Recently Ms "S" shared one article with me and after i tried the breathing techniques mentioned in the article, i found these techniques to be really effective. So, i decided to share the article with you all.
The nose has a left and a right side; we use both to inhale and exhale. Actually they are different; you would be able to feel the difference. The right side represents the sun, left side represents the moon. During a headache, try to close your right nose and use your left nose to breathe. In about 5 mins, your headache will go.
If you feel tired, just reverse, close your left nose and breathe through your right nose. After a while, you will feel your mind is refreshed. Right side belongs to 'hot', so it gets heated up easily, left side belongs to 'cold'. Most females breathe with their left noses, so they get "cooled off" faster. Most of the guys breathe with their right noses, they get worked up.
Do you notice the moment we wake up, which side breathes faster? Left or right? ? If left is faster, you will feel tired. So, close your left nose and use your right nose for breathing, you will get refreshed quickly.
Friday, July 31
Monday, July 27
Quant - MGMAT
Gave one MGMAT test and scored 51 on quant. But, i made a number of careless mistakes MGMAT quant is really tough as compared to Kaplan or Gprep. The quant in MGMAT has lots of questions on combinatorics, problems require a lot of calculations and the level of problems is way above other practice tests.
The best part about MGMAT tests is that you get to see detailed analysis about your performance. You get to know your mistakes topic-wise and also on a scale of 600-800 score. One can take MGMAT test in the begining to get a better understanding about one's weak and strong areas. I would advise not to take more than 1 test before you cover all the basics {because without a good grasp of fundamentals it would be difficult to crack MGMAT quant and that could shatter your confidence}.
Give one MGMAT and analyze your performance with the help of Manhattan's performance tracking sheet.
I found that i am excellent when it comes to PS but i suck in DS. I need to go through Number properties, Set theory, Combinatorics, statistics and questions related to series. I am good on word transaltions, Geometry, Mensuration etc.
I have heard good reviews about GMAT math bible and i might order one {can anybody share his/her review?}.
The best part about MGMAT tests is that you get to see detailed analysis about your performance. You get to know your mistakes topic-wise and also on a scale of 600-800 score. One can take MGMAT test in the begining to get a better understanding about one's weak and strong areas. I would advise not to take more than 1 test before you cover all the basics {because without a good grasp of fundamentals it would be difficult to crack MGMAT quant and that could shatter your confidence}.
Give one MGMAT and analyze your performance with the help of Manhattan's performance tracking sheet.
I found that i am excellent when it comes to PS but i suck in DS. I need to go through Number properties, Set theory, Combinatorics, statistics and questions related to series. I am good on word transaltions, Geometry, Mensuration etc.
I have heard good reviews about GMAT math bible and i might order one {can anybody share his/her review?}.
Friday, July 24
MBA and Job Switches
I am in a dillema for past few months. I have been working for past 5 years and I have already worked with 3 organizations{ and due to a severe accident i had to stay at home for 6 months, so there's a gap of 6 months in my resume}. I will be applying to b-schools next year in R1 and R2, recently i got an offer from a consulting firm. So i am confused whether to stick to my current job {for stability per se} or make the move.
Before i invite thoughts of fellow bloggers and b-school students and alums, i would like to share my story with you all. I am a Mechanical Engg and started working for a leading automobile manufacturer in my country. But soon i realized that i don't have a flair for manufacturing. The job on the shop floor is too monotonous {until and unless you are in design shop} and then i got a project which involved lots of analysis and strategy formulation. I performed brilliantly on this project and the project was selected as one of the best projects of the year. Then i met with an accident and had to stay at home for 6 months. It was during this time i realized that i would fit best in an industry where i could put my analytical ability to the best of use.
As i spoke to my friends and college seniors they advised me to look for a job in consulting domain. With all the time at hand, i researched a lot more about consulting industry and felt that i can work happily for the rest of my life in a consulting firm.
I sent my resume to a lot of consulting firms but never got any invite from any of the firms. I was disheartened but i applied to an analytics firm and was selected. I started working as an analyst and really enjoyed my work. At times i had to bust my ass for 36 hours at a stretch but i never complained because i loved what i was doing. The projects were challenging, i could see my efforts helping the client and there was huge learning.
Unfortunately, my organization's biggest client started a captive centre and took away all the business. The firm bled badly and with its future looking bleak there was an exodus of employees from the organization. I followed the suit.
Next, I joined the analytics team of one of the biggest bank in the world. The team was new and i got an opportunity to work on some of the good projects. The best part was that i helped my team grow from 2 people to 15 in a span of 2 years. Currently i am leading a fairly big group of analysts. Have already got one out of term promotion and might get second in next 6-8 months.
Now i have got an offer from one of the consulting firms {not the top 3} and i am in a big confusion. I want to get into consulting post MBA and this switch will really help me when i sit for placements in b-school. BUT, i already have 2 job switches on my resume and i don't want to be perceived as a job hopper by the Adcoms, so am not sure what to do.
I have a big chance of getting promoted in next few months in my current organization {would be my 2nd promotion in 30 months} which can be a very positive factor when i apply to b-schools.
In nutshell, i want to invite thoughts of my able fellow bloggers so that i can cover various pros and cons and finally take a better decision.
Before i invite thoughts of fellow bloggers and b-school students and alums, i would like to share my story with you all. I am a Mechanical Engg and started working for a leading automobile manufacturer in my country. But soon i realized that i don't have a flair for manufacturing. The job on the shop floor is too monotonous {until and unless you are in design shop} and then i got a project which involved lots of analysis and strategy formulation. I performed brilliantly on this project and the project was selected as one of the best projects of the year. Then i met with an accident and had to stay at home for 6 months. It was during this time i realized that i would fit best in an industry where i could put my analytical ability to the best of use.
As i spoke to my friends and college seniors they advised me to look for a job in consulting domain. With all the time at hand, i researched a lot more about consulting industry and felt that i can work happily for the rest of my life in a consulting firm.
I sent my resume to a lot of consulting firms but never got any invite from any of the firms. I was disheartened but i applied to an analytics firm and was selected. I started working as an analyst and really enjoyed my work. At times i had to bust my ass for 36 hours at a stretch but i never complained because i loved what i was doing. The projects were challenging, i could see my efforts helping the client and there was huge learning.
Unfortunately, my organization's biggest client started a captive centre and took away all the business. The firm bled badly and with its future looking bleak there was an exodus of employees from the organization. I followed the suit.
Next, I joined the analytics team of one of the biggest bank in the world. The team was new and i got an opportunity to work on some of the good projects. The best part was that i helped my team grow from 2 people to 15 in a span of 2 years. Currently i am leading a fairly big group of analysts. Have already got one out of term promotion and might get second in next 6-8 months.
Now i have got an offer from one of the consulting firms {not the top 3} and i am in a big confusion. I want to get into consulting post MBA and this switch will really help me when i sit for placements in b-school. BUT, i already have 2 job switches on my resume and i don't want to be perceived as a job hopper by the Adcoms, so am not sure what to do.
I have a big chance of getting promoted in next few months in my current organization {would be my 2nd promotion in 30 months} which can be a very positive factor when i apply to b-schools.
In nutshell, i want to invite thoughts of my able fellow bloggers so that i can cover various pros and cons and finally take a better decision.
Wednesday, July 22
Snapshots from hell! - Book review {actually my view}
Just completed the book called "Snapshots from Hell". Its a nicely written book and gives a very good insight into the life of MBA students {esp students from non quant background} at Stanford.
The author of the book {Peter Robinson} was working at White House as a speech writer for mr. reagan {yes you read it right}. Then he tells the readers that he became interested in business {his version of why MBA?} and applied to Stanford. But even before his journey begins he is crippled by various negative thoughts. He adresses himself and other people from non quant backgrounds as "Poets". Now as per the book, poets are admitted to b-schools for the sake of diversity and poets are unable to cope up with the strenous life at the b-school {thats why the name "Snapshots from Hell"}.
The book takes reader through pre term boot camp, where author has humorously highlighted his incompetence in quant related topics. Then he goes on to further share his thoughts about other subjects and professors. I found that the author was unable to cope up with the rigor of b-school life and one could infer that the author is trying to criticize the b-school experience. This could be due to misfit {thats why finding the right school for pursuing the MBA is utmost important else one is forced to go through hell}.
As per the author, poets found the curriculum too difficult and had little time for networking and other jollies of life {a luxury which was enjoyed fully by consultants, i bankers and people from quant background}. As the story progresses one finds that author fares miserably in his first term but then slowly learns how to dodge the exams {passing the exams becomes his motive, god knows what happens to learning }.
The best part is where author reveals the value of aan MBA degree from a college like Stanford. He quotes his professor who says that even if students at Stanford and other top b-schools are not grounded hard and simply asked to play golf and enjoy life for 2 years, even then companies would recruit them in abundance and at a premium price. {brand does matter, Gucci, Versace.. vs non branded clothes}
Towards the end author loses his grip over the story but nevertheless Snapshots from Hell is a good read for any MBA applicant. Its reasonably priced and well written {no doubt that peter wrote speeches for Reagan}
The author of the book {Peter Robinson} was working at White House as a speech writer for mr. reagan {yes you read it right}. Then he tells the readers that he became interested in business {his version of why MBA?} and applied to Stanford. But even before his journey begins he is crippled by various negative thoughts. He adresses himself and other people from non quant backgrounds as "Poets". Now as per the book, poets are admitted to b-schools for the sake of diversity and poets are unable to cope up with the strenous life at the b-school {thats why the name "Snapshots from Hell"}.
The book takes reader through pre term boot camp, where author has humorously highlighted his incompetence in quant related topics. Then he goes on to further share his thoughts about other subjects and professors. I found that the author was unable to cope up with the rigor of b-school life and one could infer that the author is trying to criticize the b-school experience. This could be due to misfit {thats why finding the right school for pursuing the MBA is utmost important else one is forced to go through hell}.
As per the author, poets found the curriculum too difficult and had little time for networking and other jollies of life {a luxury which was enjoyed fully by consultants, i bankers and people from quant background}. As the story progresses one finds that author fares miserably in his first term but then slowly learns how to dodge the exams {passing the exams becomes his motive, god knows what happens to learning }.
The best part is where author reveals the value of aan MBA degree from a college like Stanford. He quotes his professor who says that even if students at Stanford and other top b-schools are not grounded hard and simply asked to play golf and enjoy life for 2 years, even then companies would recruit them in abundance and at a premium price. {brand does matter, Gucci, Versace.. vs non branded clothes}
Towards the end author loses his grip over the story but nevertheless Snapshots from Hell is a good read for any MBA applicant. Its reasonably priced and well written {no doubt that peter wrote speeches for Reagan}
Tuesday, July 21
Why MBA?
One of the most important question that one should ask himself/herself before embarking upon the MBA journey is "Why i should go for an MBA degree?"
5 years ago i tried hard to get an answer to the above mentioned question but failed to get an answer. Concepts like Challenging job, Career progression, Flexibility, Upward mobility, Out of box thinking etc were alien to me. Since, i could not get a good answer to "why MBA" question, i struggled to work hard for CAT (test to get admit into indian b-schools) while i was in undergrad college. Still i got a decent percentile and was invited to Group Discussion and Interview by some of the b-schools. In my interviews i struggled to explain why i wanted to do an MBA and this was the end of my pursuit to get an MBA degree.
5 years have gone by since i was rejected by indian b-schools and i think it was really good for me that they rejected me. {"You get what you deserve and not what you want" -- i have started to believe firmly in this quote} Now i really want to do an MBA and i have some solid reasons to pursue an MBA. Had i been selected by any b-school earlier i would have meandered through the course and would not have lived the whole experience of earning an MBA degree. Things are different now.
What really changed in past 5 years? What motivated me to go for an MBA? I would like to share my experience through this post.One should not go for an MBA if he/she doesn't really feel for it. If i take into consideration the amount of time one spends in preparing for GMAT, writing essays and finally attending the b-school, it amounts to approx 3 years (about 4% of once life considering 75 yrs as avg life expectancy). Also consider the fact that one sheds out a fortune(close to $120k as fees + cost of opportunity) to attend the b-school. The journey to attend the b-school itself is very rigorous and without ample motivation one might lose the track of his/her goal.
{If making money is your only goal then i would like to draw your attention towards Tiger Woods, Roger fedrer, Christiano ronaldo, Brad Pitt -- they are not MBAs. And even whores can make money but then they get screwed up. I don't think its a very good idea to get screwed up in order to make money.}
Now back to my story, when i started working, everything was great. There was so much to learn and so many things to do. As my career progressed i found that things which once startled me could no more excite me. Now i wanted bigger challenges and i got to work in some of the most challenging projects that my organization had to offer. But now i feel that the slope of my learning curve is dying out. I am surrounded with people who are from very similar background as mine and after spending few years in industry we all think on similar lines. In nutshell, there is no new learning!
b-schools scream diversity. They publish all sort of colorful pie charts highlighting the diversity in their classes. It is this diversity which brings an engineer, a commerce graduate, an arts graduate and people from many other undergrad courses together. I believe engineers are groomed to become rational {this does not mean that people from other undergrad courses are irrational :) } and arts graduates are very creative and can think out of box. So the diversity in class can (depends on how receptive you are to new ideas) provoke a new level of thinking in students. Besides different undergrad courses people are diverse in terms of Nationality, Work experience, Extra currics. I can imagine what it would be like to sit in a class of top b-school. How the discussions would shape up, how much value and different perspectives would be added to each discussion. Now imagine the kind of atmosphere that one would be exposed to.
{I am already dreaming about working on a project in a team which comprises of a consultant from UK, an i-banker from Wall-street, a japanese from manufacturing division of toyota and myself }
One of the major reason to attend a b-school is to mix with people from diverse backgrounds and learn from their experiences.
Now let us come to the academic rigor that is part of every top b-school. When b-schools are grinding the students all they are doing is polishing them. Even diamonds won't shine if not grounded. I want to undergo that boot camp at a top b-school. As i have progressed in my career i have gotten into a sort of comfor zone and i want to become a lot more active. The more active one is, the more competitive he/she beomes.
Top b-schools boast of faculty which comprises of nobel laureates, of people who have several best selling books to their names. Imagine sitting in class of a prof who can help you in stretching your boundaries. Major learning will be through peer learning but then a good teacher can teach few invaluable lessons.
Finally, i am a technical guy and i can't imagine myself doing same kind of work 5 years down the line. I like my work and am doing really well but i know after sometime i am going to hit the ceiling. An MBA will help in breaking the ceiling. Moreover, I sense that my role won't evolve in a manner that i would like it to.
Currently, i am only bothered about executing the projects and leading a team. But post an MBA i can get an opportunity to envision the path that my organization will tread in future. I think that would be really challenging and a great experience.
The more i think about getting an MBA degree and the more i interact with MBAs i become more resolute about pursuing MBA from a top b-school.
p.s: One of my dear friend Sid needs a special mention here for highlighting various aspects of an MBA degree. His thoughts really charged me up.
5 years ago i tried hard to get an answer to the above mentioned question but failed to get an answer. Concepts like Challenging job, Career progression, Flexibility, Upward mobility, Out of box thinking etc were alien to me. Since, i could not get a good answer to "why MBA" question, i struggled to work hard for CAT (test to get admit into indian b-schools) while i was in undergrad college. Still i got a decent percentile and was invited to Group Discussion and Interview by some of the b-schools. In my interviews i struggled to explain why i wanted to do an MBA and this was the end of my pursuit to get an MBA degree.
5 years have gone by since i was rejected by indian b-schools and i think it was really good for me that they rejected me. {"You get what you deserve and not what you want" -- i have started to believe firmly in this quote} Now i really want to do an MBA and i have some solid reasons to pursue an MBA. Had i been selected by any b-school earlier i would have meandered through the course and would not have lived the whole experience of earning an MBA degree. Things are different now.
What really changed in past 5 years? What motivated me to go for an MBA? I would like to share my experience through this post.One should not go for an MBA if he/she doesn't really feel for it. If i take into consideration the amount of time one spends in preparing for GMAT, writing essays and finally attending the b-school, it amounts to approx 3 years (about 4% of once life considering 75 yrs as avg life expectancy). Also consider the fact that one sheds out a fortune(close to $120k as fees + cost of opportunity) to attend the b-school. The journey to attend the b-school itself is very rigorous and without ample motivation one might lose the track of his/her goal.
{If making money is your only goal then i would like to draw your attention towards Tiger Woods, Roger fedrer, Christiano ronaldo, Brad Pitt -- they are not MBAs. And even whores can make money but then they get screwed up. I don't think its a very good idea to get screwed up in order to make money.}
Now back to my story, when i started working, everything was great. There was so much to learn and so many things to do. As my career progressed i found that things which once startled me could no more excite me. Now i wanted bigger challenges and i got to work in some of the most challenging projects that my organization had to offer. But now i feel that the slope of my learning curve is dying out. I am surrounded with people who are from very similar background as mine and after spending few years in industry we all think on similar lines. In nutshell, there is no new learning!
b-schools scream diversity. They publish all sort of colorful pie charts highlighting the diversity in their classes. It is this diversity which brings an engineer, a commerce graduate, an arts graduate and people from many other undergrad courses together. I believe engineers are groomed to become rational {this does not mean that people from other undergrad courses are irrational :) } and arts graduates are very creative and can think out of box. So the diversity in class can (depends on how receptive you are to new ideas) provoke a new level of thinking in students. Besides different undergrad courses people are diverse in terms of Nationality, Work experience, Extra currics. I can imagine what it would be like to sit in a class of top b-school. How the discussions would shape up, how much value and different perspectives would be added to each discussion. Now imagine the kind of atmosphere that one would be exposed to.
{I am already dreaming about working on a project in a team which comprises of a consultant from UK, an i-banker from Wall-street, a japanese from manufacturing division of toyota and myself }
One of the major reason to attend a b-school is to mix with people from diverse backgrounds and learn from their experiences.
Now let us come to the academic rigor that is part of every top b-school. When b-schools are grinding the students all they are doing is polishing them. Even diamonds won't shine if not grounded. I want to undergo that boot camp at a top b-school. As i have progressed in my career i have gotten into a sort of comfor zone and i want to become a lot more active. The more active one is, the more competitive he/she beomes.
Top b-schools boast of faculty which comprises of nobel laureates, of people who have several best selling books to their names. Imagine sitting in class of a prof who can help you in stretching your boundaries. Major learning will be through peer learning but then a good teacher can teach few invaluable lessons.
Finally, i am a technical guy and i can't imagine myself doing same kind of work 5 years down the line. I like my work and am doing really well but i know after sometime i am going to hit the ceiling. An MBA will help in breaking the ceiling. Moreover, I sense that my role won't evolve in a manner that i would like it to.
Currently, i am only bothered about executing the projects and leading a team. But post an MBA i can get an opportunity to envision the path that my organization will tread in future. I think that would be really challenging and a great experience.
The more i think about getting an MBA degree and the more i interact with MBAs i become more resolute about pursuing MBA from a top b-school.
p.s: One of my dear friend Sid needs a special mention here for highlighting various aspects of an MBA degree. His thoughts really charged me up.
Chicago GSB
Class profile:
Median work ex: 60 months
Median age: 28 yrs (entering class)Median work ex: 60 months
Median GMAT: 720 (Must say its quite high)
Acceptance Rate: approx 14%
School at a glance:
Chicago is one of the best b-school that one can get into. Chiacgo's strength are its "flexible curriculum"{Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD) is the only required course in entire curriculum. } and a steller roster of faculty {Both the factors are imp for me}. This college has a very strong alum network and a tremendous international brand name {This is another plus for those who are looking for a global career}. Another highlight is the rigor of the academic program at Chicago. Chicago GSB students are the hardest working of the lot.
Finance is the most popular major at the college followed by strategy. No doubt that top consulting and finance firms recruit heavily at Booth. The curriculum is inclined towards quant{which i won't mind at all} and therefore college somewhat attracts students who have a flair for quant. From what i have heard, Chicago's class is not as diverse as those of H/S/W {Can any alum throw light on this? } . But a sudden rise in ranking should see a lot more candidates from diverse backgrounds applying to this school.
Careers pursued by grads:
Majority of the grads go to consulting and i-banks. I want to get into consulting post my MBA (a logical progression from analytics to consulting) so Chicago fits my post MBA plans.
Top 3 consulting firms Mckinsey, Boston and Bain recruited 62 people from the class (more than 10%). And if we take into consideration other consulting firms then the %age shoots upto 22%. 110 students out of 484 students were absorbed by consulting firms.
Placement source:
If a school can facilitate 87% of the total placements then it shows how strong its Career development services are. This again is a big plus. Approx 20% of the class gets placed in Europe and Asia.
faculty:
Chicago has more nobel laureates in its faculty roster than any other school. So one can expect a high quality of learning experience. On the basis of what i have heard from my friend {a booth student} Chicago offers an amazing classroom experience. It forces you to stretch your boundaries {i think every top school does that}.
Given its strong International Brand and a strong presense in Consulting industry i think it makes sense for me to apply to chicago. I think i have got my first school to which i will be applying next year.
Sunday, July 19
How to make the best use of a meeting with an alum or a current student!
Today i called up one of my friend who's pursuing his MBA from a top b-school and realised that i need to have a set of questions ready which i can ask current MBA students or alums. Would like to share these questions so that you may make the best use of call/meeting with an alum or current student.
1. Always ask about their experience at the school. What did they liked, what turned them off etc etc. I asked my friend that "if you can travel back in time would you still like to come to this school?"
2. What is the learning model at your school? How comfortable you are with the curriculum? Does the learning model ensures that you grasp the fundamentals or do you feel out of place?
3. Whether you have to work independently or you work in teams? (I would prefer a school where i have to work in teams)
4. Does the school believes in grade non disclosure or not? (I would prefer a school which does not discloses the grade of the students.)
5. What is the size of the class? How well you are able to network with the rest of the class? How many people you know from your batch?
6. HOW IS THE FACULTY??
7. Are the students overly competitive or they are co-operative?
8. How do you find the alum community?
9. Are you proud to carry the name of "xyz" b-school or do you feel otherwise?
10. What would you suggest in order to strengthen my application for "xyz" school?
11. What do you like most and hate most about the school?
You can weave these questions and any other that you feel are relevant around your conversation with a current student and get a fair idea about the school.
Goal Setting
Goal Setting
In life, as in football, you won't go far unless you know where the goalposts are. - Arnold H. Glasgow
Glasgow’s words are equally valid in the game of life as they’re in the field of football. Was Maradona focusing on English defenders or the goalposts while he scored “the goal of the century” in 1986 world cup? Had he not been laser focused, I don’t think he would have been able to dodge seven English defenders, run 60 yards and score the brilliant goal. Let me take another example to illustrate why Goals are so important?
Do we start a journey without knowing where do we want to go?
• Before starting a journey we consider the following:
* Starting Point * Mode of Travel
* Destination * Start Date
* Price of ticket * End Date
Then why do we go through the important journey called life without having any goals?
Arnold Schwarzenegger was mere 15 years old when he proclaimed:
“I want to be the best built man in the world. Then I want to go to America and be in movies. I want to be an actor."
Didn’t he powered forward to achieve goal after goal in a phenomenal laser-focused way? From an early life Arnold used to set goals and took mighty strides forward to achieve them. We all can learn a few proven techniques to set goals and live a meaningful life.
The process of goal-setting should follow the below mentioned steps:
1. Click with your passion! - Money, Success, Fame etc. should not be the foundation of our goals. The passion or the “Joy” of doing a particular thing should be the first thing which should be taken into consideration while setting up goals. To further illustrate this let us take example of Sachin Tendulkar. What do you think was Sachin’s mentality when he picked up the bat? Was he thinking about money? Was he craving for Fame and Success? Or was it simply his passion for playing cricket? I think the answer is obvious, his passion guided him to play cricket and the rest is history. Find your triggers and think about what is it that you want to do with your life.
2. Dream Big! – Is your dream big enough to excite you and stir you to action?
A petrol pump attendant at one of the Burma Shell filling station had a dream “to build a business empire as big as Burma Shell”. In a single lifetime this man was able to realize his dream and built the biggest Indian business empire. The business empire is today known as Reliance. The man was Dhirubhai Ambani.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars” - Les
Brown
3. Find your Role Model! - In 1958, walking out of a movie theatre after having watched bodybuilder Steve Reeves in Hercules, the 12-year-old kid couldn't believe what he had just seen. He said to himself, "do you want to be a bum or be like Steve Reeves?" He chose the latter and from that early age developed a keen interest in bodybuilding. 18 years later he starred in an Oscar winning movie, “ROCKY”. The kid was “Sylvester Stallone”. Find someone you can emulate!
4. Be Focused! - When a lens comes between Sunlight and a paper, the paper gets burnt. What purpose does the lens serve? It helps in focusing the Sunlight. Believe in power of concentration of your energies. Don’t let your mind waiver because “If you chase two rabbits both are going to escape”.
Finally use SMART Goals.
• S - Specific - Be very specific /precise and write down your goal in a precise positive statement
• M - Measurable - Goals should be measurable. So set performance goals rather than outcome goals.
• A - Achievable - Set realistic goals and achievable goals,
• R - Realistic - Set realistic goals and achievable goals
• T - Time-Bound – There should be a deadline. Without a deadline a Goal is not a goal but merely a wish.
And finally “STAY HUNGRY”.
"The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer," – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Friday, July 17
darden
After Cornell i was supposed to write on "Tuck" but then somehow bumped on some statistics for Darden school of business and decided to dig in a bit more.
Median work ex: 4 years Acceptance Rate: approx 25% (which is a good sign)
Class size: approx 330
International students:approx 30%
countries represented: 35
{GMAT distribution for class of 2009 }
Like Cornell, Darden is essentially a school with a small class size. I have heard that it has a stunning campus and school is renowned for its general management program. Darden alums are considered to be one of the most loyal of the lot. Per alum endowment is one of the highest for Darden. This fact shows that Darden is a closely knit community and people nurture long time relationships here. I would like to be a part of such small but closely knit community.
Darden is heavily tilted towards "case study method". Students are selected via "cold calls" and are supposed to intiate the case. The huge positive of case method is that it inculcates decision making ability in the students. Also, students become articulate and more insightful while presenting their viewpoints or while defending their arguments (the very qualities which managers use day in and day out). No prizes for guessing that Darden will grill an applicant to judge how he/she will contribute to the class discussions. A student not only acts as a student in Darden but also as a Teacher.
Darden has also added other learning tools into its learning arsenal, namely : video cases, articles, simulations,and experiential activities. Experiential activities are one of the best method to teach. Just to highlight the value of experiential learning i would like to quote "Confucius":
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. "
Students are divided into learning teams and have to work in teams. Thus one can emphasize the ability to deliver in a collaborative environment in his/her application. {Working in teams comrising ofindividuals from diverse backgrounds sounds awesome to me. }
On average Darden students solve 13 cases/week and are expected to have a basic knowledge of accounting, statistics and economics ( i am zero in all three of these and thats why i have second thoughts about Darden). The MBA program at Darden is rigorous and it is this intensity that pays off while looking for internship and jobs. {well in sync with the saying that "The more you sweat in peace the lesser you bleed in war"}
"First Coffee", a tradition which is prevalent in Darden since its founding year, also caught my eye. Every weekday morning “First Coffee” is held, during which the Darden community sits down and discusses topics that are pertinent to the school. If you want to read more about this tradition then go to:
Last but not the least, placements -- 22% of the class goes to consulting and other major chunk to finance. Remuneration packages are comparable to top 5.
In sum, Darden is a great school but its heavy inclination towards case method puts doubt in my mind. I am trying to get in touch with some alums and try to clear my doubts. For those who already have basics in place Darden is a great school.
Thursday, July 16
Cornell Johnson
Cornell University, Johnson School of Business
Median GMAT:has risen from 680 to 700 (from class of 2008 to class of 2010)
Median work ex: 5 years
Class size: 270-300
International students:approx 30%
countries represented: approx 25
Johnson is a b-school with a small class. This means one can expect a closely knit community as is the case with Tuck. From what i have read professor's at Johnson open their homes for students (only for helping student's with curriculum).Students can expect high degree of attention from faculty.
Majority of the class opts for a career in consulting or finance (as is the case with most of the b-schools). Johnson is a general management program and its finance curriculum is particularly strong.
What i like most about Johnson is the concept of immersion learning.
"Students in the two-year MBA program complete the bulk of the Core MBA coursework during their first semester. In the second semester of their first year, most choose an immersion learning experience, plunging them into electives, site visits, and live cases aimed at getting them up to speed in their area of interest. " -- cortsey Johnson B-School website
Immersion learning is nothing but the application of theoretical concepts learnt during core curriculum. I personally feel this is one of the best methodology. One applies the concepts during internship. There are certain pre defined immersion programs but if you are not happy with one of them then you can work with a prof and craft one for yourself. Also, Many career switchers report that Immersions are an effective way to gain an in-depth understanding of their new target industry.
{Immersion Learning, also referred to as “the semester in reality,” is an experiential method that allows students to take a hands-on approach to functions such as: Managerial Finance, Investment Banking, Brand Management, Manufacturing, and e-business.}
The school is located in Ithaca NY. I found it a beautiful place (did some googling). The school has consistently been ranked in top 15. Placements are good, even in current bad times 93% of Johnson students got a job offer within 3 months of graduation. This reflects the brand value associated with this b-school. Majority of the job offers are from US companies while 12% students took offers from companies in Asia (sounds interesting).
After going through the website of Johnson b-school and reading articles about the school on net, i can say that Johnson is a school where i would like to apply. But other schools on my list are equally impressive, i can't be sure whether i would apply to Johnson until and unless i evaluate them thoroughly.
Next i will be posting on Tuck (one of the most selective school in USA).
Median GMAT:has risen from 680 to 700 (from class of 2008 to class of 2010)
Median work ex: 5 years
Class size: 270-300
International students:approx 30%
countries represented: approx 25
Johnson is a b-school with a small class. This means one can expect a closely knit community as is the case with Tuck. From what i have read professor's at Johnson open their homes for students (only for helping student's with curriculum).Students can expect high degree of attention from faculty.
Majority of the class opts for a career in consulting or finance (as is the case with most of the b-schools). Johnson is a general management program and its finance curriculum is particularly strong.
What i like most about Johnson is the concept of immersion learning.
"Students in the two-year MBA program complete the bulk of the Core MBA coursework during their first semester. In the second semester of their first year, most choose an immersion learning experience, plunging them into electives, site visits, and live cases aimed at getting them up to speed in their area of interest. " -- cortsey Johnson B-School website
Immersion learning is nothing but the application of theoretical concepts learnt during core curriculum. I personally feel this is one of the best methodology. One applies the concepts during internship. There are certain pre defined immersion programs but if you are not happy with one of them then you can work with a prof and craft one for yourself. Also, Many career switchers report that Immersions are an effective way to gain an in-depth understanding of their new target industry.
{Immersion Learning, also referred to as “the semester in reality,” is an experiential method that allows students to take a hands-on approach to functions such as: Managerial Finance, Investment Banking, Brand Management, Manufacturing, and e-business.}
The school is located in Ithaca NY. I found it a beautiful place (did some googling). The school has consistently been ranked in top 15. Placements are good, even in current bad times 93% of Johnson students got a job offer within 3 months of graduation. This reflects the brand value associated with this b-school. Majority of the job offers are from US companies while 12% students took offers from companies in Asia (sounds interesting).
After going through the website of Johnson b-school and reading articles about the school on net, i can say that Johnson is a school where i would like to apply. But other schools on my list are equally impressive, i can't be sure whether i would apply to Johnson until and unless i evaluate them thoroughly.
Next i will be posting on Tuck (one of the most selective school in USA).
Wednesday, July 15
Which b-school??
Its been a long time since i started looking out for my target b-schools. It started with Melbourne Business School and moved to I.E Spain then to IMD and halted for sometime at Wharton. The search is not complete yet but i have figured out how to find the school of my choice. When i started, all that i did was to go through some b-school rankings and then select the school whose name sounded cool (Like Yale Management School, don't know what was so cool about it. I think it was the effect of reading John Grisham Novels) ! (I know i was one jock when i started my MBA prep, on second thoughts i still might be one).
Initially, i wanted to attend a b-school which would not cost me a fortune (e.g: NUS singapore) then i wanted to attend a school in South Africa (South Africa has a good climate). I just wanted to do an MBA (for the heck of it, almost all my classmates are MBAs now, how can i stay behind). But, soon i got out of that rat race, i asked myself whether i really wanted to do an MBA? And once i got the answer in affirmative with some solid reasons (will share my reasons in another post) i was determined to find some good schools where i would fit in.
I approached my b-school search process with following factors in mind:
1. Fit ---> Now thats most important for me. I have to spend 2 years of my life in the school and I would not like to go to a school which promotes cut throat competition among students. I won't prefer a school where all students want to do is care for grades. I would like to go to a school which promotes team work and a culture where one learns a lot from his/her peers. In short i would prefer colleges which have a grade non disclosure policy ( I hope this policy helps in fostering a culture where people actually learn and don' run after grades.).
2. Reach ---> I dont want to waste my time, money and effort on schools which are outside my reach. When i think of it Harvard, Stanford and LBS come to my mind. (i think i need to learn to think big)
3. Typical career Paths followed by the grads ---> Need to get in touch with some of the alums
4. Learning Model --> for me this is the 2nd important thing after Fit. What good an MBA degree will be if i dont learn anything. The school that i would opt for should have a right mix of case, experiential and theoretical learning. (Cornell's model comes pretty close to my ideal learning model)
5. Brand value ---> Brand matters! atleast for me it does. It will be the last degree that i would pursue and the brand of my alma mater would be stamped on me for the rest of my life. Gucci commands respect and premium price in all the corners of the world.
6. Faculty in courses of my choice ---> whether school can give me world class faculty in the courses that i think will be instrumental in shaping my post MBA career. Columbia is famous for its Finance Faculty and other courses take a back seat. I have a preference for strategy so i would put a cross in front of Columbia.
Right now i have following schools in my mind and i need to research these schools at a deeper level before i further trim the list to final 4:
1. Cornell
2. Wharton ---> dream school
3. Kellogg
4. INSEAD
5. TUCK
6. EMORY ---> safe school
7. Kelley --> safe school
8. Chicago Booth
9. Darden (though its heavily tilted towards case method)
I will reasearch each of the above mentioned school in great detail and will post the information as and when i get it.
Initially, i wanted to attend a b-school which would not cost me a fortune (e.g: NUS singapore) then i wanted to attend a school in South Africa (South Africa has a good climate). I just wanted to do an MBA (for the heck of it, almost all my classmates are MBAs now, how can i stay behind). But, soon i got out of that rat race, i asked myself whether i really wanted to do an MBA? And once i got the answer in affirmative with some solid reasons (will share my reasons in another post) i was determined to find some good schools where i would fit in.
I approached my b-school search process with following factors in mind:
1. Fit ---> Now thats most important for me. I have to spend 2 years of my life in the school and I would not like to go to a school which promotes cut throat competition among students. I won't prefer a school where all students want to do is care for grades. I would like to go to a school which promotes team work and a culture where one learns a lot from his/her peers. In short i would prefer colleges which have a grade non disclosure policy ( I hope this policy helps in fostering a culture where people actually learn and don' run after grades.).
2. Reach ---> I dont want to waste my time, money and effort on schools which are outside my reach. When i think of it Harvard, Stanford and LBS come to my mind. (i think i need to learn to think big)
3. Typical career Paths followed by the grads ---> Need to get in touch with some of the alums
4. Learning Model --> for me this is the 2nd important thing after Fit. What good an MBA degree will be if i dont learn anything. The school that i would opt for should have a right mix of case, experiential and theoretical learning. (Cornell's model comes pretty close to my ideal learning model)
5. Brand value ---> Brand matters! atleast for me it does. It will be the last degree that i would pursue and the brand of my alma mater would be stamped on me for the rest of my life. Gucci commands respect and premium price in all the corners of the world.
6. Faculty in courses of my choice ---> whether school can give me world class faculty in the courses that i think will be instrumental in shaping my post MBA career. Columbia is famous for its Finance Faculty and other courses take a back seat. I have a preference for strategy so i would put a cross in front of Columbia.
Right now i have following schools in my mind and i need to research these schools at a deeper level before i further trim the list to final 4:
1. Cornell
2. Wharton ---> dream school
3. Kellogg
4. INSEAD
5. TUCK
6. EMORY ---> safe school
7. Kelley --> safe school
8. Chicago Booth
9. Darden (though its heavily tilted towards case method)
I will reasearch each of the above mentioned school in great detail and will post the information as and when i get it.
Tuesday, July 7
GMAT Score!! Is it really a make or break thing?
GMAT score is often the most talked about topic when it comes to MBA journey of an applicant. People so often start preparing for GMAT even before they finalize schools and in some cases even before they could answer why MBA {I too belonged to this category ;)}.
Is it true that one's GMAT score is the decisive factor in one's application? {i know this is the most cliched question and most answered question in the GMAT forums. I will just try to bring a different perspective to this question.} Undoubtedly, GMAT score is very important and you can get some idea about its importance from the following numbers:
Source: Kellogg Business school website
Its not tough to conclude from the above numbers that the lowest score pool has the highest conversion %age and the 750+ pool has the lowest conversion %age. There is not a huge difference between number of applicants in the two pools(718 vs 885). Then what could be the decisive factor??
It is important to realize that one's application consists of the following parameters (this list does not represent the relative importance of any of the factor, all the factors are equally important):
1. GMAT score
2. Work Experience
3. Extra currics
4. Recommendations
5. Undergrad transcripts
6. ESSAYS (I believe them to be most imp -- essays must give a clear and interesting picture of the candidate to the Adcom)
The highest no. of applicants are from 680-740 pool and if your score is in this bracket then stop bothering about retaking the exam and start working on other aspects of the application.
Good GMAT score is necessary but not sufficient!
Is it true that one's GMAT score is the decisive factor in one's application? {i know this is the most cliched question and most answered question in the GMAT forums. I will just try to bring a different perspective to this question.} Undoubtedly, GMAT score is very important and you can get some idea about its importance from the following numbers:
Source: Kellogg Business school websiteIts not tough to conclude from the above numbers that the lowest score pool has the highest conversion %age and the 750+ pool has the lowest conversion %age. There is not a huge difference between number of applicants in the two pools(718 vs 885). Then what could be the decisive factor??
It is important to realize that one's application consists of the following parameters (this list does not represent the relative importance of any of the factor, all the factors are equally important):
1. GMAT score
2. Work Experience
3. Extra currics
4. Recommendations
5. Undergrad transcripts
6. ESSAYS (I believe them to be most imp -- essays must give a clear and interesting picture of the candidate to the Adcom)
The highest no. of applicants are from 680-740 pool and if your score is in this bracket then stop bothering about retaking the exam and start working on other aspects of the application.
Good GMAT score is necessary but not sufficient!
GMAT prep
For past few weeks i could not study much. With appraisal cycle around the corner and so many pending deliverables i could not manage my time well. Now that everything is over i am back to my prep.
Completed my geometry preparation. Soon i will post my notes which cover everything from circles to triangles to polygons. Also, i worked on mensuration problems. Geometry requires one to stretch his or her imagination. Need to scan my notes and upload them.
Completed my geometry preparation. Soon i will post my notes which cover everything from circles to triangles to polygons. Also, i worked on mensuration problems. Geometry requires one to stretch his or her imagination. Need to scan my notes and upload them.
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