The Journey...

Advice sought: Yale R1/R2 interview applicants

2008-02-07T09:14:00.000+05:30

I would appreciate if anyone on this community (or reading this blog) who has ever interviewed or been invited to interview at Yale can get back to me.

I would also request fellow applicants who have been invited to other schools, to give me any tips and suggestions they may have for interviews.

A key question which I had been thinking all along(though was never invited to interview before this!) was, what if I am asked:

"How many schools have you applied to?"

Considering that I have applied to 8 schools (5 in R1) and Yale application was submitted in R2- If I am truthful, will it send a wrong impression?

If I lie, do they have a way to figure out?

There is so much going on in the mind now.......I am happy!

Finally....

2008-02-07T09:07:00.000+05:30

I don't even know if some of the fellow bloggers remember me or not. It has been a long time since I last wrote a blog entry. But honestly, I had lost the drive after the dismal R1 results.

It would have been unfair though not to update the fraternity about a ray of hope which I just saw.....

.....I have been invited to interview at Yale.

Atleast I have one interview invite which validates that my apps were not that bad after all. With 2+ years of experience, in an IT product development company in India- I had started thinking that this profile has nailed me down.

However, I feel a wee bit positive now. Let's see how things go from here now. Being an eternall pessimist, I am not hoping much :)

BTW- this was my 50th post!

By the way....

2007-12-08T23:09:00.000+05:30

....since I came to know that two applicants got their Tuck interview invites in their junk folder, I am focussing more on my junk mails rather than the inbox!!! ;-)

Working on my R2 essays and trying not to think too much....

2007-12-08T15:57:00.000+05:30

My research on my R2 schools (Columbia, Ross and Yale) is done and I have started working on the essays silently.

Sometimes it is difficult to stay motivated, when you are anxiously awaiting an interview call and have already had a ding from two univs. Every time you hear about a fellow blogger receiving an interview invite you are happy, but then sad at the same time. "When will I get that much awaited call??" But then is there anything you can do about it?

As a very close friend of mine told my girlfriend- "Tell him to focus on the process and not on the results. Let him give his best and make the process better". I am trying hard to follow this advice. Though, easier said/blogged than done!

Let's see what future has in store!

Something Changed.....

2007-12-04T06:44:00.000+05:30

Finally something changed after a long time. The status of my Darden application is now Pending, which basically means that someone in the adcomm is reviewing it. Lets see what lies in store for me at Darden.

I have just started working on my R2 apps after a two week break. Will be applying to Columbia, Yale and Ross. Wish me luck and guys!

Moreover, over the last two weeks my mind has been going through a flurry of emotions. What happens if I don't get through?.......What will be my next step?......Should I go for a safe school?(Neahhh).....What went wrong with Wharton and Chicago?..... etc etc etc. The next 6 months of my life are going to be filled with a lot of uncertainty, lets see how I handle it.

R2 Schools

2007-11-18T11:01:00.000+05:30

After the R1 Chicago and Wharton Ding I thought for once to go for some safety schools. But then, what the hell! I don't want to. I definitely don't want to go to a school where I won't be happy or will always regret the fact that I joined. I know its a risk, but one which I want to take.

My original list of R2 schools had Stanford and Columbia. I am really not sure about Stanford though now, but am still contemplating. After some research I have also decided to add Yale to my list. Though it has a small class size and not in the same league as H/W/S....., its a great school. Moreover, it offers loan upto the full cost of attendance to internationals. A lil more research and I will finalise the school.

If someone in our blogger community has any inputs on Yale do let me know.

Tuck Application Update

2007-11-18T10:57:00.001+05:30

Just saw that my Tuck application has gone complete. 3 Rec's recieved, official score recieved, transcripts recieved etc etc etc.........Hope vidi is also on the same boat now :)

Wharton Ding

2007-11-16T01:04:00.000+05:30

Wharton too lost a great candidate!

Dear Bokaa,
Thank you for your application to the Wharton MBA program. I regret that the Admissions Committee is unable to offer you a position in the Wharton MBA Class of 2010.
As you may be aware, the Wharton MBA program receives as many as 7,000 applications annually. In a pool where virtually every candidate offers significant work experience or potential, demonstrates leadership ability, and submits persuasive recommendations, the Committee's job of selecting the entering class is extremely difficult. We are left with the unpleasant task of denying admission to many fine individuals who would, no doubt, succeed academically at the School and contribute to Wharton's standard of excellence.
Let me assure you that your application received a thorough review by several members of the Committee. As a policy, we do not pre-screen applications, but give each candidate full consideration. The fact that you did not receive an invitation to interview or offer of admission in no way reflects your intellectual abilities, personal achievements, or potential for a successful career.
The Admissions Office will keep your application on file for two years. If you plan to re-apply within the next two years and would like feedback on your application, please email us at mbafeedback@wharton.upenn.edu with your application login PIN and the words Schedule Feedback in the subject header. The number of feedback sessions we are able to provide is limited. Appointments will be offered, at random, only to those who have submitted requests to mbafeedback@wharton.upenn.edu by Thursday, 01 May 2008.
If you are selected to receive feedback, you will be notified by Monday, 19 May 2008. You may also check your online application status to verify whether or not you have been invited for feedback. Instructions on how to schedule a session will be provided at that time.
For instructions on the re-application process, please follow the procedures that will be included in next year's application (available online in August 2008). All reapplications will be reviewed within the context of the overall applicant pool at that time.
Thank you again for your interest in Wharton. I wish you success in your graduate studies, as well as in your personal and career endeavors.

Chicago GSB Ding

2007-11-15T00:32:00.000+05:30

Chicago GSB just lost a great candidate! ( I really mean it)

Dear Bokaa,
Thank you for applying to Chicago GSB's Full-Time MBA Program. Your application has received the careful consideration of our Admissions Committee. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer you admission to the Class of 2010.
The superb quality of this year's applicant pool presented the Admissions Committee with some difficult decisions. Three members of the Committee reviewed your application in its entirety before our decision was made. Applicants are evaluated on several criteria, including academic preparedness, professional achievements, communication skills, extracurricular/community involvement, leadership, self-awareness, understanding the value of the MBA experience, and fit with Chicago GSB.
We certainly appreciate the effort you put into this process, and we wish you every success as you continue to plan for your future.

Tuck Word Limit

2007-11-12T17:37:00.000+05:30

This is the first school for which I am exceeding the word limit! Yes, I understand that Tuck does not have any word limit per se, but still they say that on an average the applicants have used 500 words in the past (diplomancy, typical of B-Schools!).

All my Tuck essays are more than 500 words but less than 600. Feels odd coz none of my essays for other schools (including Darden!!) exceeded by even a word. But none the less I think I can take that much leeway as long as my stories do not seem to drag.

4 Down and random musings!

2007-11-02T19:14:00.000+05:30

As I hit the Darden submit button last night, my fourth application is done. By now I feel really tired......but with Tuck due on Nov 14th, I know I can't afford to relax.

But today is going to be party night...we are all gathering at a friends place and will drink and party all night. I am really looking forward to it as I my social life has not been in the best of forms for the past 4 months!

The bokaa inside me is anxiously waiting for the interviews. Infact as I type this I am visualising that when I get back from the party tomorrow morning, I l have an interview invite. Even the thought of it feels so good.....who knows, I may actually have one!!

I am also happy that by Nov 14th I will be done with 5 schools. That's one good decision I took- to strech myself. First, since the momentum has been set, it is always good to go with the flow. Second, I will come to know early whether the efforts I have put in my apps were any good. Depending on R1 interview invites I will decide on whether to apply for Columbia and Stanford in R2 or not.

Best of luck to all ya fellow bloggers for your interview calls. The MBA blogger fraternity seems to be second family to me these days!

Chicago GSB interview invites start today....

2007-10-31T21:15:00.000+05:30

Chicago GSB will start sending its invites from today. God God God God God....!!!! I just pray I get one.

Resume, Online Application and Essays....

2007-10-29T06:59:00.000+05:30

I was just wondering that no matter how hard you try their will be some overlap between what you mention in your resume, various sections of the online app and the essays.

Personally, I do not like to repeat information but sometimes you just cannot help. For example if in your resume you have mentioned, I do XYZ for organization ABC. In the online app you would also say something similar and shades of it will also be reflected in your essays.

I like the Wharton approach to be the best, "don't ask for a resume at all". I guess it is only then that the online application makes much more sense and adds value, rather than forcing the applicants to repeat info.

Doubt: Interpretation of Darden's "Professionaly" ?

2007-10-22T21:32:00.000+05:30

As I am deep into my Darden essays, confusion is creeping in my mind. In essays 2) and 3) Darden wants to know that "Professionally" whether you have been and innovator, leader, entrepreneur, socially responsible, committed to diversity or globally involved. Now what is the scope of the word professionally???

Do I need to talk about instances only from my current full time job? Or I can also cite examples from my involvement in extra curricular activities beyond work where I have held professional (though unpaid) responsibilities?

I have a decent portfolio of achievements in my social life and I would love to highlight them in my 2nd or 3rd essay, but am not sure whether doing so would be a good idea.

Would love to know what stand other Darden Applicants are taking? Infact any clue from any of the applicant bloggers would be helpful here

Darden ED

2007-10-21T10:41:00.000+05:30

I have taken a almost three day much needed break and am feeling refreshed....scared?? Yes! The Darden ED is due on 1st November and I am yet to start my essays. I am scared because Darden essays are slightly off the track when compared to other B School essays. So I cannot do much copy paste!

I have just 10 days left in which I need to churn out 3 essays.... I really need to slog. Best of luck to all other Darden ED applicants. Anyone in the same boat as mine?

Chicago ppt advice for R2 Applicants

2007-10-21T10:18:00.000+05:30

Chicago for me was submitted on 17th, on time. My boss submitted his rec as usual at the nth hour. But I am getting used to it by now and kind of getting comfortable with it. I know he will submit his rec for sure, but just hours before the deadline!!

As far as the ppt is concerned my advice to all R2 applicants is to convert it to a pdf and then upload. I was lucky that just hours before submission I came to know the inconsistencies with MS PPT. There is an incompatibility between different versions of ppt (MS-2007 and MS-2003). Moreover, if a ppt is made on a certain resolution on one system, it may not look the same on the other.

I had designed my slides in MS ppt 2007 and viewed them on a friends system which had MS ppt 2003 and the presentation looked perfect. I then sent it to two other friends who also had the 2003 version and what they saw was scary! A couple of hours before submission you come to know that parts of your presentation are not visible clearly and there is a lot of overlap between icons....#$%$%%#%. I did some research and found out that this is a common problem with Power Point.

So I just converted my ppt to pdf and uploaded. There is hardly anything else you can do because on some machines your presentation will come up perfectly while on others it won't. There was also a very slight deviation in the quality on conversion. I was prepared for the trade off as the last thing I wanted was my ppt not showing up correctly on the ad comm's machines.

My apologies to the R1 applicants for not posting this earlier but all this happened 3 hours before submission and I was worried about turning in my app on time.

Wharton Submitted...Supervisor Recco goes in three hours before deadline

2007-10-13T16:01:00.000+05:30

Submitted my Wharton application on the 11th. Unlike HBS, I have tried my best, not to make any mistake :)

The essays came out well and one of my friends found it even better than those for HBS. The only catch....my supervisor again sent his recco's at the last moment.

He completed it in an hour after constant reminders. I am slightly scared and just hope that he is doing a good job with it. I have given him as much information as I could and there is pretty much nothing I can do, except praying that he is churning out solid reccs. By the way, how much time do recommenders generally spend on reccs?

If get an opportunity to recommend someone in the future, I vow never to be keep someone in the lurch till the last moment.

I am working hard now on my Chicago ppt. I just hope I am able to do a good job with it, before the new week begins.

HBS adcomm says......

2007-10-09T22:20:00.000+05:30

Thank you for your inquiry.

Please be advised that the Admissions Board is unable to accept additional application materials, corrections, or application updates other than contact updates. You may inform the Board of this update if you are invited to interview.

Thank you for your interest in the MBA Program.

Looks like an automated reply.....donno what to get out of it :) Just hope that I get called for an interview!

The HBS blunder.....

2007-10-09T06:34:00.000+05:30

Bokaa was disappointed for the past two days...but he has to focus on Wharton and Chicago due this week and the next respectively.

I made a couple of REALLY silly mistakes in my HBS application :( In the Starting Salary section of my current job I added an additional zero! Though it will definitely be perceived as an unintentional mistake as my starting salary becomes 10 times my current.

In the self reported transcripts, I mentioned the term dates for two semesters incorrectly. One semester goes on for a year and another for two years based on what I have filled :(

I had put in a lot into my HBS app and such mistakes were the last thing I wanted. But, I realize that mulling over it will solve no purpose. I just hope the adcomm likes my essays and the overall application and gives me a chance to explain.....sometimes life just hits you hard on the chin.

Pray for me fellas....

HBS Submitted.......

2007-10-03T16:25:00.000+05:30

.......And what a submission it was, considering the fact that I had to change my career vision essay, a day before the exam..get it reviewed and submit. Did I panic?.....you don't know my state of mind!!!

4 days before the deadline I got a review comment from an HBS alum- "You are not answering the question". Well now that I look back he was right. I has got the same feedback from a friend of mine a week or so back....but since everyone else had liked the essay and the writing style so much...I did not think too much over it.....

But the words of an alum count....don't they? :) I had to change my entire Career Vision! There was something so obvious in my background which would have gelled well with my vision but I was just not talking about that in the essay! The alum pointed that out to me and told me to change my vision as the dots would connect better......2 days for the submission to go...is he nuts.....I was disappointed and scared..I have put in a lot of effort into my HBS app and I did not want it to go waste...I took the call......

I tried that day, but was so attached to the words in my previous version that I just could not change anything much, even after wasting 6 hours on it. That's when nervous breakdown happened!! But I know I had to change it. I called him again for advice and he told me to start on a fresh piece of paper.

A day before the submission, I was up all night rewriting the whole essay....at 4:00 in the morning I called him...we were on the phone for an hour...thankfully he liked the essay this time around and suggested some minor changes here and there.....

But troubles never end, once they begin. Two of my recommenders had not turned in their rec, one was travelling and did not have access to the internet....the other my boss had been just too busy! Finally, my application was in 5 hours before the deadline!

I donno why, but I am seeing this as a sign from god. A day before submission my career vision was changed........there has to be a reason...god wants me to get through??

Doubts

2007-09-27T22:48:00.000+05:30

I am sure all of us are going through a phase of mood swings. I am so much into the whole process that the thought of not getting through sends a chill down my spine.

All the people who have reviewed my essays are impressed by my writing style. Some of my friends feel that my essays reflect maturity beyond my years while others find them very well round.

However, I know they are far from perfect and am still working on giving them the best shape I can. Personally, I feel that my essays have come out well. But the element of doubt associated with big schools and the cliches( like IT professionals with below average work ex standing less chance) scare me.

If I just go by what the schools mention on their websites- I feel I really stand a very good chance. But if some of the cliches are true, I am really not sure.

A current student at HBS went through my essays at the surface level and amongst other things he said: "The best way to know, what chance you stand is to try it".

I know..I know.....

2007-09-27T22:39:00.000+05:30

I know it has been a while since I wrote my last blog. But the last few weeks have been REALLY hectic. I have been eating, drinking and sleeping essays. My HBS essays are going back and forth different reviewers and I am changing something or the other every day :)- Yeah...I understand that only a few days are left, but for me last moment changes have always done wonders.

Wharton Draft is done and I have had three people review it. Once I submit HBS, I will focus on incorporating the changes. Chicago's "Whose Shoes Would You......" essay has been drafted and read by two people and I just sent it over to a third. I feel it has come out well :) So after HBS, apart from refining Wharton, I need to wrap up Chicago as well, which is due on 17th! A lot of work in the weeks ahead.

As far as my recommenders are concerned, none of them have submitted the HBS rec's till now. All of them are the last moment kind of people and would be turning it in only this weekend :) I hope they do a good job with it.

Long Time fellas! Updates.....

2007-09-16T17:13:00.000+05:30

Its been almost a week since I wrote my last blog and it already feels like ages! I was really trying to get my HBS drafts in shape and complete my Wharton first draft.

The HBS draft is in a pretty decent shape with no major changes needed. I just need to fine tune the essays slightly more before submission. Though I still waiting a feedback from two HBS alumni- I just hope that they don't suggest any major changes! The best part is that the word limit is in check now.

Just finished my Wharton draft a couple of hours back. Have sent it out to my dad for review- he is always my first line of defence! So now I need to focus on the Chicago essays and work parallely on the fine tuning of H and W. My target for wrapping up Chicago is next Sunday- hope I meet the deadline.

I am yet to start the application though for all my schools :( I guess I need to take a day off from work and finish the application part for my target schools.

I am now targeting the first round deadline for most of my target schools you see on the right. Since there is a decent gap between the deadlines of these schools and I have already written two sets of essays with so much of thinking gone into the process, I think if I work hard I can submit H/W/C/S/Darden/Tuck in R1. What do you guys n gals feel?

Career progress essay shared with my supervisor

2007-09-08T15:18:00.001+05:30

Just sent an email to my boss- attached was my career progress essay. I was not sure earlier if I wanted to do that or not, but now I am happy I did it!

In addition to the recommenders packet I think this will help him write a rec which is in sync with what I have talked about in my essays. The last thing you want is that you say XYZ in your career progress essay and your boss ABC - you will be doomed!!

Since the supervisor rec is the most awkward amongst all- coz though he is giving you a rec he knows there is possibility that you may part with the organization soon- I am sending as much info as possible over email. Though I share excellent rapport with my boss, I find it tough expressing freely (face to face) what I want him to write in my rec. I thus send really detailed emails to him explaining all the nuances. Personally, I feel this is the best way to approach because you can think deep and pass the most relevant information.

Now I pray that while writing his rec he keeps all the info I gave sent in mind and gives me a stellar rec!

Key messages from the Stanford and Chicago Visits

2007-09-08T12:26:00.000+05:30

This week Chicago, Stanford and Wharton visited Bangalore. Coincidentally (huh?) W and C were on the same day at the same time. I chose C to get a feel of the school since I do not know any alumni from there.

Apart from the usual stuff which we all know about "FIT", the schools culture etc etc.......there are some things which I would like to share with fellow applicants:

Essays are the key. Trust me this is the message which was coming out clearly. GPA, GMAT even work ex are just data points. It is your story which matters.
The MBA is getting younger. Both schools laid emphasis on this fact. In fact one of the admits for the class of 2009 in Stanford was a fresher! He had done his degree in Horticulture( which is unique) from Australia and wanted to pursue his family business in India after his degree.
Though schools say that both R1 and R2 are similar in nature- they were subtly indicating that R1 is always better.
Comparatively the Chicago team was much well organized and there were at least 6 alumni who were there till the very end- even after the stipulated time was over- answering the applicants queries.
Stanford had just 1 alum and this current student which I talked about above.
Though I did not expect this- but the C alumni seemed to be much much more confident- some even arrogant! It was amazing- I know I am reiterating- to see their turnout in such large numbers and their passion for the school.

That's pretty much it for now. If you guys have any specific questions, please feel free to ask.