B.l.o.g.h.o.r.n.8

Yippee! I Got What I Bid for!

2005-09-16T16:30:00.000-05:00

Well almost...

I got into all the classes of my choice except for this super-duper popular Marketing Strategy class offered by what some second years refer to as 'The Gawd of Marketing' a.k.a. Dhar! Although, I did get into his class that is later in the day. I bid ~6100 points and the LSB (Lowest Successful Bid) was 6697, so I missed it by over 500 points! But, that's A-OKAY because the evening class cost me a whole lot less, 3142 to be precise! Now I just have to keep myself from getting the need-to-have-a-beer-itch on Wed evenings for the next 10 weeks! :)

So, here I am, off to a heavy start. Its gonna be a rigourous schedue with lots of work this quarter, but I feel very excited about what the future has to bring.

Here are the courses that I registered for:
Financial Accounting
Applied Regression
Marketing Strategy
Microeconomics (also called baby micro)

BTW, the Leadership Effectiveness And Development (or known as LEAD) program ROCKs!!! The program is just awesome and it is just the beginning! I am loving it here at the Chicago GSB!

LOE

2005-09-12T22:46:00.000-05:00

It was fun time at LOE (Leadership Outdoor Experience). 2 days and 2 nights with 549 of my fellow classmates out in the woods in Wisconsin was actually splendid. We were treated to all kinds of activities, from breaking boundaries to high/low ropes to free booze to LEAD-o-rama to Leap-of-Faith to awesome grub (believe it or not, there was grub up until 12AM)!

A few things that I found interesting:

Most people fall into one of four broad categories:

1. Unconsciously Incompetent
2. Consciously Incompetent
3. Consciously Competent
4. Unconsciously Competent

This concept was illustrated to the whole class by the Blue Man Group (I mean clones of the BMG) and it was a good way to introspect ones strengths (and weaknesses).

The one important thing that I learnt was from an alum (who was the guest speaker at the retreat) was that we are in the business school not to compete with each other but to help each other succeed! That was contrary to what I had been thinking so far, but it makes perfect sense when I look at the bigger picture...

First Day at Chicago!

2005-09-06T21:22:00.000-05:00

Whew! That was a pretty looong day! Left the apt at 8AM and came back home at 9PM!
Met lots of my classmates. Really interesting people from all walks of life. It felt new but it felt good!

Some take-aways from daylong presentations that I really liked:

* Greatest constraint in the next 2 years will be Time! Time is one's greatest enemy!
* Don't short-change long-term objectives for short-term solutions
* It is easier to get swept up in other people's goals if yours are not well-defined
* Stretch yourself and set high aspirations
* Strengthen the UC value system
* Learning is enhanced by engagement, so engage yourself in healthy discussions

Tomorrow we are off to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (we need to report at the school by 6AM!!!) for a series of team-building activities as part of LEAD. We will be back on Friday afternoon. Details will follow soon.

Last Day Before CORE

2005-09-05T22:36:00.000-05:00

So, this is it! This will be my last blog before school starts...which is tomorrow! I am both nervous and excited about the next two years at school! I am excited about the opportunities and nervous because it is all so damn new to me.

School starts tomorrow at 8.30AM with CORE. CORE is basically an orientation program for all FYs. We will be spending the next 3 days (Wed, Thu and Fri) at Snake Road Adventure at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin doing team-building activities. Fun! Fun! Fun! I am guessing there will be activities such as truth or dare, canoeing, rock climbing, etc. Hopefully I will come back home in one piece...

Next week is the week of LEAD (Leadership Excellence And Development) where we will see lot more team-building/presentation/negotiation/etc. exercises. This will continue up until Sep 20th.

Classes begin Sep 22nd. which reminds me, I have to decide quickly what classes I would like to take. The great thing about Chicago GSB is that the curriculum is super flexible, which means that I have quite a bit of choice. :) Right now, I plan on taking the basic of basic courses- Microecon, Financial Accounting, and Regression Analysis.

Please pray for me! :)

Chicago Historical Facts!

2005-08-31T00:05:00.000-05:00

I have some time before school starts and I thought it might be a good idea to take some history lessons. I have been doing a little bit of traveling in the different neighborhoods of the city and I thought it might be a cool idea to learn more about Chicago. I think one can learn a lot about a place from its history. Here are a few facts and figures of the Windy City.

1772

--- A black man from Haiti named Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a fur trader, founded a settlement called Eschikagou on the north bank of the Chicago River. (He was not officially recognized as the city's founder until 1968.)

1833

--- On August 12, the town of Chicago was incorporated with a population of 350.

1847

--- The first issue of the "Chicago Tribune" came off the presses on June 10.

1848

--- On April 3, the Chicago Board of Trade was opened at 101 South Water Street by 82 local businessmen.

1851

--- Northwestern University, the first university in the Chicago area, was founded.

1864

--- Lincoln Park was designated as a recreational area. The 120-acre cemetery at the site had most of its graves removed and would be expanded to include more than 1,000 acres of woodlands, bridle paths, playgrounds, golf courses and museums. The cemetery had held the bodies of nearly 10,000 Confederate Civil War soldiers who had died in Chicago prisons - these were relocated to other cemeteries in 1870.

1871

--- The Great Chicago Fire raged from October 8 to 9th. It destroyed 3.5 square miles of the city, killing perhaps 250. The fire lasted 27 hours and destroyed 17,450 buildings.

--- Queen Victoria and the people of Britain shipped cartons of books to Chicago. English novelist Thomas Hughes helped organize the books, which were the basis of the city's first library.

UPDATE:
On October 7, 1997, the Chicago City Council approved a resolution which absolved Mrs. O'Leary's cow of all blame for the Great Chicago Fire.

1875

--- The new Palmer House opened to replace the one burned in the 1871 fire. The new building was the first fireproof hotel ever to be constructed. The lavish dining room's menu included broiled buffalo, antelope, bear, mountain sheep, and blackbirds.

1885

--- The 10-story Home Insurance Company Building, designed by William LeBaron Jenney, was the first tall building ever built supported by an internal frame of iron and steel rather than thick masonry walls. (It was demolished in 1931.)

1891

--- Chicago's first elevated railway "The El," went into operation to begin the "Loop" that would circle the city's downtown area.

--- The 16-story Monadnock Building at 53 W. Jackson Boulevard was the city's first skyscraper.

1892

--- The University of Chicago opened on October 1 with an enrollment of 594 and a faculty of 103.

Famous Firsts from the fair...

# Aunt Jemima Syrup
# Cracker Jacks
# Cream of Wheat
# Diet carbonated soda
# Juicy Fruit gum
# Pabst Beer
# Shredded Wheat
# The carnival concept was born.
# The hamburger was introduced to the United States.
# The United States produced its first commemorative stamp set.
# The US Postal Service produced its first picture postcards.
# US Mint offered its first commemorative coins: a quarter, half dollar, and dollar.

1895

--- The first automobile race ever seen in the United States was held in Chicago. The track ran from Chicago to Evanston, Illinois. The winner was J. Frank Duryea, whose average speed was 71/2 miles per hour.

1900

--- The flow of the Chicago River was reversed. In 1887 it had been decided to attempt a bold engineering feat and reverse the Chicago River in order to improve Chicago's sewerage system and to reduce the epidemics of diseases caused by poor sewers. To reverse the flow of the Chicago River, a 28-mile canal was built from the south branch of the river through the low summit and down to Lockport. It was completed in 1900. The flow in this canal, commonly known as the Sanitary and Ship Canal or main channel, is controlled by locks at the mouth of the Chicago River and at Lockport. Rudolph Hering was the chief engineer of the drainage and water supply commission during this period.

1905

--- The first Rotary Club in America was founded in Chicago.

1909

--- Around the turn of the century, architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built a studio for himself and home for his wife and five children at 951 Chicago Ave., Oak Park. In 1909, Wright scandalized Oak Park society by embarking on what he described as a "spiritual hegira" to Europe with the wife of one of his clients Edwin H. Cheney. Her name was Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Wright returned to Oak Park in 1911 and converted his old studio to an apartment so his wife could rent it out for extra income. When that project was finished, he left Oak Park for good. In the 1970s, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation acquired, renovated and opened the Wright residence to the public.

1922

--- The National Football League franchise transferred from Decatur, Illinois, to Chicago. The team took the name, Chicago Bears or, as we say in the Windy City, "Da Bears."

1931

--- Al Capone was found guilty of evading $231,000 in income taxes. He was sentenced on October 24, by a Chicago federal court to 11 years in prison, and fined $50,000.

1933

--- The first All Star Game in baseball, played at Comiskey Park, brought out a capacity crowd of 47,595 fans to see such players as Lou Gehrig, Gabby Hartnett, Al Simmons, and Jimmy Foxx. The first home run in All Star Game history was hit by Babe Ruth off pitcher Wild Bill Hallahan.

1937

--- Chicago became the home of the 1st US blood bank.

1939

--- In the 1st night game at Comiskey Park, the White Sox beat the Browns 5-2.

1941

--- Dr. Enrico Fermi and his team of scientists released the first controlled atomic nuclear chain reaction on December 2. The team's nickname was the "suicide squad."

1942

--- The national tradition of organ music at baseball games began in Chicago when the Chicago Cubs installed an organ at Wrigley Field.

1949

--- Originally called Orchard Place, O'Hare Airport was named in honor of Lieut. Commander Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare who earned a Congressional Medal of Honor in 1942 for having shot down 5 Japanese bombers and crippled a sixth, but died in 1943 at the age of 29. By 1961, O'Hare Field surpassed Chicago's Midway to become the world's busiest air travel facility.

1955

--- The first McDonald's franchise restaurant, owned by Ray Kroc, opened in the suburb of DesPlaines.

1960

--- Chicago's last meat packing house closed.

--- The 1st of the Playboy Clubs, featuring bunnies, opened in Chicago.

1969

--- The 100-floor John Hancock Center was built.

1971

--- Sears Tower opened with 3.6 million square feet of rentable space. The $200 million 110-story structure rises 1,455 feet into the sky.

1982

--- August 18 - The longest baseball game played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, went 22 innings before the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cubs 2-1. The game had started the previous day and had been postponed after 17 innings because of darkness.

1992

--- On April 13, the "Great Chicago Flood" occurred when 124 million gallons of Chicago River water poured through a crack in the forty-seven-mile network of freight tunnels under the central business district. After filling the tunnels, the river water rose into the basements of many downtown buildings, knocking out electric power and natural-gas service. The flood occurred because in September of 1991 new wooden pilings had been driven into the riverbed next to the Kinzie Street drawbridge to protect the bridge from passing barges and other traffic on the north branch of the Chicago River. The pilings had been placed in the wrong spot and punctured the ceiling of the freight tunnel below. On August 11, 1995, the city agreed to pay up to $36 million in damages to settle lawsuits brought by the owners of buildings damaged by the flood.

1994

--- The first game and the opening ceremonies of the first World Cup Soccer championship in the United States were held in Chicago.

Some other facts . . .

The 4 stars on the Chicago flag represent Fort Dearborn, the Chicago Fire, the World's Columbian Exposition, and the Century of Progress Exposition.

Chicago has 29 miles of lake frontage and 15 miles of public beach.

Chicago is home to the world's largest population of Poles outside of Warsaw.

The Chicago Public Library is the world's largest public library with a collection of more than 2 million books.

The world's largest cookie and cracker factory, where Nabisco made 16 billion Oreo cookies in 1995, is located in Chicago.

The central water filtration plant, located on the lakefront north of Navy Pier, is the largest in the world.

Shedd Aquarium, is the largest indoor aquarium in the world.

The Chicago Post Office at 433 West Van Buren is the only postal facility in the world you can drive a car through.

The official flower of the city of Chicago is the chrysanthemum.

The Art Institute of Chicago holds the largest collection of Impressionist paintings outside the Louvre in Paris.

The Chicago River is always dyed green on St. Patrick's Day.

Jesse Owens, Frazier Thomas, "Wheaties," and Muddy Waters all have a Chicago street named in their honor.

Stephen Douglas, who beat Abe Lincoln in debates by defending the rights of slave owners, lies buried beneath a monument to him off 35th Street at South Shore Drive in the heart of Chicago's South Side black community.
the heart of Chicago's South Side black community.

Current population - ~3Million

In Chi-town!

2005-08-27T20:40:00.000-05:00

And no, I am not talking about China town!

Coming to Chicago two weeks before school starts is proving to be useful. We are slowly discovering the benefits of living in a metropolis. Although Austin is one of the best places in the world to live in (my opinion), some neighborhoods in Chicago have quite a bit of semblance to Austin. Lincoln Park definitely gives a slight feeling of being on 6th St., Austin. Lakeshore Drive (41) is like a dream spot for runners, bikers and roller bladders. Reminds me of Townlake.

Here are a few important discoveries that we made in the past week:

Michaels - Grocery store that offers all fresh produce for sub-nominal prices! It is in Naperville and it is awesome.
Costco - Great place for bulk items (like Wal-marts' Sams Club)
Market in the Park - Believe it or not, we have a market inside the apartment complex and it rents out DVDs too!
Vivekananda Vedanta Society - Offers classes on Vedanta twice a week. Awesome ambience and a wonderful book collection.
Robie House - One of the buildings by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is right across the street from GSB!
Iskcon - Our friends invited us for Janmasthami celebrations and it was a hoot last night!

Believe it or not, we have already hosted two of our friends from Austin! Thanks to them, we discovered that O'Hare is ~40 miles from our apartment, and thanks to Chicago traffic it takes around 1.5hrs! One thing about driving in Chicago- people are pretty rude! I was flipped a few times so far and was even honked at a couple times. I guess I will have to adapt to the road ethics here...and quickly! :)

It may be true that there may be some downside to living in Chicago (patchy neighorhoods etc.), but for the most part I get the feeling that that Chicago ROCKS! School reopens Sep 6th and classes start Sep 22nd.

Austin to Chicago!

2005-08-15T19:07:00.000-05:00

Myself and VJ reached Chi-town after layovers in Fort Worth and Champaign. Fortunately we came in one piece and so did the luggage! We hired movers in Chicago for transferring stuff from the ABF trailer to the UHaul truck and from the uhaul truck to our apt. I was expecting hurdles along the way but as luck would have it, it all went so smooth, I was amazed. Life's been good so far and I hope the same streak continues!

We have fantastic views of both downtown and Lake Michigan from our apartment and sometimes it makes me wonder whether I am here on a vacation! The only hitch is that it is a vacation but on an upaid loan!

B-school Score

2005-07-25T20:09:00.000-05:00

B-Schools I apped to and the results:

Chicago GSB (2004 BW Rank:2)- Accepted after Interview! :)
Columbia (8) - Dinged after WL
MIT Sloan (9) - Dinged after WL
Johnson@Cornell (7) - Accepted after Interview! :)
Ross@UMich (6) - Accepted after Interview! :)
Fuqua@Duke (11)- Accepted after Interview! :)
HBS (5)- Dinged without Interview :( :(
Kellogg (1)- Dinged after Interview :(
Yale (21)- Dinged after Interview :(
Wharton (3)- Dinged after Interview :(

Time is a healer

2005-07-24T23:48:00.000-05:00

Time is not only a healer but also a problem solver.

A week of deliberations with friends and family assuaged our fears of leaving our old home and migrate to our new home. Most of the questions that we had earlier have been answered (at least partially). A few have been addressed below:

1. We are hiring UPACK for the move. We pack and they move. eliminates the inconvenience of driving a truck full of stuff and more importantly makes it muck cheaper than renting a UHAUL or a PENSKE.

2. I am getting rid of my Bofa account and applied for a Citibank student account for lack of Bofa ATMs near the Hyde Park campus.

3. My FAFSA loan got approved! Yippee! I am still waiting on my GSB loan approval.

4. Notified ulitity company, gas service, cable company, washer/dryer, apartment of my impending move.

5. Arranged for a going away party for friends

6. Fixed an apartment near campus in Hyde Park area.

7. Ordered a T43 Thinkpad from IBM

8. Put in my 2week notice.

9. Got 80 boxes from work for pcking up stuff

10. Ordered all textbooks for the 1st quarter at GSB for a nominal fee.

Now that things are falling in place, I need to crank it up a notch and finish wrapping up stuff before my I-am-gonna-miss-Austin-so-much-feeling sets in...

Questions, Questions, Questions!

2005-07-21T16:34:00.000-05:00

So, my decision to attend GSB has given rise to many questions, both to me and my wife.

Where do we start?
How easy would it be to announce the last days to our managers? Do we take off a few weeks early and go on a vacation or do we work until the week before school starts?
How do we move from Austin to Chicago? How can we move with so much stuff? Do we hire movers or coax friends to help us out?
Do we throw a goodbye party before parting ways with friends?
What is the bank balance? Is it positive? Negative?
What about health insurance? Do we do COBRA?
What are other people doing with regard to pre-school book reading? Do I need to read any specific books? Which ones?
How do I encash my stock options? Is it worth it?
How will it end?
How will I get the loan the next two years? Will FAFSA approve of my loan? How about GSB loan? Will that be approved?

Chicago, here we come!

2005-06-30T16:18:00.000-05:00

My final decision is made and I will be attending the U of Chicago GSB. Here are a few reasons why Chicago is hottest on the list-

1. Fit! Fit! Fit! I felt a very good fit with the students/alum/profs at the admit weekend.
2. The curriculum is super flexible (only one core course) :)...can any school beat that?
3. Non disclosure of grades :) :) :)
4. Earlier, I was very keen on joining a program that focussed on Social Entrepreneurship, but from what I gathered from the profs, GSB inculcate business skills that help students better compete in the world - whatever field they may choose to pursue, so thats a big +.
5. It is probably hard to find alums directly in the area of my interest, but that leads me to thinking about pursuing a career in Social VC and Social strategy/consulting, and I am sure there are alums who do this kinda stuff.
6. As more students are focussed on Finance, I figured there will be less fight to take part in competitions such as the social venture competitions.
7. My junior from college, will be attending the school too, so, go IT!
8. Last but not the least, VJ will be working in the land of the skyscrapers.

Yes, I am excited that I will be matriculating from U of Chicago GSB and I am looking forward to my next two years in Chicago!

Chicago BEWARE!!! Here I come!!! :)

Graduation ceremony at JGSM

2005-05-30T00:08:00.000-05:00

I came to Ithaca, NY, to attend my brothers graduation ceremony at Cornells JGSM. The special guest was Wesley Clark, the ex-NATO commander and his speech was okay. I am real amazed by the Cornell campus, no wonder it is one of the prettiest campuses in the world. My bro has been challenging me to a game of squash and tomorrow I hope to show him what a sunk shot really means.

Columbia GSB

2005-05-26T23:45:00.000-05:00

I got news from CBS a week after I sent a change of status letter. It was a very quick decision that I did not quite expect after showing much love. Despite having a splendid interview, following up the waitlist decision with a compelling intent of interest letter and a reco letter, the reject was a real surprise. My little cousins in NJ were more disappointed than me over this unexpected news. :(

Moral of the story: However good your experiences may have been, everything is not in your hands!

Clearadmits Best of Blogging List

2005-05-20T08:02:00.000-05:00

The best of blogging winners was announced the other day by Clear Admit and guess what? Yesterday when I posted Ew! Ew! Ew!, Britchick and PowerYogi, who were the #2 and #1 in the top10 list showered comments. Strange but true, I had a nice feeling that even celebrities read others blogs.

I may be a bit late on the news, but I am happy to announce that my blog was nominated to the top10 blogs in the MBA blogging community. It was voted The Best blog for GMAT Preparation Advice! Congrats to all those bloggers who were nominated and to those who were placed! To do justice to the award, I will need to finish writing my I discovered... series.

Ew! Ew! Ew!

2005-05-19T07:15:00.000-05:00

I occasionally take a look at my blog pageload activity, and guess what I noticed when I saw it? My blog was being accessed for non-MBA (read carnal) related reasons too... The MBA acronym list that I had posted a few weeks ago was determined to be the source of the mixup. Here goes:

Someone was searching for "married but available" +chat on search.yahoo.com and surprise surprise!... my blog comes up #33. I guess after seeing that my blog has nothing to do with helping cheating spouses, he/she must have left the site a disappointed (and angry) soul.

I found it pretty hilarious. :)

The Zen of Management Maintenance

2005-05-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

For soon-to-be MBAs, this article provides a unique perspective on leadership and management. I feel the authors theories are similar to those disseminated by Vedanta philosophy.

Are you successful or a "success fool"? According to HBS alum and leadership expert Jagdish Parikh, the most effective leaders realize they must first learn the skill of leading themselves.

HBS Working Knowledge published the article .

Click here if you are interested in the book .

I Discovered...(Part IIa of III)

2005-05-10T00:28:00.000-05:00

I would like to thank all those who responded so enthusiastically to Part I of this sequel. This post will describe the discoveries that I made during the B-School Application Process. This is further divided into

II(a) Pre-application II(b) Application II(c) Post-application

--------------------------
II(a) Pre-application Tips
--------------------------

The quintessential thing that one needs to address before he/she embarks on the MBA journey is “Why MBA?” Let me rephrase it a little bit: Honest to your heart, why do you really want to do your MBA?” I discovered that this is the one and only question that one needs to ask him/herself if he/she wants to play the MBA game. The answer to this question is what will eventually separate the leader from the follower. Only after you have answered this question to your heart's satisfaction will I advice you to march forward.

(1) I discovered that the best way to jump-start the admissions process prior to filling out the application is to pay a visit to the school that you think you might want to apply to. Schools usually offer school/class visits where potential applicants can meet up with current students/admissions staff/faculty. It is a great opportunity to make a lasting impression on these folks and believe me, when you apply a few months later, they will remember you (one may ask: how do you make a lasting impression with people? to which I would answer: Ask pertinent questions that make you look interested, intelligent and different (in a good way)). Keep in touch with them via e-mail. Schools typically expect interested candidates to make a reservation, so make sure you schedule one if you plan to visit the school.

(2) The second best thing to do prior to application is to attend an Admissions Event in a town near you (BW maintains a calendar for all B-school admissions events). I discovered that attending the Admissions Events organized by B-schools gives one a great opportunity to learn more about the school and its program. More importantly, it gives one an idea of what the adcom is looking for in prospective students. Follow advice given above and try to make a lasting impression. As mentioned above, you will need to make a reservation for the admissions event (link available on the school website). For prospective women applicants, Forte Foundation arranges the Forte Forum that I believe is awesome.

Four things to note when you make a school visit or attend an admissions event:

(a) Take notes during the presentation.
You can get tons of info that you can never get from the website. Take note of
keywords from the presentation, you may wanna incorporate these in your essays.

(b) Take information brochures.
These come handy for the “Why School X?” essay question.

(c) Make sure that you get all your questions answered about the school/program.
You can always ask questions like: what steps is the school taking to better position itself than school X? or how is the school better than school X? or how flexible is your curriculum? or do you have a sailing club? or what percent of students accepted last year got a GMAT less than 680 or when is the next admissions chat session on BW?

(d) Take business cards from the admissions staff.
Always, always, follow up such events with courtesy e-mails.

(3) For those of you who are unable to do either (1) or (2), I discovered that the best thing to do is to research blogs such as daveformba to get insight into schools/programs.

(4) Finally, I discovered the tremendous use of BW Forums, where you can post any question that comes to your mind (of, course relating to B-schools)...

I would really appreciate readers to contribute their own "I discovered..." in the comments section below.

Gosh, I can't believe it's almost 2:00! I have a meeting tomorrow morning that I need to attend, so I guess I will have to bid adieus. My next blog will address II(b)...the Application.

How Business Schools Lost Their Way...

2005-05-09T10:33:00.000-05:00

My dad forwarded me this interesting article from Harvard Business Review that addresses How Business Schools Lost Their Way in the process of evolution. It is a must read for prospective/current B-school students and deans alike. I would like to see some kind of response from the B-schools and how they plan to address contents of this theory. Here is a snapshot:

Business schools are facing intense criticism for failing to impart useful skills, failing to prepare leaders, failing to instill norms of ethical behavior—and even failing to lead graduates to good corporate jobs. These criticisms come not just from students, employers, and the media but also from deans of some of America’s most prestigious B-schools.

The problem is not that business schools have embraced scientific rigor but that they have forsaken other forms of knowledge.

Click here for the full article.

Most Befitting Acronyms

2005-05-06T13:59:00.000-05:00

This post might be an extension to my previous one, but it sure is more relevant and more refined. After being through the lengthy B-School admissions process, how would I describe each school in just 3 words? What is the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the name of a school? Read on...

Columbia - Most Binding Admissions (also My Best Alumni interview)
Duke - Magnificent Basketball Association (also Most Budding Among top schools)
Cornell - Most Beautiful Among campuses
Kellogg - Much Buddy-up Approach
Chicago - Most Brilliant Academicians (also Miller Becker And other nobel naureates)
Sloan - My Biggest Aspiration
Umich - Most Benevolent Attitude
HBS - Mighty Big Attitude
Yale - Mellow, Benign Atmosphere
Wharton - My Biggest Anticlimax

M.B.A. = Acronym For What?

2005-05-05T17:46:00.000-05:00

Feeling jobless today, I thought I might do something constructive. So, I googled
'MBA' for acronyms. The following is a list of what I got. Some of them are pretty
interesting.

Mediocre But Arrogant

                              Mighty Big Attitude
                                                  Master of Being in America
Most Bossy Attitude
                                                        Meretricious Bulls*!t Artist
           Management By Analysis
                                                   Managing Business in Asia
Making Busy Arrangements

                                         Must Be *sshat
Membership By Approval                       Married By Accident

Mane Badhu Avde chhe which translates in English to ‘I am know-all of everything’

                                    Married But Available
Means to a Beautiful *ss

and finally, the one that we all are familiar with...

Master of Business Administration

If you have more acronyms to add to this list, please pass them along. :)

A Trillion Dollar Question!

2005-05-04T21:22:00.000-05:00

I heard this on NPR yesterday and found it quite unbelievable!

OK, here's the deal ya'wl soon-gonna-be MBAs...

I spend $1 every passing second. How long will it take for me to spend $100,000?
Answer is pretty obvious: ~1 day

How about $1 million?
Answer: This may not be too tough to comprehend, but the answer is ~12 days

Now, how about $1 trillion? How long would that take?
Answer: Take an intelligent guess and look in the comment section below for the answer...C'Mon, no peeking! :)

Dean Dean Baby!

2005-05-04T09:16:00.000-05:00

My brother, vv42, told me that most of the B-schools have a year ending program called the Follies where all the students and profs try to do something comical about themselves and about the events that happened during the calendar year...apparently, this was a tradition started by Wharton in 1975!

Columbia GSB completed their follies last week. Check out CBS's Dean Glenn Hubbard's rap album...you will have a ball...it is really really funny.

Click here for CBS follies

What makes it even funnier is that Glenn is the most likely candidate
to take over from Alan Greenspan as the Federal Reserve Chairman beginning
next year!!!!

I Discovered...(Part I of III)

2005-05-02T17:10:00.000-05:00

This blog (and its sequel) will address the mistakes that I made and the lessons that I learnt from 'em. I would really like for the 2005 admitted students to pitch in their 2c worth in the comments section. Hopefully, future applicants will find these tidbits useful when they apply. This post is split into three parts:

I. GMAT Prep
II. Application Process
III. Interview Process

I. GMAT Prep

I discovered that the GMAT tests your mental and physical stamina as much as it does your mental aptitude .

I discovered that it is better to be just-confident and over prepared rather than
over-confident and under prepared.

There are plenty of resources available online. But I discovered that the following sites were immensely helpful (in no particular order):
http://www.markrice.com/gmat
http://www.kaptest.com
http://www.gmatclub.com
http://www.scoretop.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gmattutor
http://www.testmagic.com/gmat/
http://errorlogs.blogspot.com
http://www.aliscot.com/bigdog/index.htm

There are plenty of books that one can possibly read. But, I discovered that the questions that most closely resemble those in the actual test are those available in the OG (Official Guide). Make sure you thoroughly understand the concepts in the OG before you embark on other books.

At the beginning, it was really uncomfortable for me to take the CAT (Computer Adaptive Test). I discovered that it took me a while to adjust to taking notes (or drawing geometrical figures) while looking at the screen.

One of the most useful tools that I discovered during my prep was the use of the error table, which goes:
-----------------------------------------------
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |...
-----------------------------------------------
A.| | | | | | | | | | |...
B.| | | | | | | | | | |...
C.| | | | | | | | | | |...
D.| | | | | | | | | | |...
E.| | | | | | | | | | |...
-----------------------------------------------

and the optimal use of the scratch paper.

Thanks to a friend, SP, I discovered that it is as important to solve the last few questions accurately as it is to solve the first few. The theory behind this is that most people spend too much time in the middle section (which is probably infested with tough experimental questions) which in turn leaves very little time for the last few. So, if you think a question in the middle section (14-25)is really tough, you may be better off taking a good guess and moving on...(this is the method I followed).

I discovered that most schools consider only the best score for admission. Essentially, it really does not matter whether you take the GMAT once or 100 times. But remember, schools discourage applicants from taking the exam more than 4 times, just because it may be stressful for the examinee.

Before I took the GMAT, I was only vaguely clear as to which schools I might be
applying to. Only at the end of the test, I discovered that there is an option of sending the score to 5 schools of my choice. I wish I had known which schools I was really gonna apply to cos that would have saved me a bunch of money (each additional score report costed me $29). I think it might be a good idea to send the score reports to some of your primary and one of your backup schools.

On the Road

2005-05-02T00:21:00.000-05:00

After weighing in on my options, I decided to fly to the Northeast.
At Columbia (CBS), I attended a class of my interest and met with folks in the admissions office. I was quite impressed with the atmosphere at CBS (the reason I applied to CBS was because of its superb Social Enterprise Program (SEP)). Post-MBA from CBS, my options will probably be tremendous because of the repute of the SEP faculty, Net Impact chapter, and its involvement in the Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC). It is my personal opinion that the SEP at CBS is #1 in the world.

Right after the CBS trip, I went to MIT Sloan. Although I was not able to meet with folks from the adcom, I did meet up with current students and alum. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that the stereotypes that people make out of Sloanies is simply not true. The ones that I met were smart and very amicable - not the super techie nerds that people typify them to be. If I were asked to describe my Sloan experience (albeit only one day), it would most certainly be awesome!

I just sent my thank you but sorry letters to Fuqua, Ross and Johnson. The only real deal I have in my hands right now is Chicago GSB and I will be sending in my admissions deposit in the next couple days. (This reminds me, I still need to post my experiences about the awesome awesome Chicago admit weekend on Apr 15th).

Congrats to all those admitted and those taken off the WL in these past 2 weeks! Good luck to others who are still making decisions! Those of you who were denied admission this year, just keep at it- there is always next year!

Tally=50%

2005-04-19T19:07:00.000-05:00

As soon as I returned from the AW2@Chicago GSB (details coming soon), I got news that I was WLed at Columbia. Well, thats good and not-so-good news.

Not-so-good because I will have to show some more love to Columbia by way of reiteration and $$$ (I am flying into NYC and Boston) and wait a little bit longer.

Good because it is one of my dream schools and I was not outright dinged! Now this development makes the tally 50% (dinged by 4 schools, accepted by 4 and WLed by 2).

One thing that I realized about Columbia GSB is that it wants to make dead sure that whoever is accepted, will end up in Columbia. I guess each school has its whims and fancies while admitting students, and for Columbia, yield is the biggest deal.

For those of you WLed at Johnson and Fuqua, I will be sending in my 'Thank you for accepting me, but I will not be in a position to pursue my MBA at your school' letter to Cornell and Duke in the next few days. Good Luck!

I cracked the Columbia interview!

2005-04-12T22:29:00.000-05:00

Whew! Today was the culmination of all my interviews, and I am happy to say that my final one ended with a bang! Wharton was my 1st (in Dec 2004) and Columbia (today) was my 9th. Boy-o-boy, am I an interview veteran or what? For those of you who were fortunate enough not to interview with so many different schools, I hate to say this, but for me, the entire process was a big revelation. The experience has been so dramatic that now I do not even have to think twice before I wear that goddamn suit! ;) Above all, I feel that the results give me a clear indication as to which schools give greater weightage to interviews and which schools look at the bigger picture.

If I rate my interview performance on a relative scale (100% is perfect), then here goes:
Wharton(adcom): 20%
Yale(adcom): 40%
Duke(adcom): 60%
Michigan (telephone): 30%
MIT(adcom): 15%
Kellogg(alum): 25%
Cornell(telephone): 40%
Chicago(telephone and alum): 60%
Columbia(alum): 95%

AS you can see, my interviewing skills steadily sky-rocketed towards the end of the final phase. My Columbia interviewer today told me that she will highly recommend me to the adcom. Yippee! I will only have to wait to hear the final decree...Hopefully it will be revealed in the next couple days so I can start to weigh in on my decisions.

Who made the elephant dance?

2005-04-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

I always used to wonder what the attributes of a true leader were. Ever since I read his biography (while I was in college), I was in total awe of this great man - Andrew Grove (co-founder, Intel). It is understandable that many institutions now consider him more influential than Jack Welch, Lou Gerstner or even Bill Gates. I sometimes feel that we all should be indebted to Andy in a way because, if not for him, we probably wouldn't be working on this computer right now. In my opinion, Andy is a true leader. What do you think?

BW's recent article Andy Grove Made The Elephant Dance describes Andy's accomplishments and the lessons that future business leaders can learn. If you are interested, here is a select list of books by him:

High Output Management
One-on-one with Andy Grove
Only the paranoid survive
Swimming Across

Andy is on the faculty at Stanford GSB where he teaches a class on Strategy.

Standardizing App Forms

2005-04-07T00:05:00.000-05:00

This post is primarily written for prospective B-school applicants and for admissions officers.

Filling out a B-school application form may seem to be a piece of cake to many, but until you fill it out, you would not really realize how arduous it is. And, if you apply to multiple schools like me, then it becomes that many times more frustrating! When I was filling out the application forms, I used to wonder: When all schools make use of the standardized test format (GMAT), why can't they make use of a standardized application form format? Weird isn't it? We all know that 95% of the info asked (in the application forms) by all different B-schools is the exact same. Then, why can't these schools co-ordinate amongst themselves and use a common tangible format so the applicants do not waste n hours typing redundant data?

If you didn't already know, Embark offers the option to fill application forms of multiple schools, but the list is far from complete. For instance, among the schools that I applied to, I could use Embark for filling out only my Yale and Michigan apps. That’s just 10% of the top10 schools! At the time, I really felt that if all schools could comply with this kind of standardized format, life would have been sooooo much more easier.

So, here is my advice to future B-School applicants:

1. Fill out the application form of one school such as HBS (the form contains an exhaustive number of questions) and then copy the info into a word file. Then, when you fill the app form for the next school, just cut and paste data in appropriate fields. (FYI, my first app took about 3hrs to complete and the successive ones took less than 1hr).

2. When you go to any schools' admissions event, ask the staff if they can join hands and establish a standardized application form that all schools can use (to make life easy for future applicants). Send e-mails to different schools asking if they have plans of any such standardization.

3. If you have enough time on your hands, try developing a program that does an app form auto fill, and if you have an entrepreneurial bent of mind, try convincing applicants that they should use your program to save time and energy while filling out multiple apps! Maybe you can make some money out of it... :)

WL@MIT Sloan!

2005-04-04T19:05:00.000-05:00

This news came as a sweet surprise to me!!! Well, what can I say? Sloan decided to WL me and not outright ding me! :) If you read my previous posts about my interview with the MIT adcom, you will see that I thought I will definitely get dinged because of a terrible interview. But after todays development, I feel that the adcom looked at the bigger picture. I am grateful for that. I feel that angels are on my side... ;) Now, I have to do a couple things to try to get off the WL. I will do what I can and then hope for the best. Thanks to all those who rooted for me these past few weeks! and Congrats to those admitted!

I guess my running score is now 45%?

Cornell's JGSM

2005-04-02T17:39:00.000-06:00

I am happy to say that I have been accepted at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management(JGSM)! Phew! Now, the running score is 40%. :) I have crossed out MIT Sloan from my list of hopeful schools, but this conclusion can only be ascertained on Monday. My last and final interview has been scheduled for Apr 12th. With that I will be a free man!

Congrats! to all those who have heard good news about your admits this past week and good luck to those still waiting to hear.

HBS reverses ding decision! :)

2005-04-01T11:44:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it, but HBS changed its decision about my ding!!!
Here is what I got from Gawds own B-school. Yippee!!!

Dear xxx:

The Admissions Board appreciates your interest in the MBA program at HBS. Earlier, we conveyed that we were unable to offer you a place in the MBA Class of 2007. But unfortunately, that missive was sent in error. Because of your excellent credentials and strong leadership potential, we decided to accept you for the class of 2007. We based our decision not only on your talent and successes to date, but also on what we see as a strong fit between your aspirations and HBS's approach to business education.

We're quite certain that you will bring passion, energy, and your abilities to work effectively with your colleagues throughout your career. We are also sure that with a HBS MBA you'll triumph in those moments when you'll face big challenges and big opportunities.

Thank you for considering our MBA Program, and please accept our sincerest apologies for the mixup and heartiest congratulations on your admission! We look forward to seeing you this Fall.

Sincerely,
xxx

Happy Aprils Fools Day! :)

Yay HBS!

2005-03-30T11:10:00.000-06:00

Am I happy? Am I sad? Am I blessed? Am I cursed?

Here is the message that I received from God's own B-school:
Dear xxx:

The MBA Admissions Board appreciates your interest in our MBA Program and the considerable effort evident in your application. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer you a place in the MBA Class of 2007.

The MBA Admissions Board carefully and thoughtfully assesses each application. Because of the strength and large number of applications we receive, we are unable to admit many candidates who have excellent credentials and who demonstrate strong promise for careers in management.

You exhibit many qualities that should serve you well as you pursue your personal and professional goals. Thank you for considering our MBA Program, and please accept our best wishes for future success.

Sincerely,
xxx

Columbia Update!

2005-03-29T20:12:00.000-06:00

Columbia has finally decided to interview me! I was just beginning to wonder why I was not invited to interview up until now. My application packet for Columbia was very similar to that of MIT Sloan and MIT called me more than a fortnight back! Now, this new development leaves HBS as the only school that hasn't invited me...yet! ;) I have a few more hours to hear from HBS.

Also, today I interviewed with Cornells JGSM and it went off OK. I sensed that the adcom is worried about the yield as my interviewer repeatedly asked about 'Why JGSM?'. As for Columbia, I just shot an e-mail to one of the alums asking if she can interview me in April. Hopefully the interview will happen sometime between the Ross and GSB admit weekends.

Running score: 3in-3out-4TBD

A side note: For those of you wondering why I applied to all (well, almost all) of the top 10 B-schools, I have just one plain reason: I am bad with interviews! I didn't want my interviews to deter me from attending a top 10 school, so I made the best of the opportunity and applied to all of 'em! For the effort that I put into the whole application process, I am hopeful of a 50% conversion rate. I will only have to wait to see how the next few weeks unfold...

Kellogg!

2005-03-25T12:34:00.000-06:00

After a much anticipated wait, I got a Ding! Well, what can I say...except that I feel sorry for their loss! ;)

Current Score: 3-3 with 4 pending

Dating vs. B-School Admissions!

2005-03-24T10:21:00.000-06:00

Before being accepted into a B-school, one tries to make him/herself attractive to the school, but after an admit or two, it is the schools that are trying to make themselves attractive! This reminds me of an analogy that I heard from my brother long ago. It goes: The B-school admissions process is akin to dating! So, how does one woo someone they like and how does a B-school attract an admitted candidate? To analyze the situation, here's a one-on-one comparison between dating and the B-School admissions process.

How does dating work? or lets rephrase the question to: how does the wooer woo the wooee?

1.Make that first phone call expressing his/her interest
2.Talk a little bit about him/herself and his/her job
3.Give the wooee a token of appreciation (eg. flowers etc.) for showing up
4.Try to be creative by doing an impromptu act
5.Try to make the wooee comfortable and impress him/her with his down-to-earth attitude
6.Show where he/she stands in the society
7.Narrate stories to keep the wooee alert and interested
8.Talk about his/her famous friends to impress the wooee
9.Present the wooee with an attractive package
10.Ask the wooee if he/she is interested and would like to go on another date

Now, how does a school attract a prospective student(PS) after he/she is accepted?

1.Make that first phone call welcoming the PS to the 'family'!
2.Send information regarding the school and its vicinity
3.Send the PS 'goodies' such as a T-shirt or a mug or even chocolates!
4.Include an ingenious welcome gift(like give the PS an e-mail id for life)
5.A letter from the dean of the school making the PS feel wanted and welcomed
6.Present the PS with BW/USN/WSJ rankings
7.Provide video clips that talk about success stories of students/alums
8.Provide a list of the famous alums in the world
9.Make sure the admissions packet is attractive
10.Ask PS if he/she is interested and like to come to the admit weekend

It sure feels good being a wooee rather than the wooer - for a change! :)

The Nail-biting wait continues!

2005-03-21T21:08:00.000-06:00

While I am very excited about my Chicago GSB admit, I am eagerly awaiting the results of Kellogg and MIT Sloan.

And yes, please don't ask me about my HBS and Columbia apps cos even I don't know what corner of Dillon House and Uris Hall they are sitting in! My hopes of an interview call from HBS are slowly fading while my hopes of being called by Columbia are coming back to life cos I saw applicants on the BW forum receive invites just the other day! I will be really bummed if Columbia doesn't invite me for an interview, cos the final app was not too different than that of MIT Sloan. So whoever is reading this, please cross your fingers for me for Columbia! :)

R2 Decision Notification:
Kellogg: March 31st
MIT Sloan: April 4th
Cornell: March 31st
Columbia: Apr 10th (12 weeks from Jan 10th)
HBS: March 30th

Oh, BTW, I have my Cornell JGSM interview (telephonic) on Thu.

Message from the GSB dean!

2005-03-19T18:31:00.000-06:00

Thought I will share an e-mail that I just got(yes, I got this on a Saturday!, isn't it weird?) from the GSB Dean as it gave a more personal touch to my admit news. The mail sounds pretty personal, makes me wonder how many of the admits got it though...

Dear xxx:
I want to personally congratulate you on being admitted to Chicago GSB.

We based our decision not only on your talent and successes to date, but also on what we see as a strong fit between your aspirations and the GSB's approach to management education.

We're quite sure that you will bring passion, energy, and your abilities to work effectively with your colleagues throughout your career. We also sure that with a Chicago MBA you'll triumph in those moments when you'll face big challenges and big opportunities.

Best regards,
xxx

Chicago GSB Admit!

2005-03-18T11:30:00.000-06:00

I got the call from the assistant director of admissions at GSB saying that I was accepted. (As a matter of fact, even before he told me the good news, I knew I got in- thanks to caller id!) He also mentioned that the admissions committee was very impressed with my whole application packet! Well, that was a first! Hurray! 3 cheers to vv42! Also, I was told that the admit packet is on its way and that the admit weekend is scheduled for Apr 15th in Chicago.

Unlike the previous schools, GSB did not send any video clip about the admit! Well, thats a first too! But, here is a video of the school from the GSB homepage: Chicago GSB Tour

Kellogg Interview!

2005-03-17T23:13:00.000-06:00

I just got done interviewing with a Kellogg alum. I would say it went off OK. Pretty much the same old questions. I am really hopeful of Kellogg. I will know the decision come March 31st.

Chicago GSB Interview: Smooth Sailing

2005-03-17T02:00:00.000-06:00

I had my interview this evening with an alum who is a big shot in a renowned company. He was a *great* guy. My interview started a little later than scheduled as he was held up in a meeting. The first few minutes after preliminary introductions, he asked about my family, my background etc. He really made me feel at ease by narrating his own experiences when he was a kid and about his adventures with his dad and how he has been a race car enthusiast since he was a small kid. Every now and then, he asked me questions. The thing that struck me was that he was very knowledgeable about a lot of things outside his area of expertise. We shared a few common interests such as Chess. At one point, he asked: OK, since you play chess, you should be able to answer this question: If you did not lose even one player in the game and one of your pawns makes it to the very last row (opponent side), then can you make it a queen? I thought for a second and said No, the rules don't permit you to make it a queen because there already is one. He looked at me and nodded approvingly. Although, he told me that the rules on the computer chess are quite different than those on the real one and there you can have as many queens as you like!

Basically, my interview was interspersed with tidbits of puzzles, questions, GK, info etc. and it was a total BLAST! I think this was my best interview so far and I really appreciate RM for taking time to interview with me. Now, I have exactly 32hrs to wait before I get to know my decision from Chicago GSB...

What a difference two interviews can make! While I felt so miserable coming out of the Sloan interview, just thinking about the GSB one makes me feel like I can go for one more...oh, which reminds me, I have to prepare for my Kellogg interview that is scheduled for tomorrow! :)

Interview Anxiety kills MIT dream

2005-03-16T02:00:00.000-06:00

I did miserably! I did so bad I felt like puking! And who is to blame? Hmmm...those anxious nerves! They royally screwed up something that I really really pined for. Well, I guess I have to find a proper solution to tame them and calm them so that they behave in future situations!. In case you already didn't figure out, yes, I suffered from intense interview anxiety!

My interview was in downtown Dallas with the associate diro of Admissions, who was a real angel (read super kewl guy, down-to-earth, laid back). The interview essentially focused on my Sloan essays. Basically, he was trying to get as much information from me as he could about: (1)why I did what I did, (2)what were the steps that I took, and (3)what were the results of my actions? Doesn't it sound like a piece of cake? Well, not for me, I soon realized. I prepared so well for the interview (using the STARE method) and I had sooo much to say about my past decisions, present accomplishments and future plans, but all I did was choke on all the answers! It was a nightmare come true!

Did I do anything to calm myself? Just before the interview, I made use of some stress relief techniques such as deep breathing and meditation. But unfortunately for me (and for the interviewer), my nerves were all over me! It was one of my worst situations ever! Golly! After the interview, I only wished that this one were as smooth as the other ones! And then I remembered what my mother said just the other day: You may not get what you desire, but you will definitely get what you deserve!" Yes, I am thrilled that I came sooooo damn close to being associated with MIT. I know I could have done my interview n times better if not for my anxiety, but then, you are what you are! Bottomline: I am highly skeptical of a call, but I will only have to wait out till Apr 4th to see what the MIghTy MIT has to say...

Sloan Prep

2005-03-12T21:09:00.000-06:00

I know that Sloan does not hold blind interviews. So, how do you prepare for it? Check what JonMcLaughlinMIT, MBA admissions, has to say:

The core of the interview is behavioral, we want to know about your past experiences and what you have done, but the interview evaluation goes beyond that to your ability to self analyze, a personal presence that indicates you could lead and contribute to a team and (we hope) a sense of humor that indicates you would thrive in this down to earth environment... I would also add that you shouldn't necessarily know "how you did" coming out. A difficult interview may signal nothing more than thorough interest.

Interview prep? See tips from gigibell1:
I'm a round 1 MIT admitted candidate from France. The Sloan interview is behavioral and situational ie he asks U for instance "Tell me a time where you faced an ethical dilemma".
You have to answer in a very structured manner. Describe the STARE that you are;
1. Situation
2. Task (reflection/analysis of the context)
3. Actions
4. Results
5. Emotions

In my opinion, this type of interview provides the hugest opportunities to stand out. If you are smart, you can show him the very caring, collaborative, team oriented and wonderfully emotionnally intelligent person u are (self aware, self regulated, empathic, mature...), in addition to being only smart, Gmat-freaky or efficient at task. Be yourself and show him you are neither a percentile on a Gauss curve nor a 0-flaw flat robot. That will make all the difference (believe me, I'm an MD).

I personnally mentally prepared a set of possible questions (dilemma, thinking different from others, failure, worst moment in life) and consulted a few e-sources on the behavioral interviews (a great one was from the university of Melbourne, I think...google it). Preparing a mock interview with a friend if U have any time would be a plus !

My interviewer was really charming, caring, attentive (we drank coffee together and laughed a few times) and the tone of the interview was relaxed; very very different from my HBS interview. He wasn't there to struggle with me.

Remember that at this moment of the process, he already know you're smart, analytical and intellectually apted : the key is proving him you're someone he could trust in and he would like to have in his students Community.

Hope this helps and good luck !

Texas beats UMich!!!

2005-03-11T09:34:00.000-06:00

and NO! I am not talking about the Rose Bowl! ;)

I just got accepted into Michigan's Ross School of Business!

University of Michigan Business School - Leading in Thought and Action

Another good news is that I was invited to interview with MIT Sloan on Tuesday in Dallas.

Interview update!

2005-03-08T01:05:00.000-06:00

This week, I heard back from two other schools: Cornell and Chicago GSB!!! :) I immediately scheduled interviews with alums from these schools. The GSB interview is in Austin next Wed while the Johnson interview is in Houston next Mon.

Also coming up next week is my Kellogg interview. :)

Looks like my interviews are now on a roll! :) I am really looking forward to the next two weeks. I don't think I have much to do other than to interview with people from 3 great schools! :)

UMich Ross interview!

2005-03-03T15:00:00.000-06:00

I just finished my much awaited UMICH telephonic interview and it went off OK. It lasted ~25min.

The questions basically covered:
Why MBA? Why now? Why Ross?

I was quite impressed with what my interviewer had to say about the UMICH community: acads, football, Program on Social Entrepreneurship(William Davidson Institute), C.K.Prahalad, clubs such as: the Toastmasters, soccer and the aptly named SOS (Spouses Or Significant others) club etc.. I was pleasantly surprised when she said that Ross did not have a Squash club, but hey, that gives me an opportunity to found one (if I end up in Ann Arbor)!

Tech industry recruiting more MBA graduates?

2005-02-25T11:49:00.000-06:00

Going into B-school and coming from a tech background, this news sounds reassuring about career prospects in tech after an MBA education. Check this out:Tech News

I would personally like to see the stats of MBA grads with tech background who are on their to becoming techno-social entrepreneurs...Maybe BeyondGreyPinStripes might carry some useful info in the future!

Duke Admit!

2005-02-17T14:27:00.000-06:00

I am thrilled to announce that I have been accepted at Fuqua@Duke (pronounced few-kwa, not foo-kwa)! Yippee!

Here is the mail that I got:

Congratulations! The Admissions Committee of the Fuqua School of Business is pleased to offer you a place in The Duke MBA Class of 2007. Admission to Fuqua is very competitive; after a careful evaluation of your application, weare confident that you have the ability to excel at Fuqua and become an integral part of our community, both in our classrooms and in the greater Team Fuqua community...

Check out the welcome message: Welcome to the BlueDevil world!

My admit packet contained a few booklets about the school and a few goodies such as a FSB windshield sticker and a magnetic mirror that read: "See --- in Fuqua!" I thought that was pretty neat. Although the packet had a lot of useful information about the school, I would have liked it if it contained some good pictures of the school and its vicinity.

Now, that I have been accepted to Fuqua, I have time till March 12th to decide whether I can make it to the Blue Devils Weekend from April 1st-3rd and till May 2nd to say Aye/Nay. I am very keen on attending the BDW on Apr 1st in Durham. Hopefully it is not an April Fools joke! ;)

I am excited about my 1st admit and I hope to hear simliar news from the other schools I applied to...

MBA lingo?

2005-01-21T00:21:00.000-06:00

For those of you aspiring to talk business, here is a taste of what you might encounter in the B-School:

Air Hogs: students who monopolize classroom discussion and love to hear
themselves speak.

Air Time: a precious opportunity -- speaking or making comments in class.

Analysis Paralysis: not being able to make a decision because you've gotten lost
in the thicket of your own analysis.

At the end of the day: the end result when all things are considered.

B2B: "Business to Business". A company that sells not to retail consumers, but
to other enterprises. With the renewed focus on more traditional industries in the
wake of the dot-com bust, many business students joke that this now stands for
"Back to Banking".

B2C: "Business to Consumer". A company that sells primarily to individual retail
consumers. As with the above joke about B2B, business students occasionally
say this really means "Back to Consulting".

Back of the Envelope: a quick analysis of numbers, as if scribbled on the back
of an envelope.

Barriers to Entry: conditions that prevent entry into a particular market.

Benchmarking: comparing a company to others in the industry.

Beta of a Stock: the volatility of a single stock, compared to the overall market.

Bottleneck: the point in a plant or process that determines or blocks the pace.

Burn Rate: amount of cash a money losing company consumes during a period
of time.

Case Study Method: popular teaching method that uses real-life business cases
for analysis.

Cold Call: unexpected, often dreaded request by the professor to open a case
discussion.

Commoditize: when a good or service ceases to be a value added product
produced by a limited number of firms, and is instead common and easy to
replicate (e.g., web portals).

Core Courses: courses in the basic disciplines of business, usually mandatory.

Corner Office: office location that all MBAs aspire to and the exclusive province
of partners, managing directors, and senior executives.

Cost Benefit Analysis: calculating whether something is worth doing on the basis
of the real-dollar cost vs. real-dollar benefit. Often used as a shortcut in analyzing the numbers.

Cycle Time: how fast you can turn something around.

Deliverable: what your end product is.

Economies of Scale: savings in per unit costs that come from producing a great
number of units.

Economies of Scope: when the cost of producing multiple goods is less than the
total cost of producing each item separately.

Four Ps: elements of a marketing strategy: Price, Promotion, Place, Product.

Fume Date: date the company will run out of cash reserves.

Functional Areas: the basic disciplines of business (e.g., finance, marketing,
R&D).

Globalization: trend of the 1980s and 1990s; expanding the definition of your
market to include the challenges of operating in a multi-country, multi-consumer
market.

HP12-C: a calculator that works nothing like a regular one, used by finance types
when they don't have Excel handy.

I-Bankers: those coming from or destined for investment banks.

IM: "Instant Messaging". A necessity for communicating with other students in
real time, and for passing time in boring classes. Also used as a verb: "I was
IM-ing when he cold called me."

Leverage: debt used in financing a company.

Lever Up: increasing the portion of debt used to finance a company.

Low Hanging Fruit: tasks or goals that are most easy to achieve (consultant
jargon).

Net Net: end result.

Network effect: when a good or service becomes more valuable as more people
have or use the product (e.g., fax machines are useful only if lots of other people
have them).

Opportunity Costs: the cost of pursuing an opportunity (i.e., for B-school, tuition,
and loss of income for two years).

Poets: students with little quantitative skills or experience (numerically
challenged).

Power Naps: quick, intense in-class recharge for the continually sleep deprived.

Power Tool: someone who does all the work and sits in the front row of the class
with his or her hand up.

Pre-enrollment Courses: commonly known as MBA summer camp: quantitative
courses, generally offered in the summer before the first year to get the
numerically challenged up to speed.

Pro Forma: financial presentation of hypothetical events, such as projected
earnings.

Quant Jock: a numerical athlete who is happiest crunching numbers.

Quick and Dirty: an abbreviated analysis, often involving numbers.

Rule of Three: you should not talk more than three times in any given class, but
you should participate at least once over the course of three classes.

Run the Numbers: analyze quantitatively.

Skill Set: the talents possessed by a person or company.

Soft Courses: touchy-feely courses such as human resources and organizational
behavior.

Soft Skills: conflict resolution, teamwork, negotiation, oral and written
communication.

Slice and Dice: running all kinds of quantitative analysis on a set of numbers.

Synergy: when the value of the whole is greater than the sum of the values of the
individual parts (e.g., 2+2=5).

Take-aways: the key points of a lecture or meeting that participants should
remember.

The Five Forces: Michael Porter's model for analyzing the strategic
attractiveness of an industry.

Three Cs: the primary forces considered in marketing: Customer, Competition,
Company.

Total Quality Management: the Edward Demming method of management that
caught on with the Japanese and is now "hot" in American business: managing
the quality of products, service, work, process, people, and objectives.

Valuation: deriving the value of a company or project, typically by discounting
future cash flows.

Value Added: what it is a company does to specifically improve a product or
service prior to its consumption.

Value-Based Decision Making: values and ethics as part of the practice of
business.

VC: venture capitalist.

Value Proposition: the punch line of a business proposition; the specific value to
consumers being created, from which revenue will be derived.

Cut-throat
Core competency
Cut losses
Charities
Juggling work and school application
Stretch of imagination
Flexibility
Synergize
Hullabaloo
Endurance
Strategize
Digress
Hunch
Unique
Good social fit
Great Match
Ad infinitum
Ballyhoo
P.C.
Run the Office
Co-ordinate efforts

Last app complete!

2005-01-20T00:20:00.000-06:00

Yes! Yes! Yes! I FINALLY finished my last app: Sloan.
Boy that is a great relief!!! :)

Now that my app process is officially complete, I will have time till April 10th to sit back, relax...and hopefully interview with schools. Now I will have ample time to pursue my hobbies that have taken a back seat during the app period.

(1)Run in the Freescale Marathon in Feb (on second thoughts, now maybe too late to start practice!)
(2)Re-enroll in the squash club at UT
(3)Work out with VJ every weekend
(4)Join the capital city toastmasters
(5)Read Vivekananda books

And in my spare time, I guess I have to go to work ;)

Apps on the go!

2004-12-30T13:35:00.000-06:00

Finally, I narrowed down the list of schools (in no particular order) to:
Kellogg, Chicago, Sloan, Michigan, Cornell, Duke, Yale, and Wharton...

and my top choices are:
Kellogg,
Sloan,
Michigan,
Duke,
Cornell and Yale for their AWESOME programs on Social Entrepreneurship and Non-profit Management.

Wharton

2004-12-21T15:15:00.000-06:00

Rejected after interview!

I regret not getting in but I should admit that it was indeed a pleasure interacting with Alex Brown and company.

GMAT Scrap Book

2004-10-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

GMAT Scrap Book

On Target Newsletter, Purdue Ag Communications, April 1997

Lesson on Conditional Probability v3

Guide to Grammar and Writing

test blog!

2004-05-21T10:02:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog! How did I decide to become a blogger? Blame this article
BBC NEWS | Technology | Gates backs blogs for businesses for converting me! And yes, brit-chickmba has been a huge source of inpiration for creating my blog.