Excerpts of my interview with ISB

Excerpts of my interview with ISB (Indian School of Business).

All in all, I think the interview went OK. I found myself a little bit stuck with words at times and couldn't articulate my points as well as I wanted to. However, I did answer all of the questions.

Committee: "Hi this is such and such from the admissions committee." Coincidentally one of the guy's name also happened to be the same as mine and he reminded me of that.

Committee: "Good evening to you"
Self: "Good morning to you"

Committee: "So, how was your day today?"
No problem with the answer.

Committee: "Can you please walk us through a typical day at your job?"
They poked in for details about the projects I was involved in.

Committee: "Do you have the autonomy to make decisions at your current job?"
I am currently managing a large project with three people working under me, so answered yes.
Committee: "If so, why did you write in your essay that a million dollars will give you autonomy when you already have one?"
I chose to go for the million dollars over the knighthood in the second essay. Gave them reasons as to why I wrote what I wrote.

Committee: "So tell us about your experiences gained while working in different international locations. How would you describe the work culture in these countries?"
I had prepared for this question, so was able to answer it quite well I think. I answered by saying that country 'x' has this type of work culture, and country 'y' has that type and mentioned how I overcame these cultural barriers to come out on the winning end.

Committee: "Why did you apply to Indian schools when you have many other options available in the US?"
Responded by saying that I am not limited to career opportunities in the US and am therefore looking at schools outside of the US.

Committee: "What other schools have you applied to?"
I mentioned that I have applied to IIMA PGPX.

Committee: "Did you apply to their 2 year program or their 1 year program?"
The 1 year program, I responded. I wondered why this curiosity. Perhaps I should have mentioned some additional schools just so that I didn't come across as someone who didn't weigh all his options. Oh well.

Committee: "How did you hear about ISB?"
Through peers and then online.

Committee: "Define your view of what effective leadership is."
Gave them some pointers on effective leadership. Wasn't able to articulate my points here as well as I wanted to. I had practiced this question and had listed 6-7 different leadership essentials. However, during crunch time, I could only remember 3 such points.

Committee: "So how did it feel to have climbed Mount Whitney?"
I had mentioned in one of my essays about this feat. Gave them a good response here.

Committee: "Do you have anything else you would like to tell us about you?" Kind of stumped by this question. I said "no" because anything I would've mentioned might have come across as self promotion. Still don't understand the logic to this question. At this point, I asked them if we had come to a point where I could ask a few questions. They said I could ask anything.

Asked them a total of three questions. I had put in decent amount of preparation in the types of questions I wanted to ask and finally listed three questions that I thought were comprehensive.

Committee: "OK, I think we have come towards the end of the interview. If you have no other questions, we will be signing off."
I said I had no further questions.

Committee: "Good night"
Self: "I want to take the opportunity to thank you for spending some time with me today. Have a good day".

The discussion lasted a total of 40 minutes. I would give myself a 6/10 grade. Again, my articulation skills suffered a bit because it was already 9pm here when we started, and I was somewhat tired. The feeling I have is similar to what one goes through when you purchase shares from a certain company. You just have no idea if the shares will do well or drown. At this point, I have no idea as to how the committee rated my performance. Two weeks of wait and shall find out.

India Calling?

This morning, as I brushed my teeth and looked at my goofy-self in the mirror, I asked 'Sanjay, what are you doing?' Such a question is not unwarranted, for I aspire to leave a cushy job, a respectable salary, and a newly bought home in the San Francisco bay area (where a good majority of the world population would relinquish their life earnings to relocate to) to become an unemployed student IN INDIA? Do I really have what it takes to survive in India, with mid day sun beaming the temperature close to 40+ celcius, with having to fight for every inch of space with millions of others, and with dust, pollution, corruption, and rudeness rampant in a day to day life? I don't have a clue.

But there is something about India that gets my juices flowing. With newly established businesses thanks to a gradually flourishing economy, these businesses, in their infancy when viewed in a global context, will need expert management to grow as leaders in the regional markets. Why not try to apply my skills where they would be much more appreciated? We all know India has the knack for producing brain powers in the ranks of scientists and engineers. Despite India's prominent business schools, where it lags behind is in its ability to pump out business leaders, the kind that are decision makers and trend setters. With sometimes too much drama and emotions attached in business settings, the Indian leaders often fail to exercise their street smartness and rather use their emotions when making business decisions.

India needs to be careful not too ride the wave of the recent economic success to inflated optimism. Now that the economy is improving, it needs to find ways (and this will be difficult) to keep the rate of improvement constant or better. The IT sector, which thus far has been the lone contributor to it's economic U turn, needs a lending hand from other sectors for the economy to continue to expand. If this is not motivation enough, the looming shadow of overpowering China on the north ought to keep the fire alive in India. China's infrastructure has not been improving solely on the shoulders of IT prominence, but rather on the shoulders of all different sectors and therefore has comparatively a much more stronger economic foundation. The tussle between China and India promises to be interesting, and what better view than to be in India right in the middle of it all.

Disappeared in the mists of time

Lately, I have been contemplating a lot about life ahead. The process of defining the path has been full of detours and diversions. Up to this point, I am not sure of the destiny that lies ahead. In the midst of this uncertainty, I try to remind myself that this is what life is all about. A life without movement is a life of a handicapped. Of course, the whole defining process revolves around my desire for an MBA.

Still have no response from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Glancing over at the forums on Businessweek, it is apparent that all others are in the same boat, no news. This wait has caused my hairline to recede past my comfort level. While in the wait mode to hear from Berkeley, I have had a chance to focus on a couple of good MBA schools in India. Given India's momentum and an improving economy, one cannot help but to pay close attention to staking a claim to take advantage of such an impressive wave towards prosperity. In light of this, I have developed serious interest in two schools:
1. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) for their PGPX program starting in April 2008
2. Indian School of Business, Hyderabad (ISB) for their PGP program in management

So, my narrowed down choice of schools now consist of the following:

- IIMA PGPX, Currently filling out the application

- ISB PGP, Application process comences July, 07
- UC Berkeley EWMBA, Interviewed, awaiting decision
- Santa Clara University EWMBA, Already accepted

Both IIMA and ISB are now running neck to neck with UC Berkeley in the race of my preferred institutions. Both of these schools carry top notch brand name and have a stellar placement record. Also attractive is the duration of their program, which is only a year in length, vs. UC Berkeley where the sleep deprevation is extended for two more years, for a total of three years.

Given my desire to also make a career transition into corporate finance (I think), I wonder though how I will be able to do so in just one year at IIMA or ISB. For the time being, I will ponder on this. Once UC Berkeley's verdict is heard, then will come the time for some serious decisions.

I move on

I got a letter from Wharton EMBA telling me that they have decided to move on without extending me an invitation for a seat. Oh well. With MBA financing at work in shambles, it would have been a dis-service to my family to be spending close to $150K out of my own pocket anyway. If Wharton would've accepted me, I would've had to decline the acceptance for monetary reasons.

On a serious note, it is hard to digest rejections. After all, I felt that my application package deserved more merit than a rejection. I suppose one cannot self proclaim to be good, but at the same time, I had put in quite a bit of time putting together the essays. I have forever lost the time I spent for the essays without any chance of getting it back. Additionally, I just gave Wharton $175 to glance at my application and to decline it.

Hope for better days ahead.

Interview with UC Berkeley - Haas

After a 45 minute train (BART) ride, I reached the Berkeley campus on a bright sunny day. Before getting on the train to Berkeley, I drove to the train station and was desperately looking for a parking space. With no luck inside the train station, I decided to try my luck in a shopping center parking lot across the street. The pesky security guard caught my attempt and told me he would have my car towed if I parked there. Oh man, I glanced at my watch and realized I didn't have the time to be f***ing around and needed to get to Berkeley on the very next train. Luckily, I found a quiet office parking nearby, parked my car there, and ran to the train station. Got in the train as it was just about to leave. Felt good that I was going to reach the campus on time.

Once I reached the campus, I realized I still had about 15 minutes left for the interview. I sat in the waiting area while enjoying a Business Week magazine. Finally, my interviewer appeared right on time and we introduced each other. The interview started with a 'walk me through your resume' question. The discussions then turned to, 'how would your supervisor describe you', 'how would your co-workers describe you' etc etc. I felt that I did do a good job for the most part. One keen observation I made though was that I didn't think she fully grasped the exact nature of my day to day work responsibilities. So, I am a little worried on that front. I am not sure if it is because I was deficient in my explanations or if it is because she didn't grasp them well.

One thing that I think did help was that I had visited the campus before for a class visit, and managed to sit with the professor during the dinner break and talk about success stories of patents. The first thing my interviewer asked me (as we were walking together to the interview room) was if I had previously seen the campus. When I responded 'yes' and added a tidbit that I had sat with the class professor for dinner, I think my portfolio was strengthened a bit in her eyes.

Towards the end of the interview, I posed a couple of questions of my own. Although, on second thought, some of my questions were rather dubious. Once the interview finished, she shook my hand and thanked me for coming. She walked me upstairs towards the main entrance to the building, and as I was about to leave, shook my hand again and wished me a good day (hopefully a sign of interest from her).

Now, the tedious waiting game begins.

Interviews and interviews

Why is this traditional Q&A session labeled an 'interview'? Is it because one is supposed to demonstrate his/her internal views in such sessions? If so, who is supposed to demonstrate this? The interviewee or the interviewer? Sometimes, it is interesting to reflect on how certain words transpired into existence.

Well, I had an interview with a Wharton adcom, where I was asked to share my internal views on myself. The session was very casual and I felt fairly comfortable from start to finish. The questions were in the form of: Why Wharton, why MBA, current career path, future career path etc. But I think the most valuable trait that is sought in an interview is your communication ability. This is an intangible that is not asked of directly, but is auto-demostrated as the dialogue progresses. I have always been able to speak in the form that either showcases my confidence, or hides my inconfidence. Not sure. But either one does the job.

Another interview is right on the horizon, with UC Berkeley Haas adcom. I plan to do some obligatory light preparation for this interview the night before and nothing more.

Long time, no blog!!

I seriously didn't mean to leave this much of a gap between my jottings but life events in the past couple of months surely have been hectic.

An update on where I stand at the moment:

In the past couple of months, I have dusted off the following:

- Finished the GMAT with a score of 700
- Finished my MBA applications to Wharton, Haas, and Santa Clara

Firstly, the GMAT experience. I studied religiously for a few months and expected to score 700+. When the test screen popped up a score of 700, I felt neither sad nor happy. I knew that a score of 740-750 was well within my reach. But the exam day jitters got the better of me. Nonetheless, I am moving on with my 700. No retakes.

Secondly, the application front. Little did I know that writing essays was going to require this much effort. After all, what the essays ask for is your introspection of yourself, a person you know better than anyone else on the planet. So I thought. After delving into it, little did I realize that the adcoms do look at articulation techniques, succincticity, clear future goals etc etc. I came to realize that a decent GMAT score would not rescue a subpar effort on putting together the essays. With the essays revised again and again and again, up until the last moment of the application deadlines, I submitted them with confidence thinking that I gave my best effort. Now the waiting game starts.