Seismic schocks

Things will never be the same again. A 158 year old financial giant is dead. Another big fish has been eaten by a shark.

24000 employees of Merril Lynch are expecting pink slips.

All employees of Lehman Bro have started polishing their CVs.

Satyam has laid off 2500 employees.

The job market was never more competitive. Though Finance is not my post-MBA choice of , I am worried as hell. Because all these capable people, most of 'em anyway are now looking for redemption. And most of them will look at an MBA to take them through the next 2 years of their lives. If you are gonna be without a job, you are far better off being so in an MBA school for obvious reasons.

The implications are very clear. The applicant pool will probably be the most competitive ever. Especially in the later rounds. So EA (if the option is there) and R1 are the only choices for poor souls such as me.

I was thinking of app-ing to Fuqua in R2, to have some more time for the on-campus interview, but that seems like a very dangerous choice now. it's either EA/R1 or never.

1 other thing is e timeline. Fuqua R1 admit offer demands pulling out of other apps.

Here's a brief sketch of timeline.

Probable US journey: 29 Sep
US (may get delayed): 6 Oct
Fuqua Interview R1: 7 Oct (sat)
Fuqua EA: 15 Oct
Fuqua R1: 27 Oct
Darden R1 28 Oct
Fuqua Interview (EA): Nov 1 (sat)
Fuqua Offer (EA)
ISB interview (probable): Nov1 -Nov 12
Fuqua offer (EA): Nov 14
ISB Offer: On or before Nov 20 (15 days time to accept offer)

Fuqua Tution Deposit (EA): Dec 12
Darden interview: Dec 5-19
Fuqua offer (R1):Dec 19

Darden interview:Jan 5-9
Darden offer: Jan 30
Darden Deposit: Mar 12

So Fuqua R1 is a bit risky since if ISB offers, I'll have to pay 2 lakhs and then get the offer form Fuqua and kick myself in the back.

Let's c wat the future holds

Ciao

ISB submitted

Finally! I submitted the app at 00:30 AM last night (technically, today). It is so irritating to every time look at a piece and change this or add that ...

To save myself from wasting the weekend as well I decided to get over with the whole damn thing yesterday itself.

It's a relief.

Over to the US B-school now.
I'm thinking of applying to Kellogg as well., just for the heck of it. At least they'll give me feedback on what I lack. If only someone can sponsor the $230... Any kind souls out there?

Transition

It's been a while since I got a chance to pen down some thoughts.
A sea of changes has swept through my life since then. Most positives.

For starters, my US trip got back on track. So no more wasting TIME on Sunday mornings.
I am supposed to reach the golden shores of Florida on 29th September.

Regarding my apps, my ISB app is nearly done. It's high time anyway as 15th Sep is the deadline. Both recos done, I "just" need to submit my essays now! However, every time I review an essay, I feel like rewriting it from scratch! Anyway, essays have taken a good shape, courtsey SB ( I don't know how to thank him enough), and if everything goes smoothly, I am pretty confident about my chances in ISB.

The US schools are a different ball game all together. Probably I would n't have app-ed to any US school if it wasn't for the US trip. But now I have been advised to app in R2 with around 3-4 months of intl exp. Recently I had a free consultation with MBAMission's Jeremy. He told me that my choice of schools is very prudent. Duke, Darden are pretty realistic targets for me, UNC and Emory being safety! He said he liked what he saw. That has made me very upbeat. He even thought that I may try my luck with Tuck or Kellogg!! Tuck, I can still understand, but Kellogg!! Whoa! As usual, a ton of questions came to my mind, after I hung up. Anyway, I have another free consultation lined up with clearadmit. Hope to have more effective conversation this time.

P.S. I won the club contest with the speech last posted, though couldn't make headway in the area contest!!

Are you crazy?

Here's the speech I'm going to deliver in the speech contest...

Are you crazy?

How many of you have seen The sixth sense? You know, the movie that made M.Night Shyamalan famous. It’s the story of a boy who sees dead people that don't know they're dead and seeks the help of a child psychologist.
Mr Toastmaster, contest judges and dear guests, today I am going to tell you a little secret
I also recently consulted a psychiatrist, here is how the conversation went…
Me: I see crazy people.
Psychologist: In your dreams?
[I shake my head no]
Psychologist: While you're awake?
[I nod]
Psychologist: Crazy people like, in mental institutions? Did you go to Ranchi?
Me: Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're crazy.

It’s true. I see crazy people all the time; they are everywhere. I even see some in this room.
I get on a bus, and they are there. When I was in college, I once boarded a packed bus and I was hanging on to the rod for my dear life. The bus was speeding past other cars as if racing on a formula 1 track. There was suddenly a tap on my shoulders. I looked around and there was a man who was also hanging just like me. He looked like a saint, had a beard and was wearing grey robes. I thought maybe he wanted to discuss the philosophy of life – the inner meaning of this precarious situation and what it means in the after life. But, he had an even deeper question for me, of which I had no answer to. While another bus whooshed past me, he raised the solemn question, “Boss, why are you pushing me?” Crazy!

I turn on the TV and I see madness. A few months back when Suchitra Sen was admitted in hospital, I was watching an interview of her biographer, who was talking about Suchitra Sen’s favourite food items. Suddenly the breaking news flashed on the screen: I feared for the worst and …. There it was…
Suchitra Sen loved to eat jalebis in the morning. The prime time breaking news on a television channel: Suchitra Sen loves to eat jalebis. Crazy.

After analyzing all these situations, I have come to the conclusion that there are only 2 types of people in this world. Normal and crazy. The difference between the 2 groups is that the crazy people think that the world is normal and the normal people don’t realize that they are crazy themselves.

People in Nadia, a village in Bengal, call Sangeeta crazy. Sangeeta and Rina go to the same school every morning. Rina is in class 3, Sangeeta is in class 11. Sangeeta is Rina’s mother. Sangeeta had to leave school when she was in class 8 because her father couldn’t afford her tution. But all these years later, when her daughters were in school, she felt an inner urge to go back to school. She recently sat for her class 10 exams and cleared it with 63% marks.-Crazy!

So is Sangeeta really crazy? How does one know whether one is crazy? There are actually books on the market titled: Are You Crazy?: 18 Scientific Quizzes to Test Yourself
No, I am not asking you to buy that book.
I have an easier set of questions for you.

Do you feel that inner calling, that urge to do something different? Are your ambitions off the beaten track? Can you think outside the box or when there is no box? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then my friend, I have news for you. Believe it or not, you are crazy!

So now, what do you do?

Rabindranath Tagore had some ideas to counter that,
He who calls you lunatic today and throws dust in your eyes,
Will honour you tomorrow with a garland

Every great idea, every great thinker have been called mad at first
Just because the other people, whatever their pedigree criticize you, please don’t lose hope. Just because they are great, doesn’t mean they are not crazy! In 1943, Thomas Watson, the chairman of IBM said, “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” –Crazy! Albert Einstein just before the Manhattan project said, “There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable.”-Crazy! Just before this week, many people in this room said that India would never win an individual gold in Olympics- Crazy! I told you – I see crazy people in this room. So, the next time you have a crazy idea, say quit your job to join an NGO, go back to school, or win an Olympic Gold medal for India …Do remember that you will hear voices all around : “Are you crazy?”… “Are you crazy?”… “Are you crazy?”… “Are you crazy?”… Don’t forget to answer: Well, I am! Aren’t you?

ISB essay update

I am struggling with the ISB essays. I thought things have settled down and all the essays were in shape but a recent reviewer says, that the material is good but the presentation isn't. I'm now in the process of re-vamping my essays from scratch, especially the 1st one.
I feel that the essays lack one important question: Why MBA? (and also why ISB). There just isn't a place to put in Y MBA and my career goals. I feel that my career goal and why MBA are some of my differentiating factors. May be I can utilize the optional essay for this.

This have been quite "normal" at office. We are organizing a humorous speech contest next week. In order to prepare for that, I am switching between writing ISB student body presidential contest speech, humorous speech, responding to Zumba residents' protests and convincing ISB why they should take me. So life is good.

In toastmasters, I have now delivered 5 speeches. Next Wednesday it'll be my 6th speech. So pretty good going there. I hope I'm able to complete CL by this month and CC by Oct.
I'll post some of my past speeches next

Schools shortlisted and essay update

I have recently been reading up on a lot of blogs. I must say I was particularly impressed with Raja Banerjee's blog: http://isbpgp.blogspot.com/ on life pre, during and post ISB.
It gives one a clear snapshot of life in the great school.
ISB is certainly on top of my list.The question is, how realistic are my chances there. My GMAT certainly isn't my distinguishing factor. My work profile is varied but I'm not sure whether it can be my USP. So that just leaves me with XCs and community work. And certainly the essays.
The first 2 essays are a bit overlapping, I feel. Which experience to include in diversity essay and which one in leadership? Since I'm new to the whole application procedure, I'm also unsure about which aspects should be highlighted and how. Amidst all these confusions, I have just decided to stick to the thing I know best in this world. Me. I'll just let things flow. It's difficult (and risky) to second guess the Adcom's views. So I wouldn't try.
I had asked an ex-colleague to review the first drafts of the essays and had requested him to be frank in his feedback. Boy, was he frank! Excoriating-ly (is that even a word?) so. But he has awesome insights and has pointed out amazing things. No wonder he's made it to LBS this year! Another thing I worry about ISB is the lack of international experience. But as this colleague of mine says, this is not the time to focus on the have-nots but rather the time to focus on the have's. Time certainly is running out.

I figure that if I'm to have any chance to gain admission to any of the top schools, R1 is the way to go.

So, the colleges I've sent my scores to and the respective deadlines are:
ISB-15 Sep
Fuqua-Oct 15(EA)
Darden-Oct 28(EA?)
UNC-Oct 24(EA)
Emory-?

I'll not apply for the early action rounds as that means a payment of the huge acceptance fees before ISB's decision. I don't really have that much money to spare. In fact I'm not very sure about apping to all of the schools either. Miss Emory being schol friendly would certainly be getting a love letter from urs truly but mademoiselles Fuqua and Darden, being such up uptown girls may not be hearing from plebeian me.

Over and out

GMAT

After a few months of prep, I gave GMAT yesterday. I had planned the date for a long time. But the almighty surely has a wicked sense of humour. 4 days before the exam I came down with 103 degree fever. Since rescheduling within 7 days would cost me another 11K bucks, I decided to give it a go despite having 102 degrees on the day.
I scored 740 (50, 40)
Lack of stamina probably cost me 20 marks but what the hell: 740 is stll a pretty decent score.
No I'll have to start thinking of essays.
Over and out