Update

I keep on getting emails on the id linked to this blog, seeking help for GMAT prep and Essay writing. Though i won't mind helping people out but i hardly log in to that e-mail id. After getting dinged by INSEAD i had an i/v invite from Booth for 2nd time in a row but i decided not to go for it. I think i lacked the motivation and self confidence. I think i am going to keep this blog as it is because it has some good articles on GMAT prep and essay writing. But going forward i don't think i will be able to keep this blog alive... it was a wonderful journey with all the fellow bloggers and readers... :)..

Love to all...

Cheers
KT

wassup

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

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

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

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

Ciao

In NY

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

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

clear admit bob voting on FB

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

FB Link

Sathya Sai Baba

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

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

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

Clear Admit BoB

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

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

book review - Great Indian Mba Dream

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

Cost - INR 195 {Approx USD 4.5}

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

Miss S: what are you reading

KT: Great Indian MBA dream

Miss S:  what it is all about?

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

Miss S: Is it good?

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

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

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

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

Spinal Tumor it is...

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

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

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

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

The married bachelor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prologue -- The Turning Point!!

Jan-05-2010

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

“Shall I keep the blue shirt” Shivani asked me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Knock out punch

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!!

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...

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..

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...

WTF! only i can do it

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...

Stay ahead once you are admitted ...

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

iPhone Apps for MBA Students


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

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

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

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

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

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



Stay Organized

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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



Stay Social

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

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

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

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

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

jobs through your phone.


P.S:

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


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

That's life

Oct-14-2010

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

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

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

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

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

The Last Mile

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Can lines be dead?? Deadlines ;)

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

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

Few observations:

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

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

Goa

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

At a shop selling petrol bottles

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

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

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

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

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

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!!

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...