knightofdelta wrote:
zhangxingchina wrote:
Dudes, I think we should be pro-active, rather than just having fingers-crossed. Let me tell you some personal experience on this point.
In the final days of my PhD study in summer 2010, the economy was still in a bad shape and no job/training offers were lining up for me.
I hypothesized that if I did something good, the God would reward me (with an offer). 
So, I started to volunteer as a care-giver to a colony of feral cats (managed by a Trap-and-Return program) in my neighborhood. Three months later, I grew bonded with a tabby (I named him Maru) and adopted him. Then, I was offered a fellowship at Harvard University for research training.
In Spring 2012, I adopted a second cat (Lucky). Lucky was a stray cat in Colorado. He wandered to the house of a young couple and decided to stay there. But the couple didn't have any plans to take in a cat and planned to send him to a shelter. I offered to take him in and the couple kindly flew him from Colorado to Chicago to deliver him to me. I spent a few months and quite a bit of money to get him into a healthy shape (multiple surgeries plus long-term allergy management). When Lucky fully recovered, I was rewarded with a life-changing opportunity, an opportunity to kick off a nanotech start-up of my own with my grad school buddy. I resigned from academia and now our business is growing, fast.
By now I've been fostering a cat for my friend for over a year and most probably for at least another two years before she can sort out her financial mess. The good news is that I've been dinged by Harvard, Wharton and Booth. Sloan's is just a few days away. Frankly, I'm not bothered at all 'coz that means the choices for God to reward me is quickly narrowed down to an offer either from Stanford or Haas, or both.
I think my hypothesis has been validated. God never let me down and will not in the future, I believe.
So, take-home message: if you haven't got an interview/offer, go walk your neighbor's dog or groom your friend's cat. 
Add-on bonus: iPad mini retina is on sale today (at least in Chicago as of Nov. 12, 2013). I'll go grab one tomorrow morning.
You say wha..? Harvard, Wharton and Booth dinged you? With this kind 'o profile? So what's gonna happen to lesser mortals like us?
Oh well, I bet with your nanotechnology start up, Stanford would likely welcome you with open arms.
I'm gonna give some alms today on your behalf. Keep the house posted about your Stanford interview invite and ultimately the admission with scholarship.
As a scientist, I was trained at Harvard and Chicago, and have many friends at MIT, too. I have to admit I'm a not a cultural fit for any of them. Most likely adcom at these three also smelled that.
As to Wharton, I was hardly surprised 'coz I don't have any corporate experience. Wharton is getting lots of heat in recent years. The Wall Street Journal ran an article a few weeks ago on Wharton, claiming it's losing its aurora. And, let's face it, the value of an MBA is subject to an increasing scrutiny, if not suspicion. All these lead up to a growing emphasis on the placement rate, I think. Obviously, my lack of corporate experience makes me a tough sell, especially considering Wharton is a finance-heavy program. Actually I didn't have an interest in Wharton (start a tech start-up in Philly sounds goofy to me) until a venture capital veteran in Bay Area told me Wharton churns out good entrepreneurs.
For Stanford and Haas, I haven't heard anything yet. My calculation on my odds of getting an interview/offer is 30%. For me, 20% is good enough for a go. When I first flirted with the idea of a start-up, everyone thought I was smoking crack. Well, building a business, especially my own, does fire me up like crack. Not sure if Stanford or Haas will be amused by a wacko bird like me 'coz I explicitly stated I'm not interested in a pay-stub-at-the-end-of-month job.
After I submitted my application, I learned some people in previous years answered the question in the first essay (What matters to you and Why?) with a story about their pets. Back then, I laughed: "Seriously? Pets? Isn't that an intro to hit on a girl?" Now, It seems like my "God-pet-story" appeals to many people. Damn, I should have folded it into my essay.
12 Nov 2013, 14:03
Good luck everyone!
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