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15 Nov 2014, 15:00
| FROM TopDogMBA - A Reapplicant's Tail: All i’ve got to do |
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Interview prep is the name of the game at the moment, so I’m sorry for neglecting my blog posts lately. I’m working on a few posts with specific interview feedback which will hopefully help some of you (and others who stumble on this blog in future). Will go live next week when the madness of interviews is over. My consultant and alum friends (who I’ve been doing some mock interviews and general strategising with) tell me I’m all set and that relaxing is more important at this stage. All I’ve got to do is be myself (how often have you heard THAT during this process!?). I’m feeling strong ahead of my interviews with Wharton and MIT Sloan – both early this week – but must confess to having some butterflies in my stomach as the crunch time draws near. I’m so grateful for all your support. This dog is going to howl for y’all!!!  
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15 Nov 2014, 23:38
| FROM Farhanc85: Where have you been????? |
Almost a month since last update, maybe more than that. So lots of things all around. Current boss left last month. So I am working as my own boss now  . Waiting for his replacement. Loaded with stuff. On top of that no love from INSEAD..... Why!!! Why!! Why!!! Looking at the profile that got through I know why!!!. People at INSEAD are superheroes and I am still a sidekick now( Not dejected I am a superhero in training). And maybe some schools prefer to train and mould superheros.  Calls from ISB to apply. Heard number of applications were really low in Rd 1, yet I have seen so many worthy candidates getting rejected. Application under process for ISB. Thanks to my wifey who is working with me on it, correcting those P's and T's. November 30th is so near. But before that, 24th November(hopefully) will be Oxford interview. So i felt like blogging today because I got an interview call from Oxford. No celebrations but yeah lot of excitement. Let's see what Oxford has in store during interview. No prepping time, weekends will be loaded with interview prep, as I won't have any time during weekdays. Will update with a interview debrief soon!!! Cheers |
16 Nov 2014, 10:00
| FROM Naija MBA Gal: It is in my interest … |
To stay away from MBA application forums for a while. At least until I heat from Stanford. I’m not certain I can handle the constant anxiety that comes with the forums. Also the negativity is getting old and I still don’t like it. In other news, the good people at clearadmit were kind enough to […]
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19 Nov 2014, 22:01
| FROM ConstructionToMBA: UCLA Visit |
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This past weekend, I flew out to LA to enjoy some warm weather, hang out with a few friends, and most importantly visit UCLA. We’ve had a very cold fall in Chicago so far, so Los Angeles was a welcome respite. It was in the 20′s when my plane took off from Chicago on Friday, and 85 when I landed at LAX 4 hours later. The wonders of modern travel. UCLA first came up on my radar when I attended their info session here in Chicago a few months ago. I loved the Adcom’s presentation, and their alumni were very friendly. They’ve got a strong Real Estate Program, and the SoCal area is obviously a massive real estate market. LA’s glorious weather, and the fact that I’d have the chance to live in Santa Monica (which is freaking awesome) during B-school is a huge bonus. When I stepped onto UCLA’s campus, I was stunned by the architecture and greenery on campus. Considering that its an urban campus, there’s an impressive amount of space between buildings where students could sit and read on the grass between classes. The Anderson building itself is also great. They’ve got a top notch facility there, and after sitting in on a class, I can firmly say that they’ve got some top notch faculty as well. I hung out at the Anderson cafe for a while, and had coffee with two current students. They were both raving fans of the school, and only reenforced my belief that I’d fit great with anderson’s community and culture. I only wish I had applied in Round 1!   
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19 Nov 2014, 22:01
| FROM ConstructionToMBA: Cornell campus visit and interview |
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On Sunday, I flew out to visit Cornell. I decided to actually fly into Rochester, and then rent a car to get down to Ithaca Sunday night. This would allow me to be well rested for me day of activities at Johnson on Monday. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Due to inclement weather, my flight into Minneapolis (where I was making a connection to Rochester) was delayed. This resulted in me missing my connection to Rochester. Instead, I was rebooked to Rochester via Detroit. I finally landed at Rochester at 11PM (7 hours later than originally planned), and instead of driving down to Ithaca that night, stayed in Rochester and drove down the following morning. A few takeaways from my Johnson experience: 1. The people there are incredibly friendly. Not sure if ti’s an upstate NY thing, but everyone I met there – from the students, to the admissions office folks and the workers in the cafe were genuinely nice. 2. It’s a small and tight knit community. I was glad to see that Johnson went to great lengths to ensure that it’s student body was collaborative, friendly and close knit. 3. Ithaca, and the greater Cornell campus are really pretty. I just wish they were easier to get to! I was interviewed by a second year student, and the interview was rather laid back. He did a great job of keeping things congenial and relaxed. The questions asked were pretty straightforward: - Walk me through your resume. - Why an MBA now? Why Johnson? Short and Long term goals? - Leadership – what does it mean to you? Talk about your leadership skills. - What research have you done about Johnson? I talked about the students I had reached out to etc… - How will you contribute to the Johnson community? - Do you have any questions for me? The interview was semi-blind. He had my resume, and notes about my application written by an adcom member who had reviewed my application. My interview lasted about 50 mins. I left the interview, and campus, happy with my Johnson experience. Now, I’ll just have to cross my fingers and wait.   
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20 Nov 2014, 07:00
| FROM Naija MBA Gal: While waiting… |
As all my good friends know, patience is not one of my strong points. And Stanford is stretching beyond what I thought was my capacity but I am handling it just fine. Sort of. There are three things occupying most of my thoughts at this time: 1. Preparing for my interview with Sloan. I gotta […]
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20 Nov 2014, 07:00
| FROM Naija MBA Gal: It is in my interest … |
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To stay away from MBA application forums for a while. At least until I hear from Stanford. I’m not certain I can handle the constant anxiety that comes with the forums. Also the negativity is getting old and I still don’t like it. In other news, the good people at clearadmit were kind enough to […]
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20 Nov 2014, 23:00
| FROM MBA on my Mind: Keep on Keepin’ on |
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I think that’s what most of us MBA applicants are chanting to get through these next few months. I know I am! My GMAT is set for December, 22. I’ve had my nose to the grindstone these past 2 weeks, I REALLY need to break the 700 barrier. In the spirit of breaking that 700 barrier my post is going to be tiny, I have to get back to my books. I want to congratulate topdog, naijambagal, Vandana, Hugo, GrantmeAdmission, TheEngineerMBA on receiving good news from their schools, seeing your hard work and determination to get into a top b school pay off, is really what’s keeping me going. Thank you for that. You guys are an amazing bunch!! Also, my interview with accepted.com just went up this week. Swing by here. Thanks accepted.com, I really didn’t think I was interview-worthy! :D All the very best to the rest of us Round 2 warriors with prepping for the GMAT, polishing up our essays and what not. Deadlines loom ahead. Let’s get into Business School! :D I’ll be back soon with my updated B School Tally Board!  
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21 Nov 2014, 01:01
| FROM Naija MBA Gal: In case you were wondering… |
I am still waiting for my invitation to interview at Stanford GSB. Yes, I’m aware that it’s just two days to go till the window closes but you’re talking to the lady who got her Booth invite on the last day and her Sloan invite on the day before the last. I’m not giving up hope! I can’t!In […]
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21 Nov 2014, 10:29
24 Nov 2014, 18:01
| FROM John Thunder MBA: My story and why MBA? |
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It’s November 24, 2014, and I decided to take up blogging to describe my MBA application experience. The primary driver of starting this blog is to help other members of gmatclub.com, since I have used gmatclub pretty religiously during application season and preparing for the GMAT. You can find my name on gmatclub as JohnThunder. Personal Background I am an Asian-american male and part of the “over-represented minority.” I attended an ivy league for undergrad with an average GPA and worked in investment banking for a few years and currently at an investment management firm. I play basketball in my free-time and am involved with Chinatown community service. I also create stock pitches in my free time (yes this is nerdy) and analyze NBA game film (again pretty nerdy). Why Business School? Everyone wants to be their own boss and not want to work for the MAN. At my current firm, its structure is less of a meritocracy and more of an experience-based promotion model. When I was in investment banking, I was a maniac and got rewarded for it. At my current firm, it seems like it’s less about your work but more about how you look, what time you show up, how you present yourself with senior management, and etc. These “soft skills” I am really not the best at, and I barely have time to get through all my work and do not want to waste time schmoozing. Anyways, first goal of mine is to learn more about myself and receive real feedback to improve my leadership and management skills. Second, I want to do a startup. Third, I want to find a professor to be my mentor in the long-term. So I knew about these goals a year before I applied to bschool. I think its important to start way ahead of time. I took Manhattan GMAT course, which costs ~$1,200, and thought it was a waste of money. Their offices suck, and the computer lab is from the 1990s. I did not see much score improvement from Manhattan, but when I started to do old GMAT problems from gmatclub.com, I saw an incredible increase in mainly verbal. I was specifically targeting 700+ questions which I would get wrong today. I probably could have scored higher the second time but in my first try I got a 730 in the winter 2013. Feel free to contact me for tips. I was a quant major so I didn’t work on the math section much and just focused on verbal. Business Schools: I applied to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Booth, and Kellogg. Yes, it’s pretty much all the top schools. I was rejected at Harvard, and I have not heard back from Stanford. I assume Stanford is a DING!!!!! even though I spent the most amount of time on that application. I interviewed at Wharton, Sloan, Booth, and Kellogg. I will describe the interview and how I applied in further detail in follow-up posts. Please feel free to ask me any questions, and I will answer them all.  
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25 Nov 2014, 05:01
| FROM Naija MBA Gal: If you need me … |
I’ll be under my blanket crying my heart out. Just got a ding from Stanford. I’m entirely and utterly confused. So I’m going to go through the motions of work today ill I can crawl under my blanket and sleep for at least 12 hours straight. This was not supposed to happen. Now I’ve got […]
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25 Nov 2014, 06:01
| FROM John Thunder MBA: Denied at Stanford |
I am not surprised at all getting denied at Stanford. I did have time to apply so I wanted to just give it a shot. Here are the key reasons I believe I got denied:
I would be much more heart-broken if I only targeted those two schools, which I was realistic with my background and expectations. Everything has played out as I expected, and that is why I applied to six schools in the first round. One thing I did not like about the Stanford GSB information session was that no one wanted to talk to us about their what matters most essay. It seemed like the majority that got in fabricated their essay or exaggerated it. There was only one person out of like 20 who told us about her passion for international development. The competition is fierce, but if I had to do it all over again, I would write my essay about equality and justice. Seriously. Focus on stereotypes and etc. I would check out Sandy the HBS Guru advice on poetsandquants, as he lays out how to write those “powerful” essays for GSB. Again, not everyone needs these type of essays. But if you look at this whole process as a call option, you have to take the risk and just gamble with the most powerful essay that you could stand up in a crowd and give a speech and everyone rises for an encore. And that is what happens at GSB each week when a student gives their story.  
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25 Nov 2014, 18:47
| FROM My Journey to Business School: When I’m not thinking about applications…. |
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…I’m fantasizing about being in business school! Instead of worrying about R2 applications and preparing for my upcoming Anderson and Tepper interviews, I find myself lost in the abyss of Youtube videos thinking about: Being a part of the sequel to this video: [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ7TE5kPbJ4[/youtube] Being a part of the audience [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDQrMoksJ4Q[/youtube] ….and generally just day dreaming about what next year will bring and where I’ll be this time next year. I really, really hope I get in. I am just so ready for business school. I feel it in my bones and I just cannot wait to get started.  
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25 Nov 2014, 18:47
| FROM My Journey to Business School: Interview Report – UCLA Anderson |
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I just finished my Skype interview with a 2nd year student at UCLA Anderson. It was super friendly and the interviewer really put me at ease before we started. I think the interview went well. Keeping my fingers crossed. I have a good feeling about Anderson – I hope Anderson feels the same way about me. :D As for interview questions, they were pretty standard: 1) Walk me through your resume. 2) Tell me about a time you led a team. [I probably could have used a better example here - he asked me multiple follow-up questions on how I did what I did.] 3) Why MBA? Why now? 4) Why UCLA Anderson? [When I mentioned interacting with current students/alumni, the interviewer asked for specific names of students I connected with. It turned out that one of the students I talked to was a close friend of the interviewer!] 5) Plan B if my current goals do not materialize 6) Leadership Style 7) What do you do outside of work? That was pretty much the crux of the conversation we had. He asked follow-up questions to some of my answers, especially about my interests outside of work. I asked him a few questions at the end of the interview and he shared his email ID with me so that I can reach out to him in the future with any questions I might have. It was a positive experience overall, and to those applicants with interviews coming up, I have just one piece of advice – just relax and be yourself. It’s a really laid back interview – treat this as you would any interaction with a current student – an opportunity to get to know more about Anderson and to showcase your enthusiasm for the school.If any of you would like to talk more about Anderson or have any specific questions about my interview experience, do let me know! EDIT: People preparing for the interview or waiting for an invite should read this blog by the UCLA Anderson Admissions team. I think it’ll put some people’s mind at ease.  
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25 Nov 2014, 18:47
| FROM John Thunder MBA: Denied at Stanford |
I am not surprised at all getting denied at Stanford. I did have time to apply so I wanted to just give it a shot. Here are the key reasons I believe I got denied:
I would be much more heart-broken if I only targeted those two schools, which I was realistic with my background and expectations. Everything has played out as I expected, and that is why I applied to six schools in the first round. One thing I did not like about the Stanford GSB information session was that no one wanted to talk to us about their what matters most essay. It seemed like the majority that got in fabricated their essay or exaggerated it. There was only one person out of like 20 who told us about her passion for international development. The competition is fierce, but if I had to do it all over again, I would write my essay about equality and justice. Seriously. Focus on stereotypes and etc. I would check out Sandy the HBS Guru advice on poetsandquants, as he lays out how to write those “powerful” essays for GSB. Again, not everyone needs these type of essays. But if you look at this whole process as a call option, you have to take the risk and just gamble with the most powerful essay that you could stand up in a crowd and give a speech and everyone rises for an encore. And that is what happens at GSB each week when a student gives their story.
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25 Nov 2014, 22:01
| FROM TopDogMBA - A Reapplicant's Tail: Do you want to know a secret …INSEAD offer! |
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Yes! I got the call in the last 24 hours …admitted to INSEAD! I’m feeling pretty special right now, so excuse the silly grin and jumping for joy. Speaking of which, Beatrice (my dog, THE dog!) was also jumping for joy when she heard the news. She is one step closer to being the belle of campus!  Thank you all for your support dear friends and readers, and know that I’m right behind you on your own MBA journey. I’ve been neglectful of my blog lately but am right now typing up my interview reports – the first of which appears below and the rest will follow one day at a time. I’m still waiting eagerly to hear from MIT Sloan and Wharton, but it feels great to know that I’m doing my MBA next year, no matter what!  
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25 Nov 2014, 22:02
| FROM TopDogMBA - A Reapplicant's Tail: What goes on – INSEAD interview report 1 |
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Given the recent news this is way overdue, but see below my first interview report for INSEAD. I met with a senior politician alum who, understandably, had a busy schedule. The interview was quick – 30-35 minutes max. – and he hit me with a lot of questions in rapid succession. There was nothing unexpected or any questions that I had not practiced from the many free resources out there. I was able to get him to talk about himself for at least one-third of the interview; this is a good tactic for alum interviews given everyone likes talking about themselves, right!? My responses felt calm and well-timed and injected with passion and references to INSEAD, resources, alums etc. After so much prep, they felt a bit rehearsed to my ears, but then I had so little time to say what I needed to it was so helpful to have practised giving precise and concise answers with my consultant, friends and other alums. My interviewer ended the interview by springing up from his chair and saying thanks for coming (I think he saw the time somewhere). He wished me the best of luck and asked me to keep him informed how it went. We even managed to trade one last story on the walk to the door – every second counts! On reflection, I wasn’t absolutely sure how to read the interviewer’s reactions. He seemed to question everything I said but I felt confident I had got my key messages across and …most importantly …was normal, likeable and energetic.  
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26 Nov 2014, 02:01
| FROM Naija MBA Gal: Plan A |
According to the initial plan, I was supposed to get into Stanford and any other school then choose Stanford. But that is not going to happen so here’s the revised version: Get into Sloan and Booth, make the decision when time comes. There’s nothing more I can do about my Booth application (other than pray […]
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26 Nov 2014, 07:01
| FROM John Thunder MBA: My Ranking of Schools and Details about Kellogg Interview |
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My three goals of business school: entrepreneurship, network, and professor mentor. I want to build something. I want to meet new people and create life-long friendships. I want to work closely with a professor on a finance research project and have him to fall-back on when I have theoretical questions while on-the-job (I am always intellectually curious and question every investment made). I will be happy to get accepted to any of the business schools on my list. But right now at this moment, I would rank my choices: Sloan, Wharton, Booth, and Kellogg. In reality, these 4 schools interchange ranking everyday as I do more diligence. Sloan has the best entrepreneurship track and small class to get to know professors. Great alumni network. Wharton has the best finance program and has the Wharton West campus. Booth is strong in both finance and entrepreneurship with the New Venture Challenge. Kellogg has unique programs like the AMP (Asset Management Practicum) that caught my eye, and the culture at Kellogg I definitely identify with the most. Furthermore, I could finally have a team to truly root for in college sports. Now the purpose of this post is to focus on my thoughts on Kellogg. I interviewed in November. Kellogg interviews everyone in the USA I believe, and they use a mix of first-year, second-year, alumni, and admission officer. So I flew in for the interview in the morning. I showed up actually 45 minutes early! However… I did not call the admissions office to ask about parking guidance, since this is Evanston, Illinois! It should have parking everywhere! Lo’ and behold, I parked at the wrong spot. Recommendation: call ahead of time to ask about parking. I was not impressed with Kellogg’s building, but I do appreciate having a campus and living close to campus. My interviewer asked standard questions:
For those preparing for Kellogg, I recommend speaking to students and get a gist of the culture. I definitely see the culture at Kellogg more collaborative and less competitive compared to other schools.  
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