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Omne
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kryzak
Omne, you'll have a lot of fun!

Alright, dress code is casual, but shirt and slacks or shirt and jeans is good enough. Most students will be wearing short sleeves if the weather is warm.

Expect the infosession to be terrible, that's just how it is and how all of us experienced it. Take out of it the content and the program offerings of Anderson (which are great). If the infosession turns out to be good, then that will be a pleasant surprise.

Class visit, Mondays sometimes Professor Cockrum teaches an "entrepreneurial Finance" class, try to get in on that. HE's a great professor. Professor Abe is also a very good professor to sit in on.

I forgot what you were looking to do as a career, but check out the Price Center for Entrepreneurship, see if you can get face time with Elaine Hagan and get insights from her.

Walk around and see all the club offerings on the bulletin boards between two buildings, eat or have coffee in the Cafe Roma, check out the wonderful library. Talk to Marta at the Financial Aid office, she's wonderful. Skip the admissions office, unless you can talk to the Jessicas (two of them) or Craig. Check out the Student Services office, the AMR office, and talk to the the lady in the Global Management and International Exchange office. She's great. Check with the Career Center and see what they have to offer.

Enjoy the sunshine and campus. Walk around Bruin Walk to where the undergrad dorms are. Check out their football fields, tennis courts, and basketball Pauley Pavillion. Go to the Ackerman Student Union, you'll be amazed that it's a student union. Have Cookie/Ice Cream Sandwiches for $1.50 at Diddy Riese (926 Broxton Ave). You'll love the campus.

What to do in LA Saturday Sunday? Drive along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and Santa Monica. Go to the Santa Monica Pier to see the sunset, check out 3rd street Promenade. Shop the Beverly Hills Fashion Island Mall and all the malls around there. Take a walk around Hollywood, Walk of Fame, Mann Chinese Theater, etc... Venice Beach is also good. Getty Center has a beautiful view of LA (if it's not too smoggy).

alright, is that enough to keep you busy? :)
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Wow Kryz! That's alot of stuff to do. Just one problem: I'm visiting USC, not UCLA! They didn't get back to me in time, so there isn't room in my brief visit to make it to UCLA's campus! I guess I'll have to return in the fall.

I had looked into Hollywood and Highland, should be good to people watch, shop and eat. I had also heard of the 3rd Street Promenade. I'm staying at the Westin on S. Figueroa, which is only 3 miles from the entrance to USC. Any idea how much I'd expect to spend in terms of cab fare to the places I'd like to go?
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Oh! Well, all the LA stuff still stands true. Keep the UCLA stuff for next fall.

As for USC, that whole area is pretty bad. Just be VERY careful when you're taking a cab to and from USC, especially at night. Are you staying at the Bonaventure? That's an ok area, but within 2-3 blocks around it, it degrades VERY quickly. I stayed there on one of my visits, and we accidentally drove through an area that was quite frightening. Good thing it was still twilight at the time.

Just be very very careful, and ask the USC students what the best way to get to and from the campus is, they should know.

Good luck! Too bad you can't squeeze in UCLA this time.
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some info of the old "South Central" LA (now "South LA")

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Los_Angeles

USC is at the northern border of this area...
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Hey Kryzak,

How do you know so much about UCLA? :shock: Is it how much one should know about the school before applying? Did you visit all the schools you applied? I have been thinking of schools in New York metro area, but recently I got interested in Kellogg and Haas.
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sng, yes, everything about visiting UCLA was what I did during 2 visits to the campus. I also did visit all campuses before I applied, and I know most of them pretty well. Kellogg was tougher because of location, but I spoke with more than 6 students beforehand and met up with 5 of them on campus, so I knew the program pretty well.

I highly urge people to do that next fall, since it really helps you write your essays and once you get accepted to multiple ones, you know what follow on questions to ask. If you're interested in Haas, feel free to ask questions in the Haas thread, I'll be glad to answer.
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kryzak
sng, yes, everything about visiting UCLA was what I did during 2 visits to the campus. I also did visit all campuses before I applied, and I know most of them pretty well. Kellogg was tougher because of location, but I spoke with more than 6 students beforehand and met up with 5 of them on campus, so I knew the program pretty well.

I highly urge people to do that next fall, since it really helps you write your essays and once you get accepted to multiple ones, you know what follow on questions to ask. If you're interested in Haas, feel free to ask questions in the Haas thread, I'll be glad to answer.
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Kry,

I would like to attend a class at UCLA on Tuesday but the sign up page shows the event as closed. Tuesday is the only day I can visit as I am combining it with Haas on Monday, so do you know if the admissions office allows prospectives to attend a class without registering or when it is full?
I mailed the office last week but received no response.

Thanks,
SV
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I've heard two stories, one says you have to sign up, the other says just go to the class you're interested in and ask the professor for permission (UCLA has nice flat panels telling you what time each class is). Another way you can contact a student ambassador and ask him/her to take you to his/her class. If you're persistent and resourceful (and polite), you'll get to sit in a class.
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1) What schools are on your list right now? INSEAD, LBS, IMD, IESE , HKUST (Hong Kong), ISB

2) What is the state of your current preparations? Took the GMAT in Nov 2007 (730). I am working on the most common essay topics. I am having them reviewed by my friends. Maybe at the end of it all , when the schools release their essay questions i will use some writing service.

3) What's the scariest part of the process at this point? When i look at the competition , i start to doubt myself. But when i look at what i have done and where i have come from i get some confidence. I made a decision to start extensively traveling about 6 years ago and though i feel that has made a better person, i wonder what is the best way to put that into words while writing these essays. Because when i was traveling (up to 2 months each year, sometimes more) , i wasn't working. I was able to afford it because i worked as a independent consultant getting paid very well. So how do i write about working 10 months a year...in a positive way ? . I hope that the European colleges will look at this traveling experience in a positive manner. Regardless, i wouldn't have changed a thing...TRAVEL is the best teacher. No MBA school can match it.

4) How serious is your pursuit at this point? Serious. I am looking forward to a change in career and living/learning in a new city (there is the traveler in me again).
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WoW raulverde. I'm so jealous. I always want to travel a lot. But my work hasn't permit me to do so.... 2 weeks of vacation days every year :(. I want to do 6 months worth of traveling to everywhere before MBA starts. I'll come to you for tips. :-D
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happybunny,

Will be more than happy to help you. Thats my plan too , i will quit job around 4-5 months before the school starts. Plan to do a 2 month mountaineering course near my hometown. But all this depends on MBA admission :)
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spideyeclipse27
Can someone let me know how the national reputation for Duke is like...
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From where I sit - a FY student at Duke MBA program - I think it's pretty good stuff.

Here's why:

Duke is especially well-known for marketing (#2, behind Kellogg) social impact (top 10 - don't remember exactly), and HSM. Overall, we're a well-regarded general mgt school.

We get lots of recruiters from all industries and from all parts of the country. The Big 3 in consulting, the big dogs of finance, the major CPGs, etc, all recruit here.

Our students work in companies all over the country. We've got a decent distribution, though it is, I am sure, no surprise that the south, mid-atlantic, and northeast take most of our graduates. We've got 12, 13 and 15 % abroad, the west, and the midwest. (Only about 7% in the Texas-y part of the country.)

And, of course, we're Duke. Duke's a well-known university with strength at both the undergrad and grad levels.

So that's my VERY biased opinion. In spite of our recent slide in the rankings, we've got a solid national brand.
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Early Birds: Fall 2009 Applicants Updated on: 30 Apr 2008, 08:49
Originally posted by kruton on 08 Apr 2008, 10:17.
Last edited by kruton on 30 Apr 2008, 08:49, edited 1 time in total.
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Hey, everyone. I applied for CUHK in the 2008 cycle and haven't heard back from them yet, but it looks like I might have to delay my entry for another year. I thought I'd take the opportunity to apply to some other programs as well in R1 for 2009. However, I might cut down the list since each application is around $250. No sense throwing money away.

1) What schools are on your list right now? Berkeley Haas, MIT Sloan, CUHK (JD/MBA)

2) What is the state of your current preparations? Took GMAT (720), researching different program strengths. Specifically I'm looking at programs strong in tech and maybe with a chance to get a JD at the same school.

3) What's the scariest part of the process at this point? Preparing for the interview. I've interviewed with some very tough companies successfully, but I need to study up for what kind of questions the B-school interviewers will ask.

4) How serious is your pursuit at this point? Serious enough to upset my wife by telling her we're going to move next year...
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1) What schools are on your list right now? Harvard, Duke, MIT, UNC, London, UTexas, Yale, Stanford, Oxford r1
2) What is the state of your current preparations? I have a gmat score already (700), I'm considering retaking it, I'm spending the entire summer diversifying my volunteer experience. and have a solid gpa.
3) What's the scariest part of the process at this point? The scaries part is that I don't have enough experience, I'm graduating in may and am planning to work in the non profit field to look more favorable to administers. It's interesting that so many of you have the view that schools are going younger.
4) How serious is your pursuit at this point? very serious, I always planned to go straight into an grad program out of undergrad but I decided to wait a year and strengthen my chances.
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1) What schools are on your list right now? Harvard, Duke, MIT, UNC, London, UTexas, Yale, Stanford, Oxford r1
2) What is the state of your current preparations? I have a gmat score already (700), I'm considering retaking it, I'm spending the entire summer diversifying my volunteer experience. and have a solid gpa.
3) What's the scariest part of the process at this point? The scaries part is that I don't have enough experience, I'm graduating in may and am planning to work in the non profit field to look more favorable to administers. It's interesting that so many of you have the view that schools are going younger.
4) How serious is your pursuit at this point? very serious, I always planned to go straight into an grad program out of undergrad but I decided to wait a year and strengthen my chances.
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My two cents: if you're going into nonprofit, I would worry less about your volunteer service. I spent 6 years in the nonprofit world, and emphasized parts of my application that needed more assistance. for me, that was my quant background and why B-school made sense for someone like me. For me, my whole JOB was a giant volunteer gig. I didn't need extra stuff to prove to the adcoms that I cared about the community, that I wasn't money-hungry, that I was a giver. That was a given with my profile.

I would say, though, that everyone wants to appear well-rounded. If you work in a homeless shelter and volunteer at a food bank, you're a little one-dimensional. If you work at the shelter and enjoy competitive kayaking or showing your dogs, that's more interesting.

Am I making sense?
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sofla328
1) What schools are on your list right now? Harvard, Duke, MIT, UNC, London, UTexas, Yale, Stanford, Oxford r1
2) What is the state of your current preparations? I have a gmat score already (700), I'm considering retaking it, I'm spending the entire summer diversifying my volunteer experience. and have a solid gpa.
3) What's the scariest part of the process at this point? The scaries part is that I don't have enough experience, I'm graduating in may and am planning to work in the non profit field to look more favorable to administers. It's interesting that so many of you have the view that schools are going younger.
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May I suggest you add Haas to your list if you want to do non-profit? :)

K
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sofla328
1) What schools are on your list right now? Harvard, Duke, MIT, UNC, London, UTexas, Yale, Stanford, Oxford r1

May I suggest you add Haas to your list if you want to do non-profit? :)

K
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Well, in that case, here are two resources you don't want to miss:

https://beyondgreypinstripes.org/index.cfm
and
https://netimpact.org/displaycommon.cfm? ... lenbr=1020

Be aware that schools vary in what kind of nonprofit work they focus on. One school I looked at was great at environmental stuff, and decent at international development. Domestic nonprofits, however, weren't on their radar.
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wow, great resources AAu, kudos!

Here's Haas' webpage.

https://groups.haas.berkeley.edu/nonprofit/

and a school profile from AAu's links:

https://beyondgreypinstripes.org/ranking ... fm?cid=421
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great links +1
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1) What schools are on your list right now? Bezerkeley, Sloan, Ross, Anderson, Tuck, Yale, INSEAD, ISB, LSB

2) What is the state of your current preparations? Trying to gather my thoughts for essays and trying to figure out where to apply. In addition, seeking things to do that would add to my resume.

3) What's the scariest part of the process at this point? Realizing that a good GMAT Score /GPA and a niche job dont matter much when you are lacking managerial/leadership experience and extra-curricular activities.
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Hey guys,

I just attended the student host program at Columbia on Monday. The experience was great. I recommend it to anyone who's planning to apply for Columbia. The student club was well organized and very responsive.

I met with my host an hour before her class. We talked about the school, the students and internships first. We briefly discussed about her experience in applying different schools. Her advice was to focus on a few schools and to make sure that the goal is clear and well supported in the essays. After the class visit, I attended the information session. The information session was much better than expected. It was led by an admission officer with two current students. The students were very eager to give their thoughts to anyone who had questions. I was very impressed by the whole experience at the end of the day.

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical about what I would learn about the program and the students. But I was wrong. I feel much informed about this particular community.
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