Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Chicago GSB interview invites start today....
Chicago GSB will start sending its invites from today. God God God God God....!!!! I just pray I get one.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Resume, Online Application and Essays....
I was just wondering that no matter how hard you try their will be some overlap between what you mention in your resume, various sections of the online app and the essays.
Personally, I do not like to repeat information but sometimes you just cannot help. For example if in your resume you have mentioned, I do XYZ for organization ABC. In the online app you would also say something similar and shades of it will also be reflected in your essays.
I like the Wharton approach to be the best, "don't ask for a resume at all". I guess it is only then that the online application makes much more sense and adds value, rather than forcing the applicants to repeat info.
Personally, I do not like to repeat information but sometimes you just cannot help. For example if in your resume you have mentioned, I do XYZ for organization ABC. In the online app you would also say something similar and shades of it will also be reflected in your essays.
I like the Wharton approach to be the best, "don't ask for a resume at all". I guess it is only then that the online application makes much more sense and adds value, rather than forcing the applicants to repeat info.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Doubt: Interpretation of Darden's "Professionaly" ?
As I am deep into my Darden essays, confusion is creeping in my mind. In essays 2) and 3) Darden wants to know that "Professionally" whether you have been and innovator, leader, entrepreneur, socially responsible, committed to diversity or globally involved. Now what is the scope of the word professionally???
Do I need to talk about instances only from my current full time job? Or I can also cite examples from my involvement in extra curricular activities beyond work where I have held professional (though unpaid) responsibilities?
I have a decent portfolio of achievements in my social life and I would love to highlight them in my 2nd or 3rd essay, but am not sure whether doing so would be a good idea.
Would love to know what stand other Darden Applicants are taking? Infact any clue from any of the applicant bloggers would be helpful here
Do I need to talk about instances only from my current full time job? Or I can also cite examples from my involvement in extra curricular activities beyond work where I have held professional (though unpaid) responsibilities?
I have a decent portfolio of achievements in my social life and I would love to highlight them in my 2nd or 3rd essay, but am not sure whether doing so would be a good idea.
Would love to know what stand other Darden Applicants are taking? Infact any clue from any of the applicant bloggers would be helpful here
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Darden ED
I have taken a almost three day much needed break and am feeling refreshed....scared?? Yes! The Darden ED is due on 1st November and I am yet to start my essays. I am scared because Darden essays are slightly off the track when compared to other B School essays. So I cannot do much copy paste!
I have just 10 days left in which I need to churn out 3 essays.... I really need to slog. Best of luck to all other Darden ED applicants. Anyone in the same boat as mine?
I have just 10 days left in which I need to churn out 3 essays.... I really need to slog. Best of luck to all other Darden ED applicants. Anyone in the same boat as mine?
Chicago ppt advice for R2 Applicants
Chicago for me was submitted on 17th, on time. My boss submitted his rec as usual at the nth hour. But I am getting used to it by now and kind of getting comfortable with it. I know he will submit his rec for sure, but just hours before the deadline!!
As far as the ppt is concerned my advice to all R2 applicants is to convert it to a pdf and then upload. I was lucky that just hours before submission I came to know the inconsistencies with MS PPT. There is an incompatibility between different versions of ppt (MS-2007 and MS-2003). Moreover, if a ppt is made on a certain resolution on one system, it may not look the same on the other.
I had designed my slides in MS ppt 2007 and viewed them on a friends system which had MS ppt 2003 and the presentation looked perfect. I then sent it to two other friends who also had the 2003 version and what they saw was scary! A couple of hours before submission you come to know that parts of your presentation are not visible clearly and there is a lot of overlap between icons....#$%$%%#%. I did some research and found out that this is a common problem with Power Point.
So I just converted my ppt to pdf and uploaded. There is hardly anything else you can do because on some machines your presentation will come up perfectly while on others it won't. There was also a very slight deviation in the quality on conversion. I was prepared for the trade off as the last thing I wanted was my ppt not showing up correctly on the ad comm's machines.
My apologies to the R1 applicants for not posting this earlier but all this happened 3 hours before submission and I was worried about turning in my app on time.
As far as the ppt is concerned my advice to all R2 applicants is to convert it to a pdf and then upload. I was lucky that just hours before submission I came to know the inconsistencies with MS PPT. There is an incompatibility between different versions of ppt (MS-2007 and MS-2003). Moreover, if a ppt is made on a certain resolution on one system, it may not look the same on the other.
I had designed my slides in MS ppt 2007 and viewed them on a friends system which had MS ppt 2003 and the presentation looked perfect. I then sent it to two other friends who also had the 2003 version and what they saw was scary! A couple of hours before submission you come to know that parts of your presentation are not visible clearly and there is a lot of overlap between icons....#$%$%%#%. I did some research and found out that this is a common problem with Power Point.
So I just converted my ppt to pdf and uploaded. There is hardly anything else you can do because on some machines your presentation will come up perfectly while on others it won't. There was also a very slight deviation in the quality on conversion. I was prepared for the trade off as the last thing I wanted was my ppt not showing up correctly on the ad comm's machines.
My apologies to the R1 applicants for not posting this earlier but all this happened 3 hours before submission and I was worried about turning in my app on time.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Wharton Submitted...Supervisor Recco goes in three hours before deadline
Submitted my Wharton application on the 11th. Unlike HBS, I have tried my best, not to make any mistake :)
The essays came out well and one of my friends found it even better than those for HBS. The only catch....my supervisor again sent his recco's at the last moment.
He completed it in an hour after constant reminders. I am slightly scared and just hope that he is doing a good job with it. I have given him as much information as I could and there is pretty much nothing I can do, except praying that he is churning out solid reccs. By the way, how much time do recommenders generally spend on reccs?
If get an opportunity to recommend someone in the future, I vow never to be keep someone in the lurch till the last moment.
I am working hard now on my Chicago ppt. I just hope I am able to do a good job with it, before the new week begins.
The essays came out well and one of my friends found it even better than those for HBS. The only catch....my supervisor again sent his recco's at the last moment.
He completed it in an hour after constant reminders. I am slightly scared and just hope that he is doing a good job with it. I have given him as much information as I could and there is pretty much nothing I can do, except praying that he is churning out solid reccs. By the way, how much time do recommenders generally spend on reccs?
If get an opportunity to recommend someone in the future, I vow never to be keep someone in the lurch till the last moment.
I am working hard now on my Chicago ppt. I just hope I am able to do a good job with it, before the new week begins.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
HBS adcomm says......
Thank you for your inquiry.
Please be advised that the Admissions Board is unable to accept additional application materials, corrections, or application updates other than contact updates. You may inform the Board of this update if you are invited to interview.
Thank you for your interest in the MBA Program.
Looks like an automated reply.....donno what to get out of it :) Just hope that I get called for an interview!
Please be advised that the Admissions Board is unable to accept additional application materials, corrections, or application updates other than contact updates. You may inform the Board of this update if you are invited to interview.
Thank you for your interest in the MBA Program.
Looks like an automated reply.....donno what to get out of it :) Just hope that I get called for an interview!
The HBS blunder.....
Bokaa was disappointed for the past two days...but he has to focus on Wharton and Chicago due this week and the next respectively.
I made a couple of REALLY silly mistakes in my HBS application :( In the Starting Salary section of my current job I added an additional zero! Though it will definitely be perceived as an unintentional mistake as my starting salary becomes 10 times my current.
In the self reported transcripts, I mentioned the term dates for two semesters incorrectly. One semester goes on for a year and another for two years based on what I have filled :(
I had put in a lot into my HBS app and such mistakes were the last thing I wanted. But, I realize that mulling over it will solve no purpose. I just hope the adcomm likes my essays and the overall application and gives me a chance to explain.....sometimes life just hits you hard on the chin.
Pray for me fellas....
I made a couple of REALLY silly mistakes in my HBS application :( In the Starting Salary section of my current job I added an additional zero! Though it will definitely be perceived as an unintentional mistake as my starting salary becomes 10 times my current.
In the self reported transcripts, I mentioned the term dates for two semesters incorrectly. One semester goes on for a year and another for two years based on what I have filled :(
I had put in a lot into my HBS app and such mistakes were the last thing I wanted. But, I realize that mulling over it will solve no purpose. I just hope the adcomm likes my essays and the overall application and gives me a chance to explain.....sometimes life just hits you hard on the chin.
Pray for me fellas....
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
HBS Submitted.......
.......And what a submission it was, considering the fact that I had to change my career vision essay, a day before the exam..get it reviewed and submit. Did I panic?.....you don't know my state of mind!!!
4 days before the deadline I got a review comment from an HBS alum- "You are not answering the question". Well now that I look back he was right. I has got the same feedback from a friend of mine a week or so back....but since everyone else had liked the essay and the writing style so much...I did not think too much over it.....
But the words of an alum count....don't they? :) I had to change my entire Career Vision! There was something so obvious in my background which would have gelled well with my vision but I was just not talking about that in the essay! The alum pointed that out to me and told me to change my vision as the dots would connect better......2 days for the submission to go...is he nuts.....I was disappointed and scared..I have put in a lot of effort into my HBS app and I did not want it to go waste...I took the call......
I tried that day, but was so attached to the words in my previous version that I just could not change anything much, even after wasting 6 hours on it. That's when nervous breakdown happened!! But I know I had to change it. I called him again for advice and he told me to start on a fresh piece of paper.
A day before the submission, I was up all night rewriting the whole essay....at 4:00 in the morning I called him...we were on the phone for an hour...thankfully he liked the essay this time around and suggested some minor changes here and there.....
But troubles never end, once they begin. Two of my recommenders had not turned in their rec, one was travelling and did not have access to the internet....the other my boss had been just too busy! Finally, my application was in 5 hours before the deadline!
I donno why, but I am seeing this as a sign from god. A day before submission my career vision was changed........there has to be a reason...god wants me to get through??
4 days before the deadline I got a review comment from an HBS alum- "You are not answering the question". Well now that I look back he was right. I has got the same feedback from a friend of mine a week or so back....but since everyone else had liked the essay and the writing style so much...I did not think too much over it.....
But the words of an alum count....don't they? :) I had to change my entire Career Vision! There was something so obvious in my background which would have gelled well with my vision but I was just not talking about that in the essay! The alum pointed that out to me and told me to change my vision as the dots would connect better......2 days for the submission to go...is he nuts.....I was disappointed and scared..I have put in a lot of effort into my HBS app and I did not want it to go waste...I took the call......
I tried that day, but was so attached to the words in my previous version that I just could not change anything much, even after wasting 6 hours on it. That's when nervous breakdown happened!! But I know I had to change it. I called him again for advice and he told me to start on a fresh piece of paper.
A day before the submission, I was up all night rewriting the whole essay....at 4:00 in the morning I called him...we were on the phone for an hour...thankfully he liked the essay this time around and suggested some minor changes here and there.....
But troubles never end, once they begin. Two of my recommenders had not turned in their rec, one was travelling and did not have access to the internet....the other my boss had been just too busy! Finally, my application was in 5 hours before the deadline!
I donno why, but I am seeing this as a sign from god. A day before submission my career vision was changed........there has to be a reason...god wants me to get through??
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