The title of the post is as it appears coz of various reasons. If you have been a Ross fan,am sure you would've heard about its latest rankins ranging from #2 ranking in Aspen Institute's beyond-grey-pinstripes to the #1 ranking for Leadership development in the past 2 weeks. To add to this the b-school forums are roaring with yeah's of Ross applicants who received invites for interviews and aargh's from ppl who haven't yet.
Also lastnight, I attended the Ross worldwide club day event. There was this interesting session on Business Sustainability in the wake of climate changes by Prof.Andrew Hoffman. Although the majority of the ppl there were alumni, I did meet some prospective applicants.Although the event was for alumni,I did get a good feel (as if I hadn't had enough already :D) about the school. Most importantly I could see how involved the Ross alums are with the school even years after graduating.
P.S.Ross if you are hearing, am still waiting :)
P.P.S : 11/20/09 I did hear back from Ross :)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
My very first interview
I am done with my Kellogg interview...and I can't believe it is over.o.k.,it's not totally over yet....I'm a R2 applicant and hence have a lot more in my plate to work on.
The interviewer,called X,was an alumni of the school. X and I scheduled to meet on a weekday evening. As always my sweet husband,my b-school journey supporter, accompanied me. I reached around 20 mins early and waited outside the rendezvous point. X came in 5 mins early from the meeting time and we quickly grabbed some coffee and sat down on a table.
I noticed that X had already highlighted certain portions in my resume.I'm was thinking, is he going to ask all these questions from my resume?
Anyways, X started off the interview by giving me some guidlines about the whole importance of interview and also warned me not to get worried if he starts scribbling on the paper while I'm talking. I noticed that he had already written down some statements (i think those were questions) on a sheet of paper.
First X introduced himself in a very detailed casual way and started off by asking me to 'run through my professional resume'. I did it - in a fine way, I guess.I spoke in a way as to highlight my varied experience on different client projects and also some achievements.
Next question , Why Kellogg, Why now? I mentioned about the various aspects of Kellogg that attracted me and also quoted the programs and clubs that were relevant to my career goals.X built on it and asked me what other clubs at Kellog I would be part of. I answer promptly and also drop an idea for a new club that I had in mind....I could see some eyebrow raising (in a +ve way i'd say).
X then asked me about difficult situation in a team,what kind of a leader I am.
A somewhat different question , or may be a regular questions put in a different way was-what are you proud of.I am satisfied with the way I answered.
Then X asked me, "I don't get to see your application. All I have is your resume. So tell me,what do you think your application's weaknesses are'. I answered it too.
Later X asked me about a failure experience and then opened up the table for me to ask him questions. I asked about a club I'm interested in and something that he was part of too. I ask a couple of other questions.
X had already given me biz card card at the beginning of the interview and told me that I can get in touch anytime between now and the application submissions for adding any more info to what we discussed in the interview.
Finally we said best wishes to each other and departed. As I sat at the coffee table I couldn't help but feel good about the amicably persona somehow all Kellogg alumni seem to have...hmm...The one thing I regret is inspite of having excellent extra -curricular expereince I failed to highlght it in my answers... :(.
But overall not too bad for a first interiew :). I walked in feeling absolutely no pressure and that helped. I don't know what the result would be, but I'll just hope for the best.
P.S. Thanks to the resources on gmatclub and clearadmit for all the help :)
The interviewer,called X,was an alumni of the school. X and I scheduled to meet on a weekday evening. As always my sweet husband,my b-school journey supporter, accompanied me. I reached around 20 mins early and waited outside the rendezvous point. X came in 5 mins early from the meeting time and we quickly grabbed some coffee and sat down on a table.
I noticed that X had already highlighted certain portions in my resume.I'm was thinking, is he going to ask all these questions from my resume?
Anyways, X started off the interview by giving me some guidlines about the whole importance of interview and also warned me not to get worried if he starts scribbling on the paper while I'm talking. I noticed that he had already written down some statements (i think those were questions) on a sheet of paper.
First X introduced himself in a very detailed casual way and started off by asking me to 'run through my professional resume'. I did it - in a fine way, I guess.I spoke in a way as to highlight my varied experience on different client projects and also some achievements.
Next question , Why Kellogg, Why now? I mentioned about the various aspects of Kellogg that attracted me and also quoted the programs and clubs that were relevant to my career goals.X built on it and asked me what other clubs at Kellog I would be part of. I answer promptly and also drop an idea for a new club that I had in mind....I could see some eyebrow raising (in a +ve way i'd say).
X then asked me about difficult situation in a team,what kind of a leader I am.
A somewhat different question , or may be a regular questions put in a different way was-what are you proud of.I am satisfied with the way I answered.
Then X asked me, "I don't get to see your application. All I have is your resume. So tell me,what do you think your application's weaknesses are'. I answered it too.
Later X asked me about a failure experience and then opened up the table for me to ask him questions. I asked about a club I'm interested in and something that he was part of too. I ask a couple of other questions.
X had already given me biz card card at the beginning of the interview and told me that I can get in touch anytime between now and the application submissions for adding any more info to what we discussed in the interview.
Finally we said best wishes to each other and departed. As I sat at the coffee table I couldn't help but feel good about the amicably persona somehow all Kellogg alumni seem to have...hmm...The one thing I regret is inspite of having excellent extra -curricular expereince I failed to highlght it in my answers... :(.
But overall not too bad for a first interiew :). I walked in feeling absolutely no pressure and that helped. I don't know what the result would be, but I'll just hope for the best.
P.S. Thanks to the resources on gmatclub and clearadmit for all the help :)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Daily energy dose for an MBA applicant
How many of you have become obsessed with the whole internet MBA applicant resources such as gmatclub, totalgadha, clearadmit wiki etc etc? I have ! And I think it's absolutely worth it.
Reading the wonderful inspiring stories of so many seemingly ordinary , but actually extra-ordinary folks has been a good way to learn marketing myself....and by marketing I don't mean selling non-existing stuff about myself.I'm strictly against that. For me flabergasting my life history is a strict non-no. That said, it is easy for someone to think 'I'm an Indian IT Female, probably one amongst so many!!'. But think again! At the end of the day , when you have come so far , cracking GMAT, spending countless hours researching about MBA, gathering courage to introspect your life so far and accept your weaknesses, there is bound to be a force driving you and you are already special! One such example is this great Indian Techie story I read on the gmatclub forum.
Think again, you might not be so ordinary after all!
Reading the wonderful inspiring stories of so many seemingly ordinary , but actually extra-ordinary folks has been a good way to learn marketing myself....and by marketing I don't mean selling non-existing stuff about myself.I'm strictly against that. For me flabergasting my life history is a strict non-no. That said, it is easy for someone to think 'I'm an Indian IT Female, probably one amongst so many!!'. But think again! At the end of the day , when you have come so far , cracking GMAT, spending countless hours researching about MBA, gathering courage to introspect your life so far and accept your weaknesses, there is bound to be a force driving you and you are already special! One such example is this great Indian Techie story I read on the gmatclub forum.
Think again, you might not be so ordinary after all!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Free school guides
Veritas prep has newly added this great feature of Free Annual School Reports/Guides.
I just started downloading the guides to the schools I'm applying.
I've already read through the Kellogg school report and let me tell you this-the info about the school I had after researching for a decent 1.5 months and then visitng it was all there summarised in one single report!
Kudos to Veritas guys for giving it to us applicants for free.
I just started downloading the guides to the schools I'm applying.
I've already read through the Kellogg school report and let me tell you this-the info about the school I had after researching for a decent 1.5 months and then visitng it was all there summarised in one single report!
Kudos to Veritas guys for giving it to us applicants for free.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Duke's warm gesture to applicants
I opened my inbox today and one e-mail titled "A message from The Duke MBA " immediately caught my attention. The mail is below:
A Special Offer from The Duke MBA
Clearly, the world is facing many economic challenges today. At The Duke MBA, we recognize that the MBA application process is an investment of time and money, which can both be in short supply in times like these. We feel strongly that visiting with Duke admissions officers, students, and alumni in person is incredibly helpful in understanding the Team Fuqua culture, and we also understand that traveling to our campus can be difficult. To help alleviate some of the financial stress you may be facing, we are pleased to announce the following Duke MBA Application Fee Reduction Program.
Individuals who schedule a campus visit through our online scheduling tool and come to Durham or who register for and attend a Duke MBA information session or coffee chat at one of our worldwide locations will be able to submit an application for the 2009 – 2010 application year for only $50, instead of the usual $200 fee. In this way, we are able to cover our administrative expenses while minimizing the impact on our applicants.
Please visit our Web site for a complete listing of upcoming information sessions and coffee chats, or access our online scheduling tool to craft your own campus visit (with or without interview) and plan to visit us. We will look forward to seeing you!
Truly Duke is standing up to its global MBA repute. I'm glad at least one B-School has recognized the real value of 200$ for applicats in short of monetary sources,like me.
A Special Offer from The Duke MBA
Clearly, the world is facing many economic challenges today. At The Duke MBA, we recognize that the MBA application process is an investment of time and money, which can both be in short supply in times like these. We feel strongly that visiting with Duke admissions officers, students, and alumni in person is incredibly helpful in understanding the Team Fuqua culture, and we also understand that traveling to our campus can be difficult. To help alleviate some of the financial stress you may be facing, we are pleased to announce the following Duke MBA Application Fee Reduction Program.
Individuals who schedule a campus visit through our online scheduling tool and come to Durham or who register for and attend a Duke MBA information session or coffee chat at one of our worldwide locations will be able to submit an application for the 2009 – 2010 application year for only $50, instead of the usual $200 fee. In this way, we are able to cover our administrative expenses while minimizing the impact on our applicants.
Please visit our Web site for a complete listing of upcoming information sessions and coffee chats, or access our online scheduling tool to craft your own campus visit (with or without interview) and plan to visit us. We will look forward to seeing you!
Truly Duke is standing up to its global MBA repute. I'm glad at least one B-School has recognized the real value of 200$ for applicats in short of monetary sources,like me.
Friday, October 2, 2009
My GMAT Preparation
Hi folks...this is just a breather I'm taking from the essay writing.
I was going through some e-mails and suddenly remembered about how a post about GMAT was due.
I had a bad experience with GMAT the first time.After 3 months of prep. with OG,800score tests and Kaplan and other general stuff I was somehow letdown. In fact I won't say somehow, I knew exactly what happened. Questions #3 in Quant section happened. After spending an unacceptable 10 minutes on solving Q3, I panicked. Firstly I din't get the right answer.Secondly I saw that I lost 10 minutes from the total 75 mins and rushed through the subsequent questions.As a result my quant score was a mere 42...which is the lowest I ever scored.
With that experience in mind, while taking my second GMAT, I was more composed and calm. Whenever I felt that I spent more than 2 minutes on a question, I though whether or not to spend more time on that question.The important in GMAT,if you ask me, is to solve one questions and forget about it and then move to the next question afresh. Don't wonder whether that question was right or not and if it was a 700 level or a 600 level question.
The one challenge I faced when preparing for the second attempt at GMAT was - what books to use?? I had already exhausted my OG. So it was logical to use the OG verbal and quant supplementary books. Also,Totalgadha.com's GMAT resources proved to be a very very useful. Another important thing was the veritas prep. material.Frequent visitors to hella's applicant blog list would've already read Biz-Wiz's post . In addition to the books, the veritas prep tests are pretty decent. They actually come in a package of different test series,which includes the 5 800score.com tests that I had previously bought. But I liked the facility to store my performances on each test and track my progress. All said and done, nothing beats the official GMAT Prep software. It is a true indicator of your potential GMAT score.
On the test day,second attempt that is, somehow I was composed. And it helped.
Anyone whos akss me for GMAT advice will only hear one thing. Practice and be confident and composed on the test day.
I was going through some e-mails and suddenly remembered about how a post about GMAT was due.
I had a bad experience with GMAT the first time.After 3 months of prep. with OG,800score tests and Kaplan and other general stuff I was somehow letdown. In fact I won't say somehow, I knew exactly what happened. Questions #3 in Quant section happened. After spending an unacceptable 10 minutes on solving Q3, I panicked. Firstly I din't get the right answer.Secondly I saw that I lost 10 minutes from the total 75 mins and rushed through the subsequent questions.As a result my quant score was a mere 42...which is the lowest I ever scored.
With that experience in mind, while taking my second GMAT, I was more composed and calm. Whenever I felt that I spent more than 2 minutes on a question, I though whether or not to spend more time on that question.The important in GMAT,if you ask me, is to solve one questions and forget about it and then move to the next question afresh. Don't wonder whether that question was right or not and if it was a 700 level or a 600 level question.
The one challenge I faced when preparing for the second attempt at GMAT was - what books to use?? I had already exhausted my OG. So it was logical to use the OG verbal and quant supplementary books. Also,Totalgadha.com's GMAT resources proved to be a very very useful. Another important thing was the veritas prep. material.Frequent visitors to hella's applicant blog list would've already read Biz-Wiz's post . In addition to the books, the veritas prep tests are pretty decent. They actually come in a package of different test series,which includes the 5 800score.com tests that I had previously bought. But I liked the facility to store my performances on each test and track my progress. All said and done, nothing beats the official GMAT Prep software. It is a true indicator of your potential GMAT score.
On the test day,second attempt that is, somehow I was composed. And it helped.
Anyone whos akss me for GMAT advice will only hear one thing. Practice and be confident and composed on the test day.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
School visit - Preface
Hello all, It's been a long time (atleast in my blogging world :P) since I posted. I've been busy , as must be most of you out there targeting Round 1 deadlines.
Last week I visited Kellogg and Ross , 2 schools that I'm targeting for Round 1.
My visit experience was,im simple word, "Extremely useful". All the current students I met with were so so helpful...I have only good words to day about them :)
I'm dead occupied right now with K and R applications. Will post a eloborate school visit experience soon. Keep blogging and keep visiting.
Chow!
Last week I visited Kellogg and Ross , 2 schools that I'm targeting for Round 1.
My visit experience was,im simple word, "Extremely useful". All the current students I met with were so so helpful...I have only good words to day about them :)
I'm dead occupied right now with K and R applications. Will post a eloborate school visit experience soon. Keep blogging and keep visiting.
Chow!
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