Submissions and school list updates

I submitted ISB last Monday, Sep 8. It actually got a little late. But, its ok since ISB is not rolling. But, this going to add pressure on my schedule, with Chicago and Tuck deadlines looming in the early October. Have to be a little more quick with the applications. My recommenders have been pretty much on the spot till now with the schedule. I just hope, no issue crop up in the next two months, which is going to be one crazy application season.

Meanwhile, I have decided to finally add Darden to my list of prospective schools. This was a school I was researching on for a long time. I liked several things about the school - strong case-based curriculum, good recruitment in my areas of interest, good community feel.

There is something else I like about Darden - its location, Charlottesville, which is not a big city. I do not really like to study in big cities, although they present significant advantages in terms of recruiting. Chicago, Columbia and Stern are schools I like, and hence made entry into my list, not because they are in big cities. And that is one of the biggest reason why I have included Tuck in my list of schools. However, I have not been able to contact any students from Tuck and Stern yet. That is something I will work on in the next few weeks. Ciao!

Inspiration Blogs - Where are they?

When I created this blog, I decided to have a small list of student blogs to keep me in touch of the student community and provide inspiration. But, today I revamped it from a list of 10 blogs to around 4-5 now. I had to remove them as they do not have any updated content.

Why is it that students after they start their MBAs don't update their blogs any longer? Sure, time is one issue. However, it cannot be the only one. We cannot say that the applicants are jobless, right? :D

It is related to the reasons one wants to blog. For me, it is a kind of public-personal diary of my MBA quest. I want blogs to chronicle most my life's experiences. I would start new blogs in all new phases of my life - at least, that is the plan.

I am actually planning to start a new blog, parallel to this one which talks about more personal matters. That would be public or not is something not decided yet.

On the application front, there has been a lull ever since I submitted Columbia. None of my recommenders for ISB are looking in a mood to submit their recommendations. The essays have been reviewed but need to be worked on further. And I am not in a mood to work on them today. Hopefully, tomorrow is going to be a fruitful day.

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!

Passed!!!

I passed the CFA Level 1 Exam. :):)

Given the conditions I had given the exam in, it was really a very pleasant surprise.

Thank you, happybunny for encouraging me to apply so late, even after fully understanding my non-financial background. :) I hope this will help me cope with coursework at b-school better.

MBA application work has started in full force. I have written 2/3 ISB essays and they have been flayed by my first reviewer just a few mintues back. Need to rework on them and get my strategy right. After that, it goes to my second reviewer. I intend to finish this set of essays by the end of this month or latest by a week later.

Hope everything goes according to plan!

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.

Where have I been?

Thats a difficult question to answer. Was busy fixing some work-related issues before the application season firmly sets in. So, have been talking to a company which is offering me a role which is going to be great for my career. Things should hopefully work out in a couple of days.

I have been reading blogs all this while. But, could not bring myself to write.

So, what brought me to writing something on my blog? Well this piece: http://goneguru.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/the-wall/

A superb piece of writing! Just take some time out and read it. Fabulous!

On another note, my ISB application is trudging along. The more I find out about the school, the more I like it. Only concern being a lack of internship in the one-year course. However, saving a year does not sound too bad, either!