Checking in! How are your applications going?

Mine are starting to wear me down. I finished Kellogg, HBS and maybe 60% through GSB. I had to crack open HBS and KGSM again because of some edits I wanted to make, but I think they are now complete. Visited HBS this past weekend. Such amazing facilities.

GSB is proving more work than anticipated, and I'm getting more and more concerned I'm behind for R1. I really wanted to get four done for R1, but with each one taking about a month, thats been hard.

I've added Cornell to my list, so now:

KGSM - done
HBS - done
CHICAGO - 60%
CORNELL - 0%
YALE - 0%
GEORGETOWN - 0%

(in no particular order)

Hoping to pull off KGSM, HBS, CHICAGO by R1 and if I can do it, Cornell (I love their notification schedule - apply by Oct 9, hear back by mid November, thats beautiful.... so much better than HBS apply in October hear back in late January.) It would be really nice to get an accept from Cornell in Nov so I can start breathing again!

Anyway, I'm extremely late for work, so I'm gonna hop off.

My biggest three suprises in this whole process:

1. The amount of information I had to gather. Phone numbers, old contacts, dates of attendance at high schools years ago, my parent's graduation dates, etc. It was just a tremendous amount of stuff.

2. How scary the whole process is. Really. When I hit submit on KGSM part I, which doesn't even include essays, I felt like I might pass out. I checked that application three dozen times before hitting that OK button.

3. How much essay questions really CANT be reused across schools, short of introductory paragraphs and maybe closing sentences. I was hoping to leverage more across schools but with HBS asking about ethics and GSB asking about a movie, I'd venture 90% of my essays at each school are completely new text.

So how are yours going?

Stressed wouldn't described what I'm going through. Sent an e-mail to one of recommenders last night asking for a letter of rec by Oct. 20. Person thought it was Sept. 20 and put it together last minute and sent it out

On another note, does it matter when during the round you apply? For example, if I am going to apply for R1 does it matter if I send out my application now or if I send it out Nov. 14th?

Thanks

Man I had no idea it's this painful, and I'll sound like a real complainer here. I mean I've only started with INSEAD (I'll apply to Oxford later - my choices are limited) and I'm having such a hard time with the essays. Need to be precise, and yet convey everything you want to tell them you're a stand-out. I'm not even 50% yet, and it's been 15 days already. My deadline is Oct 18th and I'm glad I started.

Tips? anyone applying to INSEAD?
_________________

http://onwardtomba.blogspot.com - MBA, GMAT, INSEAD - the journey.
My 7 GMAT Quant Strategies/Trap
My GMAT Debrief

I wish I had the guts to only apply to 3!!

HBS = hard long shot
KGSM = hard, but I have a particularly interesting spin on this one
GSB = hard, but both my recommendations are from graduates which cant hurt.
Cornell = Dont think I'm going ot make it for R1. So much work.
Yale = Not sure why this one is on my list other than its a good school with a slightly less competitive profile. I've been thinking about replacing this one with Ross for R2.
Georgetown = should be my safety

GR8 to see people in the thick of the things.. especially guys completing apps.. well mine still in the process.. MIT is working out to be one heck of an app with 4 essays and a cover letter.. all of them making me dig thins out of my past experiences.. Tepper is easy though with 3 essays.. finished 2 of them.. gotta start with ohio and purdue.. infact purdue has not even opened its apps for 2007 .. so that gives me some breathing space.. well the stats r like tis

MIT : 80% complete.. nov 1st
Tepper: 60% complete.. nov 6th
Ohio: 20% complete..nov 15th..

Things r finally heating up though.. got lucky to schedule an interview with tepper adcom on 27th.. so my scrutiny process starts next week.. anyways.. all the best guys... ..lets keep the party rockin..

pehilu..

pretty impressive list of schools..

did you speak with harvard as to why they rejected you.. man you have a 780 on GMAT!
common....

Please remove the following from your list, as I'd like to get in:

Kellogg
Chicago

You can have the rest.

Appreciate the offer, but I'm not swapping essays with people. I'm too concerned that portions of my language will end up in other essays. It's nothing personal towards you - I'm not swapping with anyone.

If you want to share yours with me, I'm happy to comment (and i wont copy anything since mine are done anyway). But... in general I'd warn you against doing this precisely because the last thing you want is for some sentence from yours to get copied verbatim into someone's elses. Its unlikely an adcom would notice, but it would be the kiss of death.

yeah... haven't even thought about that...
good idea...

Maybe there is room for both of us I'm going to a Chicago information session on Wednesday so I will know better after that. If you are applying R1 you will probably have your result before my applicatoin is in for R2.