End of the game for me

After 3 years of hard work (GMAT + Essays), research and gruelling wait i have decided to call it quits. Today was a bad day, as soon as i stepped out of home i met an accident. Then received ding from one of the 2 schools i had applied to in R1. No interview invite :'(

Compared to last year i had much stronger essays and some of the current students who read my essays reciprocated my belief. Worst part is even after putting in 100s of hours i don't know what is wrong with my app. 740 GMAT (92 percentile in both sections), amongst top 3 students in undergrad (dean scholarship holder from a top engg college in India), tonnes of EC and leadership roles (played hockey at national level, chairman and cofounder of an NGO for past 5 years, various roles at my current organization) , excellent career progression (7 years of work exp at one of the global banks and leading a group of almost 30 people), have some patents to my name, one failed entrepreneurial venture, good recos...and decent essays

I am disappointed and feeling perplexed, not because i failed but because i don't know what caused this failure. And since i don't know where i am lacking i can't think of ways to improve my candidature. I have wasted almost 10% of my life on chasing my MBA dream..10% of my life WASTED..

But was it really a waste? i think i have become a better person in process of applying to b-schools. My communication skills have improved, my awareness of the world has increased..i met some of the most wonderful people in this journey..and most importantly i learnt to INTROSPECT...so it was not that bad...

something might be missing in my app that's why i am not attending a b-school..there would be a lot better candidates than me..and i have to accept it...feels bad but that's life....and i wasted lots of $$ on this game..bad bet..

I don't know how i am gonna keep this blog alive...atleast for next few weeks i just want to let go off this sad feeling....till then ciao...

Booth o Booth

Well my love for Booth grows after every interaction with alum or ad-com..

Forrest Gump - http://run-forrest.blogspot.com/

he is one of the most helpful guys i have ever met online...hats off to you dude..

Poweryogi - http://poweryogi.blogspot.com/

FANTASTIC -- he is one guy whom i would LOVE (brotherly love) to meet and seek GYAN...his blog inspires me to jump to next orbit...

AD-COM -- how hard you work guys??? you write them a mail and here comes a prompt reply ("and that too amid the ongoing admissions season...)

Attending Booth would be a dream come true...?(thats wat i feel right now...)

oops..

i am a re-applicant to Booth this year and already exhausted with my app. Today my recommender calls up and tells me that he has submitted my reco..and i thank him. After a brief pause he says but there is one small issue, i forgot to select the correct relationship in the reco form. And my jaw dropped... :'(

He is planning to write a note to the ad-com but i just can't concentrate on my app..he selected the correct info but then his explorer collapsed and whatever changes he made were lost.

I am hoping that this silly mistake doesn't prove to be a show stopper..and i encourage all the fellow applicants to update their recommenders so that they don't commit the same mistake..

Heading for disaster again...

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.


Albert Einstein

After last year's app debacle i didn't want to repeat the same  mistakes. (I should pay heed to advice given by Einstein the great) Last year by this time, i had not only written but also re-written my essays a 20 times and had them proof read by current students and alums. (And yes they all kicked my butt harder than zidane kicked the football.) I was talking relentlessly to students, alums and taking notes. I was going through school websites and attending college info-sessions. But what i didn't do was INTROSPECTION. To make the maters worse, i only applied to 3 schools and that too in top 10.

At the begining of this app season, i was determined to get into a b-school. So, abiding by mr. Einstein's wisdom i didn't write my essays 20 times..oops i haven't even written them even once this year. I am browsing gaming and social networking sites instead of b-school websites. I am going to parties rather than attending school info-sessions. But i am INTROSPECTING...and yes i have discovered a lot about myself..But due to personal reasons my target schools have changed drastically..

Introspection has helped me a lot but i haven't written a single word on MS Word till now. I have to shortlist my recommendors and share my stories with them (last year i had already done so).

Sir Einstein (was he knighted?? who cares) - i followed your advice and overhauled my approach but i think i am again headed towards a disaster...(please RIP...no need to jump out of your grave and strangulate me...i know i am the culprit) ...

True Calling

'I simply cannot fail and i don't have to worry about fame and money. Now what is it that i shall be doing?' I have been asking this question to myself for past few weeks. But i haven't got the answer yet and i don't think i am going to get one in near future.

Why is it that only a minuscle %age of people outshine 99.9999% of the world's population. There can be 3 reasons:

1. Successful and Happy people are doing what they love to do - e.g -- Zidane loved soccer and it seems god blessed him with immense talent for playing soccer. When you do what you love to do and to add to it you have immense talent in that field, you are bound to be successful and joyous.

2. Successful people are doing what they believe is important to do - e.g -- this time i will take an example of Amrish Puri, he is regarded as the greatest villain in indian film industry. Amrish Puri wanted to be a hero but directors refused to cast him as hero and instead wanted him to play a villain.What did he do? Obviously he accepted the role and rest is the history. At times we have to accept our limitations and do what is best in our own interest. This particular category is successful but they might not be joyous.

3. People who are joyous do what is important and still nurture their interests -- i might love to play soccer and i might not have the talent to make it to top circuit. What shall i do?? Stop playing soccer?? No...i should play soccer for the fun of it..and god would have given me inherent talent to shine in some other field. Eg - Anshu Jain -- the guy who is touted as next CEO of Deutsche Bank. He is a damn successful banker but he loves to play cricket. And to sustain his love for cricket he still plays it, not only plays it but leads Deutsche's cricket team...

Then there are people who don't even think about happYness and success...they might dream about the riches but they even question their right to dream. My domestic help is a very hard working person, i once asked him why in the hell you are stuck in this menial job?Go out and do some small business. But he could not believe that he would be able to do something other than doing the dishes and cleaning homes. {Wish he could read Dhirubhai's biography...a petrol pump attendent who ended up creating India's largest private petrochemical company.}

It's time for office...more later..ciao

Sore Loser

This morning, i lost 5 consecutive games of ping pong. After every loss i whined and tried not to LOOSE the next game {i should have focussed on WINNING}. I whined about everything - height of the net, weight of the ball, the bat, lighting, table and what not. [In hindsight, i should have played without the fear of loosing, was playing with someone with whom i have history of some close matches and of some heated exchanges during the matches.]

While cooling down i realized that instead of whining i should have taken note of my opponent's weaknesses and should have played patiently [i kept on smashing the ball in net]. Then suddenly last year's app process came to my mind. Once i was dinged by all schools, I complained about high volume of apps, belonging to over-represented group {Indian Male Engineer} and not giving enought thought to essays {hell, an excuse can't get worse than this}. I should have realized that despite of all the aforementioned excuses, a lot of Indians made it to top b-schools. It clearly shows that they were better PREPARED than me.

I sincerely feel that i am a loser because i behave like one. i "Lack FOCUS", i Think about failure rather than success, i Whine after loosing the game rather than introspecting...Will i change...well i plan to :) ...

Gearing up again

I have almost recovered from the setbacks and disappointments of last year's application season debacle. I am feeling enthusiastic again about applying to some top b-schools. I gave a deep thought to my application strategy and summarized it as:

1. Apply only to top 10 b-schools -- i don't think its gonna change {i know its very risky but can't just help it...}

2. Colloquial language-- BIG NO --has to change...i was too colloquial.. --> will be a lot more structured and formal while approaching the essays

3. My goals were too narrow -- i was specific but too narrow -- will be specific but will show some flexibility..won't be too rigid this time

4. Failed to highlight my extra currics and achievements outside the professional domain -- Will have to show a multi-dimensional facet...

Tied up real bad in a critical project so that leaves very little time for blogging...but will try to share timely updates on my apps...

wassup

Long time since i published a meaningful post and i don't think the status will change even after this post. After the last year's app debacle am not sure what to write and what to do. I will submit the apps once more but with my current trip to USA all my USA fascination has evaporated. USA is a great country {one of the very best} and the kind of lifestyle you get in USA is next to impossible in India. But, with my family and friends in India my heart never travels to USA with me. An MBA from USA or for that matter from any other developed nation will pull me out of India for atleast 6-7 years {normal time to pay back USD 150, 000}.

Some say, that once you settle you will make friends and things will be fine. But i believe that things will remain the same, i will change {atleast superficially}. There is a huge cultural gap between India and USA {and i have due respect for both the cultures} but i am not yet ready to move away from  my roots {should have thought hard before last year's app season}. I will be applying to some top schools in India this year and if i screw up again then i will hone my current skill set to the highest level. Talking about other options only shows the level of my confidence.

Anyways, the stay in US is going good. A big relief from Indian summer, yes its 115 degrees in India and in NY it's 56 degrees. I am waiting for the next weekend as it's an extended one and i hope to get some good deals in lieu of memorial day.

On work front, i have been staffed on a challenging project. Structuring a model to optimally price the products of a leading i-bank. I think that's it for now and i must go back to work, lots to catch up.

Ciao

In NY

Have been staffed on a new project {pricing the i-banking products} and must admit feeling scared. Have no domain knowledge or prior experience of working in this domain. Will be in NY till Jun-10. Anyone who reads this blog and who wants to meet is most welcome..

This would be my first trip to NY so feeling a bit strange as i would be all alone :'( .. yeah that sucks...earlier i had few frnds in charlotte/chi etc and that helped...

How to Self-Market your Online MBA Degree - Guest Post by Mariana

While young aspiring entrepreneurs technically don't need to have an MBA to launch their

business, an advanced degree can most certainly help—you'll learn all of the fundamentals

needed to become successful, including being equipped with skills in marketing, finance,

business models, and operations management. Not to mention an MBA can most certainly

help launch your career as a company CEO, corporate manager, corporate vice-president and

department manager within another start-up company that is not your own. But returning to

a brick-and-mortar graduate school can be time consuming. Maybe that's why so many are

pursuing online MBA degrees. While the validity of online degrees is slowly starting to be

accepted by most employers, some are still unfortunately skeptical of the whole idea of e-

learning. This is mainly due to the numerous illegitimate diploma mills that have tainted the

concept of online schooling. With that said, employers will still hire online graduates, but be

prepared to answer more difficult questions to prove your education is legitimate and skills are

up to par. But the fact that you earned your degree online already sets you at an advantage over

the rest of the applicants— you just need to know how to market yourself properly. To learn how

to sell your MBA online degree, continue reading below.



Self-Discipline



Typically during every interview, an employer will ask an interviewee how he or she stands out

from the rest of the applicants. This would be the perfect opportunity to simultaneously highlight

your strong work ethic and explain how you possess a lot of self-discipline. Online students are

required to complete their assignments independently without little or no supervision –a quality

that employers always look for an employee. While yes it is true that traditional students must

also work on their own to complete their assignments, the flexibility of online classes can be

harder than when completing courses in a traditional setting because students have to set their

own goals and be really self-disciplined to finish assignments without reminders from professors

and outside help from their classmates. Your online degree can prove that you are self-starter and

know how to get your work accomplished.


Time Management Skills


Here, you can also stress that you were able to earn your degree despite any obstacles that may

have stood in your way, such as balancing a full or part-time job or taking care of your family.

The applicants who only had to worry about school can't say the same. If you can prove that you

were dedicated enough to earn a degree and utilize your time management skills to the best of

your ability, this will undoubtedly demonstrate that you can get your work done and that you are

a hard worker.

Proficiency in Computers


Your online degree can also demonstrate that you have basic skills in computer and

technology—a quality that employers also seek in potential hires. Explain how the format of

online schooling will save the company time and money since you will not need to be trained to

use certain software programs and you can correct your own minor technical difficulties such

as updating/installing plug-ins such as Flash and Adobe Reader and you know how to scour the

internet. You also can stress how your online school format has taught you how to make video

conference calls since you were required to video chat professors for example or that instant

messaging and e-mailing has prepared you to communicate at a global level. You can also stress

how you are an effective online researcher since you only had access to online sources and

databases to complete your term papers and assignments.



P.S: Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She


loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.

You can read more stuff from her at http://www.onlinecolleges.net/

clear admit bob voting on FB

Though i am late :) but still would urge the readers of this blog to login to ur FB account and vote for ur fav b-school blog...my blog appears as KT...below is the link

FB Link

Sathya Sai Baba

Yesterday, Sathya Sai Baba bid adieu to the people of planet earth. Every channel played the same news and all the celebrities paid homage to the great man. Yet there were people who could not refrain themselves from calling baba a fraud, magician and what not.

I am not a devotee of Sai Baba but i respect him. My scientific mind refuses to believe that he could materials things such as holu ash, shiv lings etc. But my heart feels that he was a man who invoked lots of faith in millions of people. Making people believe in love, peace and positivities of life is no small thing. People even raise fingers at the wealth amassed by sathya sai trust. But they forget that in a country such as India, Sai trust hospital provides free medi-aid to thousands of poor people.

A lot of people were even sceptic about Christ but today, he is hailed as king of kings. I pay my homage to a man who enlightened many minds and changed the course of thousands. may Baba RIP... 

Clear Admit BoB

Have been nominated for clear admit BoB applicant category again this year :). Want to thank the clear admit team for nominating me along with highly talented bloggers.

And god..when will i move from applicant to student category ???????? helppppppppppppppp ;)

book review - Great Indian Mba Dream

Just finished reading the book - 'Great Indian Mba Dream' by Shiva Prakash. Believe me i am writing this review so that others may not waste their money on this book.

Cost - INR 195 {Approx USD 4.5}

Plot - the back cover says that book is about an Indian Male Engineer who wants to get out of IT industry and earn an MBA. The topic is great and very relevant to Indian MBA aspirants but the book fails to live up to the expectations. Coming back to the plot -- there is no plot.

Miss S: what are you reading

KT: Great Indian MBA dream

Miss S:  what it is all about?

KT: I dont know...really..i dont know what it is all about.

Miss S: Is it good?

KT: i think my thermodynamics course book in engineering college was much better

The narrative is too dry and is not well structured. even after reading more than 250 pages i am unable to  figure out why in the first place this book was written and why in the hell publishers published it.

Author is an MBA from ISB Hyderabad and he could have atleast portrayed life at ISB. I can go on and on and tear this book apart but i am not in a mood to do so.

In nutshell, all i can say is that REFRAINNNN FROM BUYIN THIS BOOK...

Dinged by Booth

finally am off the waitlist...but as always have ended up on the wrong side ...

Spinal Tumor it is...

since long {aug 2009 to be precise} i was bugged by this bad backache...MRIs, X-Rays, blood tests revealed little. On Saturday, as i returned from my vacation, i learned that my dorsal spine is affected by a smal tumor...

As a child i liked heroes getting brain tumors and all..it seemed so cool...P.S i love you's Gerry....that was also cool...{I am not dying ;) ... mine is not so serious and is detected at a very early stage}..but i dont like the medicines...and the restrictions imposed on me....

medicines are damn heavy and make me sloppy whole day...it's heard to listen to people..i hear the chatter all the time but don't get what they re saying...i feel medicines are working...not experiencing the pain and stiffness in my back....

and yes am still working on Booth's WL...and my book :) ...

Resume Building

An impressive resume is important part of your application and also serves you well during job search. I have been involved in recruitment for a long time now and based upon some experience, advice from MBA students and other experts i have following points to share:

1. Attention of reader is inversely proportional to length of your resume -- don't prepare 3-4 page resumes highlighting all the projects that you have done in your job. Limit your resume to 1 page. At the max go for 2 pages {though not recommended}. Curb the desire to put everything on your resume, a crisp resume highlighting key projects and accomplishments is much better. Whenever i encounter a 4 page resume i start yawning as soon as i go thru the 1st page

2. Result Driven -- back up your claims with numbers and results. e.g:
I led a team on project to optimize the marketing campaign for insurance group
I led a team of analysts to optimize the marketing channels for insurance group, saving $XX Mn and increasing the response rate by 2%age points
It is important to show that you are a result oriented person

3. Get it reviewed by someone who knows nothing about your industry

4. Get it reviewed by someone who is an expert in your industry/ target industry

5. Below mentioned site is great for making cosmetic changes to your resume:

http://www.lifeclever.com/give-your-resume-a-face-lift/ {believe me this site has some really good tips..}

6. Kill the urge to review your resume 10000 times...and the urge to put everything that you have ever done in your life...always keep the target audience in mind...

vacation time.... :)

Essay Consulting - Admit1

During the app process i found people who straightaway quashed the essay consultants and then there were others who had great words to say about them. There are people who are better at soul searching, structuring their thoughts and writing precisely. Unfortunately, i am not the best of the thinkers and nor the prolific of the writers.

Squandering aimlessly after 2 dings and 1 WL, i saw Yael Redelman's blog. She is an experienced admissions consultant from NYU's MBA Admissions as well as a graduate of the NYU MBA full-time program. She has experience in Investment banking and hi-tech fields. And, she specializes in customized and personal admissions consulting for top MBA programs.

During my interaction with her i found her to be very friendly and helpful. If i am applying to b-schools during 2011, i will seek her help. for others who are applying during R3 or during fall of 2011 iwould suggest that you give Admit1 a thought. You can go to Yael's blog:
http://admit1mba.blogspot.com/2011/02/are-you-strong-enough-for-insead-and.html

For free assessment of your profile you can always mail her {her mail id is there on her blog}.

p.s: i do not have any personal interest in Admit1 and the views expressed here are my own..

Ijaazat - Review

The song - 'mera kuch saman' is enigmatic and i could not stop listening to it. Driven by the soulful music and ultra realistic yet dreamy lyrics, i played this song many times over on my i-pod. As i dug deeper, i found that the song belongs to Gulzar's movie called 'Ijaazat'. Once i checked the star cast, it took me no time to purchase the VCD and watch the movie.

Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha and Anuradha Patel are in the lead roles. Naseer and Rekha are impressive as always. Anuradha Patel has carried off sensuality and innocence with panache. I will get back to characters in detail but let me take a detour and address the plot.

The plot is very simple yet complex - Paradox -- but then its Gulzar :). The story is all about circumstances and misconceptions. Circumstances take toll of Naseer's love life and misconceptions kill his marriage. I won't reveal the plot else you might loose interest. All i can say is that Gulzar has nicely woven the tale and actors have beautifully exhibited the emotional turbulence felt by the characters.

I wanted to kick Naseer's character for not taking a firm stand and in the next 15 minutes i would be cursing his circumstances for spoiling his life. In the end all i could feel for the hero was 'Sympathy'. Rekha's character too is confusing and she has done justice to it. The pick of the actors was Anuradha Patel -- she has looked gorgeous. At times you feel she needs a psychiatrist and then you feel she needs love. And when you look at the bigger picture you curse her circumstances.

RD Burman's music is melodious and Gulzar has penned one of his best works. 'mera kuch saman', 'katra katra', 'khali hath sham ayi', 'chhoti si kahani'' -- every song is a master piece and is even more engaging in the context of story.

Ijaazat will bring out the philosopher in you and will create a feeling of discomfort. It's a kind of movie that you will want to watch again but would like to forget the plot before watching again..it's a kind of movie that would be hard to explain to others..but you will for sure recommend it to others... In nutshell, go for it...you won't regret...

The B-School resume -- guest post by Conrad from 2 minute gmat

During my Booth interview, the first thing that my interviewer said was 'You have got a very impressive resume' but the rest is not history ;). Resume is not everything when it comes to b-school journey but for sure it is very important to have a good resume. Not only it will help you stand out during app process but also it will aid you during your job search. Below is a great article from Conrad, i will add my bit in anonter post. For now just read on:

Advice For Your Business School Resume

When completing your MBA application, you will probably need to include your resume. When including this document, you should look for your resume to be one page long. Your resume will also most likely be different than the resume you send when applying for a job. As opposed to including skills that are specifically for a certain position (as an example including social media skills for a marketing position), you will be targeting your resume for your business school application. Therefore, for your business school resume you should emphasize your experience in leadership and communication skills.

In your resume, the professional, education, and additional information sections will need to be included. Your resume will mostly consist of your professional section. Each section in the professional section should include strong action verbs from your specific experiences. This is very important to remember; using passive verbs will not have as strong of an effect. When you have the opportunity, you should also use numbers.

The second part of your resume, the education section, should focus on your undergraduate studies. If you have pursued other degrees in the past, this is where you should include this section. The last section of your resume, the additional information section, should only be a few lines and you should include any interesting facts about yourself and your interests.

I hope this was of help.

Conrad and the 2minuteGMAT Team

For more advice on improving your GMAT score, visit http://www.2minutegmat.com/.
________________________________________
Founded in 2009, 2minuteGMAT guarantees that you will improve your GMAT score by 50 points or your money back. We send you a unique email every day for 6 months with 10 GMAT Questions of the Day (5 Math and 5 Verbal), a daily blurb about top business schools in the country, and advice from experts on how to improve your GMAT score. Visit the 2minuteGMAT blog for updates and GMAT tips.

Applications -- Some dos and don'ts

I did not get an admit this year but learnt lots of lessons. My stats were well above median for all my target schools. Be it the GMAT, GPA, Work ex, career progression, extra currics, i had some stellar numbers. But i failed to write a good story {and here i am aspiring to be a writer}. Following are some tips that "might" help others:

1. Career Goals -- I have a crystal clear picture of my career goals. But clarity alone doesn't help, i failed to show why i am so passionate about my goals. Since my goals were entrepreneurial, i also failed to show viability of my goals.

Learning: Know your goals {short term , medium term, long term} -- reading career literature or visiting the websites of your post MBA target companies is a great help. Go to the career sections, most of the companies share the typical career paths and also the associated skills, competencies and job responsibbilities. You will get a clear idea of what you will be doing and which skills you need to hone.

Why are you passionate about your goals: Don't just say i am passionate about marketing and hence i want to get into a marketing role. SHOW PASSION through some of your actions. I first got acquainted with marketing while working at college fest. I was responsible of marketing the fest to corporates and other colleges. I learnt x, y and z. i enjoyed doing a, b and c. despite of challenges m,n and p i did my job and fest was a huge hit. {This is just an example...you dont have to go back to college .. you can start with your last job or some extra curric that you re pursuing for a long time}. The basic idea is to link your goal with your passion.

Why is your goal feasible: I want to establish a company that will build golf clubs that will have analytics augmented in them. such clubs will automatically gather the data of your swings/hits/misses and once you push the analyze button, it will tell you your flaws and will guide you to a perfect swing. In the next decade there is going to be an increase of 50% in golf playing population and this club will have a huge demand..i envision that such a club can also help sportspersons and take the game to next level...blah blah...{obviously you need to put all of this succinctly...something that i consistently fail to do}

2. Leadership essays: one of the friends told me that best way to appraoch this essay is to prepare a MS Excel sheet. In one cloumn you write down all the leadership qualities that you possess and that you want to highlight in your essays. In second column put down all the stories from your life where you acted as a leader. Now play a mix and match...the story that can highlight maximum number of qualities should be your answer...SHOW THAT CHALLENGE -- HOW YOU RESOLVED IT -- WHY YOU BEHAVED IN THIS PARTICULAR MANNER -- WAT DID YOU LEARN -- WAT SKILLS YOU HOPE TO DEVELOP...

3. Never start writing an essay without having a good idea about your story....work on the plot first and then write the narrative...

4. School research does not mean listing down courses, faculty names, clubs etc,. again it shud be abt you..wat do you hope to develop thru a particular course/lab/club and how you will apply it in your post mba career...i made this mistake of simply listing down a lot of things i was excited about...better approach is to list few things and write about them in detail and how they are related to you...

Suggestions/Feedbacks are most welcome...

The married bachelor

I have read a lot about time management and prioritizing but never applied the principles to my life. Till now i faired poorly while delegating tasks and focussing on important chores. I have made a to do list for 2011 that i plan to follow:

1. Practice Yoga for 30 mins each day -- good for my broken back {not brokeback mountain type}. Actually i have been diagnosed with a minor slipped disc and winters are like a curse for me...practising Yoga helps a lot...

2. Complete my Novel -- have already shared my idea with one of the publishers. The novel is called 'The Married Bachelor' and is all about transition from bachelorhood to married life...Publisher appreciated my idea but didn't like the narrative. Actually i wrote the narrative in 3rd person and that's not going down well with publisher...so have to work on the narrative...plan to complete the novel by 31-mar-2011 {but then plans are plans}..Also i need to practice writing properly .. need to do away with .... { yes the dots.... i write pathetically.. will try and organize my thoughts and then put them in words rather than haphazardly putting down anything and everything.} Will be more organized from next post onwards.

3. Chase Booth's waitlist -- have put up a waitlist strategy and i am going to execute it to the best of my capabilities...keeping my fingers crossed....

4. Read books -- till 2006 i used to read 3-4 books/month and now the frequency has dropped to 3-4/year. Need to read more and will start with raghu Rajan's 'Fault Lines'...

5. travel with friends and relaxx-- that's what i love to do.......i plan to explore 3-4 new places this year...

6. If i fail to convert booth's WL -- apply again -- will spend Aug/Sep -2011 preparing my apps

So unlike 2010, 2011 is all about focus..only 2 things for me - 1. Novel 2. MBA....no guitar, no marathons, no singing, no painting etc etc...

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” - Qui-Gon to Anakin, Star Wars Episode I

Posting the prologue of my novel on blog for the first time. Will try and track the progress of my novel thorugh this blog:

Prologue -- The Turning Point!!

Jan-05-2010

I could see that her hazel eyes were swollen and her curly eye lashes were misty. She had not slept whole of the previous night; the thought of being away from me for the next 5 days must have made her restless. On top of that she was supposed to arrange my suit-case, making her mood even more somber.

“Shall I keep the blue shirt” Shivani asked me

“Yes” I ordered and moved to the drawing room to watch TV

The emotional indifference exhibited by me was in total contrast to the emotional turbulence playing havoc in her heart.

“I love you and I will miss you” in between she ran towards me and hugged me innocently.

“Please hurry up, I have to catch the flight” I gently pushed her away and she went back and continued packing

We had never lived without each other since the time we got married. We had dated for 2 and half years before we got married, things were different then.

“Why don’t you go to your parent’s place?” I suggested

“Have I ever gone there alone since the time we got married?” she replied and then asked in a low voice – “Can’t I accompany you to Goa?”

“It’s an official off-site and I have told you many times that families are not allowed” I almost screamed

“How will i live without getting a glimpse of you?” she mumbled from our bed-room

I increased the volume of T.V. to avoid distraction

“Do you want the red tie?” she asked me “Do you want the red tie?”

I think it was then that she heard the news and turned to see the remote slipping from my hand.

“KT are you alright?” she shouted and ran towards me as a stream of tears erupted from my eyes

Happy New Year!!!

Happy new year to all the readers of this blog!! 2010 was a year that i would like to forget. A lot of my friends moved to new cities {limiting my option for partying}, i got 2 dings and 1 WL {probably because i didn't work smartly},  a bad back that bugged me from time to time..

But then 2010 was kind of good too because it made me introspect. I never gave my heart to anything that i tried. I was trying everything on superficial level. First and foremost problem was lack of focus. I wanted to get into a top b-school, i wanted to complete my novel, i wanted to learn guitar, i wanted to x, y and z ... but i failed to prioritize.

I started my novel and shared its plot with lots of people. Almost everyone praised the plot but when it came to completing the novel i never worked hard. Then came b-school apps..i started early and had a stellar profile {as per some ad consultants and some friends} but again i failed to put up quality apps.
I believe that i never worked hard on my apps and there were conspicuous flaws that i should ve corrected. In my next post i will definitely share some don'ts while applying to a b-school. Obviously a person who has not made it to a single school can only share don'ts..if i had known do's i wud have had an admit... ;)..
guitar..ah well i tried playing some chords but again never gave it the time....

i tried putting up R2 apps but decided not to waste $$$ and time...i didn't even plan for r2 till i got dinged from Fuqua {reading the ding from Fuqua was like ad-com sayin Fuq ya}...

For next few months i am not thinking abt b-school essays...last year i started too early..people had not even written their gmats and i was trying to write essays...i think i had too much time at hand but never used it judiciously..I have a lot of time at hand and i have to use it constructively...will try and prioritize...

Hope on Jan 1 2012 i will have plenty of good memories.. {ah 2012 is supposed to be the end of the world...gud i got dinged...else i wud have paid thousands of $$$ and wud have been dealing with hectic b-school life only to see the end of the world... ;) ... sour grapes for me...}