Helluva Journey...

First few days… wow !!

2008-08-07T07:10:00.005+08:00

The Duke MBA starts a lot earlier than other b-schools in the US. Frankly, I had been complaining a lot about this before the orientation. But, believe me, there is a reason for this and it’s definitely worth it.

Three days of orientation just showed me how much of a student driven school Fuqua is. Inspiring perspectives from academic/industry scholars and an introduction to an eclectic international student body made these three days perfectly enjoyable. The two classes I had attended so far – are probably the most concentrated learning experiences I had been through ever. The knowledge and energy Fuqua professors bring in is just incredible.

I have lots to write about Fuqua strengths (academics, research, technology, teamwork etc.,), but I will save it for my later posts. I will briefly talk about Fuqua infrastructure though. Fuqua has one of the best infrastructures among the top business school. I am awed by the amount of investments the school is making to keep it updated with modern trends (our class will the first to use a new building block – Thomas center). So far, I have not found anything missing – be it in the lecture halls, student centers, team rooms, cafeteria etc., (But, I will have to complain about the parking !!)

Oh ya, how can I forget the parties? They are just amazing. Handling these parties with academics and career management is going to be a bit challenging. But, this is what b-school is all about. Isn’t it?

Other updates:
- I got a car
- I just realized - I am a good cook!

Reached

2008-07-30T10:13:00.004+08:00

I reached Durham (my home for the next 2 years). It’s a very laid-back city - no doubts. It's green and I am told it is one of the most livable cities in the states because of the climate (But, it is really hot now).

My apartment (at Alexan Place) is very comfy and things are just falling into place. The cost of living in Durham is not so high (ya, as I said, it is livable). But, a car is an absolute necessity even for students! I am yet to get a car, but should have one in a few days.

Interestingly, I havnt seen the Fuqua campus yet. But, met so many classmates already (tonnes of parties happening). They are all different - interesting, gregarious, analytical, simple, honest, humble, or plain street smart. They are from different countries and different backgrounds (obviously!). It just shows why b-school students will think different in a class.

Orientation is in 3 days. I am excited!

PS: Loan for international students at Fuqua is not yet disbursed. I hope the bleeding credit market and liquidity issues won't through us any surprises (I promise an update on this)!

Cold feet...

2008-07-21T20:02:00.003+08:00

Farewells, parties, and parting notes..

I will reach Durham in 3 days! I have traveled a lot over the last 5 years – Lived in 7 different countries in 3 continents. But, this travel could mean I might live in the US for next few years (and “few” is not quantifiable :( )

Getting back to the student life is truly exciting. However, the time and money I am investing on my MBA has made me a tad nervous. Am I more nervous than excited? The reason for my nervousness is the pertinent question on my MBA ROI soon after I graduate. Everyone has nothing but pessimistic predictions about the world economy. The macro-economic issues are not helping the job market either!

Nevertheless, hope drives my aspirations. I hope the compromises I am making now will turn fruitful sometime. I hope I am destined to be successful. This is going to be the journey of my dreams, aspirations and goals. I believe the next 2 years would be a rich life experience. The learnings from my next 2 years are sure to take me where I want to be.

Life goes on. I am definitely fortunate to be at this stage.

Peace !

Of Career Research...

2008-06-01T12:03:00.002+08:00

Disclaimer:This is a pre-MBA post..

Finding the right career post MBA is an important (not the most important!!) aspect of pursuing an MBA. I had an argument with my friend Y yesterday (Y is not going to b-school). He challenged the idea of planning one’s short term career before even going to the b-school. He wanted to know why most b-schools are interested in knowing the applicant’s career plans post-MBA (ie., while applying). Does this really have any meaning? There will be quite a few b-schoolers who would like to experiment and understand what would be the right career path while at school. After all, isn’t b-school the right platform to do this?

My answer to Y was (purely my take):
Schools know you cannot be fully sure of what you would do after b-school in the short term. However, I believe, long term goals are more meaningful. They just want to see if you have researched enough to find what career “could” be a good fit for you to achieve your long term aspirations. They want to know if you have the correct understanding, aptitude and attitude for a particular industry (and your dream job profile).

A good majority of b-schoolers would like to experiment with their career options while at school. Schools know this too.

I have to admit that I have been doing more research on career options I will have off late (after I got admitted to Fuqua). I probably didn’t have a good understanding of the MC/VC/PE industries when I applied to Fuqua. But, I am learning. I am learning how a particular career could help me with my long term aspirations. I am already gaining knowledge on the nitty-gritty’s of different career paths.

Fun before Fuqua

2008-05-26T12:34:00.006+08:00

Here it is..I officially kick start my Fuqua journey….
No, I am not yet in Durham, but, I am all set to be there this fall.

After I knew I will be attending b-school this year, there has been a void in life (I generally don’t enjoy this “nothing much to do” feeling :)

Of course there are TODOs before the school starts and I will talk about these today.

Visa: As an international student, this is the biggest task!! I have to say, getting a US student visa is very simple if you are going to a top school. Everyone goes through some “visa” anxiety and believe me, there is no need for this. Most of the to-be Fuquans from India will be taking the Expanded MBA loan without a cosigner. All you need to show the visa officer (for your finances) is a letter provided by Duke mentioning this. People prepare a lot of financial docs for the visa interview, but, my take: NO NEED for any additional financial proofs etc., Of course, there are few more papers required for the visa interview (degree certificate, transcript, IT returns etc.,)

Room mate/Apartment: This needs some work!! I have been extremely lucky to find a room mate with no effort (rather he found me). Choosing an apartment is not very difficult. People tend to go with the crowd. And the Fuqua crowd ends up at Alexan Place or Pinnacle Ridge in Durham. I have absolutely no idea how good these apartments are. But, from what I hear and what I see on the web, these seem to be very comfy (I promise, to give more details in future posts). It’s definitely a good idea to act early on this and get a good deal on the rent.

Tickets: Its good to book your tickets early on. I have booked mine..July 24th is the day

Immunization: I started this, finally. Though most Indians would have taken these childhood vaccinnes, we have no proof. So, we need to retake :(. It takes a couple of months, so, it’s good to start early.

Pre-term course work: I am not sure if all schools handout some course material for pre-term prep. Fuqua does. Ya.Ya, I will start reading.

Work?: It is NOT fun to work when you know you are going to leave the company in few weeks. Poor me!

Closing up: I mean, managing finances, bank accounts etc at home. Also, I need to move/sell furniture/vehicle before I leave for school. I hope this will not be painful :(

Cooking: I am gonna learn “survival” cooking. 20 days enough for this? Of course, mom is the tutor :)

Have fun: I am gonna spend more time with family ( I haven’t spent enough in last 3-4 years). I will also do a little bit of traveling; attend marriage (ya, four of my friends are getting married next month).

Adios

Its going to be Duke MBA

2008-03-08T00:14:00.002+08:00

Just got admitted...
wuh...it got me blogging after 4 months?!

LBS goes in..

2007-10-21T13:26:00.000+08:00

I should now learn to say..Domo Arigato..
Done with Sheeshie :)

I moved to Japan for my next project after spending almost a year in China and Taiwan.

Last week had been really hectic. I had to finish up loads of work before leaving for this new project; Prepare for this trip; Pack. In between all this, submit my LBS application :)

And I did submit my R1 application. I had foreseen this coming and was well prepared to avoid any last minute hiccup. I had started my essays and application process for LBS 2 months back. LBS being my 2nd and last R1 application, I felt my essays were in better shape. The essays were very different when compared to INSEAD. I had to change a lot. Partly because of a new set of questions.

I did get in touch with my alumni reviewers who were awesome again. They helped me with 2 rounds of review. The good part is..they stuck with the content review and left the style to me..rather..my style was good enough for them !!

Now..its the waiting game..2 apps in..
I need to feel lucky in November..now am keeping my fingers crossed to hear back from INSEAD and LBS..

Smooth so far..Clicked SUBMIT !!

2007-10-04T01:09:00.000+08:00

I had my first application in..INSEAD..

And I felt I had completed my essays to my satisfaction( and of course my reviewers'). The good part of my INSEAD essay review was I had 2 iterations of reviews with 4 reviewers - 3 of them INSEAD alumni..lucky me :)

At the end, my essays sounded much better than where I started. All these reviewers liked my flow and way of writing... They had lots of comments though!! They clearly told me what the ad-coms would look far.. And ofcourse how to convert a good app to GREAT one..

I am not sure if I made mine great...will have to wait till Nov 9th (last day for interview call)...
My next application is not far away (2 weeks to go)...am deep into the review process..hopefully, I should get hold of 2 reviewers tomorrow !!

click SUBMIT..not yet

2007-09-24T20:34:00.000+08:00

Last 2 weeks have been hectic..
I finally came back for a vacation..took off for a week..

Before I took this vacation, I got a chance to attend the MBA tour in Taipei. I had lots of expections when I registered for the tour. And I have to say - I was very dissappointed. I got almost nothing out of this crowded fair. Most of the fellow applicants were very much undecided on the schools (even if they needed an MBA). The tour was fully targeted for them.

I did chat with adcoms of my target schools. They obviously give a general encouragement - but nothing specific at all. I felt talking to alumni is a much more useful excercise.

And then I had this great "essay" vacation. Yes, I visited my parents. But, most of my time was with essays :)

I had 3 awesome reviewers for INSEAD essays. 2 of them are INSEAD alumni and 1 is a INSEAD 07 participant. The good part is they all felt I had great stories to tell adcoms. The stories fall into place for the questions asked by INSEAD.

There is always a but :0
My good essays need to be great !! And they had several comments to make them great. All my reviewers giving almost same comments made me really happy. And all of them mentioned my draft version is good with lotsa TODO..

I did change lotsa stuff after review - especially my career goals essay.
I have 5 more days before the deadline. I will continue to be critical before I click SUBMIT.. :)

OOOF..Work, Work and More Work

2007-09-09T18:51:00.000+08:00

With great powers, comes great responsibilities..
- my boss (not Spiderman’s uncle)

My boss knows I have been slogging out the whole of last month. He believes I have been doing a good job too. My current job has given me immense opportunities (read work load). But, frankly, I enjoy ever bit of it (read – I am workaholic).

The side effect: of course, my R1 applications. I just managed to complete my reco packet and sent it out to 2 of my supervisors. My direct supervisor is the best boss one could get and he is extremely supportive with my MBA thingy. He has been extremely busy for last few weeks, but he promised me to complete the recos soon. My second recommender is my dotted-line supervisor and he knows me pretty well too. I believe he is gonna give me a good reco too :)

And finally I managed to do one more round of proof reading of my INSEAD essays (after my first reviewer’s comments) and sent it out to 3 alumni reviewers. All of them are busy people and I really hope they don’t get pissed off with my essays (read- I hope they feel it is not bad)

And am talking to alumni from other schools too.

Betw, I will be attending the MBA fair in Taipei next week. Hope it is gonna be useful. Will keep everyone updated.

:D

Rolling on..

2007-08-30T13:45:00.000+08:00

Couple of weeks back, I thought INSEAD essays are so straight forward and not so interesting...
Man! I was way off. I have just fallen in love with their questions.

Reason is quite simple...
A simple question leaves the door open. Applicants can fill in what they want and be themselves. INSEAD doesn’t require a traditional CV. It is quite interesting as it is up to the applicants to project their job history in the way they want. Applicants can really differentiate with what they have done and elaborate on things out of scope. They don't need to be stuck with a typical CV syndrome..

I am just enjoying this.

Betw, I got all my INSEAD essays to a decent shape and got them reviewed by my prime reviewer. This friend who is currently in a top B-school gave me some candid feedback (he knows me well. So, he would call it a bull shit if it was one). But, he liked my stories, I am learning a lot from his experience and yupe, I have a month to tune my essays.

LBS essays are taking shape as well. I am yet to start on my Tuck App and I hope I could get started soon.

I had talked to 3 of my recommenders. I sent them out the request. I have another Chinese colleague who could potentially recommend me. Need to decide soon.

Another task pending is to get the transcripts requested (it shouldn’t take more than 2 weeks)

Lots of work ahead...

Why choosing a b-school is like choosing a hair solon

2007-08-25T10:39:00.001+08:00

No. I am not trying to be funny here...
I just had a bad haircut (probably the worst ever) . Ya. I also finished reading freakanomics..

and now..I found a strong link between a hair solon and a b-school.
Everyone wants to be in the best fit b-school -The school which caters what you want.
The way you choose a school is oftentimes similar to the way you choose a hairsolon (of course, the impact is much more).

You try to
- see the place from outside
- checkout if the solon dresser has been doing a good job on others
- its fits all your specs (cost, time etc)

Now, once you decide to enter a solon, the choices are not much.
Of course, you can tell the dresser what you want (like choosing electives, specialization). But, the end result is not fully in your hands :)

This might sound stupid !! May be it is..

Betw, I added a new school to my R1 list. Tuck seems to fit me well..Atleast from outside :)

Killer essays..

2007-08-18T16:54:00.000+08:00

A phone call woke me up in the morning..Its been a lazy day so far. Today's typhoon is making it a cozy saturday and it is obviously tough to get me out of the bed. But, I gotto do some work on my essays. Yupe - the awakening :)

Agenda for the remaining part of the weekend..think about ideas to convert ordinary essays to KILLER essays.

After finishing a long life history draft, I completed my first draft essays for a R1 schools. Its been interesting to write essays so far. I seem to have lots of stories and the essay thought process is quite intruiging. Now, I am entering the tougher part - choosing the right stories for the right questions and making them unique..

This whole MBA blogging has got on to me. Reading tons of blogs and getting into this network is also helping a lot..

Ok. let me get on to the job..!!

Weekend Wanderings..

2007-08-12T14:33:00.000+08:00

I was having lunch in the nearby Subway outlet at 12.30 today..as usual alone in Taipei..
Being alone for months..and being alone in this part of the world has helped me in lot of ways..

My wandering mind was thinking about mundane things around me..With all these b-schools essay questions..I have lot more to think these days...Today's question: Am I disciplined enough to follow plans?

Most of my friends think I have great personal planning habbits. It sounds funny to me. I hardly plan my day to day activities. Thinking of this, I started realizing why I always end up finishing things much before any schedule. Answer: I dont like to see tasks pending..And thats the only reason.

Hook or crook..good, bad or ugly..I end up finishing things much faster. This gives me ample time for reflecting back and forth..

Not bad, I thought of myself :)
I have decided to stick with this working funda. This has worked for me for years now..

I have finished the first draft for 5 LBS essays.. But, I would say I am 20% done..With 2 months before the R1 deadline, I hope to complete my rework and re-re-work (thats the 80%)

Again..need to stick to my plans...call it "best laid plans"

Enjoy the essays

2007-08-09T23:09:00.000+08:00

Now that I have decided on 2 schools for R1, I started the big task - writing essays !! I have never been so interested in writing. Atleast, thats what I used to think before I started writing some tech articles couple of years back. Until a week, I thought I was OK writer when it comes to tech jounals but essays are gonna be daunting..

Intrestingly, I have discovered I am enjoying my essays much more than I expected :)

People hardly get a chance to write about themselves. Though most would think it would be easier to write about others than themselves, I strongly disagree :) b-school essays are obviously a good place to be you and write what you feel about you. I like the concept of essays in the whole application process. But, what makes me a bit annoyed is this whole admissions consultant thingy. Why should anyone give their essays to be written by others? After all, its about being yourself. Aint't it? So, i digged in more.

There are 2 types of essay service. Though I am ok with this review concept, I totally dont get the need for full fledged writing service. If you can't handle your own essays and show who you are, is it worth to be in a top b-school?
When these admission consultants boast of writing the best essay for their clients, is it not organised crime? The more I think about this the more I see the dark side of it...

Anyways..I really dont get it..!!

Betw, I started off with both LBS and INSEAD essays... I seem to like LBS questions better. They have asked questions which I have asked myself several times..its easier that way :)

This is all about CHANGE

2007-07-29T21:37:00.000+08:00

Yupe.. I just started doing some work on my app..

First step. Talk to people and research the b-school website..Surprisingly, every school looks good for me. I started talking to some folks (mostly b-school grads from my undergrad alumni list)..

No doubts, they are helpful..After lot of shuffling, my list looks something like this

1) LBS (will remain my no.1) - R1
2) Insead (after I found Toefl is not mandatory!!) - R1
3) Cornell - Will try for R1
4) Contemplating on Ross or Sloan - R2
5) CEIBS - R2 Might be pushed out if I get some bad feedback from a student entering this year

Couple of mistakes:
1) I didnt do this before taking GMAT..So, I have to shell out some extra money to send scores to atleast Insead and Cornell !!
2) I have to push out Chicago GSB - looks like it would have not fit my bill even if I had a 750+ GMAT score !!

But, to exactly predict where you are gonna app you gotto be a super intuitive (or an astrologer?). GMAC lets you send score before you take the GMAT. So, you always tend to be very optimistic or super pessimistic..And I was...

Between, I started reading some books..first one is Freakenomics..sounds intresting :)
!!

10 days of GMAT prep !!

2007-07-28T10:35:00.000+08:00

Huh..What a relief..!!

I just made a decent GMAT score of 7xx...I know its not a great score. But, with just ~10 days of prep (not full time) it is not bad !!

A lot of credit goes to this EXCELLENTforum (http://www.beatthegmat.com/)

It was the single most resourceful GMAT forum I found. I am sure there would be lot folks like me who just could not dedicate 2-3 months of effort. This blog is just for them.. JUST..KEEP THE FAITH

I decided to give my GMAT sometime in January, 2007. But, work kept me busy. With loads of travel, I just couldn't give any time for GMAT prep. I had to work crazy (in China 14-16 hours/day) is normal I bought a OG 11, but I would have gone through may be 5% of the excerscise

Finally, I decided to take the plunge. This was more of a gutsy decision than confidence. May be over confidence!! I got an appointment on July 23rd. I scheduled this only on July 13th

Beleive me, I started my prep on 13th 10.30pm. I am giving this info just for people to take confidence.

1) Dedicated 5-6 hours on 6 weekdays

2) 16 hours/day on weekends. Ya, I had 2 full weekends

3) Decided to postpone several tasks at work. Just didnt give my 100% at work

4) Utilized every moment for GMAT prep. While I was commuting, lunch break, late night, every moment

5) Luckily, hit this forum. Took every bit of advice from here

6) Started with OG Verbal. Started from the back. Did around 50/section.

7) Intially, ignored Quant Took 2 GMATprep CATs in the first weekend - 640 and 630 - Not encouraging at all. I was thinking if I am being stupid here !!

9) Didnt give up. Concenrated more on my time management. Read every document on verbal in this forum. It was reall GREAT

10) Found a amazing way I could do it http://www.litesee.com/

11) Just took around 50% of the tests there

12) Realized I was making careless mistakes in Quant Last 2 days

13) Took another CAT (crackgmat) and made a 650..Definitely, not what I wanted.

14) Took another 20% of the test from litsee.com

15) My timing as well us accuracy improved in verbal

16) Decided Math is going to be my stronghold. I found doc with 175 problems in this forum. Just went through them patiently. This was a great decision

17) Thats it..my 10 days are over !!

G-day

10 days went like a blaze. But, I kept faith in myself..Thats the key.. Just relax and face whatever its going to result in.. I was tensed and nervous. But, I liked the adrenalin. I feel GMAT is just a small component of MBA admissions. If I could not manage it with work pressure, I would never be able to apply for MBA. I realized it !!

Living through..

2007-07-26T10:28:00.000+08:00

Ya ya...I did kick off my GMAT prep sometime in Feb, 2007..
meaning..I bought a OG11..thats it..

But what I was doing with it..absolutely nothing..
briefly about my profile
- undergrade from a top engineering school in india (EE)
- started of interning at most sought after semiconductor company. Did a pretty good job there..
- 1 year of taxing experience with a company almost in a startup mode
- joined the same semiconductor company (where I interned)..and will have 5 years experience by Fall 08
- great experience..yupe..almost 2 years of international experience working in US, China and Taiwan..best (also worst) of east and west..!! Semiconductor customer product definition and ramp management is intresting and challenging..
- Squeezed my time to earn myself a MS degree (again from my same undergrad top univ) while I am working..

Above all..
- I work crazy..may be 14-16 hours/day..with absolutely no complaints..Frankly, my job demands (not complaining here)

ya..thats me..

In between all these...I had to prepare for GMAT...I really had to..

Here I am...This is me...

2007-02-19T20:43:00.000+08:00

I like the word "enigma" and I like to believe every person is best explained by this word.
World is full of such enigmatic characters, acting in one single play...LIFE

Yes. I am part of it...But, I am working hard to be a strikingly different one. Am sure I will get there one day.

How different can you get?
This is the question I get asked most often..

I have been pondering over this for quite some time.
Whatever I do, I think, I am second to none. I know.

But, to take myself to next level..
MBA...ya..thats what i wanna do next...so...
I am officially starting my GMAT prep...
and this BLOG to make me feel, I am not alone :)