My quest for Life!!!!!

End of the game for me

2011-11-03T18:44:00.000+05:30

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

2011-10-20T22:44:00.000+05:30

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..

2011-10-07T15:26:00.000+05:30

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...

2011-08-14T22:27:00.000+05:30

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

2011-07-21T09:57:00.001+05:30

'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

2011-07-20T16:09:00.000+05:30

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

2011-06-17T22:37:00.000+05:30

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

2011-05-24T00:08:00.000+05:30

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

2011-05-17T17:20:00.000+05:30

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

2011-05-15T19:14:00.001+05:30

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

2011-04-29T16:32:00.002+05:30

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

the veil

2011-04-29T16:25:00.000+05:30

in the desert beneath the moonlight
your sensual eyes behind the veil
you tease me and you please me
i lift the veil and kiss your lips
you make me do the crazy things
is it the love or just a dream
why does ur absense invokes this pain

Sathya Sai Baba

2011-04-25T13:30:00.000+05:30

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

2011-04-19T12:23:00.000+05:30

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

2011-03-25T12:57:00.001+05:30

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

2011-03-16T19:49:00.000+05:30

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

Spinal Tumor it is...

2011-02-22T16:13:00.000+05:30

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

2011-02-11T12:31:00.001+05:30

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

2011-02-10T13:52:00.000+05:30

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

2011-02-03T16:44:00.000+05:30

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

2011-01-24T12:52:00.000+05:30

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

2011-01-07T15:44:00.000+05:30

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

2011-01-03T13:56:00.001+05:30

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!!!

2011-01-02T20:07:00.003+05:30

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...}

Dinged by Fuqua

2010-12-25T21:16:00.000+05:30

That's 2/3 ... No i/v invite...i thought Fuqua would be a piece of cake for me...but i think i have not really understood the b-school app process well...out of my 3 apps...i only got 1 i/v invite...and then did my best to screw up the i/v...got WLed...at times i feel i was born to write a book 'How to screw up things when u re in a good situation..'

I didn't even prepare for r-2...had not given thought to safety schools....why i behaved in such an eccentric manner can't be explained thru this blog...

so r-2 or no r-2?? NO...i am not well prepared and i dont want to waste my and ad-com's time by submitting sub standard apps...I got my essays reviewed by a frnd who was part of ad-com at a b-school...and boy the way he bashed up my essays, sharing the experience is beyond the scope of this blog....I badly under played my story....and once he shared his insights...i realized that i am a very poor marketer...a b-school app is the best place to show ur marketing skills...and that too when u re eyeing marketing job post MBA....

Merry christmas and happy new year to all the fellow bloggers,...

and yes all this while i will try to pull of Booth's WL with all my might....and who knows if i can put a better app in next 10 days...Maybe..maybe i will....Makhtub...

Waitlisted at Booth !!

2010-12-16T00:26:00.001+05:30

Some light at the end of tunnel...Can someone guide me about the next steps?? seems like i had totally ignored the possibility of WL...i was thinking in binary terms..ding/acceptance...glad that i am not dinged...gives a nitro boost to my confidence....hopefully i ll hear some good news from Fuqua...and i am very determined about pulling chi...after my visit to chi .. i have literally fallen heels over head in love with the school...

also, this WL gives me the confidence for r2 apps...Wharton and Ross it is...and if time permist...LBS too...but time is too lesss....

Dear KT,

Your application to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business has received the careful consideration of our Admissions Committee. While we are impressed with your application, we are unable to provide you with a final decision at this time and will place you on our waitlist for future consideration. I want to assure you that being placed on the waitlist signals our sincere interest in your candidacy.

This year, our admissions process was highly competitive. While Chicago Booth is grateful to have so many talented students seeking to join us in Fall 2011, we are simply not able to admit all of our most qualified candidates at this time.

During the coming months, the Committee will review waitlist candidates for admission as a part of our Round 2 evaluation process. Decisions will be released as part of our Round 2 process on March 16th. While we hope to enroll as many waitlist candidates as we can at that point, the possibility does exist that some students will continue to be on the waitlist into the next application round.

You are more than welcome to visit Chicago Booth at any time, though this is not necessary and will not directly impact your admission decision. In the meantime, we ask that you stay in touch should you choose to make other plans and no longer wish to be considered for a spot in the Class of 2013.
As we continue with the Admissions process for Fall 2011, please contact our office directly via e-mail regarding any questions you may have (admissions@chicagobooth.edu ). We appreciate your patience during this process and wish you the best.

Sincerely,
Kurt Ahlm
Senior Director of Admissions

Knock out punch

2010-12-15T14:46:00.000+05:30

Despite my i/v debacle, i was hopeful of making it to Chi {incorrigible optimist..i am one of those who believe Man U can turn around 0-4 in last 5 mins} ... after waiting whole night yesterday for that elusive call ... i slept at 1 am but woke up at 5 am to check my cell phone...and was aghast to see the blank screen :) ... no news in case of b school app process is a bad news...

the journey was exciting, enriching and tiresome...perfect record till now 2/2 dings...waiting for 3rd school...have got a Hat Trick chance {bad things often provoke ppl to throw bad jokes...}...

Trying to restore sanity...time for R2...will app to 3 more schools {is 3 unlucky for me?? frowning smiley ... got to change that to 2 schools ;) } ....

Ross/Tuck/Columbia/Wharton/LBS--got to pick target schools...not much time at hand....

congrats to all da admits...and all of us dingos...its not the end of the world...end of the world will be 2012 ... when admits wud have completed excruciating 1st year at b-school {ha ha...sour grapes for me..} ...

all da best for r-2....

small tip {now a reject is going to give tips :)} : for career goals essay -- decide wats ur target industry .. go to the website of ur target companies...careers section --> see the progression, skill set reqd for ur target job...wat are the responsibilities..or u can find detailed skill set or job responsibilities on job portals...it helps to succintly define ur career goals....

My life these days!!

2010-12-10T13:34:00.000+05:30

With R-1 results puring out...and applicants are anxiously checking school's admissions blog, application status, b-school forums etc...strangely i am least bothered...maybe i know that my fate is sealed {for good or bad..} ... i have never felt so emotionally detached ever in my life...Had applied to 3 schools...1 has dinged me...another i/ved me..and 3rd has still not started rolling out i/v decisions....

Wat to do in R-2 -- i have started thinking abt it..

If i get an admit...will share few essay and resume tips with fellow bloggers {can share my thoughts right now also...but i don't think i wud be able to share wat worked and wat didn't .. :) } ...

Clarification -- esp for gmatclub members...

2010-12-02T12:11:00.000+05:30

Was browsing thru gmatclub.com and saw the mention of my blog

http://gmatclub.com/forum/calling-all-kellogg-fall-2011-applicants-97100-620.html

clarification: I got an i/v waiver from Kellogg but never got the i/v invite...and i read on gmatclub forum that the last date to receive i/v notification is - Nov-23...

so i used my analytical mind {in the best of its capacity..} and deduced that i am dinged...

My bad -- i wrote that i am OFFICIALLY dinged by Kellogg...
-----------------------------------------------------

one of the funniest reply on gmatclub --

ring ring

"Hello"
"-no the stuffing, Aunt Mary, not the mashed potatoes! Oh hi, this is Kellogg. You're rejected."
"What?"
"Happy Thanksgiving!"

uprightcitizen -- that was too gud...kudos...+1 :)

True Lies -- Sonia Gandhi..

2010-11-30T18:51:00.000+05:30

Read this fabulous article on a blog:

know real Sonia Gandhi

excerpt:

Ms. Sonia Gandhi’s background as is publicized by her and her Congress Party today, is based on three lies to hide the ugly reality of her life.

First, her real name is Antonia not Sonia. The Italian Ambassador in New Delhi revealed this in a letter dated April 27, 1983 to the Union Home Ministry which has not been made public. Antonia is Sonia’s real name in her birth certificate. Sonia is the name given to her subsequently by her father, Stefano Maino [now deceased] following his return from Russia where he had been a prisoner of war. Stefano had joined the Nazi army as a volunteer. Sonia is a Russian not Italian name. While spending two years in a Russian jail, Sonia’s father had become quite pro-Soviet; especially after the liberating US army in Italy had confiscated all fascists’ properties including his.

Second, she was not born in Orbassanoas she claims in her bio data submitted to Parliament on becoming MP, but in Luciana as stated in her birthcertificate. She perhaps would like to hide the place of her birthbecause of her father’s connection....know real Sonia Gandhi {click on this link to read more}...

p.s: These re not my views... ;) ... no sabotage pls...

typical i/v questions

2010-11-29T05:16:00.001+05:30

1. walk me thru ur resume/tell me abt urself -- make sure that u share a story and not just the titles and nos on resume {i kno i still havent got an admit and looking at my performance i might not get one ;) but still after speaking to alums and current students this is wat i learnt } ..

2. u re doing so good in ur current profile...why an mba?? {share why u want an mba..linking with ur ST and LT goals..and why now...wats the harm in continuing with ur current firm?? ..}

3. why xx school...be passionate here...kno the school well...

4. if u have anything spectacular in ur resume -- be ready to share the why and how behind that...{i had v good extra currics so i was probed around this a lot...}

5. if u re leading teams...be ready to answer..ques such as -- wats ur leadership style...wat wud u do if a team member fails to pull his/her own weight...a tough client...work place conflict...{i think i screwed up a bit in this part..failed to articulate..}

6. wat s ur biggest achievement...

7. wat do u do outside of the work...

8. apart from courses and club activities...wat else u re plannin to learn at the school...

9. any ques for me??

the ques are very generic..all u need to do is sleep well the night b4 ur interview and be confident during the d day...

1st ding

2010-11-25T04:23:00.000+05:30

Kellogg has officially dinged me....ooops...was kind of expecting it....

Happy thanksgiving....

feels a bit bad...but whatever happens..happens for the best....at the very least i can have a bowl of Kelloggs...or i will have 2 today ;) ....

All da best to kellogg aspirants....

WTF! only i can do it

2010-11-23T04:15:00.000+05:30

The lady in maroon {U Chi} sent one of the best combos of beauty and brain {My interviewer} to gauge my fit with Chi....She soothed my nerves..and asked me very simple questions but i think i love to screw things up... :'( ... wont even get into detail of things....i ll share the after impacts and things u shud not do during a b-skool i/v...

after impacts --

had beer {or shall i say crate of beer} with a frnd {who also screwed up his FRM...had he not screwed it i wud have been drinking alone...} ...

all those who are going to make it to Chi...i must say that u re going to have spectacular 2 years...campus is gorgeous..u gotta see it to believe it...students are smart and driven...the place has kind of positive vibes...

things not to do...

1. dont have too much beer on days preceding your i/v
2. dont forget to give a mock i/v
3. don't miss ur b.fast on the day of i/v
4. don't be casual...

U.Chi

Guy at the admissions desk -- hi..i am xyz..are you nervous?
KT -- I am doing awesome...u looking nervous...are you done with ur i/v or still have it?
Guy -- i am a second year student .. i am taking the i/vs..
KT - Oh sorry i missed ur name batch...now i am nervous...

Guest Post by Maria

2010-11-09T22:34:00.000+05:30

Choosing an MBA Concentration: Tips and Options

Before choosing a school, it’s a good idea to be sure of your top three picks for concentrations so that

you can factor this into your decision. You’ll want to make sure that the institution of your choice has

strong programs for your top concentrations, and evaluating the quality of these programs can help you

choose both your number-one concentration and the right school from which to earn it. To get a good

idea of which concentrations might interest you, take a look at the following tips and concentration

offerings for MBA candidates.

Evaluating Your Personal Goals

To get started, think about what you want out of an MBA program, getting as specific as possible. If this

seems difficult, analyze what you want in a career – for-profit or nonprofit, international or country-

specific, entrepreneurial or established? Use what you know of yourself to decide how much potential

financial compensation, travel requirements, technological focus, social interaction, and other factors

might influence your career choice. List both what you would require in your ideal job and what you

would eliminate from it. If high compensation and job security are important to you, you might consider

choosing one of the concentrations in top demand according to CNN Money: Accounting, Finance,

and Marketing. However, make sure that the concentration you choose reflects your personal skills,

interests, and career goals – otherwise, you could be financially successful but wishing for a more

fulfilling job.

Evaluating Your Options

There are many different MBA concentrations for you to choose from, and there are more being added

consistently. To try to break them down into manageable categories, let’s look at some common

concentrations that represent technical, social, and managerial options.

Technical: Concentrations like Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis, in addition to the more

general Finance and Statistics, can give detail-oriented and technologically savvy candidates the chance

to attain their goals. For example, Information Systems involves a heavy load of computer-based study,

encourages deep analysis of organizational operations, and can result in entry-level positions like

systems analyst, systems consultant, and data information specialist.

Social: Human Resource Management is a good example of an MBA concentration that involves the

social side of business. Communication and problem-solving skills are central to the careers that make

use of this concentration, and people are integral to the basic foundations of HR. MBA candidates who

choose a concentration like this one will be involved in helping employees develop their skills, analyzing

the future human resource needs of corporations, and understanding organizational psychology.

Potential careers include recruitment consultant, business partner, HR manager/executive, talent

acquisition manager, and more. Other socially grounded MBA concentrations are Negotiation and

Conflict Management, Business and Public Policy, and International Business.

Managerial: If you’re headed straight to the top and you’re ready to take charge, you might consider

a managerial concentration. This is perhaps the largest category of MBA options, but some of the

most common are just plain Management, Entrepreneurial Management, Health Care Management,

Multinational Management, and more. With Management, candidates learn to develop a clear

perspective on an organization’s entire set of operations, focusing on improving these operations

through better management of people and systems. The potential careers for those with MBA

Management concentrations are essentially unlimited, as this program prepares candidates for

successful jobs in a wide variety of institutions, industries, and types of organizations.

Making the Choice

Be sure to interview prospective professors, fellow students, and department heads as you consider

which MBA concentration you’d like to pursue. This will help you get a better idea of which types of

concentrations interest you, whether or not the faculty members seem competent, and how successful

the current students in each program are. Look for hardworking students and professors who are busy,

but willing to give you a few minutes of their time. You don’t want to choose a program that’s too easy

because its credibility probably won’t hold up against more difficult and prestigious options. Overall,

choose the concentration that contributes most to your personal sense of fulfillment and you’ll make

the right decision.

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in

Education, researching areas of online colleges & blogging about student life. In her spare time, she

enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Optional Photo (Public Domain)

URL: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4523323053_c1fe161e04_z.jpg

Lady in Maroon

2010-11-08T21:18:00.001+05:30

lady in maroon has finally agreed to date me...planning to plant a perfect kiss... ;)

Done with the Round 1

2010-10-26T17:11:00.000+05:30

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

Stay ahead once you are admitted ...

2010-10-22T21:45:00.002+05:30

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/

2 hawks down..2 more to go..

2010-10-19T17:45:00.000+05:30

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...

That's life

2010-10-14T12:52:00.001+05:30

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....

The Last Mile

2010-10-07T20:05:00.000+05:30

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 .....

Can lines be dead?? Deadlines ;)

2010-10-03T11:38:00.001+05:30

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 ;)

Stacy Blackman helps in designing the b-school strategy...

2010-09-18T09:53:00.000+05:30

I have been fortunate enough to get hold of "DESIGNING YOUR BUSINESS SCHOOL BRAND" by Stacy. The book talks about various parameters that one should take into consideration while formulating the application strategy. It starts by explaining the important aspects of branding yourself, moves on to help you plan your branding strategy and ultimately touches upon the topic of communicating your strategy to the ad-coms.

The book has just 28 pages and i believe is a good resource for applicants who have started late. The book will help an applicant to understand his/her own strengths and accordingly create a portfolio of schools based upon the risk apetite. The book explores the characterstics of decision making body {ad-com}, and the nuances of app process, helping the applicant to create an effective sales pitch.

Then there is a brag sheet, an exercise that will come handy while working on various type of essays {basically helping you to answer the WHAT part}. Once you have listed all your accomplishments {small or big/ personal or professional} you need to articulate them in an interesting manner..and here Stacy suggests the STAR approach {Once the plot is freezed STAR approach will help you in building the narrative}..Lastly, the book will help applicants to answer "Why" and "How" parts of the app...

Having read Richard Montauk's bestseller {How to Get Into the Top MBA Programs } and scott shrum's "Your MBA game plan", i couldn't help but compare Stacy's product to these 2 books. Montauk's book is as detailed as it can get...it talks about positioning, effectively communicating your story etc etc in utmost details and to add to it the book has many sample essays...The problems that i see with Montauk's book are:

1. it is too detailed..gets boring at times...and after reading sample essays you might be tempted to think along those lines..in the way losing your own unique brand ... {reading sample essays is good but getting too influenced by them is bad..}
2. if you are starting late then Montauk is not for you...reading hundreds of pages and understanding them will take time...
3. reading some out of the world essays and recos might deter your spirit...the sample essays included belong to some of the Godly candidates...and i am not one of them....{these sample essays might create a self doubt..in some of the applicants}

The MBA game plan --

1. talks at 20, 000 ft level...
2. good to read when you are contemplating whether to go for an MBA or not...

Stacy's book
1. Short, crisp
2. has good exercises to help you create an app strategy
3. downside is the price...at USD 29+ i think price is a bit on higher side..but then you are going to spend 140k USD on MBA...so 29 USD is peanuts..

p.s: the views expressed above are entirely mine..

Life comes a full circle!!

2010-09-16T14:48:00.000+05:30

dd-mm-1998

"It's 10 in the morning and you are lazing around.."

"Dad..i don't have much to do..i have given the board exams and now let me have fun for some days.."

"Ok..you have fun ... i am leaving for office...will play poker with you in the evening!!"

"Bye dad!!"

"bye"

dd-mm-2010

"Dad, it's 10 in the morning and you are still reading the newspaper.."

"I am a retired person now...let me have fun .."

"Ok..you have fun ... i am leaving for office...will play poker with you in the evening!!"

"sure..i will wait for you ... bye !!"

"bye dad"

Life has indeed come a full circle...

Colloquial Language in essays!! Is it fine??

2010-09-09T22:35:00.000+05:30

Today while taking a call with one of the clients i came up with a revolutionary idea about writing the essays. But my concern - "Is it fine to be totally myself in the essay??" For example -- i love to use smileys ... !!! marks...and colloquial language...i know that too much of colloquial language can write me off...but if i pour my heart out in 1 of the 4 essays, then is it fine?? I re-wrote one of the essay for a school....and got some great compliments from my friends...The new approach made the essay really humorous and fun to read...but the compliments came with a statutory warning -- KT -- you will be taking a big risk by submitting this essay.....it can make or break your case...

I want to ask fellow bloggers/consultants/students/ {and adcoms - if u have the time to read this blog :)} ... can i be myself in one of the essays??

PS: I am feeling really great about this essay....i think i wrote my previous drafts under the influence of the matter that i have read/heard .... is it fine to be original??

Leadership Essay - Kellogg + Kaneisha Grayson

2010-09-08T16:23:00.005+05:30

I had no plans of writing any blog post but yesterday i re-worked on Kellogg essay 2 that wants the applicants to share their key leadership experiences. This is one of the most challenging essays i have faced till now. with 600 words at hand how to share key leadership experiences and then also share the leadership areas that one hopes to develop while pursuing the MBA.

I shared my draft with Kaneisha of theartofapplying. Actually she offered to proof read my essay and help me with it...Must say that despite of being busy with her clientele she helped me in real quick time. Kaneisha not only pointed at the exact shortcomings of my essay but also suggested ways to improve upon it. The idea was right there on paper but i wasn't able to put it down concisely and effectively...Kaneisha's comments helped me in doing so...Now my essay looks a lot better...Thanks Kaneisha for your wonderful support!!! And very soon i would like to have a detailed discussion with her around the app process and how she can help the applicants who started late...{believe me i am not being paid anything to write this :) ... but i wish i were paid a few dollars ;) }...

Now coming back to essay...in order to tackle this question..don't simply focus on "WHAT"...its redundant to tell the ad-com what you did...because in one way or the other your resume/data sheet or reco will convey the ehat part,,...

Answer the whys/hows in as much depth as possible and with vivid example...whyswill help the ad-com in understanding your passions...and hows will help the ad-com in understanding your personality..+ what traits you developed in the process and what is it that you bring to the table...

lets take an example...I lead my undergrad soccer team to a victory in inter college soccer tournament. We won the cup and $10, 000 in cash..our feat was highlighted by local papers and channels alike..i was nominated the man of the match ... i scored 4 goals in final and 12 in the tournament...Do you think this is going to help??

During the final year of my undergrad dgree i was given the responsibility to lead the college soccer team. With most of the senior players already out of college i was facing the challenge to construct the team and motivate the players to perform well in inter college tourna....i analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of our team and realized that our defense suffered a major blow as the seniors {who were playing in defense positions} moved out...i changed my position from a centre forward to central mid fielder..to support the weakend defense..revised our strategy...instead of playin 4-4-3, i used 2-3-5...bla bla...obviously u want to convey the challenge and your approach in a concise manner..not like me...finally i asked my team to give their best..i told them that if u guys can pull it off you will be hot properties in college with lots of girls going ga ga over you...{i used the right carrot to motivate the team..;)} ...

Also, as i did last year...i checked the GMAT distrib of incoming class at Kellogg and here is the analysis

Gmat Score (UP TO 640) (650 - 690) (700 - 740) (750-800)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enrolled Students 12% {71} 23% {135} 48% {282} 16% {100}

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total Applicants 6% {316} 20% {1054} 52% {2740} 23% {1212}

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Acceptance Rate 22.47% 12.81% 10.29% 8.25%

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting trend..and i kept on fretting about GMAT score

K-1 Submitted

2010-09-06T18:30:00.002+05:30

Long time since i wrote a post on this blog!!! Well..my illness turned out to be a bad throat infection and that eventually led to a high fever. Bleeding throat + Fever + 5 Sick leaves {am still not fully fine..100F..and weakness..bleeding has stopped}...didn't had much to do .. prepared a one page resume...and i think this one will come handy for all my apps...

am really getting scared now...not much time left...am leaving the town on Sep-19...and will come back on sep-29...Kellogg app is sealed..ll make few cosmetic changes before submitting ...nopes..how can i submit those essays...i have to work on essay4 - one more time...

Booth and Fuqua -- status quo -- no work done...for both these schools essay 1 and 2 are done...3rd essay needs to be worked upon....and i plan to do so in next 2 weeks...

Fourth school -- Wharton/Tuck/Ross -- oh my god...i love all 3 of them...but i am not sure to which i wud be applying this time....or maybe i will push 2 of these schools to second round....so only 3 schools in r1...

And finally i submitted my Kellogg part 1 application....checked..re-checked and again checked all the info...paid $250 using my c card...and as soon as i hit the pay button i felt i didn't answer some ques...last minute psyche up...had checked the part 1 on pdf format {Kellogg allows you to check whole of ur r1 app before submitting...}but still wanted to feel the pressure...at times i hate myself for pushing hard against the deadlines.. {part 1 deadline is sep24}...

Will share some resume crafting tips soon,...worked hard on my resume for the first time in my life...and people liked the final product...got few compliments such as -- the resume shows u re a 'leader', 'driven', 'passionate', 'result oriented guy' ..woha....i am loving it....wish ad-com feels the same...

plan to submit part 2 once i am back from my trip...ll try and share the progress....until then.....Bbyeee.

Foursome...believe me it's awesome!!!

2010-08-30T19:23:00.000+05:30

Aug-28-2010

Fever: Hello darling!! Long time .. {a vicious smile}

Me: uh ah...well..how are you??

Fever: don't worry about me...and be ready to answer that question yourself...

Me: Sweetie...you are so hot {literally...;) i am at 98 F ... but mere kiss of you can send my body temp to 102F}...

Fever: Mwahhh!!! you have been longing for a hot kiss...weren't you??

Me: i was .. but i was not dreaming of you...and why in the hell Ms Sneezy and Ms coughy always accompany you?? i don't believe in foursome...why are you 3 after me?? i don't even use the Axe affect!!

I am still feeling tired after kissing and hugging ms fever and her friends...the foursome was awesome...after 3 days i am still feeling tired...

Apps Update!!!

2010-08-23T20:14:00.000+05:30

I have been busy for past few days...Swimming/Yoga in the morning...Office -- busy preparing presentations for enterprise wide strategy...leading projects...miss S is not keeping well for past few days so that's a big reason for worry...during night i work on my apps...{1-2 hours daily}....

Kellogg -- drafts were submitted to reviewer....got some really good suggestions....need to work on suggestions......discussed my case with both my recommendors...more or less sealed....started working on part 1 of app...plan to submit it in next 7-8 days

Fuqua -- a basic outline complete for 2/3 questions...plan to work on it Oct-10 onwards {will be applying during Nov deadline}

Booth -- Started working on app but i feel i am going to go down with fever/cold n cough...:'(

Strengths -- quantiatively speaking, i have good acads, decent score, nice depth and breadth of work ex, good extra currics, leadership experience

Weaknesses -- qualitatively speaking, i am unable to put my thoughts on paper {oops on word doc}.I write good stories with regards to wat happened , wat were the consequences but fail to reveal "MY" contributions..Not good!!!

Opportunity -- Started early so have plenty of time to make necessary changes to my ESSAYS!!!

Threat -- Might become complacent..or wear out before the final race

ooh la la

2010-08-20T18:44:00.001+05:30

i don't know why but since this morning i am feeling a little spark inside me, waiting to burst and create a halo all around me.....it's not that i am falling in love...{i love miss S and i am content}....i don't know what happened but i am feeling really good!!! it's not that i have written some good essays lately ...{i am giving my best shot but am not worrying too much}....i am not sure wat sparked off this feeling but i am liking it...

i had never imagined that my 100th post would be such a crap... :)
actually, i want to get on top of my office table...shout the coveted F word with a big grin on my face and jump off while folding my knees and thrash the roof with my fist....

we spend so much time pretending to be wat we are not but when we are wat we want to be...it shows...

i think its time to ...

Chugging ahead...

2010-08-09T20:07:00.000+05:30

Made some good progress over the weekend, had a call with my first reviewer and worked on my K essays. Must admit that final product is looking better {i hope ad-com likes my essays..}. Now is the time to get the essays reviewed by 2nd and final reviewer {who happens to be a Kellogg student}. So more or less i am on my way to meet my self imposed deadline of Aug-15 for completing the K essays.

Started working on Fuqua application this morning. Essay-1 {career goals} seemed easy but when i started working on it, i realized that i simply cannot use my Kellogg essay. I have used the theme of Kellogg essay-1 {obviously my story isn't going to change} but Fuqua essay is going to be a lot more elaborate. And, Fuqua doesn't even ask "why Fuqua" in essay-1 {that's kept for Essay-3}...Essay-1 has started taking shape and i plan to wrap it up by tomorrow. Want to finish Fuqua App by Aug-24 and then send it to reviewers...

Post that i will have time till Sep-15 {almost 20 days} to complete 2 other apps...And i forgot to mention the recommendations :'(((((((( .... 60 days from now and I can see myself getting nervous ....

Lambastedddd!!!

2010-08-04T17:38:00.001+05:30

My first reviewer shared his thoughts on my essays and i must admit that the comments were an "eye-opener".

To do:
1. Individual essays are not fitting into the bigger picture - According to my reviewer, my essays are fine content wise but all the essays taken together do not create a comprehensive/clear picture of me. I need to work on Essay-1 {career goal/why mba} and Essay -4{best mistake ever made} ...Essay 1 is going to drive the central theme and essay 4 will support it...
2. Few gramatical mistakes -- need to correct them

Good thing -- Essay 3 {how do i see my student evaluator evaluating my app} -- i got some really great comments or shall i say compliments on this one..so more or less essay3 is freezed ..

Essay - 2 {leadership} is also coming out fine but i need to link the individual paragraphs effectively. Also, the leadership traits demonstrated should come out clearly... need to fine tune this essay...

I have been blogging about taking the bigger picture into consideration but i failed to do so. I think we get attached to our ideas and fail to see the gap...highly recommended that you get your essays reviewed by some trust-worthy people...to find out whether your story is making sense and whether your story is coming out nicely....

On a side note...i have started researching Fuqua...and with each passing day i am falling in love with the school...{am already in love with Fuqua but the bond is getting stronger...}..will soon start working on Fuqua app...Plan to wrap up all my apps by Sep-15 as i have to attend many marriages starting sep-19....

Half way through

2010-08-03T10:27:00.000+05:30

Pretty much on my way to accomplish my self imposed deadline of completing Kellogg essays by Aug-15. Have shared the "draft" {i know i would still need to work on multiple drafts} of my essays with a friend and a awaiting his inputs. One thing that i know for sure is that "team-work" theme is not coming out in my essays. Need to work on this part + got to dig into Kellogg website and got to bug my friends at K for further inputs...

When i shared my essays with my friend i hid the questions, i have asked my friend to tell me what does he think about my essays i.e. what he feels that i am trying to answer. This is an old technique suggested by many succesful candidates and also by admission consultants...

Next in line is Fuqua and i have to start researching Fuqua in a more systematic way.

My only concern is that i might get out of steam before the actual race...starting early is good but at times you peak too early...

Kellogg Essay - 2 !!!!! Helpppppppppp

2010-07-25T12:21:00.000+05:30

Essay #2

Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences (600 word limit).

This essay is giving me a real tough time. 15 drafts later i still feel that my response to this essay SUCKSSS!!! I have interesting and impactful anecdotes to share but i am unable to narrate them in an effective manner.

I am feeling like a dumb who knows the taste of chocolate but can't explain it...and word limit is also not helping me in this case. I am over-shooting the word limit by well over 16%. I am sharing only 2 experiences and still not able to wrap up my response within the word limit. Someone please teach me the art of crisp writing....

Booth application goes live today...

2010-07-22T21:47:00.001+05:30

Another update...Booth application will go live later today....so finally the app season is heating up....:)

Long due updates

2010-07-22T13:16:00.000+05:30

Long time since i posted on this blog. Firstly the back injury kept me out of the action then i went out with miss S and friends to a hill station for an excursion. For past few days i am practising Yoga in order to strengthen my back. At the same time i felt really lazy to work on my apps and a heart-quake that originated in my chest wreaked havoc on my brain. :)

Now, after a long time i am feeling good!!! Physically - 6/10, Mentally - 5.5/10 and Emotionally - 4/10 {Huh -- you call it good...15.5/30...pathetic... ;) }...

I am done with the first draft of my Kellogg essays. I have a self imposed deadline of Aug-15 to complete the Kellogg Essays. Post that i would start working with my recommendors. I must say that Kellogg's essays are the best to start the app process. They cover everything -- career progression, future goals, why MBA, why xx college, leadership traits, set-backs, uniqueness..

Essay - 1 -- career goal, why mba etc.. is coming out good and has started taking a nice shape. I am close to the word limit {3% out}...must have worked on 16 versions to come this far...

Essay - 2 -- leadership essay -- This one has taken up the maximum time. I had many stories from my life to highlight my leadership experiences and i shortlisted 4 examples. Then wrote many versions with different stories and after close to 10 versions i have freezed the theme for this essay. It is not at all coming out good, i have to make it a lot more crisp and work on How and Why part of the essay.

Essay - 3 -- student evaluator ques -- this one has shaped up well and i think it will take 2 revisions before its ready to be submitted

Essay - 4 --The best mistake I ever made was…….Well i have made zillions of mistakes during my stay of approx 900 million seconds on planet earth. Sharing majority of these mistakes would embarass me but i have few stories that were good learning platforms. Theme is freeZed the narrative needs to be worked on...

I am hopeful that by Aug-15 i would finish all 4 essays. When i looked at the essays of my other target schools {Ross, Fuqua, Booth} i was comfortable...working on Kellogg essays has already given me a platform to work on other essays. I know that i will have to put in equal amount of effort for other schools but my thinking would be much more structured...

thats all for now...

DUKE MBA Application is open...

2010-07-12T15:13:00.001+05:30

Duke has opened its online MBA application for FT MBA. Sep -30 is EA deadline and Nov-1 is R-1. Also the details of Info-sessions have been posted on the site...

All the best to all the Duke applicants.

I hate luv storys -- Another chocolate brownie

2010-07-07T14:07:00.003+05:30

Due to local elections my office was closed yesterday and i decided to watch the movie "I hate luv storys". As soon as i booked the tickets, my hunch told me to keep an analgesic with me to avoid the headache. Miss S was at her taunting best -- "You are a cold hearted person and wouldn't ever enjoy a romantic movie". The omens were not too good.

I started out late from home and bought "Disprin".

"Can't you speed up? we are going to miss the beginning" Miss S growled louder than my car's engine..

"Sweetie, don't worry they show a lot of ads in the beginning" i consoled her

As soon as i reached the mall, i realized that lifts and escalators were not working :'( .. Miss S and I rushed from basement 2 to 3r floor, trying to catch the movie's begining.

"I am going to the washroom..you please take the seat" my words bought out strange expressions on Miss S' face....i was still wondering about all these bad omens..

I hate luv storys is another flick in the category of "Love Aaj Kal", "Dil Chahta hai {dch}". {It doesn't match to the standards set by DCH but is based on the same theme}

Another story where a guy doesn't believe in love and is only interested in S**. Then heroine comes into picture and everything turns tipsy topsy.

PLOT: Scriptwriter added 30 gms of DCH, 25 grams of Love Aaj Kal, 2 TBSP of DDLJ and then blended them nicley using KJo blender. Finally the movie was boiled in a Aditya Chopra cooker and Garnished with Dharma production leaves. Plot has nothing new but narrative is good.

Narrative: The plot has nothing new but the director has narrated this story in a wonderful manner. First half is really good, poking fun at romantic genre films, showing how often people mistake love for liking, revealing the mentality of guys and girls. Second half is a bit slow, direction is fine but editing could have been a lot better..Also i still wonder why don't hero and heroines use mobiles judiciously at the critical moments.. Why can't heroine SMS hero asking him not to board the flight and why in the f*** hero doesn't take imp. calls at the crucial moments??

Music: I burnt the music straight away to play in my car...Vishal and Shekhar have composed very good songs. The title track is jazzy, while sadga kiya, bin tere and bahara are situational, used well in narrative and obviously are ear candies {i don't know if there is a word called ear candy :) } My penchant for this album increased many folds after watching the movie

Casting: Out an out Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor movie...Sameer Dattani -- Sonam's first choice was pathetic...i really don't understand who took his audition. Sonam Kapoor is looking too good and has played her part to perfection..way to go girl. Imran Khan is an average actor and had Ranbir Kapoor played the lead -- i would have just loved the movie...I don't know the name of actor who played the character of Kunal in the movie...He has got a good comic timing...watch out for him...

In nutshell, it's another butter chicken served with mouth watering garnishing. And yes i didn't had to use the Disprin....will keep it for some other flick :)

In my last post, i had mentioned that i will review the movie and share some tips to re-ignite passion in relationships. Movie has beautifully shown how often we create rules to lead our lives. These rules take the fizz out of the life. Living a disciplined life is not bad but making your life a rule book is not a good idea. All the relationships have a spark in the begining but as responsibilities overshadow passion, love life starts taking a back seat. It's important to break rules every now and then to enjoy life. I am not advocating infidelty all i am saying is that you can go home after office and take your partner to a pub and get drunk. Its also kool to pack your bags and make an un-scheduled trip to some place. Key is not to become too predictable and not to get caged by useless rules...."Stop thinking about life...Start living it...Start Feeling it..."

Love vs Bungee Jumping !!!

2010-07-06T19:23:00.000+05:30

"Fall in love with the same person again and again" -- I picked this line from somewhere and suggested this to a friend...
"It's easier said than done...what shall i do to re-invent the passion in my love life.." was the reply...

I thought hard about it...but am still clueless...Relationships once gone awry don't invoke the same feelings...Is there a way to re-ignite passion and sustain excitement in a relationship???? Then suddenly my mind started comparing falling in love to bungee jumping...

Falling in love and jumping from height -- both involve excitement and danger. Somehow god has wired my brain in such a manner that mere mention of "Love" or "Bungee Jumping" starts pumping adrenalin in my veins.
I am not sure whether it's love or the physcial attraction that makes the begining of a relationship so exciting and passionate. When i had fallen in love the world turned rosy by a shade of pink, a smile flashed on my face whenever i read her SMSes {i actually read and re-read them :), food tasted a lot better than ever before, reckless drivers didn't invoke anger...in sum, love/attraction made the world a lot better place to live in...

Those feelings are still fresh in my mind---- holding her hand for the first time...tasting the nectar from her lips... {am not describing intimate moments any further ;) } ...watching her smile...watching her innocent hazel eyes under the moon-lit sky....I would want to fall in love again and again.... :) ...

Love -- refers to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure ("I loved that meal") to intense interpersonal attraction ("I love miss S"). {Source - wikipedia}

Bungee Jumping -- Bungee jumping (also spelled "Bungy" jumping) is an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. {Source - wikipedia}

Stepping on that board...checking the safety gear for one last time....heart beating extra fast ... breath trying to match the erratic pattern of heart beat....that peculiar feeling in the feet....looking down, holding your fists..and..JUMP!!!!!!!!

So far so good!! Falling in love and jumping off that board is really fun...Once you have jumped and experienced the thrill, the re-bounds have sent jitters down your spine...Now what??? Now you simply hang in there for few moments...

If a condition is imposed that one will have to hang like this for months after each jump, would you be willing to dive?? I am sure not many people would want to experience the thrill in this case...how about jumping again and again?? Fun..isn't it...

Similarly, falling in love is exciting but if the couple doesn't re-invent their love from time to time...if they cannot sustain the passion that sparked off the relationship in the first place..then love becomes sort of boring...{Miss S -- am just expressing philosophy --don't take it personally}

But it's back to square one, "How to keep re-igniting the passion?" I was telling my friend "WHAT" but am unable to answer "HOW"...{Essays have influenced my thinking..WHAT, HOW etc..} ... Watched the movie "I hate Luv Storys" today...to be honest till now i always had to take an analgesic after watching the romantic movie...but this time it was different. In my next post - am going to review the movie and answer the HOW part...actually if possible watch the movie,..you will understand what i am sayin ...

Leadership experience essay

2010-07-01T13:18:00.000+05:30

I was thinking about Kellogg's essay on leadership experiences.

Essay #2

Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences (600 word limit).

Word limit - 600, this means that one can share 2 and the most 3 experiences. I decided picking up 2 experiences. Now, a person can demonstrate leadership traits in various spheres of life aka "Professional", "Social-Service", "Extra Currics" etc. It's my personal opinion that one should include 1 experience from outside the professional life. Career assessment done in essay 1 will cover few leadership traits demonstrated in professional life. I chose 2 experiences - representing my efforts in professional and extra currics spheres.

Next, i started thinking about leadership in general and came across the following quote:

"Leaders don't wait. They shape their own frontiers. The bigger the challenge, the greater the opportunity."

I have highlighted few key words in the quote above. In absense of a challenge it's hard to demonstrate true leadership. "Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm but it requires a true leader to steer the ship in stromy seas"

List down all the success stories from your life and now sort them in descending order of the challenge that you faced in each of those incidents. Share the challenge that you faced...Show how you shaped the frontier {crafted the solution to the problem}, show the impact of your solution and don't forget to summarize the learnings from the incident...

Challenge -- Solution-Orientedness -- Impact -- Learning....

I believe any leadership experience essay can be answered while keeping in mind the above mentioned 4 key words....

Suggestions are most welcome!!!!

Broke my back againnnn!!!!!!!!

2010-06-29T12:34:00.000+05:30

WTF!!! I must realize that i am getting older and that i need to take special care while lifting heavy weights. Broke my back again on Friday morning and i am sure all my plans would have to be re-visited....rest, rest and some more rest ....

Had planned an excursion trip with friends and that's too gone for the toss...i will try my best to recuperate within a week so that i can atleast go to some hill station for 3-4 days....

Heil Myoril ...

Friendshipppp!!!

2010-06-23T16:45:00.000+05:30

Heart -- Am on verge of losing 2 good friends!!! :'(

Mind -- Why do you think so? They are just moving to a new location and you have all the means to connect with them. You can mail em, sms em, call em.

Heart -- I can connect with them but distance does changes the relations. Friendship is not easily forged, it takes time to find a person whom you can call a friend.

Mind -- You are thinking too much

Heart -- Thinking is your problem dude!!! All i can do is "FEEL". And, for your kind information -- feelings are 14 times stronger than your stupid logics...

Mind -- You can always make new friends...didn't you lose friends in school and then in college?? And you always found new ones...

Heart -- hmmm...you are right but then every time i lost friends it created a void in my life...

Mind -- Come on dude , don't behave in a childish manner...or shall i say child like...

Heart -- haven't you heard the song "Dil to bacha hai ji" .. Oops..i never intended to fire such a PJ..

Mind -- think of it that life is good!!! it has been good!!! WhY do you "FEEL" so much...you have so many things to keep you engaged....write, go on drives...meet new people...void would be gone...

Heart -- easier said than done...

Mind -- i m not asking you to give up your old friendships...just asking you not to fret over this issue....

Heart -- will try

Mind -- friendship is like a string, the moment two people hold ends with the right traction they become friends...when you try to pull too hard -- the string breaks...and once you losen the grip -- the string becomes a drag....

Heart -- Thanks for the gyan...

Mind -- hope you ll grow up and learn to handle issues in a mature manner...now stop sucking me up..have got to complete a task...

Got the TOEFL waiver!!!

2010-06-22T20:59:00.000+05:30

Good news -- i have got the TOEFL waiver from all my r-1 target schools. So that's one thing less to worry about. I would suggest all my fellow bloggers to either seek TOEFL waiver early in the process or if required give TOEFL as soon as possible.

TOEFL does not require much preparation but if one has to divert his/her focus from apps to TOEFL during the last lap then it might be a problem....last days should only be kept aside for Essays and discussions with recommenders...

Feeling good :)

2010-06-21T19:41:00.000+05:30

I had written a post about "How i chose my recommendors?" and was glad to see Accepted.com's reply:

read reply here

Feeling good that my choice has been re-enforced...

Godddd help !!!!!!!!!

2010-06-18T16:10:00.000+05:30

At times i wonder luck is the most important factor in one's professional life. And this realization always happens after i meet my SVP. He is working for the company for past 30+ years now and has plethora of experience when it comes to Operations. He started his career with Operations and by sheer stroke of luck was appointed to lead the division that is involved in highly analytical work. {Who in the hell decided to place him in such a position, really want to kick his/her butt}. He does not even have a remote idea of the work that we do and to make the matters worse he wants to apply rules from Ops to this field.

What would happen if consultants at Mckinsey started measuring their performance in terms of accuracy and timelines? Does one measure the impact of knowledge services in terms of these bloody factors? Yes they can be a small part of overall performance metrics but who is going to measure the overall IMPACT of the work? What difference did the project made to profitability or share-holder value etc....this question does not even comes to the mind of our smart SVP.

I feel that our SVP is trying to make Ferrari in Suzuki's factory -- god knows what will happen. Attrition rate that was below 10% has shot up to 35% since the time this highly intelligent creature has started leading our group..Quantity has started over-shadowing quality...God help!!!!

Career Goals essay

2010-06-17T16:05:00.000+05:30

Finally after pain-staking revisions for almost 25 times i have finalized the outline for career goals essay. I think Passion, Aspiration and Vision are essential ingredients of any b-school essay but these 3 play a major role in defining the career goal essay.

Passion-- put down all the things that you have done since starting the professional life. Ask why you attended a particular under-grad college, why you graduated in a particular concentration, why you made certain career moves or joined a particular firm. Now, try to see the common linkage between all your choices. Is there a common theme? Is there something that ignites passion in you and brings out the best in you?? If yes then this will answer the WHY {Passion} part of career goals essay.

Aspirations -- By the time you attempt career goals essay you should be crystal clear about your short term goals after MBA. In many cases this crystal clear vision would be lacking but even in this case you should have a clear idea about the direction in which you want to head.

Now someone might argue that many people change their career aspirations once they attend teh college and nothing is wrong with that. True!! But you don't want to tell the ad-com that you are just meandering aimlessly...YOU HAVE TO SHOW THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN A DUE thought to your career. And you know what is it that you want from the school and how best you would use the school's resources.

Vision -- Leadership and vision go hand in hand. Don't just stop at your short term goal after the MBA. B-schools often rant about producing leaders and they are very serious about it. Show them that you have a vision to be among the higher echeleons of the management. Things that seem impossible right now will become possible once you wear the badge of a particular top b-school....

Early Action - to apply or not !!!

2010-06-14T14:14:00.000+05:30

The question that is bothering me for some time now is whether to apply in early action round? Does applying in EA increases one's chances of getting in? But, then with a binding to withdraw applications from all other schools can prevent one from getting into his/her dream school. Also, are Ad-coms more generous during EA when it comes to shelling out schols??

I have 2 schools on my radar that have EA with a binding. But both these schools are not my dream school {they are pretty close to my dream school but not no.1 }.

Need big time help on this one...

Indo-chinese invading the west!!

2010-06-07T19:20:00.001+05:30

Portugese, French, Dutch and British established their trading ports in India by 16th century and later established colonies in India. By 1856 most of the India was under control of British -"east india company". What started as a business opportunity led to the forceful occupation of Indian territory and Indian resources. British sent the best of their military officers, administrative officers etc to India in order to develop an army of Indians that could be used to rule India. The influx of British technicians and technology gave India few of the best examples of world class engineering and architecture. British exploited India's rich natural resources while Indians never stood united in face of adversity and in-fighting threw them into clutches of slavery for hundreds of years.

China was never directly ruled by any western power but the hold of its Quing dynasty was weakened after British opium wars in 19th century. Like India, China was equally exploited by west for its natural resources.

At that point of time Britain was the core of power and economic well being. Britain experienced industrial revolution and soon fell short of resources. To feed its factories , britain invaded east.

Hundreds of years later.

USA is the core of power and has the largest GDP.

Most of the people involving high intellect are serving USA in variety of fields. Medicine, Space exploration, Defense, Engineering, Technology and MBAs {how can this blog forget MBAs ;)}. We have already heard allegations of Chinese spies stealing US space exploration and Nuclear ideas to develop the same for China. India is also growing in stature with time.

Indians and Chinese have already established sort of trading ports in USA and UK though in individual capacity. Various bills are proposed to stop the influx of people from these two emerging economies to the developed nations of the world. With almost 1/3 of world population India and China will soon require gigantic infrastructure and tremendous resources to meet the demand of population. When people won't find resources in their home country they will leave for other prosperous countries.

Take that -- Australia has 3 times the area that of India and a population that is 1/50 of india's population.

What remains to be seen is whether in coming centuries India and China will invade west to fulfill the demand of their population?? I am sure in next 15 years or so we will see one big war. Oil has been the reason of many wars in gulf area, next wars could be triggered in Indo-pak-china region because of scarcity of water. Or, it could also happen that India and China unite {highly unlikely at present but not impossible} and try to take control of west.

Its just a thought so take it lightly ;) ... i think a futuristic movie can be made on this theme,,....

Rajneeti - Review

2010-06-07T16:17:00.001+05:30

Watched Rajneeti with Miss S and friends this Saturday. So, here i am to review the movie and this time i would try to incorporate suggestions of dear friend Sid.

Plot -- The plot of Rajneeti is inspired by Mahabharat and in parts by Godfather. The first half is gripping and fast paced. A lot of characters are introduced and audience is introduced to their respective thoughts on politics.Post interval director has failed to maintain the pace. Editing is poor and last quarter is heavily inspired by Mahabharat. I would give 2/5 to Rajneeti for its plot. It has got nothing new and later half is painful.

Cast-- Rajneeti has got a powerful star cast. Naseeruddin Shah is wasted {he plays a cameo}. Manoj Vajpayee is awesome and has played the character to perfection. Nana patekar and Ajay Devgan haven't got much to do but have played their parts well. Katirna kaif looks beautiful but her acting is below par. Ranbeer Kapoor has got the best role but he is unable to carry it off. I think Ranbeer is too soft to play such a role and has still not graduated to that orbit of acting where in he could carry the film on his shoulders. Arjun Rampal has exceeded expectations {obviously you don't expect much from him when it comes to acting ;) } but he is looking hand-some. Others have played their parts well and with such a star studded cast you don't expect small names to shine through still Shruti Seth has done well to catch the EYES ;). 3/5 {manoj vajpayee - 4.5/5}

Soundtrack -- Mora Piya and Bheegi si bheegi si are good and are used in narrative. Background score is good and impactful. 3/5

Overall, Rajneeti is a one time watch with friends while munching pop-corns and sipping cold drinks.

My verdict -- 2.5/5

How i selected my recommenders??

2010-06-06T17:33:00.001+05:30

Selecting recommendors is a tough job. This task not only reflects your judgement ability {as to who can write favourably for you} but also decides the fate of your application. And its cliche to say that the title of recommendor hardly matters. SO, look for a person who can cover most of your professional life and who would be happy to write favourably for you. Last year i heard one of my friends abusing his supervisor for missing the deadlines to submit the reco. If you can ask right people to write good recos for you it shows that you have good persuasive skills {imp. for a manager}.

I had 6 options when it came to selecting recommendors. 4 out of 6 have supervised me at some point of time in my career and the other 2 have been my clients for whom i have worked on various projects. I have been reporting into the same person for more than 3 years now, so he was the obvious choice.

Only concern -- I might not get opportunities to travel abroad, to setup new teams, or to expand my team once i disclose my plans to him. But this person has seen me progress professionally as well as has delegated variety of responsibilities my way, so i could not afford to lose his insights on my application. I was apprehensive about revealing my MBA plans to my current supervisor but last week i did so. And to my surprise he encouraged me to go for an MBA and was happy to write recos for me.

Even schools say that one of the 2 recos should ideally come from current supervisor. In case your supervisor has changed recently, mention that in your rationale behind selecting the recommendors. {Most of the schools often ask for the rationale behind selecting a particular recommendor.}My supervisor is well versed with my shortcomings and strengths. He has seen me take numerous initiatives at work place and has also given me numer of opportunities to lead projects and people. So, my task is cut out -- simply share anecdotes from past 3 years to support his claims.

Choosing the 2nd recommendor was tough. I wanted to go with one of my clients, she has an impressive title and when i disclosed my plans to her she was very excited. She could very well write about my client handling experience and about the high impact projects delivered by my team. But, apart from project management she could hardly reveal anything.

My 2nd client does not have very good communication skills and getting 4 recos from her would have been a humongous task. Among my past supervisors, one of them {say recommendor b}currently audits the work that my team does. This person made most sense to me because he has supervised me in my very early days, when i was raw and has seen my now when i am a lot more mature {atleast i think so ;) }. I chose mr. b as my 2nd recommendor. He is the one who can cover last 4.5 years of my professional history and since he has worked very closely with me on some of the projects , i am sure he can vouch favourably for my candidacy.

In sum, choose your recommendors in such a way that most of the professional life is covered, the recommendations reveal various aspects of your personality and that some of the claims made in essays can be backed by recommendors.

I would be happy to see suggestions of fellow bloggers.

Second Recommendor - Finalized!!!!!

2010-06-04T17:51:00.000+05:30

What a relief!!!!!!!! Both my recommendors are finalized. I have personally spoken to both of them and shared my plans with them. One is my ex-supervisor and current client and the other one is my current supervisor. I think together both of them can cover majority of my professional development.

Also, i believe both of them are well aware of my strengths and shortcomings, both have seen me grow in professional life and i share a good rapport with both of them. Now i need to sit with them and share my app strategy.

Now i can enjoy the weekend ;)

Crossing the limits!!! - Is it fine???

2010-06-01T16:07:00.000+05:30

Lately, i have been thinking hard about "word limits". Is it fine to overshoot the limits given by colleges? I have read mixed responses on this topic. Some say it is fine. If yes, then by what %age? say a college asks you to define your career goals in 400 words, is 410 right or even going upto 460 alright??

And how about falling short?? helpppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TOEFL Waiver Mails

2010-05-29T13:09:00.000+05:30

Sent the TOEFL waiver request mails to my target schools today. Even if one of the schools plays spoil-sport i will have to take TOEFL. I have decided that i must get TOEFL and all other nitty gritties out of my way before July-31-2010. Once essays are published i simply want to focus on putting down my story.

Will approach my under-graduate institution next week to get the transcripts done. Or can we simply send across photocopies of under-graduate degree? If transcripts can wait till admit then i will also wait ;)

Any suggestions??

Kites - Movie review

2010-05-26T20:05:00.002+05:30

Watched Kites with Miss S this morning. Miss S was disappointed with the movie and i somehow liked it.

the Plot -- 2/5 {Could have been a lot better}

The movie is the story of J {Played by Hrithik} and Linda {barbara mori}. J and Linda both want to get rich. While J is a dance teacher in Vegas, Linda is an illegal immigrant from Mexico. J's student Jeena {Played by Kangana} falls in love with him. Jeena's dad is owner of one of the biggest casinos in Vegas and has police, senators etc. in his pocket. J senses an opportunity to get rich by marrying Jeena, whom he hardly loves.

J also marries illegal immigrants for money in order to get them green cards. J also marries Linda for money, while J speaks English or Hindi, Linda speaks Spanish. How they fall in love is still a mystery.

J finds Jeena and Linda finds Jeena's brother Tony to get rid of poverty {quite a co-incidence}. Now J suddenly realizes that he loves Linda and Linda reciprocates his feelings. Before Linda and Tony's marriage J asks Linda to finalize their divorce before she can start a new life. Linda accepts his proposal and they spend a romance filled night together, champagne, kissing, rain dance. Both admit to each other that it would have been great if they had married for real.

J drops Linda home and while he was saying good bye, Tony comes in. Rest of the story revolves around how J and Linda run to save their lives. This part is comic, thrilling and romantic at the same time. I won't reveal the end here for it is not a typical bollywood film ;).

Plot could have been a lot better. Aesthetically - movie is good, music and back-ground music is fine {3/5}.

Performances ---

Barbara Mori -- Delight -- looking good, great acting -- 4/5
Hrithik - dancing star, awesome physique, good acting but somehow its not effortless - 3/5
Others -- they don't have much but rest of the cast works fine -- 3/5

Overall -- its a good one time watch -- if you can digest the first 30 minutes of movie, you will like the movie.

3/5 - for me.

Fuqua Announces essays for fall 2011 Entry

2010-05-24T14:39:00.000+05:30

Fuqua has announced its essays for the fall 2011 entry. There are only 3 required questions { i guess till last year fuqua had 1 long and 3 short essays}.

The essays are usual b-school essays, asking for why MBA, why Duke and why you. Applicants must respind within 2 pages with a minimum 10 point font, meaning one has about 850 words to frame the answers.

Source

New Essays for Fall 2011 Entry

Three essay questions must be completed before submitting your application. Prepare your essays carefully. The Admissions Committee considers your responses to the following questions important in the selection process. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing. Your response to each question should be no more than 2 pages in length, with a font size no less than 10-point.

Candidates who applied to The Duke MBA between September 2009 and April 2010 are considered re-applicants. All re-applicants are required to complete the Re-applicant Essay in addition to the Applicant Essays.

All applicants have the opportunity to submit an optional essay to explain any extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware.

Applicant Essays : Answer all 3 essay questions.

Today, companies must navigate through complex and interdependent issues. They must deal with health and security matters, environmental impact questions, and diversity and cultural concerns. Leaders need adaptability, imagination, emotional intelligence, and business acumen. Thus, Duke is in the midst of an ambitious global venture that will embed and connect us around the world, and we are seeking future leaders of consequence, who value diversity and collaborative leadership, and who aspire to impact the companies and communities of which they are a part in a lasting and positive way.

In an effort to identify, engage, and foster the development of future leaders of consequence, the Admissions Committee would like to get to know our applicants in a more holistic manner. We would like to know who you are, what has shaped you into the person you are today, and how you hope to impact both Duke and the communities of which you will be a part in the future. The essays are your opportunity to convey that to us. Please be open, genuine, and passionate. Share with us what makes you a dynamic, multi-dimensional person.

1. Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration for pursuing this career path.

2. How will your background, values, and non-work activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add value to Fuqua's diverse culture?

3. Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay.)

Optional Essay (not required)

If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).

Re-applicant Essay

All re-applicants are required to complete the Re-applicant Essay. Please limit your response to two pages. Write an essay describing how you are now a stronger candidate for admission compared to the application you submitted the previous year.

Update

2010-05-21T15:49:00.001+05:30

Just finished working on essays {from previous year} of one of my target schools. Must say that writing Essays is the most difficult, most interesting and most important part of the application. It took me 5-6 iterations for each essay before my story started making SOME {I think 15-20%}sense. Introspection, positioning and knowledge of target school play a huge role in crafting a winning application.

I now need to read all the essays together to get a holistic picture of my positioning effort. This is important -- don't just focus on a single essay. Start by keeping your overall story in mind. Put down everything, small or big that you have achieved in your life. Now based upon the essay segregate stories, as to which story would be used in which essay. Try to link up all the essays to one common theme but reveal different facet of your personality every time. Make sure that your passion and motivation should reflect in essays.

Would enjoy my friday night and from tomorrow back to work ... hope that by next 8-10 days i will have a set of essays that i would be able to share with one of my friend to get some feedback..Also need to explore the school in much more detail I felt that i need to know a lot more about my target schools before i even think of applying to them....

don't know how much sense this post would have made...but just wanted to share some thoughts :)

p.s: I have started thinking about safety schools :'( ... thats a bad sign for sure... hope that by october this thought fades away ..else ..

Paintings for sale !!

2010-05-15T22:40:00.000+05:30

I am uploading 3 paintings by Miss S, they are up for sale. In case you are interested please revert on braveheart4mba(@)gmail.com. I will share the price and delivery details.

Career progress and future goals essay

2010-05-13T19:42:00.002+05:30

Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA. (600 Words)

I was really aghast with myself as i saw the draft of my answer to the question above. I elaborated my career and never assessed the same. And i briefly touched upon the idea as to why i need an MBA. Needless to say, i used 1200 words to shape up my response.

If i want to submit winning essays i really need to understand the question before i started vomiting my useless answers on word pad. The ad-com commitee wants to understand how i have fared in my career till now and what are the various skills that i have acquired and honed. Also, they want to get a flavor of the impact of my work and most importantly want to understand the motivation behind my career moves. Elaboration of my career goals would point towards the skills that i need to acquire.
Wish i had given a lot more time to understanding the question and framing up the answer than just scribbling my thoughts down.

Plan to work on this essay during this weekend and hopefully trim it down to 700 words before finally taking it to 600 word limit.

lots of work!!!!

Clear Admit Career Guides - Review

2010-05-07T18:18:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: The views expressed below are my personal opinion and in no way related to clear admit or any other company.

I recently bought Clear Admit Career guide for Marketing. I am really sad to say that the publication disappointed me. Rather than a true career guide the pdf serves as a handbook for comparing Marketing curriculum of various US b-schools {that too is not a detailed comparison}.

The guide speaks about the career in Marketing only for 1 page. Yes you read it correctly, its "1 page". And this description is also limited to "Brand Management or Product development" paths in Marketing.

The publication could have been a lot better had it served the following purposes:

1. Provided clear cut distinction between a Marketing career in CPG industy and a Marketing Career in non-CPG industries {such as Financial services}
2. The guide could have explained the career progression in Marketing industry and could have explained the roles and responsibilities of Marketers at various stages of their careers
3. Also, the guide fails to describe in detail the skill-set that is required to kick start a career in Marketing,

Good points:

1. Gives you a good flavour of Marketing curriculum at various schools -- though you will have to explore the website and other resources to get the whole story

in short, for $40 the clear admit guide for Marketing is not a value for money buy...if i have to rate this guide on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest:

My verdict: 1.5/5

Pleasing a school viz a viz Pleasing a girl

2010-05-06T09:30:00.000+05:30

Strange title for the post huh!! :) Well i was pondering over the question "Why xx b-school?". Like an average applicant i began listing down few stupid ideas such as: 1. XX has a phenomenol brand name 2. XX has great faculty, 3. I will learn yy at XX school

Pathetic effort isn't it? Now consider a situation where a guy sees a super hot girl and wants to woo her.

Thousands of guys would love to hang out with a beautiful chic, like thousands of applicants want to get into a reputed b-school. So, be it a beautiful girl or a reputed school - both have a problem of plenty. Now, if a guy makes a strong case and tells a girl why he has fallen for her {Why XX B-school?}, what will he do for her {How will you contribute to the school?} and How will she fulfill his dreams {How will the school help you in achieving your goal} there is a chance that girl would give the guy a chance.

Also, Guys fall in love with what they see {How often we fall in love with a school that has a superb brand equity ;) } and Girls fall in love with what they hear {Schools love applicants who express themselves well -- ESSAYS ARE V-IMP}

We have seen one approach above to woo a girl. Now consider this:

Guy: Hi Gorgeous!! I just wanted to tell you that i often dreamt of an angel whose eyes had innocense and sensuality, whose cheeks were crafted out of rose petals and whose lips were like strawberries. An angel whom god crafted out of marble and whom god coated with honey. You are the one whose smile is more beautiful than the rainbow. I can spend rest of my life watching you smile. When i saw you first i couldn't believe that someone could be so beautiful. {This was why XX school and how it fits in your scheme of things?}

You are the one for whom i would die a thousand times, if you would say i would get the most precious jewels for you, i would keep you like a prized possesion. I would kiss your lips and play with your sensual hair. I would peep into your hypnotising eyes for hours, i would really love to make love to you. {What would you do for the school?}

Half the battle is won if you market yourself well. School might call you for a date {read interview}

While addressing "Why XX school?" question don't just mention how good a school is. Ad-com already knows that, that's not unique ... Tell the ad-com exactly what are your scheme of things and how you found the school fitting in...all the courses, faculty, clubs, alum network, placements, student projects, guest speakers etc. anything and everything that you can think of -- and those things that add an extra punch to the story. Now, don't just stop here, express what would you do for the school once accepted. Most of the top b-schools are student run organizations and schools are looking for students who will pro-actively contribute to the activities of school....

More later...

Best advice for GMAT preparation

2010-05-05T10:00:00.003+05:30

Clear Admit BoB results are out!!!

Congrats Dramchaser{DC} and Orlando for winning the best applicant and best student category awards respectively. DC is headed to Kellogg and Orlando is studying in Kellogg!!! Actually Kellogg students have swept the awards :)

And this very blog was voted the "Best Advice for GMAT preparation". I feel honored and would like to thank Clear Admit and Fellow bloggers.

The results can be found here .

Worked on my resume yesterday. Still looks pathetic and needs a lot of work. But as compared to my previous resume the new version looks impressive :). Will share some tips for crafting Resume...And any suggestions from fellow bloggers are welcome !!!!!

10k hits

2010-05-01T17:26:00.000+05:30

Finally my blog recorded 10k hits. Thanks to all the readers.

As expected max. no. of hits are from USA..followed closely by India. One interesting trend that i noticed -- Normally Indian hits are almost half of US hits on other blogs. But in my case they are almost 80% of US hits.

Is it because Indians love my blog or people in USA hate it?? I would like to believe the former :).

On Apps front haven't made much progress for last 2 weeks. Only good thing was that i disclosed my MBA plans to one of my recommendors. She is my client and was very pleased to hear my decision to go for an MBA. Now i need to intimate my 2nd recommendor -- my current supervisor. I have been working with him for past 3 years now. He knows my strengths and weaknesses, he is the one who has seen me grow professionally. I think he won't mind writing a reco for me but then you never know!!!

My back pain has returned with a bang and has not allowed me to read or write much. Ortho department failed to heal my injury and now i am under the supervision of Neuro department.

More later...ciao

First rough draft

2010-04-18T12:07:00.000+05:30

Before i share my progress i want to share the Sad news!!! CK Prahlad renowned management guru passed away. Indeed sad!! CK was known for his theory - "fortune at bottom of pyramid", applicable in many emerging economies. Also, CK was esteemed faculty member of University of Michigan {Ross B-school}.
May he RIP.

Coming on to the next update -- wrote first rough draft of Career progression and why MBA essay. Must say it looked horrible. Way off the word limits, hardly giving the personal touch and mostly bragging about things that i had already mentioned in my resume.

Its very imp. that an applicant does not repeat the same things as mentioned in his/her resume. Resume mostly reflects "WHAT" part of your story. i.e What an applicant has accomplished. Every school asks for a copy of resume along with the essays. So, ad-com members would be aware of "WHAT" part of the story. I believe that through essays ad-com members are more interested in knowing the real person behind those accomplishments. Essays should answer "WHY" part of the story. i.e Why you made certain choices, why you were able to achieve certain things {as mentioned in your resume} and obviously why an MBA makes sense for you?

After writing the first draft i have decided to think hard about -- "Where i am coming from?", " Why i made certain choices in life and what i learnt from those experiences", " Where do i see myself 5 years, 10yrs from now and what's the motivation behind that.". I guess if i will answer these questions then i will be better able to answer Why MBA in the stipulated word limit.

Also don't forget to be specific in your essays. I think once we have enough degree of specificity in essays we won't have to worry about being unique ;)

Nominated -- Clear Admit Best of Blogging{BoB}

2010-04-10T11:30:00.000+05:30

Come 2nd friday of April and clear admit announces nominations for best of blogging in the MBA blogosphere. I feel privileged because my blog has been nominated along side some of the very best blogs for this years BoB. There are 2 categories -- MBA applicants and MBA students { i wish next year i make a switch from applicant category to student category }

You can find the complete list of nominees at : BoB Nominations 2009-2010 . Next comes the voting phase where the nominated bloggers, celebrity judges and Clear admit staff will cast vote. 50% consideration is given to blogger votes and 25% each to celebrity judges and clear admit staff votes. Ballots are due on April 30 and rankings would be revealed on May 4th. There are lots of prizes to be won.

Clear Admit's blog has huge repertoire of information when it comes to GMAT prep, Applications, school selection etc. Kudos to Clear Admit and all the bloggers who have added value in MBA blogosphere.

I wish all the fellow bloggers lots of luck. {Free drinks for those who vote for me ;) }

Beat the GMAT Scholarship!!

2010-04-04T16:52:00.000+05:30

Just wanted to draw the attention of fellow bloggers to the Beat the GMAT scholarship. There are 6 scholarships valued at approx $8, 500. The winner will get a GMAT prep course with one of the leading prep companies.

All one is required to do is to register himself/herself at BTG site and write few essays. The good thing about participating in this competition is that you get to think hard about why MBA?, why GMAT? etc. Also one of the question forces you to think hard about your story. How your story is different from others and how you are more deserving than others. Writing these essays will already propel you into the next orbit of your journey to a top b-school.

The essay questions are available here: BTG scholarship Essays, Deadline is May-20-2010. Winners will be announced within 10 days of the essay submission deadline. One can redeem the prize by as late as June-2011.

Prospective GMAT takers don't miss out on this opportunity.

INSEAD vs US b-schools

2010-03-29T18:04:00.005+05:30

Yesterday Miss "S" threw some questions at me, forcing me to think hard. Though i could answer most of them but found myself struggling while answering others.

Miss S: why Kellogg or Booth and why not INSEAD? Your ultimate goal is to move to strategy and INSEAD does as well as top US schools when it comes to placing students in strategy.

Me: i want to do an immersive program and a 10 month program is too short to even fully live the MBA experience.

Miss S: But consider the ROI. INSEAD offers highest ROI. You have to forego only 1 year salary and the total amount spent on tuition and living is also less in case of 1 year prog.

Me: Agreed!

Miss S: Forbes 2009 ranking. Have you seen them?

Me: Yes..Salary for INSEAD class of 2004 in 2008 was $218, 000 and for Kellogg it was $165, 000. INSEAD students take 2.5 years on average to repay their education loan while Kellogg students take 4.4 years.

Miss S: that's a big difference..

Miss S: So why not INSEAD? It s going to offer you greater diversity, access to same set of recruiters, it has campuses in multiple locations. I assume INSEAD would offer you similar courses and would have great faculty too.

Me: That's true but INSEAD is too big. 900 {is it 900 or 1800? 900*2} students passing out every year. Thats like a factory output

Miss S: rubbish!! Ultimately they are going to divide you in sections and that's what will matter to you. Is the batch size any how going to affect your learning?? And INSEAD is a great school {top 5 in every ranking}, so having a large alum network is a plus.

Me: that's right!! But INSEAD is skewed towards consulting. What if i change my mind during MBA?

Miss S: Have a better look at their employment report. You will get the answer.

Me: But INSEAD is not that well known outside Europe.

Miss S: People who are going to recruit you and people who are going to work with you will know about INSEAD. How does it matter whether your friend from high school or girl next door doesn't know about INSEAD.

Me: Thats right too!!!

Miss S: see, if you can get into INSEAD you will do as well as you will in case you go to any other top US b school. But you will repay your loan faster and can start enjoying sooner.

Me: I will definitely discuss this with my fellow bloggers and gain some insight ... you have confused me :'(

I know Kellogg students take more time than those at INSEAD to repay their education loans. But i would like to carry Kellogg/Wharton badge for the rest of my life. Maybe because my parents, my friends hold these brands in high esteem {And i don't know how good is this reason for choosing a particular school.}. I think all of us have unconcious fascination towards some particular schools. I never feel anything about Stanford or Berkeley or SLoan but the mention of K/W/Booth/Ross/LBS etc sets my pulse racing.

But the 2008 salary for class of 2004 is a big differentiator, K students earning $165, 000 and INSEAD students earning $ 218, 000. Money matters after all :) .... I have still not fully accepted the idea of applying to INSEAD but i will surely explore this great school before i take any decision.

Why MBA ..Which School...Why Now??

2010-03-27T12:45:00.000+05:30

As i move ahead towards my MBA dream, i am forced to think hard about the following questions:

1. Why MBA?? -- In my previous post Why MBA? I had mentioned few reasons that motivate me to pursure an MBA. But specifically linking an MBA program to my career goals is a bit tough job. For this reason its an absolute must to be crystal clear about your short term and long term career goals. Once you have done so get in touch with student ambassadors or b-school students {who have similar career aspirations as you do} to understand how an MBA has helped them in realizing their goals. I have found a very interesting pattern in that a lot of people do not stick to the same career goals that they mentioned in their essays. Thats fine also, pursuing an MBA will expose one to various career streams and being flexible is a good option. My why MBA story to get into a b-school can be very different from my Why MBA once i pass out of the school.
An MBA can help you mingle with people from your target industry, can give you a platform to interact with recruiters of your choice {Mckinsey, BCG, Bain don't recruit everywhere..}. You can develop certain traits that your future job might require. Also being an engineer i can never expect to learn economics, accounting or marketing in my job so an MBA can help me in getting a hang of these subjects.

Which b- school?? --No matter which school i try to explore i find the same courses offered in the "CORE" and almost similar sounding "Electives" {Barring few}. Every school boasts of a great faculty and pioneering research. Every school offers almost similar clubs such as conculting, marketing, I-banking etc. and every school talks about developing leaders.

Then there are few differences too -- Harvard and Darden - case centric...Kellogg, Ross -- great for marketing and team work is very imp. ... Wharton - -emphasizes a lot on innovation...Then there are schools with small class size {300-400/ batch} and then there's H/W {800-900/batch}. Also US and european MBA's differ in many other aspects too. {I am not getting into details of european vs US schools as i am focussing on US b-school only for some reasons.}. Location of a school is another imp. factor..Cornell, Tuck and Ross are at an disadvantage when compared to Columbia, Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard etc. Sloan and Haas are tech centric..Chicago lets you choose all your courses except one right from 1st year.

Why Now?? -- .. Need help !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

WWW - Weekend Without Wallet

2010-03-20T14:26:00.001+05:30

Friday - Mar-19-2010

I went to a mall on Friday and realized that i was not carrying my wallet. Thank goodness i realized my stupidity well before parking my car in the mall's basement parking. It was not a good idea to go back and get my wallet from the flat as it would have taken me a lot of time in doing so. I decided to park my car in a housing society near the mall. I told the security at the gate that i was there to meet a friend and parked my car at the visitor's parking {saved cool 50 bucks}. Post parking my car i walked down to the mall .

Walking down to the mall made me sweat and i really wanted to wash my face. I saw "The Body Shop" showroom right across me, i entered the showroom and pretended as if i was seriously thinking to buy something. I picked up a "face-wash" tester and i used it in mall's wash room. To moisturize my face post this cleaning i again used another tester at "The Body Shop".

I really liked this idea of testing the stuff before you purchase it. Baskin Robbins was my next target. Tasted choco chip, coffee, black currant, nutty buddy and black forest ice creams then made a face as if none of the flavour tasted good. Applied Bvlgari perfume from a tester at the "Shoper's stop". Must say that Bvlgari is good.

Crosswords provided me another opportunity to read a book at no cost and sip free coffe from a nescafe dispenser. Read "Dhirubhai ambani's biography" {nearly 90 pages} from the book Business Maharajas. It was an amazing story and a must read for anybody who is serious about entreprenuership.

I had spent cool 4 hours at the mall and then decided to head back to home.

Introspection -- Essays

2010-03-18T16:38:00.001+05:30

The most important stage during MBA application process is of "INTROSPECTION". One has to be crystal clear about the reasons for pursuing an MBA and reasons for choosing a school. 2 years and $150k would mean a lot to lot of people. I have started giving a thought to essays and bumped across the following piece of advise that i found worth sharing with all the fellow applicants:

{Its important that one gives a due thought to each of the following questions.}

1. Are you a leader in a true sense? A lot of aspirants limit leadership around their team leading experience. Even though it is true to some extent, it hovers around a lot of other areas in your candidature. What is it that makes you a leader in life?

2. Did you ever take an initiative and exceeded expectations of the people around you ? What led you to take that initiative? How did you chart your strategy, and involve your peers in realizing the overall goal for the benefit of the organization or body you have been or were related to?

3. All of us face resistances and friction when we implement ideas? How well do you understand this, and what do you do to perform in the wake of resistance from people who are either associated with or affected by your ideas?

4. Have you managed a group of people? Did you make them realize their full potential?

5. All of us follow prototypes in our day to day lives. Have you ever thought outside the boundaries and worked as a designer who thinks creatively?

6. Are you keen on contributing to the lives of others?
You are a sharp and a dedicated individual at work. However, it takes a while in getting people around you used to your ideas and style of working. How well can you communicate with professionals working with you, and make them understand your goals for the organization?

Ross -- Amazing website

2010-03-15T16:05:00.001+05:30

For long, i was trying hard to research some of my prospective schools. But i was finding it really hard to explore the schools. Sitting in India, thousands of miles away from schools, i found myself ill-equipped to research the schools. What a fool i was!! If you have access to internet and a burning desire to explore then you have got everything that you need to find out more about your dream schools.

Let me come back to the school in question - "Ross". Ross has structured its website in an excellent manner. All the information that an aspiring MBA can vouch for is present in a user friendly layout. Even if you have very vague idea about your future career prospects, Ross can help you give a better insight into various career streams. You will have a sound knowledge of curriculum that you will have to take in order to pursue a particular career option. Then you can explore the faculty for each of the subject that you want to opt for.

The detailed employment statistics for past many years speak very highly of Ross. Over 70 student clubs and organizations are there to cater to your interest.

How to structure your career search is another question that Ross' website answers beautifully. The website also gives an amazing insight into the core curriculum and relevance of various elective courses. MAP is highlighted in a big manner on Ross' website. Multidisciplinary Application Program {i hope i have put it down correctly} caught my eye and the experiential learning experience that MAP would provide to any MBA student is awesome.

Also, what all the candidate should highlight in his/her application is also mentioned briefly on the website. Ross is very similar to Kellogg in that it has a very good Marketing and consulting placement. Ross offers a good General Management MBA option and is big time on my radar now.

I don't think that my small haphazard article has done justice to the topic of this post but i would suggest all my fellow bloggers to experience the Ross website themselves -- ITS AMAZING!!!

Fellow Illuminati in at ISB and interviewed by Booth!!!

2010-03-01T14:12:00.000+05:30

Awesome!!! That's how i will describe the last week....

1. I went to Goa with Miss S and few friends...that was one great trip. Biking..Beaches...water sports..Dolphins...Sun bath..Trance Parties...and *censored censored* ;)

I think life is good when you are with your loved ones and friends...and one enjoy the life to the fullest whenever possible...

2. Fellow Illuminati gets an admit from ISB and gets interviewed by Booth Alum -- one of my dearest friends and co-founder of NGO "Illuminati" got an admit into ISB Hyderabad {his dream school} and got interviewed by a Booth Alum. i hope he cracks into Booth too. {I will share his interview experiences soon with all my fellow bloggers}

3. Got my bonus -- {That was peanuts...nothing to be happy about ..but still i got some money to spend in Goa :) }

4. Happy Holi to all the bloggers may this holi bring brightest colors to your lives....
played holi with my friends and had a jolly good time....

Happy holi once again....

SC Notes - 2

2010-02-21T11:31:00.000+05:30

In continuation of my previous post:

19. you don’t pay in a job but you pay for a job – OG10-109

20. In English it is idiomatic usage to credit someone with having done something.- OG10-111

21. the correct idiom is better served by x than by y

22. after when is unidiomatic: one word or the other can be used to establish temporal sequence, but not both together. OG10 -124

23. you can't 'demand X to do Y'. – UNIDIOMATIC (subjunctive) {Demand that x do y}

24. it's wrong to say 'preferred X over Y'. the correct idiom is 'prefer X to Y'. take note.

25. the idiom to mistake x for y.

26. Considered as is unidiomatic but Regard as is idiomatic

27. GREATER THAN VS MORE THAN in formal written english, if you are talking about an increase in a single statistic, you use GREATER. if you are counting things, and NOT referring to 'the number' or 'the population' or any other single statistic, you use MORE
the population of filipinos is greater than it was 10 years ago

there are more filipinos than there were 10 years ago

28. the sentence form X is why is unidiomatic (X is the reason why would be idiomatic og10-177

29. 1) idiom : support from vs. support of
support from : is used when you get support from something(someone)
support of : is used to express that you support something
ex) I rallied to the support of my country.

30. because is better than since when explanation of a cause is given.

Idioms/ SC - Notes

2010-02-20T22:53:00.000+05:30

Found one document where i had jotted down some of the idioms/notes:

1. the idiom is "believe x to be y." – og 10- q 9

2. the infinitive to be is more appropriate than the limited present-tense is in referring to an event that occurred long ago but has been recently discovered – og 10-q9

3. rates of is incorrect; when rates means "prices charged," it should be followed by for. – OG 10-Q13

4. estimated to be is correct – og 10-q14 –estimated at is unidiomatic

5. the idiomatically correct expression distinguishes between x and y – og 10 –q15

6. the phrases on account of and because of are unidiomatic; because can independently introduce a complete subordinate clause

7. idiomatic expression worried about rather than worried over -- worried about is preferable when describing a condition rather than an action. – OG 10-42

8. none the less ... than in D and no less... as in E are unidiomatic; the correct form of expression, no less ... than, -- OG 10-30

9. the same to X as to Y. – OG 10-54 --- UNIDIOMATIC FORM - the same to X just as [it would] to

10. The phrase have a danger is unidiomatic – OG 10- 63

11. because an adverb such as twice cannot function as an object of the preposition by. – OG 10-72

12. seem is Followed by an infinitive (to indicate), - OG 10-95

13. : x forbids y to do z or x prohibits y from doing z

14. Use "a native of" when you're talking about where a person was born, for example: I am a native of Detroit.
Use "native to" when you're talking about a category, characteristic, or species, for example: Tigers are native to India.

15. Rather than vs Instead of
Rather than shows a judgment. One choice is preferred over the other. It is better somehow.
instead of merely expresses a replacement of one thing for another.
I would rather have ice cream than apple pie because I like ice cream better.
But if there weren't very much ice cream left, and I wanted to save some for tomorrow, I might have apple pie instead of ice cream tonight.

More to follow....

God..Friends and Me

2010-02-18T17:32:00.001+05:30

For long i have been contemplating about my relation with few so called "Friends" and with "God". How come i mixed up the topic of friendship and god is a topic of contention.

I have seen my faith in god taking various shades and so has been my relationship with my friends.

As a kid, i was made to believe that god is a supreme power and looks para-normal. God would punish me if i committed a sin and would reward me for my good work. This thought didn't last long and i started believing that irrespective of our actions god loves us. He is magnanimous and forgiving. But once i started facing the real world and faced the real challengesi had to believe that we do get punishment sooner or later.
Slowly and steadily i started thinking of god as one who is similar to me. I still adhere to this thought pattern.

Now, i would slightly change the topic to friendship.A lot of time we we mistake our acquaintance or our peers for our friends. Its not hard to feel frustrated when these people don't live upto your expectations.

Most of you might have guessed that i am trying to vent out my anger for someone. I am not a kind of person who can go out and bash up people. I really cannot do that even if i want to { i have done that in the past but with time i have mellowed down}, so letting out the steam here on my blog.

I really get bogged down when my so called "friends" call me up only to seek some help. It is not that i don't want to help but i feel that this relation can't be friendship. These people would never call me to ask "how am i doing", or they won't hang out with me. I have enough friends to hang out with and it could be that my so called "Friends" might not find me interesting enough but they won't respond when i try to get in touch with them. Now, this is something that i don't like. If i am there for you my friend then you ought to respond when i need you.
So, what do i do..i call it quits. Its good to be a little selfish. As i am done with the post mortem of my failed friendships, i realize that my relation with "God" is going in the very same direction.

I pray to god but i am always asking for one thing or the other. I am a thankless fellow, as soon as i get what i want i hardly give a party to god. I am not responding to his calls.

This sucks!!! and No doubt as i am moving away from my so called "friends", god would have by now...moved away from me...

Many might argue that god is too magnanimous to behave like that. But for me, my god behaves in a similar manner as i do.

Today, when i look back. The life seems good. All the troubles that bogged me once seem trivial. I am glad that i am alive but i am sad that i never thanked god.

God..i love you...i do..i want to give you a hug and say thank for all that you have done for me. I will keep on bothering you with my silly thoughts but from now on i will try and meet you often..i will try to talk to you often...i will try not only to talk but also to listen to you.

My Name Is Khan - Movie Review

2010-02-16T19:02:00.002+05:30

What has happened to you mr. Wallace? Off late you are reading books, watching movies and are not bothered at all about MBA apps.

Well, i didn't apply this year and 2010 deadlines are far away. I am doing the basic ground work but just want to ensure that before i start the battle i am fresh. So, i am doing what i feel like doing. ;)

My Name is Khan -- MNIK

The Plot: The movie has a very weak plot, as is the case with most of Karan Johar films. The plot revolves around the repurcussions of 9/11 attack on US and how this attack affected the lives of common people. Director has focussed on a man named "Rizwan Khan" who suffers from Asperagus syndrome. Rizwan is played by Shahrukh and if for a moment i get unbiased i will say Shahrukh has done a decent job {3/5} though i find his acting monotonous. {If i get biased i would say like all other Shahrukh movies MNIK sucks {1/5} and i wanted to leave the hall after interval but after all i had paid for the ticket and i have all the time in the world.}

Rizwan is shown as a super talented person who knows everything about the universe. You name it and Rizwan has the answer but he doesn't know a shit about Al Qaeda. Anyways, why Shahrukh worked as a salesman when he could give any scientist or an engineer a run for his money was something that i could not understand.

And why in the hell hero always finds his dream girl always available is another thing that i could not understand. But this is peculiar to Karan Johar genre of movies.

I liked 2 songs "Tere Naina" and "tera sajda" apart fom these two songs music was below average.

Coming back to the plot, the hatred towards Muslims in after math of 9/11 attacks turned Rizwan's life upside down, his love {Played by Kajol -- who hardly had a meaty role} asks him to say something to President of USA. and our Hero sets out on a mission to follow mr. President {i didn't know that travel itenary of US president is out there on google.}.

After some struggle our hero becomes super-hero as he saves town of Georgia from a hurricane {wish we had more Rizwans and govt. wouldn't have to care about natural calamities}. Finally the US president wants to meet mr. Khan and amidst all the melodrama Rizwan khan meets the low cost duplicate of Mr. Obama.

Like all other Karan Johar movies the movie had a happy ending.

A lot of incidences were picked up from Forest Gump but overall the movie didn't have a gripping plot.

Acting: its an out and out Shahrukh Khan movie. Kajol , Vinay Pathak and others are wasted. SRK is ok and is not much different from his other films.

All in all if you are Shahrukh Khan fan then go for the movie else you might repent spending money on the ticket.

its 1.5/5 if u re not SRK/Kajol fan but if you are then its 3.5/5.

Chicago Booth Alum -answers some of my queries

2010-02-06T14:15:00.000+05:30

I had written a post earlier that Chicago Booth is one of the best schools with one of the best faculty. But after my interaction with a guy i decided not to apply to Booth. Somehow, i stumbled upon 2 alums of Booth and my view completely changed.

I had imagined Booth students to be ultra-competitive and non co-operative. I would say never make an impression about a school basis your conversation with a single student. Explore many forums and then decide.

Here's an excerpt of my conversation with a super cool Booth alum:

Q: how are the students at GSB? are they ultra competitive or
collaborative? I would prefer a school with a strong inclination
towards team work {That's why Kellogg is my fav}.

before i answer your questions, please remember that this is just my opinion, and i very well might be wrong. and not everything i will say will work for you because i write from my perspective and our profiles (and timing of application) were very different. now to your questions.

i dont think gsb students are ultra competitive. i dont think we are overly friendly as well. the fact that we are more of a commuter school i.e. people travel from various parts of the city and not evryone lives in a close vicinity means that you can never get a experience which a school like darden or tuck might offer. but if you live in a popular neighborhood, there are enough people around to coordinate with, and have beer with. and although we arent necessarily always mushy about our teamwork, there is a lot of teamwork in the school. people collaborate for not just school work, but for competitions and a lot of businesses get started with a collaboration of students who had never met before school. i think that is testament enough that we like to work with other smart people. that doesnt mean that you will gel with everyone, simply because a big school like gsb attracts all kinds of personalities. but there are a lot of people whom you will like and enjoy being around. i found my classmates to be fun, smart, having a point of view, and relatively easy to work with and be around.

*QUES: Will Job switches go against me??* {I have 3 in 5 years}

i dont think 3 job switches is a big worry. you should explain why you made the switch in your career goals essay. it will help the adcom understand that your career moves are well thought after, and not just because you wanted more money (honestly there's nothing wrong in that, but i dont think it sells in a bschool essay).

*QUES: Does Booth promote entrepreneurial spirit? or can you suggest any
other b-school? Its really hard to explore b-schools sitting in India.
I am trying to explore websites and call students but till now I have
only been able to hear back from few students.

gsb is big on entrepreneurship these days, and i think that has been the case for quite some time. you should explore the course offerings, and what's going on in the polsky center. also get in touch with the co-chairs of the EVP club
(http://student.chicagobooth.edu/group/evc/index.htm) - i think it is one of the most popular clubs on campus, is high profile as well because some star professors are involved, and a lot of money is also being pushed into the group and students who want to start ventures. the new venture challenge is a big attraction on campus every year.

*QUES How would you describe your experience at Booth? Given a chance to
go back in time would you again choose Booth or will you prefer some
other college??

my experience was very nice and i think i will suggest gsb to many, although not everyone. the school has its own personality and you have to gel with that. and since i have not seen another school i cant really answer if i will go to a different school if i have to redo my experience. i believe gsb was fun, intellectually stimulating and energetic - all of which i wanted in a school. there are only 2 things which i would have liked to be different - a little less focus on finance and econ (and that is already happeneing with many new things coming up in other departments, but chicago still remains a finance&econ powerhouse, that is our strength and i wont want to change that necessarily). secondly, our alumni network in india isnt as high profile yet, but that's because chicago didnt focus on admitting indian students around 20 years back. this has progressively changed quite a bit, and i forsee our brand name in india to be better each year. overall, i think gsb is a great school, and depending on how you shape your experience there you can achieve anything - it's actually a lot up to the student.

2 States - Book review

2010-01-31T11:45:00.000+05:30

Read Chetan Bhagat's latest novel "2 states". After i finished the book i had just one question in my mind: "Mr. Bhagat, you started your writing career brilliantly. Why are you writing just for the sake of writing?"

2 states is spun around the same old issue of inter caste marriage. Its like eating the same old butter chicken but with a different garnishing. Mr. Bhagat says that he wants to send a message across by means of his book. Except for a little flavour of that message the book failed to evoke any emotion towards the message that the author wanted to convey.

The book lacks the plot, Narrative is brilliant towards the begining but is mere average towards the end. The narrative of the book till page no. 154 is ultimate, i felt like kissing the hand that wrote such a hilarious narrative. But post page 154, the book was pathetic. I found it hard to put the book down once i started but after page 154 i had lost interest in the book.

One can read the book if he/she is a die hard Chetan Bhagat fan otherwise go and watch "Ek Duje Ke Liye", its far far far better. 2 states does not seem to be the product of mind that crafted " 5 point someone".

Chicago Booth Faculty -- Lecture -- Financial Crisis

2010-01-20T13:32:00.000+05:30

On Friday {Jan-15} i had the opportunity to attend a lecture by Raghuram Rajan. Raghuram Rajan is the Eric J. Gleacher Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Dr. Rajan is also currently an economic advisor to the Prime Minister of India. Prior to resuming teaching in 2007, Dr. Rajan was the Economic Counselor and Director of Research (in plain English, the Chief Economist) at the International Monetary Fund (from 2003).

There were some 32 Booth alums also present. Raghu spoke on "The Financial Crisis and Beyond : Challenges for India and the Global Economy."

Unlike other people Raghu was not blaming Sub-prime alone for the Financial Tsunami that de-railed the global economy in 2008. Raghu shared other factors such as "US Educational System", "Export oriented economies such as Germany, Japan, China", "Compensation system of big banks", "Competition among CEOs" etc.

According to Raghu the rising gap between income levels of High school pass outs and that of people with higher degrees forced the US govt. to frame certain policies that led to this Financial crisis. There was an oversupply of people who were high school pass outs and this oversupply led to a net reduction in their remuneration. While, people with degrees such as M.S and M.B.A saw their salaries rise by approx 25%. Moreover, there is a continued under-supply of people with higher degrees in US and this is creating a greater than ever rift between the earnings of two income groups.

The problem started way back in 1991 when un-employment rate rose above 10% in US and George Bush Sr. lost the election. The congress forced Fed to cut the rates so that economy could be revived. Congress believed that reducing the fed rates would have a positive effect on the economy and the businesses. As the surplus liquidity would increase the spending power of lower income groups.

In effect the reduced interest rates forced people and businesses to take risk and invest the money in instruments that were traditionally considered risky. Also Mortgage backed securities were developed by leading US i-banks such as Merril, Bear Stern, Lehman etc. In nutshell, the reduction in interest rates provided liquidity to people who in turn invested this money in products such as CDS, MBS etc {Collaterialised debt securities, Mortgage Backed securities}.

To add to the woes the compensation system allowed the traders to take bigger and bigger risks. For, there were big rewards if a trader made money but no penalties if a trader incurred loss. Raghu proposed that the compensation system needs to be altered to bring the sanity back to the market.

Raghu was particularly critical of Bear stern, Lehman and Citi group for placing big bets in 1990s. The bets placed in 1990s paid off but laid the foundation for future problems. By 2007 things got out of control and BS, Lehman and Citi were the biggest losers. Also, Raghu pointed to the competition between CEOs of big i-banks. He was critical of John Thain because Raghu believed that John conciously or unconciously competed with CEO of Goldman Sachs over the compensation. John matched his and his traders compensation with that of traders at Goldman but failed to produce the profits equal to Goldman.

Finally, Raghu drew the attention of audience towards the export oriented economies such as Japan, Germany and China. These economies were highly dependent on US for their own well being. When US sneezed these economies caught cold. This over dependence of three big exporters led to the collapse of global economy. The consumption in US suffered and led to problems for Japan, Germany and China.

Raghu was also critical of China throwing jabs at US. He believes that US engagement in wars was preventing US from acting sternly against China. If US simply imposes an import tarrif on Chinese goods, the Chinese economy would be in trouble.

Post the lecture there was a brief QnA session followed by the networking reception.

Statistics -- GMAT

2010-01-15T10:37:00.001+05:30

I guess all of you must be familiar with the formulae of Mean, Median and Standard Deviation {S.D} ... even if you are not its fine!! Good news is that GMAT does not test your knowledge of formulae involved..Statistics questions do pop up in the exam and following tips might come handy:

1. Standard Deviation gives the dispersion or spread of the data around its mean
* simply means that if standard deviation is large data is spread over a greater range around mean...or a lot of the data points are not close to the mean value

2. Adding or Subtracting a constant value from each term in the set has NO EFFECT ON SD

3. If each term in the set is multiplied by a number > 1 then SD increases

4. If each term in the set is multiplied by a number < 1 then SD decreases

5. If each term divided by a number > 1 then SD decreases

6. If each term divided by a number > 0 but number < 1 then SD increases .
let us say we divide each term by number 'n' , 0 < n < 1 then SD increases

7. Changing the sign of all terms in set has no bearing on SD..

8. If you are given multiple sets of numbers and you have to find out the set with largest and smallest SD just look at the set where the difference between the terms is greatest and the set where the difference between the terms is smallest respectively..

{ i hope the wording is not confusing, i know it sucks brevity per se :) }

Romeo - Juliet by Braveheart

2010-01-12T20:29:00.002+05:30

Written for someone special, who has already got the flower and read this post :)

Many things happen in our life “by chance” and few “by choice”,
We had met “by chance” and are still together “by choice”,

“By chance” I got this flower for you and as I kept it on my Car’s dashboard

I noticed dew drops on its petals,
“By chance” I heard a sigh, it was this flower who was crying,
“By chance” he started talking and told me that you are looking at my tears and not the dew drops,
“By chance” I had mistaken tears for dew drops,

The story that I am sharing with you is “by chance” Romeo’s story,
“By chance” the flower that you are holding is “Romeo”, { i gave her the flower }

“By chance” Romeo spoke to me and “By choice” shared his story
Romeo was a seed few months ago and so was Juliet,
Both were colorless, without any fragrance and had no feelings
“By chance” a gardener sowed both of them next to each other.
“By chance” both of them got Sunshine, Rain and Mother Earth’s Lap

“By choice” both decided to Blossom,
“By chance” both blossomed
“By chance” Romeo grew up handsomely
“By chance” Juliet grew up beautifully

“By chance” Romeo and Juliet grew up together
“By choice” they started loving each other
“By choice” they touched each other when breeze swung them,
“By choice” they spent sleepless nights under the blue Moon,
“By choice” they danced together when it rained,

“By choice” they PROMISED TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER

One fine day, “by chance” the gardener who had sown Romeo and Juliet, plucked them,

“By choice” he sold them to a florist,
“By chance” the florist put Juliet in a bouquet and Romeo in a bucket full of water
“By choice” they kept on looking at each other,
“By choice” they cried,
“By chance” I bought Romeo; “by chance” I mistook his tears for the dew drops
“By chance” Romeo shared his story with me and “By choice” I went back to florist
“By chance” I was too late…Someone took Juliet away
“By choice” I was silent and “By chance” Romeo understood what my silence meant

“By choice” I decided to bring a smile BACK on Romeo’s face,
I decided to take him to Juliet and the way Romeo had described Juliet

I thought of someone who resembles his Juliet,
“By chance” its you …..

“By chance” Juliet had pink cheeks like yours
“By chance” she was as innocent as you are
“By chance” your fragrance compliments that of hers’
“By chance” Juliet was as gorgeous as you are

Romeo won’t last more than 3 days and will leave us to mingle with Juliet
“By chance” would you mind keeping Romeo with you?

“By choice” Smile…for you will touch Romeo’s soul….
Smile…for you may realize that life is short….

Smile…for you may smile now when you are with me…

2010

2010-01-04T14:46:00.000+05:30

New year brings a lot of resolutions. People make all kinds of promises to themselves such as "I will cut down on junk", "i will quit smoking", "i will study hard" etc etc.

For years i have been making resolutions and breaking them at will. So, this year i have decided not to create a wishlist. I would live each day to the fullest. I would be a kid again and will get excited when i see the rainbow. I would write on anything and everything that would make me happy.

I would enjoy every sip of my coffee, every bite of my pizza. I would do what i love to do rather than simply piling on.

I will focus on 2-3 things that make me happy rather than running around aimlessly.

With that i wish all of you a very happy and prosperous 2010...