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06 Sep 2014, 08:01
| FROM TexasWannaBeCali: McCombs Info Session |
 It’s September and I’ve FINALLY attended my first MBA event… I feel a little late in the game for an applicant, but apparently all the schools I chose hate coming to Dallas so I’ll take what I can get. First of all, kudos to me for not just being on time, but actually arriving 20 minutes early. I am notorious for being late especially when I’m going somewhere for the first time so this was quite the accomplishment for me. I also had time to scout the competition, I mean potential future peers as they came into the area where the presentation would be. Because it was a joint session for Prospective Full Time, Part Time, and Executive applicants, it was hard to really pin point who was who but once we split off into different groups it was clear. There were about 50 people interested in the Full Time program. About 90% of the room was male (a majority of which were Caucasian), a handful of internationals, and I was the only African American female (there was one other African American in attendance). I was also surprised to see how relatively young everyone looked. Age perception isn’t always accurate though as I have been told on many occasions that I look no older than 19.. I know I’ll appreciate it later in life when I’m aging like Halle Berry and everyone else is headed for hagsville, but right now it still sucks looking so young. But i digress because this isn’t the point. After the general presentation with everyone, we had a Q&A session with the Adcom Director and 2 recent graduates. They were both women so it really was great to hear about their backgrounds and experiences in the program and it really made me even more excited to apply to Texas. I got some great material for my essays, made a few contacts, and will even be applying to the McCombs Weekend for Women at the end of October so fingers crossed I get invited to attend. Things McCombs Looks for in a Candidate 1. Highly motivated 2. Team player 3. Leadership skills 4. Academically accomplished 5. Ability to balance (curriculum, family/friends, professional obligations) Interesting Tibits
 As for me, these next 3 months are going to be a big test for me. I have so many projects on my plate at work right now that my head just may explode, and that doesn’t even include the GMAT studying, essay writing, campus visiting, and volunteering I’ll also be doing. As overwhelmed as I am, attending events like the one I did yesterday just reminds me of the ultimate goal and I know that it will all be worth it.  
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06 Sep 2014, 08:02
| FROM Scott Duncan: What ifs and procrastination |
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“Perfection is the enemy of the good.” If you’re a type-A person applying to a top business school, I can almost guarantee that someone has said this to you before. I certainly know I have heard it, and it’s something that I truly believe in. But at the same time, my HBS essay has been sitting in a 90% finished state for a couple of weeks now, and I’m feeling a little bit of apprehension about finally clicking the “Submit Application” button. I can’t help but think about “What-if” scenarios at this point too. Last year’s application cycle did not go well for me. This is not exactly an outcome I want to duplicate this year and it has been on my mind more frequently as the round 1 deadlines approach. “There’s always next year” is what I told myself a year ago when I was putting together my apps, but now I’m not sure I have that to fall back on. All of these unknown elements, and the fear of submitting an application that isn’t “perfect” (as if there were such a thing) is holding me back and making me procrastinate. Since last year, I have:
If you have ever felt like this, how did you overcome it? Let us know in the comments. Sign up and never miss a post Enter your first name and email address to get new topics delivered direct to your inbox. Get updates!  I promise I’ll never spam you, and you can unsubscribe at any time The post What ifs and procrastination appeared first on Scott Duncan. |
08 Sep 2014, 07:00
| FROM Farhanc85: Drop Dread Drab |
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There is a figure which we look at and say drop dead gorgeous. A 750+ figure will garner that reaction from the adcoms. Well, what does a 670 garner. Now remember this is a drop of 20 points. Some questions that immediately comes to my mind if I were an adcom 1. Well, why did you wait 1 year to retake??? Ummm.... there are a few other things in my life, travel, work, network, giving back to community....earlier I didn't think 690 would be a hindrance to apply as most of the schools say ok with 690 you are in the 80 percentile range. But is it really the range for an Indian applicant?? Debatable, yes other factors do come into play and I was working on those other factors of my profile. But seriously a year!!!!! 2. Verbal??? Seriously??? Verbal is considered to be a section where most of the non-natives like me struggle. A drop of 1 point resulting in a drop of 20 points score. Is my hold on language good? I don't know. Maybe not! Is it good enough for a B-School: YES it is!!!!! Reasoning is a big part of verbal. Reasoning is a big part of IR and Quant too. I have a 1 point increase in IR and my Quant is the same at 49. Well, that being said did i put in enough efforts to improve??? Yes I did!!!! 3. You say you put in enough efforts but didn't achieve results??? Why would we need a student like that? Now, that's a tough one! In business everything is driven by the numbers in the end. I am in a retail-industry and if we don't do numbers then you are choked against the wall. So, yes I agree my numbers are not there but I also know when choked against a wall, I need to fight back and prove that numbers are around the corner and I am capable enough to get them. I am ready to understand, what I will be taught. My performance has dropped but its not a significant drop. I am not in the Top 10 percentile but its the potential to be in the top 10 percentile and the attitude to work hard that business look at. Failures and set-backs are part of any business and they drive you further to achieve your goal. GMAT for me is a means to achieve my goal. Although, I didn't get the result I hoped for I tried really hard and I know I can and will achieve my goal in life. I need that environment of a business school to hone myself and bring out the leader in me. I needed to post this to clear my head about the setback. Let's see where it goes from here. Cheers |
08 Sep 2014, 15:00
| FROM The MBA Journey of an African Doctor: The Executive MBA at London Business School begins… |
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I was in the middle of a meeting at exactly 12 noon today when it hit me that under normal circumstances, I should have been in London, meeting my new classmates for the next 20 months. The Executive MBA at London Business School begins… but I am not in class because I was forced to defer till September, 2015. I got to my office, opened up my Expedia homepage and looked longingly at all the trips I had planned for the next three months; it was painful. The whole application experience from all the dings and finally getting admission to LBS, only to wait for one year. I don’t even want to think of all the money I had spent. But the good thing that I had to keep reminding myself of is that I have one whole year to put things in place and gain more experience. The fact that I am not going to business school this year has also made me buckle down and take life a little bit more seriously. I have a whole lot of investments in different asset classes scattered all over the place, and I don’t even know my net worth. If I am not going to business school this year, I might as well consolidate my portfolio, and optimize the asset classes and securities to fit into my current profile. I also have enough time to really mull over what I am going to do with my life after business school; I don’t see myself in paid employment in four years from now. Another good thing is that I don’t need to worry about being too old in one year from today. The average number of years of experience in the EMBA Class is 11 years for the Dubai Stream, which I applied for, but I have only 8 years. Add next year and I will hit 9 years. And yes, time to dust my old books and brush up my French…  
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11 Sep 2014, 01:01
| FROM TexasWannaBeCali: Smiles, Handshakes, and Headnods on Repeat |
 Before I start this novel of a post and lose your attention, my interview with Accepted is live and ready for your viewing pleasure. Here’s the link, enjoy! Went to my second MBA info event last night. It was a joint session hosted by Stern, Johnson, Fuqua, Berkeley Haas, Yale SOM, and Michigan Ross. There was a little socializing with adcom reps before the Q&A panel began and then networking with alumni afterwards. There was no one at the Haas table when I arrived so I made a beeline for Fuqua and chatted with the Directory of Diversity Initiatives for a little bit and then took a seat towards the front of the room. I wasn’t sure if I was gonna ask any questions, but I definitely wanted to make sure my beautiful face would at least be seen. There was a good group of us, maybe 60… and way more black people then last time so I wasn’t the only one. Before the Q&A session began, we were instructed to introduce ourselves to a person next to us (oh the good ole icebreaker) and then a few people were called on to stand up and introduce themselves to the audience as well as tell what they learned about the person sitting next to them (this is the part where I refrained from making eye contact so I wouldn’t be asked). Everyone that stood up was so poised and confident and I found myself somewhat envious because I know I can get extremely awkward in situations like that and I can either come off as super sweet and charming orrrr just immature and weird (note to self: work on that). Oh and while chatting with the girl next to me, definitely overheard another girl behind me talking about how in her spare time she’s been working on getting her pilot’s license and she’s almost done *facepalm*. To say the least, I wasn’t feeling to hot about myself. Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, the Q&A session was pretty bland. Each adcom rep was given a section of the application to brief the audience about and then whenever a question was asked in relation to that topic, they were the ones to answer. So for example, the lady from Yale answered all GMAT and transcript questions. Most of questions pertained to the GMAT, the optional essay, and the Consortium, and a few others here and there. The poor guy from Ross who was assigned Recommender questions didn’t get to talk at all. I listed some of the best advice I was able to jot down below. It’s not earth shattering advice or anything, but I’ve realized that it’s sometimes easy to forget the overall purpose and message you should be expressing because we’re all so wrapped up in the technical aspects.
My next and final stop was the Fuqua table again. I spoke with a recent alum whom I absolutely loved and who pretty much solidified why I want to apply to Duke. She was so friendly and personable and didn’t give the cookie cutter tell you what you wanna hear answers, but gave a lot of good sound advice.
Special congrats and pats on the backs to everyone who submitted HBS Round 1 apps the other day!! Good luck to the rest of you Round 1 guys as well as everyone that’s starting their first semester at business school!! Exciting times!!  
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12 Sep 2014, 12:01
| FROM Scott Duncan: I submitted my HBS app |
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FINALLY. One down and only five to go. That wasn’t so bad, was it? Over the weekend in an extreme burst of discipline, I sat down, ground through the application data forms, stressed over minute wording details, and ultimately clicked the “Submit” button on my HBS application. I have to say, the process is pretty streamlined and the HBS adcom did a good job with their straightforward and down to earth explanations of what they were looking for in each section. Since last year, some elements of my application have changed a lot, and some haven’t changed that much. As I have mentioned before, myGMAT went from a 680 to a 710, a fairly decent increase that will hopefully make me a more attractive applicant. I also have gotten a promotion and a few new projects, but the big bold points of my career are relatively unchanged. I did however, update my resume to a more legible (and HBS approved) format. Even my reasons for applying are relatively unchanged. The only thing that is different from last year is how confident I am in my goals – the last year has only made me more committed to achieving them. I tried to articulate these, as well as the “Why MBA” and “Why HBS” questions, and wrap it in a story that explains my progression through my career and reasons for being in medical devices. All said, the essay came to just under 1200 words. Hopefully this isn’t a bad thing, and once the Round 1 decisions are in, I’ll do a teardown just like I did for MIT. Now it’s time to focus on Kellogg and MIT Sloan. It’ll be a busy 10 days! image source: By Jonathan Kriz (https://flic.kr/p/bUiCrm) [CC-BY-2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Flickr Sign up and never miss a post Get Instant Access! I value your privacy and would never spam you. Unsubscribe at any time. The post I submitted my HBS app appeared first on Scott Duncan. |
13 Sep 2014, 22:58
| FROM Pro GMAT: Winter is Coming |
Its very dark out tonight, with few resources of light. But I need to reach the destination somehow. Woods have a smell of winter already in its air. The nights are becoming colder and longer. The only source of heat … Continue reading →
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16 Sep 2014, 06:01
| FROM My MBA Journey: Scheduling the Test |
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Well eventually you’ll get to a point when you realize you can’t wait any longer: you have to schedule the test. At this point I’m still not sure whether I’ll be ready or not, but time is ticking and test slots fill up quickly. I’m applying to round two which means most of my application deadlines are the first week of January. I want to have time to take the test twice so I’m scheduling the first test for mid November. What a great birthday present that’ll be for me! You can only schedule the test every 31 days so I can’t take it again until late December. I’ve read that you shouldn’t take the test at a time when you’re not used to working or focusing. For example, I work in the agency world and get in the office around 9 or 9:30 AM every day I’m also not a morning person. So it would not make sense for me to schedule a test that begins at 7AM. Also keep in mind most test facilities require you to arrive a half hour early. Add the commute time on and you need to account for probably at least an hour of time before you even take the test. Personally I chose to schedule the dust test at 10:30 AM and the second for 11AM. I’m also fortunate to have facilities in my area that host treating sessions on weekends. That helps minimize time off of work. Oh and did I mention the price? Each test will set you back $250 US dollars. As if the test wasn’t already dreadful…  
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17 Sep 2014, 06:01
| FROM Pulling That MBA Trigger: Two down, two (?) more to go! |
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YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS! That was me literally seconds after I hit submit a day before Fuqua’s EA deadline. NOOOOOOOOOOOO! That was me a minute after I hit submit a day before Fuqua’s EA deadline. I realized that the application process was a bit too smooth. I hadn’t entered any credit card or payment information, and yet, my application went right through. WTF. Cue me losing my mind, shooting off a cleverly disguised panicked email to admissions asking “What the heck just happened?” All this was a DAY before the deadline mind you, to my FIRST choice of schools. I spent pretty much all day at work just willing a mail from Fuqua to appear in my inbox. Finally, my anxiety and prayers to all 8475493875398 gods of the Hindu religion paid off and I received a sweet, succinct reply. There was some glitch in the system (aka totally not my fault) because of which I wasn’t asked for any credit card or payment info. But basically, my application had been successfully submitted so I had nothing to worried about. HUGE sigh of relief. I am pretty happy with how my Fuqua application turned out. I absolutely loved both the essay topics and how open-ended they were. The entire application was comprehensive enough to make me feel like they now have a complete picture of me. Fuquans have been super helpful throughout this whole process and I’m so stuck on this school, it’s starting to become a major pain. I’m going to be so heartbroken if I don’t get an interview at the very least. I finished up my application for Yale R1 as well. I’m not entirely too happy with it. I mean one essay, 500 words and that’s basically it. With space for only 5 extracurriculars and a one page resume, I feel like they only know about 40% of the stuff I’ve done, both professionally and otherwise. I guess the recommendations will help, but even then, I’m not as happy about this one as I was about Fuqua. But then again, I am pretty biased. With two applications down, I now have ostensibly two more to go. I don’t particularly want to apply to more than four in total. My plan is to wait until I have a decision from Fuqua (interview invites will be out by the 7th of October, WHUT!) and see how that goes. I’m thinking R2 for the remaining two schools, but at this point I’m not even sure which two they’ll be. But for now, I’m semi-done. Things at work have been getting busier, so I’m happy to be 100% committed to that without having all this application stress at the back of my head. Until then, I hope y’all are killing the GMAT and/or your applications for R1. Good luck everyone!  
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21 Sep 2014, 08:01
| FROM MBA on my Mind: Turning 24 and a mad 4 weeks. |
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*PHEW*. Do you sometimes have that feeling where you try and cram as much as is humanly possible in the 24 hours that constitute a day and that time just isn’t enough? I have had that feeling over the past 4 weeks. Being an entrepreneur sounds great and all, but it is NOT easy, the past few weeks have been testament to that. I am not going to bore you with the details, here’s the jist though – a ton of trouble shooting for our latest project, investor meetings and a rather insipid elevator pitch to a potential angel investor ( I haven’t recovered from that yet  ), heaps of paperwork, a profusion of meetings/planning on the road map for my company. It felt like I’d arrived at my first day of swimming lessons and I had been thrown in at the deep end of the bloody pool. It knocked the wind out of me. While I’d love to say, some innate capacity in me belted out a butterfly stroke and I managed to reach the edge of the pool with elan, in reality it had me spluttering about for quite a bit before I had my bearings .(Okay, Imma stop with the swimming analogy now) I have to say this though,tis experience has literally been the most amazing and constructive.And it is safe to say midst all of this chaos, the GMAT has taken a back seat, I’ve pushed my exam date to October 31. So, that’s going to mean Round 2, folks. I am going to have to get in 6 apps in round 2. I want to send in my best possible application to all of my target schools, and if that means pushing to Round 2, I am okay with that. I am off work for the whole of October for prep, I just want to get this damn test out of the way!  My temple for the next 5 weeks. I am going to get you, GMAT. My essays are taking shape, I am a few days away from having my first draft of essays for Kellogg and Ross ready. The goals are looking good as well. I have gotten good comments from my admissions consultant on that, so I am a little relieved. As I advance into the complex maze that is the application process, I find myself looking at my profile severely. I am constantly comparing myself to other applicants and feeling rather small, in the shadows of some frickin’ stellar profiles. I really need to relax. In other news, My connect with Kellogg has deepened, and I have fallen even more in love with the school, if that’s possible. The Kellogg Impact Club has gone out of their way to help me understand the culture at Kellogg and put me touch with a group of alumni who started a company in the same domain as mine is in, and of course based in India. I had a nice long chat with one of the founders. He had some great things to say about the school and way things are done there. I am soo excited to be applying there! Annnnd I turned 24 this week! God, I feel old. :/ Grantmeadmission, Pullingthatmbatrigger, Hugo, TopdogMBA, Naijambagirl !!! Congratulations to those of you who’ve sent in your apps, soo excited for you! :D Those of you giving your apps a good ol’ spit and shine and on the brink of hitting SEND, go get ‘em! I just had a thought, all of us should convene at the end of this application journey, before we jet off to our dream schools and compare battle scars. I would love to meet you guys! :D  
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22 Sep 2014, 01:01
| FROM GNPTH: Interview with Sarah of Accepted.com blog related to my GMAT/MBA journey. |
This is just a transcript of what is written in the Accepted.com post. You can find it here- https://blog.accepted.com/2014/09/19/iv-with-an-indian-b-school-hopeful-racking-up-the-work-experience/ Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? What is your favorite non-school book? Balaji: I’m based on out Bangalore, India. I currently work as a Program Management Analyst in a Fortune 100 company. I did my undergrad in Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering) from Anna University, Chennai. I love reading fictional and history books. My favorite ones have been Dan Brown’s series and my most favorite book related to history is Glimpses of World History by Nehru. Accepted: What stage of the admissions process are you up to? Balaji: I did not start my application process yet. As I currently only have 3 and a half years of experience. And after thorough study, I thought I would require 5 years of experience to have a good chance of getting into top b-schools as the average WE is 5 years. Last year, I tried applying to one b-school to get some experience in the application process. But I was dinged without interview, and I think it was due to my WE, as I had only 2 years of experience while applying. Accepted: Do you plan on staying in your current industry post-MBA, or changing to a new field/career? Balaji: I haven’t decided on that yet. I wanted to stay in my field for sometime post-MBA, as I love Project/Program Management – rather to generalize I love management/operational stuffs. Also I have a plan to start my own business at some point in future. Accepted: As an Indian male in the software industry (a highly represented applicant group), you’re going to need to work hard to distinguish yourself from the crowd. What are some things that set you apart from your competition? Balaji: Yes, I belong to Indian-Male category but not in software industry any more. My previous employer was a top 15 IT service provider in the world. But as soon I was done with my undergrad, I wanted to pursue an MBA. So I avoided any software related jobs in my previous employer, so I worked as Enterprise Project Management Analyst. After 3 years working with CGI. I moved to Honeywell (here I work for Aero Division). I thought working in Fortune 100 Company will make my profile/application more visible and strong. Now moving onto distinguishing myself from the highly represented group, below are my extra-curricular activities I presently do/did during my work, undergrad and high school. A. Student Coordinator in National Entrepreneurship Network during my last 2 years of my undergrad. B. Core Cultural Committee member during my last 2 years of my undergrad – in charge/single point of contact for all technical related activities. C. Was a Sergeant of National cadet corps in my high school. D. Was a vice-captain of my high school football (soccer) team. E. Was core member in corporate social responsibility team at my previous employer. We conducted many charity and fundraiser events for orphanages, etc. F. Certified Competent Communicator and Competent leader from Toastmasters International. And also served as Vice President Education for 2 terms. G. Finally was a core member in Employee Welfare Association club at my previous employer. On Entrepreneurship: My in-law runs an event management company. I take care of the business when he is held up with other important works or on travel. Accepted: Why did you decide to blog about your experience? What have you gained from the experience? What do you hope others will learn? Balaji: There isn’t a better way than forums and blogs to tell everyone around the world who is currently preparing for the GMAT/MBA application that it is easy to get into top b-school with your efforts and perseverance. I thought, if I start blogging about my experience I can learn my mistakes. (In PM terminology: We always to tend to document our project plan and risks etc., so that it will be helpful for the lessons learnt at the end of the project.) And for others, there will always be room to improve from one’s own mistakes from others’ mistakes/experiences. Thank you Balaji for sharing your story with us – we wish you loads of luck! Thanks alot Sarah and Accepted.com for the interview and putting up the same in your blog.  
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23 Sep 2014, 18:01
| FROM My MBA Journey: Investing in your Future |
 Investing in a MBA program requires numerous types of investments. So far I’ve spent a considerable amount of both time and money in an attempt to get accepted into a program. This is only the beginning. Let’s take a look at what I’ve invested so far. These are rough estimates. Magoosh GMAT Prep Software- approx $100 Manhattan Self Guided Comprehensive Program – approx $830 Various MBA and GMAT books -approx $120 Extra GMAT Practice Tests -approx $45 Total: $1,095 Before I’ve even taken a test, I’ve spent over a grand. Not to mention a ton of valuable time. When beginning your MBA journey make sure you are prepared to encounter these costs. I am expecting to incur additional costs before I am accepted. Expected Costs Travel costs for school visits – $2,000 GMAT Tests -approx $500 ($250 per test) Additional Materials – $500 Application Fees-$1,200 Total: $4,200 It’s highly recommended to visit the schools you are applying to prior to applying. Many admissions teams say the visits help most with the essay portion of your application. Most of the applications have a question asking “why our MBA program” and the admissions teams are looking for more than a canned answer that was scripted from the website. Personally, I also think it’s worth it to visit the schools because it will help you with your decision making process. Application fees to most programs are around $100-200 each. Wow. Am I really making this large of an investment PRIOR to even being accepted? Not to mention, average tuition for a top full-time program often exceeds $100k. So what’s the payoff? Luckily this has already been calculated. Resources such as Forbes have looked into this. Often the ROI payback period is less than 5 years. Take a look: https://www.forbes.com/business-schools/list/ Not to mention, there are long term benefits that cannot really be “measured.” If you’re lucky enough to get into a great program, you will forever be part of the alumni network. Who knows how those connections will be able to help in the future. For a minute, I was second guessing myself on this large of an investment. I hope to quickly see the payout and continue to look at the studies that reinforce this is worth the investment. Although, I have considered how many shoes I could’ve bought with the amount I’ve already spent…  
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24 Sep 2014, 17:00
| FROM Scott Duncan: What I wrote my Round 1 essays about |
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Round 1 is over…mostly On Monday, I cranked through the MIT Sloan and Kellogg applications, paid my fees, and clicked submit. What do I do with all of my free time now? Just kidding…there’s still plenty to do. Within the next few days I still have to complete the video essays for Kellogg, and then start the UCLA application, which is still technically Round 1, but it’s not due until October 22. I was planning on applying to Wharton in Round 1, but at this point I think my application will be much stronger if I wait until Round 2. I can only take so much essay writing for one month, and I think the extra time will be beneficial. But before I start applying for Round 2, I’m taking some time to relax. One of my biggest stumbling blocks last year was “What do I write my essays about?” Fortunately, a lot of that up-front work was already taken care of for me and made the process easier this time around. I thought it might be helpful to share my thoughts on what I wrote. HBS You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy? Woah…no word limit! Where do you even start? I was overwhelmed by this last year, for sure. So many of the other essays are straightforward, but the lack of constraint on this one makes it intimidating. I started off with a detailed example of the moment I realized why I became an engineer, and closed the introduction by explaining how if I had never been exposed to the world of medical device product development, I would never feel compelled to get an MBA in the first place. I then took a step back and explained how I ended up choosing engineering as a career path, and explaining how my very first internship in college made me realize that “Hey, I want to be the CEO of an innovative medical device company!” I spent a couple of paragraphs detailing some of the experiences I have had in my career that have made my work so important to me and further reinforced why I am applying to HBS. With my history and background explained, I moved on to describing why I need an MBA, why HBS is the best place for me to get an MBA, and what I intend to do with my degree when I graduate. All in, the essay amounted to 1,100 words – which I hope is not too long. I felt that if I cut anything out, the essay would be lacking. MIT Sloan The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice. Discuss how you will contribute toward advancing the mission based on examples of past work and activities. (500 words or fewer) It might be obvious, but the way I interpreted this question was basically: “Show us how everything you have done so far, combined with an MBA from MIT Sloan, will make you an innovative and world-changing leader.” Similar to the HBS essay (but more concisely) I started with explaining why I am in engineering and how that led me to pursuing an MBA. I then added some color to some of the experiences I have had at the two startups I have worked for after graduating, and answered why these experiences were formative and important to me. I also explained how these experiences were unique for someone in my position and experience level. I didn’t want to drift too far off topic, but I also explained briefly what I intend to do post-Sloan, since I feel that I can’t talk about how I will advance their mission without discussing my goals. Write a professional letter of recommendation on behalf of yourself. Answer the following questions as if you were your most recent supervisor recommending yourself for admission to the MIT Sloan MBA Program: (750 words or fewer) I’m not sure how I explain this one without copying it and pasting it…which I might choose to do once application decisions are in. This one required a good deal of self-reflection. I think I have a good understanding of how I am different from other applicants applying with an engineering background, and I am aware of what my weaknesses are, so those questions were not too difficult. For the “How has the applicant impacted a group/organization” question, I described how the medical device that I invented will be my legacy at the company I currently work for. For the “works with other people” question, I described a situation where I had to train a doctor how to use that device. Northwestern Kellogg I LOVED these questions! They were very straightforward, and the short word count really makes you think about what is important to the story. I think that the adcom knew that this will make the essays much more revealing. Resilience. Perseverance. Grit. Call it what you will…. Challenges can build character. Describe a challenging experience you’ve had. How were you tested? What did you learn? (450 words) For this essay, I discussed a situation where I had to overcome a technical challenge with the medical device I designed. The story started off in the CEO’s office, with me nervously telling him that …um…I failed. As a result of this failure, the company’s entire timeline as at risk. The pressure was very, very real. The next part of the essay described the damage control. How did I lead the team? How did we find the solution? How did we convince everyone to adopt it? The last half of the essay was dedicated to what I learned – it’s important to take the blame in a high-tension situation like this, and to effectively unite everyone around the solution rather than pointing fingers and creating confusion. Leadership requires an ability to collaborate with and motivate others. Describe a professional experience that required you to influence people. What did this experience teach you about working with others, and how will it make you a better leader? (450 words) Again, very straightforward. For this one, I described a time where I had to convince management to adopt my design concept over the concept that my manager was suggesting. I explained the background of the conflict, explained how I steered the discussion with management, and discussed how I ultimately persuaded the team to take the path that I was suggesting. The last half of the essay described what I learned from this experience – it was highly political, and I didn’t want to overstep my bounds. I also explained how pushing my limits in this situation helped me grow as a leader. Time to relax? Kind of. Once I finish the video essays, I’ll take about a week and a half to clear my head before attacking the UCLA, Wharton, UC Berkeley and Tuck apps. And my fingers will be crossed the whole time, hoping for interview invitations. image source: Seattle Municipal Archives (https://flic.kr/p/55z2tc) [CC-BY-2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Flickr Sign up and never miss a post Get Instant Access! I value your privacy and would never spam you. Unsubscribe at any time. The post What I wrote my Round 1 essays about appeared first on Scott Duncan. |
25 Sep 2014, 09:00
| FROM Naija MBA Gal: Catching my breath |
Its been a really long while since I’ve posted anything. I’ve been busy putting final touches on my applications and submitting them :D SLOAN: I managed to get my Sloan application in. Just barely. No I did not submit something I wasn’t comfortable with just because I wanted to submit in round one. When I say […]
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27 Sep 2014, 09:01
| FROM Farhanc85: 7 D's of being a Desi Applicant |
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Prolonged absence from this blog, INSEAD application and meeting different kinds of Desi (read Indian) applicants has helped me put together the 7 D's of Desi Applicant. *These are my personal opinions and in no way represent the majority". How can I be a Desi and not give a disclaimer?. So lets dive into the 7 D's of being a Desi applicant 1. Diversity: Being Desi, Being Diverse. When you constitute to 17.5% of people in the entire world, do you think you will represent 17.5% of any MBA classroom? In all the major schools in the US of A, 30-40% of the class represents International community. Should half of that be represented by on Indian applicants? Honestly, Indian applicants cannot play the diversity card when it comes to community representation. With so many applications and a comparative fewer admissions, it’s difficult. Think about what you want to talk about to build up that Diversity factor in your application, this brings us to our next D. 2. Differentiation: You cannot differentiate yourself by being a Desi, we are overrepresented, but you can bring the learning of a Desi to an international platform. "YOU" being the important word here. What differentiates you from others? A cliché, everyone is unique. The fact is everyone is unique, but most of us don't know how we are unique. Try and bring that uniqueness on paper. And please don't do an MBA if you belong to the following D. 3. Disgruntled: I might be chastised for this one. My experience while talking to so many Indian IT applicants, they are disgruntled. Not happy with your boss, do an MBA earn more than him. Not happy with coding, well let me shift to product marketing? Not happy with system integration, let me get into consultancy? Although I have taken IT applicant as an example, this is true with many Indian applicants; I have highlighted the most common pool and most common example. Again a disclaimer, phew!!! Well, if you want to do an MBA because you are unhappy with your life and want a change, think really hard. Wanting a change is reasonable, searching for happiness is essential, but MBA is not a solution to your short-term problem. Admission committee can see through such stuff and then the rejection letters start pouring in. 4. Disingenuous: The ever so famous Indian head bob. We have to be more genuine. If you are dishonest in your application, there are high chances you might not make it. I have read time and again about Indians trying to exaggerate. Applications need facts and facts should never be exaggerated, as they can always be verified. Be straightforward and be candid. This is a big difference I have noticed between Indian and people from western countries. 5. Doubt: I have a 780 GMAT, a 3.9 GPA, 6 years of work-experience, what are my chances in XXX? I cringe every time I hear this question. It emerges from a level of self-doubt, we as Indians have created for ourselves. Although to be fair, I have read on other blogs about people asking this question internationally, but in India there is widespread of doubt due to our childhood traumas and parental pressure. Clearing doubts before exams that last reassurance before application. Don't doubt yourself, read information on site; Google is filled with information, type away. Please get out of the zone of doubting yourself. 6. Dharma: This list would be incomplete without a referral to a Desi word. For more about Dharma go here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma . There are two aspects of Dharma of a Desi applicant. A Dharma as a duty, MBA is only a natural step to my studies, as my family wants it? I don't have enough knowledge and experience to handle people who do MBA because of familial pressure. To them, I wish they find courage to do deal with familial pressure and find their true Dharma. The second Dharma is for our duties towards others. Very few Indians as opposed to those in the west are involved in volunteering activities/helping others. This might result from the fact that we see suffering as an integral part of our culture. We don't see how we can help others. There are a lot of ways to perform your Dharma towards others. Please remember we come from the culture where the word Dharma originates. 7. Disciplined: Yes, let me end with a positive word when it comes to India and academics. We are the most disciplined lot. Can't help it (here I go again) we are trained to be that. Showcase your discipline, but also showcase what else you bring to that discipline. We can withstand the academic rigor; there is no doubt about that. But tell them with your discipline, how a Desi will withstand the cultural dynamics. So those are the 7 D's of a Desi applicant. Again these are my personal views and hope you can take away something as a Desi applicant. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE Cheers |
28 Sep 2014, 13:00
| FROM TopDogMBA - A Reapplicant's Tail: I’ll follow the sun |
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Hello and I’m sorry for being so quiet these past few weeks. First of all, I’ve submitted my three applications in Round 1 for INSEAD, MIT Sloan and Wharton. As usual, it was a mad dash to the finish line, tweaking essays and getting feedback, chasing recommenders and myriad other tiny things that have made the last month or so almost unbearable. Even the few minutes it takes to type a blog post could not be spared And, if you’re reading this, the chances are you know what I’m talking about! Keep your head high and your heart strong – you will get there in the end! Secondly, I had to get my desk in the office cleared in advance of my “summer” holiday. I’m now ensconced in a lovely island near the Med. The pain was worth it, but barely! Still, the sun is warming my back and it feels a lot better without the weight of applications weighing it down (for now at least!). And, to top it all, my phone isn’t working after the recent iPhone upgrade so I’m not able to access my blog admin and write some eloquent posts. So, please accept this one dashed off from my other phone for now. I’ll be back in touch real soon folks with some useful information and tips! This dog got to rest a while in the meantime…  
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29 Sep 2014, 22:09
| FROM Pro GMAT: Keep running… |
Phew!! A lot of work, tensions, questions, explanations, failures, assignments, understandings, supplements, answers, learnings, rebuilding concepts, juices, exercises, managements, thoughts, reasons, spirits, blessings, and finally a minute view of some sunlight in the darkest. It always feels like a come … Continue reading →
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01 Oct 2014, 09:01
| FROM Naija MBA Gal: Happy Independence (Freedom)!!! |
I’m writing this from the heaven that is known as “post MBA application”. I finally submitted the other two application with a lot more drama than the first two. Before I give you the gist, allow me to say “Happy Independence day!” to my beautiful motherland. For those of you that don’t know, Naija is what […]
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04 Oct 2014, 13:00
| FROM Pulling That MBA Trigger: Five stages of losing your mind |
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Guys I am officially losing my mind. I’ve gone through what I think are 5 stages to “losing your mind during the post application submission waiting period.” It starts with relief, where you think hah, I got it done before everyone else (EA/R1 pseudo-superiority complex). That is followed by doubt, where you second guess every comma and period in your essays. Did something slip through the cracks? Should I have waited, like the rest of the sane people out there? Next comes the numbness. You hit submit and it’s gone into the black hole of admissions and there’s nothing you can do about it. So you tuck it away in the corner of your mind and try to move on with regular life. This doesn’t last very long though. The closer the notification date is, the closer comes the next phase: preparation. You prepare yourself for every outcome as you veer between outrageous optimism and resigned pessimism, although you try to condition yourself to expect the worse because that way, it would hurt less. The glimmer of hope is always tantalisingly close though, my preciousssssss. This is where I’m at right now. I think the fifth stage, which I hope to reach soon is that of mental peace. I want to know that I’ll be content with the outcome, either good or bad because it isn’t the end of the world nor is it the means to an end. I’m waiting on Fuqua and Yale now. 7th of October for Fuqua and around the same time (I’ve heard) for Yale. Let’s see how that goes! I hope GMAT/essay prep is going well for everyone! The blogosphere has been a little dead lately, (understandably of course), so I hope all you lovely people are doing well. Keep us posted.  
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05 Oct 2014, 21:01
| FROM Road To My MBA: The GMAT experience |
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560 (Q33 V33). Yes, that was my score on my first GMAT attempt and that is the reason I´m retaking the GMAT in mid-November (not decided the date yet). I don´t know what exactly happened but I left about seven unanswered question in Quantitative section, even though that this did not happen during my practice tests. One thing I know is that I have no excuse to such a low score so I will try again in a month. This low score made change almost all of my plans of dividing my applications between round 1 and round 2 and now I will apply exclusively on round 2. Besides studying for the GMAT, my main goal for this week is to talk with one of my bosses to be my recommender. As I work in a consulting firm there are several managers that I could ask for a letter of recommendation, but I am not sure they are all “open minded enough” to understand my decision of pursuing a MBA in USA. After a long time of thinking, I´ve decided that one of them would understand me more and probably will be a good help during the process. Since I have no time to lose, tomorrow I will probably have a lunch with him and have a frank conversation about my MBA. Depending on how well this conversation goes, I will talk about the letter of recommendation. That´s it for the moment. Let me go back to the GMAT. Ciao.  
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Hi Generic [Bot],
Here are updates for you:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024 11:30am NY / 3:30pm London / 9pm Mumbai Watch earlier episodes of DI series below EP1: 6 Hardest Two-Part Analysis Questions EP2: 5 Hardest Graphical Interpretation Questions
Tuck at Dartmouth
AGSM at UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
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