MBA Epic...

Layoffs in Universities

2009-02-18T01:44:00.000-08:00

Even top universities are cutting jobs around the world and especially US.

1. Layoffs at University of Washington

2. Layoffs at Harvard (University) Management Company

3. Layoffs at Stanford Graduate School of Business

JobeeHive Employees' Choice Awards 2008

2009-01-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

Rate your employer for JobeeHive Employer Awards 2008

A new year, a new hope and now JobeeHive.com is introducing a new trend!

Employees' Choice Awards

JobeeHive.com is beginning this year with JobeeHive Employer Awards 2008 chosen by employees (rated and reviewed during 2008 on JobeeHive.com). This is for the first time in India that employees are coming together to rate the best and worst employers of 2008.

Retrospect and rate/ appraise your company for 2008. It only takes 2 minutes but will have a great impact to change our workplaces. We will make sure that employers hear your voices. Get Started Here: http://www.jobeehive.com/survey/get_started

Ratings & reviews submitted till 11th January 2009 will be considered. Contribute your review now and forward this mail to your colleagues/ friends to get more reviews for your employer.

JobeeHive.com - A Popular Research Platform

2008 was a great year at JobeeHive. Traffic has increased by 1900% since September 2008 and today it has reviews for nearly 2000 companies. And according to Alexa Ranking, it is a top player in its niche employer review segment in India.

Where do you wanna go next? Visit JobeeHive.com

Know your employer through JobeeHive: Video

2008-09-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

Columbia Invite

2008-05-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks! Been so busy off late that I couldn't update my blog. So, here is the latest... I received an invitation to interview from Columbia Business School. I have contacted a few interviewers in my city. Will keep you posted on the developments.

For preparation, here is what I am doing: NOTHING! I feel there is nothing to prepare, but of course I will take a quick look at my essays, resume and Columbia website. :)

Kellogg Part 2 submitted

2008-01-15T05:45:00.000-08:00

I submitted Kellogg on Jan 11th. So almost all apps are done, except Columbia. Should be done with that soon.

Michigan Ross Submitted

2008-01-05T00:29:00.000-08:00

Updates:
- I submitted Michigan Ross Application on 3rd Jan.
- No news from MIT Sloan yet. No news from anyone in blogosphere or forums on Indian invites.

Stay tuned for more updates.

I am back!

2007-12-05T22:34:00.000-08:00

Alright..so Wharton was a disaster! In spite of getting an interview call last year, I couldn't convert it this time. Neither have I heard from HBS...I have learnt that most of the invites are out. MIT Sloan invites have just started flowing out, let's see what happens.

So, now I am working on Kellogg and Columbia. I am not sure whether I will be applying to Stanford. Will keep you updated.

Darden dean: We want students to know they can fail

2007-11-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting point of view from Robert F Bruner, dean, the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia.

“We want students to know they can fail. It’s a classic feature of case method that students can fail,” he says, on a visit to Bangalore to meet corporate houses and Indian students. Only when they fail can they learn from that and avoid making the mistakes again, thinks Bruner, who’s recently authored ‘The Panic of 1907’, his earlier book being ‘Deals from Hell: M&A Lessons That Rise Above the Ashes’.

Perhaps it is this philosophy that makes Darden unique, so much so that it was ranked fourth in the 2007 Forbes Magazine rankings of the best MBA programmes, and third in the 2007 Financial Times survey of executive education programmes.

Darden’s programmes are unusual as they are based on the case study method. Students prepare for three case study sessions every day, each session lasting 85 minutes. In all, they explore 600 cases during the course. In fact, the school is second only to Harvard in publishing case studies. While Harvard has 6,900 cases published, Darden 3,900, of which 2,400 are current.

What’s so special about the case method? Bruner, a staunch promoter of the method, believes in ‘learning that sticks,’ and case studies leave a lasting impression. Darden offers a two-year MBA programme, a PhD programme and many executive education programmes.

The number of Indian students at Darden has tripled in five years. What are the reasons? Besides the school’s outreach, it’s the Indian students’ desire to receive global exposure and education, especially in the US, that has resulted in the upsurge, says Bruner. In fact, Darden’s India Alumni Chapter led by V N Dalmia, chairman of Dalmia Continental Pvt. Ltd., was Darden’s Outstanding International Chapter in 2004 and 2005.

Article source: The Times of India

MIT Sloan submitted

2007-10-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Submitted MIT Sloan!!! Now the wait game starts...! but I doubt it's gonna bother me much..as we have planned a launch of our startup in November. Will be busy like a bee!

Will keep you posted!
Fellow applicants...please leave a comment and your blog URL, I will add you to my App Friends list..!!

See you soon.!

Kellogg interview waived

2007-10-23T03:29:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Kellogg Adcom saying that "There has been a significant increase in the number of interview requests this year in your area; therefore we can not accommodate your request without making excessive demands of our alumni interviewers. Due to these circumstances, we are waiving your interview requirement so as not to delay the submission or processing of your application."

I couldn't submit my Kellogg Part 2 application for Round 1 deadline as I mentioned earlier. The schedule was tight and I decided to go for Round 2. I will have to convey this to the Adcom (as I have submitted my Part 1 app) and see what they say. May be they give me an interview in January 2008?

I had to postpone my Stanford app to Round 2 for similar reasons. Right now there is too much is happening in my life! My start up - we are planning to lease an office, hire employees, raise funds.. Rather than doing everything in a hurry, I have decided to give it a good shot in Round 2. I will put up my Round 2 list soon..!

Personal Statement - Tips/Guide

2007-10-18T00:39:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was searching for blogs that talk about how to write a personal statement. I was curious to know what guidelines do people use. I am happy that I am in-line with most of them.

I hit upon a good source, which I thought I should share with you all. “MBA Mission Personal Statement Guide” - I think this is a good one, where the author explains different elements of a personal statement (cover letter, vision, why MBA essays) with examples. It's free, which explains why I checked it out.

Hope this helps!

Hurray! Wharton submitted!

2007-10-12T01:39:00.000-07:00

I reviewed the entire application like more than 40 times. I didn't even realize that it was already 11th October, the last day for submission. I read and re-read my essays until a time when I forgot why I was reading them. My friend called me up and warned me that I would miss the deadline. She gave me a deadline of 30 minutes to submit the app. :) Finally I hit the submit button at 2.30 pm, 11 Oct, India time.!!!

The sad part is that I am lagging behind my schedule for Kellogg applications. I am not sure whether I can complete the app and review them to my satisfaction. I have more or less decided to push Kellogg to Round 2. But the strange part is that I have already submitted my Part 1 of Kellogg app. So, does that mean I will interview with Kellogg before I submit my applications?? Will have to confirm with Kellogg Adcom.

MIT Sloan will be my next target as I have time till 30th Oct to submit. I have decided to take a break this weekend to cool off my brain, which has been working over-time since last 2-3 months.

I was thinking how to spend my time this weekend and happened to take a look at Rita Maria's Wharton diaries post: Things to Do to Celebrate the Submission of your Round 1 Application. She perfectly describes my fears - that my friends might have forgotten me!!!! She says "Call your friends who aren't applying to B-school. Hopefully, they'll remember who you are since you probably haven't spoken to them in many months."

I have decided to call for a party tonite...probably in some pub that plays rock music. Wanna listen to "In the end, it doesn't even matter" by Linkin Park and head bang till I unwind completely!! :)

Kellogg Part 1 submitted

2007-10-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Submitted my Kellogg Part 1 this morning. I know I am little too late, but I am happy I didn't miss the deadline. Essays still not in great shape, but I am confidence to polish them to shape by this weekend.

My new startup is very demanding. I some how find time to work on my apps, but detaching from my startup mentally is a great challenge. The work is so intensive that I can't get out of it!!!

Harvard App Submitted

2007-10-01T21:25:00.001-07:00

Final review of HBS app

2007-09-29T01:46:00.000-07:00

Finally, I am done on time! HBS online app is completed. Essays look good. Final review is pending before I hit the submit button tomorrow. 2 recommendations have been submitted, waiting for my last referee to submit his letter.

It will be a relief to hit the button tomorrow. But I cannot afford to rest for long. Have to get back to my Wharton and Kellogg essays.

I am sure HBS applicants out there would have already started submitting! So, here's wishing you best of luck! I know it has been hard work. Let's now wait and hope for the best.

I am watching the India-Australia cricket match on television while I write this post. Pretty excited to see who wins after the Indian T20 World Cup victory! :) I had forgotten what cricket was until Indians won the finals. But, now that excitement is back, my review will have to wait! ;)

You should be able to undertake and complete anything

2007-09-09T22:56:00.000-07:00

I know..It's been a while!!! But yeah a little pushing helps..! A friend of mine reminded me about this blog!!! :) You must be thinking that I was busy with my apps, but No! Although I am devoting time on a regular basis for my HBS and Wharton essays, what really occupies most of my time is my startup!!!

Life is strange! I never imagined that I will be a full time entrepreneur before my MBA. But here I am...putting everything that I have got to build my startup! :) So, it's been one hell of a party till now. Multi-tasking and time management are the order of the day. I can easily mention this phase - "setting up my startup + preparing my apps" as one of my most substantial accomplishments! ;)

HBS essays are in final stages. Wharton & Kellogg are are in full swing. I am behind my schedule, but I think I will make it up! And..my recommendations will arrive in time..that has been taken care of!! A big relief!

So, was it serendipity or luck that evening? The whole of that day, I was searching for a phrase for my learning in one of my essays. But couldn't really come up with a great line. That evening after making an internal release of our product, we went to a Chinese restaurant to unwind! After dinner, the restaurant lady gave me a fortune cookie and it read ..."You should be able to undertake and complete anything." And there you go...I got my line..!

I usually don't believe in fortune cookies..and have never opened any till now. This was my first! I better believe it! ;) Attaching the pic here..more for my remembrance!

Will write a post again soon..with more updates..!

Howz everyone else doing with apps???

Best way to know your career goals!

2007-08-08T05:22:00.000-07:00

I recently did a small exercise that consumed 5 full days!!! :) All I wanted to know was what will I be doing in the year 2027!!!! This would really bring clarity about my career vision and goals.

I took an excel sheet and marked column names as these:
first column = "Year", second column = "What was I doing then?/ What am I doing now?/ What will I be doing then?"

The 'year' started from the 1999 (When I stepped in to my under-grad college) to 2027 (i.e. 20 years from now). After 2007, it can have this series: 2008, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2027. The second column asks you to list important activities, events, achievements, and turning points that start with your past, enter your present and end with your future.

It was a great exercise! When you start writing things that you were doing from college days till the present day (on a year-to-year basis), you tend to go back in time and introspect. It brings a lot of clarity about your strengths, weaknesses, turning points, achievements and so on. Then when you start writing about your future, it's more demanding. You need to put them in short phrases or keywords to make it simple. It is like writing a business plan with lot of supporting material from your past experiences! Things really shape up well. You will be surprised!

This task is very time consuming but is worth the effort. Applicants usually shy away from clarifying their goals and this is a major drawback. When you have to write about your future plans on a year-to-year basis, you are forced to think deep and wide.

My last suggestion: Aim high! Be realistic!

If anyone of you tried this, please let me know how it helped. Leave a comment.
Cheers!
Vanquisher

Wharton interview experience

2007-08-01T23:12:00.001-07:00

Last year, I was lucky to get an invitation for interview with Wharton. I was ecstatic and it was hard to convince myself that it wasn't a dream. It took me like a week to come out of that haze. At that time, I was in France on a critical project and it got hard for me to concentrate on both my project and my interview preparation.

I was fortunate to get a Hub Interview at Mumbai and I had 3 weeks to prepare. Frankly speaking, I couldn't start preparing till I came back to Bangalore. So, I had only 2 weeks to prepare. I started with studying my essays and updating my resume. I made sure that I knew my story well. Moreover, I went through the interview feedback and experiences of applicants on clearadmit.com and accepted.com. I think these are great resources that help you understand everything about interviews - preparation, questions, and more.

I flew to Mumbai from Bangalore a day before the interview. Later that day, I had an opportunity to talk to a Wharton alum, who works with Lehman Brothers in London. This was an hour long tele-conference. Believe me, you must talk to alumni to know the school. It's simply great to know stuff from them, they are really passionate and at the same time portray a realistic picture. He started with academics and went on to explain about faculty, philly, buildings, clubs, students, internships, career opportunities and other tit-bits. He advised me to be calm, confident and most importantly "be myself."

The interview was at McKinsey office and was scheduled early in the morning. It was amusing to see fellow applicants dressed in formal suits and ties. We mingled well and discussed quite a few things. During these discussions, we found out an interesting trend. We realized that a common set of applicants had received invites from the top schools such as Wharton, HBS, and Stanford. So, we always compete with a few serious contenders from a geographic location. That was interesting!

The interview was only for say 15- 20 minutes and the interviewer really didn't ask me anything extra-ordinary. I was a little disappointed because I had so much to talk about but didn't get an opportunity. (So, It is good to at least know the highlights of your career/story that you want to put across. Else you might hit upon all kinds of details that are not important and run out of time.) Moreover, I was surprised because I interviewed with an alum. I was hoping it would be someone from Adcom as it was a Hub interview. But guess there was only one representative from Adcom and the remaining were alumni. The alum was very nice and made me feel absolutely comfortable. Although, he didn't really show any reaction on his face.

The interview took this course -->
1. Walk through of the resume: So..I mentioned it very clearly ..what i was doing at my company, my role, my career progression, and a few important events and awards. Then I explained him how and why I started my first venture at the age of 19. Why i started my other non-profit venture and how i went about building it. After this..he told me.. "Very impressive! Great!" This was a thumbs up to me!

2. Then he asked "So where do you want to go from here?": Here I explained my passions...my vision...my goals.....and how i had already started working towards my goals..

3. He asked me "So how do u wanna go about it?" Here i mentioned...mainly about general management and entrepreneurial management and how an MBA would help me realize my vision.

4. Next question "Why Wharton?" So, i gave my reasons..and told him how I have been researching the school. Also, I mentioned that I was in touch with a few alumni, who helped me understand Wharton.

5. Next question "So which schools have u applied to?" : I told him HBS, Stanford, and of course Wharton. So..he was like "Good" ...and he asked me whether I have heard from any of these schools...I told him Wharton was the first one.

6. Then. he was like.."Any Qs for me?" I was taken aback here..because I hoping this was just the beginning. In any case, I was sure that he had understood the crux of my profile and my vision. So..I asked him.."What has your experience been in Wharton? and why did you choose Wharton?" ..and he explained me a few things. Moreover, he mentioned that he had applied to the same set of schools that I had (H, W, S).

7. The next question was a bouncer!!! I asked "What do you think about Wharton's entrepreneurial management?" and then he counter questioned me saying "give me a list of 5 companies... which u admire the most and..in which u want your company to be considered in the future." I gave him the list and the reasons as well. He said "Great! let us go through the list. 4 out of 5 companies that you mentioned have founders who have no formal business education. Then how do u think Wharton will help u?" I knew that I had to come up with something realistic and convincing. I gave him some honest and practical reasons. And at the end he said "fine!"

He wished me all the best for the process and said.."sure u will do well" That's it..!
I couldn't judge much from that but I was happy that I put across my case well.

Hope this post will be useful for Wharton applicants!
Cheers!
Vanquisher

Round 1 target schools

2007-07-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

I have finally decided on my target schools for Round 1 (Fall 2008).
Here is my list:
1. Harvard
2. Wharton
3. Kellogg
4. Stanford
5. MIT Sloan
6. Michigan Ross (not really sure, only if time permits)

The shortlisting process was very tedious and time consuming.
In a nut shell I did the following to decide these schools.

1. Understood what I really wanted from my MBA. I wanted General Management and Entrepreneurship among other important aspects.
2. Went through the ranking - overall and specific to my fields. (went through rankings of FT, Business week, etc.)
3. Went through the website - understood the curriculum, faculty, students, clubs, research centers, incubators, etc. and moreover studied my fit with the school cultures.
4. Spoke with few Alumni from different colleges regarding the schools and my profile.
5. Shortlisted 10 schools. It had 3 categories

i. Dream schools - schools which I will die to get in to.
ii. Good schools - schools which meet all my expectations and have something more
iii. Threshold schools - schools which just meet my expectations

6. From the 10 shortlisted schools, I filtered the list for the second time. This time I got 7 schools.
7. Based on certain criteria like deadline dates, time required for each app, etc., I distributed the schools into two buckets - Round 1 and Round 2.

So, now I will be starting my essays and shortlisting my recommenders.
I think I am a little late as we have like 2 months for HBS deadline.

Will keep you posted!!! I have promised a couple of my friends that I would write about my last year's Wharton interview experience.

If Your First MBA Application Doesn't Succeed...Re-apply!

2007-07-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

I found this article very useful for reapplicants. Thought it will be worth putting it up here.

Article courtesy of Accepted.com, the Leading MBA Admissions Consultancy

Reapplying has been the traditional fail-safe for the dinged business school applicant, but increasing competition is making even this last-gasp strategy tougher than ever. Two years ago, Wharton--widely regarded as "reapplicant friendly"--admitted 20% of its reapps, versus only 13% of all applicants. But according to Business Week, last year Wharton's re-app number dropped to 14% versus 13% overall.

And Wharton wasn't just bucking a trend. Last year, the re-app admit rate at Michigan dropped from 37% to 24%, at Tuck from 34% to 18%, at UCLA from 26% to 12%, and at Haas from 20% to 12%. And even the exceptions proved the rule: Stanford's re-application acceptance rate inched from 10% to only 11% and USC's nudged ahead from 24% to 25%.

Have business schools suddenly decided to judge repeat applicants more harshly? Probably not. The real explanation is likely that the recent volume of applications to business schools has simply created a glut of dinged applicants who, in increasing numbers, are deciding to give their MBA dreams one more shot.

The good news is that the vast majority of business schools probably still view reapplicants neutrally at worst and downright positively at best. A strong, well-considered, and effectively executed re-application strategy can still win you that second chance. By following these three steps you can beat the growing competition for re-application spots.

Step One: Reevaluate & Improve Your Candidacy
Step Two: Understand Your Schools' Re-application Procedures
Step Three: Re-Apply!

STEP ONE: Reevaluate & Improve Your Candidacy You may have a fair idea why you were dinged, but many schools are happy to tell you outright (usually in the summer). In fact, The University of Texas helpfully sends its dinged applicants a letter breaking down areas for improvement into 16 laser-focused categories. Schools like Texas, London Business School, and INSEAD have been known occasionally to explicitly encourage rejected applicants to try again.
If you fall into this category, you may actually have been categorized as a "preliminary admit," only to fall victim to the statistician's axe late in the game because you failed some class-diversity criteria. If a school does encourage you, you can approach your "re-application year" with some optimism and hopefully a few specific tips to work on.

Other schools, like Harvard and Stanford, say they receive too many applications to provide individualized feedback. It will be up to you -- perhaps with the help of Accepted.com -- to identify where you went wrong.

If you decide that your Achilles' heel was only your GMAT score, then you know what to concentrate on, and assuming you raise it, you should be ready to reapply in the first round of the coming year. If, however, you learn, as most dinged applicants do, that their application needs work in multiple areas, then applying again within a year may not be realistic. This is especially true if, for example, your feedback tells you that you lack sufficient leadership experiences. It may be hard to accumulate enough in the, say, eight months between your dinged application and your re-application.

Once you know where your first application was lacking, map out a concrete strategy to strengthen it. If your feedback told you that you applied too late in the admissions season, you won't have to "do" anything but make sure you apply in the first round. Likewise, improving a weak GMAT score and writing better essays involve fairly cut-and-dry strategies: prepare and practice more for your GMAT and spend more time on your essays: consider using Accepted.com's essay editing services.

Most applicants won't have it this easy. They will be told they have low GMAT scores and poorly defined goals and few post-collegiate activities. They will not only have to multi-task; they'll have to run the risk that the 8-9 months they have before applying first round simply aren't enough time. Fortunately, all feedback is actionable to some extent. Make the most of the time you have.

To show deepened leadership, look for ways to demonstrate greater initiative or responsibility at work while also seeking out leadership roles in your community involvements. To compensate for a bad GPA, take competitive courses at a local school-and do well. To build an international profile, seek out overseas projects or take a three-month sabbatical in Estonia.

Perhaps unforeseen personal events have occurred--a death or illness in the family, helping a friend out of bad situation--that have matured you or clarified your goals. Your schools will be interested in all of these developments, specifically the actions you took, the impact you had, and the lessons you learned.

Be realistic: Re-applicants are first evaluated in terms of the school's hard admission criteria and second in terms of the new year's applicant pool (invariably stronger than the previous year's). Only if your application survives those two screens will they begin to ask how your new application compares to your old.

STEP TWO: Understand Your Schools' Re-application Procedures In addition to telling you whether you should reapply this year or wait two, your feedback can also tell whether you need to modify the list of schools you applied to. Feedback may indicate that you need to add a few "safety" schools, drop one or two "reaches," or even try again at the exact same programs. Once your develop your re-application list, make sure you thoroughly understand their re-application policies.

Schools' reapplication processes follow one of three basic approaches. Some, like Harvard and New York University, require you to submit an entirely new application-they don't keep your previous year's application and so won't have anything to compare your new application to (you can use this fact to your benefit). Others, like Columbia, keep your previous application on file for one year and require you to submit a new essay explaining how you've strengthened your application. Finally, other programs require a re-app essay, but allow you the option of submitting additional essays.

Whichever approach your schools use, remember that even if they do keep your first application on file they may not actually compare it directly to your new application. Wharton, for example, will review adcom member's comments or "write-ups" on the first application, not the application itself, unless a major question arises. By contrast, Chicago looks more closely at the previous year's application, and Sloan falls somewhere between Wharton and Chicago. Knowing how much attention your schools give to your first application can help you decide how much explaining you'll have to do if you've changed your post-MBA goals.

Most schools strongly suggest that you re-apply in the first round-MIT Sloan actually requires it. Similarly, Tuck offers an Early Decision Program that is partly designed as a way of benefiting re-applicants.

STEP THREE: Re-apply! Finally you're ready to begin the actual application process all over again. Fortunately, you've been through it all before so, older and wiser, you know how to pace yourself, what mistakes to avoid, what new steps you may need to take. As early as the late spring or early summer after your first application (assuming you submitted before, say, January 15) you should have enough idea of your progress in your application improvement strategy to know where you stand.

You can now begin scoping out potential new recommenders; talking to friends, counselors, or an Accepted.com consultant about your revised goals and new school list; and rewriting your essays. Don't take the easy way out by assuming that you just need to tack a new paragraph onto your previous year's essays to "bring it up to date." Remember, those essays didn't get you in! When writing re-application essays it's usually better to err on the side of new ideas and fresh approaches than to try recycling old material that you've probably lost faith in and, truth be told, are a little sick of looking at.

Start over, not with a new "update" paragraph but with new stories, new themes (if necessary) and a very pronounced slant toward the events in your life and career since you first applied. Remember, they will usually have your old essays within reach if they need to be filled in your background.

Stress what's changed and how you've grown as a person and a professional. Just as important, emphasize how your desire to enroll at their program has undergone its own impressive transformation: you've talked to more alumni and students, visited again, discovered more resources and clubs, fleshed out the link between your goals and their program.

The fact that you're reapplying tells them of your continuing interest; show that that interest has become a real driving passion with a brand-new "Why Your B-School" section. Good luck!
NEED MORE HELP? If you would like help reevaluating your candidacy and planning your reapplication strategy Accepted.com can help. Accepted.com's experienced consulting staff is there to guide you from the moment you receive the "ding" letter to the day the "fat envelope" arrives. Ask us how we can help you!

By Paul Bodine, Accepted.com Senior Editor
Copyright Accepted.com 2003

Think Ahead! Planning for college is a two-year process.

MBA research resources

2007-07-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

Good MBA research reasources described here Clear Admit: "Admissions Tip: MBA News Junkies"

Write a b-school app and learn about yourself!

2007-07-13T03:28:00.000-07:00

Hey folks..
Yep! I know what you are thinking now - "Yet another blog on MBA and business schools? Phew!" But what to do I am crazy about blogging! ;) I have been in this field (applying to b-schools is a field in itself) for quite some time now. Blogging has become a passion and hence this blog!

Last year (2006-07) was a great year for me. Professionally, I leaped ahead of peers with two promotions, got recognized at an international level for my research on mobile phones, and learnt quite a bit about leadership, team building, planning and surviving successfully in a corporate setup. Outside work, I did considerable amount of work in training rural students to hop-on to the corporate bandwagon. But, it's not because of these accomplishments that I consider the previous year a great year. The main reason is my Personal growth.

When I attended the Stanford Information Session in Bangalore last year, Derrick Bolton, head of Stanford MBA Admission Committee, told us an important thing. He said (capturing the gist here) that "No matter what the outcome of this b-school application process will be, you are going to benefit tremendously from it. You will know yourself better, it's a great experience where you learn about yourself." Back then I never took his words seriously, but today I know what he meant.

Applying to b-schools is a fruitful journey. Schools make us learn about our strengths, weaknesses, vision, goals, values, and so on. Most importantly, this process makes us stop and think about our lives. Who we are? What do we value? Where are we heading towards? Once, we analyze all this, we are more self-aware of our strengths, weaknesses and goals.

Last year, I applied to 3 schools - Harvard, Stanford and Wharton. I wanted to apply to a few other good schools, but couldn't because of unavoidable circumstances. I got a reject from all three. But, I still consider last year as a great year. Because, today I know myself and my goals better.

I got an interview call from Wharton and that was very useful. I thought I did pretty well, but I know interviews alone cannot screw up your chances. Later, I had a Feedback Session with Wharton Adcom and it was a great relief. I will write about my experiences and learning in the next few weeks.

Let us see what happens this year. I will be applying to a lot many schools.
Again, this year is an Action Packed Thriller. Soon, I am gonna be a full time entrepreneur, chasing my dreams and building my start-up.

Good luck for fellow applicants! See you soon..
Cheers!
Vanquisher