Doubts

I am sure all of us are going through a phase of mood swings. I am so much into the whole process that the thought of not getting through sends a chill down my spine.

All the people who have reviewed my essays are impressed by my writing style. Some of my friends feel that my essays reflect maturity beyond my years while others find them very well round.

However, I know they are far from perfect and am still working on giving them the best shape I can. Personally, I feel that my essays have come out well. But the element of doubt associated with big schools and the cliches( like IT professionals with below average work ex standing less chance) scare me.

If I just go by what the schools mention on their websites- I feel I really stand a very good chance. But if some of the cliches are true, I am really not sure.

A current student at HBS went through my essays at the surface level and amongst other things he said: "The best way to know, what chance you stand is to try it".

I know..I know.....

I know it has been a while since I wrote my last blog. But the last few weeks have been REALLY hectic. I have been eating, drinking and sleeping essays. My HBS essays are going back and forth different reviewers and I am changing something or the other every day :)- Yeah...I understand that only a few days are left, but for me last moment changes have always done wonders.

Wharton Draft is done and I have had three people review it. Once I submit HBS, I will focus on incorporating the changes. Chicago's "Whose Shoes Would You......" essay has been drafted and read by two people and I just sent it over to a third. I feel it has come out well :) So after HBS, apart from refining Wharton, I need to wrap up Chicago as well, which is due on 17th! A lot of work in the weeks ahead.

As far as my recommenders are concerned, none of them have submitted the HBS rec's till now. All of them are the last moment kind of people and would be turning it in only this weekend :) I hope they do a good job with it.

Long Time fellas! Updates.....

Its been almost a week since I wrote my last blog and it already feels like ages! I was really trying to get my HBS drafts in shape and complete my Wharton first draft.

The HBS draft is in a pretty decent shape with no major changes needed. I just need to fine tune the essays slightly more before submission. Though I still waiting a feedback from two HBS alumni- I just hope that they don't suggest any major changes! The best part is that the word limit is in check now.

Just finished my Wharton draft a couple of hours back. Have sent it out to my dad for review- he is always my first line of defence! So now I need to focus on the Chicago essays and work parallely on the fine tuning of H and W. My target for wrapping up Chicago is next Sunday- hope I meet the deadline.

I am yet to start the application though for all my schools :( I guess I need to take a day off from work and finish the application part for my target schools.

I am now targeting the first round deadline for most of my target schools you see on the right. Since there is a decent gap between the deadlines of these schools and I have already written two sets of essays with so much of thinking gone into the process, I think if I work hard I can submit H/W/C/S/Darden/Tuck in R1. What do you guys n gals feel?

Career progress essay shared with my supervisor

Just sent an email to my boss- attached was my career progress essay. I was not sure earlier if I wanted to do that or not, but now I am happy I did it!

In addition to the recommenders packet I think this will help him write a rec which is in sync with what I have talked about in my essays. The last thing you want is that you say XYZ in your career progress essay and your boss ABC - you will be doomed!!

Since the supervisor rec is the most awkward amongst all- coz though he is giving you a rec he knows there is possibility that you may part with the organization soon- I am sending as much info as possible over email. Though I share excellent rapport with my boss, I find it tough expressing freely (face to face) what I want him to write in my rec. I thus send really detailed emails to him explaining all the nuances. Personally, I feel this is the best way to approach because you can think deep and pass the most relevant information.

Now I pray that while writing his rec he keeps all the info I gave sent in mind and gives me a stellar rec!

Key messages from the Stanford and Chicago Visits

This week Chicago, Stanford and Wharton visited Bangalore. Coincidentally (huh?) W and C were on the same day at the same time. I chose C to get a feel of the school since I do not know any alumni from there.

Apart from the usual stuff which we all know about "FIT", the schools culture etc etc.......there are some things which I would like to share with fellow applicants:

• Essays are the key. Trust me this is the message which was coming out clearly. GPA, GMAT even work ex are just data points. It is your story which matters.
• The MBA is getting younger. Both schools laid emphasis on this fact. In fact one of the admits for the class of 2009 in Stanford was a fresher! He had done his degree in Horticulture( which is unique) from Australia and wanted to pursue his family business in India after his degree.
• Though schools say that both R1 and R2 are similar in nature- they were subtly indicating that R1 is always better.
• Comparatively the Chicago team was much well organized and there were at least 6 alumni who were there till the very end- even after the stipulated time was over- answering the applicants queries.
• Stanford had just 1 alum and this current student which I talked about above.
• Though I did not expect this- but the C alumni seemed to be much much more confident- some even arrogant! It was amazing- I know I am reiterating- to see their turnout in such large numbers and their passion for the school.

That's pretty much it for now. If you guys have any specific questions, please feel free to ask.

Down :(

Is it only me? I donno why but I am feeling down since the past two days. Suddenly I feel the anxiety and the dreaded though is crossing my mind- what if I do not make it?

Till day before yesterday I was so happy and confident and suddenly everything seems so negative. My essays look shitty to me, my below average work ex has started haunting, every one else's candidacy appears so much more stronger to me :(

I have been having these mood wings off and on. Today, as I type this blog from I office, I know I have not done anything at work. Don't feel like. Have been reading blogs , visiting orkut profiles of successful candidates and praying....god god god god god..please bless me with an MBA admit next fall!

I will be attending the Chicago GSB reception this evening. Will post everyone on the happenings. Oh my god..I typed this blog in three minutes flat!

HBS- 5 down!

Finally! I have just completed the first draft of my HBS essays. I feel some of them have come out very clearly while some have not. For three of them I have exceeded the world limit by around 50 words and for the other two by 200.

Overall I feel that the essays give a holistic picture of me. I am happy that I have another month to polish my essays and redraft them as I start getting feedback. After spending a couple of months on my life sketch and the first draft for HBS, I am sure it is high time to show it to others. An outsiders perspective will offer a lot of insight.

I will be sending out the essays for review in phases.

• My GF is having a look at my essays and giving regular feedback as I write them- so she qualifies as my first reviewer!
  
• Other than her- The first round of reviews will be done by a friend and my father. I want both of them to first let me know if the flow is smooth, the story interesting and the ideas coherent. I would also request them to give suggestions on reducing the word limit as both of them happen to be prolific writers.
• The second round will be done by a friend who knows me very well and has achieved great things in his own life. He will offer a fresh perspective to my essays and give candid feedback for sure.
• The last round will be done by two HBS graduates whom I know and have been in touch with. They will help me add finishing touches in addition to giving me a fair idea of where I stand.

I need to forget the HBS essays for now and get cranking on the W essays. Wish me luck!