I just received my decision from the Tepper School of Business. I have been waitlisted at Tepper.
After all the efforts I had put into my application, I initially felt very bad after learning about the decision. But I have learned one thing from my Cornell Ding. It doesn't really help to spend a weekend in mourning over a ding. It doesn't really help in anyway.
I guess I need to move on and maybe focus on my applications for next year. I shall be posting my Tepper visit and interview experience soon.
Good luck to all waiting and also good luck to all planning to work on their applications!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tepper Interview Invite
When god closes one door, he opens another one!
Today, I received my interview invite for the Carnegie Mellon, Tepper MBA program.
I plan to call them up in a day or two after talking to my boss as to options for a possible leave.
Today, I received my interview invite for the Carnegie Mellon, Tepper MBA program.
I plan to call them up in a day or two after talking to my boss as to options for a possible leave.
Cornell Interview experience @ Ithaca
This post describes my Cornell interview experience.
I received the Cornell interview invite email on October 31, 2007. The email mentioned the name of the contact person and asked me to schedule an interview by calling her up. Also if I was in the US, the email mentioned a preference for on-campus interview. So Ithaca it was!
This being my first interview invite of the year, I was very excited and called up the admissions contact person, the first thing next morning. I was able to schedule an interview over the phone after discussing about 2/3 alternative dates and finally interviewed about 10 days after the invite.
On the day on the interview…..
My interviewer was a person from the admissions office. There was also a second year student who sat through the interview for training purposes. It was the student's first day at the interviewing practice and hence he did not participate in asking questions. But after interactions with fellow interviewers, I learnt that from the second interview, second year students start taking active roles and adcoms starts being more passive observers.
The interview was very conversational and there were no odd ball questions.
Questions I was asked for my Cornell interview:
1. Resume Walk-through
2. Why MBA
3. If you have been so successful in your earlier jobs, why do you want to pursue an MBA
4. Why Cornell
5. Leadership example
6. Long term short term goals
7. I see that you are passionate about XXX, how would you incorporate that in your future work?
8. How would your subordinates describe you?
9. Team/work situation someone was difficult to deal with
10. Other schools applied to.
11. Any questions you have for the interviewer.
I had prepared for the interview, by reading my resume, reading all my application essays for Cornell and by reading various interview experiences online at clearadmit ( http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=CornellInterview) and accepted interview feedback (http://www.accepted.com/mba/interviews/advancedsearch.aspx)
Good luck to all of you for any upcoming interviews!
I received the Cornell interview invite email on October 31, 2007. The email mentioned the name of the contact person and asked me to schedule an interview by calling her up. Also if I was in the US, the email mentioned a preference for on-campus interview. So Ithaca it was!
This being my first interview invite of the year, I was very excited and called up the admissions contact person, the first thing next morning. I was able to schedule an interview over the phone after discussing about 2/3 alternative dates and finally interviewed about 10 days after the invite.
On the day on the interview…..
My interviewer was a person from the admissions office. There was also a second year student who sat through the interview for training purposes. It was the student's first day at the interviewing practice and hence he did not participate in asking questions. But after interactions with fellow interviewers, I learnt that from the second interview, second year students start taking active roles and adcoms starts being more passive observers.
The interview was very conversational and there were no odd ball questions.
Questions I was asked for my Cornell interview:
1. Resume Walk-through
2. Why MBA
3. If you have been so successful in your earlier jobs, why do you want to pursue an MBA
4. Why Cornell
5. Leadership example
6. Long term short term goals
7. I see that you are passionate about XXX, how would you incorporate that in your future work?
8. How would your subordinates describe you?
9. Team/work situation someone was difficult to deal with
10. Other schools applied to.
11. Any questions you have for the interviewer.
I had prepared for the interview, by reading my resume, reading all my application essays for Cornell and by reading various interview experiences online at clearadmit ( http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=CornellInterview) and accepted interview feedback (http://www.accepted.com/mba/interviews/advancedsearch.aspx)
Good luck to all of you for any upcoming interviews!
Cornell Ding!!!
My first MBA application decision of the year.....School : Cornell, Date : Dec 7, 2007
I have been dinged by Cornell. I was expecting at least a waitlist and the ding was really hard to digest. But I know that I need to move on and try to make the best of whatever opportunities come my way!
Good luck to all for the upcoming applications and decision deadlines!
PS: Point to remember for future applicants. This year Dec 7, 2007 was the decision deadline for Cornell. They called up majority of the accepted applicants a day before the deadline. Also their application status website was not working for the entire day on Dec 7. So be prepared for all kinds of things on decision dates and try not to get too stressed out! I know that’s easier said than done….I was there 4 days back, ask me!
I have been dinged by Cornell. I was expecting at least a waitlist and the ding was really hard to digest. But I know that I need to move on and try to make the best of whatever opportunities come my way!
Good luck to all for the upcoming applications and decision deadlines!
PS: Point to remember for future applicants. This year Dec 7, 2007 was the decision deadline for Cornell. They called up majority of the accepted applicants a day before the deadline. Also their application status website was not working for the entire day on Dec 7. So be prepared for all kinds of things on decision dates and try not to get too stressed out! I know that’s easier said than done….I was there 4 days back, ask me!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
My Fave 5
My Fave 5 ( actually fave 7) - the schools I applied to/visited -
1. Wharton
2.
3. NYU Stern
4. Cornell
5. Yale
6. Darden
7. Carnegie Mellon
I shall post my class visit and application experiences for each of these schools in the coming days...
My Class Visit to Cornell Johnson @ Ithaca, NY
The Round 1 deadline for Cornell was October 10. I wanted to make sure that I had actually visited and learnt more about the Johnson Graduate School of Management before I submitted my application online.
So, I scheduled a class visit online for the first week of October. I planned to reach
The next day, I took the shuttle again and arrived at Sage Hall about an hour before my scheduled class visit. All the business school classes and social events at Johnson take place at the Sage Hall building. After reaching the school, I met Michael Corbett at the Admissions Office. I think he is one of the most cordial and well-informed admissions officers I have met. He knows it all about the admissions process and is really cordial and helpful. Michael mentioned that my host for the day would be there to assist me about 15 minutes before the class. He suggested that I go out in the atrium and talk to current students and learn more about the school.
This experience at Johnson was like that at no other school. Since current students in the atrium are used to meeting prospective students, I actually had current students coming over and introducing themselves. They were interested to know what were my interests at business school and actually put me in touch with a couple of students who shared similar interests. This gave me about half an hour to learn more about the school, recruiting opportunities and also life at
Coming back to the admissions office, I met my host for the day who escorted me to the Finance Class of interest to me. I found the class I attended to be of average quality. The professor seemed nothing outstanding and I found that student discussion or class participation was conspicuous by its absence. I do not want to judge the school by one class, but I somehow got the feeling that the professors here were some good and some bad. I decided that if I ever got accepted, I would have a serious in-depth discussion with some of the current students I had met before making a commitment to business school education for 2 years. The current student who was my host for the class, was really cordial and answered the questions I had for him. Also he was very positive about the reputation of the school for finance.
Apart from the professor, another thing I did not like about the classes was that all of Johnson’s MBA classes are held in the basement. As a result of that the classrooms look a bit dull and unattractive. The entire school building called sage hall has been renovated a couple of years back, but still I would have loved to see classrooms with lovely windows.
Coming back to the admissions office after the class visit, I was introduced to two current students who were going to host the information session for about 5 prospective students like me. We started off with lunch and a very informal discussion. I enjoyed the discussion with the students and was glad to learn about the Johnson being a top school for Finance, excellent recruitment at
Another important point, before visiting Ithaca, I was really concerned about the fact that Cornell was at a place seemingly nowhere and maybe I would feel really depressed and lonely there. But, meeting the current students here, I have somehow changed that opinion.
Completing the visit, I left school and took the Coach USA bus again to get back to
Pros: Ivy League, Great school for finance, excellent and open-minded students
Cons: Basement classrooms, average faculty, About 4 hour drive from
Hope this description helps you in your Cornell Visit and wishing you a very positive experience during your visit to
What the mortgage crisis means for prospective MBA students...
A few articles that maybe of interest:
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/07/subprime-overview.asp
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5771.html
http://www.stockhouse.ca/blogs.asp?page=viewpost&blogID=314&postID=43982
What the mortgage and sub-prime mess really means for prospective students like us....
As we stand at the threshold of making a $100k investment (if we are admitted to a business school of our choice), we need to bear in mind that if we are interested in finance, that summer internship is going to get even more competitive. No field in finance is spared and investment banking, corporate finance, sales and trading or private equity are no exceptions.
Do your research, weigh your risks and make the best decision!!!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Wharton Visit - Diversity Event - September 2007
The first business school I visited during my MBA journey was the Wharton School of business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philly for the Explore Wharton : Diversity in Action Event. (http://clubs.wharton.upenn.edu/proday/). It was one of the best business school events I ever attended. It was held on September 20-21 and gave me more information about the business school admissions process in general than I had ever imagined.
It started with us attending a class of our choice which was then followed by a campus tour. Our tour guide for the campus tour was a UPenn undergrad and the campus tour with him was simply a wonderful experience. After that we got a chance to hear the director of Admissions at Wharton speak about the school. Later we attended the MBA Pub. I must say that I was highly impressed by my class visit. The Professor was just superb in his lecture delivery and left me impressed about the teaching standards at the school.
The next day started with breakfast where we had a chance to meet the Admissions director face to face and talk one to one. Be prepared for this event. Know your 30 second pitch and be prepared to talk about yourself, given the opportunity. After that they had a mock application review panel in the auditorium, where they have an open discussion about whether either one of the two sample applications being reviewed should be offered an opportunity to interview or be rejected. I must say that this session helped me learn about the admissions review process like never before. Later we had panel discussions with current students and alumni, which was again simply awesome.
Two events after that disappointed me a bit. The first one was my essay review. We had been given the option to submit an essay and have it reviewed. I hate to admit that the first year student who appeared to have reviewed my essay had not put much time or effort into the process and that made me feel sad. I had a taken a lot of effort in putting together this essay ahead of time and I was expecting a value adding and honest feedback. Wish that they can improve on this one in the years to come.
Secondly the reception at the end of the day, which was supposed to be an opportunity for interaction between current and prospective students, did not have much to offer as well. I hardly saw any current students
But I would say overall, I was greatly impressed by the school. I would attribute that to a few important factors. Firstly, the talented and diverse student body. Secondly, the great professors. And thirdly, the amazing students I met. I must admit some of them sure were outright snobs, but majority of them very highly talented and open-minded helpful people.
Great school for finance, great people and awesome reputation!!!! That’s Wharton for you!!!
PS: The wharton diversity event if open to Women, LGTB and minorities. If you are eligible to attend, register real early as it the slots are filled up very fast!!!!
It started with us attending a class of our choice which was then followed by a campus tour. Our tour guide for the campus tour was a UPenn undergrad and the campus tour with him was simply a wonderful experience. After that we got a chance to hear the director of Admissions at Wharton speak about the school. Later we attended the MBA Pub. I must say that I was highly impressed by my class visit. The Professor was just superb in his lecture delivery and left me impressed about the teaching standards at the school.
The next day started with breakfast where we had a chance to meet the Admissions director face to face and talk one to one. Be prepared for this event. Know your 30 second pitch and be prepared to talk about yourself, given the opportunity. After that they had a mock application review panel in the auditorium, where they have an open discussion about whether either one of the two sample applications being reviewed should be offered an opportunity to interview or be rejected. I must say that this session helped me learn about the admissions review process like never before. Later we had panel discussions with current students and alumni, which was again simply awesome.
Two events after that disappointed me a bit. The first one was my essay review. We had been given the option to submit an essay and have it reviewed. I hate to admit that the first year student who appeared to have reviewed my essay had not put much time or effort into the process and that made me feel sad. I had a taken a lot of effort in putting together this essay ahead of time and I was expecting a value adding and honest feedback. Wish that they can improve on this one in the years to come.
Secondly the reception at the end of the day, which was supposed to be an opportunity for interaction between current and prospective students, did not have much to offer as well. I hardly saw any current students
But I would say overall, I was greatly impressed by the school. I would attribute that to a few important factors. Firstly, the talented and diverse student body. Secondly, the great professors. And thirdly, the amazing students I met. I must admit some of them sure were outright snobs, but majority of them very highly talented and open-minded helpful people.
Great school for finance, great people and awesome reputation!!!! That’s Wharton for you!!!
PS: The wharton diversity event if open to Women, LGTB and minorities. If you are eligible to attend, register real early as it the slots are filled up very fast!!!!
World MBA Tour comes to a city near you !!!
I started my MBA quest by visiting the World MBA tour at a city close to where I stay(http://www.topmba.com/mba_fairs/). There, I had a chance to meet face to face with the admissions representatives from numerous schools. I got to meet alumni, admissions officers and also other prospective students.
I think attending an MBA fair is a great way to start your MBA journey. This way you get a chance to learn about various schools without the efforts and expense of actually visiting them. Once you know the schools you are impressed by, you can visit them at a later stage.
My two cents on attending MBA tours:
1. Research, research and research: Invest as much time possible about a week before the MBA fair, researching to schools you are interested in. This will hold you in good stead if when you are talking to the admissions officers or the alumni.
2. Dress Formally: Always dress in business formal attire when you are attending these MBA fairs. Remember any interaction with the admissions staff before the final admissions decision is EVALUATION TIME.
3. Send thank you notes: Do make it a point to ask for business cards/contact information from schools of interest and do make it a point to send them timely thank you notes. This can be a great starting point for you to start your business school networking!!!
I think attending an MBA fair is a great way to start your MBA journey. This way you get a chance to learn about various schools without the efforts and expense of actually visiting them. Once you know the schools you are impressed by, you can visit them at a later stage.
My two cents on attending MBA tours:
1. Research, research and research: Invest as much time possible about a week before the MBA fair, researching to schools you are interested in. This will hold you in good stead if when you are talking to the admissions officers or the alumni.
2. Dress Formally: Always dress in business formal attire when you are attending these MBA fairs. Remember any interaction with the admissions staff before the final admissions decision is EVALUATION TIME.
3. Send thank you notes: Do make it a point to ask for business cards/contact information from schools of interest and do make it a point to send them timely thank you notes. This can be a great starting point for you to start your business school networking!!!
The GMAT hurdle...
I hate the GMAT exam. I am just not convinced about the power of the exam to judge my aptitude to do well in business school. I am a firm believer that business schools can do with a better computerized test. However for the time being, GMAT is what it is and GMAT is what I have to take.
I took the GMAT exam in August 2007. Just managing to make it to 700, I was not too pleased with my scores. However not having enough courage and patience to take the exam again, this is the score that goes into all my applications.
My two cents on the GMAT exam:
1. Its more about time management that about knowledge. So once you are familiar about the type of questions asked, the break-up of questions, etc, start solving questions in a timed manner. Start with solving 20 easy questions and move ahead.
2. Books I would refer:
a) The official guide to the GMAT exam
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-GMAT-Review-11th/dp/0976570904
b) All the individual review books by Manhattan Review
Specially the sentence correction guide
http://www.amazon.com/Sentence-Correction-Preparation-Manhattan-Guides/dp/0979017572/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196793528&sr=1-1
And the numerous quant guides
c) Either one of Princeton/Kaplan reviews to get a feel of the exam.
3. Online Forums
Two online forums I used a lot
a) Testmagic: http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat/
b) Scoretop: http://www.scoretop.com/de.htm
4. The Complete GMAT exam
At least a month before the actual exam, start taking the complete GMAT test in a timed manner. You will be surprised by the low scores you will get and that will be good motivation to study harder and make better use of time!
Good luck with your GMAT exams and remember you can do it!!!!
I took the GMAT exam in August 2007. Just managing to make it to 700, I was not too pleased with my scores. However not having enough courage and patience to take the exam again, this is the score that goes into all my applications.
My two cents on the GMAT exam:
1. Its more about time management that about knowledge. So once you are familiar about the type of questions asked, the break-up of questions, etc, start solving questions in a timed manner. Start with solving 20 easy questions and move ahead.
2. Books I would refer:
a) The official guide to the GMAT exam
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-GMAT-Review-11th/dp/0976570904
b) All the individual review books by Manhattan Review
Specially the sentence correction guide
http://www.amazon.com/Sentence-Correction-Preparation-Manhattan-Guides/dp/0979017572/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196793528&sr=1-1
And the numerous quant guides
c) Either one of Princeton/Kaplan reviews to get a feel of the exam.
3. Online Forums
Two online forums I used a lot
a) Testmagic: http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat/
b) Scoretop: http://www.scoretop.com/de.htm
4. The Complete GMAT exam
At least a month before the actual exam, start taking the complete GMAT test in a timed manner. You will be surprised by the low scores you will get and that will be good motivation to study harder and make better use of time!
Good luck with your GMAT exams and remember you can do it!!!!
Starting my business school applications journey
My MBAyatra.....my MBA journey......This blog will take you through my journey as a ‘prospective MBA student’. I would like to walk you through the various admissions events I attended. What I liked about different schools (and what I despised). Also where I land up for a business school education (if I do manage to win an admit from at least one of the schools I have applied to!!!!)
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