tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30335744297518234722024-03-14T03:12:34.241-07:00Engineer in Transformationin search of second windRunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-56845583238733839072008-01-11T07:05:00.000-08:002008-01-11T09:08:10.456-08:00McCombs submittedMcCombs follows rolling deadline and final deadline for international students is Feb1. My initial plan is to submit the application by Jan 17. But i submitted it today, six days in advance. Am i running ahead of schedule? Definitely not. Its just a change of plans. I want to finish McCombs before moving to other applications.<br /><br />Last five days have been pretty hectic. Running around recommenders, polishing resume, filling online applicaiton forms for McCombs, Kelley and Rice. Adding to these woes, i am burdened with piles of office work. In the midst of all these commotion i submitted McCombs. But i made few mistakes in the application and also faced some difficulty while submitting it. Unlike other schools, McCombs doesn't allow applicant's to upload documents for the essays. We have to copy-paste our essays in a text box or their own text editor. Whatever. Also, once the essay is submitted, there is no way that you can edit your essays. After submitting first two essays, i found that their text box is not able to interpret few characters. It changes an apostrophe to an ampersand. For example, "didn't" is changed to "didn&t". I found this when i am submitting third essay and made the changes. So all the apostrophe's in the first and second essays are changed to an ampersand.<br /><br />This is definitely going to create a negative impression to the adcom. I want to put 80% blame on myself and the rest on the McCombs application developer. Since i already read my essays 5-6 times before doing the copy-paste to textbox in the application, i didn't bother to check the preview of the essay in detail. And i paid the price. This is because i worked continuously for 6 hours on this application after a hard days work at office. I lost my concentration and slacked.<br /><br />In the end, while submitting application, i found that McCombs doesn't accept VISA credit cards. Only Mastercard, Diners club and discovery are accepted. My credit card is of VISA type. My friend came to my rescue. He gave me his credit card details.<br /><br />Also, McCombs sends the link for online recos to recommenders only after submitting the application. Just another weird policy. Why can't it be like other schools.<br /><br />Next in line are Kelley and Rice. Their deadline falls on 14th and 15th respectively. Essentially what it means is that i have to work on this weekend. My recommenders have already submitted online reco letters for Kelley and Rice.<br /><br />Good luck to all McCombs applicants.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-56671136416058282582008-01-04T08:15:00.000-08:002008-01-04T08:53:38.559-08:00UNC Kenan Flagler app submittedJust now i submitted part-2 of the UNC Kenan Flagler application. This involves essays and work history documents. I already submitted part-1 10 days ago. This involves resume and the application fee.<br /><br />Unlike Ross, UNC is highly liberal in their word limits for essays. But they limited the number of mandatory essays. The first essay is for 1200 words. I remember writing almost the same essay in 800 words for other school. I wanted to answer one of the two optional essays. Since i didn't have international experience, i couldn't answer third essay. Though i interact with my clients every other day, i never traveled to their location. Seems like UNC is very particular about international experience. I think this is one negative aspect of my application.<br /><br />Fourth essay talks about how i will developed proficiency in calculus, microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting. Initially, i thought of leaving this essay unanswered. But today i felt like writing this essay. I told UNC adcom that i already did course work in calculus and statistics. But microeconomics and financial accounting are totally alien to me. i told them the steps i will take to develop competency in these areas. Though the word limit is 400 words, i finished this essay in 200 words.<br /><br />Here comes the end of the application season to my dream schools. I am also applying to Kelly and McCombs. Kelly's deadline is on Jan 15 and for McCombs it's rolling. But i decided to send McCombs application before Jan 17. This will allow me a weeks time to prepare for UNC's telephonic interview.<br /><br />The main disadvantage of applying in Round2 for international applicants is that we never know how strong our application is. If i have applied to 2-3 schools in Round1 and didn't get any interview calls, at least i will know that something is wrong in my application. May be my GMAT score is low considering the applicant pool. May be my essays are not top notch. It could be some reason, but i will know that i have to make some changes. Applying in Round2 doesn't provide any of these advantages. You have to apply to your dream schools as well as to your safe schools. Not every one is interested in applying to safe schools. They always aim higher and never settle for any thing less than that. Right now i am in a predicament. I don't know whether my essays are good or bad. There are moments when i felt that my essays are very good and there are moments when i felt that my essays are shoddy.<br /><br />I selected one of my close friends who is doing his MBA from one of the top 10 schools to review my essays and informed him about the same. He gleefully accepted to review my essays. Since its Christmas time and holiday season he is on vacation and before that he is busy with his exams. I can't force him to read my essays when he is holidaying. Things didn't work out well for me on this front.<br /><br />Anyhow, i don't want to think too much on this. All fingers crossed. I will take a break for a day or two and start working on Kelly and McCombs.<br /><br />Good luck to all UNC applicants.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-47432437080863488332008-01-03T07:59:00.000-08:002008-01-03T08:09:43.869-08:00Ross app submittedI submitted my application approximately 12 hours before the deadline to my dream school Ross. Ross has stringent word limits but all the four essays have come well. Now the wait starts. Lets see whether adcom likes my essays and call me for an interview.<br /><br />Its time to complete my UNC Kenan Flagler essays. Another 15 hours and i will be done with UNC application. I have scheduled my telephonic interview on Jan 25th.<br /><br />Good luck to all Ross and UNC R2 applicants.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-82788814013717664782008-01-01T09:11:00.000-08:002008-01-01T09:18:55.944-08:00Happy new yearThis is my first post in this new year and i wanted to start this by wishing everyone 'a very happy new year'. May this new year bring admits to the applicants and more importantly the courage to face the result.<br /><br />I started this new year in the most amazing way. I took sometime today to read my Krannert's essays for one last time, made few changes and submitted them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Countdown: </span><br />48 hours to submit Ross application.<br />72 hours to submit UNC Kenan Flagler application.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-7478312788668190902007-12-31T01:36:00.001-08:002007-12-31T01:42:44.077-08:00Purdue EssaysIt's new year eve and i am working on my purdue Krannert school of Management's essays. I have less than 48 hours to submit my application. My recommender's already submitted reco letters and the transcripts reached purdue. This is what DHL website says.<br />I am currently working on diversity essay. I found valuable info on diversity <a href="http://www.essayedge.com/business/essayadvice/course/ltwo_diversity.shtml">here</a>.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-90370896993130472092007-12-28T21:46:00.000-08:002007-12-28T22:08:26.929-08:00An eventful monthIts been almost a month since i blogged. This past month has been quite eventful for me. It started with GMAT and ended with submitting my second application. On the GMAT front, i have a good news and a bad news. The good news is that i managed to increase my score by 50 points. The bad news is that i still didn't touch the magic figure of 700. Adding to my woes, my score is a tad unbalanced. Before GMAT retake, i thought that i can boost my score by 80-100 points. But some how the whole thing didn't turn out the way i wanted it to. Looks like i underestimated those who told that increasing your score by 100 points is difficult.Nevertheless, i am able to convince myself that i did my best.<br /><br />After GMAT, i have couple of weeks to send my application to Emory. I did a good thing by writing two drafts of essays for emory before the GMAT. I spent two weeks polishing the essays and ensured that my recommender's did their job.<br /><br />I also submitted my application to UC Irvine. Unfortunately, Emory and Irvine share the same deadline, December 15th. I had to work real hard to submit both the applications. The good news is that i got application fee waiver for Irvine.<br /><br />Its almost two weeks since i sent my transcripts to Emory and Irvine. But still the status says that my transcripts are not received. This might be because of the holiday season. I emailed the schools regarding the same and waiting for their reply.<br /><br />Since i postponed all my applications to Round2, i don't have the luxury to take a vacation. But i managed to take a five day break from the whole thing after submitting these two apps.<br /><br />My belated Christmas wishes to everyone.<br /><br />I am currently working on my Ross, UNC and Purdue(Krannert) applications. I will try to be regular in blogging my progress. (i think this is the nth time i saying this).RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-33233008943253326652007-11-07T23:05:00.000-08:002007-11-07T23:07:45.627-08:00High tone, Hight touch, High OctaneYou would have guessed it already by the title, its the Darden schools motto. I attended Darden event recently after initial doubts of skipping this event just because of plain indolence. I lost my way to the venue and reached there half an hour late thanks to the ever-increasing traffic. I am glad that i didn't miss this event. Dean Robert Bruner (who is been with darden for mkore than 25 years) simply rocks, he spoke for most of the time on why darden and gave some really useful insights on the curriculum which is followed by quesiton and answer session. Unlike other events, this event witnessed some genuine and valid questions from the prospective students. I was a little surprised to know that very few attendees know about the high tone, high touch and high octance. Dean bruner took some time to explain in very detail about what each of the high tone, touch and octane stands for. I liked their motto.<br /><br />"High touch is the unparalleled level of interaction between students and faculty. High tone refers to the core values that Darden embodies. -- values shaped by our diverse community, the influences of Thomas Jefferson and the U.Va. Honor Code. High octane refers to our strong sense of community and the rigor embedded in our MBA program.”<br /><br />It may be unwritten or unofficial, but everyone who knows about darden knows that the program is highly rigorous and few are skeptical of applying to Darden just because they want to have some life apart from school. With 600 case studies to be covered in two years and 3 cases to study on each day, it definately is rigorous. But i feel this is how it has to be. <br />Cold calls: During case discussions, the prof may pinpoint any student in the class and ask him/her to speak on the case. The whole focus will be on this unfortunate soul and in darden they call it 'cold calls'. Intially it might be uncomfortable, but it prepares one to articulate their ideas coherently before a bunch of brilliant people.<br /><br />Finally, Bruner discussed about the life in Charlottesville. A simple college town with lots of horses and few hours drive to big cities.<br /><br />Towards the end of session, an interesting question popped up. Darden has 40 clubs and 3 cases to prepare for on everyday...Don't you think this is kind of contradictory. How do you expect students to take part actively in clubs when they have a lot to do on the academic front. Here comes the answer from Dean...My dear, its all about TIME MANAGEMENT. Darden will teach you how to mange your time so that you can excel in academics and take part in the clubs of your likeness.<br /><br />Later, the dean left and the two alumni and admission director took places at three corners of the room and are surrounded by prospective students asking questions.<br />All in all, a great information session.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-22316226339824833462007-11-05T03:30:00.000-08:002007-11-05T03:35:33.147-08:00Honesty or holding information?Check this question...<br />Please list other MBA Programs / Universities (separated by semicolons) to which you are applying:<br />Is it ok to list all the other MBA programs that we plan to apply? If i list 5-6 schools, how will the school look at this information.<br /><br />This question can be answered in the follownig ways:<br />1. Don't answer it if it is optional.<br />2. Be honest and list all the schools that you plan to apply.<br />3. Hold some information which means list only 2-3 schools. Ensure that it conveys the message that this particular school is your top choice. Let me give an example. If School-X (FT ranking 35-50) asks you to list the other MBA programs that you plan to apply and actually you plan to apply for the top H/W/S, it clearly tells them that School-x is their safe/back up school and gives them a totally negative impression. In this case it might be ok to hold some information.<br />4. List 2-3 schools that are ranked lower than this school. This again might create a bad impression that he/she is not aiming higher.<br /><br />Arrgh...Why am i analyzing too much to answer this simple question. May be a tad scared. But i just wanted to ensure that i answer this question properly. <em>Fellow bloggers or other who already answered this question.. throw some light!!!</em>RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-68547476664711375812007-10-11T08:27:00.000-07:002007-10-11T08:33:16.025-07:00Tough DecisionI am planning to move all my applications to Round2. Well, hmm.. I can still complete my applications by Nov1 deadline for Ross, Emory and Darden. But my apprehension is that i may not be able to put my best application forward. You attend bschool only once in your life and dont screw this. I want to give my best shot at it and no matter what the result is, i wanted to have a regret free life at the end of the application season. I must admit and digest the fact that i am a good planner but a very bad implementor. I did all the planning to apply for schools in R1 and did the sufficient research on the schools, on the recommenders, on the essays, on the GMAT, on the goals in no particular order. But things didn't work out as per the plan, one main reason could be that i slackened and an auxiliary reason could be a little bad luck.<br /><br /><strong>Resons for moving to R2</strong>:<br /><br />1. Primarly the low GMAT score. I have to improve it and that is the only solution that i can see now. May be i stand a meager chance with my current score but i don't want to take chances. It is because i still have time with me. Yeah..Only if i move my apps to Round2.If i am to apply with my present score, i would promptly drop Ross from the list. It has the mean gmat score in 700's and i am no where near it. I still think and believe that i have the necessary leadership qualities in the work place to convince the adcom that i will make a good mba student. Also, i<br />am sort of clear on my post-mba career goals. The worrying factor is the GMAT score and i want to see the darn improvement. This really bolster my chances. Atleast they won't reject my application based on the low score.<br /><strong>So, what went wrong the last time?</strong><br />Verbal...A very poor score (in 20's) in this section toppled the total score.<br />Quant - I scored 50 in this section. Consciously, i was unable to solve one problem and may be that stopped me from scoring 51. But it doesn't matter. I am happy with 50 and i will take that score on any day. I have a highly imbalanced quant-verbal score and this is added to my worry list.<br />AWA - i scored 6 out of 6 in this. So just want an encore of this. Even a dip in half a point won't hurt.<br /><strong>Retrospection:</strong><br />I devoted a good amount of time preparing for verbal. But looking back, i am able to identify why i scored badly in verbal. Its the RC and CR. I never never practiced RC in the right spirit. True. I always used to think that doing RC's is a waste of time and i can simply ace these without preparation. In my practice tests, Out of 13 questions, i used to get 6,7 or 8 questions correct and in most tests my concentration levels used to fade when i do RC. I just hate these. I was always keen on doing SC's. But RC's are quite boring for me and proved to be my nemesis. CR's take a middle stance. I am never too confident at the sametime i am never bugged by these. May be i made enough mistakes in CR's as well to plunge my score to abyss. All in all, the results speak volumes on how bad i am in verbal. It might be that i fared very well in RC's and CR's and totally screwed SC's. Who knows. But before the test atleast i knew that my preparation for RC's and CR's suck.<br /><strong>What am i doing these days to improve the score?</strong><br />Actually nothing much..I started the prep few days back but again didnt touch the book in the last 5 days. This could be the heights of procastination. hey, its i and anything is possible. I can see that this is high time to get done with GMAT forever. I will be taking the test in Nov. Initially i planned to take it in Oct end, just before the deadlines. But it looks like a very risky proposition. If i do the prep in haste and endup with a low score again, the whole purpose behind i retaking the exam is gone. This time, i want to write the exam with full preparation. Even if i end up with the same score, atleast i knew that i was prepared well for the exam.<br /><br />2. There is no reason two. GMAT is the only factor that is holding me back.<br /><br /><strong>Why i planned to apply in R1.</strong><br />Though i am not done with GMAT, i am doing reasonably good in other areas (atleast i think so). My schools for R1 are Ross, Emory and Darden. I filled the application forms (except for few fields which i am doubtful of). I started working on the essays. The initial drafts forall Emory essay's are ready. Except third essay, i drafted Ross essay's also. Though i didn't start Darden essay's, i am fairly confident that it won't consume much time after finishing Ross and Emory essays. Since the deadline is 20 days away, i can easily finish the essays. This led me to think that i am not out of the game and can still submit the application in Round1. I have one recommender who is very supportive and is ready to recommend me. But i am slightly skeptical of the other recommender (real busy guy) and this is a cause of little concern to me.<br /><br />These blogs answered few of my questions and i found them helpful.<a href="http://metalrulz.blogspot.com/">http://metalrulz.blogspot.com</a><br /><a href="http://eklavya-mba.blogspot.com.these/">http://eklavya-mba.blogspot.com.These</a> guyz have low gmat scores and struggled a bit in the application process.<br /><br />The ball is always in my court because applying in R1 or R2 is my decision in the end. But i want to take a good decision on this. Either I can stretch and finish the whole prep (gmat) in the next two weeks or prepare for 2-3 hours daily for a month and work on the essays simultaneously. I will take the decision soon (next 2-3 days). Acutally i took the decision, but i just wanted to make sure that i am not doing something wrong.<br /><br />Adios.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-38905085803671989542007-10-10T09:49:00.000-07:002007-10-10T10:13:48.223-07:00Ross eventI attended Ross event recently and i find it pretty useful and informative. Unlike other events where we find huge crowds, this event is attended only by few souls who look very interested in Ross. The event started with alumni introduction followed by a presentation on Ross. As expected, they highlighted their MAP program and really thinks that it is their USP. They also explained about the I-MAP and the other internship opportunities available at Ross. I came to know about the william davidson institute where students get a chance to work with profs on certain projects.<br />I asked one lame question on GMAT. Hold on.. Its not that i gave them my GMAT score and asked for my chances. I asked them how schools will look at multiple scores, does it have any negative impact on your application. I know the answer even before asking this question. But just wanted to get the answer straight from the horse's mouth.<br /><br />Key points:<br />1. Ross alumni are quite excited about their school. I mean they really like their school and are passionate about it. It shows when they talk about it.<br />2. They liked the life in Ann Arbor. Simple college town, close knit community and the Football.<br />3. Whenever you go to any fair/event, you will find some guyz who ask really really meaningless stupid questions. Its really irritating and even in couple of occassions the alumni simply ignored to answer him.<br />4. They patiently answered all the questions on the Post MBA career and i appreciate that.<br /><br />Finally i got drunk(for the first time) and spoke with alumni for some time. Didnt really remember what i asked them.<br />Attending this event only bolstered my interest in Ross. Now i feel more eager to work on Ross essays. Expect third essay i finished the first draft of remaining three essays. Essay3 is a real stumper. Gotta think carefully and write this.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-7676167065631369832007-10-07T06:29:00.000-07:002007-10-07T06:46:10.806-07:00I ain't missed muchTime and again i start my post with "It's been a while since i blogged". But this is the fact. I am not blogging as i don't have any interesting updates. I was on business travel and just now my life is regaining normalcy. Looks like things are falling into place and i am gonna take few major decisions in the days to come. Looks like our fellowmates in this blogosphere are making quite a progess. Few have submitted their first application, many are working on the essays and the remaining very few are preparing for gmat.<br /><br />As i was on business travel, i couldn't attend this MBA fair. I deeply regretted for missing this as i planned this months in advance. I blamed myself for all the pre-planning. But after getting update on the fair from friends and from posts such as(<a href="http://www.gmatclub.com/forum/t53371">http://www.gmatclub.com/forum/t53371</a>), i came to know that it ain't no big deal. Some of my friends (applicants), who are right there in the city didn't attend the fair thinking that it's such a waste of time. Anyhow, its a lost opportunity.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-49714134435721003492007-09-10T09:27:00.000-07:002007-09-10T09:37:59.023-07:00Public vs Private schoolsOur selection of schools is based on various criteria like GMAT avg score, class size, location, program curriculum, Weather, Placements to name a few in no particular order. But i never put much emphasis on whether a school is a public or private school. I don't know how it is going to make difference. For example, Emory is a private school which i am planning to apply in R1, while Ross and Darden are public schools (R1).<br /><br />There are few questions for which i am still looking for answers<br />1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of private/public school?<br />2. Do private schools look for higher GMAT scores (though they won't explicitly mention it) to improve their avg gmat scores and hence the rankings?<br />3. Do private schools are more generous in scholarships?<br />4. Do public schools have less funds to disburse money in the form of scholarships?<br />5. How do companies look at a public/private school? Do they favour public schools?<br /><br />If you are aware of these, please help me out.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-14494105997088260052007-09-07T21:53:00.000-07:002007-09-07T22:37:17.826-07:00The big R.E.D on Nov 1stI always thought selecting schools for various rounds is an easy task for the following reasons<br />1. I am doing research on schools. (no school in particular, kind of haphazardly)<br />2. I am reading blogs of various students and applicants.<br />3. I active in various forums. (only reading posts).<br /><br />I was totally wrong. Its not easy. The discussions on R1 vs R2 looks ridiculous to me. Why are these guys wasting time on all these time consuming activities. They can either go for 4 in R1, 2/3 in R2 or 5 in R1 and if you don't succeed then apply for a couple of other schools (including a safe school) in R2. You can go for different combinations. This was my immature mindset some time back. I believed that its only important to identify the schools that you wanted to go and that are an exact fit for you and It really doesn't matter in which round you apply (only R1 and R2).<br />But today i finalized the schools i am applying in R1 after a whole week research. Going through various forums, blogs and some information i saved earlier which i thought to be useful while selecting schools. I spent a fair amount of time in selecting these schools and i am happy with the result. If i get an admit to any of these schools, i will be very happy to go there without seconds thoughts. Without further ado, here is the list of schools<br /><br />1. Ross (Michigan) R1 deadline: Nov1<br />2. Emory (Goizueta) R1 deadline: Nov1<br />3. Darden (Virginia) R1 deadline: Nov1<br /><br />Coincidentally, all these three deadlines are on the same date. I started the application for all these three schools and have gone through the essays. I liked the Ross essays the most. The most difficult of the three is darden. A little unconventional and i feel that it will be slightly difficult to write them. Emory essays are not that difficult.<br />From tomorrow, its going to be only essays until i am ready with drafts. Unfortunately i have to travel for four days in the next two weeks and i am a tad worried that i will be missing the action.<br />I started collecting as much data as possible on all these schools. More thoughts on each school later.<br />Anyone in blogosphere applying to these schools in R1?RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-80579002344985309262007-08-31T09:23:00.000-07:002007-08-31T10:08:59.932-07:00UpdatesI know..I know.. I know..Its been a long time since my last post. <em>The running turtle got a little lazy when he is supposed to be busy with essays</em>. Here are the updates on various aspects of my application.<br /><br /><strong>GMAT</strong><br />After a lot of thinking and rethinking, i still couldn't come to any plausible conclusion regarding my GMAT. Yeah!!! i already took once and scored in 600's (read: less than 650). I am in a dilemma whether to apply with the same score or take gmat again and improve my lacklustre score. I spent some time in the BW b-school forums reading all the low gmat success stories to find some motivation. Moreover, it becomes really difficult to zero in on the schools when you have a low score. When i look at some of my favourite schools average gmat scores (in the ranges of 680-710), i feel that it's a total waste to apply to those schools with my non-stellar, good for nothing score.<br />All in all, I came to the conclusion that its better to take gmat again. I still have time and energy to do it again and there is no point in believing that i can become yet another success story with low gmat score. It might happen, but it looks like i am at the heights of optimism. All these days, due to some unavoidable circumstances (read: work and personal problems) i couldn't take gmat again. But now i figured that i might get time in October to take gmat once again to kill that beast forever. So part of september will be dedicated to gmat prep apart from writing essays.<br /><br /><strong>TOEFL</strong><br />Initially, i decided to write TOEFL once i am done with GMAT. But i changed my plans and wrote gmat few weeks back. I even got my score which cleared the minimum requirement of 100+ for many schools. But i failed to score 25+ in one section (read: Speaking) which is a requirement for very few schools. I didnt know this before the test. Anyhow it's not that serious to worry about.<br /><br /><strong>Essays</strong><br />The only progress i did in this most important aspect of application process is to read sample essays. I didn't even write a single draft, but i am aiming to apply for 3-4 schools in R1. I am not even sure of which schools to apply for. Now after reading all this, I am sure many will think that i have gone insane. This guy don't even have a good gmat score, planning his next attempt in oct, don't even write a single essay (not even rough drafts) and moreover don't have a definite list of those 3-4 schools. But aspiring to send application to atleast three schools in first round. I think this evidence is enough to come to that conclusion. Ok.. jokes apart, i want to get serious about this whole process. No more slacking!!! I am planning to start my essays with Darden. Lets see how much progress i will make this weekend.<br /><br />Run TURTLE Run...Gotta finish the race!!!RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-19952965115637403322007-07-26T09:25:00.000-07:002007-07-26T10:10:53.243-07:00Isn't it boastingI started to read essays of successful candidates from various backgrounds who got admitted to different schools. Some of the essays are really well written. The moment i read them, i felt like.."Yeah. i should admit this guy". They have a clear vision (at least looks like) of what they want from their MBA. Their long term and short term goals are clearly laid out. They know what they want from that particular school and how they are going to contribute to that school. All their accomplishments are deftly interwoven with lucid explanations. Some start their essays with catchy statements and for some its bland. Nevertheless they filled their essays with interesting anecdotes and crafted a beautiful story.<br /><br />BUT, there is something which i felt is awkward. Plainly most of the statements in their essays looks like a total boasting. Here are the few sentences which led me to make this statement...<br /><br />- I did everything from managing campaigns, schedules and marketing. (What does it sound like, if you say you did everything?)<br />- I am responsible for motivating, empowering, creating team structure and ensuring quality delivery to the client. (Not too much, but sounds like a little show-off)<br />- I am an industrious and ambitious person who is not afraid to challenge the status quo. (I think it is better to tell the adcom that you are industrious and ambitious by providing them with real life examples, rather than simply making a direct statement that you are industrious and ambitious).<br />- I am an accomplished multi-tasker who will fit seamlessly into X and can enrich the environment with my maturity, enthusiasm, problem solving ability blah blah blah...<br /><br />There are many others but i forgot them. It was told many times by sages that mba essays are nothing but marketing yourself. The lesson is "it is better to boast rather than being humble".<br /><br /><strong>Notes:</strong><br />1. After reading these essays, i am clear with one thing, you can't write your essays in a day or two. Like i read in one of the blogs that you should write your essays daily (atleast for a one to one and half months). You never knew when you will be hit a kickass idea.<br /><br />2. When the essay question is about the long term and short term goals, many of the applicants wrote their long term goal first and later explained their short term goals. Is it a norm or some kind of strategy. I don't understand this.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-79412029734178024072007-07-12T10:51:00.000-07:002007-07-13T09:26:52.194-07:00Burning Hole in the pocket<p>Its well know fact that mba is a costly affair. And the whole application process is of no exception.</p><p>Gmat - $250<br />Toefl - $150<br />Extra score reports - $25 for each school.<br />Application costs - it varies from school to school and on an average it costs around $170 for each school.<br />Random list:<br />Duke (fuqua) - $185<br />Ross (Michigan) - $180<br />Darden (Virginia) - $190<br />UNC (kenan flagler) - $130<br />Emory - $140<br /><br />Very few schools charge absolutely zilch for the application. If you are planning to apply for 6-8 schools in total, it will cost you approximately $1.6k to $1.8k. Feeling the pinch? I must admit that its nothing when compared to tution and living expenses. I excluded the amount that we spent for prep books and prep course (if you are taking one). If you are planning for school visits, then travel, hotel and other miscellaneous costs will come into picture.<br /></p><br /><strong>Red herring:</strong><br />Check this out: <a href="http://www.aspiranthunt.com/">AspirantHunt</a><span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">I find this site helpful for school research to get quick facts. I dont say that it is THE BEST, but it will help us to a certain extent.<br /><br />How does it work ? (source: aspirantHunt)<br />You as an MBA Aspirant, first need to register on our website and then have to fill your professional profile including your Gmat score and Essays. Representatives of school can search aspirants based on parameters like GMAT Score, Number of years of experience, Gender or Country they belongs to and more. While viewing your profile, They can also view your essays in advance to learn about your leadership potential, management skills and more…. They will encourage you to officially apply to their school if you are one of the potential candidate for their school.<br /><br />I can share my gmat and other details. But sharing essays? hmmm.. i am not sure.. </span>RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-47111409254307830272007-07-12T09:38:00.000-07:002008-12-10T16:29:16.464-08:00Race against time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZN0QRXBHVwz_cQS0Mq0BUimXS5L-zcY2v7s51KhK0KWz2CVPfJAqdnpo6gwXzvlexGh6pMS4esE2PZRBMZHhdnmO7-DTRCtX6pNGg-6HAaJbMxQ7lVt6_iSmuLvus8l7E1IP2lzI8Or8/s1600-h/race_against_time.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086356480166698882" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZN0QRXBHVwz_cQS0Mq0BUimXS5L-zcY2v7s51KhK0KWz2CVPfJAqdnpo6gwXzvlexGh6pMS4esE2PZRBMZHhdnmO7-DTRCtX6pNGg-6HAaJbMxQ7lVt6_iSmuLvus8l7E1IP2lzI8Or8/s200/race_against_time.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I'm trying to figureout how the forthcoming months will be for me with gmat, essays, recos and finally office work and travel over my head. It seems a little daunting and feel the situation is something like 'Too many things to do and too little time'. Apparently, the mantra is to prioritize and just move on.</span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Few of the bschools have posted their deadlines and the few have their essay questions out. Some of the fellow bloggers have started identifing recommenders and few started to work on their essays and the rest are busy researching schools. But my path is not a bed of roses. Unlike others who first get rid of gmat from their way and start focusing on other aspects of application, i on the othehand have to do gmat prep, school research, recommendations and essays simultaneously. A real test to my multi-tasking skills.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here is the plan of action for the next few months.</div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#330000;">June</span> </strong>- Quite eventful month, i must say. Intensified my prep in the last days and gave gmat, though i didnt get the desired score. May be i underestimated gmat or..ok whatever. </div><br /><div><br /><strong>July</strong> - Enjoyed vacation. Now i'm back to den, but yet to start gmat prep for retake. </div><br /><div>To do: Schools research and my inevitable office work.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>August</strong> - To do: Retake gmat and finish it forever. Finalize the list of schools for R1. Inform recommenders about my plans and ask for recos.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>September</strong> - Its essasy's time. Writing rough drafts and revamping them till we get a master piece. To do: Make sure that recommenders are doing their job. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>October</strong> - Some schools have their deadlines in the second week of oct itself and few have deadlines in the first week. Its time to submit my first application. </div><br /><div>To do: Redraft essays and make a final version of them. Send them to few close friends for reviewing. Ensure that recommenders are submitting the reco's in time. I don't want to face the tense moments in the elventh hour.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>November</strong> - Few schools have deadlines in Nov.</div><br /><div>To do: Finish with all most all the R1 applications.Start researching schools for R2. Pray to god and wait for some interview calls. If we get one, start preparing for interviews. Thank recommenders for their time and invaluable support.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>December</strong>: Wait for interview calls, research R2 schools. Identify mistakes we made in R1. Reform your essays. Still no interview calls. Dont panic. Try putting one or two safe schools.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>January</strong>- Submit all your R2 applications. Thank recommenders again for their support. Wait for interview calls. If you get one then all your time will be sucked for interview preparation which is worth spending.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>February</strong>- Its waiting time. May be we will get results for all R1 schools and interview calls (if any) for R2 schools also. Prepare for inteviews.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>March</strong> - Still no admits after interviews (yeah, sometimes i can be a real pessimist). Again don't worry. Depending on the time frame (I,being an international applicant) apply for one or two schools as a last resort in R3. Yes, one of my friend applied in R3 and got into two schools. One of them is in Top 15. This news is a real confidence booster for me.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Remember: No matter what the result is, its really important to enjoy the process. I know, its easier said than done. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So atleast till march, we have to face all this drama. If at all i got an admit by dec/jan, i will pack my bags and go to world tour. (just kidding). </div><br /><div>Oops, i forgot about the toefl. In the middle of all this commotion, i have to find time to give my toefl because i dont want any last minute hiccups like schools aksing me for a toefl score. I will take toefl in august or september.</div><br /><div>All along we have to manage our day jobs and any travels if req. How about friends, parties and movies during this time?</div>RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-12691671083756999832007-07-11T09:26:00.000-07:002007-07-11T10:02:55.727-07:00I'm backI have been MIA for the last couple of weeks. To be precise, i was away from all the things related to MBA after my gmat for three weeks. That is a big break. Its real nice to see some new faces in the hella's list. Welcome to the fellow 2008 applicant bloggers.<br /><br /><strong>Few updates..</strong><br /><br /><strong>The cat is out of the bag.</strong><br />I kept my MBA plans to myself till this point. Like many applicants, I don't want my boss to know about all this hoopla well-in-advance. I am coying with the idea of revealing my plans about mba in the last week of august or in the first week of september to my boss. He is one of my recommenders. But he found this in a funny way. He saw me take prints of BusinessWeekGuideToTheBestBusinessSchools.pdf. I was a little worried because i want to inform this in a formal way. Anyhow, I divulged my plans to other teammates and now everyone knows it.I informed my other potential recommender that i am considering mba. I can't contain my curiosity on how they will react, when i ask them for reco's.<br /><br /><strong>Gmat</strong><br />Well. I have to start preparation for the retake. Thinking that 20-30 days is good enough. But to find the slots in the month of august/sep is a tad difficult.<br /><br /><strong>Toefl</strong><br />I will take this after gmat. But for now, it should be kept on the back burner.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-64508569609758460292007-06-19T09:48:00.000-07:002007-06-19T09:53:15.184-07:00GMAT done..oh! not yet..I messed up my date with gmat on the d/g-day. Scored in 600's. I failed to finish both quant and verbal in time. (can't get any worse!)<br /><strong>My experience in detail</strong><br />I brushed up all my flashcards on the day before gmat and completed everything before noon. Watched a movie and in the evening i went for a swim just to cool my nerves. My appointment is in the afternoon. I went to the gmat center armed with chocolates, bananas and fruit juice. I reached there one hour before the scheduled time. The friendly receptionist there asked me for passport and took my finger print. I was given a locker to put my belongings including watch and wallet. There was a seperate room where i can put my eatables. Now she said that i can go ahead and take the exam. I didnt know that i can take the exam before the scheduled time. I even brought reader's digest with me to kill some time in the test center. They even provide a piece of paper to write down the five school names. I don't need this since i know the school names by heart.<br /><br />Everything in the gmat is exactly similar to what we saw in gmatprep. The good old blue screen. It really relieved me of some tension. Before starting the exam we have to enter all five school names. Soon i started with AWA. I practiced to write only one arguement and issue before the exam. Even then it didnt troubled me. I thought for a while and started typing according to my own template. Finished in 28 minutes. It is the same with issue. Very easy topic. Finished this in 25 minutes. But i didn't click on next. Just waited for the clock to show 29 minutes. I used this time to adjust myself and prepare mentally for the quant.<br /><br />I opted for 10 minutes break. But i returned after 5 minutes. Math section started with an easy question. I felt the level of difficult is quite equivalent to gmatprep questions. In total i had to guess three questions. i tried to solve them for 3-4 minutes, but couldn't arrive at the answer. I knew that if i spent more time on them i could solve. But i followed the sages advice. clicked some answer which i thought is an intelligent guess and moved on. Among these three questions. One is from probability. I encountered only one question from probability and nothing from permutations and combinations. And the rest two are from geometry. As i spent more time on these i was left with only 4 minutes for the last 4 questions. Fortunately i got all easy questions. May be it is because i committed some error in the previous question. I solved the last question but didn't click on next. I was doing a double-check on my answer in those last seconds. Suddenly time-expired message popped up. Even then, I thought, i did well.<br /><br />Again opted for 10 minutes break. Had some juice and came back in 6 minutes. We have to give our finger prints while coming and leaving the exam hall. Started verbal with SC. Then CR, then SC and finally my 7th question is an RC. I got 4 RC's. 3 smaller ones and one big one (jumbo). two RC's are easy. The bigger one took lot of time. and the last one which is smaller looks easy when i read the passage but the questions are real tricky. I wanted to spend more time on the first 15 questions and speedup on the last ones. This created some problems to me as i didnt pace the test well. For the last 15 questions i was left with only 15 minutes. I got little panicked. Did some breathing exercise and resumed the final quater hour of the battle. Adding to my woes i got RC. For the last 4 questions i was left with 1 minute. i randomly clicked answers for three questions. So final question and the last 30 seconds. It was SC. Pretty easy one. I clicked on C. but still looking at other options. Out of no where a message popped up saying time-expired. This means i failed to finish Verbal in/on time.<br /><br />Being an optimist, i patiently gone through all the eight screens answering some of the questions. The moment has arrived for which i am waiting for the last couple of months. When the score came, It was in 600's. Not at all what i expected. I was utterly disappointed at that very moment, nevertheless managed to put a smiling face to the receptionist who gave a printed copy of my scoresheet. I looked at it for few minutes waiting for 6 to become 7. Apparently it didnt happen. I came back to my place and spent some excruciating hopeless moments. I even thought that i should put my mba plans on the back burner and continue with my present job. Such is the pain when we get a score that we didnt desire for. I prepared decently for the exam. Got scores of 700+ in practice tests. But in the final exam i faltered.<br /><br />Evidently, I can't live with my present score and i need to retake. But for now i will take a break for couple of weeks from gmat preparation.I want to congratulate all those who scored 700+ in their first take for their competence and genius. But i want to salute those who took gmat for the second time and achieved their desired score. It needs guts to accept the reality and move on. It really needs lots of energy and enthusiasm to go through the whole process again.<br />More thoughts in my next post.<br /><br />All the best for <a href="http://preetpillai.blogspot.com/">Preet </a>and <a href="http://missmba.blogspot.com/">Curlybee</a>.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-41335795004505211902007-06-11T23:33:00.000-07:002007-06-11T23:39:07.674-07:00Into the last weekFinally, i am into the last week of my preparation. The d-day is six days away. A little apprehensive, a little excited and a little anxious. Too many questions sprinkled with occasional if's and but's are popping up every now and then. Nevertheless, i am reasonably confident of doing well. I learnt one thing for sure in this whole process. The fear of failure is the hardest thing to overcome with.<br /><br />I visited my test center yesterday. Its a fourty minute drive from my place. The only problem is the parking. The place is little congested, its better to go early and find some place to park. I asked the receptionist about the id requirements that i need to carry, just to ensure in case..Its just the passport and the printed copy of the letter/receipt. I still have to get that printed. I already decided on the five schools. The only thing pending is to make a note of school name, code and the program.<br />I still didn't pratice AWA. Not even once. But the good thing is that i am ready with the template for issue and arguement. I want to practice two or three essays before the exam.<br /><br />I didn't practice any RC's except for the one's i encountered in mock tests. So i want to do atleast four RC's per day for the coming five days, just to make myself comfortable with them. I love to start my verbal with SC. What if my verbal starts with RC? OMG..this really is not a confidence booster, but i have to prepare for the worst.<br /><br />I am planning to take one full length test on saturday simulating the test environment. I think i am prepared okay for the exam. Lets see how it goes..RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-16386775047484097772007-05-25T00:05:00.000-07:002007-05-25T00:31:17.354-07:00How many mistakes can i afford to make - need helpThe scoring pattern in GMAT is slightly confusing me. I am trying various ways to find this out, but couldn't reach any plausible explanation. Ok. My questions are...<br />1. If i want to score 49-50 in quant, how many mistakes can i afford to make?<br />2. If i want a score of above 40 (or even above 38) how many mistakes (in terms of number of questions) can i afford to make?<br />I know that the score depends on the level of difficulty of the question and it is hard to tell the weightage. I heard that in verbal, SC carries more weightage than other questions. Is it true?<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Quant:</strong><br />In my practice tests i am making 8 mistakes consistently. Most of them are from DS. But again this is not because i don't the concepts. It is because of my sheer negligence and carelessness. With more practice i believe i can reduce this number to 3. I want to know how much i can score in quant with 3 mistakes. <span style="color:#ff0000;">If anyone has a pattern or a mechanism to explain this, please go ahead and help me.</span> I am targeting a score of 50 in quant. (49 in the worst case scenario).<br /><br /><strong>Verbal:</strong><br />Can you believe that i made 15 mistakes in my last practice test. Sounds demotivating, but that is reality for me. 7 mistakes in SC, 4 in RC and 3 in CR. As i am targeting a score of 40+ in verbal, i need to improve. Gotta practice...<br /><br />Lets see if i can reduce the number of mistakes in my next practice test. Aloha!!!RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-21152360918152639042007-05-09T08:01:00.000-07:002007-05-09T08:07:35.363-07:00The art of jugglingI am off to blogging for sometime. So here are the updates. I am slightly busy with gmat preparation. I am out-of-town for few days and was forced away from my prep. Now i am back, refreshed. There are only three things going on in my life right now. GMAT, Work and body toning. Since gmat is only five weeks away i need to step up my prep. Updates on where i stand on various sections..<br />SC - Almost done with this.<br />CR - Need more practice.<br />RC - Not able to concentrate and in the middle of RC (though it is 300-400 words) my mind starts wandering at some unknown places. I need to make better progress in this section.<br />Quant - Doing reasonably well in this. Solving some of the tough quant questions. I cannot afford to score less in this.<br /><br />Work on the other hand is going fine. I am just managing to complete my task and not able to spending too much time on it. Also i am sweating for atleast one and half hour in gym daily. Most of my days are filled with these activities. It is becoming very tedious to concentrate on all the things and do every activity with enthusiasm. Definately juggling is a hard task and its a pain in the wrong place. But it has to be mastered.<br />At times i feel ultra-motivated and at times i feel utterly bored and hopeless.<br />At times i feel happy and at times i feel sad.<br />I call these the effects of gmat. This is just the starting step in the process and there is a lot ahead. Also i want to finish off the one i am currently reading and also start new novels, but there is no time. I have to wait till i finish my gmat to entertain all these whims.<br /><br />I have a theme song for these pre-gmat days by nine inch nails...Every day is exactly the same...<br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;"><em>I believe I can see the future<br />Because I repeat the same routine<br />I think I used to have a purpose<br />Then again, that might have been a dream<br />I think I used to have a voice<br />Now I never make a sound<br />I just do what I have been told<br />I really don't want them to come around<br />Oh, no.<br />Every day is exactly the same<br />Every day is exactly the same<br />There is no love here and there is no pain<br />Every day is exactly the same<br />I can feel their eyes are watching<br />In case I lose myself again<br />Sometimes I think I'm happy here<br />Sometimes, yeah, I still pretend<br />I can't remember how this got started<br />But I can tell you exactly how it will end.<br />Every day is exactly the same<br />Every day is exactly the same<br />There is no love here and there is no pain<br />Every day is exactly the same<br />I'm writing on a little piece of paper<br />I'm hoping someday you might find<br />Well, I'll hide it behind something<br />They won't look behind<br />I am still inside here<br />A little bit comes bleeding through<br />I wish this could have been any other way<br />But I just don't know, I don't know,<br />What else I can do<br />Every day is exactly the same<br />Every day is exactly the same<br />There is no love here and there is no pain<br />Every day is exactly the same</em></span>RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-18446298699270070982007-04-21T03:35:00.000-07:002007-04-21T03:49:59.662-07:00SplitupsThe goal is to conquer the gmat and a good plan is required to do it. A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. I am scouting through various blogs and scoretop to get a collection of gmat scores. Here goes the list.<br /><strong><u>Score (Quant, Verbal)</u></strong><br />780 (50, 47)<br />780 (51, 47)<br />770 (51, 42)<br />770[99%] (50, 45)<br />770 (51, 42)<br />770 (50, 44)<br />770 (51, 44)<br />760 (47, 47)<br />760 (48, 48)<br />760[99%] (49[90%], 45[98%])<br />750 (47[82%],46[99%])<br />750 (49, 42)<br />750 (50, 41)<br />750 (50, 42)<br />750 (50[96%],41[93%])<br />740 (50,40)<br />740 (48, 42)<br />740 (51, 38)<br />730[97%] (50[95%],38[86%])<br />730 (49[90%], 41[94%])<br />720[97%] (50, 38)<br />720 (51, 35)<br />720 (48, 40)<br />720 (45, 44)<br />710 (47, 40)<br />710 (50, 35)<br />700 (47, 39)<br />700 (45, 41)<br />700 (44, 41)<br />700 (51, 33)<br />670 (42, 40)<br />So the target is to get 50 in quant and try my best to get atleast 40 in Verbal. If i scored less in quant there is no one to blame except me. I can get 50 in quant, but sometimes i make obvious mistakes which is worrying me. But 40 in verbal is gonna be a daunting task for me and without sincere efforts this will remain as my pipe dream.RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-31551606228487658742007-04-13T10:47:00.000-07:002007-04-13T10:51:47.838-07:00Blessing in disguiseMy presence might be required in US in the months of sept or oct for a duration of 3-4 months. Though i am looking forward to it, I am in a situation where i can't decide how to go a head. Lemme go throught the pros and cons...<br /><strong>Rewards:<br /></strong>-I can get a feel of the enviornment, culture and other things of US before starting my school.<br />-I can go for school visits. (This i never thought is possible)<br />-I can meet current students and attend some classes to get the first hand experience of the classes and the whole bschool environment.<br />-If i am still in US for interviews (if i can get any), there might be a possibilty that i can request them to conduct interview in the school itself. (There might be some advantages of having an interview in the school rather than in other country, but i am not sure of this. experts please comment).<br />-I can save money and this will help to some extent to finance my mba. (well this should be the first point in the list. it relieves the financial burden to a certain extent)<br />-Definately adds to my international experience which is lacking in my resume.<br />-May be i can find some plan B. Infact there is no plan B as of now, but when if everything goes topsy-turvy, It is always good to have a plan B.<br />-I might get a chance to meet my kith and kin there.<br /><br /><strong>Disadvantages:</strong><br />-Sept & Oct is the peak time where every applicant is engaged in writing, rewriting essays, submitting recommendations and finally filling the applicaitons and sending them before deadlines. As everyone knows, this arduous task is time consuming and one cannot do this in haste. Every one knows the amount of work pressure one faces when placed on the client side. It becomes very difficult to sneak out (read: time management) and spend time on our essays and apps.<br />-Difficult to reach my recommenders and to have a tête-à-tête chat explaining my goals to them.(I identified three recommenders, one recommender already knows my plans, but for the other two i will let them know only in mid-august or september. I think they will have enough time to finish their recommendations).<br />-I might have to put a full stop to the list of activities i am planning to pursue post gmat. (But this is the least of my worries).<br /><br />The cons look disheartening, but at the same time the pros look appealing.Is it a kind of catch-22 situation i am in..well i donn't know!!! Its time to wear by thinking cap..RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3033574429751823472.post-33649785120758623162007-04-13T05:56:00.001-07:002007-04-13T10:52:15.906-07:00Derailed..Back on track"There's nothing really difficult if you only begin - some people contemplate a task until it looms so big, it seems impossible, but I just begin and it gets done somehow. There would be no coral islands if the first bug sat down and began to wonder how the job was to be done."<br />Because of the vagaries in the last month i was coerced to take vital decisions that burnt a hole in my pocket. Yeah!!! i belong to those 'some peple who contemplate a task until it looms so big'. I proudly declare that i have re-scheduled my gmat. There are few reasons. I have to go out-of-town and my presance is required there. This has happened three weeks before my gmat schedule date, more over my preparation is moving at snails pace. My scores in the pratice tests is not at all appealing. All these factors enforced me to re-schedule gmat for a later date which is two months away. I started my preparation slowly and planning to rise the intensity with time. Hope i am back on track.<br />I am doing a great deal of thinking on 'did i make a mistake by booking the date early'. Well i booked my date two months in advance and i still belive that it was enough for me to give a good shot. There is no point in beating a dead horse and absolutely no point in pondering over something that was over and anything which i cannot change. Still my mind hovers to that every now and then.<br /><br />I almost decided on the list of schools for which i want to send my scorecard to based on the basic program structure, class size, loan & fin-aid options, location, placements and finally their importance for international applicants. I think i did enough research on this part and atleast for the next two months i want to take my mind off the schools so that i can concentrate on preparation.<br />Of late i am thinking of the list of activities that i want to pursue post gmat. Well i am doing this pretty early, but there is nothing that i lose my planning something in advance.<br />1. Take a break for a week and visit my parents. (irrespective of the score and if i didnt get my desired score, prepare for a month and give it again in the last week of july).<br />2. Start research on my post mba career. (I never did this and it will help me in defining my short term goals).<br />3. Explore opportunities in europe. (atleast on the job front).<br />4. Explore more on fin-aid and loan options. (This is very important for me)<br />5. Improve my writing skills. (I always thought that my writing skills are good, but blogging taught me that there is a huge room for improvement)<br />6. Reach-out to alumni, current students of few schools of my interest.<br />7. Do an indepth analysis of the various mba programs.<br />8. Resume my community service activites. (i have achievements in the work place and leadeship roles that i think are worth mentioning. To be upfront my role in community activities sucks. i am involved with couple of ngo's but i never did something which i felt is great. Anyhow i have to improve significantly on this).<br />9. Spend only 1/2 hour in bw forms. (rightnow i am only reading all blogs in hellas list).<br />10. Start french and german classes. (don't know how feasible this would be. But i will try my best to get proficient in atleast one of these languages before going back to school)<br />11. Get back to strumming. (yeah!! almost forgot everything i learnt).<br />12. Improve my excel programming skills (Maybe attend a two-day training)<br />13. Continue my workouts..(try for a six-pack....no joking.. i am hell bent on this)<br />If at all something comes to my mind, i will update this list.<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#993399;">Winter has past<br />Spring has gone<br />Summer is here<br />And the song that I meant to sing<br />Is still unsung<br />I have spent my days whining and dining....</span></em><br />aloha!!!RunningTurtlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13847276178077692047noreply@blogger.com1