Calling all Fall 2010 Consortium Applicants (merged)

"Heck, some people are not comfortable sharing a room with a good friend" So true. But for real tho, OP is a great opportunity to get started before you start school. In addition the membership benefits, free travel and lodging, spectacular location etc...etc (idcandy, you should at least glance thru your manual ), the crux for me is the opportunity to start networking with top-tier recruiters AND classmates even before starting school. My Hoosier host at Kelley got an internship offer at his OP! Imagine how much relief that would be during these times. Of course, you can (and I think, should -to hone your skills--) also compete with other students for internships (he did) at your school but you come in at least a step ahead. But even if there was no OP, I dont know about you guys, but the opportunity of getting a full ride at C-schools (Ultra Elite, Elite and Near Elite: all top tier) is by itself very generous.


username123, as others have noted, you should apply and put forth your best foot (When I started my app process, I did not fully realize the strength of my experiences/WE etc --especially as a career changer-- but when I started to put everyting together, it turned out impressive). I know of at least one person on this thread: JoeMahmah who is also non-URM. Why not reach out to him? Or just send him a shout-out

Quite a descriptive write huh? Hang in there bro (given you "beard" comment above, I so hope you are not a lady ) They will all fall in place...just a little while longer...

Hey Case2010,

Yes...

I am a Bro, i am assuming you are a Bro as well...

I was glade to when i learn that you finally received the invite a few weeks ago. I have been keeping away not wanting add to my stress.

So far no news today, i was hoping to get some news today. I check my Darden status and it seems that i am now being consider with round three candidates.

Oh well... I guess i have a few more months to go now.

Turns out I was waitlisted at Duke Fuqua, R2. I thought it was a ding. I didn't read the whole thing beyond where it said "...As a result of the tremendous competition for the Class of 2012, we are unable to offer you a final decision at this time,...."

Only after I received a letter in the mail this week asking whether I was still interested in the waitlist thingy did I read the rest of it ".... and your application has been placed on our waitlist."

Interesting, Fuqua,...interesting....


Oh yeah, a bro/dude/knuckehead here too

Well, being considered at Darden sounds like a good thing though, no? Are you doing any Round 3 as back up/plan B?

JoeMahmah was banned for posting a link to the business week forum on the Kellogg thread, but he's back in a new avatar . To username123, yes non-URMs that demonstrate a commitment to the Consortium's mission should definitely apply. I am an Indian American, but of mixed ethnicity. I never thought I would apply to the Consortium until another Consortium applicant suggested I apply because he was familiar with my story and charity work in Watts and East Palo Alto. As long as you have conviction in your story, I would suggest you apply. I didn't get a fellowship, but am content just being a member. I actually really do care about the Consortium's mission. You will know deep down if you should apply. Best of luck. I have turned down McCombs for NYU or LBS. Just not sure where to go.

I was waitlisted at Simon, which I haven't heard anyone on this forum talk about. I'm most likely heading to Texas A&M, so all is not lost. It would have been nice to be part of the Consortium though. Congrats to everyone!

JoeMa, how where you notified of the "ban"? I think I am partially banned . I noticed earlier today that when I try to search previous posts, get a "Sorry but you are not permitted to use the search system" response. Glad to have you back. I was beginning to wonder where you've been at...Different name, same attitude huh

It's not just you, Case2010. That feature was temporarily deactivated to alleviate server load. I expect it to be back after admissions notices start to slow down again (see the unable to search user's messages thread).

Haha, Case2010, I just was no longer able to log into my account (it was inactive). I then emailed the admins, who said I had been banned. Can't nobody hold me down, as the esteemed entrepreneur Sean Combs once said. haha

Count me in as a non-URM who got in at Darden, but no fellowship.

Although I got accepted into Darden, I still have my concerns about applying via the CGSM route and if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't. This isn't because I'm discouraging non-URMs who have shown a distinct commitment to the CGSM mission, its more of a warning for a non-URM that is also a non-traditional candidate. because my background is a little more spread out than most applicants (12 years WE, in 4 diff industries), it was extremely difficult to condense and write something compelling in the limited CGSM essay format. Without the "try to get to know you" essay topics like, "tell me about a time you led people" or "tell me about a difficult decision", etc, writing only the standard "tell me your work history" and "why XYZ MBA program", made it very difficult as a non-traditional applicant to write these essays and show a genuine and compelling picture of myself. yes, there is the CGSM mission oriented essay prompt, but unless the CGSM mission has been a focal point in your career, a non-URM+nontraditional candidate may have a difficult time telling "the whole story" because you're too busy "proving" yourself to the CGSM rather than telling them about your passions and motivations.

just food for thought.

(*also, this post is probably a better fit for the 2011 CGSM thread)

So, this may be a question I should know from the CGSM site, but I'm still a little unclear: does the consortium fellowship pay just for tuition, or tuition AND the estimated cost of attendance for your program (i.e. - room and board if on campus, health insurance, etc)? Thanks.

The Consortium Fellowship covers "tuition and fees," which is a very sweet deal. That does not include, however, room and board, health insurance, books, etc. To cover those costs, you can a) pay out of pocket, b) take out one or more loans, c) apply for additional grants or scholarships (through your school or external programs), d) complete a work-study program such as a graduate assitantship, or e) any combination of the above.

For example, if your school estimates total annual cost of attendance to be about $70k with $50k of that being tuition and fees (and the rest being room and board, etc.), the Consortium Fellowship will cover $100k of that over two years while you will be responsible for $40k. Thus, the Consortium Fellowship siginificantly reduces the "financial burden" of receiving an MBA from a great program, but does not eliminate it entirely.

Please note that I am not a financial aid officer, but rather a Fall 2010 applicant. To get a more definitive answer on what options are available to cover the cost of living, etc. expenses, you should contact financial aid officers at the program(s) that you are interested in attending.

Best of luck to you!

A loud shout out to idcandy, our resident guru Your explanations -- always detailed -- comes in handy at all times. You explanation here is perfect and accurate. I got an e-mail Thursday from the director of the Kelley MBA financial aid office that pretty much said what you said.

One point of note to all: pay attention to your school estimate. Part of my e-mail read "Please note that this (the school estimate) is an average MBA student budget; it was developed by the Office of Student Financial Aid and may not accommodate individual preferences or lifestyle choices. Your actual costs may be higher or lower than the budget listed above. Financial aid of any kind is only available up to the University’s student budget. If your costs exceed the budget, you will need to come to school with savings to accommodate those expenses, or be prepared to sacrifice some items in your budget."

Thank you, Case2010! I'm glad I've been able to contribute to this great community - easily the most helpful and cohesive forum I've ever used.

Thanks idcandy and Case2010! Extremely helpful explanations.

do schools reallocate turned down fellowships? like everyone else, i'm really surprised about the low number of fellowships coming from stern, both between here and in my personal network, i only know of two people being offered the fellowship, one i am certain will get into HBS and therefore turn it down. it just seems like many of the people who really want to attend stern were not offered the fellowship or any other compensation.

in any case, i wanted to wish everyone good luck at OP (I definitely wouldn't complain about sharing a room, although I guess I've never had hangups about that) I'm sad that I will miss this networking opportunity with peers (especially my minority peers across various schools) and companies, hopefully we will cross paths during our internships, at NBMBAA/NSHMBA, various conferences, or other cross-school events.

Hey Guys,

for roll call purpose:

Ding at Tuck, and Yale

Waiting on HBS and NYU...

I logged in to Tuck's site, because Tuck's admin had been super quiet, and found out that i was denied... Bummer...

Case2010 keep on crossing those finger for me... otherwise you will be writing my essays next fall...