Tuesday, October 26

Done with the Round 1

My third app for R-1 is complete and i plan to submit the same by Oct-31. I can see a difference between my first 2 apps and the 3rd one. My motivation and passion for doing things is coming out in the essays. I am still not sure whether this would be enough for getting into a top b-school.

My strategy has been quite risky, i have applied to all schools in top 10 {in fact 2 schools are in top 5 and 3rd is near the bottom half of top 10}. No safety schools for me...

Interview invites have started rolling for one of my target schools but i haven't heard anything. I am talking about my first app. More or less my chances at this school are over { i still don't want to believe that :( ..}...in next few days i/v invites will start rolling for my 2nd app and i am expecting an i/v call at the very least....

As for my 3rd app i will only get to hear somethin in Dec {i/v decision}...for R-2 i have shortlisted 2 more schools...but a lot would depend on the results in r-1...if i am admitted then i won't apply to any other school...and if i am dinged at all 3 schools without an interview even then i won't apply anywhere ... :) ... Catch 22.... my mind is playing tricks with me...

Anyways..good thing is that i have updated my resume and it looks pretty impressive as compared to its earlier version.....can anyone tell me about some good job portals ;) ...

The feeling of completing my apps for r-1 has yet to sink in because my recommendors have not submitted the recs....will request them to do the needful at the earliest....

lastly, all da best to fellow applicants....biii

Friday, October 22

Stay ahead once you are admitted ...

Many of us have put enormous amount of efforts and time to get into one of those coveted b-schools. But getting into those b-schools won't mean much if we are not able to stay organized and focussed. Below is a guest post by Alvina Lopez {reminds me of J Lopez :)} on i-phone apps for MBA students...it's a smart way to stay focussed and organized....

iPhone Apps for MBA Students


As a MBA student your coursework is designed to teach you how to become an effective

manager. While learning managerial skills out of a textbook might be piece of cake, when

it comes to managing your own life while trying to earn your degree, it can prove quite

difficult. But it doesn't have to be thanks to certain iPhone apps created to make balancing

schoolwork, networking and your social life a whole lot easier. Below are the top iPhone

apps every MBA student needs to download to have a smoother semester.



Stay Organized

Every MBA student knows that the amount of assignments, projects and exams can get

overwhelming. A sure way to make sure you don't fall behind in class work and get

your "A" is to download apps that will help you study and stay organized. Let's be honest,

even if you own a daily planner, sometimes you can forget when important assignments are

due. Date Wheel is a neat app to that helps you remember important assignment due dates

using a countdown mechanism. It will tell you when your assignment is due and how many

days left you have to complete it, so you can balance your time effectively iiBlueSky is also

another convenient app that can help you excel in school. It uses its visual mind mapping

interface to allow you to take and review notes and prepare for exams.



Stay Informed
As a MBA student, it's your responsibility to be well-educated in all aspects of the business

industry. Only way to do this is to be familiarized with the news and to be well-informed of

what's going in the world. The Google News app is a great way to stay updated with current

events not only in the business sector but with world-events as well. NetNewsWire is also

another great iPhone app. This news aggregator selects different articles from different

publications on the same subject so you don't receive your news from just one source.



Stay Social

TwitterFon and Facebook apps are an automatic given and are already pre-installed in most

iPhones. While the social networking sites help you stay connected with friends so you

won't go completely insane during the semester, your Twitter and Facebook friends most

likely won't find you a job come graduation time. But Career Builder and Linkedin can.

These apps will keep your resume on file at all times and can help you find and apply for

jobs through your phone.


P.S:

This guest post is contributed by Alvina Lopez, who writes on the topics of accredited online


colleges . She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.
http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/

Tuesday, October 19

2 hawks down..2 more to go..

Have already submitted 2 of my apps and finding it hard to freeze the 3rd one. I want to approach the essays for my 3rd and 4th college from a different angle all together. I have all the ingredients but i don't have the recipe.

Shall i use the conversational style or go with the conventional style. I just want that my essays should reveal my personality in best possible manner. In retrospect, i am not happy with my 1st two apps. The grief is enhanced by the fact that those were my top 2 choices.

I don't have a clue about my next 2 apps and here i am killing time on blog. On Saturday i am going to play poker with friends. I have 9-10 days at hand before i hit the submit button again but things are not moving at the right pace.

I plan to submit 4 apps in R-1 and 2 more in R-2. If i don't get any interview invite in R-1, i may scrap my plans for R-2. I would better introspect and take corrective measures...

p.s: hats off to those who have submitted 4-5 apps in a short time...

Thursday, October 14

That's life

Oct-14-2010

Waiting at the petrol station for my turn, i was sitting in my car and listening to the radio. Suddenly a Beamer stopped along side me and i started day dreaming. How much i loathed sitting in a car that costs almost 1/10 of a beamer. Then, an old man arrived on his scooter. He had a perenial smile on his face, highlighting that he still brushes his teeth regularly {i wonder those were real or artificial}.

It was a long line and the staff at petrol station was working slowly, cars moved at an infinitesimally slow speed. My eyes kept on ping ponging from Beamer to scooter. Old man was pushing his scooter everytime a car in front of him moved out and the beamer was just gliding smoothly. I could see sweat dropping from old man's forehead while cool air from my car's AC kept the temp. under control. I turned to have another look at the beamer and saw the guy sitting inside. He was wearing a collar on his neck {i believe he had spondilytis}, had wrinkles on his face and the  lines on his forehead deepened as he shouted on the phone.

Automatically, my mind started comparing old man to this guy. The guy in beamer would have been around 35 yrs old but looked paler in comparison to the old man. Then at three parallel pumps, staff started filling fuel in my car, the beamer and old man's scooter. I paid the bill by card and watched the old man search his pockets for every possible sign of money. He fondled his pockets until he took out every note, he counted the money twice and grinned before paying his bill. Then he started kicking his scooter{no push start }, cars behind him started honking and he had to manually push his scooter few feets ahead.

The beamer sped off, the guy in car still shouting on his mobile phone. I moved forward and parked my car to observe the old man. He must have kicked his scooter 30 times but no luck, every now and then he would manually push his scooter few feets ahead {i wonder whether that was to give way to others or because he was embarassed}. I wanted to get out of my car and help him but could not get out of my car. I am a mechanical engineer but i don't know shit about scooters. I requested god to help him but i think god also failed in automobile engineering ;) {no pun intended..god i am sorry...i love u..}.

Then the old man started pushing his scooter towards a mechanic who was sitting in a small shop outside the petrol station. The smile from old man's face faded and mechanic's face started beaming....i got to know that smile is infectious....

Thursday, October 7

The Last Mile

Am tired...i don't feel like reviewing my essays anymore... :) ... God grant me the sanity and strength to complete the last mile....

My recommendors are doing a better job than me...first recommendor told me that he has already submitted my recos.... and i hope he wrote good things about me .. amen

Called up second recommendor...he assured me that everything would be done by Saturday....well before the deadlines on Oct-13th, 14th and Nov-1...

I assured myself that i will try my best to submit the apps on last day....i had freezed my essays in last week of Sep but could not resist playing with them and now am myself confused which version is to be submitted....

Resume is done...need to get transcripts scanned....

More or less i am on track....But i feel like running a race with blind folds on....i can't see where do i stand with respect to the competition.....Interesting....

Come Nov-1 and am off for an excursion .....

Sunday, October 3

Can lines be dead?? Deadlines ;)

MBA blogosphere is silent than normal...and it's obvious...people are busy giving finishing touches to their essays...i was out for past many days...first on an excursion with friends..then attended few marriages...and finally was out to attend a high flying official event...

My apps -- more or less i am done..have given my best shot....not bothering about what the results are gonna be...because ultimately we get wat's best for us...and not wat we desire ;) {i know deadlines can make a person philosophical}...

Few observations:

Hyderabad airport -- Male Toilet --> || <---Female Toilet {can a toilet be male or female?? and if yes..do they also make love??}

Deadlines...do we burry lines once they re dead?? {graveyeard for lines ..oops..pathetic...}

Goa

KT: Sid i think that's superb..wat do you say?
Sid: You are right...she's superb..hot legs...and well endowed...
KT: i am talking about that car..is it skoda superb??

At a shop selling petrol bottles

KT: Aunty how much for the bottle
Aunty: 65/litre

KT:Sid .. now here we have something that can become a bomb
Sid: No buddy...she is too old to become a bomb...she hasn't got the potential
KT: I am talking about the petrol bottle

Enuffff......nervousness can often provoke people to fire PJs....

All da best to all the fellow applicants.....2 months from now..we will start getting the results....no matter wat the results are gonna be...life will go on....so ve fun ;)