BoB Nomination & Other Updates!

Yes! After two years of MBA Talk at my blog, I have been nominated for the Clear Admit BoB Awards for the year 2008-09. Feels pretty good and I need to fill in my ballot by 24th. I would need to take out sometime and read student blogs which I haven't been following very closely.

In other updates, I have notified at my workplace about my plans to do an MBA and hopefully be relieved by the end of May or early June. Yesterday evening, I faxed in my Kroll authorization form and they have already started working on it. My recommender got a call today morning. So they seem to be pretty efficient.

There is no news from CBS regarding loans, visa and scholarship and its already mid-April. I hope things could move faster....

Timing the market?

So, whats up with me? Nothing much really. I am actually helping out a friend setup his venture. That is, in terms of brainstorming of ideas and sharing whatever industry perspectives I have gained over last 4 years of work. Its actually a lot of fun and the process has a good deal of excitement. In this economic environment, it is going to be a big ask but we have belief in the fundamental value of his ideas and I am sure he will do well.

I have been wondering what exactly is the right time to launch one's business, given that he is ready with a plan? Should it be when the market is green and credit is free-flowing or when the chips are down and investors are selling out. Till very recently, I was convinced that getting 'in' in a good market was absolutely essential to compete with the deep-pocket giants. Its also relatively easy to get noticed in a healthy economic scenario.

But, to my surprise, a relatively large number of firms (especially tech ones) have been founded in times of extreme economic distress. What explains that? I have no clear answer but it appears that several of them hit on some ideas which were generated because of competitive economic climate. They had strong value propositions. The founders worked under the radar for a few years, establishing the network and bringing the idea to market. As soon as the situation got better they were ready to capitalize on it. I am not sure how much of that is the case, but it sure is a thing I look forward to research more on.

On school front, there is no news. The process to me looks a little too slow, especially for the early admits who don't seem to have anything to do for 6-7 months. I am itching to get my hands on that pre-MBA material ;)

My room-mate got admitted to Queens last week and got a little scholarship too. He has received bundles and bundles of materials from the university. His course-work starts in May and he is neck-deep in the visa and loan process. Looking at his exciting and extremely fast-paced stage of the process, kinda feel jealous :P

Hopefully, some news will come from CBS this week! Till then, cheers!

Housing & Other News

Well, there is not much news actually. Things have been very furious at work and its getting tiring. I have been handed over with some long-term assignments that I am sure I will need to handover very soon to somebody else. That would mean more work. I don't mind doing that as long as I get some break before school.

Speaking of which, CBS front has been relatively quiet. I put in my housing application the very first day the application opened and opted for an apartment share. This option seems to be the most popular one. Although, right till the end I was torn between an apartment shares and studios. Now, need to wait till May for further activity.

Next month promises to be more exciting. I intend to inform my manager about my plans to do an MBA in fall. He has been very nice to me and I hope he would understand. Kroll will follow and so will the loan and visa processing.

Meanwhile, the scene in the US is getting scarier every week and is giving me and my parents a lot of worries in taking that big a loan to fund my MBA. Hopefully, things will fall in place. During this time, I hope that I get some sort of scholarship which can lessen my burden and my parents' worries.

Edit: Just read Tieny's account of the Open House and it looks like so much fun. And yes, I too am impressed by the crowd of people who are going to be my classmates for the next 2 years. Pretty exciting times coming up!

Vacations & Housing

First post of the new year!

and I have already had two mini-vacations. The first one was an extension of my year-end vacation and I had a quite time at Ranchi, where my parents have lived for almost two decades. It was good to be away from work and everything else. Small cities can give you that freshness which is difficult to find in Bangalore life. Fast forward to the republic day and I made a short trip to Ahmedabad to meet some friends. And I had a pretty cool time. Although, Ahmedabad is in the only "dry" state of India.

I have hastened my search for an internship for the summer but looks like its a big ask, given the financial turmoil all around us. I read an article written by Swaminathan Aiyer today about how this recession can be the Hykenian kind instead of the Keynesian one and how both kinds need very different treatments. The more dreadful thought of the article was the fact that it may take more than a couple of years to settle this one up. That's not good news. With a scholarship always unlikely, its going to be a $150k loan on my head when I graduate and I better have some good opportunities at that time. Coming to back to India immediately after MBA is also an option.

There is constant talk in the country about whether India will be hit by the recession. I think it will be. For whatever may be the reasons, India has seen a lot of export-led growth over the last few years. Now as the west sees a much stronger urge to save and consumer spending dries up, India will be hit sooner or later and probably to the same extent as the US. The Indian stock market is already hit rock bottom and its unlikely that its going up anytime soon. Plenty of problems to think about.

There is nothing really happening on CBS front. I received a mail from Linda welcoming me to the class of 2011 after she tried calling me up several times. Although, its been nearly 4 months since I got the admit, it still feels good to be congratulated ;) Housing applications start sometime in February and thats one area where I need to do more research. Have been trying to figure out what would suit me the best.

Updates

Its been a long time since I posted on my blog and makes me wonder what is going to happen once I do reach b-school. All hell has broken loose at my workplace. Layoffs have meant that there is more work pressure on the teams that survive and its been pretty busy few weeks.

On CBS front, I am trying to get in touch with some alums in India to try and figure out some concrete plans for my future. Almost everybody I could manage to talk to has been very supportive of my plans.

As I probably already mentioned here, I plan to work till some time in June to collect all the cash I can. I have received my CFA Level 2 course material. So that is going to take up significant portion of my free time in the coming months. I also plan to travel - when and where is completely undecided. There are a couple of options - exploring south India or south-east Asia. Both of them look pretty neat at the moment.

I am little worried about how to get the Kroll scheduled. I don't want my company to know of my impending departure till around Mar/April. However, as far as I understand Kroll actually talks to the company HR or managers. On the other hand, I do not want to delay the verification that long, which may cause hassles in loand and visa applications. I have no recommenders from my current company though. Need to figure this out.

Lately, CBS has been issuing invites in bulk and I have been trying to be of help to all the prospectives. I seriously hope that a lot of them make it to CBS and am sure I will have a great time with them at the school in NY.

I have been doing a pretty bad job of keeping my blog updated. Infact, tieny has been doing a great job! Given that the work pressure is not going to subside anytime soon, I am not sure if I can improve. Lately, I have been contemplating about writing a series of posts about the application process and my perspectives on the same. There are several in the blogosphere already. I am not sure if any more are needed ;)

Thats pretty much all the updates I had. All the very best to Soni for his C-Booth interview and all other who are waiting for their final results!

Admit Packet

I received my admit packet by FedEx today.


And it has my official letter of admission signed by Linda. It also has a copy of the Hermes magazine and some other pamphalets containing information which is all over the website. Hermes is interesting and has a lot of information about students and alumni. The Class Notes section is particularly fascinating. Reading through it. The packet also has a note which says that the school, as of date, does not have a no-cosignor loan for international students.

On to other things, my Columbia ID activation hasn't happened yet. That means I cannot browse through CBS' amazing online resources for another weekend. I am using my time to read. Currently reading Kafka'a short stories. One of my friends, who shares the apartment with me is leaving for London tomorrow morning. He will be there for atleast a couple of years. So, its going to be a last night celebration tonight. That leaves only 3 people in our large mansion. :(

Matriculating!

My wire transfer of deposit reached Columbia yesterday and I am now officially enrolled in the school roasters. As soon as that happened, my status changed to "Deposit Received" and the to-do list expanded from a 17 point list to a 30 point list. And this is supposed to be the beginning. Phew!

The new to-do list however, also gives me access to the Columbia University ID and the email account. Thats exciting! Besides, there is a admitted student's reception on Dec 3. I don't think I can be there even if I really want to do that so much.

I am envious of Tieny who seems to have figured out his plan for the next 10 months. I will be in all probability be working till the end of June. I have my CFA Level 2 to study for and then prepare for school. Three important to-do things amongst the millions I can see right now are - Kroll verification, loan confirmation and F1 visa. None of them begins before January.

Time to relax, I guess!


PS: All the best for HappyBunny for her final result @Columbia!

Sinking In!

Its taken some time, but its now sinking in: I am attending Columbia next Fall! MBA has been a long time dream and I, finally, have some concrete progress on that front.

However, my weekend was terrible. Was on the bed with cough, cold and high fever for three consecutive days. Its a little better now. Meanwhile, I have been going through the admitted students website to get information about tasks for the next few months. I realize its a little too early in the process and the website itself is not really up-to-date for the Class of 2011.

I went to my bank today to find out a way to wire my deposit to Columbia. The lady handed over a 9-page :O form which I need to fill and attach it with some photocopies and submit. She said it takes 48 hours, which is not so bad. Columbia's $6000 deposit is huge, I must say. :D

I am not sure when am I suppose to receive an admit packet: now, after my deposit or even later?

Meanwhile, I have been checking a lot of stuff about the university and the school and that has got me even more excited. I can't wait for next fall! :)

PS: Thank you all for your congratulatory messages. I really appreciate it. Hope to see a lot more admits from the blogosphere! Go guys!

Admitted to Columbia Business School!!!

I can't believe it :) :) :)

Columbia Interview Done

I had my alumni interview yesterday and it was very cordial and comfortable. The interviewer was a '71 alum and was very senior in the organization he worked for. The interview itself was also very smooth. No cross-questioning just a good conversation. I was also asked the standard 'ethical dilemma' question which I was prepared for. So, that was sail through, although the interviewer asked for another one after I had narrated the first one. Overall, the interview went well. The questions were broadly why this school, why this company, why this swtich, why mba, why columbia and a lot of discussion of my goals.

The only hitch was that I could not answer 'Why Columbia' all that well because I was cut by my interviewer twice in between and the discussion went tangential. Its common knowledge that CBS wants students with a high degree of interest in the school. Hopefully, I did enough in the interview to convince him and the adcom that I am really interested.

In the end, I asked him questions and got very very good answers to most of them. He offered to help me in networking with people in the NY area, which felt good. I hope I was good too.

Now, the wait begins. I was told that he would submit the feedback yesterday itself or latest by today. He hasn't done it yet. Hopefully, he can get it done by the weekend. It was nice meeting him!

Columbia Interview Invite

Yeah, I received an invite to interview from Columbia. And as expected, I am really excited. I have some alumni to choose from. Let me see who responds first to my mails. Anybody, any tips for the interview?

Chicago Essays

Anybody who has heard of what GSB essays are like this year - is tensed :D

For those who have not, here it is:
http://www.chicagogsb.edu/fulltime/admissions/essays_slides.aspx


I am really stuck with essay #2. I feel uncomfortable writing on topics which require me reveal my personal self. Especially, which require you to talk about incidents where you displayed leadership, or where you failed, or you had to make a choice.

Its not that I don't have stories. I just can't put them across in a mature, professional manner. After a week of dilly-dallying I have managed to prepare a draft for the Chicago essay 2 and got it reviewed. Fortunately this time, my reviewer had a fairly positive opinion on the first draft, which is an achievement.

Hopefully, another week and the Chicago app would be ready to go. This would be the half-way mark in the whole process.

Meanwhile, Columbia has been a little slow in coming out with interview invites. Infact, haven't heard of any invites yet for Fall 2009. The next week will possibly see truckloads of invites. Hope, they want to talk to me! :)

Columbia Submitted

and whats more, its under review as well! I submitted the application earlier in the day (early morning NY time). It went under review 10 am NY time. That's remarkable! I have been a little busy with the application because I took only 15 days to work on it.

Since, it was a reapplication, I did not have to work on the other two essays which is good in a way. I was never too excited about the master classes essay anyways. But, I had fewer words to convince the adcom of my heroics in the last one year ;)

So, the first application of the season is in, and I pray that I do not have to submit many more. Given the past trends, I should have the decision by the end of next month. Thats pretty neat. On to ISB now!

General Updates

Well I am back from my vacation and joined my new workplace a couple of days. Joining was smooth and pretty professional. Should get going after the long weekend we had, here in India.

Meanwhile, I am looking at applying to Columbia much earlier than I thought, maybe even by the end of the month. I don't find a lot of work to be done for a reapplicant. My focus has to be on improvements in my profile which I am in the process of articulating. Then have to figure out a way to use the optional essay effectively, if at all.

Meanwhile, my ISB essays have been on the backburner for a while. I have not even got my comments back from the people who are going to review my essays. Hopefully, that should get sorted out by early next week. I now plan to complete both ISB and Columbia applications by the end of August. Then attach Chicago and Tuck applications.

Meanwhile, I have been very actively considering Darden as another school I would put in application for. It is pretty good in the discplines I am interested in and seems to be a pretty good fit. Need to do more research on the school. LBS is another school I am looking at right now. Should be able to fix my sixth school also by the end of the month. For now, its beer!

Cheers!

ISB Essays and the weekend

Its been a drag, this weekend. All the applications I am looking forward to are now live with the exception of Stern. Meanwhile, I have been working on my ISB essays which are of a wierd nature.

I mean, how can you convince somebody that you are the right candidate for the President of the student body in 300 damn words. That nears absurdity. Most schools will give a minimum of 600-700 words for each of these essays. Maybe, I need to learn the virtues of to-the-point answering.

Columbia is the next in line. I plan to leave for my hometown by the end of next week and hope to send my ISB essays for review by that time. Ten days at home would mean a lot of work on Columbia and Chicago applications, both of which are re-applications.

With Columbia, there is a different kind of problem. It does not give you enough space to write as a reapplicant. I have only one essay to pour out all I have this time. However, I am looking at the optional essay too. I have never used it before for any application. Now, I believe is the right time.

Columbia gets back to me

I heard from CBS on my feedback request - guess what, they denied it. I was checking out the BW Forums and I see all of them have been denied with different letters. They say they have read my application and have put in some points in the letter.

However, my letter seems to be very generic. The first line is " Check out the class profile" followed by gyan about applying ED or early in RD. Although, the first line does seem to be a little negative. I am not sure what to make of it. Are they really suggesting that my profile does not match up to the guys who get admitted. It would have been great, if they had been more straight forward about it.

Another Ding: Columbia!

This is really turning out to be a nightmare. Another ding without interview comes my way and I did not apply to too many. :(

Now, my only hope comes out with results within 24 hours. If its good news, I am likely to hear sooner. The wait could not have been more painful.

No News

Its been a long long time that I have had any updates on my MBA journey. After getting dinged from Kellogg, it has been very very quiet. There has been a small mail exchange with Chicago when I confirmed my interest in being on their waitlist. Thats about it.

Columbia AdCom has been sitting on my application for more than 1.5 months now. And that is after they took almost 3 weeks to make it go under review. After my application to Columbia, my interest in the school has grown considerably and I would really love to go to both the schools I am yet to receive decisions from. My concern is that is it too late to have any realistic chance at Columbia?

In the meanwhile, there have been lot of updates in the blogger world with lot of interviews being scheduled and conducted. Good luck to all my blogger friends.

HappyBunny, All the very best for your GMAT!

Life is slow

This is one of the slowest period of the application process. No progress on any of the applications and none expected over the next 2-3 weeks. Columbia interview invites have started trickling. However, all the recipients submitted their application before December. And I did so on Jan 3 which went under review on Jan 17. So, there is still a lot of waiting to be done.

Till now, I have never gone back to any applications after submitting them (except Chicago, of course). But now the urge to do so is growing. The fact that I have precious little to do at home is also adding to that urge.

At work, I have just finished a project and the chip is out for manufacturing, and I have a free interim period. Irritatingly, work at office was at its peak when I had to submit two applications in 15 days after Chicago WLed me.

So, I have gone back to books and started reading 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini. I love books. :)

Finally......Columbia Updates

Yes, after 15 days of wait, my Columbia application has now gone 'Under review'. So, I should get my decision within 12 weeks. Frankly speaking, its too long a time. I am not sure what does the AdCom at Columbia do to take so long. All schools applied to took 2 months to give out final decisions.

Meanwhile, A very BIG congrats to all the HARVARD and DUKE R1 Admits! Enjoy your success, folks. Next week in another big one, Stanford.