You 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.
"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.”
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.
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.
Finally, Bruner discussed about the life in Charlottesville. A simple college town with lots of horses and few hours drive to big cities.
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.
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.
All in all, a great information session.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
Honesty or holding information?
Check this question...
Please list other MBA Programs / Universities (separated by semicolons) to which you are applying:
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.
This question can be answered in the follownig ways:
1. Don't answer it if it is optional.
2. Be honest and list all the schools that you plan to apply.
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.
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.
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. Fellow bloggers or other who already answered this question.. throw some light!!!
Please list other MBA Programs / Universities (separated by semicolons) to which you are applying:
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.
This question can be answered in the follownig ways:
1. Don't answer it if it is optional.
2. Be honest and list all the schools that you plan to apply.
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.
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.
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. Fellow bloggers or other who already answered this question.. throw some light!!!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Tough Decision
I 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.
Resons for moving to R2:
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
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.
So, what went wrong the last time?
Verbal...A very poor score (in 20's) in this section toppled the total score.
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.
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.
Retrospection:
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.
What am i doing these days to improve the score?
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.
2. There is no reason two. GMAT is the only factor that is holding me back.
Why i planned to apply in R1.
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.
These blogs answered few of my questions and i found them helpful.http://metalrulz.blogspot.com
http://eklavya-mba.blogspot.com.These guyz have low gmat scores and struggled a bit in the application process.
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.
Adios.
Resons for moving to R2:
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
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.
So, what went wrong the last time?
Verbal...A very poor score (in 20's) in this section toppled the total score.
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.
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.
Retrospection:
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.
What am i doing these days to improve the score?
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.
2. There is no reason two. GMAT is the only factor that is holding me back.
Why i planned to apply in R1.
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.
These blogs answered few of my questions and i found them helpful.http://metalrulz.blogspot.com
http://eklavya-mba.blogspot.com.These guyz have low gmat scores and struggled a bit in the application process.
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.
Adios.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Ross event
I 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.
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.
Key points:
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.
2. They liked the life in Ann Arbor. Simple college town, close knit community and the Football.
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.
4. They patiently answered all the questions on the Post MBA career and i appreciate that.
Finally i got drunk(for the first time) and spoke with alumni for some time. Didnt really remember what i asked them.
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.
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.
Key points:
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.
2. They liked the life in Ann Arbor. Simple college town, close knit community and the Football.
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.
4. They patiently answered all the questions on the Post MBA career and i appreciate that.
Finally i got drunk(for the first time) and spoke with alumni for some time. Didnt really remember what i asked them.
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.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
I ain't missed much
Time 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.
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(http://www.gmatclub.com/forum/t53371), 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.
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(http://www.gmatclub.com/forum/t53371), 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.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Public vs Private schools
Our 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).
There are few questions for which i am still looking for answers
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of private/public school?
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?
3. Do private schools are more generous in scholarships?
4. Do public schools have less funds to disburse money in the form of scholarships?
5. How do companies look at a public/private school? Do they favour public schools?
If you are aware of these, please help me out.
There are few questions for which i am still looking for answers
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of private/public school?
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?
3. Do private schools are more generous in scholarships?
4. Do public schools have less funds to disburse money in the form of scholarships?
5. How do companies look at a public/private school? Do they favour public schools?
If you are aware of these, please help me out.
Friday, September 7, 2007
The big R.E.D on Nov 1st
I always thought selecting schools for various rounds is an easy task for the following reasons
1. I am doing research on schools. (no school in particular, kind of haphazardly)
2. I am reading blogs of various students and applicants.
3. I active in various forums. (only reading posts).
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).
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
1. Ross (Michigan) R1 deadline: Nov1
2. Emory (Goizueta) R1 deadline: Nov1
3. Darden (Virginia) R1 deadline: Nov1
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.
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.
I started collecting as much data as possible on all these schools. More thoughts on each school later.
Anyone in blogosphere applying to these schools in R1?
1. I am doing research on schools. (no school in particular, kind of haphazardly)
2. I am reading blogs of various students and applicants.
3. I active in various forums. (only reading posts).
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).
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
1. Ross (Michigan) R1 deadline: Nov1
2. Emory (Goizueta) R1 deadline: Nov1
3. Darden (Virginia) R1 deadline: Nov1
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.
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.
I started collecting as much data as possible on all these schools. More thoughts on each school later.
Anyone in blogosphere applying to these schools in R1?
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