An MBA @ Work

I don’t know if I should take it seriously!

Darden.. Intense and Rigorous

I found this article on businessweek. It’s an excellent write up on the rigor and intensity of a Darden MBA.

“The Darden school makes no excuse for its rigorous reputation. Students quickly learn how to work in teams and squeeze in meals, even pizza in a cup…” Full article here

Status check

Last Updated on 5th February 2008

School (Status)

1. UVA-Darden (Submitted R2.. Received…Pending)
2. TAMU-Mays (Submitted R2.. Application received. In process)
3. UT Austin-McCombs (Interview invite)
4. Emory-Goizueta (Submitted R3… Complete…Interview…Final Result awaited)
5. XLRI-GMP (Submitted…Interview invite)
6. Cambridge-Judge (Submitted R2)

In the Pipeline

1. Oxford or Manchester

Manchester Business School (MBS) interview experience

Date of interview – Tuesday, 15th Jan 2008
Location – Oberoi hotel, Mumbai
Interviewer – Associate Director of Programs, Manchester Business School

It was a great meeting and here were some of the questions,

- Why MBA, Why Now
- What are your career plans and how does an MBA relate to these
- Some questions about my resume… the companies… my roles…why I switched companies and related
- Two of my management qualities that my subordinates would talk about
- Two management qualities that I feel I posses
- Current time 2 am and 9 pm deadline… how will you manage
- Cross cultural experiences and what did I learn from them
- Why Manchester
- Who influenced my MBA decision? What qualities do I like most in MBAs? What change does an MBA bring in ones personality?

This lasted for about 30-35 minutes and then I was asked if I had some questions… I had prepared a few questions and she was quite open in answering them…

Overall, I have a positive feeling about the meeting. Lets hope for the best.

Update 1: I have still not applied for the MBA program @ MBS but plan to submit my application by mid February. This was a self initiated meeting with the admissions representative during her visit for an MBA fair.

Update 2: I did not apply to MBS due to lack of scholarship support (max 35%) and high costs. Plus the placement updates for the current batch were not all so positive.

Thunderbird interview experience

Hi Readers,

Thunderbird is all about a global classroom filled with global perspectives. My interview mostly revolved around this theme. I was asked about my international experiences, my lessons learnt working in cross-cultural teams, multi-national environments and my views on some globally relevant businesses.

There were the regular questions about my career aspirations and how an MBA fits into my roadmap. Overall, I am quite confident that I should be offered an entry into the Thunderbird’s MBA class entering in FALL 2008.

For people who are still reading this post, Here come the questions that I remember from my interview,

Date of interview – Monday, 14th Jan 2008
Location – Hilton towers, Mumbai
Interviewer – Assistant Director of Global Recruitment at Thunderbird School 

- Why MBA and how do you think an MBA fits into the scheme of your career
- Why Thunderbird
- Unique cross cultural experience
- What is your leadership style
- What is the one thing that you would like to improve in yourself
- Give me an example of a successful company that failed in a foreign venture
- Some more questions about my resume

It lasted for about 40 minutes and the admissions officer also told me that I would be considered for a substantial amount of scholarship/aid.

PS : By the way, I have still not applied for the Thunderbird MBA program. This was a self initiated interview after I had sent my resume and GMAT score report to the MBA admissions office.

Wish me luck… My first MBA admission interview

Hey Guys

I have scheduled admissions interviews with the representatives of Thunderbird University and Manchester Business School on 14th and 15th Jan respectively during their visit for the MBA fair in Mumbai.

I am a little nervous as these would be my first face to face MBA admission interviews. Wish me luck and I would spread some positive vibes in universe especially for YOU!

By the way, don’t we know from our Bollywood movies that positive vibes in the universe conspire for us to get all that we desire in our lives …

Education fairs… TODO list

I believe an education fair presents a wonderful opportunity to meet and speak with the admissions committee members of various schools under one roof. I have visited a few education and MBA fairs earlier and would like to share a list of the SEVEN golden TODOs during the event.

1. Be selective!
The list of participating schools is usually available on the websites of the organizer. Use the list to select the number of university desks you would like to visit.

2. Ask smart questions
A lot of questions for prospective students are answered in the admissions FAQ section on the university website. Asking the same questions to adcom members does not make sense. Ask intelligent questions that show that you have researched about the school. This also helps getting the adcom member interested in you!

3. Reserve an appointment (if possible)
A lot of universities reserve time to interact with prospective students individually during their visit to such fairs. Try and get in touch with the university to fix an appointment for a pre-application talk with a member of the adcom. This is a very good platform to discuss your candidature with the right person.

4. Keep some copies of your resume with you
During your discussion with the adcom, some may get interested in your profile. An up to date resume should give a good indication of your preparedness. A well prepared resume will give an overview of your experience and act as a ready resource to judge your probability to succeed in a business program (the two qualities that the adcom looks for in students). Remember to limit the length of your resume to ONE page.

5. Prepare a good 2-5 line introduction for yourself
A good first impression can make all the difference! Include essentials like your GMAT/GRE/TOEFL score, your good/decent academics, total professional experience and a little about why this univ. Practice it!!!

6. Network
Any gathering of like minded people is an excellent opportunity to grow your network. Use education fairs to connect with current students and other prospective students (who may be in a similar position as yourself).

7. Dress Well
Business formals should be the best.

I am prospective student myself and would be attending the MBA fair in Mumbai on 14th Jan. Please feel free to drop in your suggestions to beef up this list or if you would like to meet me during the fair.

Status updates

Heyo Readers!

A short post to update the status of applications

1. Emory – Goizueta: Submitted 31st Dec
2. TAMU – Mays: Submitted 2nd Jan
3. Virginia – Darden: Submitted 1st Jan
4. XLRI – GMP: Submitted 24th Dec

All universities say that it would take some time (varies from one univ to the other) for them to create a student file before the status can be updated.

Next stop
5. UT – Austin : Rolling admissions.. Deadline 1st Feb
6. Cambridge – Judge: Rolling admissions.. Deadline 1st Feb
7. Oxford – Said : 18th Jan
or
7. Manchester :Rolling..Deadline 23rd Feb

Wish me luck….

New year 2008!

I wish all of you a Happy and fun filled new year…

May this be a year when Dreams become Reality,

Success becomes a Routine

and

Happiness becomes a way of life…

Whats cooking…

Hi Readers,

I have been absconding from the bloggers circuit for quite some time… My most sincere apologies!

Here are the updates….

1. Darden – Deadline for R2 is 3rd Jan.
My application is complete with the essays and supporting information updated in the online system. One recommendation completed and waiting for the other to be submitted. The weird thing about Darden online application system is that I cannot submit the application until everything (including recommendations) is completed. Another couple of days to go… I hope my recommender finds some time from his busy schedule to write some good word about me!

2. TAMU – Mays
I am finalizing the essays and hope to complete everything in a day or two. The deadline is 4th Jan. One recommendation also remains..

3. Emory – Goizueta
All done… I submitted the application on 30th December. The recommenders have also completed their stuff … I missed the R2 deadline of 15th December for this univ. Hoping for the best…

4. XLRI – GMP
Application submitted.
Next steps…
Cambridge, Oxford/Manchester … Need to find the best two for me + UT-Austin

If you are still wondering about the topic of this post… It reflects the state of my mind at this point of time