COVID19 AKA Coronavirus taking over my MBA experience

Question

Sorry I have to vent today!

Michigan Ross just canceled all live classes and started online classrooms for the rest of the semester. 
Several MBA students who are in Europe studying abroad cannot come back in time. 
MBA1s had their MAP related travel canceled and every project is almost now in Ann Arbor. 
Several of us and I have arranged for our parents and family to travel to Michigan from all kinds of places in the world and we don't even know if we will have a graduation ceremony.

I am proud that Ross along with all other schools in the US is taking proactive decisions and I hope this helps to contain this damn thing, but UGH! I am practically in house arrest in my graduate dorm and am feeling paranoid even when I go to the university gym.

Misery loves company. So how are you doing? Maybe you are stuck in travel or hate working from home? May be your net worth took a huge hit.

TELL ME EVERYTHING!

CareerGeek · Answer

Market is crashing so bad in India, first because of one stupid bank and now this damn virus!!

It’s so frustrating to stay at home and not knowing what will happen to business!!

For Employees, I guess work from home is not a bad thing after all?!

Thanks for the post. I feel better after venting out.

Posted from my mobile device

MBADecoder · Answer

Its very bad here in India, at least in the metros such as Bangalore that have a mobile population. We are all living in fear and getting new updates every day of more shutdowns

variantguy · Answer

Thank you for starting this 'virtual punching bag' thread souvik101990!

As an incoming student, I'm quite anxious about what the future looks like right now. I was beginning to mentally check out of my current job and think about all the good things ahead. And now I'm hearing all kinds of conversations about the steps that the schools might be thinking of taking, and none of those sound good - deferring admissions for international students by a year, or starting the term with online classes (MBA core will be effed), or maybe rescinding admits altogether??!!!

And then, there's the uncertainty around even being able to get a student visa or get to the US in time. The markets are crashing and that will inevitably have an impact on recruitments. Fudging hell! A damn flu virus is ready to wipe out my and thousands of others' MBA dreams! Hate this limbo!

TheNightKing · Answer

Cannot travel to India for my personal vacation because my employer won't allow me. Too many restrictions.

Cannot execute Florida vacation scheduled for end of March.

My client is somehow not giving WFH. I mean I don't want it but who knows what the Client wants.

I want to start investing because it is the best time. So why not

souvik101990 · Answer

I hear ya! I cannot believe this as well. I would recommend calm now and then most likely see your work situation to be honest. I do not want to speculate, but I wonder what is going to happen to F1 visas from India and more importantly China!

Let me play you a really strange scenario. I just got my OPT/EAD card so I can travel internationally (I graduated early so my I-20 had expired). NOW, I want to go to India and spend a few months but I am not sure how this situation will play out. What if I am not allowed back in June! I will exhaust my unemployment days and can be pretty pretty screwed!

souvik101990 · Answer

Get some bear stocks and use the $$$ to buy MSFT and AMD! Okay GMAT Club is now Robinhood advice forum :P

TheNightKing · Answer

Waiting for my paycheck tonight. MSFT, QQQ, DISNEY, ERICSON, BOEING, JNJ, PESPI

souvik101990

sagitomba · Answer

I live in singapore which was affected earlier than the world.. we have been in mental alert since jan. was worried that I may not be able to take GMAT but finished amid all temperature checks and distancing.

Now i really want to know from the AD Coms of schools how its affecting their admissions and decision making. Many people in china are not even able to apply as all competitive tests are stopped till march .

even if we see the count coming down how much time will the world take to start trusting people and countries for travel across.
How many students are postponing their plans to study abroad ?

With a good percentage of international students the B schools along with other graduate schools are financially affected is what I read (https://www.businessbecause.com/news/in ... ss-schools)

unraveled · Answer

Here something intimidating. A look at the indices across the world. Its all smoked...

-14% Teipei, Taiwan -23% Nikkei, Japan -20% Kospi, S. Korea -20% HKEX, Hong Kong -18% Strait, Singapore -32% SGX Nifty, Singapore -22% BSE, India -30% NIFTY, India -34% DAX, Germany -33% CAC, France -31% FTSE, London -28% Dow, US -26% S&P, US -6% SSE, Shanghai Broadly all have been in red and all drops have been in last two weeks. Strangely, Shanghai index looks alien. Were we living in denial or Shanghai prepared better OR there is something else?? Any thoughts...!! * Comparison from 1st Jan, 2020 onwards

unraveled · Answer

TheNightKing You may consider PHARMA pack if not any specific stock to be on safer side

. Although they might be at peaks right now, they still would do good since COVID19 vaccine might take time to develop.

souvik101990 · Answer

Fellas. COVID 19 is affecting our lives.

Getting back to the business school discussions (trades are great - someone wants to start a trading topic on the off topic forum? Would love to chime in!).

I think things will calm down in may. However there is a possibility that things get escalated further. Worst case scenario could be online classes/deferred admissions while most likely scenario is visa delays.

What do you think?

Posted from my mobile device

unraveled · Answer

Souvik, I absolutely love your posts. Thanks for starting this one. Your contributions hel a lot and I might never be able to contribute this much.!!

Initially, I ignored the thread for the reason that i am not in application phase yet. Since trading/investing topic was touch upon I thought I should write and why not if COVID19 is affecting in that manner.

Coming to the main topic - yes delayed visas are immediate impact. But Online classes, practically would be a must, are not that lively. Online classes don't give you that experience that a regular one gives. And because my savings have been hit - thanks to this damn virus, i might be applying for less dearer schools and with limited number of applications.

souvik101990 · Answer

I understand, but as an experienced trader will tell you, buy the dips. This might just be the best year to apply to schools?

You can still give your gmat your best shot and apply to all the schools you think you have a decent shot in and add in some stretch schools as well. If you get $$$ and the virus threats wane, you end up in a win win situation. If not, you can still reapply, get a deferred admission or many other choices.

I guess what I mean is, this should probably make you want to ball harder.

Btw, a thread on trading in the bear market would be fantastic. I’m going to go ahead and create one.

Posted from my mobile device

unraveled · Answer

Highlighted part - exactly but when. Anyway i will wait for your new thread.

I am yet to get out of this GMAT struggle and what you said holds true to act upon. Its just that its difficult to concentrate in these tough times.

Hoping that i have something concrete by April-May.

MS2020 · Answer

Here is a long but well-informed read about the potential implications of COVID, why social isolation is necessary, the reported cases vs actual cases and so on- https://link.medium.com/EhYUrheWP4

unraveled · Answer

Long post. Something related to this thread. https://stayinghome.club/universities.html

CaptainMeow · Answer

Same thoughts, same feelings. I had started mentally checking out of my job as well, wanted to spend time with my parents, work on loans etc. But all is ducked now i guess

StratusDonna · Answer

JatinBhandari1 · Answer

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are inside and safely locked down. Given the splurge of questions and concerns I received from a lot of my admitted applicants who are a month or two away from making tuition deposits, I decided to respond using the video below.

These are my views, and I do understand if you have a different opinion. I have created categories based on scholarships and the length( 1 YR vs 2 YR) of the programs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgDmu8y7ikk&t=132s

A lot of my applicants from India have been sending me emails and asking questions whether to deposit the tuition or not.

Please do watch the video. I tried responding with whatever view of the world I had. Would love the opinion of others too.

I am very sure this is temporary, and all of us will come out of it within this year.

Stay safe!

Jatin Bhandari

COVID19 AKA Coronavirus taking over my MBA experience

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