Not for jobs! And if you can portray that you are a thinking, wise, mature, leadership-oriented and team skills oriented-person who has thought through his career goals, how he will get there, understands what an MBA can give, understands a B schools program and convey that concisely (and thereby demonstrate that you have good communication skills) - 9 out of 10 chances are that you will be IN. And then of-course, as in EVERY OTHER venture you undertake in this world, chance does play a role. I talked to a Wharton ad-com member and she said, " If you introduce yourselves as an Investment banker from NYC or an Indian IT engineer - NO we do not want you. But if you introduces yourselves as the person you are, we will get interested!" It sounds easy but it is not. And if it sounds too difficult, it is NOT either.

This rant is as much a rant to myself as it is for others! Wish you all luck!

I think I nailed the job interview yesterday. The interviewer said that I did the case fabulously in less than 10% of the time. I also chatted with the partner about aviation history and it turned out we had worked for the same client too. So there was much gossip to be done. However, I am still not sure whether I should take the offer if I get it. So much of travel, adjusting to the new team and environs - it might affect my MBA application process. Strange how we tie everything to the application process.

Yesterday, on the flight back to Seattle, I was reading a few sample apps and got a lot of neat ideas. Things that I did not think were failures were used by other successful applicants and treated expertly to produce winning essays. I think I will dig deeper and see what I produce. Many people I have talked to recommend that I write HBS and Stanford essays first because they are the most demanding. I am wary of doing that because they might eat up so much time that I might not be ready in R1 for the 4 schools I want to apply to. BTW, finally, I have finalized the schools I will apply to in R1.

Ross
Columbia
Wharton
Chicago
Maybe, Darden or Stern!

I have to apply to the first 4 or else I better go die. BTW, I had finished the first draft of all my Ross essays. But then, I took another look at them on the flight yesterday and decided to trash the goals essay. So here I am, hiding in a library trying to get Essay 1 done. After that, I will research a few firms I want to join after MBA and then try to collect essay fodder! Wish me luck!

Bought an iPod

OMG . I am 28. And looking to go to school. Need to work my image a little bit. So got what everyone else seems to have. An ipod. Apple has a sale on refurbished ipods

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=FA477LL/A&cid=AOS-US-AFFC-IPOD&aosid=p201&cjid=10488964-1260291-

What not to do..lessons from a re-applicant!

You have read about what to do. You might not know how important it is to do what other tell you to do. I know. Because I got burnt. So here goes a laundry list of what I did wrong last time.

1. Did not do Career planning
I knew I was interested in Consulting. I also knew that only an MBA could get me there. So much I stated. What i did not do is state WHY I am interested in Consulting? What I did till date to explore that interest? And tie my goals to the offerings of the B School.

2. Did not research the school I typically went by the reputation of the school. All I had to say in my essays was - want to go here because it is a great school, great faculty, great infrastructure, great people....Yikes!

3. Did not talk to Students
I did not talk to anybody. Was so afraid of failure that I did not let my friends in other B schools know that I am applying. I did not reach out to current students for information. Now I know how important it is to talk to students.

4. Did not position myself
I attacked each essay question as a single entity instead of look at it as part of a whole. This was a major mistake. I was honest in my essays. But I showed little thought or positioning. Now they look so corny, I have laughed at myself several times. One tip I would give to prospective students is to create a document that lists all essay questions of some major schools and brainstorm for ideas to answer for each. It is surprising how you get ideas for an essay for your preferred school when you are thinking about the essay of a school you might not apply to.

5. Did not get my essays reviewed
Again, I wanted to do it alone! I did not have a single soul read my essays. My take was that - they are my own personal expressions. B schools want honest personal straight from the heart essays. Let them be the way I wrote them. This attitude made me miss the most important point - to convey the info that B schools are looking at. Getting essays reviewed is of utmost importance. To find out who a good reviewer would be, refer to Juggler's post here http://thembasaga.blogspot.com/search/label/Essays

My approach to essay-writing this year is -
1. Create a file containing essay questions of all major schools and the schools I plan to apply to.
2. Brainstorm! Fill this file with points.
3. Research each school and fill the Why XYZ school section in this file?

The above process should give enough material to pick and chose from.
Then, pick your first choice school, create an outline for all the essays.Start working on the first draft of these essays. Look at how each essays interacts with the other to present a holistic picture. Do NOT repeat material across essays. If possible, each essau . Repeat process for School 2 and 3. Then go back to School 1 and revise. Then get them reviewed and so on....

I now have my stories ready for most questions except the Failure question of Wharton and the Culture Shock and Ethical dilemma questions. These have always given my nightmares. But I am sure if I dig deep, I will find answers. What I am worried about most though is about what my Unique qualities are? Now I am a technically strong, academically brilliant, hard-working, ethical, integral, sincere, expert communicator , empathetic, diligent,visionary, brave, risk-taking, determined, innovative leader and all that. But then a normal top B school soup would have oodles of each of these ingredients. So what distinct flavor do I add? I have been talking to a lot of people and found some posts by Marquis especially useful. But then, I still am at a loss!

Ross visit...

I have been intending to post on my visit to Ross for a while but never got around to doing that. After visiting Wharton for the second time, I left Philly for Ross. The flight was delayed and I reached Detroit at 2 in the morning. Now I had heard a lot of stories about how unsafe Detroit is and contemplated staying in the airport till dawn. But then I needed good sleep to be ready for Ross. So I took a cab and reached my hotel without incidence.

The visit to Ross the next day was very pleasant. Ross is a part of the univ of Michigan and Ann Arbor is the typical university town. So Ross has all the advantages of a good university. The School is good, has a great faculty and good facilities. They are also expanding the facilities.What really blew me away was their Trading Lab which has bloomberg software worth over 1.5 M $ for students use! Facility wise I think the only dampner was the Kresge Library which did not look like it had too many books. But then I heard they are going to rely on google for it to bring out digital books.

Again, as everywhere else, the day i visited was the first day of school for new MBA admits. So there was a lot of excitement going on. I talked to a few and found them to be excited about being there. Those kids were great! They loved to help and were willing to talk about their experiences. Of-course, one thing I noticed about Ross and NYU kids was that they were not AS PROUD TO BE THERE like their Wharton or HBS counterparts. I know Ross is not an HBS or Wharton. But nevertheless, it is a great school and has some great faculty like Strategy guru C.K. Prahalad on its rolls.

One thing I am worried about the the influence of the auto-market on Ross's recruitments. If the auto-majors, running into losses, decide not to recruit, then the competition for traditional jobs like Consulting and IB will be very high at Ross.Otherwise, i loved Ross and it is the first school I am going to tackle!

Again, pictures -

Started...FINALLY

After days of procrastination, writers block and what not, I have finally started working on my Ross essays. I am not sure they are coming out well but I atleast think I have a workable plan. One thing I did for Chicago last year was to look at their recommendation form to see what they look for and then decide on the correct stories to portray those qualities. However this year, they do allow downloading the reco-forms. I am not worried too much though. What I am worried about is a potential job offer from a big 4 consulting company. I have the case interviews this week and have to fly down to their offices for that. Will I crack it? Will it be a good move given my B school apps? I do not know. But then I am planning to give this a good shot as the company is a major B school employer as well. This might slightly hit my essay writing process but then I will still push myself to submit seven SOLID apps! :)

Columbia App issue

I finally got down to taking a look at all questions of all the schools i am interested in - HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, Ross, Chicago, Tuck, Insead etc. I have also jotted down some ideas as to what I would like to say. I am having difficulties in Wharton's failure essay and also some culture shock essays. But I will delve deep for instances of those later. BTW, I am trying to access Columbia's online app but am not able to. The page never loads. I have tried using both Firefox and IE. Is anyone else facing a similar issue?

NYC!!

Woo hoo! The last weekend was reserved for fun. After almost a week of B-school hopping and travelling, I was finally free. I fought back urges to sneak in a quick visit to Yale SOM and Cornell in Ithaca and decided to spend the time with friends exploring NYC instead. We wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty but the crowd was huge, the heat ugly and the wait-time a million years. So we opted for the water taxi ride instead. It was pretty neat. Here are some pics!




We then topped the day off with a visit to Times Square (the energy there is AMAZING!) before trudging home to crash!

Ah Ha(rvard)!! Good place to lunch!

After the slightly dampening experience at MIT, I was worried about Harvard. If MIT guys are like this, HBS can be more uptight. right? WRONG as I soon found out.

I took the redline(?) from MIT to Harvard. Just a short hop away. Arrived at Harvard Square. It was teeming with activity. Tourist activity. It looked like a fave tourist destination. I hopped into a souvenir shop and bought myself a couple of HARVARD T-shirts. I imagined it might be my last chance to buy them. I also promised myself I will not wear them out. Just at night. Maybe it will help me work towards my essays better.; )).

I then asked for directions and began the walk towards the B school. On the left over the bridge. The heat was killing. The old red brick buildings at Harvard scared me. I mean this place has been hiding so many intellectuals and that types so much so that "Harvard types" is a phrase in common language. Maybe I will see a professor with long unkempt beard and hair flying out of a building on a cycle with wings, screaming "Eureka!". Maybe I will witness history in the making. Unfortunately nothing of that sort happened and I got lost trying to make out where to go. Now, in Harvard, the admissions office is located in Dillon house which is easy to miss as all the buildings look alike. However, I reached in time for the session. HBS, unlike what I had imagined, really worked hard on selling the school. The ad-com gave a good presentation on what HBS stands for, what it looks for and the merits of HBS. She shared a piece of info not available publicly (HBS is the only B school which has got its own exclusive campus!Now that is public!). After the session, where I did meet some nice and some Alpha-type fellow applicants, I asked the receptionist where the students usually hang around.

Spangler. Unfortunately no second year students. But then the first years had just joined. Like in Wharton, this was their first day at school and most looked lost or extremely busy. Nevertheless, I could get some time from two and they really talked at length about their admission experience and about their experience with HBS. They all talked about how they thought the Case method was the best fit for them as they had experienced it before. I am thinking they must have demonstrated it in their essays too. So, I think all HBS aspirants must take care to show that they do think they learn best using the case method. Now I just had to look around to see why they loved this place. It was a PALACE. I also managed to have lunch at the kingly dining hall. Look at the pics yourself.

The bridge that leads to HBS:


Cambridge Center:


I could not take pictures of classrooms as no tour was offered and I could not figure out how to get to the class rooms. However, I did manage to take some impressive pictures of Spangler and outside bloomberg.






Also, HBS offers a pretty nice video tour that can be downloaded off of their site.

As I now reflect on HBS, I realize that it has some great people - great leaders who have achieved a lot of things. But I also am slightly nervous(and so are the students) that the competition might be cut-throat as 50% grades depend on class participation. Now that is not reason enough to keep anyone who feels he is good enough from applying. After all, it is HBS and the benefits will far outweigh any feelings of discomfort one might have! However, given my self-perceived chances of getting in at HBS, it is just a probable app on my list!

MIT Sloan!

The subway rides and the heat at NYC really tired me. But I could not sleep. I had to stay up to catch the 1:30 AM amtrak from Newark to Boston Bay. I chose it because I figured I could sleep on the train and reach cambridge to visit MIT and HBS refreshed. While I did get some sleep on the train, I had hoped that Boston bay would be like 30th Street Station in Philly - big. I had hoped that I can easily freshen up and change clothes and get lost in the station and nobody would notice. But Boston bay was a small station, and looked set in the past. Red brick Structure. Coal soot. et al.
Nevertheless, I changed, shaved etc. and was happy I had saved money on a room. I then took the train to MIT Sloan/Kendall station. Sloan is just a few minutes walk from Kendall station.

Sloan seemed to be the COLDEST school ever. It is nicely set in a university like setting and overlooks the Charles river. It has a good facility but the receptionist chose to ignore me for like 10 mins when he was chatting with someone over the phone. He then rudely said that school does not offer any info session or trips around. When I asked him if I could take the trip by myself and if I could leave my bag in his office, he reluctantly agreed.

I liked what I saw in Sloan, facility wise, though. I got a chance to climb up the stairs and I saw what looked like a lot of economics dept rooms there. (I wondered what genius lurked behind those old doors). I then walked over the the Tanger(??) center through a connecting bridge that gives a nice view of the Charles. I walked over and found just 2 part-time/weekend students working there. I approached one of them and was slightly disappointed. Maybe he had an exam or something, but he did not seem happy to talk to me. Even simple questions like who is your favorite prof, which subjects can help me achieve my goals in X, Y etc. were met with "I really cant tell you!". One thing he did share was that you could cross-register for classes at HBS! I am thinking that maybe he must have been stressed out over something or maybe I visited at the wrong time, but Sloan did not seem right from a fit perspective. I will definitely re-look at the school before I decide to apply there! (BTW, I think the name of the cafetaria at Stern, "Refresher Course", is pretty cool. Plus, the view of the Charles is cool too. I hope the people are too:))

Anyway, here go the pictures

Subway to Stern!

I gobbled up a few power bars and caught the Subway to Stern. Stern is located in Greenwich village. Though it is "just a building" and has serious space issues, I really liked the school. I was taken on a tour by a student ambassador who was joining Goldman Sachs and another ambassador who was joining Booz Allen Hamilton. Both guys were very helpful and very nice to talk to.
Everyone praised prof. Damodaran who seems to be a God of Finance around that part of the world. What made me nervous about stern (apart from essay 3) was the fact that group study rooms are filled for the whole semester and you might NOT get a chance to get a room to study unless you book it REALLY EARLY. Now, that being NYC and all, I would expect it to be cramped. After all, I remind myself, Stern places more of its students in IB than most schools place in all of financial services combined together!

Not sure though I will app here. Not because it is not a good school. Just that it might cater more to those who want to get into IB. But it is definitely a probable!

Next stop. Columbia!

I started off from Philadelphia via Amtrak and reached Newark late at night. That night, as I lay down, my mind began to toy with "what if" scenarios. What if I had made it to Wharton? etc. I shook myself up and began looking at the routes of CBS and Stern.

I first visited Columbia. I got off at the wrong subway station and had to climb several steps up and through a park to reach Columbia university. There was construction going on there. The asbestos and cement on college walk looked out of place, and time, amidst the beautiful surroundings. I was reminded of the Greek Parthenon and almost expected Herodotus, Socrates, or Caesar to spring out from behind the trees. The dome of the library overlooking huge flight of steps was majestic. The statue that said Alma Mater was beautiful too. I cursed myself for missing my camera.

I crossed the library and, after getting lost several times (yes even in that small campus), reached the admissions office (which was again undergoing construction). I was sent off to another building across the street where I sat in on a leadership class by prof. Francis.

The class experience was amazing!!! The professor presented several cases dealing with ethical dilemmas and all the students participated in healthy debate. It was very interesting. The bantering and camaraderie I saw at CBS was amazing. I really wanted to be there.

Next was the ad-com info session, following which, I chatted with several students I had established contact with earlier. Now, one thing i have to admit about CBS is that the students there are the most helpful. The Hermes society guys move heaven and earth to answer your questions.

The facilities at CBS are good but being in the midst of NYC, space is slightly an issue. To me but, that is the biggest + because I believe that will foster a sense of community. Plus that place is teeming with consultants and bankers. As consultancy is my goal, CBS is a definitely app in my list!

Wharton needs Sincere, Energetic, engaging, enthusiastic people!

Wharton was a BLAST! I landed in Philly the day the admits of 2007 were signing in. There was much excitement (I admit I did feel a little wistful when I saw the new admits but then they deserved it so much more!). As soon as I entered Huntsman hall, I realized what an Ivy league school meant. I walked up a slope and reached a podium that overlooked a big well lit oak paneled atrium bustling with activity. The new admits were huddled around in groups. I looked around for an unsuspecting loner to talk to. I eventually found a few and all of them were very enthusiastic. They were very willing to share their experiences and very passionate about Wharton. While their experiences were varied, they all shared a common passion for Wharton.

After talking to a few students, I went up to Level 4 for the admissions session. I met 2 other prospective applicants there. A banker from London and the owner of 2 Quiznos shops. Then came in the Ad-com director. She said she was looking for personal characteristics and how Wharton fits into your personal goal. That was the most important take away! I did shoot myself in the foot asking several extremely suicidal questions that might go against me. But I guess that is OK.

After the session, I talked to a few more admits. One common thing I found amongst all admits was that they were already turning into brand ambassadors for their school. They were passionate about Wharton and for helping get into the school. It was a wonderful experience. And it sure whetted my appetite.

I headed to the nearby Pizza Rustica. They serve good pizza there. I then walked around and bought myself a Wharton T-Shirt at the "Book Store at Penn". One good thing about Wharton is that it has good shops nearby and is only a few minutes walk from the 30th St station. After roaming around the campus, walking up and down locust walk a few times and taking photographs of Benjamin Franklin, I eventually headed back to 30th St station to catch my train back to NYC where Columbia and Stern awaited me:)

Here are a few pictures I managed to click. The majestic cylindrical building you see is Huntsman Hall. You can also see the neat atrium and some class rooms and hallways.

Hope to begin today!

My visit to different schools is finally over. It was a wonderful and yet exhausting experience. I loved most of the schools I visited. I loved the company of the students. But I feel now very jittery and nervous. Apprehensive about the choices I am going to make. I was expecting to get a "moment of inspiration" when I visited the schools. I almost got it when I visited HBS and W. But then, I held myself back. I was thinking if I was desiring what I really deserved. Harvard was what I had read about as a kid as being this big temple of learning where only the super-bright went.Should I even bother applying there? I might love the school and might want to go there badly. But hey, do I deserve to go there? While I am still battling these negative emotions, I have now also decided to steel myself and start on my essays today. I hope to begin by tackling Wharton. W is my first choice and I know, by my last years experience not to do my first choice first. So maybe I will begin with Ross or Columbia. Not sure. I think when I get home, I will clear off my table, write down all essay questions and then attack the one I think I can tackle easily first. Wish me luck~!

Kellogg ---looking for uncut diamonds!

While finding a parking spot near Chicago GSB was a nightmare, the drive to Kellogg was worse. It was around 90 F and the car's AC did not work. However, I did finally make it, wife in tow. I met with a 1 Y student from Germany who was very helpful. He said that Kellogg is more soft-skill oriented than other schools. We then walked around campus a little bit and then went to admissions office for the info session. The admissions director, whom I interviewed with last year, conducted the session. Two key take-aways from the session -
1. The people who attended it. There was a High School student, and there was a girl who had just graduated and was looking to apply in 2-3 years. This was the level of planning that people did. This was the committment. I wonder what I was thinking last year when I applied!
2. The ad-com member said that Kellogg is looking for "uncut" diamonds and for sincerity. She said she did not want the perfectly crafted applications that people seem to write these days.

I was then offered a tour of the facilities by another 1 Y student. Kellogg has amazing facilities. The facilities "look" slightly older than Chicago's Harper center but then that is because they are older.

As I walked out however, I wondered if I will be a good fit at Kellogg. I plan to visit again after sometime to see how well I fit.

I did want to click a lot of pictures of all the facilities inside but felt awkward with people around.