MBA Quest

It's tough

2008-03-23T18:47:00.002+01:00

I've been put on the Insead waitlist. This is a hard place to be. Neither yes, nor no.

It has it's advantages and disadvantages. Actually, the only advantage I see is that I can put off paying the intial guarantee deposit. Othan that... it all seems pretty negative. I've got lots of anxiety wrapped around this, in addition to all the usual validations of self ponderings. The worst part is when random friends ask about my MBA status. I sheepishly reply that I'm on the waitlist, further highliting my stasis in purgatory!!

The ladies in the admissions office have been very professional so far. I have appreciated the way in which they have kindly let me know further information whenever I request it. At least it's something.

Honetly, I was kind of hoping that since I was a Round 1 applicant, I would be given a decision in R2. But, R2 has come and gone, still nothing from the venerable institution.

I have recently determined that I can still apply to scholarships while on the waitlist. I intend to devote plenty of time to this, as they may be ways for me to expand my profile a bit.

This is a hard process. I suppose that is the way it should be though. In a few years I'll probably look back and regard this period fondly... maybe...

UP UP & AWAY!

2007-10-06T18:18:00.000+02:00

So, last tuesday (at 2 o'clock in the morning!) I submitted my application packet to INSEAD. Wow that was tough!

Obtaining my recommendations was fairly easy and my recommenders were more than happy to help me acheive my goal. I made sure to prepare them a "Recommender's Packet" which I'm sure helped them out a bit.

For my essays though it was quite a bit harder than I expected. To answer the essays in the best way possible you really need to examine yourself and your motives so deeply! It was so difficult. Additionally, INSEAD's application limits your answers to short paragraphs that leave room for just the bare bones of your life. There is hardly any room for flourishing vocabulary. Its like, "Explain your whole reason for being, with examples, in 250 words."

I think my application was good. Lord knows I spent so much time on it... I also had a chance to talk with each of my recommenders and I think they submitted really good recommendations.

Now, the hard part about the application was my undergrad grades. That seems like a sad pathetic thing that everyone talks about. Well, I guess, add me to those multitudes. I don't know what I was thinking in college. I mean, duh, people look at your grades and assume all kinds of weird things about you, I knew this already. I mean, I knew some really stupid people who got great internships and jobs purely on the merit of their grades. I should have focused more on that, but at the time, I was working and living, and I don't know what else. The worst one is my 'D' in Finance. It's probably the worst grade possible when going into a rigorous MBA program.

It's hard when it seems that people place so much emphasis on something which doesn't describe you well. All I can do now is hope for the best, and wish that they don't try to describe me by my grades...

Essays

2007-09-16T21:23:00.000+02:00

So, the essays are difficult. Prepare for them well.

I purchased this book, "Great Application Essays for Business School" and it is a very helpful resource. But, I have to point out that it seems a bit skewed to the US B-school model. The Insead questions don't leave room for the kind of expounding that the book suggests. Perhaps I'm just bad at writing essays, (TOTALLY possible).

I am only applying to Insead, for well thought out reasons. 1. Top-10 program, 2. 1 year, thus lower opportunity costs. 3. Huge entrepreneurship focus. 53% of the alumni start their own business. That is a fantastic statistic.

I need to turn in the application over to the school in the next week. Wish me luck!

Now, the only question is, what do I do if I don't get into the MBA program.

Honestly, I hadn't thought of that option. :( I guess I should start?

Finally back!!

2007-04-12T12:26:00.000+02:00

I'm not sure what was happening for a while there. I couldn't log onto this site to make changes. It could have been blogger specific, or something to do with my work connection, I'm not sure.

The good thing is: I'm back!

Many things to update you on. I did take the GMAT on February 28th, 2007. I came out with what looks like a good score, 720. But, at the same time I'm worried about how I acheived it.

The GMAT main score is acheived through 2 calculations, one on your quant and one on your verbal. While preparing for the GMAT I understood that your score can be influenced more on the basis of the verbal score. This is due to so many non-native English speakers taking the test. It seems that all these non-native speakers have lowered the percentages on the verbal section. On the other hand, the quant section has increased it's competitiveness. From what I read, this is due to so many technical types (read: Indian Engineers) taking the exam and blowing the roof off the quant section. So, to sum it up theoretically, while missing 4 questions on the verbal section places you in the 90 percentile, missing 4 on the quant places you in the 70 percentile. (I'm making these numbers up because I don't know their real values, but the concept exists!).

This brings me back to my score. 720 sounds great (96 percentile), but it is composed of a 98 percentile verbal and a 73-ish percentile in quant. I'm worried that admissions officers will examine this discrepency and conclude that I'm not as technically apt. This is a tough call, but I will just have to prove myself out through my essays.

Any feedback from others about their feelings on this topic?

Reading about MBA schools

2007-01-11T18:20:00.000+01:00

If you have the ability to obtain it (I think it is out of print now...) you definitely need to read, "How To Get Into the Top MBA Programs" by Richard Montauk.
This book has so many good insights into how to approach MBA applications that I feel like the 20 or so bucks I paid for it was the steal of the century! Really, I can't recommend it enough.

Now I'm in the process of narrowing my choice of schools. I have to say that the European schools are rising to the top with one clear leader, INSEAD. It's shorter schedule and great employer visibility give it an edge when it comes to schools outside the US. IMD is also a great school, but I have to admit I'm kind of scared by the fact that each year they admit just 90 students! Can you imagine that?!?! On their website they give a profile of each student, and I've got to say they were pretty impressive.

As mentioned in previous posts, I rescheduled my GMAT to Feb 28th. Now it feels like it's just around the corner, especially knowing what my work schedule is going to be like between now and then. With that in mind, I'm going to hit the books tonight! Wish me luck!:)

Keeping on keeping on

2006-10-31T14:13:00.000+01:00

So, only a few more weeks till I hit the US and pickup my new GMAT studying books. After this brief study pause I'm anxious and eager to get back on the habit.

Interestingly enough, I've noticed that all my hard work on the math section of the GMAT has resulted in me finding GMAT style problems in real life! Shocking! The other day a colleague was talking about how many boxes would fit into a container of 'x' dimensions. I did a double take and thought to myself, "these things really are applicable!".

As well, I've found that my arithmatic 'speed' has increased. I can solve things in my head more easily than I used to. It's not that I'm measuring, its that the difference is so pronounced!

So, to those of you that find studying for the GMAT, remember that there are some good things (albeit small) that come out of your hard work!

It's not what you know....

2006-10-19T14:26:00.000+02:00

Everyone knows the old adage... "It's not what you know. It's who you know." From the researching I've done into the MBA application process it seems that you actually need both components to succeed.

The application deadlines for me still seem far off (Oct '07). But, yesterday I was thinking about the recommendation letter from peers and colleagues, and it might be closer than it seems! I was reading a Business Week B-School journal from Hussein Kanji. He states the following -

Even though I didn't turn in the applications until the last minute, I did prepare a nice "kit" for each of my recommenders in early August. For busy executives, that is a must-have as it gives them a nice frame for what to put into your essays

I will follow his steps and create such a kit for my recommenders. That means I literally have 10 months left!

Also, it is important to cultivate relationships with people you respect and who are respected. CEOs and other high profile recommenders may have trouble making you look good in their recommendation letter, if they don't really know you. Make a plan to interact with these people before you ask them for a recommendation. That way you don't look like a chump!

I already have a good idea of who I want to be my recommenders for the MBA process. Now I have to start thinking about how to prepare that kit and how to further "ripen" our relationship.

Relief and grief

2006-10-16T17:39:00.000+02:00

After postponing the GMAT until February I started to get really down on myself. I really hate setting a goal and then missing it. I mean, I really hate it.

So, too soothe my self-loathing, I bought some books on Amazon. I'm having them delivered to my house in Arizona, so I won't be able to pick them up until Thanksgiving when I go home. I figure that gives me some time to sit back, re-prioritize and look at finding some alternative sources for studying.

The books I picked up: 2 Manhattan guides on Math (my hardest area) and a couple books on writing admissions essays. I'll post my first impressions of them here as soon as I can. Later, after I've devoured them I'll post again to see how they stack up after some use.

As for alternative sources for studying, I'm definitely looking into purchasing some more CATs online. As well, there is a quant section on GMAT Club.

Boban go ahead and make a comment:)

It had to be done

2006-10-11T16:45:00.000+02:00

So, I haven't studied in nearly a week now. My fiancee and I spent the past weekend moving house and I spent the last two days doing some of the remainder work. It has been quite a chore and it has prevented me from doing any study whatsoever.

The result is that I have rescheduled my GMAT for February 28th. I didn't want to do it in part because when I make a plan any rescuduleing feels like failure!

My reasoning is sound however, paying 50 bucks now is a lot better than getting a sub-par score and paying another 250 bucks later to re-take the test. Plus, I'll wager that a reschedule is less of an emotional hit than a poor score.

In the meantime I've purchased some good books from Amazon, two of the Manhattan book series on the quant side of things.

Distractions, Distractions, Distractions!

2006-10-06T13:00:00.000+02:00

So I didn't get around to studying last night. My life is getting in the way. After work I went to a 7 o'clock dentist appointment. After that some dinner with my fiancee. I finally arrived home at 11pm or so. It's incredible how little time you've got for things after work.

To top it all off, we are moving this weekend and I'm sure that means I'll get little to no studying done.... bummer:)

(Perfect) Practice Makes Perfect

2006-10-04T13:26:00.000+02:00

Last night I did some time trials from the Official GMAT guide. I chose 37 questions from the problem solving section and did them in 75 mins (69 actually) and then I did 37 questions from the data sufficiency section in 75 mins.

While these aren't the best simulations of the actual test environment, I am using them to get an internal feel of what 75 mins feels like, plus simulate the pressure of answering a set number of questions under time duress. I've heard from many people, (and it just plain makes sense) that the hardest part of the whole test is the limited time frame. The questions themselves are not that difficult. I believe, given enough time, anyone could perform most of these calculations. The difficulty lies in getting as many out of 37 correct in 75 minutes.

The timing wears down your stamina. The fast pace of performing arithmetic, the hasty clicking ok and then clicking 'confirm.' These are all factors, which don't seem to be addressed in lots of the study materials. The real question is, "Do you have enough strength of mind to perform well?"

So, my study plan has me performing 75 minute bursts of 37 (41 for qualitative) questions, in order to simulate the stress and rythym of the exam. After the 75 mins I go through my answers to find the incorrect ones. At this point I take as much time as needed to really dissect the question, figure out why I got it wrong and look at a couple of ways to arrive at the correct conclusion.

Occaisionally I come across an "aha!" moment when dissecting the questions where, once I see the whole picture, I see a broader concept behind the question that helps me solve it faster. Looking for 3:4:5 combination (Pythagorean Theorem) is one of them. I can't remember now, but I remember looking at the question and just all of a sudden seeing that I could have done it much easier if I had thought to apply such a simple concept.

Also, upon review of my answers, I have found that I've got a problem with simple, silly mistakes. (ie, adding wrong, choosing the 'A' despite having calculated the solution to answer 'B'). In some part, this validates my studying method because I believe these simple mistakes come from being unfamiliar with the stress and rythym of 75 minutes and 37 questions.

Tonight I have a Spanish course, but tomorrow I'm going to hit the books for 3, 75 minutes sessions. I'll give you a report later!

In the meantime, I'm listening to:

Meeting the Requirements

2006-10-03T13:55:00.000+02:00

Since I am trying to enter an international MBA program, and most of them have bilingual and trilingual requirements, I have enrolled in a Spanish course through a local college.

That is what I spent last evening doing, ayudando hablar espanol. It's going to be a long hard process. I think that I will ultimately succeed in this effort, even if I know that I will have to practice a lot outside of class and do other extra curriculars to make the grade. I'm ok with these things because I figure that I have two years until I need to be semi-fluent and this is enough time. (Notice how I didn't say 'plenty of time'... I think my timelines are going to be quite thin.)

My objective of this whole excersize is to take, and pass, the Cervantes Institute Exam for semi-fluent speakers. This is quite an ambitious goal, but I believe that if I start now, prepare, practice, and apply my learning, I will be able to acheive it.

Currently Listening to:

Ocean's 12

First things first

2006-10-02T09:52:00.000+02:00

Studying for the GMAT...

Studying is hard to do. Especially since I've been out of school for what, nearly 4 years now? Books... what? Study... what? Test... WHAT?

My exam is scheduled for October 19th, and I'm on the verge of delaying it some more. Its here that I've run into a problem. I don't want to delay it. From November until after Christmas I will be so busy that there will be no time for studying.

This past weekend I took a practice exam from PowerPrep (I won't tell you my score!), but I didn't feel very confident so I spent the rest of the weekend really going in depth with each question.

Let's do this!

2006-09-30T03:04:00.000+02:00

I've taken a page from Dave over at daveformba.blogspot.com, and have started a blog dedicated to my quest for an MBA. Honestly, Dave's website is a fantastic resource that was recommended to me by other MBA hopefuls as a great site and I whole heartedly agree.

Why have I created this blog?
First and foremost, this is about staying organized and focused on the tasks at hand. In thinking about this blog, I've decided that I needed an online repository where I can keep track of useful links, plan for events and gain insight from new people I meet along the way.

Where am I in my quest now?
I've been preparing for the GMAT seriously for about three weeks now. I wanted to take it on October 19th, but as that date approaches I find myself lacking in some areas. I'm probably going to cough up the 50 bucks and push the date back to give myself more time.