Why in the hell a shit pot wants to become a Geyser? And, why in the hell i am writing a post on such a topic? Let me explain, today i heard my geyser talking to my shit pot.{believe me, i was also bedazzled.} But geysers do speak and so do shit pots. They also have sexual preferences and my geyser and shit pot both are gays :'( .
I was taking the hot shower when i heard the following conversation between my geyser and shit pot:
Geyser: You know shitty, this guy turns me on every morning and as he undresses the juices within my body start boiling. The signal on my body turns from green to red, marking the erotic state of my mind.
Shit pot: Don't start this all over again. He is a bastard and gives me a good view of his ASSets every day but as soon as i am turned on he shits one me :'(
Geyser: Thank goodness! I am so lucky, since the time his back has got injured he takes prolonged showers while giving a wonderful view of his ASSets and i get to jerk off my hot juices {read water :)} on his body.
Shit Pot: I too get to feel his body when he sits but then it gets too kinky, wish i were a geyser {subjunctive mood here :) }
I hope you believe me now! Shit pots do talk and they too want to be someone else.
Thursday, October 22
Tuesday, October 20
Preparing for the GMAT – Confused???
Various questions pop up in the mind of an MBA applicant while preparing for the GMAT: How much time should be devoted to preparation?, whether to book the date first or prepare first, Is it good to pre-pone/Post-pone the date?, Which material to use?, When to start giving Mock CATs, How many Mock CATs etc etc.
When i first thought about giving GMAT, i knew nothing about it. All the information that i could get on the net only increased my problems. So much material and so many Mock CATs to choose from, different plans employed by various candidates to crack the GMAT. My friends who have given the GMAT cleared up a lot of doubts but each one of them suggested a different approach and different set of books to prepare for the exam.
I believe most of the GMAT applicants are confronted with following questions:
1. How much time shall I keep aside for GMAT preparation??
There will be people who will simply book a date a week ahead and crack 770 and there will always be people who will slug it out for months and get a jaw dropping score such as 550. Its good to aim high but its better to know your capabilities and manage your expectations. Its easier to go from 500 to 650 or from 500 to 690 but for every 10 point gain in your score post the 690 mark hard work alone won't help, Smart work along with rock solid determination, laser sharp focus and an insurmountable desire to succeed is required.
To be honest the time will depend upon your capabilities and your target score. The preparation time is inversely proportional to your capabilities and target score. But anything from 45 days to 180 days is more than enough. A longer preparation period can lead to burnout and you might peak before your G-day.
So, how to find out the ideal prep duration? I would say go ahead and book a date 3 months ahead. This takes us to our next two questions:
Whether to book the date first or prepare first,
Is it good to pre-pone/Post-pone the date?
Not everyone has the determination to put in few hours of preparation everyday. Booking a date might give you the much needed kick and invoke a sense of urgency. You might ask what if I am unable to cover the course in 3 months? Now I will say you can always go ahead and post pone the exam. I know I am going to draw flak for saying this but I would like to give my rationale. Normally a prep plan looks something like this:
1. CR -- Go through the fundamentals using Manhattan or Powerscore -- 7 days
2. Start practising CR questions -- OG-11 - 5 Days, OG-12 - 5days, 1000 CR - till 30 Feb -- as many as possible
3. Manhattan SC guide-- 7 days
4. SC practise -- OG-11,12 , 1000SC -- 25 days
5. Quant prep -- bla bla
6. Mock CATs -- bla bla
But one soon realizes that it is not so easy to execute the plan. Some might have to put in long hours in the office, some might have to travel, some might get injured or ill {like me :'(}, some have to devote time to their family.
Above all at the time of preparing a plan one is not sure as to how much time it would take to complete a given topic. A lot of candidates have not touched quant or verbal books for years after the college and for this reason many candidates feel rusty when they start solving the questions. The plan which was prepared earlier is gone for a toss.
CR - Powerscore bible -- 7 days {oh hell, i can’t even go through those 500+ pages in 15 days and my G-day is coming}, the anxiety of not completing a given topic within the timeline takes the toll of the preparation. The quantitative approach takes over the qualitative approach for test preparation. Candidate simply wants to do as many questions as possible without properly analyzing the questions and Mock CATs. If you want to know how to analyze the questions and Mock CATs then BTG{Beat the GMAT} has tonnes of info.
If you feel that you are taking some time over and above what you had initially allotted to a section/topic then don't let the quality suffer. Do each and every question with utmost dedication, check out each and every answer choice and make sure that you know why you are crossing out a particular choice and why you are selecting a particular choice as the final answer. {So how am i going to meet my deadlines?? My G-Day is coming} that’s why i said: you can always postpone the exam. Don’t make it a habit though, don’t take undue advantage of the fact that this exam can be postponed but use this flexibility to benefit yourself.
Take the stock of the situation, by preparing for 15-20 days you will get a fair enough idea of your abilities and the time that you need to attain the peak. Accordingly either pre-pone the exam or post pone it. Why pre-pone the exam?? Ok, you have prepared well for 45 days and now you are getting 750+ in the Mock CATs and you still have 45 days to go. If you are sure that you won't get burnt out by the end then don’t pre-pone otherwise you know what my suggestion would be.
Fair enough, i have taken a date 3 months ahead, i have given one Mock CAT now what? Which material shall i use? Again, this is a very subjective question. The choice of material totally depends upon your curent level. If you lack the basics then attempting the Manhattan Mock CAT quant will only shatter your confidence. And if you are finding it hard to understand what is parallelism and what is subject verb agreement then there is no point in attempting the questions from OG. Choose the prep material wisely.
One question that is bugging me right now is whether to start giving Mock CATs or wait for few more weeks. I think a lot of candidates face this problem while preparing for GMAT. I don’t want to give a lot of CATs because doing so might lead to a burn-out and giving too few CATs might leave me a bit unpolished before my date with the beast.
As of now i am not well prepared to tackle the quant section. I am making all sorts of careless and calculation mistakes. I am not well acquainted with fundamentals of Set theory {esp 3 sets}, Progressions, Combinatorics and Stats. I am through with the fundamentals of CR and SC but still haven't achieved a good hit rate {esp in SC :'(, lack of concentration is dragging my accuracy.}. I am not sure whether it would be good to waste time on Mock CATs while i am still brushing up Quant fundamentals or go ahead and track my progress in verbal section.
Some people are of the opinion that one should first be well versed with all the sections of the GMAT before attempting the Mock CATs. While others support the strategy of giving as many Mock CATs as you can before the real GMAT.
Give one Mock CAT in the begining to know where do you stand and then wait till you are well versed with basics of all the sections. Once you have covered all the sections start giving Mock CATs and analyze them in detail {as explained in the article written by stacy}. You must know your strengths and weaknesses, after giving Mock CATs you must develop a gut feeling as to when it is best to guess and move ahead.
Don't try and give each and every Mock CAT,
I would like to invite thoughts of fellow bloggers.
When i first thought about giving GMAT, i knew nothing about it. All the information that i could get on the net only increased my problems. So much material and so many Mock CATs to choose from, different plans employed by various candidates to crack the GMAT. My friends who have given the GMAT cleared up a lot of doubts but each one of them suggested a different approach and different set of books to prepare for the exam.
I believe most of the GMAT applicants are confronted with following questions:
1. How much time shall I keep aside for GMAT preparation??
There will be people who will simply book a date a week ahead and crack 770 and there will always be people who will slug it out for months and get a jaw dropping score such as 550. Its good to aim high but its better to know your capabilities and manage your expectations. Its easier to go from 500 to 650 or from 500 to 690 but for every 10 point gain in your score post the 690 mark hard work alone won't help, Smart work along with rock solid determination, laser sharp focus and an insurmountable desire to succeed is required.
To be honest the time will depend upon your capabilities and your target score. The preparation time is inversely proportional to your capabilities and target score. But anything from 45 days to 180 days is more than enough. A longer preparation period can lead to burnout and you might peak before your G-day.
So, how to find out the ideal prep duration? I would say go ahead and book a date 3 months ahead. This takes us to our next two questions:
Whether to book the date first or prepare first,
Is it good to pre-pone/Post-pone the date?
Not everyone has the determination to put in few hours of preparation everyday. Booking a date might give you the much needed kick and invoke a sense of urgency. You might ask what if I am unable to cover the course in 3 months? Now I will say you can always go ahead and post pone the exam. I know I am going to draw flak for saying this but I would like to give my rationale. Normally a prep plan looks something like this:
1. CR -- Go through the fundamentals using Manhattan or Powerscore -- 7 days
2. Start practising CR questions -- OG-11 - 5 Days, OG-12 - 5days, 1000 CR - till 30 Feb -- as many as possible
3. Manhattan SC guide-- 7 days
4. SC practise -- OG-11,12 , 1000SC -- 25 days
5. Quant prep -- bla bla
6. Mock CATs -- bla bla
But one soon realizes that it is not so easy to execute the plan. Some might have to put in long hours in the office, some might have to travel, some might get injured or ill {like me :'(}, some have to devote time to their family.
Above all at the time of preparing a plan one is not sure as to how much time it would take to complete a given topic. A lot of candidates have not touched quant or verbal books for years after the college and for this reason many candidates feel rusty when they start solving the questions. The plan which was prepared earlier is gone for a toss.
CR - Powerscore bible -- 7 days {oh hell, i can’t even go through those 500+ pages in 15 days and my G-day is coming}, the anxiety of not completing a given topic within the timeline takes the toll of the preparation. The quantitative approach takes over the qualitative approach for test preparation. Candidate simply wants to do as many questions as possible without properly analyzing the questions and Mock CATs. If you want to know how to analyze the questions and Mock CATs then BTG{Beat the GMAT} has tonnes of info.
If you feel that you are taking some time over and above what you had initially allotted to a section/topic then don't let the quality suffer. Do each and every question with utmost dedication, check out each and every answer choice and make sure that you know why you are crossing out a particular choice and why you are selecting a particular choice as the final answer. {So how am i going to meet my deadlines?? My G-Day is coming} that’s why i said: you can always postpone the exam. Don’t make it a habit though, don’t take undue advantage of the fact that this exam can be postponed but use this flexibility to benefit yourself.
Take the stock of the situation, by preparing for 15-20 days you will get a fair enough idea of your abilities and the time that you need to attain the peak. Accordingly either pre-pone the exam or post pone it. Why pre-pone the exam?? Ok, you have prepared well for 45 days and now you are getting 750+ in the Mock CATs and you still have 45 days to go. If you are sure that you won't get burnt out by the end then don’t pre-pone otherwise you know what my suggestion would be.
Fair enough, i have taken a date 3 months ahead, i have given one Mock CAT now what? Which material shall i use? Again, this is a very subjective question. The choice of material totally depends upon your curent level. If you lack the basics then attempting the Manhattan Mock CAT quant will only shatter your confidence. And if you are finding it hard to understand what is parallelism and what is subject verb agreement then there is no point in attempting the questions from OG. Choose the prep material wisely.
One question that is bugging me right now is whether to start giving Mock CATs or wait for few more weeks. I think a lot of candidates face this problem while preparing for GMAT. I don’t want to give a lot of CATs because doing so might lead to a burn-out and giving too few CATs might leave me a bit unpolished before my date with the beast.
As of now i am not well prepared to tackle the quant section. I am making all sorts of careless and calculation mistakes. I am not well acquainted with fundamentals of Set theory {esp 3 sets}, Progressions, Combinatorics and Stats. I am through with the fundamentals of CR and SC but still haven't achieved a good hit rate {esp in SC :'(, lack of concentration is dragging my accuracy.}. I am not sure whether it would be good to waste time on Mock CATs while i am still brushing up Quant fundamentals or go ahead and track my progress in verbal section.
Some people are of the opinion that one should first be well versed with all the sections of the GMAT before attempting the Mock CATs. While others support the strategy of giving as many Mock CATs as you can before the real GMAT.
Give one Mock CAT in the begining to know where do you stand and then wait till you are well versed with basics of all the sections. Once you have covered all the sections start giving Mock CATs and analyze them in detail {as explained in the article written by stacy}. You must know your strengths and weaknesses, after giving Mock CATs you must develop a gut feeling as to when it is best to guess and move ahead.
Don't try and give each and every Mock CAT,
I would like to invite thoughts of fellow bloggers.
Friday, October 16
Happy Diwali !!!
Happy Diwali to all the fellow bloggers !!!
As the candlelight flame,
Ur life may always be happiness' claim;
As the mountain high,
U move without sigh;
like the white linen flair,
Purity is always an affair;
As sunshine creates morning glory,
fragrance fills years as flory;
with the immaculate eternal smile,
attached to u mile after mile;
All darkness is far away,
As light is on its way;
Wish all of u a very happy diwali.
As the candlelight flame,
Ur life may always be happiness' claim;
As the mountain high,
U move without sigh;
like the white linen flair,
Purity is always an affair;
As sunshine creates morning glory,
fragrance fills years as flory;
with the immaculate eternal smile,
attached to u mile after mile;
All darkness is far away,
As light is on its way;
Wish all of u a very happy diwali.
Sunday, October 4
Critical Reasoning
Today i spent sometime on understanding the basics of CR. I would like to summarize few key points which must be kept in mind while attacking the CR questions:
1. Read actively: No matter what the complexity of stimulus is you should read the argument actively. One must keep a note of BOUNDAY WORDS {such as some, many, most, Only if, all, none etc} for they define the scopre of the argument. For example:
Only few soccer players become soccer legends. Some soccer players frequently change their partners and many soccer legends sleep with some girls. Zidane is a soccer legend.
If above mentioned information is true then which of the following MUST be true?
a.) Zidane slept with many girls -- which might be true but we are looking for something which MUST be true{but the stimulus says MANY soccer legends not all sleep with SOME girls and not MANY}
b.) Zidane headbutted Materazzi -- {This type of answer choices are out of scope answer choices ... whether Zidane head butted Materazzi or Butt headed him is not within the scope of this stimulus.}
c.) Zidane frequently changed his partners {again -- stimulus says some soccer players do that not all -- so this info might again be true but is not necesarily true.}
d.) Zidane was a soccer player -- correct --{how else he can be a soccer legend ?? }
2. Identify the Conclusion: Don't read the question before you read the stimulus and have a crystal clear idea about the conclusion of the argument. I am saying this because most of the questions either have to attack the conclusion or support it. Even if it is a method of reasoning or a Bold face question it helps to know the conclusion. Say in a bold face question one of the bold part is the conclusion of the argument and 3 of the answer choices mention that very part as an asumption or premises then you can quickly cross out those 3 choices.
Now, the conclusion can appear anywhere in the stimulus. In the begining, in the middle or in the end. few things which should be kept in mind are:
Using premise and conclusion indicators to confuse the reader:
“Therefore, since higher debt has forced consumers to lower their savings, banks now have less money to loan.”**
“Higher debt has forced consumers to lower their savings” is the premise;“banks now have less money to loan” is the conclusion. So, in this instance“therefore” still introduces a conclusion, but the appearance of the conclusion
is interrupted by a clause that contains a premise.
See how the premise and conclusion indicators can be clubbed to catch the pasive readers off the guard.
Sub-conclusion and Conclusion: Not every CR stimulus will have a simple structure wherein the premises will lead to the conclusion. One trick that GMAT plays is to place the main conclusion at the begining of the stimulus without any conclusion indicator and then place a sub-conclusion with a conclusion indicator at the end of the stimulus.
a simple argument appears as follows:
Premise ----> Conclusion
a complex argument takes an initial conclusion and then uses it as a premise for another conclusion:
Premise ---> Conclusion/Premise {sub-conclusion} -----> Conclusion
Psychologist**: The obligation to express gratitude cannot be fulfilled anonymously. However much society may have changed over the centuries, human psychology is still driven primarily by personal interaction. Thus, the important social function of positively reinforcing those behaviors that have beneficial consequences for others can be served only if the benefactor knows the source of the gratitude.
Take sometime to identify the conclusion and sub-conclusion of the above mentioned stimulus. Due to stress during the exam it is quite possible that you mistake sub-conclusion for the main conclusion {idiom --> mistake x for y ;) }
3. Read the question properly: Read the question properly, whether it is a strengthen the argument question or Strengthen Except question {i.e all of the following strengthen the argument excep??}
Also, there might be multiple levels in the question itself. For e.g:
Let us consider that some environmentalists are in favour of exploiting the natural resources to the fullest while others are not. The stimulus can load you with tonnes of other information. And the question might be as follows:
All of the following strengthen the attack against the defensibility of exploiting natural resources Except??
simplify the ques as --> which choice does not strengthen the attack on environmentalists who support the exploitation of natural resources..
Again have a crystal clear idea of what you are supposed to do...
Will share more ideas as and when i learn something new.
** Source: Powerscore CR Bible
1. Read actively: No matter what the complexity of stimulus is you should read the argument actively. One must keep a note of BOUNDAY WORDS {such as some, many, most, Only if, all, none etc} for they define the scopre of the argument. For example:
Only few soccer players become soccer legends. Some soccer players frequently change their partners and many soccer legends sleep with some girls. Zidane is a soccer legend.
If above mentioned information is true then which of the following MUST be true?
a.) Zidane slept with many girls -- which might be true but we are looking for something which MUST be true{but the stimulus says MANY soccer legends not all sleep with SOME girls and not MANY}
b.) Zidane headbutted Materazzi -- {This type of answer choices are out of scope answer choices ... whether Zidane head butted Materazzi or Butt headed him is not within the scope of this stimulus.}
c.) Zidane frequently changed his partners {again -- stimulus says some soccer players do that not all -- so this info might again be true but is not necesarily true.}
d.) Zidane was a soccer player -- correct --{how else he can be a soccer legend ?? }
2. Identify the Conclusion: Don't read the question before you read the stimulus and have a crystal clear idea about the conclusion of the argument. I am saying this because most of the questions either have to attack the conclusion or support it. Even if it is a method of reasoning or a Bold face question it helps to know the conclusion. Say in a bold face question one of the bold part is the conclusion of the argument and 3 of the answer choices mention that very part as an asumption or premises then you can quickly cross out those 3 choices.
Now, the conclusion can appear anywhere in the stimulus. In the begining, in the middle or in the end. few things which should be kept in mind are:
Using premise and conclusion indicators to confuse the reader:
“Therefore, since higher debt has forced consumers to lower their savings, banks now have less money to loan.”**
“Higher debt has forced consumers to lower their savings” is the premise;“banks now have less money to loan” is the conclusion. So, in this instance“therefore” still introduces a conclusion, but the appearance of the conclusion
is interrupted by a clause that contains a premise.
See how the premise and conclusion indicators can be clubbed to catch the pasive readers off the guard.
Sub-conclusion and Conclusion: Not every CR stimulus will have a simple structure wherein the premises will lead to the conclusion. One trick that GMAT plays is to place the main conclusion at the begining of the stimulus without any conclusion indicator and then place a sub-conclusion with a conclusion indicator at the end of the stimulus.
a simple argument appears as follows:
Premise ----> Conclusion
a complex argument takes an initial conclusion and then uses it as a premise for another conclusion:
Premise ---> Conclusion/Premise {sub-conclusion} -----> Conclusion
Psychologist**: The obligation to express gratitude cannot be fulfilled anonymously. However much society may have changed over the centuries, human psychology is still driven primarily by personal interaction. Thus, the important social function of positively reinforcing those behaviors that have beneficial consequences for others can be served only if the benefactor knows the source of the gratitude.
Take sometime to identify the conclusion and sub-conclusion of the above mentioned stimulus. Due to stress during the exam it is quite possible that you mistake sub-conclusion for the main conclusion {idiom --> mistake x for y ;) }
3. Read the question properly: Read the question properly, whether it is a strengthen the argument question or Strengthen Except question {i.e all of the following strengthen the argument excep??}
Also, there might be multiple levels in the question itself. For e.g:
Let us consider that some environmentalists are in favour of exploiting the natural resources to the fullest while others are not. The stimulus can load you with tonnes of other information. And the question might be as follows:
All of the following strengthen the attack against the defensibility of exploiting natural resources Except??
simplify the ques as --> which choice does not strengthen the attack on environmentalists who support the exploitation of natural resources..
Again have a crystal clear idea of what you are supposed to do...
Will share more ideas as and when i learn something new.
** Source: Powerscore CR Bible
Raj Thackeray -- The Parasite!
I am not sure how to start this post. I am full of angst and i need to vent it out. The reason for this utmost frustration is one of the budding parasite {Raj Thackeray} of my country {he is a budding politician}. I am not sure why India is blessed with so many a$$hole politicians. Frequently we have to read about misdeeds of Mayawati, Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad, Mamta Banerjee to name a few and now for past few months this Raj Thackeray has disrupted the public life in MUMBAI {See i am writing Mumbai and Not Bombay, else Raj and his goons, oops i should say else The Goon and his sub-ordinates will again take law in their hands and disrupt the public life}
When Nov-26 happened where was this parasite? He was hiding in the underpants of his father at the time terrorists took Mumbai as a hostage. He was nowhere to be seen, he was nowhere to condole the families of policemen who actually died for mumbai. In fact had he come out in public at that time, the public would have beaten him like a street dog {i know my street dog is gonna bark at me today for comparing his species to Raj}.
Recently "Raj the bastard Thackeray" again created chaos when a film mentioned Mumbai as Bombay {Mumbai was previously known as Bombay}. Raj - the goon and his gang again damaged public property. Why cant this parasite have some agenda for the development of Mumbai instead of damaging public property every now and then.
I wish that Terrorists had shot this very man on Nov-26 but why will they ever shoot their companion!!!
Its high time that these kind of politicians are shown the way. Mumbai is going for polls and i believe that people who really care for the development of Mumbai will not vote for this man {people who care for development of mumbai wont be able to cast their votes because once elected all the politicians are going to serve their own interests}. But still its the matter of choosing a smaller bastard over a bigger bastard. And for these politicians i would like to mention a few lines from a book that i just read:
Davis and Blomstrom’s Iron Law of Responsibility: “In the long run, those who do not use power in a manner which society considers responsible will tend to lose it.”
Though
the “long run” may require decades or even centuries in some instances, society ultimately acts to reduce power when society thinks it is not being used responsibly
Lastly, one should not write when he/she is utterly frustrated, it is my bad that i wrote this post for the sake of criticizing Raj rather than addressing the real issue and proposing a well thought solution...
When Nov-26 happened where was this parasite? He was hiding in the underpants of his father at the time terrorists took Mumbai as a hostage. He was nowhere to be seen, he was nowhere to condole the families of policemen who actually died for mumbai. In fact had he come out in public at that time, the public would have beaten him like a street dog {i know my street dog is gonna bark at me today for comparing his species to Raj}.
Recently "Raj the bastard Thackeray" again created chaos when a film mentioned Mumbai as Bombay {Mumbai was previously known as Bombay}. Raj - the goon and his gang again damaged public property. Why cant this parasite have some agenda for the development of Mumbai instead of damaging public property every now and then.
I wish that Terrorists had shot this very man on Nov-26 but why will they ever shoot their companion!!!
Its high time that these kind of politicians are shown the way. Mumbai is going for polls and i believe that people who really care for the development of Mumbai will not vote for this man {people who care for development of mumbai wont be able to cast their votes because once elected all the politicians are going to serve their own interests}. But still its the matter of choosing a smaller bastard over a bigger bastard. And for these politicians i would like to mention a few lines from a book that i just read:
Davis and Blomstrom’s Iron Law of Responsibility: “In the long run, those who do not use power in a manner which society considers responsible will tend to lose it.”
Though
the “long run” may require decades or even centuries in some instances, society ultimately acts to reduce power when society thinks it is not being used responsibly
Lastly, one should not write when he/she is utterly frustrated, it is my bad that i wrote this post for the sake of criticizing Raj rather than addressing the real issue and proposing a well thought solution...
Tuesday, September 29
Berkeley Haas Admit Gets Candid !!
I had the opportunity to interact with a Berkeley Admit {Bhavin Parikh} and i would like to share the finer points of our conversation with all my fellow bloggers. Bhavin scored in the 99th percentile in GMAT and applied to Wharton, Haas and Stanford. This information will be extremely useful for all the applicants who are planning to apply to Haas. Also, Bhavin is a co-founder of "GMAT preparation site Magoosh" {"Magoosh - a play on the Old Persian word "magush" meaning "one who is highly learned, wise, and generous."}. As of now, Magoosh offers Quant preparation at a killer price {INR 499/- or approx $12}. Below is the transcript, read on:
Braveheart: Bhavin, to which all schools you applied? and why you chose Haas ?
bkparikh: I applied to Wharton, Stanford, and Haas.
I had been living in Philadelphia at the time, which was the primary reason I applied to Wharton. However, the school was not a good fit for me. I prefer a smaller class size, And I was heavily interested in technology.
Braveheart: so Haas is good for people who intend to pursue career in technology? How about the scope of strategy or Finance at Haas?
bkparikh: being close to Silicon Valley, Haas is definitely good for technology. But many students come here pursuing finance, strategy, consulting and marketing opportunites as well.
While Haas may not be as focused in Finance or Marketing as some other schools, the school does provide resources to help students succeed. Especially if they want to stay in the California area after graduation
Braveheart: but do Management Consulting/ Finance firms recruit in same proportion at Haas as they do at Chicago or Kellogg?
bkparikh: To be honest, I don't know the levels of recruitment of those schools. However, I know that last year 7% of our class came from Deloitte Consulting, most from a management consulting role So Haas does bring in mgmt consultants and also sends out mgmt consultants
Braveheart: coming back to app process :) .. What are the factors that an applicant should keep in mind while applying to a b-school?
bkparikh: Ah, good question!
I sometimes think applicants, including myself, place too much emphasis on the GMAT
Braveheart: you are bang on...
bkparikh: the GMAT is important, however it is not the only factor. Many applicants who score 750+ still do not get into top schools while other who are below 700 do get in
The most important component of the application is your "story" meaning...why at this point in your life do you want to go to business school, and why is the particular school you are applying to the best fit for you. All your essays, short answer questions, work history, and interview are part of your story it needs to make sense
Braveheart: absolutely...
bkparikh: to add a little moreI also believe if you can show that you have a unique experience that others can learn from, that will help you. b-school is much different that undergraduate in that you often learn more from your classmates experiences than you learn at your classes
Braveheart: makes sense.. so, how one should approach the essays? should the essays be tackled while keeping the adcom in mind i.e what is it that adcom wants to hear or would you suggest applicants to be themselves...?
bkparikh: The applicants should be themselves.
When I applied to Haas, I was myself. And the school made sense for me.
If an applicant knows why he/she wants to go to bschool, he/she should just write the story. It will be more genuine and the adcom can see that
Braveheart: Can you please share the interview experience at Haas?and how was it different from that at other b-schools?
bkparikh: I only interviewed at Haas and Wharton. I traveled from Philadelphia to Berkeley for the Haas interview, even though I had the option of interviewing off-campus. For me, it was important to come to the school since I had never been there before.
I was interviewed by a 1st year student.
This also signalled something to me...that the student opinion really matters and that the community is very student-driven
Braveheart: right..
bkparikh: Anyway, he had no knowledge of my essays. He just asked about why I wanted to come to Haas and asked about my prior experiences in difficult situations, being a leader and some personal questions I was quite nervous, but the interviewer actually put me at ease made it more like a conversation than an interview
Braveheart: and do they ask the same typical questions like why MBA? why Haas? or were there any surprises for you?
bkparikh: There were no big surprises, they asked the typical questions. But because I was myself in my essays, I felt comfortable being myself in the interview knowing that my story would be consistent which I believe is very important
Braveheart: and there is only one round of interview or multiple rounds?
bkparikh: I only had 1 round
For Haas, it depends on when you interview
For instance if you apply in round 1 or 2, I believe you have multiple interviews on the same day
I was round 3, for which the process is a bit different
Braveheart: ok..thats interesting... Any special advise to future applicants for tackling the Haas interview? {apart from presenting your trueself ...}
bkparikh: (1) Like I said before, have a good story about why b-school at this time and why this particular school, you'll need to be your trueself because the adcom can see that
(2) Learn as much as you can about the school. All the extra activities, etc... Think about what activities you would take part in if you were a student and bring those out
(3) Don't be afraid to bring in your personal life if it helps with your story. My fiance was living in Hawaii and I was in Philadelphia. So Berkeley made sense because we could both move closer to each other
Braveheart: Any word of caution for Indian applicants {I think it is one of the most competitive group}?
bkparikh: Bring out your personality. Why are you different from another Indian applicant? What unique experiences do you have? Don't force it or lie just reflect and find out what makes you unique
Braveheart: How would you describe your experience at Haas? What is the learning model at Haas? How is the faculty? What %age of work/assignments are done in teams?
bkparikh: My experience has been amazing! I have met a great group of friends. The culture is very student-driven, so the students have a lot of responsibility but can also make a lot of things happen
The small class size 240 students enables everyone to know each other at some level fostering a great sense of community.
Tying into the learning experience...the collaborative aspect of the student body helps everyone learn. Everyone is always willing to help each other even though classes on graded on a curve. Students care more about helping each other than about their grades
For example, I had a classmates who waived out of the core Accounting class because she was an accountant. But she still helped me when I had questions on my homework
And I helped her in classes like Statistics and Economics
Braveheart: that sounds like a great student body..
bkparikh: It is! I honestly cannot say enough good things about it
They even welcome partners of students (like my fiance) making her feel like part of the community
Braveheart: Thats a great news for applicants with partners...
bkparikh: The classes are a combination of case and lecture. You can learn from specific case examples but also learn general theory from lectures
The first semester is very busy, with classwork, networking, recruiting for summer internships etc...It is really a lesson in prioritization and time management
You can't do everything so you must figure out what is most important to you
Much of the work early on is done in teams. Your team is assigned by the school. Usually to be quite diverse. Teams of 5 (typically 1-2 females and 1-2 international students per team)
Braveheart: and you work in a single team for entire semester or you get to be a part of different teams for different subjects?
bkparikh: for the first semester you work in a single team but afterwards you get to work in different teams for different subjects
Braveheart: How do you find the alum community at Haas?
bkparikh: I would need to check to be 100% sure but I believe most Haas alums remain in the California area at first. That being said, they are extremely helpful
You can reach out to them and they typically respond quickly and are willing to talk with you
Braveheart: and do they also offer support when it comes to recruitment?
bkparikh: I believe part of this is because the class size is small so you build closer bonds to the school than you may otherwise yes they do,
many come back to campus and talk with students or advocate for Haas students to be hired
in fact last year during the recession, our Dean sent a message to the alums asking for help in job openings and many responded within a day providing openings at their companies
One concrete example is that a former alum from Google sent an opening to Haas directly and to no other schools
Braveheart: Any idea as to how easy it is for a student to switch careers post an MBA from haas? Say can a person from manufacturing or IT enter consulting/finance?
bkparikh: It is possible but not easy. To switch careers requires a lot of work on the students' sides to prove to the company that they are truly knowledgeable and interestd in that space however, the career services office does provide a lot of support and as a student, you can get involved in your new interest in many ways but you must definitely work at it
Braveheart: one thing that you would like to change at Haas?"
bkparikh: wow, good question
Braveheart: :)thanks
bkparikh: I would like for Haas' brand to be more widely recognized. Haas consistently ranks very high in the MBA rankings but does not have the national brand of some other top schools
Braveheart: you are spot on...
bkparikh: Haas has a great brand on the West Coast, but for someone like me who has family on the east it would help
Braveheart: thanks a lot for sharing your experience at Haas.... You have started a GMAT prep company, tell us more about that..
bkparikh: I am working with 2 Haas classmates, and one other individual on the site. We feel that there's a gap in the market right now. Classes (whether in person or online) are very expensive, running hundreds or thousands of dollars
Books, while cheaper, do not provide any level of personalized instruction
We are trying to provide some level of personalized instruction and metrics at roughly the cost of a book
The site is still in its infancy, with only GMAT Quant right now. We have plans to expand to GMAT Verbal and GRE in the near future
Braveheart: You have already shared the USP of Magoosh ... can you please tell us by when do you plan to launch verbal prep section?
Any tentative deadline as to when the verbal section would be up and running?
bkparikh: Ideally the verbal content would be up by the end of October
Braveheart: And would the cost of verbal prep be same as that of quant prep? {499 INR/-}
bkparikh: At first, we may provide verbal for a free trial
we haven't finalized the cost yet after that
Braveheart: Would you like to throw some light on video explanation feature of Magoosh?
bkparikh: Yes. We and our expert tutors believe videos provide a better way for students to learn than just reading text. We do recognize that some videos go into a lot of detail that many students may not need. But the goal is to help all students. The more advanced ones can skip over the videos while the less advanced students get the benefit of a very detailed explanation
The videos are also created to help students learn general concepts from one question that they can apply to another question
Braveheart: Any comments on Quant faculty at Magoosh? Like Manhattan and Kaplan always boast of 99percentile tutors
bkparikh: All of our quant content is currently provided by one tutor who is 99th percentile scorer
Braveheart: I personally belive GMAT score is not reflective of one's teaching capability but still in order to market your brand you have to boast ...
bkparikh: he also used to be a featured expert on beatthegmat.
we also believe that your score is not reflective of your teaching ability. so we sought out a tutor that has a high score and a lot of teaching experience he has taught for over 7 years and has worked at a large test prep company
in addition, we plan to continually focus on 99th percentile tutors. However, because we may get only verbal content from a given tutor and math from another...its more important that the tutor is strong in that respective subject than being strong overall
Braveheart: How you and your team mates come into picture? Do you also plan to take some sessions or you are involved only in technology and financing part of this project?
bkparikh: We do not create the content. However the four of us, having scored very well, are willing to share our GMAT prep experiences. We do review the content.
Our main focus however is the technology, financing and marketing
Braveheart: Bhavin, to which all schools you applied? and why you chose Haas ?
bkparikh: I applied to Wharton, Stanford, and Haas.
I had been living in Philadelphia at the time, which was the primary reason I applied to Wharton. However, the school was not a good fit for me. I prefer a smaller class size, And I was heavily interested in technology.
Braveheart: so Haas is good for people who intend to pursue career in technology? How about the scope of strategy or Finance at Haas?
bkparikh: being close to Silicon Valley, Haas is definitely good for technology. But many students come here pursuing finance, strategy, consulting and marketing opportunites as well.
While Haas may not be as focused in Finance or Marketing as some other schools, the school does provide resources to help students succeed. Especially if they want to stay in the California area after graduation
Braveheart: but do Management Consulting/ Finance firms recruit in same proportion at Haas as they do at Chicago or Kellogg?
bkparikh: To be honest, I don't know the levels of recruitment of those schools. However, I know that last year 7% of our class came from Deloitte Consulting, most from a management consulting role So Haas does bring in mgmt consultants and also sends out mgmt consultants
Braveheart: coming back to app process :) .. What are the factors that an applicant should keep in mind while applying to a b-school?
bkparikh: Ah, good question!
I sometimes think applicants, including myself, place too much emphasis on the GMAT
Braveheart: you are bang on...
bkparikh: the GMAT is important, however it is not the only factor. Many applicants who score 750+ still do not get into top schools while other who are below 700 do get in
The most important component of the application is your "story" meaning...why at this point in your life do you want to go to business school, and why is the particular school you are applying to the best fit for you. All your essays, short answer questions, work history, and interview are part of your story it needs to make sense
Braveheart: absolutely...
bkparikh: to add a little moreI also believe if you can show that you have a unique experience that others can learn from, that will help you. b-school is much different that undergraduate in that you often learn more from your classmates experiences than you learn at your classes
Braveheart: makes sense.. so, how one should approach the essays? should the essays be tackled while keeping the adcom in mind i.e what is it that adcom wants to hear or would you suggest applicants to be themselves...?
bkparikh: The applicants should be themselves.
When I applied to Haas, I was myself. And the school made sense for me.
If an applicant knows why he/she wants to go to bschool, he/she should just write the story. It will be more genuine and the adcom can see that
Braveheart: Can you please share the interview experience at Haas?and how was it different from that at other b-schools?
bkparikh: I only interviewed at Haas and Wharton. I traveled from Philadelphia to Berkeley for the Haas interview, even though I had the option of interviewing off-campus. For me, it was important to come to the school since I had never been there before.
I was interviewed by a 1st year student.
This also signalled something to me...that the student opinion really matters and that the community is very student-driven
Braveheart: right..
bkparikh: Anyway, he had no knowledge of my essays. He just asked about why I wanted to come to Haas and asked about my prior experiences in difficult situations, being a leader and some personal questions I was quite nervous, but the interviewer actually put me at ease made it more like a conversation than an interview
Braveheart: and do they ask the same typical questions like why MBA? why Haas? or were there any surprises for you?
bkparikh: There were no big surprises, they asked the typical questions. But because I was myself in my essays, I felt comfortable being myself in the interview knowing that my story would be consistent which I believe is very important
Braveheart: and there is only one round of interview or multiple rounds?
bkparikh: I only had 1 round
For Haas, it depends on when you interview
For instance if you apply in round 1 or 2, I believe you have multiple interviews on the same day
I was round 3, for which the process is a bit different
Braveheart: ok..thats interesting... Any special advise to future applicants for tackling the Haas interview? {apart from presenting your trueself ...}
bkparikh: (1) Like I said before, have a good story about why b-school at this time and why this particular school, you'll need to be your trueself because the adcom can see that
(2) Learn as much as you can about the school. All the extra activities, etc... Think about what activities you would take part in if you were a student and bring those out
(3) Don't be afraid to bring in your personal life if it helps with your story. My fiance was living in Hawaii and I was in Philadelphia. So Berkeley made sense because we could both move closer to each other
Braveheart: Any word of caution for Indian applicants {I think it is one of the most competitive group}?
bkparikh: Bring out your personality. Why are you different from another Indian applicant? What unique experiences do you have? Don't force it or lie just reflect and find out what makes you unique
Braveheart: How would you describe your experience at Haas? What is the learning model at Haas? How is the faculty? What %age of work/assignments are done in teams?
bkparikh: My experience has been amazing! I have met a great group of friends. The culture is very student-driven, so the students have a lot of responsibility but can also make a lot of things happen
The small class size 240 students enables everyone to know each other at some level fostering a great sense of community.
Tying into the learning experience...the collaborative aspect of the student body helps everyone learn. Everyone is always willing to help each other even though classes on graded on a curve. Students care more about helping each other than about their grades
For example, I had a classmates who waived out of the core Accounting class because she was an accountant. But she still helped me when I had questions on my homework
And I helped her in classes like Statistics and Economics
Braveheart: that sounds like a great student body..
bkparikh: It is! I honestly cannot say enough good things about it
They even welcome partners of students (like my fiance) making her feel like part of the community
Braveheart: Thats a great news for applicants with partners...
bkparikh: The classes are a combination of case and lecture. You can learn from specific case examples but also learn general theory from lectures
The first semester is very busy, with classwork, networking, recruiting for summer internships etc...It is really a lesson in prioritization and time management
You can't do everything so you must figure out what is most important to you
Much of the work early on is done in teams. Your team is assigned by the school. Usually to be quite diverse. Teams of 5 (typically 1-2 females and 1-2 international students per team)
Braveheart: and you work in a single team for entire semester or you get to be a part of different teams for different subjects?
bkparikh: for the first semester you work in a single team but afterwards you get to work in different teams for different subjects
Braveheart: How do you find the alum community at Haas?
bkparikh: I would need to check to be 100% sure but I believe most Haas alums remain in the California area at first. That being said, they are extremely helpful
You can reach out to them and they typically respond quickly and are willing to talk with you
Braveheart: and do they also offer support when it comes to recruitment?
bkparikh: I believe part of this is because the class size is small so you build closer bonds to the school than you may otherwise yes they do,
many come back to campus and talk with students or advocate for Haas students to be hired
in fact last year during the recession, our Dean sent a message to the alums asking for help in job openings and many responded within a day providing openings at their companies
One concrete example is that a former alum from Google sent an opening to Haas directly and to no other schools
Braveheart: Any idea as to how easy it is for a student to switch careers post an MBA from haas? Say can a person from manufacturing or IT enter consulting/finance?
bkparikh: It is possible but not easy. To switch careers requires a lot of work on the students' sides to prove to the company that they are truly knowledgeable and interestd in that space however, the career services office does provide a lot of support and as a student, you can get involved in your new interest in many ways but you must definitely work at it
Braveheart: one thing that you would like to change at Haas?"
bkparikh: wow, good question
Braveheart: :)thanks
bkparikh: I would like for Haas' brand to be more widely recognized. Haas consistently ranks very high in the MBA rankings but does not have the national brand of some other top schools
Braveheart: you are spot on...
bkparikh: Haas has a great brand on the West Coast, but for someone like me who has family on the east it would help
Braveheart: thanks a lot for sharing your experience at Haas.... You have started a GMAT prep company, tell us more about that..
bkparikh: I am working with 2 Haas classmates, and one other individual on the site. We feel that there's a gap in the market right now. Classes (whether in person or online) are very expensive, running hundreds or thousands of dollars
Books, while cheaper, do not provide any level of personalized instruction
We are trying to provide some level of personalized instruction and metrics at roughly the cost of a book
The site is still in its infancy, with only GMAT Quant right now. We have plans to expand to GMAT Verbal and GRE in the near future
Braveheart: You have already shared the USP of Magoosh ... can you please tell us by when do you plan to launch verbal prep section?
Any tentative deadline as to when the verbal section would be up and running?
bkparikh: Ideally the verbal content would be up by the end of October
Braveheart: And would the cost of verbal prep be same as that of quant prep? {499 INR/-}
bkparikh: At first, we may provide verbal for a free trial
we haven't finalized the cost yet after that
Braveheart: Would you like to throw some light on video explanation feature of Magoosh?
bkparikh: Yes. We and our expert tutors believe videos provide a better way for students to learn than just reading text. We do recognize that some videos go into a lot of detail that many students may not need. But the goal is to help all students. The more advanced ones can skip over the videos while the less advanced students get the benefit of a very detailed explanation
The videos are also created to help students learn general concepts from one question that they can apply to another question
Braveheart: Any comments on Quant faculty at Magoosh? Like Manhattan and Kaplan always boast of 99percentile tutors
bkparikh: All of our quant content is currently provided by one tutor who is 99th percentile scorer
Braveheart: I personally belive GMAT score is not reflective of one's teaching capability but still in order to market your brand you have to boast ...
bkparikh: he also used to be a featured expert on beatthegmat.
we also believe that your score is not reflective of your teaching ability. so we sought out a tutor that has a high score and a lot of teaching experience he has taught for over 7 years and has worked at a large test prep company
in addition, we plan to continually focus on 99th percentile tutors. However, because we may get only verbal content from a given tutor and math from another...its more important that the tutor is strong in that respective subject than being strong overall
Braveheart: How you and your team mates come into picture? Do you also plan to take some sessions or you are involved only in technology and financing part of this project?
bkparikh: We do not create the content. However the four of us, having scored very well, are willing to share our GMAT prep experiences. We do review the content.
Our main focus however is the technology, financing and marketing
Monday, September 28
The Power of Advertising -- Deodorant becomes Aphrodisiac !!!
The ads that i see in the newspaper or on the TV are superbly exploiting the human psychology. I am not an expert in the field of marketing but after analyzing few of the advertisements across industries i feel the advertisements these days can be divided into 2 broad categories based upon the sexes.
The difference in the structure of Male and Female brains primarily drives the advertising. Just check out the basic structures of Male and Female brains in the pic below:
The difference in the structure of Male and Female brains primarily drives the advertising. Just check out the basic structures of Male and Female brains in the pic below:
I won't touch upon the circuitry of the female brain but i am eligible to comment on the Male circuitry. I believe Tv is wrongly shown as the centre of male brain. The more appropriate structure of male brain should be as follows:
Now, this is called "THE FOCUS". The pic above exemplifies the thoughts {thoughts? i can only see a single thought} that are going on in the male brain. Advertisement agencies are aware of the huge imbalance between male and female brains and thats why there are two categories of advertisements: ads for men and ads for women.
In this article i will only write about the first category of the ads i.e ads for men. The advertisment for deodorant looks more like an ad for aphrodisiac. You don't believe me, check-out the following links:
1. Deodorant or Aphrodisiac?? Check out the links:
Who cares whether Axe removes the odor or not but it will drive women crazy. And many of my friends {i dont use a deodorant} bought bottles after bottles of Axe and many other deos but they are still single. Check out ads of other deos:
Wild stone -- does it removes odor or drives women horny ... am still to figure it out
You can also check out the ads of Park Avenue, Denver or for that matter any other deo and i am sure you might be confused at first whether the ad is of deo or a condom or an aphrodisiac.
2. Mango Drink or {K}Amasutra ?? check out this link:
This mango drink can drive women crazy!!! {Girls pls dont drink mango drinks at the parties}
3. Cement or Italian Call girl??
Check out this ad from a local newspaper asking for applications from distributors for a cement company. I could not find the qualities of cement anywhere but all i could see was a girl:
4. See how TATA is selling its MUV: {click on the link below}
For most part of the ad only the girl is shown as if you get a car free with this gal. No need to mention features, fuel economy etc of the car. Simply show that you will drive chics mad if you buy this car
Finally, i came across one ad in the newspaper about GMAT preparation company. The ad had a headline that read: " OUR ENGLISH TEACHER" followed by a sensual lady's pic. Nice ad for drawing guys to your prep centre. Nowhere did the ad talked about credentials of the teachers or the course content.
One can check the following ads too:{click on the links below}
The list is endless.. you can watch ads for jeans, chocolate, burger, LCD panels and you will find all of them based on a single theme... hats off to ad makers .... for only they can project an underwear as an aphrodisiac...
Saturday, September 26
Watch when you Talk! {what an idiot sir ji}
The new ad campaign of Idea cellular service has the punchline which says "Walk when you talk". This idea is really cool and for the same reason the compounder in the ad-campaign compliments the doctor played by Aishwarya Rai's Husband {forgot his name, he is Amitabh Bachan's son} by saying "What an Idea sir ji!" {"or read it as "What an Idea sir"}. But after today's Physiotherapy session i would start following the Mantra that says "WATCH WHEN YOU TALK" else someone will compliment me by saying "What an idiot Sir ji!"
What happened in the last physiotherapy session that i am talking in such a philosophical mood? Ok, let me share the story with all you fellow bloggers:
I go for a physiotherapy session on a daily basis to get relief from the back pain and the physiotherapist works on my back by giving an ultra-sonic massage followed by some vibratory massage and Short wave diathermia {scientific name for some special kind of heating}.
While the physiotherapist was working on my back another of his patient suffering from Tennis Elbow came to his clinic. The physio's assistance started working on his arm and the patient started talking on anything and everything. In between the Physio said "Madam is going to come" {actually the physio was asking mr Tenis Elbow "Is the Madam going to come today?"}, mr tenis elbow thought that some lady is going to come for the treatment. Unable to control his urge for talking the patient fired back "You physios have all the fun with Madams ha ha ha!" and made some funny faces.
The physio replied "Sir i am asking whether your madam i.e. your wife will be coming in for a physiotherapy session today?" Before Physio could utter anything else his assistance and I started laughing out loudly, {how can mr Tenis Elbow say something like that about his wife and the physio} and Mr tenis elbow must have felt like an idiot.
I know Physio should prepare for GMAT to avoid the awkward sentences but then mr Tenis Elbow should start following the mantra: "Watch when you Talk"
What happened in the last physiotherapy session that i am talking in such a philosophical mood? Ok, let me share the story with all you fellow bloggers:
I go for a physiotherapy session on a daily basis to get relief from the back pain and the physiotherapist works on my back by giving an ultra-sonic massage followed by some vibratory massage and Short wave diathermia {scientific name for some special kind of heating}.
While the physiotherapist was working on my back another of his patient suffering from Tennis Elbow came to his clinic. The physio's assistance started working on his arm and the patient started talking on anything and everything. In between the Physio said "Madam is going to come" {actually the physio was asking mr Tenis Elbow "Is the Madam going to come today?"}, mr tenis elbow thought that some lady is going to come for the treatment. Unable to control his urge for talking the patient fired back "You physios have all the fun with Madams ha ha ha!" and made some funny faces.
The physio replied "Sir i am asking whether your madam i.e. your wife will be coming in for a physiotherapy session today?" Before Physio could utter anything else his assistance and I started laughing out loudly, {how can mr Tenis Elbow say something like that about his wife and the physio} and Mr tenis elbow must have felt like an idiot.
I know Physio should prepare for GMAT to avoid the awkward sentences but then mr Tenis Elbow should start following the mantra: "Watch when you Talk"
Tuesday, September 22
Sentence Correction - 2
Manhattan SC guide is regarded as {regarded must be followed by as} the bible of SC and i have no doubt about that {can't use it here}. Summarising few of the imp concepts that i picked up while going through Adamjon's notes {these points are not mentioned in Manhattan guide}:
1. One of the {plural noun} is ---
One of the {Plural noun} THAT ARE
2. Each of the three cats is {each preceds the subject}
Three cats each are {each follows the subject}
Three cats, each of which is
3. Be on a lookout for word placement, certain words moving from one position to other can alter the intent of author:
ALL children are covered with mud
Children are ALL covered with mud
4. Known vs Unknown:
If original sentence is certain about an outcome then cross out the answer choices that indicate uncertainity:
Drop in fuel prices will boost auto sales
Drop in fuel prices might boost auto sales
5. Relative pronouns {who, that, which} generally agrees with the immediately preceding noun.
{However in certain cases it might refer to a noun earlier than the immediately preceding noun.}
--> It, They, Them agree with the subject of preceding clause or sentence
6. Don't use conditional verb {could, may, might etc}with Possible/Possibly
7. Adverbs of frequency should be placed between auxiliary verb and past participle:
--> As anyone has ever come -- correct
--> As anyone ever has come -- incorrect
8. Between can be used for more than two items if the relationship is one to one, however much it may be repeated with different partners.
--> Dr. Sayre’s lecture recounted several little-known episodes in the relations between nations that illustrate what is wrong with alliances and treaties that do not have popular support.
9. It doesn't matter whether the subject is singular or plural after will you must use have and not has,
Will have ----
10. Not only generally calls for a later but also but But also does not necessarily calls for an earlier not only. e.g:
--> Rio de Janeiro has some of the world's most famous beaches, but it also has some of the world's most notorious slums
11. Majority should be used with countable nouns
A majority of -- plural
One half of voters -- Plural
A lot of voters -- plural
12. Regard and consider are similar in meaning. But Regard must be followed by As while consider should not be followed by as or to be.
I regard him as a friend.
I consider him a friend.
13. Do NOT USE Subjuntive in a clause begining with Until.
14. Different Than -- can be used to compare a noun and a clause. But should never be used to compare two nouns. Delhi is different than "it was 10 years ago" is correct.
15. Concerned for -- worried/anxious
Concerned with -- related to
Native to -- characterstic or species -- tigers are native to india
Native of -- birthplace -- i am a native of Jupiter
16. Due to is different from Because of.
Due to should only be used to mean caused by.
The game was postponed due to rain -- incorrect
The game's postponement was due to rain -- correct
17. Credit with -- accredited with -- edison is credited with inventing the bulb
Credit to -- give money -- The bank credited $1 million to my account {why in the hell you are writing this blog then ??}
Credit for -- Money received for -- The customer received a $20 credit for the interruption in service.
1. One of the {plural noun} is ---
One of the {Plural noun} THAT ARE
2. Each of the three cats is {each preceds the subject}
Three cats each are {each follows the subject}
Three cats, each of which is
3. Be on a lookout for word placement, certain words moving from one position to other can alter the intent of author:
ALL children are covered with mud
Children are ALL covered with mud
4. Known vs Unknown:
If original sentence is certain about an outcome then cross out the answer choices that indicate uncertainity:
Drop in fuel prices will boost auto sales
Drop in fuel prices might boost auto sales
5. Relative pronouns {who, that, which} generally agrees with the immediately preceding noun.
{However in certain cases it might refer to a noun earlier than the immediately preceding noun.}
--> It, They, Them agree with the subject of preceding clause or sentence
6. Don't use conditional verb {could, may, might etc}with Possible/Possibly
7. Adverbs of frequency should be placed between auxiliary verb and past participle:
--> As anyone has ever come -- correct
--> As anyone ever has come -- incorrect
8. Between can be used for more than two items if the relationship is one to one, however much it may be repeated with different partners.
--> Dr. Sayre’s lecture recounted several little-known episodes in the relations between nations that illustrate what is wrong with alliances and treaties that do not have popular support.
9. It doesn't matter whether the subject is singular or plural after will you must use have and not has,
Will have ----
10. Not only generally calls for a later but also but But also does not necessarily calls for an earlier not only. e.g:
--> Rio de Janeiro has some of the world's most famous beaches, but it also has some of the world's most notorious slums
11. Majority should be used with countable nouns
A majority of -- plural
One half of voters -- Plural
A lot of voters -- plural
12. Regard and consider are similar in meaning. But Regard must be followed by As while consider should not be followed by as or to be.
I regard him as a friend.
I consider him a friend.
13. Do NOT USE Subjuntive in a clause begining with Until.
14. Different Than -- can be used to compare a noun and a clause. But should never be used to compare two nouns. Delhi is different than "it was 10 years ago" is correct.
15. Concerned for -- worried/anxious
Concerned with -- related to
Native to -- characterstic or species -- tigers are native to india
Native of -- birthplace -- i am a native of Jupiter
16. Due to is different from Because of.
Due to should only be used to mean caused by.
The game was postponed due to rain -- incorrect
The game's postponement was due to rain -- correct
17. Credit with -- accredited with -- edison is credited with inventing the bulb
Credit to -- give money -- The bank credited $1 million to my account {why in the hell you are writing this blog then ??}
Credit for -- Money received for -- The customer received a $20 credit for the interruption in service.
Friday, September 18
Sentence Correction
The use of colloquial language coupled with our innate ability to decipher the intended meaning are the biggest roadblocks for someone who is trying to achieve a high hit rate in SC. I find it really tough to spot the subjunctive, have problem with questions involving modifiers and being a non native speaker my ears find it hard to spot the idioms.
So, whats the way out for people like me? Practice, practice and practice. Thats the response i get from people who have either cracked the GMAT or who are GMAT instructors. Great, with all the resources handy i started practising and soon found my accuracy rate jump from 50% to approx 70-75%. Now i have hit the ceiling and hard work alone won't help me. I need to practice smarter and need to train at an altitude {no i'm not going to Himalayas, i will be practising harder problems}. But i soon figured out that solving harder problems alone won't help my cause. I need to figure out why a specific answer choice is right and why others are wrong.
Now i make a point to identify the error type in each of the answer choice. Also, i make sure to put down the reason for selecting a particular option. This habit has slowed me down a bit but i have become aware of so many fundamentals which i had been ignoring earlier. When to use -ing form of modifier, how "it, they, them" are different from subject pronouns etc. I have shortlisted Adamjon's notes /Sahil's notes and OG to get a good grasp of fundamentals. I am trying hard not to choose an option only by relying on my ears {what sounds right is not always gramatically correct}, i make sure that the option falls in one of the error category.
This habit helped me to figure out my problem areas in SC -- subjunctive/modifiers/idioms. Also, one should read the sentence in totality and try to get an understanding of author's intention. For eg:
The Lake Manyara Park in Tanzania affords the visitor with unequalled opportunities to photograph lions playing in trees without the aid of telephoto lenses.
Author intends to say that lions can be photographed without the aid of telephoto lenses but the sentence above gives an impression that lions are playing in trees withou the aid of TP lenses. {Here our mind plays the trick, it deciphers the intended meaning}
I found a useful tool in 2-3 split approach, which says that you often find answer choices where based upon the structure of sentence you can club the problems into 2 groups. Now, if you find a particular error in a group abandon all the choices falling in that group {No point in wasting time on wrong choices}. With practice it is easy to spot these 2-3 patterns and you will often find yourself struggling between 2 choices which are very close. Once you achieve this level hard work alone won't help, its time to work smarter. for e.g:
The voluminous personal papers of Thomas Alva Edison reveal that his inventions typically sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly from previous works.
(A) sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly
(B) sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but were slowly evolved
(C) did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly
(D) did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but had slowly evolved
(E) did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but they were slowly evolved
A and B have sprang and C,D and E have did not spring...evolved slowly is in a and c and b and e have were slowly evolved.
Will share more of my thoughts on SC and other topics as and when i learn new fundae.
So, whats the way out for people like me? Practice, practice and practice. Thats the response i get from people who have either cracked the GMAT or who are GMAT instructors. Great, with all the resources handy i started practising and soon found my accuracy rate jump from 50% to approx 70-75%. Now i have hit the ceiling and hard work alone won't help me. I need to practice smarter and need to train at an altitude {no i'm not going to Himalayas, i will be practising harder problems}. But i soon figured out that solving harder problems alone won't help my cause. I need to figure out why a specific answer choice is right and why others are wrong.
Now i make a point to identify the error type in each of the answer choice. Also, i make sure to put down the reason for selecting a particular option. This habit has slowed me down a bit but i have become aware of so many fundamentals which i had been ignoring earlier. When to use -ing form of modifier, how "it, they, them" are different from subject pronouns etc. I have shortlisted Adamjon's notes /Sahil's notes and OG to get a good grasp of fundamentals. I am trying hard not to choose an option only by relying on my ears {what sounds right is not always gramatically correct}, i make sure that the option falls in one of the error category.
This habit helped me to figure out my problem areas in SC -- subjunctive/modifiers/idioms. Also, one should read the sentence in totality and try to get an understanding of author's intention. For eg:
The Lake Manyara Park in Tanzania affords the visitor with unequalled opportunities to photograph lions playing in trees without the aid of telephoto lenses.
Author intends to say that lions can be photographed without the aid of telephoto lenses but the sentence above gives an impression that lions are playing in trees withou the aid of TP lenses. {Here our mind plays the trick, it deciphers the intended meaning}
I found a useful tool in 2-3 split approach, which says that you often find answer choices where based upon the structure of sentence you can club the problems into 2 groups. Now, if you find a particular error in a group abandon all the choices falling in that group {No point in wasting time on wrong choices}. With practice it is easy to spot these 2-3 patterns and you will often find yourself struggling between 2 choices which are very close. Once you achieve this level hard work alone won't help, its time to work smarter. for e.g:
The voluminous personal papers of Thomas Alva Edison reveal that his inventions typically sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly from previous works.
(A) sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly
(B) sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but were slowly evolved
(C) did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly
(D) did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but had slowly evolved
(E) did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but they were slowly evolved
A and B have sprang and C,D and E have did not spring...evolved slowly is in a and c and b and e have were slowly evolved.
Will share more of my thoughts on SC and other topics as and when i learn new fundae.
Tuesday, September 15
Happening day!!
What a happening day it was!Booked a date with the beast in December, Finished my BD deck, Watched Del Potro beat Fedex, Rejoiced India's win over Lanka {i hope this sentence is parallel}.
So, i finally booked the date with the beast. Already feeling the kick{I screamed at my maid today for repeatedly disturbing my studies while she was trying to clean my room in the morning.} Plan to spend next seven days on SC {Basics and then hardcore practice}, once i am through with SC i will put concentrated effort on CR for 10-12 days. Plan to take a CAT post that and track the progress in SC and CR questions. Next 10 days will be devoted on honing the quant skills and every weekend i will take one CAT and track my progress. In sum, i am going to work on the basics for next 30 days or so and then devote my time entirely on CATs and working on my weak areas. I also plan to do 2 RC passages every day for next 30 days or so and post that will start doing 4 paragraphs i na single sitting. Have charted out a plan for myself and am determined to execute the same.
Later in the night i watched Del potro snatch the US open crown from Roger. As i mentioned in my earlier post on US open that Roger might bite the dust against a tough competitor. Despite of winning the first set Roger let Del potro beat him i na 5 setter. This match was quite similar to the one these two played at French open earlier this year but this time Del Potro showed why he is tipped as the next big thing. Del potro is only 20 and the quality of game that he displayed in 2009 gives a hint of another churn in the top 3 men players.
I also finished my BD deck and am relieved now for some days. Now just need to connect with the clients to sell them the ideas.
Finally, Tendulkar and Harbhajan made my day. Tendulkar played one of the finest innings of his life and Bhajji bowled well at the crucial time helping India to break the final's jinx and defeat Sri Lanka. I feel so good when India beat Lanka because the way Lankan's bowl i feel they should start playing Baseball. Their bowlers all look like{they might be not, but then it would be awful to face bowlers with such an ugly action} chuckers to me {but i am not ICC chairman so my viewpoint hardly matters}. I hope India maintains the momentum and performs well in Champions Trophy.
Got to work now. Enough of ranting.
So, i finally booked the date with the beast. Already feeling the kick{I screamed at my maid today for repeatedly disturbing my studies while she was trying to clean my room in the morning.} Plan to spend next seven days on SC {Basics and then hardcore practice}, once i am through with SC i will put concentrated effort on CR for 10-12 days. Plan to take a CAT post that and track the progress in SC and CR questions. Next 10 days will be devoted on honing the quant skills and every weekend i will take one CAT and track my progress. In sum, i am going to work on the basics for next 30 days or so and then devote my time entirely on CATs and working on my weak areas. I also plan to do 2 RC passages every day for next 30 days or so and post that will start doing 4 paragraphs i na single sitting. Have charted out a plan for myself and am determined to execute the same.
Later in the night i watched Del potro snatch the US open crown from Roger. As i mentioned in my earlier post on US open that Roger might bite the dust against a tough competitor. Despite of winning the first set Roger let Del potro beat him i na 5 setter. This match was quite similar to the one these two played at French open earlier this year but this time Del Potro showed why he is tipped as the next big thing. Del potro is only 20 and the quality of game that he displayed in 2009 gives a hint of another churn in the top 3 men players.
I also finished my BD deck and am relieved now for some days. Now just need to connect with the clients to sell them the ideas.
Finally, Tendulkar and Harbhajan made my day. Tendulkar played one of the finest innings of his life and Bhajji bowled well at the crucial time helping India to break the final's jinx and defeat Sri Lanka. I feel so good when India beat Lanka because the way Lankan's bowl i feel they should start playing Baseball. Their bowlers all look like{they might be not, but then it would be awful to face bowlers with such an ugly action} chuckers to me {but i am not ICC chairman so my viewpoint hardly matters}. I hope India maintains the momentum and performs well in Champions Trophy.
Got to work now. Enough of ranting.
Wednesday, September 9
Kellogg Reception
Attended the Kellogg reception yesterday, one adcom officer and 3 alums were there to guide the applicants.
1. The presentation given by adcom officer was very simple and yet impactful,
2. K is not only a marketing school but also a great place if you are interested in Strategy,
3. largest population of the class {46%) falls in the GMAT range of 700-740, {only 16% is 750 and above}
4. Kellogg focuses a lot on one's career progression, experiences and learnings
5. K students are humble and team workers
6. There's a bidding system which allows students to choose various courses in which they are interested {this was something interesting}
7. GIM -- A great program for those who want to develop a global perspective
8. All the applicants are automatically considered for scholarships and approx 75% of the class receives some kind of financial aid {varying from 15k $ to full tuition waiver}
9. Good news for international students -- No US cosigner is needed for loans, a lot of options are available to finance one's MBA
10. DEMONSTRATED LEADERSHIP -- K adcom looks for leadership potential and one has to back his/her application with examples where he/she demonstrated leadership traits
11. 100% of the class of 2010 got internship offers {not bad in such challenging times ;}
12. ITS RIGOROUS -- Adcom officer was very blunt in stating that once you land up in K you will soon get those dark circles under your eyes, if one gets 3-4 hours sleep/day then its a luxury
Lastly, the snacks were good {i had gone to the reception for this feast only :) }, some of the applicants were too smart and had done a lot of research while some were too dumb {including me}. One question post which there was a silence in the room was "why FT has ranked ISB above Kellogg".
1. The presentation given by adcom officer was very simple and yet impactful,
2. K is not only a marketing school but also a great place if you are interested in Strategy,
3. largest population of the class {46%) falls in the GMAT range of 700-740, {only 16% is 750 and above}
4. Kellogg focuses a lot on one's career progression, experiences and learnings
5. K students are humble and team workers
6. There's a bidding system which allows students to choose various courses in which they are interested {this was something interesting}
7. GIM -- A great program for those who want to develop a global perspective
8. All the applicants are automatically considered for scholarships and approx 75% of the class receives some kind of financial aid {varying from 15k $ to full tuition waiver}
9. Good news for international students -- No US cosigner is needed for loans, a lot of options are available to finance one's MBA
10. DEMONSTRATED LEADERSHIP -- K adcom looks for leadership potential and one has to back his/her application with examples where he/she demonstrated leadership traits
11. 100% of the class of 2010 got internship offers {not bad in such challenging times ;}
12. ITS RIGOROUS -- Adcom officer was very blunt in stating that once you land up in K you will soon get those dark circles under your eyes, if one gets 3-4 hours sleep/day then its a luxury
Lastly, the snacks were good {i had gone to the reception for this feast only :) }, some of the applicants were too smart and had done a lot of research while some were too dumb {including me}. One question post which there was a silence in the room was "why FT has ranked ISB above Kellogg".
Wednesday, September 2
MBA from Spain -- How logical?
We have seen Spanish b-schools breaking into top 10 in BW or FT rankings. I.E and I.E.SE both are choice of number of b-school aspirants. Till now both these colleges have been boasting 90%+ placement within 3 months from graduation. The average remuneration given to students from these 2 schools is comparable to that of other top European and American b-schools. Taking other factors such as quality of life, climate and culture into account, Spain is an attractive destination to pursue MBA.
But, consider this, majority of the students from these 2 schools are placed in Latin America or Spain. Given the current state of Spanish economy how wise it is to go to IE or IESE? Let me share few points raised by John Mauldin in his newsletter about Spanish economy:
1. Is Spain a second Japan in making? Spanish banks are in big trouble and so is Spanish economy. Why? Because Spain has as much unsold houses as US has {but US is approx 6 times bigger}, Spain is only 10% of EU but it accounted for 30% of newly built houses in Europe since 2000. Most of these houses were financed through foreign capital and with the prevailing financial crisis the things will worsen.
2. There is an 850% rise in outstanding loans in last 8 years given to Spanish housing developers. The current outstanding loan amounts to well over 50% of Spain's GDP {near;y 470 bn euros}. And most of this will go bad, Can you imagine the fate of Spanish banks if most of these loans go bad?
3. Unemployment in Spain is well over 17% {4 million Spaniards are unemployed}, govt might make policies which could make it difficult for international students to get jobs in Spain {85% of class in IE is International}
4. Spain might land up in a situation similar to what Japan landed in 1992, but Japan had 3% GDP surplus and Spain has a deficit of 10%.
Given the current state of Spanish economy i would refrain from applying to Spanish b-schools until and unless i dont give a sh** to employment post MBA.
But, consider this, majority of the students from these 2 schools are placed in Latin America or Spain. Given the current state of Spanish economy how wise it is to go to IE or IESE? Let me share few points raised by John Mauldin in his newsletter about Spanish economy:
1. Is Spain a second Japan in making? Spanish banks are in big trouble and so is Spanish economy. Why? Because Spain has as much unsold houses as US has {but US is approx 6 times bigger}, Spain is only 10% of EU but it accounted for 30% of newly built houses in Europe since 2000. Most of these houses were financed through foreign capital and with the prevailing financial crisis the things will worsen.
2. There is an 850% rise in outstanding loans in last 8 years given to Spanish housing developers. The current outstanding loan amounts to well over 50% of Spain's GDP {near;y 470 bn euros}. And most of this will go bad, Can you imagine the fate of Spanish banks if most of these loans go bad?
3. Unemployment in Spain is well over 17% {4 million Spaniards are unemployed}, govt might make policies which could make it difficult for international students to get jobs in Spain {85% of class in IE is International}
4. Spain might land up in a situation similar to what Japan landed in 1992, but Japan had 3% GDP surplus and Spain has a deficit of 10%.
Given the current state of Spanish economy i would refrain from applying to Spanish b-schools until and unless i dont give a sh** to employment post MBA.
Tuesday, September 1
US Open-day1
The final Grand Slam of the year began yesterday, and Fedex cruised easily into the next round. He toyed with Devin Britton and the match was looking more like a warm up session for Federer. Fedex was hardly putting his 100% and was broken by Britton a couple of times but that could hardly prevent Federer from winning the match in straight sets. I would love to see Fedex serve better in coming matches otherwise it could cost him against some of the good players.
Another player who caught my eye was John Isner, his serve is as good as it can be. If Isner can work on his movement on the court then he has got the potential to be among the top 5. The way Isner came back in second set was a delight to watch.
There were no upsets on day 1 of US open. and i am eager to watch Nadal play his first match in the flushing meadows. I hope he regains his form and makes it to the final against Roger.
Another player who caught my eye was John Isner, his serve is as good as it can be. If Isner can work on his movement on the court then he has got the potential to be among the top 5. The way Isner came back in second set was a delight to watch.
There were no upsets on day 1 of US open. and i am eager to watch Nadal play his first match in the flushing meadows. I hope he regains his form and makes it to the final against Roger.
Tuesday, August 18
Quant - tips 1
While i am recovering from my back injury and while my prep has taken a back seat, i just wanted to share a few quant tips which might be useful. Feel free to add your own tips to these and i will also add many more as soon as i refresh new fundae and find something useful.
Solve the problem in 2 minutes and chances are you will mark the choice C as answer, but here's the catch. Y can't be negative {see the question}, the answer should be D.
3. Don't panic -- if you are not getting the answer right even after applying the logic ...then check your logic again ... due to stress during the exam it is quite possible that you are using the formula wrongly or using the wrong logic. I faced this problem while solving a progressions problem. I was using the sum of series of AP as {a/2(2a + (n-1)d)}; whereas right formula is {n/2(2a + (n-1)d)};
1. Keep a note of basics and imp formulae --eg area of a triangle can be calculated as
.5*base*altitude, or
0.5*a*b*sin(q) {product of adjacent sides and sine of INCLUDED angle}, or
{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}^(1/2) where "s" is semi-perimeter. These variations can help you in DS section. Consider the following:
.5*base*altitude, or
0.5*a*b*sin(q) {product of adjacent sides and sine of INCLUDED angle}, or
{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}^(1/2) where "s" is semi-perimeter. These variations can help you in DS section. Consider the following:
Calculate the area of paralellogm ABCD with diagonal AC=14 units ;
1.) AB = 10units
2.) BC = 12 units {the measurements might not be of a true paralellogm, i have just taken imaginary measurements}
here the third formula will come handy.
2. Whenever you solve an equation and get 2 values for dependent variable then ask yourself whether it is possible for the dep var to have 2 values. Consider the following ques:
Solve the problem in 2 minutes and chances are you will mark the choice C as answer, but here's the catch. Y can't be negative {see the question}, the answer should be D.3. Don't panic -- if you are not getting the answer right even after applying the logic ...then check your logic again ... due to stress during the exam it is quite possible that you are using the formula wrongly or using the wrong logic. I faced this problem while solving a progressions problem. I was using the sum of series of AP as {a/2(2a + (n-1)d)}; whereas right formula is {n/2(2a + (n-1)d)};
4. See {actually just glance} the answer choices before you solve the problem, No need to find the answer in decimal if answer choices are in fractions. This technique will help when GMAT cleverly hides the right answer in a different form {and you will not be baffled to see a different set of answers after solving the problem}.
5. Always put down what you have to find and the units in which you have to give the answer and most importantly place a question mark in front of it. After finding the answer check whether you have found the right variable in right units or not. If question is asking about $ then don't work the problem in cents. Use the scratch paper well.
Friday, August 7
Random!! {brokeback mountain}
Don't assume anything about my sexual preferences from the topic of this post. Its just that i broke my back yeserday while playing cricket :'( ... I need to understand that i am not as agile as i was 10 years ago. Took a diving catch { Was a really good catch :) } and then walked off the field.
Heavy workload with backache will ensure that prep takes back seat now for some days. And Ms "S" is gonna kill me when she will learn that i am blogging and not resting {but how can i convince her that blogging (reading blogs of successful candidates) is a cool way to relax}
Had given GMAT club test day before yesterday. Quant is upto the mark {5 mistakes}, verbal is getting better {9 mistakes}. The GMAT club test was good, both the sections are balanced unlike Kaplan and MGMAT {with enormously tough verbal and damn hard quant respectively}.
I need to be a lot more focussed while giving the test {my attention was wavering during verbal}. Quant -- need to brush up inequalities and set thory {wasted 5 mins on a set theory question where i should have used comon sense}.
As soon as my backache goes i will get back to business. {If GMAT is anywhere near the level of GMAT club test then i should be writing GMAT in 5 weeks from now. Good news is that a new GMAT test centre has come up near my place. Earlier the closest centre was 40 miles away }
Heavy workload with backache will ensure that prep takes back seat now for some days. And Ms "S" is gonna kill me when she will learn that i am blogging and not resting {but how can i convince her that blogging (reading blogs of successful candidates) is a cool way to relax}
Had given GMAT club test day before yesterday. Quant is upto the mark {5 mistakes}, verbal is getting better {9 mistakes}. The GMAT club test was good, both the sections are balanced unlike Kaplan and MGMAT {with enormously tough verbal and damn hard quant respectively}.
I need to be a lot more focussed while giving the test {my attention was wavering during verbal}. Quant -- need to brush up inequalities and set thory {wasted 5 mins on a set theory question where i should have used comon sense}.
As soon as my backache goes i will get back to business. {If GMAT is anywhere near the level of GMAT club test then i should be writing GMAT in 5 weeks from now. Good news is that a new GMAT test centre has come up near my place. Earlier the closest centre was 40 miles away }
Wednesday, August 5
Business Development
Thats what i will be doing for next few weeks! Now the biggest problem is that i have to start thinking like a non-Technical person. I am trying to make a presentation wherein i can showcase the benefits of analytics and data backed decision making to the clients. A lot of times i start pouring in the technical jargon and after the review my boss asks me to go easy.
For e.g: Logistic regression and Linear regression for binary and continuous variable prediction for optimizing the marketing strategy have to be quoted as "Predicting Customer Behavior for effective use of marketing channels". I think an MBA degree will help me in such cases.
Moreover, i have to cover Insurance, Credit Crads, Mortgage and IVR domains :'(. This BD exercise is going to give me a valuable exposure and a lot of understanding of above mentioned domains. Here i go .....
For e.g: Logistic regression and Linear regression for binary and continuous variable prediction for optimizing the marketing strategy have to be quoted as "Predicting Customer Behavior for effective use of marketing channels". I think an MBA degree will help me in such cases.
Moreover, i have to cover Insurance, Credit Crads, Mortgage and IVR domains :'(. This BD exercise is going to give me a valuable exposure and a lot of understanding of above mentioned domains. Here i go .....
Sunday, August 2
Which b-school -2 !
This is in continuation to my previous post "Which b-school?". I had 9 colleges in my mind and after exploring the websites of b-schools and talking to current students i have decided not to apply to Emory and Kelley. So, that means i have no safe school in my list. I am going to apply to 2 schools in R-1 and other 2 in R-2 next year.
Also, a further research enabled me to flag some schools as reach schools and others as stretch. I am able to shortlist 3 of my target schools but still have to shortlist the 4th. Adding to my confusion are Tuck, Cornell, INSEAD and Duke {yes, i have added one more name to my list but then the good news is that i have crossed out 3}
Below is my updated list:
1. Cornell ---> Reach --- wrote a detailed post about Cornell. confused
2. Wharton ---> dream school --> Stretch -- Applying in round-2 next year. Wharton passes the test that one of the fellow blogger had mentioned {My mom knows about this college}. Brand name: for me it can't better than this, Culture: After reading student blogs, talking to Alums and students i feel that Wharton has a culture which promotes learning. You learn, have fun, meet great people from diverse backgrounds. Grade non-disclosure policy in place {very imp for me}. Placement stats are fabulous {can you believe Mckinsey and Boston together recruited close to 100 students last year}. All in all Wharton remains my dream school.
3. Kellogg ---> Stretch ----> Everything about Kellogg is awesome. Has a tremendous Brand value, International appeal, Excellent General Management Program. Above all Kellogg is pioneer when it comes to "Team Work". {In all my posts i am cribbing about team work, collaborative culture. There is a reason behind it which i will explain in another post} Students are supportive, curriculum is what iam looking for and not to mention the great employment statistics of the school {career development services are one of the best among top b-schools}. I cannot explain all my reasons in words, after talking to students, going through website, brochure etc i had a hunch that i would fit nicely in Kellogg. Applying R-2 next year.
4. INSEAD ---> Everything is wonderful, only confusion that i have in mind is whether i want to attend a 1 yr school or not? From what i have heard {students in US b -schools}, 1 yr programs don't give as much opportunity to learn and enjoy the MBA experience as 2 yr programs give. Have to call one INSEAD student this week and will discuss this in detail with him. confused
5. TUCK ---> Stretch -- Great b-school and one of the most selective schools in US. Excellent General Management curriculum, Great Faculty (esp Strategy and Ops management), One of the most close knit community with fabulous Alum network. Alums are too supportive. Remote location (i would love to spend 2 years in Hanover), No. 1 in terms of ROI (Forbes 2007 ranking, ROI matters a lot). Tuck students enjoy good Intl mobility though Tuck is not a very popular brand outside US but i read one of their Adcom officer mentioning that Tuck is trying hard to spread its name outside USA, which is a good sign. A bit confused, whether i should apply or not?
6. EMORY ---> safe school ---> Dropped--> after to talking to current students i realized that Emory lacks a good Career development cell. Also, the recall value of brand "Goizueta" is not too great. In case one wants a global career then Emory is not a very good choice.
7. Kelley --> safe school ---> Dropped --> Too good for Marketing but nothing else to boast about.
8. Chicago Booth ---> Booth is a great college and in a previous post i had written that i might aply to Booth next year. Only issue i found with the school is its culture. After speaking to current students and after trying to contact alumni i found that people in Booth are not as helpful as in other top b-schools. I had read that Chicago alums don't share very strong bonds with the school and i could sense that during my conversation with a few of them (may be i selected the wrong set of people). While students at Darden, Kellog, INSEAD, Emory etc were enthusiastic about discussing their school {despite their hectic schedules}, Booth's students were hardly responsive. No matter how great the curriculum or career support at Booth is, i don't want to end up at a college wherein i can't fit. Dropped.
9. Darden (though its heavily tilted towards case method) -- > I am applying to Darden in R1-next year. Had a conversation with a current student (Paige) and all my inhibitions twards case method were gone. Paige's passion about Darden was infectious. The learning model and collaborative culture at Darden appealed me a lot. Moreover, after thoroughly understanding the Darden's culture, learning model and curriculum i think i will be fortunate if i get to attend this school. Career development services offered by the school are great. ROI per se school ranks 4th (Forbes 2007 rankings). And the general management curriculum is something that i am looking for. And i feel Darden is a reach school.
Friday, July 31
Breathing techniques
Recently Ms "S" shared one article with me and after i tried the breathing techniques mentioned in the article, i found these techniques to be really effective. So, i decided to share the article with you all.
The nose has a left and a right side; we use both to inhale and exhale. Actually they are different; you would be able to feel the difference. The right side represents the sun, left side represents the moon. During a headache, try to close your right nose and use your left nose to breathe. In about 5 mins, your headache will go.
If you feel tired, just reverse, close your left nose and breathe through your right nose. After a while, you will feel your mind is refreshed. Right side belongs to 'hot', so it gets heated up easily, left side belongs to 'cold'. Most females breathe with their left noses, so they get "cooled off" faster. Most of the guys breathe with their right noses, they get worked up.
Do you notice the moment we wake up, which side breathes faster? Left or right? ? If left is faster, you will feel tired. So, close your left nose and use your right nose for breathing, you will get refreshed quickly.
The nose has a left and a right side; we use both to inhale and exhale. Actually they are different; you would be able to feel the difference. The right side represents the sun, left side represents the moon. During a headache, try to close your right nose and use your left nose to breathe. In about 5 mins, your headache will go.
If you feel tired, just reverse, close your left nose and breathe through your right nose. After a while, you will feel your mind is refreshed. Right side belongs to 'hot', so it gets heated up easily, left side belongs to 'cold'. Most females breathe with their left noses, so they get "cooled off" faster. Most of the guys breathe with their right noses, they get worked up.
Do you notice the moment we wake up, which side breathes faster? Left or right? ? If left is faster, you will feel tired. So, close your left nose and use your right nose for breathing, you will get refreshed quickly.
Monday, July 27
Quant - MGMAT
Gave one MGMAT test and scored 51 on quant. But, i made a number of careless mistakes MGMAT quant is really tough as compared to Kaplan or Gprep. The quant in MGMAT has lots of questions on combinatorics, problems require a lot of calculations and the level of problems is way above other practice tests.
The best part about MGMAT tests is that you get to see detailed analysis about your performance. You get to know your mistakes topic-wise and also on a scale of 600-800 score. One can take MGMAT test in the begining to get a better understanding about one's weak and strong areas. I would advise not to take more than 1 test before you cover all the basics {because without a good grasp of fundamentals it would be difficult to crack MGMAT quant and that could shatter your confidence}.
Give one MGMAT and analyze your performance with the help of Manhattan's performance tracking sheet.
I found that i am excellent when it comes to PS but i suck in DS. I need to go through Number properties, Set theory, Combinatorics, statistics and questions related to series. I am good on word transaltions, Geometry, Mensuration etc.
I have heard good reviews about GMAT math bible and i might order one {can anybody share his/her review?}.
The best part about MGMAT tests is that you get to see detailed analysis about your performance. You get to know your mistakes topic-wise and also on a scale of 600-800 score. One can take MGMAT test in the begining to get a better understanding about one's weak and strong areas. I would advise not to take more than 1 test before you cover all the basics {because without a good grasp of fundamentals it would be difficult to crack MGMAT quant and that could shatter your confidence}.
Give one MGMAT and analyze your performance with the help of Manhattan's performance tracking sheet.
I found that i am excellent when it comes to PS but i suck in DS. I need to go through Number properties, Set theory, Combinatorics, statistics and questions related to series. I am good on word transaltions, Geometry, Mensuration etc.
I have heard good reviews about GMAT math bible and i might order one {can anybody share his/her review?}.
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