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.

Santa Clara's Session

After attending Santa Clara's information session, I was actually quite impressed. The private college setting was very reflective as soon as I drove in the campus. The room where the session was held was quite small but at the same time, it was eloquent. The dean of the MBA program described the program quite efficiently. The requirements for admission don't look to be monumentous. I have decided that I will apply to this school.

While at the session, I met another applicant currently employed with HP. He mentioned that HP no longer provides 100% financial sponsorship for post graduate studies. This sort of made me nervous. IBM, my employer, still has a 100% coverage policy, but I am afraid the company is going to catch the trend and will soon discontinue this perk. More reasons for me to get this thing started soon.

Current Affairs

Sometime in 2005, I decided to pursue an MBA degree. But why? For someone who has been in the working industry world for the past 7 years, how far will an MBA propell me? The question closer to interest, what sort of salary increases can I expect with an MBA? Honest answer: I don't know. One thing I do know is that if nothing else, it should at least provide me with some business strategy skills and enable me to build my network. In retrospect, I have always known since high school that I would one day go for an MBA, but the conviction took a solid turn in 2005. Not necessarily because of any events in 2005, but more because of recollection of all the events that have occured throughout my life.

Before I start my MBA, I obviously have to get in to a program. So, that's what I am working on right now. I plan to start in the Fall of 2007. I took care of the GMAT monster in November, but got a subpar score, so I plan to fight the beast again in February of 07 after supplanting my brain with some more anti GMAT arsenals. The score is good enough for most of the second tier schools, but I have my hopes at a top tier.

Currently, I am working on the rest of the application package. The rest consists of essays, recommendations, things that I hope I can wrap by the end of December. I've got an MBA information session to attend to tonight at Santa Clara University. The program supposedly is well respected within the local community, but I am not sure how far its wings span in the global context. I shall find out tonight.