Scholarships from 3 Top 20 schools in R3: A Debrief

Now, that my bags are packed and I am all set to fly to Atlanta to start a new chapter in my life, I tend to look back in reminiscence and think about what my journey has been.
People say, “Whatever happens, happens for good”. I have a strong reason to believe so. Last year with 98.23 on the CAT, my NITIE waitlist no. was 165 and the waitlist moved till 164 . This year too, I missed all the old IIMs in spite of scoring 99.43%ile on the CAT. But sometimes you have to take a step back to take a bigger leap. And that’s exactly what happened. I scored a 770 on the GMAT and suddenly everything seemed to make sense. I was ecstatic. But I soon realized that the GMAT score cannot be treated in isolation and that it is just one of several parameters that the Business schools look at. Nevertheless, I had aced one part of the application. Thanks to my managers at Infosys - I had plenty of leadership exposure working as a team lead for a critical project, where I had to lead a team of equals to deliver under stringent timelines. In short, I had something to talk about in my essays. Now, I wanted a craftsman that could make my story jump out of the paper. MBAdream.in did the trick. After reading the edited essays, I said to myself, “Wow, I am so good. I am really an achiever!!”  .
So, the essays were done, the applications submitted and the wait began. Interview calls started pouring in. Vanderbilt, Emory, Olin, Tepper. I had built a good network of current students during my research which, along with MBAdream resources, came in handy for my interview preparation. I had hardly started with my bschool interviews when I received an email with subject line “Goizueta Congratulations”…. Hours later came another email – “You have been awarded a merit scholarship of $15,000 per semester.” I went to the office next day and said – “Sir, thank you for everything. Your services are no longer required. I am getting an MBA.”
With an admit and scholarship from a top 20 school, my confidence was touching the sky. Interviews for Olin and Tepper were smooth as silk. Olin made no delay to announce their decision with a scholarship of $10,000 per semester. Tepper school of business followed suit. I got an admit from MDI Gurgaon and an interview call from FMS as well. With all due respect, I did not pay heed to either.
The struggle has been very long and the journey tortuous, but the fruit is sweeter than I had anticipated. It took a great deal of perseverance, intelligent self marketing (courtesy: MBAdream) and self confidence to make it happen. I am all excited to embark on a journey of a lifetime. But I would make every effort to give back to the community, as I was once one of you, struggling to make it to the top.
So, please reach out to me if you have any questions and I would be happy to answer them. You may also PM me if you wish to network or stay in touch.