T-Mobile customer service( or the lack thereof) and coverage sucks!!!

I finally have been awakened by my blogging hiatus. By the most horrible customer service I have encountered in years - from T-Mobile. And to think that they have pretty much the worst coverage as well. Here is the dope. I got a t-mobile smart-phone from Chicago last year. Since I got a new number, the plan also provided for a new free phone for my wife. Guess what- she did not get the phone for 3-4 months and I had to make several calls before she got her phone. Now we put that problem behind us and continued sticking with t-mobile even though there was absolutely no coverage at school. T-Mobile has brought over Suncom and the coverage improved marginally in the area - but still there was NO COVERAGE IN SCHOOL!! Things came to a head when I realized that I have been missing recruiter calls and potential job opportunities because of t-mobile's bad network. Therefore, I called them up to cancel it but guess what - they put the blame on me for not trying to use the school-provided wi-fi to try and get a better reception- WOW!!! Their point was - you know what, you have to pay us $400 to cancel since you are on contract - even though you do not receive calls in the building where you spend most of your time in. They say, you should use your schools Wi-Fi to connect and get better coverage. I do not get their point. I do not get the service I pay for. And they expect me to connect to a resource they don't provide to get better coverage? Can I sue or complain at consumer court? Can someone help/advise here?

The way things stand.....

Long time since I have posted. Sorry about that. The Paw was busy finding a job and getting good grades. Result - Decent grades. No job. So here's how it works in Fuqua.

1. Term 0 - GIE and LEO start in August. 2 courses. Simple enough. Very Enlightening.
2. Term 1 - 4 core courses - Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Management Communications. Tough courses. But tougher still is attending corporate presentations and sucking up to second years because they have a HUGE say in who gets close listed for interviews.
3. Term 2 - 4 core courses - Strategy, Marketing, Corp. Finance, Management Communications II - Easy courses (depending on who you ask). Sucking up and informational interviews with recruiters continue.
Winter Break - Interviews. Informational and otherwise. I had 8 and got 8 dings!! I am a genious.
4. Term 3 - 1 Core Course - Operations. Pick other courses based on interest. I picked Corp Finance II and Market Intelligence. Good courses if you want to be a consultant/Ibanker. More interviews and rejections.
5. Term 4 - All electives. Pick ANY. I picked Investments, Pricing and decision models. No idea how these are gonna turn up.

In the end, no use of an MBA if no job. I need a friggin internship - STAT!!!! If anyone has any idea where I can get a friggin internship, let me know!! Duke MBA with good grades, consulting experience. Will work for experience !!

The way things stand.....

Long time since I have posted. Sorry about that. The Paw was busy finding a job and getting good grades. Result - Decent grades. No job. So here's how it works in Fuqua.

1. Term 0 - GIE and LEO start in August. 2 courses. Simple enough. Very Enlightening.
2. Term 1 - 4 core courses - Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Management Communications. Tough courses. But tougher still is attending corporate presentations and sucking up to second years because they have a HUGE say in who gets close listed for interviews.
3. Term 2 - 4 core courses - Strategy, Marketing, Corp. Finance, Management Communications II - Easy courses (depending on who you ask). Sucking up and informational interviews with recruiters continue.
Winter Break - Interviews. Informational and otherwise. I had 8 and got 8 dings!! I am a genious.
4. Term 3 - 1 Core Course - Operations. Pick other courses based on interest. I picked Corp Finance II and Market Intelligence. Good courses if you want to be a consultant/Ibanker. More interviews and rejections.
5. Term 4 - All electives. Pick ANY. I picked Investments, Pricing and decision models. No idea how these are gonna turn up.

In the end, no use of an MBA if no job. I need a friggin internship - STAT!!!! If anyone has any idea where I can get a friggin internship, let me know!! Duke MBA with good grades, consulting experience. Will work for experience !!

Best Essay Advice!!

Yahoo! I won the Clear Admit Best of Blogging award for the specific Best Esssay Advice category. I would really be glad if my advice helps others get into their top choice schools. I was pretty sure I would not figure on the top ten because my crazzy schedule has not left me time to sleep, leave alone blog.

Now busy with this -
Crzzy project

Have to-
vaccinate
get visa
apply for loan
buy new laptop
get through study material..

Jeez..I am getting freaked out.

Microsoft CEO sets deadline for Yahoo deal....

RAW AGRESSION....the more I experience the US corporate culture, the more I see of it. It starts right at the junior associate level and goes up to the top levels. People posing as someone they are not. Agressive, ruthless to achieve goals and often with little regard to common courtesies. This story abt the hostile takeover threat is just another example. I often think if I am even a good fit for all this. No, I am no chicken. But I still believe in human goodness and genuineness. I would rather be genuine and unsuccessful then fake it and be successful. I have now begun to think if this is all worth it. If an MBA is going to do me any good if after spending so much money and energy, I am forced to be someone I am not.....

Like all good things...

the Waitlist process at Wharton has come to an end. I have been officially denied admission. So be it I guess.

It is not all bad....

My current project is killing me. I have little or no idea what to do. I was brought in just 2 weeks before "go-live" and am expected to do magic. But then the good things in life are
A. Duke Fuqua offered me a scholarship!!!
B. Just got an email from Darden saying I am accepted.

So long...have a long day ahead!

Win some...lose some...

While I was ruminating being staffed on the crappy project with deadly deadlines run out of a basement in a client office that looks more like a house, I managed to check my mail and found something sweet from Duke. I have been selected for a scholarship!!! Now, I do not know the amount of the scholarship as that information will arrive via post seperately. But then, a significant amount will definitely tip the balance in favor of Duke if I get into Darden as well.

Duke offers Scholarship!!!!

In a new and unexpected twist, I got an email from Duke saying I have been selected for a Scholarship!!!!!! I do not know the amount yet as I will receive that information in a seperate letter. Wow!

MBA admissions Career goals essay framework.

The Career goals essay is the most important essay one writes in the MBA admission process. After many failures and a few successes, I have distilled a few gems of wisdom from my experiences and by talking to other successful students at top schools. The most important thing I developed from my experiences was a framework for essay writing that kind of helped me get my thoughts straight.Of cource, I think Richard Montauk's book also talks about a few frameworks. I do not remember those and developed mine independently. But it may be similar to this. So do take a look at Montauk's book too if there are any better frameworks. Before even writing about my framework, I want to share a few thoughts that I think are important. They are as follows -

1. Keep it simple. Simple language. Simple style.Just go back to high-school grammar books if required.

2. Answer the whats/whys/hows in as much depth as possible and with vivid example.

3. Highlight what you learned/gained in each step - this directly translates to what you bring to the table when the ad-com reads it. So it is pretty important.

4. While recounting experiences, make sure you provide as much details as possible. Assume that the reader is not from your field/industry.

5. Make sure each experience shows multiple things - leadership and/or teamwork skills, results achieved, lessons learned.

6. Make sure atleast 1 experience is the one when you had the "moment of truth" when you felt you needed an MBA.

With these simple rules in mind, you might want to either brainstorm and get all your ideas on paper or use a framework as a starting point. The framework I used was as follows.

Essay 1 Framework
==================================
Para 1 -
=========================
1. Be upfront and state long-term goals.
- Make it VERY specific.
- Think about what you will do in a day-to-day basis. Think What, Where, When, How, Why. Desribe that. Give examples. Too many people think it is OK to just state a vague LTG. I have seen that that does not work unless you have been NYC during 9/11.
- Say Why you want to do what you want to do in the long-term - is it because of current job? personal experiences - a combination of both helps.

(Example - My vision/long-term goal is to start a company making petrochemicals of X variety in Darfur employing people from Nigeria because as a child I saw that people from Nigeria dont get to work in Darfur though it is important - I just made this up but hope you get the picture!)
- Say specifically what you/your company will do on a day to day basis.
(Example - My co. will take over russian oil fields through a bloodless coup and then process the crude from there through stolen japanese machinery to make me and entire Darfur rich. I will work hand in hand with the janjaweed to get a lot of my management done.

Again, BS but you get the idea - right?).



Para 2 -
=========================
Support your LTG by stating what your STG is and how it will lead you to your LTG.
Explore the why/when/how/where principle.
Example - In order to achieve my LTG, I want to begin working as a Manager in the Crude Oil discovery and production division of Darfur Petrochemical corporation (what, when, where - narrowing down to a specific co is great I think - especially if the company is a major recrutier. If so say why that Co. too). As a manager, I will lead oil-discovery processes, manage innovation teams to design fancy drill bits etc. With the experience I gain, I will rise to senior management position in 5 years and build the network /gain the experience ( Remember - good to describe day to day activities and mid-term goals) to achieve my LTG.

Para 3 -
==========================
Begin with why STG and how your current career has prepared you for that.

I realized I wanted to be in petrochemicals while working my first job in a gas station. In my first job/project, which I took because I loved the smell of oil (Nice touch - why you took first job) - I devised a way to make oil out of burnt tires, got management buy in and assembled a team to help me productionize the concept ( again, crazy example I made up but shows leadership and innovation). I learned that people can be enthused with concepts if I did this. I also learned how to make oil out of thin air and solve the world's oil problem ( Again, show what you learned). We were soon able to make oil for 0.2% of cost (results achieved). I was therefore promoted to VP of the gas station (career growth).

Para 4
=======================
Similar to para 3. Maybe another example of success in you next position. How this experience made you realize an MBA is needed. ( Include as many of similar paras as you think will fit in within the word limit).

Para 5
=======================
Through you career, what you have learned, but what you need to achieve STG/LTG and how an MBA will help. Think of it in terms of this formula.

Current experience/skills (A) + MBA(B) = skills to achieve STG (C) + some skills to achieve LTG (D)
A+B = C+D

In this para you need to summarize A, summarize C and say why B added to A will help get C and D. Again be specific with disciplines - say you want Finance skills to add to existing accounting skills, or leadership skills to add to existing Project management skills etc.

Para 6
=======================
Why that school? Be very specific. Which course is best for supplementing A with the knowledge to prepare for C? Which club? Which professor.
THen make it personal, Why you fell in love with the school when you talked to certain people. Talk about visits if you have made.

Also, include what you will contribute - SPECIFICALLY. Example, my role is CFO in a non-profit will help me contribute to making fin. statements and geeting sponsors for the "Help Darfur" project of club "Friends of Darfur".

Para 7
=======================
Conclude with an overarching summary and maybe a statement of fit.

This is roughly the steps I followed. I say roughly because I am a reapplicant and so had to tweak this slightly. In fact, I will post my framework for reapplicants in the next post. These frameworks helped me get my thoughts in order. I felt much more in control once I had a framework. Again, it is just what I followed and felt comfortable doing. I would encourage everyone to find something that works for them.

Other than this, I guess you need to make sure the dots connect and it reads coherently. Remember, it helps to sound as if you had it all planned throughout. To sound like you are not a drifter going any which way life takes you. I hope this post is helpful to someone who is as clueless about MBA application essays as I was when I first started.

Random thoughts ........

I am still looking to be staffed on a serious project in my new job. Now, this situation gives me a lot of time to think and plan. But I am not taking up the opportunity. Instead, most of the time is spent surfing arbitrary stuff and doing nothing. In fact, even when I was in the thick of things, I would always find time to pay my bills on time. With too much time on my hands now, I have a stack of bills to be paid on my table which I look at and say everyday," Maybe tomorrow. Too bored to pay them tonight~". Hah...I guess that is how it goes.

Coming back to B School, I am glad I got into Fuqua. I always imagined that getting into a good B School would change my world. I thought I would be happier, prouder, over-confident, thump my chest a 100 times, would go around telling the world etc. I surprised myself when I took the news of getting into Fuqua pretty equanimously. In fact, I took all my dings this time very easily as well. I guess that is what age does to you :) - Makes you accept difficult and good decisions easily.

On another random track, I have always wanted to write about the path I followed during the MBA application process, especially with the essay writing process - Everybody seems to be writing about that these days. However, I only wanted to give advice that I know works. So I wanted to wait for the results to be out - before giving out school specific appoaches. Now given the dings/WLs I have had, I guess I am atleast qualified to write about what not to do :). I will however write about the "frameworks" I used for essays and share the "reusable templates" I created which I believe would help applicants better than general lectures about finding inner goals/hidden meaning/attaining salvation/becoming the buddha etc. All that is great, but really difficult without some sort of a system to guide you along. I mean, do I really have to believe everyone who made it to the top schools are all incredibly self-aware and have everyday planned out to the last minute for the next 5-10 years. During my visits to numerous schools, I asked students what they wanted to do. Several guys at the top schools said they had no idea. So I pretty much sat down and inspected several good essays, talked to several students and created what I thought would be a good framework to force me to think in terms of what the schools are looking for. It still was a lot of thinking. But definitely easier than meditating on my inner self to find my true calling. So stay tuned for my next post.

strike!!!

Finally, a strike - in at Duke's Fuqua school of business! After all, not everything was in vain!

Never understood the B school process anyway. I am officially quitting looking for an MBA ( atleast for the time being). What is a maybe for W is not good for Chi and is bad for Ross. So here is my status till date

Chicago - denied after interview.
Wharton - WLed with no chance of admission - I would be crazy to think I stand a chance.
Ross - Denied without interview.

Duke and Darden remain. But given the way the interviews went, I am not sure I stand a chance. However, the good thing is - I tried with all I had and I failed. So it does not hurt anymore. Maybe I will take a cue from mbarunnergirl (my inspiration!!) and try again. but that is unlikely.

I have a business trip to Philly this Thursday and might drop in to take one look at Huntsman Hall again :).

Thank you Chicago!

Dear Chicago,

Thank you! For inviting me to interview. To give me that glimmer of hope again that I could be a suitor worthy of a seat in your class.

With loads of love,
the Paw

Dear Chicago,

Show me some love. You left me in the lurch for 3 months after waitlisting me last year. After the long and agonizing wait, you ditched me. To win your affections, I changed my life and my career. I joined professional organizations, got a new job, got a promotion. I got my application reviewed by 5 students and 2 alums and worked late into the nights for 6 months to get everything done perfectly. I visited you twice to get to know you better. And now, with just four days left for interview invitations to end, you have not yet reciprocated my love. So please do.

Waiting anxiously for an interview invit.

The paw.

Wharton Wants to TALK!!!!

Yippeeee......Just got my R1 invitation to interview from Wharton admissions office...god...please god...let me make it this time!!!!!

With no R1 interview invite in sight, I think I need to sit down and take stock of what I need to do next. I have two choices. Sit here and wait for an interview invitation or start cranking out a few more essays. I like the later option. I am thinking of applying to Columbia, Stern, Haas and maybe London. Also, kellogg weekend is a definite on the list for R2 even if I make it somewhere on R1 - because my new job might just take the tab for a weekend MBA in chicago. I loved Stern but do not know if they will let me just submit a photo-copy of my transcript. There is no way I am going to be able to submit an official one.

As for Chi and W, I think they just did not like that I said I want to specialize in turnaround management. I mean whenever I posted questions regarding these fields on their forums I never got a response or got it very late - usually something that said something about picking up general mgmt skills being helpful in turnaround mgmt etc. But I really liked their courses and think their programs would help me achieve my goals. It would be sad if they think otherwise! Or maybe I should just have stuck to the same-old-run-off-the-mill generalist strategy consulting stuff :(. Nevertheless, I think I need to get back to the drawing board and start working on my R2 schools! Phew!

An open letter to ad-com members.

Dear ad-com members,

One of the greatest things that makes this world go round (other than inter-planetary forces) is hope. So it is with B school applicants. We are a unique breed who, come admission season, forget our differences and are united by just 2 things - B- school admission craze and hope. Post submission, we get divided further into 2 groups - the haves and the have-nots. The haves are the ones who have an interview admit and therefore are busy preparing while the have-nots are still sitting here, like me, twiddling their thumbs wondering if the ad-com have actually read their essays and tossed it into a trash can (not a favourable case) or whether their application has not yet been read (please god! let this be the case). It is on behalf of have-nots like these that I write this letter.

Within a week or two of submission, the have-nots usually need to have the F5 key on their keyboards replaced. They are usually seen biting their nails while reading student forums like those of Wharton and Chicago. They are not very different from relatives who wait outside the ICU when a loved one is undergoing a major surgery. It is just the anxiety and tension that keeps them from focusing on what they should rather be doing - moving on and maybe working on their next round applications.

The solution, dear ad-com members, lies with you. Why do you not just write a short mail to that unfortunate guy whose application you just tossed into the trash-can - telling him that he has been denied? Is this a logistics issue? Do you have to wait till the last day to send out declines? Or is it so that on the last day you count the number of interview invits, figure that you have sent a few too less and reach out to your trash can to retrieve a few randomly and call them for interview? If this be the case, then I guess the have-nots are doomed to suffer in the manner they have been traditionally subjected to. If not, I would request you to maybe take a few mins and hit the send button on those whom you have already decided are not good enough for your school.

On behalf of other have-nots,
The paw.

Duke and Darden submitted.

I submitted my Duke and Darden apps last week. With this I believe I end my R1 app season. I might submit Stern and Columbia but have not yet started on them. With the GSB two days into sending interview invits and Wharton over a week into the process - I am losing faith. Especially because last year, I got my Chi invit the first hour of the first day they started sending invits. For some reason, I believe my apps would have been read in the same order - that is one of the first few - by both W and Chi. And now since no invits, must have been tossed into the D-bin. However, for some strange reason, this is not bothering me anymore. Because I know I gave them my best shot. I could not have done better than this. So I am satisfied. Further, I am pre-occupied with too many other things. A new job. A new city. Hopefully a new car. YIPPEEE!

Ross Submitted!
I found the Ross only data sheet to be the most restrictive. I believe that the Ross ad-com believes in REALLY concise communication. But then I liked the freedom they gave with the 2-page resume. Though I hate 2 page resumes, I used a 2 page one to explain my extra-currics better. Hopefully, they like what they see.

BTW, it was essential I submit Ross today because it is one of my top choice schools. I am planning to give my boss the sweet news of my resignation tomorrow and expect fireworks - and mental tension. Since I did not want to submit Ross in a bad mind-frame, I took off from work today, smoothened the edges and submitted it today.

I am now planning to work on Darden today and maybe even submit it tonight. That would be great. But before that I need to head out to the DMV to change my car registration. I am thinking of selling it off as I need to move.

So far...