Unraveling Mystery

Tuck application and photo contest

2009-12-22T18:44:00.005+05:30

I must say that my Tuck application is going quite well. I am hoping to get it done by this weekend before I leave to Sydney for what I hope will be a great Christmas. I will be posting my itinerary and if I am a bit late in doing that, it will be accompanied with some photos!  

So yes, Tuck application is taking good shape. I am not too happy about my 'Most difficult criticism' essay. I have scheduled a discussion with a close friend so that I get the essay in the best possible shape. Fingers crossed.  

Another quite exciting news is that I have been asked to be on the panel of judges for Accepted.com's Beautiful B-School photo contest!!! Yaay! I am really excited about this since -
 > It is related to B-schools 
> It is photography!!!

  Btw, if you have been attending open sessions or visiting schools, make sure you capture some nice snaps and submit such photographs for the contest! For more information of the contest, check here.  I had been to London Business School last year and had captured a few photos myself. You can check those photos here

Also, the results of the 'Do you like the new look of my blog' poll, which I ran on my blog, are out! 50% of the votes were positive, 16% were negative and 33% were 'I don't care'! I am quite excited about the blog's new look and to know that most of you think the same makes me even happier!

So on this happy note, let me get back to my essay...

cheerio~

Blank...

2009-12-17T18:15:00.002+05:30

Haven't heard back from either of Ross or Darden... Makes me really nervous. I have seen interview invitations going out and it seems that Ross has completed sending out all its R1 interview invites.

It is quite a disappointment if it is true that the Ross interview decisions for R1 have been sent out and I wasn't able to get the interview invite...

Guess I have nothing else to do but continue with my Tuck application (I put Haas on hold and took up Tuck due to the earlier deadline).

~

Anyone from Haas listening…?

2009-12-13T07:28:00.001+05:30

I am currently working on my Hass application and am hoping to complete the final draft of the essays by end of today - Sunday. I haven't been able to give time to my applications since the past two weeks which really makes me uncomfortable. I want to get into the MBA mode during next season and will not opt for the option of 're-applicant' again next year.   

Anyway, the Haas thing - its going well I would say. I hate being so away from the US which prevents me from making a trip there an seeing, understanding and knowing a bit more about the programs I am interested in. Moreover, it seems that none of the schools on my list want to come to the wonderful land (or atleast the city) down under - Melbourne!!!   

A few of my friends have suggested the Clear Admit guide. Planning to get one for Haas. Besides that today, and for the next couple of days, I am hoping to get in touch with current students/alumni from Haas to get to know more about the program.   

Anyone from Haas listening…?
 ~

India - Soft Power

2009-12-13T06:46:00.004+05:30

If you have been following my blog, you would know that I indulge myself in finding and watching inspirational speeches now and then (well, I posted a link in my previous post!). So going with this habit of mine, I came across another one.

This one is by Shashi Tharoor who is a prolific speaker, member of Indian Parliament and quite an inspiration to many of the younger Indian lads and even possibly non-Indians! Shashi, in his speech, makes a very valid point about a country moving towards the 'World Leader' title. It's not just the military power or the purchasing power, he says, but it is the country's soft power.

Well, I am Indian and proud to be so, even though it makes me fall into the bracket of Indian Male MBA Applicants - possibly the most competitive applicant pool!

But why would the world want to see this video? A few reasons below -

> India is a huge market. If you are looking at getting an MBA, it is without doubt that you will be having references to the Indian market (or culture) in your MBA classes/discussions/lectures/cases. So it will surely be worthwhile to get to know a bit more about India from this amazing speaker
> I am sure that those who are looking to get into 'Not for profit' will find the soft-aspect of India quite fascinating (for sure you would need to do a lot of reading etc. to know things into much more detail)
> Even if you don't get involved into the business aspect of this country, you would still go to the local Indian restaurant or cook Indian 'vindaloo' or 'butter chicken' at home. I believe knowing a bit more about India will add extra spice and kick into the dish (even if you are gonna eat the ready-to-eat curry!)
> Most of you will agree with me when I say that this guy is a great speaker... So why not learn a bit of this aspect too!

Well, I wouldn't take any more of your time.
Why not move straight onto the video then?! - Why nations should pursue "soft" power

I would love to know your comments on this one...
~

Speaker Series

2009-12-09T20:20:00.005+05:30

It's 2 AM on a Thursday (just to emphasize that I need to attend office at 9 AM!) and I have spent the last one hour watching and listening to Shumeet Banerji in Darden's Leadership Speaker Series. I personally thought that it was quite an interesting session with a good mix of information, advice and Q&A.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F35xL8IffcM

Thought of sharing it with you... I would also to love to hear your comments/thoughts/opinions on Shumeet's speech...

He mentioned the top 10 lessons from his career. Listing them down for you -
1. Pay attention to your personal human capital
2. Get and feed a network
3. Find mentors
4. Seek diverse experiences
5. Be curious about the world and about the big issues
6. Be interested else you cannot be interesting
7. Form a distinctive point of view
8. Read
9. Look after yourself
10. Make time for people you love and those who love you

Now, I am not sure in what sequence would you prioritize the above based on your experience/ambition etc. etc. but I would make a few sequence changes to my list... And yes, I am still searching for my mentor.

~

P.S.: Two apps currently on - Haas and Anderson... Lot of work to do!!! And yes, the Poll's on... so make sure you cast your vote :)

A bit of fun...

2009-12-07T17:00:00.002+05:30

In my bid to make this blog a bit lively and also since I care about my readers' views, I have started a poll - "Do you like the new look of the blog?"

Please feel free to give your view... The poll will be open for next 7 days and will close on December 14th...

~

Change

2009-12-06T06:06:00.006+05:30

Although I was in a bit of a tipsy state on Friday night after the Christmas Party, I managed to have a good chat with one of the business leads from the client side... and what surprised me most is that she was really looking forward to the big change that was coming through the transformation that my team is working on... I have seen how people are so averse to change in my previous transformation undertaking and so the comment by this lady totally took me by surprise! Turns out that she was actually part of Change Management teams before starting to work for my client! That explains things when I was thinking "The world's really changing a lot!!!" :)

Anyway, one more change - A new look for my blog!

Below is my (M) interview by the VV (Virtual Voice)

VV: Why this change?
M: I have been blogging about my journey for a while now... Hmmm... a bit more then 2 years now. And seriously speaking, I had thought that I would be blogging about my second year school experience by now... But, err, my journey into a B-school still goes on.
Anyway, my blog has been dormant for a while and it seemed to get a bit dull... So here's the new and fresh look and hey, I hope to add better content as well - views, polls, events and more...

VV: Wow, so it is quite a change, huh?
M: Well, yes... It is. I love change. Only last night I was speaking to one of my friends about how I am loving the opportunities I have had over the last few years to travel to different parts of the world, to meet new people, to experience different work cultures etc. etc. which indicate that I do love change. Blogging is one of my more or less consistent activities (well, I said more or less) and so I had to make a bit of change here too! And since I like to keep things lively, I plan to incorporate a few things on my blogs to keep it living rather than static...

VV: Aha... sounds good...
M: Thank you

VV: So before we end, do you have something for your audience?
M: Oh yes, I definitely do! I had mentioned a few days ago that I will post links to the photos that I have been taking since the last few months... So here are the links -
> The Photographr
> The Jokr
> Winery Tour

Also, I wanted to provide an update about the Melbourne Marathon - I couldn't run!!!!! The prep was going really well but I started to have terrible pain in my sheen! And I thought of taking a bit of rest before continuing to practice... but the pain never went off! It doesn't pain more but the marathon's over. I have started training again and I am taking it real slow and easy. Hope to run one next year...

And finally and most importantly - my apps... I am hoping to hear positively from Darden and Ross. There's a Darden Coffee Chat in Mumbai for which I have received an invitation. But unfortunately I am in Melbourne and Mumbai will be a bit too far away for me! I am hoping that there will be one in Australia (and specifically in Melbourne)! Also, I am currently working on a couple more apps... Hope to get them in before Christmas when I head to Sydney...!!!

VV: Wow! Seems like you are going to have a great end of the year! It was lovely to interview you and look forward to reading interesting posts on 'Unraveling Mystery'
M: Thank you VV and wish you a great end of the year too!
~

The ISB interview experience...

2009-11-30T16:20:00.010+05:30

So folks, as promised, I bring to you my ISB interview episode...
(WARNING: The post is insanely long... I seriously can't understand how I could keep typing to get such a long post!!!)
...................
My interview was scheduled for the 10th of November and I was intimated by ISB about this a week before. Certainly, I was quite excited and this time I wanted to make sure that I get my best out to them - articulate my work and personal experiences with a lot of zeal so that they can see the passion, the drive and the ability to take risks... Usually, I would not be too happy about my preparation. This time I was...

And then the day arrived. My interview was scheduled to take place at 2:45 PM IST (Indian Time) which meant me giving the interview at 8:15 PM Melbourne Time! The only disadvantage of this time was that it meant me being anxious throughout the day. However, a busy day at work helped. After a good day at work I returned home and got myself ready for the interview.

At sharp 8:15 I called on the required number and also started video on skype. As I mentioned in my previous post, it was a bit awkward to hold the telephone and also broadcast yourself to the interviewers on skype. Anyway, I had no choice.

Word of the interview -
The interview panel consisted of the Director of Admissions and female alum. The conversation began after they introduced themselves to me. I was then given the word 'Ecotel' and was asked to speak on it for a couple of minutes. This was for me a wonderful start since I am involved in the family hospitality business and could therefore mention about the same in my speech. The first few questions were therefore directed towards understanding my involvement in the business. I had also mentioned how the occupancy had increased due to a few marketing changes. I was asked in more detail about this and managed to put my points across.

The AdCom Director and the Alum were juggling between themselves while asking the questions, which made things all the more exciting - on one hand the questions asked by the Director were more close-ended and very fact based while the alum switched between fact based and soft skills/talent based questions.

Challenging situations -
After this the focus shifted on my work experience and I was asked to mention two challenging situations faced by me at workplace. I mentioned two of my most challenging situations each coincidentally had a woman as the protagonist. The alum specifically therefore asked whether it was just a coincidence or was there any other reason and I mentioned the truth that it was just a coincidence. I am not sure if this had any negative impact...

Extra-curricular (Passion) -
My passion for music and singing was also quite evident in my application where the focus later shifted. I was given a case where I was asked to find out how much music CD sale for an upcoming Telugu movie could take place if I owned a music recording company. I went through the various selling points and the probable customers ran through the extent of music piracy, the selling of music to radio stations etc. etc. and came up with a probable figure. I was then asked what I thought the population of Andhra Pradesh could be and I totally goofed up here citing a quite low figure around (2/5th of the actual population)! Not sure how negatively they took it! After that I was asked to sing a song (Yes! I was!) and I sang one of my recent favourites - title song from the movie Tum Mile! (Btw, please ignore one of the crappiest choreography ever seen in Hindi movies!)

The last leg -
In the final leg of the interview, I was asked how I felt about working in multiple geographies and what the differences were among the work cultures. The interview ended with me asking them a question about the alumni involvement.
...................

I was quite happy with my interview - I was asked the questions that allowed me to speak about my experience, to showcase my talent and to put my analytical skills to work.

A few points about the ISB interview:
> The interview is based totally on what you have mentioned in the essay. In short, be ready to elaborate and explain what you have written in your essays!
> It certainly is not a - 'Tell me all about yourself' interview. Be ready for close-ended questions and also a case study. The case might be based on some of the passion points you have mentioned in your essays
> Be cool, take few breathes before your interview - You need to bring your heartbeat down, reduce your anxiety and light up your braincells! It is pretty easy to do this and you will float through the interview
> For a telephonic interview - Make sure you have a very good handset! I didn't have a great landline handset and had to ask them to repeat their question a couple of times. Frankly, I seriously didn't understand the reason why whole interview wasn't conducted on skype
> Lastly, be yourself!

So... that was my ISB interview experience.
I received the results a couple of days before the final date and err... was not admitted! How do I feel? Well, I would say I am surprised! I am sure there are reasons for not admitting me . I am infact dying to know the reasons so I take extra care during my future interviews.

One thing for sure - I have bid tata (bye) to ISB... And hey, isn't it as much their loss as is it mine!?!?! :)

~

Thought provoking...

2009-11-29T09:35:00.006+05:30

I am getting my ISB interview writeup ready for you folks... And while doing that I stumbled upon this particular extract -

Don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
"Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same is with life where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.
One thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up?
It's ok, bunk a few classes, scoring low in couple of papers, goof up a few interviews, take leave from work, fall in love, little fights with your spouse. We are people, not programmed devices."

"Don't be serious, be sincere."

This supposedly is an excerpt from a speech by Chetan Bhagat at one Indian MBA school functions.

As for me, I am yet to hit a balance... How about you??!

Done with R1... R2 apps full-on!

2009-11-29T05:35:00.005+05:30

I had decided to be off blogosphere till I get my R1 apps done (with the intention that I concentrate on the apps during the little time that I get after work!!! Yes, a bit funny!). So now, R1 is done and I am back...

A lot has been done during the period since my last post. I completed 3 apps, became a proud uncle to 2 nieces and 1 nephew (phew!), (my team) completed the solution blueprint at work, gave speeches and handled roles at toastmasters, did more photography, saw many movies, made many new friends and finally, gave one interview and had one reject!

I will leave the rest of the things and jump directly onto my applications, interview and updates. I submitted 3 apps in R1 - ISB, Darden and Ross. The apps, I feel, have shaped up well and I have been able to highlight my strong points. This was proved for my ISB app when I received my ISB interview. With a lot of excitement and after much more practicing, I was ready for taking on the interview. Now, since I am in Australia I had to opt for the telephonic interview and frankly, I hate telephonic interviews simply because you cannot even see if the interviewer(s) are interested in listening to you or bored about you ranting on without making any sense. This makes it much more difficult to dynamically change your approach while speaking about a particular thing asked during the interview. Thankfully, it wasn't just the audio this time since ISB asked me to log onto Skype and also have video enabled. Now one thing that really really confused me - why didn't ISB the whole interview on skype? Why the video on skype and the audio on telephone. The video of me holding the phone and looking into the webcam while trying to think would have been definitely really funny! Hoping that they don't leak out!!! :)

Anyway, I thought the interview went well, except for a few things that I'll mention in my next post. But ISB wasn't too impressed with what they saw (or maybe they were just too impressed to think I am a right fit for the school - I like to think both ways!) and I received the 'Not-admitted' email a few days before the results deadline.

So now here I am, working on Tuck and Columbia and waiting to hear from dearest Darden and Ross. Btw, I really want to thank S&Y who helped me immensely during all my apps. Thanks to SG for getting the recos on time even in her insanely busy schedule and special thanks to RB for giving me tips for the app and the interview...

So... whats coming next?! My ISB interview experience!

~

Mind, body and creativity

2009-08-17T16:36:00.005+05:30

Got my ISB draft essays done and sent them to a friend over the weekend. I am still to send them out to a couple more reviewers. As I have already mentioned in my post here, reviewing is a very important activity and I should say that I had a great set of reviewers last year.
I have taken up Darden essays. Now, I am applying to Darden for the third year (yes, you read it right). I have had discussions with a couple of MBA students and they have given their views about my applying for the third time. It is not usual to apply thrice to the same school, however, there are a few reasons why I really would like to be at Darden. To mention a few, they are -
1. I have seen myself perform better in situations where I am challenging myself each moment. Darden is a really rigorous program and needs you to give in a lot. I am sure this pushing the limit will bring the best out of me and I will live upto and even exceed what is required of me!
2. Darden's stress on ethics is something which brings me back to Darden each year. An environment built on ethics, strengthened by knowledge and brought to life by an amazing crowd is always going to be my first choice
3. Darden is a high ranked program and boasts a wonderful faculty. Additionally, the highly collaborative culture makes it more appealing to me

There are a few more reasons... but wouldn't want to mention all of them here. Well, just to end it, I heard a lot about Charlottesville and also one of my very close friend stays very near to C'ville... All the more reason for me to the there!?!? :)

Another update - I have started training for quarter marathon. To tell you frankly, I SUCK at running. I have never been into cardio. The last time when I used to really run everyday was for the warm-up before playing table tennis which was around 10 years ago! Yesterday, I ran 5 Kms in around 40 mins... and today (just a couple of hours back) I completed 5.10 Kms in 29.49 minutes! I am pleased at myself. The marathon is in October (The Melbourne Marathon) and I hope to be diligent at training and am building my confidence at getting the 10 Kms run completed. Will keep you guys posted on that.

Finally, I have uploaded the photos taken during my maiden studio photography session... You will find them here. I will leave you at that and get back to my Darden essays...

Welcome to fellow applicants... Let our final journey begin!

2009-08-09T06:36:00.005+05:30

A Fresh start, yet again with lot more energy and the will to do it!
To give you a bit of the background, I am in this place for the 3rd year consecutive. Some people are surprised, some are annoyed and me especially, I am just... well, trying to be me! I think that is the best thing to do (advice anyone!?).
I was on the Darden waitlist till June end and finally decided to opt out so that I could take up new assignment at workplace and commit to them. I was really looking forward to getting back to school with the Darden class of 2011 and also meeting those wonderful set of people who helped me immensely during my application journey. Sadly, it wasn't this time.
However, I am now on this new assignment, in this new country (read: Australia) and it has been a wonderful learning experience till now. I am sure this has helped make my profile stronger and I hope that I can get this across to the schools where I apply.
So, fellow applicants, lets begin our journey... (hopefully) our final journey to get into a B-school!

best.

P.S.: I was contemplating starting a new blog and therefore rebrand myself and my journey... But doing a bit of studying revealed that it was wiser to continue in here... That is one of the reasons why I have been away for these couple of months...

Predicament

2009-04-22T11:59:00.005+05:30

I chose to get out of the current assignment at workplace anticipating to hear back from Darden by mid-April. Moving to India was going to make it easy for me to finish with work and gear up for the MBA expedition. Moreover, it would also have made sure that I get to spend a few months in India with family and friends. Of course, all was again with the assumption that I am admitted at Darden. In case of a negative response I was to take up this new and really exciting assignment by mid-May (already I pushed getting into it from April end to Mid-May).
As it turns out, I haven't yet heard back from the school. And I have now been able to postpone my taking up of the new assignment to the end of May-beginning of June. Now, the predicament is that if I dont get to hear from Darden till the end of the month, I will have to take up the assignment and once I commit it will be quite impossible for me to get out of it and go to Darden in case I am admitted. Also, it seems highly unlikely I will be able to postpone the date again... Given this situation, I am planning to speak to my admission's manager and keep her updated. I totally understand that the school might not go out of the way to pick up my application and make sure that I get a response on priority but atleast I would have let the school know about my situation. I somehow did not see this situation when I applied in the first round!!! Well, life's challenging and I love challenges but I wish this one was a bit smooth. One good news is that Darden now has come out with a loan program for international applicants and I am waiting to know the details...
On a completely different note, I have really got into drinking coffee (cappuccino to be specific). Till about 6 months back I hardly used to drink coffee but now I am totally into it... Have I really got myself ready for Darden (the first coffee tradition)!!?! I guess I caught the habit during my recent travelling spree... Hey that reminds me to post the link of some of the moments that I captured during my trip to Bratislava, Munich and Barcelona. I'll do it really really soon...

Of the waitlist, movement to India, IPL and BoB awards

2009-04-21T08:40:00.003+05:30

It is definitely worth mentioning how one teeny-tiny ray of hope (read: still waitlisted at Darden) keeps me cheerful and optimistic of being a part of the MBA 2011 wagon. After almost 3 years working at client's location in the UK, I have another good opportunity lined up. However considering my aspiration to be a Darden, I preferred to move back to India and work here for a while. I was hoping to hear from Darden by the beginning of April but that hasn't been the case. Now my only chance is during the results of the round 3 after which I will need to make a decision...
Day before I was speaking to a friend who has been helping me since the time I took up my Darden application and I just thought how bored she must be feeling to keep on talking to me about the same admission stuff! Waitlists are not bad... but they tend to be annoying sometimes (isn't it?!).
Yes, and I decided to move back to India. So currently I am trying to get myself updated on some of the stuff I couldn't pursue when I was in the UK. I am quite excited about all this and oh how could I forget, I do get to eat alphonso mangoes!!! (chuckle)
IPL2 kickstarted last weekend and Mumbai Indians won the opening match in style. What more could I have asked for!?! I wish the IPL was being played in India. You would then have had a chance to see me on TV (well, I had plans to watch the IPL live in the stadium). A bit unlucky there I must say...
And finally... the nomination list for the BoB awards is now out and the excitement begins again! There has been a lot of really amazing blogging during the last season and it will be really interesting to see who gets the awards... All the best to everyone who's been nominated and a gentle reminder that even I am one among the nominees :) ~~

Excess liquidity and something more...

2009-03-02T01:08:00.005+05:30

This week's Economist mentions about a survey which shows the amount of water needed to produce some everyday goods and beverages. And the facts are just astonishing... Never thought that the cup of coffee in the morning would consume that much of water for its preparation! Kinda interesting and a bit scary... check the article here.
The Darden interviews for round two are still on and the decisions will be released by end of March. I am hoping to send some helpful information across to Darden and wish that I make it this time. Fingers crossed... I am also waiting for Darden to give more information about the financing options for international students. The current economic situation makes me wonder how good/bad the options will be but I am sure (more so after listening to Sara Neher's video blog) that there will be a good option made available to students.
There are are also a few changes scheduled to happen at workplace. A very interesting opportunity has come up and I will have to base my decision after getting to know from Darden. Of course, Darden is my FIRST choice and a logical next step for me towards my goals.
Also, this month I visited Bratislava (Slovakia) and Munich (Germany)... Amazing trip! I was surely sad to be back. Both are really beautiful places and the local beers at both these places are amazing! I am also planning another quick trip next month to a new destination but I am not yet sure if it will indeed happen...

ISB interview results out...

2009-02-12T12:56:00.002+05:30

... and I have not been offered an admission this year.
"The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application for admission to the ISB. Despite your many merits as a candidate, I regret to inform you that we are not able to offer a place in the class beginning April 13, 2009.
Several members of our Committee carefully evaluated your application in the following areas: work experience, career plans, academic, extra curricular and community involvement, leadership and interpersonal skills. Decisions are based upon an evaluation of your individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as your qualifications relative to those of our applicants.
Please note that this decision is not a reflection of your personal qualities and achievements or your potential for success in management, but merely a reflection of the limited number of seats in the class."

Darden... we are left alone...

...and I am waitlisted

2009-02-07T00:34:00.006+05:30

Yes... Darden released its decisions on 30th Jan and I have been waitlisted. Somehow, I had completely missed out this option during my planning (I so hate myself!!!).
Oren has some nice piece of advice here for waitlisted candidates. I am hoping to send across more information about myself to the school to aid their decision making (preferably in my favor).
Life's actually a bit messy right now. But hey, I am still very much in the race~~

Another Wednesday, another interview - ISB

2009-02-06T14:23:00.000+05:30

The ISB interview was scheduled to start at 9:15 AM UK time which is 2:45 PM Indian Time. The night before the interview I was up till 3:30-3:45 AM (I think it was really stupid) as I came home late from office... And yes, I had a reason for coming late – an issue which unfortunately I would not be able to disclose here.

As part of my preparation for the interview, in addition to the usual stuff of going through the school's website, gathering the interview information through various forums etc., I got in touch with a few alumni. One of my mates who is an ISB alum had had a telephonic interview and he provided a really great insight into the ISB interview process... Even 'The Teacher' told me about his experience and gave me some pointers. A word of advice to anyone who is into the application process and especially who is waiting for an interview - try to get in touch with current students, alumni and candidates who have had their interview done. It really really helps.

Anyway, I had around 4 hours of sleep and got up at 8 AM, followed the usual routine and was ready at around 9AM. At 9:15 AM I gave a call which was answered by an alumnus (A) who introduced himself to me. Alongwith him there was one current student (S) on the panel. To begin with, I was given a word and I needed to speak on that word for about a minute... The word for me was 'fifteen'!!! Well, yes it was the number '15'. Like many who have faced this interview, for a couple of seconds even I was blanked out and later managed speak for a minute (and rambling on did boost my confidence!). After that began the real interview ---

A: “Tell me, how have you been preparing for the interview?”
Me: Here I told him how I had been researching more about the school even before I received the interview invite and also how I had been preparing after I received the invite especially speaking to students and alumni.

A: “Hmmm, so what questions are you expecting us to ask you?”
Me: (What!!! Why am I always asked this question!? I think I missed telling this about Darden interview - I was asked “What is the worst question I can ask you right now?” I think I gave a pretty interesting answer which did make him say – “That’s nice!”)… I told him that the questions can range from the usual questions like Why MBA, why now and why ISB etc. to questions more specific to knowing more about me like introspection into my extra-curricular involvement etc.

A: “Ok, so let me ask you something which you didn’t mention. What are your plans right after ISB?”
Me: Told him about my plans of moving into consulting and why I want to move into consulting.

A: “What do you think are the aspects which are considered during recruitment by a consulting firm?”
Me: “The GMAT score matters a lot and the analytical ability is really important… Besides that the experience…”

A: “You said analytical ability is important. How do you rate yourself on a scale of 10 for analytical ability?”
Me: “8-8.5 and higher”

A: “Ok, so you rate yourself really high… Well, I will give you a case and you do a very quick analysis by taking about 10-20 seconds and let me know your answer”
Me: “Alright”

A: “How many people in India would be using a pencil right now?”
Me: I right away got myself into the analytical mode. However, the call got disconnected (My phone restarted all by itself first time in my whole life!!! It had to be today!!!) and I got into a bit of a panic mode. However, I pulled myself together real quick, reconnected in about 30 seconds and right away began speaking (and actually speaking didn’t really get any time to think). I managed to get come to a particular figure and explained it to him by considering various scenarios.

After that there were a series of questions about my extra-curricular activities and what inspired me to get involved in those things etc. The interview ended by me asking them a couple of questions – one related to the placement scenario considering the current economic situation and the other related to the current financial times ranking.

I feel the interview did go well, although the more I think of the interview the more I feel that I could have done better... As said earlier, I was not really comfortable with the idea of a telephonic interview. I feel that the reactions of the interviewer make it easier for you to handle the interview. One of my friends, however, differed on this point and suggested that I think of the telephonic interview as an option where I don’t get to see the 'bad' response of the interviewer which can make things a bit easier for me... I totally loved this attitude and it sure helped me in my interview.
Comparing this interview with the Darden interview, I would say that the Darden interview was focussed on knowing more about ‘ME’. The ISB interview was instead focussed on analysing how I respond to situations and how I think and reply back. However, even though the approaches were drastically different, one common thing which was being analysed about me was how I would be during and after my MBA and also if I put thought into my speech.

For now the interviews are done. All I need to do now is wait...

ISB interview invite

2009-02-01T14:05:00.003+05:30

It was over a month that I had been waiting to hear back from ISB. With the kind of stir in my professional life, the anxiety to know about my ISB application was growing by the day. In this hustle-bustle, I even tried to get a new application started and submitted within a week. Well, I soon realised that it wasn't such a good idea and left it at that.
So... coming back to my ISB update.
22nd Jan 2009 - It was just another day in office. Anxiety was high and so was the confusion in my brain! I opened my mailbox from office and there it was; a mail from ISB titled - 'ISB Interview Schedule'!
Yes, I was selected for the ISB interview!!! Well, I again went into the 'ecstatic' mode which lasted for about an hour before I came back into my original self... The interview was scheduled for Wednesday 28th Jan and it was going to be a telephonic interview. I was already waiting...
(I am not particularly fond of telephonic interviews... Will speak about it in my next post)

après-Darden Interview

2009-02-01T00:13:00.004+05:30

Puff... and I am here. No no its not like I was caged inside a vase, but I did want to make my present felt magical (ok, enough with that already!).
Well, a lot of things have been happening (personally, professionally and with regards to MBA) and I have been hibernating in the blogging world for no apparent reason. So thought of coming back and getting out all that I wanted to let out since the past couple of months. I was off blogosphere after receiving the Darden interview invite, so I will continue from there...
It was Wednesday, 17th of December that I had planned to take the Darden interview. I was scheduled to have an alumni interview at London. After getting myself ready, I left for London late morning on 17th. There was a hint of tension when I left home but it lasted only till the time I reached the train station... Well, long story short, I reached the scheduled place on time and was ready to meet the interviewer.
I was directed by his PA into a meeting room and I was sat there for around 15 mins when the interviewer arrived. I had tried to gather some information about the interviewer before I went there, so I atleast had a bit of a background about him. We started with a casual conversation; he asked me whether I was offered any drink (tea/coffee) etc. (I had prefered to have a glass of water). Anyway, after a couple of minutes he told me that he would now like to proceed with taking the interview and that it would be an opportunity for him to learn more about me and also an opportunity for me to know how a Darden (ex)student conducts himself (Very well said by him!).
As I had expected, the first question was -- "Tell me all about yourself". He asked me to tell him everything about me right from cradle upto now, my future goals and how Darden fit in into all this. I spoke for about 30 minutes (I think it surely was a bit longer than that) on this one with intermittent questions/queries/requests for clarification coming from his side. It was a really nice time as I got a chance to tell him a lot of things about myself which I couldn't elaborate in my application.
After that he went on to ask me a few more questions to learn about different situations I have handled in my professional life, team management experiences, any racism incidences etc. It was all a conversation rather than -- "OK, why this!!? Why not this?!?! Are you not wrong in saying this?!?!" types of questions. He had my resume, so he did see how I had progressed over the years and asked me questions pertinent to my work experience. I also told him that I had been in touch with a few current students and how all that helped me in my preparation.

Overall I think the interview went well... I am not sure if a Darden interview can ever go 'Bad' as you just need to speak about yourself and I believe that shouldn't be too difficult unless you have lied in your application. I must, however, tell you that the more I thought of the interview later in the evening, the more I felt that I had made a few mistakes -- body language, flow of thoughts etc. etc.. I therefore met up with a friend in London and had a cup of coffee making sure I did not even coming near to talk about the MBA stuff.
Back on bed at night, I felt a slight achievement and had a really good sleep... Next day it was the annual workplace Christmas dinner and day after I was off to India for holidays and New Year!!! ~

Darden interview invite

2008-12-14T20:45:00.003+05:30

Apologies guys, have been away for too long. One always has reason for everything but in this case I don't want to dvelve into those things...
Last week Tuesday - The last couple of days had not been the best with regards to developments at workplace. The meeting in the afternoon with one of the client managers to discuss some future developments lasted for atleast a couple of hours and left me in no mood for anything! After I returned to my desk, I just happened to check my mailbox to see if any of my friends had mailed me (yes, I was so wanting someone to divert me from all the happenings at workplace!). And there I saw it - the Darden Admission Committee's response. My blood pressure sky-rocketed and I opened my account to check out the status...
"Invited for an Alumni interview" - Wow... I was just so thrilled... If I had shouted like the way I did in my mind, I am sure the whole town would have got scared!!!
Anyway, that was the story of last week when I heard back from Darden. One thing I would miss is going to Darden for the interview. Unfortunately, that wouldnt be possible since there's not much time for sorting out the Visa and I even have to head home to attend a couple of marriages.
My prep for the interview is on although I would be absolutely thankful if you have any advice for me. As such I heard that the Darden interview is more of a conversation than anything else and I just need to tell 'My' life story. I am also waiting to speak to the couple of people at Darden, that I know, to get some information that I need.
Till the next time, Happy Holidays to all of you and hope you have a Fantabulistic New Year! ~

Dardone

2008-11-02T02:45:00.004+05:30

28/10/2008 - Darden application submitted successfully
Yes, I did it and this time it wasn't just 6 minutes before deadline (although it still was the deadline date). It gave a feeling of super-happiness and I am much more confident about my application this time. There are many reasons for that; one of the them is that I spoke to current students this year and got a good insight into the school ! I am telling you guys, it really is quite helpful. So fellow applicants, make sure that you have 'Speaking to current students' in your To-Do list.
I have been relaxing a bit since 28th, getting back to Life. Started going back to the gym after this short break, recorded a couple of songs and waiting to upload them, need to take just 3 more photos (although I need to upload 6) to close my window and cooked a lot of spicy chicken at home! One thing I am still missing is having a night out with friends. I think my next 'super' night out will be with my fellow students... Optimistic, I am!
What's next? Apart from waiting to hear back from LBS and Darden, I will be completing my ISB app in the next couple of weeks and simultaneously fixing upon my list of schools for R2. I plan to apply to 3-4 more schools. So lot of work still remains as far as filling out the applications is concerned. And yes, I am hoping to be selected for an interview - there's so much I can speak about!!! (I sometimes keep on rehearsing! Should I try to get into Bollywood as few of my friends suggest :D !!?!)
Anyway, life's starting to rock a bit and I am really looking forward to my journey... Again, thanks a lot to E, E, P, O, A & S for all your valuable time/comments/advice etc. (Those are the initials of the first names). You guys seriously rock and I would love to study with such a crowd!
Dardone and even had a lot of fun. Now getting back to business...~~~

Darden progress

2008-10-24T02:13:00.005+05:30

Work on my Darden app is going well. Its been rather hectic at work (and was a bit boring for a day!) but didnt really affect my application process. Spoke to O, P & A and the conversations have been immensly helpful in getting an idea about the school & its community. Thanks so so so much guys! Also, thanks S for getting your comments across. You all have helped me totally confirm my choice of school. Fellow applicants take my advice, speaking to a student really helps a lot during the application process...
Have completed drafts of the first two essays. Its really funny that for the 2nd essay topic, I have made 3 different drafts each with a different story. I believe the 3rd one will be the right one since it also shows a different facet of my personality and demonstrates one of my extra-curricular achievements... But managing to get the details of any learning experience within the limit of 250 words is quite a task. Lets see what my reviewers have to say about my performance on this essay.
Successful launch of Chandrayaan-1 is an awesome news. Was propogating the news in office yesterday and by now, I believe, half of UK knows about the details of the mission ;)
Anyway, back to the essays now... I hope to get essay 3 draft done today. Then I just need to wait for my reviewers to come back (yea right, as if it is more of their responsibility to get the application done in time rather than mine. I think I have been crazy today!!!)... Cheerio ~

Focusing on Darden

2008-10-18T14:18:00.004+05:30

With around 10 days to go for Darden deadline, I am back in the 'high alert' mode! Although I had been a bit late in deciding about applying to LBS in R1, I am happy that I did make it in time and I believe that I have done a good job with my application. Fingers crossed.
As part of the strategy, I also need to get Darden done in R1. And there's not much time. I think I am okay with getting the essays done but have a query regarding recommendations. Since I am a re-applicant at Darden, I was wondering if it were okay to get a recommendation from the same person who recommended me last year. Last year, I had not done my research on 'Recos' and I believe I just got them done. This year, I have spent considerable time with my recommenders, discussing about my goals, my experience etc. and I am sure the recos are much better than they were last year, in terms of atleast the structuring. So it a good idea to keep one of the recommenders same as last year?!
Next, I am also waiting to speak to someone from the school to understand more about the community and the student spirit. Now, this I think is the difficult part taking into consideration that the students are going to be really busy and that I do not have much time to wait! Anyway, I am hoping that this gets sorted soon.
So, here I am with my Darden app, with more than a year of apping experience, with a much better profile than last year and definitely better understanding of the application process. Lets see where this takes me...

(Btw, need to head to the city center in the afternoon! Need to exchange one of the trousers I got during my last weekend's super shopping spree!!!)

... Mid-September to mid-October

2008-10-16T23:47:00.005+05:30

I was thankful that I went to the LBS info session because I was now completely inspired - the flame in me had lit up and the self-confidence had just blown up. Anyway, I managed to speak to my manager and the client CIO, both of whom agreed to write a recommendation for me. So one of the steps was done. The documents needed for the application were ready, which meant 2 out of 4 steps were done. Now what remained was - writing the essays and getting the recos submitted!
On 27th September, I went for the LBS Open House which was even better than the Info session and the best part was that I met EW. I had met EW last year at Oxford (SAID) school during Open house and so I knew him. Now, here I found him as a student of LBS!!! It was damn awesome as now I knew someone from the community which would make my job a little bit easier.
Over the next couple of weeks, I worked on my essays and spent a lot of time with my recommenders. My home mate has started hating me since I am on my application all the time and have no free time to watch movies! Fast forwarding, it was 12th October when one of my recommenders submitted the reco and I was thrilled. On 13th Oct, I had 2 essays still to write (from scratch) and one of my recos yet to be submitted. One of the essays was completed at about 3AM on 14th Oct (and the deadline was 14th Oct 17:00) when AS pinged me and asked if he could give me his comments about my essays. Well, I thought of going ahead and man it was not the best time for comments I believe. We spoke for more than an hour and he suggested a lot of changes in a couple of essays. I wont go into details here, but I managed to not sleep and got most of the comments incorporated before going to the office (yea, I could not have missed office as my manager knew about my LBS deadline and more importantly, I wanted to remind him to submit the reco!!!). At 16:00 PM, I was done with my essays and went to my Manager to remind him (probably for the final time) to submit the reco (I was scared that he would say - "Oh, I still have to think about a few things!". But thankfully that was not the case). Good news was - at 16:20 PM, my reco was submitted!
Now, I was giving a final check to my app and you know what - I was missing one of the scans of my undergrad marksheets! Damn!!! I checked and rechecked and rechecked but it wasnt there... I rushed home, started my laptop, got the corrected document uploaded and then - SUBMITTED the application with just 6 minutes to spare. Yes, it was the holy time of - 16:54 that I submitted my application... It was quite a journey. And I hope this makes you realise the importance of me not blogging and saving atleast 6 minutes (check my previous post for the 6 minutes reference).
Right now, LBS is done (and finger are crossed). But I will be taking up my Darden app and entering another rollercoaster ride... Darden - Here I come... Deadline - 28th October (Yea Baby, I'm loving it!)

(Btw, I have uploaded some LBS snaps which I took during the open day. You can find them here)

Hey, I am here... My story from my last post to mid-September

2008-10-16T23:31:00.004+05:30

August 25th was my last post... So its been a really long time since I have posted anything on my blog. I am not particularly happy about it (rather I hate it when I see the huge GAP) but I would like to think that I did save atleast some time (more than 6 minutes atleast) by not posting... Wondering what is with the '6 minutes'? Well, read on and you would know.
I started with my ISB app in August, a couple of days after my GMAT. I was going on okay but somehow was not quite confident of how things were moving and the way the essays were shaping up. With a deadline of 15th September, I didn't really have much time to contemplate about the essay topics and what I was going to write in.
Meanwhile, on 18th August, I attended the LBS Open House and man was it awesome!!! I met a few really interesting people there (prospective students, current students & alumni) and frankly speaking, LBS student blew me off!!! Their (both current students and alumni) enthusiasm was mind-blowing. And I would like to mention 'EH' to whom I spoke for about 25-30 minutes and got a very good picture of the school! Thanks EH.
After this session, I decided to attend the LBS Open House scheduled at the end of September. Coming back to my ISB app, well, the deadline date was nearing and nothing was really working. My recommenders were not fixed, my essays were going no where and I was just losing days. That when I made a decision to change my plans. I was so inspired by LBS - its community, its credentials, its flexible program and its diversity (or should I say DIVERSITY!!!) that I decided to go for it in R1 and push ISB to R2. Now, with just over 3 weeks for the LBS R1 deadline, I had a monsterous task of writing the essays, fixing up the recommenders, getting the recommenders to write the recos and finally getting the required documents so that I could get my LBS app done in R1... And I was all ready for the challenge.

Applications, info sessions and a little bit more...

2008-08-25T04:34:00.004+05:30

GMAT's done, applications' on! Haven't yet even neared the completion of my ISB application but atleast have gained a bit of momentum. I guess it is something that I should be happy about (and I am!).
Spoke to AW. He's been really kind to take time out and answer the plethora of questions I had! I think now I am much better composed and also better equipped to work on my app.
Last week I visited LBS. The info session was really nice. It wasn't just about the info but the alums and current students totally inspired me by their energy; absolutely each one of them! I had not really considered LBS, but now I will... I will be attending their open day too to understand a bit more about the school. Spoke to EH who is a star! She was not just a LBS alum but also a guide... Hope to meet her soon (might pour her some wine again ;))
Life at work is currently not really the best. But hoping that things get better. I still have a lot of confusion over my recommenders. But don't need to think much for the ISB app atleast. Right after that will come Darden and I hope some of the blogosphere folks help me out with the school info and related things (Calling Paige, Anand and others from Darden!).

~ the SAILOR

"WTF"

2008-08-12T05:06:00.004+05:30

Yea! I said it... again and again and again, a lot many times today! 45 seconds left and I had the last quant question to be answered... And how could I, how ever could I not just click on confirm and say yes before the time ran out!!! (didn't necessarily need to select the right choice!)
Although I scored better than what I did the last time, I could not help but fret over losing (atleast 10!??) points over the last quant (yes QUANT!!! Can you believe that!) question...
But then a 720 is not bad at all (isnt it?!). And I am trilled to see the super performance in Verbal (Weeeehoooo!!!)... All in all, it was worth giving the exam again and probably I did justice to myself as I wasn't in the best of physical and mental state the first time I gave the GMAT (which was last year).
The GMAT is not a difficult test. You DO NOT at all need hours and hours and hours of dedicated study. But yes, you need to study smartly and practice enough. Below are a few resource recommendations if you are preparing for the test
1. The Official GMAT guide (the most important book!)
2. Manhattan GMAT practice tests (tougher than the actual exam but surely, yes surely will help you to build up your stamina(!))
3. Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction guide (MUST HAVE - I owe it all to this book. Remember, it is a MUST HAVE)

Had scored a consistent 720 in the last 4 MGMAT tests and finally ended up with the same score. Actually, I had expected a +20 in the score since the MGMAT tests tend to be a bit more difficult, but then I guess I should now not be thinking much about it...
I will have a good sleep today after a really nice day! London was amazing, as always... And the amazing crowd which was seen even on a Monday afternoon was surely a treat (get the pointers...!)

...let the applications begin!

~ the SAILOR
P.S.: Apologies if anyone is offended by the use of "WTF" here, but then, 'Get the emotions!!!'

Two steps at a time...

2008-07-21T01:06:00.005+05:30

Lately, I have been able to give time to my GMAT prep which is really made me happy (there are a few other reasons too for my bubbling and dancing, but lets stick just to this one!!!). Simultaneously, I have also taken up the ISB application and am planning to get it done by mid-Aug (max!). Kinda trying to catch up with my plan. Lets see how well I am able to get along.
For now, besides the prep and application, I am already looking forward to the British Motor Show. Anyone of you planning to join me??? Btw, look out for me with my shooting machine!!!

$ Hallelujah $ Hallelujah $

I am here

2008-07-12T22:56:00.004+05:30

Not exactly an hibernation but then I have been off blogger for some while now. Have been really really busy working on a few things. Life's certainly become a bit better than what it was and I am loving it...
A few things that are lined up and are keeping me busy -
1. Retaking the GMAT
2. Revisiting my list of schools
3. New role at workplace

There are also a couple of changes to my blog. Firstly, I have slightly modified the placement. Wanted to make my blog a bit more tidy. And secondly, I changed the font of my posts. Now, it feels a bit more composed and stable! (Oh yea, I think I can blabber about just anything). Expect a few more changes within the coming weeks (any feedback is welcome!)

I am seeing a few of my past fellow applicants also re-taking the GMAT. All the best to all of them too! Hope we all do well...
Ok now, let me get back to ... well, what was I doing!!?!?

~ the SAILOR

Time's money... reiterated and well so!

2008-05-26T18:39:00.009+05:30

You must have already heard about Randy Pausch, a Virtual Reality Pioneer at CMU. Well, heard a couple of his lectures on youtube and man is he impressive or what! There's so much to learn apart from the things he delivers.

Anyway, check out the lecture on time-management he delivered at UVA and yes, do not also miss the 'Last Lecture'. Corporations spend a lot on training their employees on soft skills and when you have one freely available, you should not miss the chance!!!
I have also made some notes out of the Time Management lecture (to benefit you as much as to me) and you know what I have planned give them a glance everyday for the next few days to incorporate their essence into me.

~ the SAILOR
**********************************************
Video: Randy Pausch - Time Management
Time Management

To-Do list – Arrange them in the priority as below
Keep your desk clear
Use speaker phones whenever you can (ofcouse, considering other people's convinience as well)
When on a business call, start by announcing goals for the call
Avoiding Telemarketing – Hang up the phone while you are talking
Write ‘Thank you’ notes
Say ‘NO’
Turn email notifications off. They tend to disturb you
If you are being interrupted, say ‘I am in middle of something’ or say ‘I have only 5 minutes’ and then you have an option of prolonging it if its that important
Procrastination: Set false deadlines and stick to them; Ask! Don’t think too much. Sometimes all you have to do is ‘ask’!
Delegation to subordinates: Grant authority with responsibility; Delegate but do the ugliest job yourself; Treat your people well – with dignity & respect
If you want to get something done from a colleague or a subordinate, you CANNOT be vague. Give them - a specific thing to do, a specific date and time, a specific penalty or reward
Do not under-delegate. People actually yearn for the opportunity to learn
Communication HAS to be clear. Get it in writing (send an email to have it logged and so that nothing is missed)
Give people objectives NOT procedures. Don’t tell people how you want to do it but tell them what you want them to do. Let them surprise you with a way of solving the problem in a way you would never have imagined
Tell people the relative importance of each task. Prioritize stuff
When people do things that you like, praise them and thank them. Say to them ‘Thank you. I really appreciate, you did a great job!’’
Meetings: Need to HAVE an agenda. If there is no agenda, don’t chose to attend; One-minute minutes - At the end of the meeting, someone has to write in less than a minute – what decisions got made and who is responsible for what and by when and email it out to all the attendees
Change the way you are doing things
Make you have a GOOD sleep!!!
and finally, GET feedback slips (from your subordinates as well as bosses)

Moments, awards and more...

2008-05-10T05:29:00.005+05:30

I have been hiding... or so you might think. But there's so much going on that I hardly turn on my laptop nowadays (and btw, I hate it when I cannot take out time to post a few lines here!!!)...
Anyway, the BoB awards were out last week and its so nice to get a mention (although would have loved to be in the Top 10 list, but then I know my life never achieved anything without struggle :D)... Well, 'The Board' has received the 'Best single post' award!!! Woohoo... Hope the advice has helped a few.Last week I had arranged an event - two plays in my town. There was so much to learn - right from getting the logistics ready to trying to market and gather people, in less than 10 days! Boy oh boy... And around 60+ people coming for the event, turned it into a success story. Not much went into my pockets but then lot went into my brains. So that was really a nice experience. Have some snaps on flickr.
Have also been playing with my new love - my Nikon D80 (and what did you think!?!)... The weather's been really nice since a few days (touchwood!!!) and the weekend was spent capturing moments. You can check out the latest on flickr again.
And finally, there are some movements in my workplace responsibilities too... Have been given the role I was wanting to undertake and its really exciting (and of course too much challenging)... I am loving it.

Well, it seems that the sun's finally started rising and I can say the initial sunrays have already made life fresher and more beautiful...

~ the SAILOR

Let's Revisit Capitalism

2008-04-17T04:58:00.005+05:30

Read the editorial today and it made me think and get a bit scared about how things currently are. The future leaders (and of course the current ones) need to always remember the social responsiblity they have. There's so much damage we are currently causing to our world and somehow we need to act fast and with utmost.
I am sure the read will be an interesting one for you as well... Check it out here - Let's Revisit Capitalism

Btw, I need to get my BoB ballot card filled in and sent across... have you done it already!?

BoB awards 2008 and life currently

2008-04-16T00:46:00.010+05:30

The ClearAdmit Best of Blogging 2008 Nominee list is out...
"And the nominees are..." - Well, I feature in the list of 25 Nominees.
Thanks Clear Admit!

... and another wait begins! :) (...I really wish that the outcome of this is not as bad as it has been for me with the applications this year...)

Feels good, really. I hope that some of my posts have been helpful to others. This blog surely has been really helpful to me.
Getting nominated is a pleasure and an honor. I will keep posting since my m.b.a. application journey will continue (and hopefully for only the next year). Will surely have some informative (and of course, entertaining) posts!

With regards to life, well, the 'My MBA would not be starting this year!!! :(' phase has passed long back. I have been involved in a number of activities, both, at work and outside. Performed at the Hull Community Center (lovely experience), got a Nikon D80 (got my creative juices flowing already!) and waiting for the re-org at workplace (I am also contemplating moving jobs if things dont go as I would like to). Most importantly, I am thinking of taking the GMAT again. Will decide upon that by this weekend. I have a 680 and I was expeting around 750. Moreover, I had been keeping sick for a month when I gave the GMAT. So I feel I surely can do better. If I need to give the GMAT again, I would have to give up most of the other activities (which actually I am not too scared to)... Any piece of advice on retaking the GMAT?

Well, thats what I have to say right now. Hope you would love sailing along while I unravel the mystery...

~ the SAILOR

... hmmm

2008-03-27T06:27:00.007+05:30

HBS replied today. This is what they said -

"The MBA Admissions Board appreciates your interest in our MBA Program and the considerable effort evident in your application. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer you a place in the MBA Class of 2010.
The MBA Admissions Board carefully and thoughtfully assesses each application. Because of the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to admit many candidates who have excellent credentials and who demonstrate strong promise for careers in management. Thank you for considering our MBA Program, and please accept our best wishes for future success."

And with that ended my wait and my hope of starting with MBA course this year. Well, the feeling is really mixed. I am too sad (esp. for missing out on Darden where I was really wanting to go) and I am somewhat shocked. Shocked - not because I think "How could these schools not take me in!?!?!?" but because - one, I applied to just three schools and two, because I was hoping to atleast go to the interview for one of the schools and got an interview invitation for none!
Anyway, now I need to contemplate how I need to move forward. One thing urgently needed is a change in my role at workplace. Hope to get something sorted out on that front soon.
My journey continues and I hope I would be of help to anyone who is new to this admission process. But before that I need some things clarified myself!

Still sailing...

~ the SAILOR

Darden response

2008-03-24T18:59:00.005+05:30

"After careful consideration, the Admissions Committee regrets to inform you that you are not offered admission to the Darden School MBA program. Thank you for your interest in the Darden School. We wish you success in pursuing graduate management study and in your future career."

Nothing to say. But I hate it when all the sad events need to happen on the same day. I was really hoping (and quite positively) to get through to the interviews as far as Darden is concerned. But that's not going to happen this year anymore.
... now Harvard's left. And so is the little hope...

~ the SAILOR

Studio #82.06.09

2008-02-15T05:36:00.007+05:30

Its really quite frustrating to wait, wait and wait!!! Besides, there needs to be mitigation plan in place. I am currently making sure that there is a good mitigation plan in case things dont turn out the way I want them to be. But I really hope to start with my MBA this year. Fingers crossed. As a mitigation plan I am also trying to secure a managerial position in my organization. So there are many things I am waiting for...

Well, today I unveiled my virtual studio - Studio #82.06.09. Thats a place where people can access my personal recordings. I have just started it (you can visit it here). Would love if you visit it and let me know how you liked the feel of it. Currently I have uploaded just one Hindi song. But I hope to upload a few English songs too. So thats one new thing in life.

I am still waiting and really wanting to write a post about how to gear up for GMAT and the aftermath (I think this word suits the context so much!). Hope that will be my next post.

Catch ya soon.

~ the SAILOR

Hibernation...

2008-02-11T05:24:00.001+05:30

Exactly 14 days since my last post... I have now completed watching the first season of LOST, bid goodbye to our previous CIO, been involved in multiple high priority issues which occured in the client system, restarted my gymming, played badminton after ages and had a couple of great weekend parties... not bad huh! Well, but then when I sit on my bed and give a thought to how I spent my whole day, I kind of get a bit scared thinking that I am still in this waiting period hoping that things will turn out well... Actually speaking, there is nothing else that I can do except waiting. But that is what I feel. Do you have any other thoughts, comments, advice on this?!

Currently, I have also been reading quite a bit (work related and non-work related). There are so many things that I want to fit in each day, before life starts to move forward, that I am already finding these 24-hours to be too less. I surely need to optimise my time-management skills!

People have been hibernating, as rightly expected. Quite a few have not updated their blogs since start/mid January (which were around the deadlines for R2 of many schools) and some who have, have done so intermittently (including me!)

All I would like to say to all is to make the most of this 'free' time cause probably you would not get so much amount of 'free' time once your MBA journey starts...

Agreed!?

~the SAILOR

LOST

2008-01-27T17:28:00.001+05:30

Saturday 26th January
6:00 am: Up after a marathon 12+ hour sleep. Don't know what made me so tired. Probably the dance last night and the drinking (althought it was just a couple of drinks) and the whole day of work.... But I have never been that tired so as to skip my dinner! Anyway, here I am awake at 6 on a Saturday morning. And then I get hooked on 'LOST' (which thanks to Oops, I found on joox! I owe you for this buddy)
12:30 am: I force myself to shut down my personal laptop and move to bed to read a few documents! And why I force myself to shutdown the laptop is because by this time I have watched 12 episodes of LOST!!! Can you believe it!!! Well, its been a big deal for me considering that I would have watched many more than that had I not been to the gym and then to friend's place for lunch!

Anyway, the Saturday's lost (well, not quite since I lovvvvvvvvvvvvved the series till now. I am getting these random thoughts where I feel I can start my own blog with fiction stories. Woudn't that be cool!)

From my application front, well, there's nothing much to do than to wait for hearing back from the school. Fingers are crossed and the mind keeps praying. I know I have it in me. The only thing I am anxious to know is whether I have been successful in making them realize that.

Sunday 27th January
6:30 am: A quick call to dad to discuss something important
6:45 am: LOST episode 13...

Unraveling Mystery... yea, so right.

~ the SAILOR

a light m.i.n.d

2008-01-16T05:02:00.001+05:30

Peace - sometimes there are moments when you feel so much at peace even when nothing around has changed; the same people, the same blabber, the same tension, the same, well, girl-friend (or boy-friend - suit yourself, be comfortable!). I had a few moments of peace today.
After a lot of thought giving, I took up the Sloan application last week (This was after I was sure of not going ahead with my Stern app). The website was my main source and I dvelved into it a lot for a couple of days... But as I had feared, there was a lot of work last week! And then over the weekend had those presentations which I could not have missed.
I gave a lot of time to essays and other application sections but as luck would have had it, I could not read much about the school and had no confidence while writing the cover letter. With only an hour left to the deadline it would have been quite unfair on my part to come up with a 'pointless' cover letter and submit the application. And in those couple of minutes I took a decision of leaving off Sloan... Puff! And it was over... a light m.i.n.d...

~ the SAILOR

: As of now I am done with my applications. If at all I apply for any more, I will make sure I have it listed here... And yes, more importantly there's an abode of knowledge about the applications process which I would be posting regularly to help someone like me do better than what I did!

m~e~s~s

2008-01-12T17:46:00.001+05:30

The last two days have probably been the worst two days of my application period... Have been keeping quite busy in office and worse than that haven't been able to gather thoughts and put them against the Stern essays... Is it just me or do the Stern essays really seem to upset everyone who is planning to or has already applied there? And surprisingly, I did not find any mission statement for Stern MBA? Have I missed it out? Somehow I am feeling quite negative about my Stern application.
Although I have everything filled up and mailed except the essays (with which I am really really struggling), I am still wondering whether I should be investing those $200 into this application.
With only a a few days left I have to decide and act fast... and from my work end I have yet to prepare for the presentations!!!
Its a big mess.

~ the SAILOR

Situation 'alert'

2008-01-09T00:51:00.001+05:30

... and to worsen the already struggling situation, I now need to go to London on Sunday for a strategy meeting and on Monday my schedule is completely packed with presentations and other work! Effectively, I would lose atleast two whole days considering the travel and the long work hours.
With just 7 days left to submit my Stern applications, its an 'alert' situation considering the fact that I have just started with the essays. The recommenders also yet need to be told about the Stern application and I really hope they are okay with the frenzied situation.
Basically, I have started the battle for myself... Now, I just hope to win it!

~ the SAILOR

A slight change of plans...

2008-01-08T06:16:00.001+05:30

Does this happen often with applicants?!? A slight change of plans... well, even during the unraveling mystery phase!
Had worked on UNC essays... Had got them reviewed. Even the recommenders had started working on my recos. And then the feelin' - "No! I dont see myself a fit in there". Its past 4th Jan, the essays are still on my hard drive, the recos are left half way and not UNC R2 deadline has skimmed past me. I have bid a 'tata' to UNC.
I reserached about Stern and felt something good about that school! Although I would have loved to visit it and get a feel I am not too disappointed considering the fact that one of my good mates is a current student at Stern. And so the Stern journey begins.
After the flurry of enthusiastic recording the other night, the last two evenings (or nights) have been quite composed. But I need to really give time for Stern essays now that there's not much time left...
Stern... Stern... Stern... here I come.

~ the SAILOR

P.S.: I have been highly disturbed by the Australian cricket team's spirit and have spent quite some time reading and watching news as well as signing message boards!

and now you too can listen to it!

2008-01-06T08:07:00.001+05:30

Did some household shopping today... then spent the evening on applications. And now in the night, I am up just to upload the new Hindi song that I have recorded. Thought of sharing the link. It's the song 'Maa' (Hindi for 'Mother') from 'Taare Zameen Par' (a recently released Indian movie).
Super lyrics... The thoughts of the young boy are so nicely told.

You can listen to the song online here
You can also download the song. Right click here and select 'Save Target As...'

I might get a video compiled for this... Not sure though since I need to see how much time I have.
Now, let me catch some much needed sleep... see ya tomorrow!

~ the SAILOR

lovely thursday

2008-01-04T06:35:00.001+05:30

Yes... it has been a 'lovely thursday'! I was expecting to get a good '6-hours' sleep and truly speaking, last night's sleep was the best sleep in atleast last 5 months... I got up all fresh today and without any kind of tension on the back of my mind. (But as 'Paige' has mentioned in her comment for the previous post, it really is a bit sad that a 6-hour sleep is considered to be good night's rest!)
The day went really well in office and I could concentrate a lot on my work! Later in the evening went out for a bit of shopping and then I also did catch 'Taarein zameen par' (newly released Hindi movie) in cinema... Had my dinner at a nice Indian restaurant and returned a while back.
Now tucked in the quilt, I thought of posting before I went of to sleep...
lovely thursday - certainly worth the few minutes of nice sleep I would lose tonight...
Tomorrow getting back to the application process - 'awesome friday!'

~ the SAILOR
P.S.: found a nice read on 'alcohol in business school'. Thought of sharing it with you...

HBS wait begins

2008-01-03T07:00:00.001+05:30

01:31 AM - 03/01/2007
HBS Application Submitted

It really has been hard work. Had been too confused about a few essays till couple of days back and I changed the contents of almost all of the essays today! Although, I feel that the application has shaped up nicely... Well, there goes one more to my list of 'Waiting-to-hear-back'... My mind's too light now (less than 5 minutes after submitting the application).
Need to say a few 'Thank You's
> To my recommenders for getting things done well before deadline
> To my reviewers for giving me those nice bits of advices
> To clearadmit.com Blogger for the excellent analysis of HBS essays... You made me change most of my essay content in the last couple of days!
> To P for always being so helpful
> To mbarunnergirl for being the only one to post a comment on my HBS essay confusion post

Now, I need to have the much needed deep 6-hour sleep.
... dreamin already...

~ the SAILOR

2-THOUSAND-8

2008-01-01T07:13:00.001+05:30

Wishing all my readers a very
HappY, ProsperouS, ExcitinG, AdventurouS, DifferenT and AwesomE NEW YEAR

two-OOO-eight - Lookin' forward to having fun with you

To
:: All the MBA aspirants - wishing you all the success with the applications
:: All my readers - wish you get to read many more informative, comic, stupid, intellectual and diverse posts
:: Myself - wish you maintain and grow the enthusiasm you have, the energy you have and the creativity you have (duh! and people call me modest!)

And what a way to start the new year! My blog's crossed the 2000 mark already... Thanks so much you guys...

~ the SAILOR
(and there goes my first post for the year!)

Need your view - HBS essay 5

2007-12-31T07:42:00.001+05:30

The HBS essay 5 topic is - 'How have you experienced culture shock? '
I am quite confused about the topic and need pointers for the same.

Does this topic mean
1. What surprised you or shocked you when you entered a new environment and how you overcame the shock
or does it mean
2. Explain about your experience of working in a global environment - the challenges faced and your accomplishments

Any leads will be really appreciated. Dear readers, please pour in your thoughts...

~ the SAILOR

Know what type of Leader you are...

2007-12-31T04:03:00.001+05:30

Want to know what type of leader you are? Well, take this quiz. Although this wont, obviously, give you the perfect answer, you will atleast get some lead and start a thought process.
http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl-leadershipquiz.htm

Also, read more about leadership styles which might, if you havent yet submitted your leadership essays, help you to write effective essay.

~ the SAILOR

Can I?

2007-12-31T00:46:00.001+05:30

I was speaking to a friend during the cold winter evening about our careers and we were discussing about this common friend who just received admits from two top shot schools. And then I started re-evaluating my profile...

Me:
> A good international work experience
> Excellent skills at workplace
> Demonstrated leadership at workplace and extra-curriculars
> Unmatched enthusiasm and ability to take initiative
> A great Team player
and a few more qualities here and there...
> But finally, all said and done - An Indian Male IT!

Now, does that leave any scope for me to get into the top programs which are the only ones I am aiming at? The confusion - AGAIN!

~ the SAILOR

Darden wait begins

2007-12-30T00:13:00.001+05:30

The Darden application was finally submitted today -

From: darden@darden.virginia.edu
Sent: 29 December 2007
To: {--removed--}
Subject: You have submitted your application to MBA for Fall of 2008

I have been working on this application for a long time. Got my recommendations on time, essays done on time, had attended the Darden event and also spoke to the Dean! My application seems to have taken a nice shape. Now its all upto the Darden AdComm; well, atleast till the interview invite...

The wait begins...

~ The SAILOR

Another milestone reached

2007-12-16T06:54:00.001+05:30

UNC essay drafts completed and sent for first review.
Am so happy that this day wont end as another unfruitful day. Moreover, I have been tensed since Christmas season is on and few parties are lined up. So that makes it a bit more difficult to concentrate on application work.
Watched '50 First Dates' again today. That movie brings me on track right away! Probably thats the reason I could get my thoughts flowing.
By the way, today I also was asked whether I planned to change jobs, by a client manager who was recommending me! However, I have now stalled any such thing from happening before things on MBA front are clear(which seems logical isnt it?). Any thoughts on these are welcome.
Anyway, I will sleep early today (well around 2 AM - atleast I will have a good sleep considering that a milestone was reached!)... Catch you guys later.

ciao

~ the SAILOR

Locked

2007-12-16T00:39:00.001+05:30

My thoughts seems to be in this locked room which is lying at the bottom of the ocean... This is some state which seems to have taken me into a deadlock.

I got up early this morning, took a bath, had breakfast, watched TV for 15 mins and got to my essays... Its past 7 pm and I haven't worked on my essays much. I keep on looking at the topic, I know what points are to be covered; but "NO", I am not putting them down in my essays... And at the end of the day I am in this insanely intense mess of thoughts, none of which relate to the essays... I am really bored today - Bad weather, absolutely no work on essays and none of my close friends online on gtalk! Damn, the O2 international calling number has also been disabled... (Do I need a girl friend!?!?)

One more off day... But I will get back. I should be getting UNC and HBS essays completed, reviewed and submitted by next weekend. Seems possible as of now.

By the way, had an awesome night out the other day at the Client Christmas Party. Superb setup, party atmosphere, beautiful faces and astonishingly high rate of cleavage show! Was I drunk or was I drunk!? Well, for sure I was NOT!

~ the SAILOR

Getting there...

2007-12-13T04:10:00.001+05:30

Two done, working on the third and last - This is the current status of my UNC essays... There's a lot of stuff to be done and I am already running out of time considering the Christmas parties which are lined up!!!
I am trying, trying hard. This year has not been to kind to me on the personal front. I hope all this goes well...
After a long time today I had food at a local Indian joint which I loved going to. In this chilly weather eating tikka with fresh Nan is heaven.
Return home, change, sip apple juice... and here I am working on my essays again!

~ the SAILOR

:: 'thousand' - Officially

2007-12-09T17:49:00.001+05:30

Yes... 'Unraveling Mystery' has officially crossed the 1000 viewership mark... Feels great that people are stopping here to have a read (hopefully!)... Thanks a lot my READERS. Hope to make this blog a really useful one for all MBA aspirants... My knowledge gain is on guys.

Just to let you know, day before I visited the Oxford SAID Business School. Will write about that. And yesterday I gave my first ever live stage singing performance here in UK! Will post a small video of that too...

Ok now, let me get immersed into my essays.........

~ the SAILOR

1:52 AM: Eyes wide open

2007-12-03T07:22:00.001+05:30

Finally!!! Makes me so happy that I am able to stay awake for that long... I have always been a person who harldy sleeps. With my motto - 'Enjoy life to the fullest', I always felt that sleeping is like wasting hours. Instead I would spend those in thinking about constructive and creative things or probably carrying out similar tasks!
Anyway, since last couple of weeks, I have been sleeping for about 8-9 hours. Due to that I have hardly been able to take time out for my applications. So today when I am awake for so long (or rather - back to my old self) I feel so happy!!!
I am gonna give my best, just need to hang on... (Yes, these self-confidence building words are so necessary)
... guess I have started nicely for my UNC application.

~ the SAILOR

Kenan-Flagler: Getting into...

2007-12-03T01:03:00.001+05:30

Well, not literally 'Getting into'... I guess its more like - 'Preparing myself for Kenan-Flagler'...
I had been into hibernation for two weeks... Was getting into the groove, completing my HBS essays. But, my injury forced me to take a break since I could not concentrate at all... Coming back to UK into this cold weather took my whole last week.
With this break, it was becoming too hard for me to concentrate on my HBS essays and so I thought of not wasting much time and moving on to the UNC essays. I will come back to HBS essays soon (have to!!!)... Till then UNC - I am getting ready to introduce myself to you...

~ the SAILOR

More on essay reviewing

2007-11-20T01:39:00.001+05:30

Good advice on essay reviewing... Find the full blog here :: JulyDream. Thanks for this comment Paige.

Few things - first, I'm by no means an expert. I have been fortunate enough to get past the "mess" stage and submit a few applications. That being said, here are a couple of suggestions based on your post.First, if you need to rewrite - go for it. The hardest part of the essays, imo, is the content. Once you get the content, you can fix the transitions. So figure out what you want to write, what makes you special.Second, get a first draft complete. Yes, it won't be perfect, but when it's YOUR writing, sometimes it's hard to see the big or outside picture. Find a close friend that is good at editing and let them review it. (Two ways to review, just give it to them and let them tell you what they think or specifically ask them if you have answered the question and mark up syntax errors/grammar/spelling, etc.) In addition, another way to personally review your essay, esp. sssays with word limits, read each sentence, make sure it relates to the question, then if it does, see if it's necessary and important. You'll be more concise.Finally - remember, this is a process. And sometimes it's easier to leave an essay and come back to it later. I hope this helps! Best of luck to you.

~ the SAILOR

Tackling HBS essay 1

2007-11-19T16:38:00.001+05:30

Having gone through a few HBS essay 1 analysis, I have started writing mine.
The topic goes: What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such?
I have decided to have a professional-personal-college structure. This way I would be able to exhibit that I can excel in any environment as suggested in the clearadmit blog. One thing I need to take care is that my leadership ability needs to be put forth very strongly since HBS is looking for leaders!!!
Have any thoughts or suggestions? Do let me know and we can discuss upon the same...

Here's me starting off... Will update as I move along, completing my draft

~ the SAILOR

Pointers on HBS Essays

2007-11-19T13:42:00.001+05:30

Everytime I read those essay topics, I start framing how and what I am going to write. However, I want to make sure I am not misunderstanding the topic and this leads me to search for resources where I an cross-check my understanding. Not only that, I look out for resources which help me make my essay better...
Here's a link which I found to start with. I'll be appending more links as and when I come across them...
HBS essays: Accepted.com

>> More
clearadmit analysis
mbaMission analysis

Back to steering the boat towards HBS applications!!!

~the SAILOR

Procrastination Beast... Tame it!

2007-11-18T18:28:00.001+05:30

Most of us have that 'bug' inside us which makes us procrastinate... Small things which hardly take any time are prolonged for many days or probably months till a point comes and shoots up our Blood Pressure!
In this scenario when we are actively getting involved with activities having strict timelines and involving a lot of investment, its so very important not to procrastinate.

I came across this post suggesting ways to 'Tame the Procrastination Beast'. This should help you strap on and move forward!

~the SAILOR

the HBS application journey

2007-11-17T02:40:00.001+05:30

Yes... this was initially the first application I was going to work on... But now after much delay (which I think has been the right decision) I am taking up the HBS application. The confusions, frustrations, opinions - everything related to the HBS application is gonna get spilled here.
So - 'Watch this space for more.'

~ the SAILOR

ISB - you are gonna miss me!

2007-11-16T17:06:00.001+05:30

... well, it all had to be on the same day! With the shock I was in, any damn life form would have easily predicted that one more bad news will be my last news...
But one can never judge the potential of a human... after all those shocks in one day, I opened my mail box to see - 'We regret to inform you that your name does not figure in the list of applicants that we have short listed for the interview process.'. And that has not been my last news... the story continues and is all setting well now.
Why... I mean why all this!?!? People who knew me for just like say 2 hours were predicting that I would get in and the modest being that I am, would say "Its not a piece of cake... Let me reach the interviews first!" and puff - its all gone!
Wish I could know what went wrong. In a way this has now helped me to concentrate on my US B-schools...
... ISB, seems like you are gonna miss me...

~ the SAILOR

the Board

2007-11-16T02:40:00.001+05:30

For every company, the Board of Directors is something that needs to be strong. In a similar way, an applicant needs to have a good Board of Reviewers.
I messed this department a bit. I had thought of a couple of people whom I asked for help to review my essays. However, I had not at all strategized the review process. I recently realised that I was making a mistake by getting my essays reviewed from individuals with the same skill set!
There are quite a few things to be remembered while chosing your reviewers and I thought of getting them out here to make your life a bit easier, if at all.

1. Diversity:
As with everything, even your reviewers need to be from diverse backgrounds. If you are from a banking background, get reviewers from banking, IT, arts etc. The point is that you will get

2. One person who doesnt know you:
Those who know you have already created an opinion about you. This makes the review a bit biased. Get one person who doesnt know you at all; maybe your friend's friend's sister. Get his/her opinion on what he/she feels about you, of course, through the essays. Catch hold of this person for the reviewing process whenever he/she is free since it'll be a lot difficult to follow up

3. The Grammer Man/Woman:
Dont rely on the spell check tool!!! Get a person who you think has good understanding of grammer rules and ask him to just skim through. Shouldn't be taking much of a time for that person to let you know your mistakes

4. Choose reviewers whom you can remind about the review:
Its not at all easy to keep reminding a person whom you hardly know to complete the review of the essays. Make sure you atleast build a rapport with the person who's going to review your essays so that you dont end up getting silly review comments!

Well, for now thats all I can think off... Will update whenever some new ones zoom into my mind...

~ the SAILOR

P.S.: Yes, I am still plugged on to the ipod

...with the ipod plugged in

2007-11-16T02:18:00.001+05:30

Its 2:30 AM and I just plugged into my ipod. Yes, I am not sleepy at all! Since the past few days, I have been sleeping pretty late trying to work on my Darden essays. Sometimes I feel I am just thinking too much about the essays. I need a break but there's no time! And today after having just sent my essays for review I feel like taking on the HBS essays...
... but only after listening to my ipod for a few hours!

~the SAILOR

Messed up

2007-11-13T00:50:00.001+05:30

The last few days have not been the best days of my life! Things seem to be kinda messed up. Frankly speaking, life feels messed up since few months... Need to get things in place soon and there's lot of work to do!
Completed the Darden Essay 3 draft and submitted for review. Am not very confident about this one... Waiting anxiously for the comments. And yes, I've already started work on the HBS essays! Cheerio to me...

the SAILOR

The Darden essay 3

2007-11-12T02:24:00.001+05:30

Yes! The first 2 essay drafts have now been worked upon and I am moving towards Darden Essay 3 which has been confusing me for quite some time now... I have been asking people for getting some pointers but that hasnt helped me much yet.

But I am still in a pause mode, tickling my brain cells and trying to extract the best that I can for this one - the one which has muddled me so much.

I so much feel like pumping my energy into these essays... I think I have been atleast a bit successful in the first two essays. Dont want to lose my focus for this third one!

Well, as of now, I am moving forward with a lot of zest!

~the SAILOR

Going good with Darden essay 2

2007-10-30T18:03:00.002+05:30

Decided to give Essay 1 some rest and went on the Essay 2. Good start I must say. Have almost got a draft ready. Needed one clarification though. In essay 2 and 3, should we also specify how our choice (rather our personality) has been advantageous in professional life?

I have put in a couple of sentences to show how my personality has helped me. Let me know your thoughts.

~ the SAILOR

Dard-en confus-ion

2007-10-29T14:31:00.001+05:30

Every time after scribbling down a bit, I get confused by the Darden Essay 1. The topic goes like:
> What matters to you most, both personally and professionally, and how does an MBA relate to these priorities?

... and when I've scribbed down some bits the 'What matters to you' get twined with 'What are your aspirations'... Right now I feel they are quite different (What do I mean by 'Right now'! - well, thats exactly what this post is about!).

What is your take on it?

~ the SAILOR

Dard-e-n

2007-10-28T12:35:00.001+05:30

Yea... thats what I am making of it! Its been more than 10 days that I am drooling to complete the Darden essays but going nowhere... Its causing quite some pain now and I really want to get this done in a nice way.

Do others face this problem? Please let me know if you have gone through a similar situation.I am trying hard but dont seem to get a draft ready. Anyway, posting my thoughts on the essays below:

Essay 1: A quite unusual essay for Darden, a looking-easy-killing-my-brain-cells type of question, where its not easy even to get a start. Be frank and gete your priorities out mapping them to the road of mba as the next step. Trust me, dont take this essay lightly, cause its not as easy as it seems. And yes, give me a shout in case of doubt. Remember 'As a team, we can move ahead in a better way!'

Essay 2 & 3: Well, there not much one can explain what to write on this. But still the usual pointers - be true to yourself, give a couple of examples, if you can fit them in, and yes stay within the word limit. Seems like I can write on this without banging my head. But I dont want to be too happy before I complete the draft... check out my take on these essays on my next posts.

I am again going back into the Essay 1 and you please please pray that I complete it today! (yea, I have a broken finger but I can still type well with my left hand. What you want to know about my finger!? Naah, not here, I dont want to mix it all. Check out my other blog!)

~ the SAILOR

... and the curtain's raised

2007-10-27T19:38:00.001+05:30

Finally, I have raised the curtains to have you along in this (till now) wonderful journey to get to destination mba school!
My thoughts, situations, confusions and many other things - all shared to help me and even some of you wanting to reach the same destination.

Welcome aboard!!!

~the SAILOR