A blog to share my MBA experience from application days to graduation.
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| Harry Potter's MBA Musings A blog to share my MBA experience from application days to graduation. |
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Thursday, May 29, 2003 Some Kellogg information Here is a link to "The Serial", the Kellogg Student Intranet. You can browse through couple of links without being asked for password. Details of this years Kellogg Outdoor Adventures is present here. The last date to register for this interesting event is June 15th. (Good Luck Thibault with your choices. Hope you make it to Yosemite, it is a very beautiful national park.) posted by Ravi Trivedi | 6:39 PM | A great online Book library I have found  to be a great online reference library of business and technical books. It usually contains in condensed form lots of great titles. I have found this service very useful for my work. Besides, it has offers me a glance of recommended MBA books. If needed (fingers crossed), I would base my decisions to buy a book after going through this site.
But, this is a paid service. I am lucky that my corporate has a tie up and hence can access tons of books. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 6:09 PM | Wish my Wharton feedback was earlier I wish I could have had my Wharton feedback earlier. At this juncture, their inputs would have helped in making decisions at the current cross-roads. I still have to wait for another few weeks for hearing what Wharton adcom has to say. Hope they are candid. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 5:53 PM | Wednesday, May 28, 2003 A hectic day at work. I have heard through "sources" in Kellogg, that the international waitlist candidate's decisions would continue to be made till June end. Being an international applicant, I had thought that I would know my result ( read fate :) ) by May end as mentioned in BWeek forums. Makes life tough for me, but I hope it ends well. I still have A HOPE :) posted by Ravi Trivedi | 10:28 PM | Tuesday, May 27, 2003 Tuesday Decided not to stress out on the multiple cross-roads I have. ( some of which I have mentioned here). Just plan to take things as time comes along. :) posted by Ravi Trivedi | 6:09 PM | Monday, May 26, 2003 Bridging the Digital Divide Have you visited http://www.digitaldividend.org, World Resource Institute. I recieve regular updates from this excellent site which shares the best practices used in developing countries to help them bridge the digital divide. One of the contributors to this project is Prof. C K Prahalad of Michigan Business School and his startup Praja Inc ( Now aquired by TIBCO). By reading the site do you remember the classic and famous "Bottom of the Pyramid" paper by Prof Prahalad and Prof Stuart. I have give a link to one of the papers. A Must read if you havent read this.. ( This paper challenges the world’s wealthiest companies to come up with innovative ways to do capture the low-income markets, which provide a tremendous opportunity. ) From the website Our History and Mission... Digital Dividends grew out of the observation of certain "warning signs," signs especially visible among the four billion people—more than half of humanity—who live on less than $1,500 per year. Trends like rapid population growth in the poor regions; a surge in urban migration, bringing with it unprecedented strains on housing, water, and sewer systems; the depletion of biological resources; and persistent, even rising malnutrition in many areas of the world. What we are doing Our goal is to identify and promote business solutions to the global digital divide—sustainable models that will allow ICT-for-development to "go global," creating social and economic dividends in poor communities around the world. Activities in support of this goal include: .... posted by Ravi Trivedi | 5:41 PM | Adding more entropy Activities at work have further increased and I have been asked if I would like to go an handle a new project in Malaysia. This would last atleast 2-3 months . I am in a fix. What if K comes off ? What if my Plan B comes off ( likely)? I need to be around my home. On the other hand, I am tempted by the growth opportunities and the quality of experience (and the fodder for new essays). This is a brand new relationship for my company so would have all the more responsibility. Tough call.. Looks like I am at multiple cross-roads. Back in personal life, there are many decisions still on hold for the uncertainity to reduce. I was not sure where I will be next year, so I have kept on hold few of the major purchaces.. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 5:29 PM | Wharton on Managing Emerging technologies A nice book, which I had read a little few months back. I was reading it again, and now am following it more. Now, I plan to read it end to end and hopefully write a little summary of few interesting things that I read. 
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Sunday, May 25, 2003 I wish I had one more day in the weekend, feeling tired despite lazying around and reading up on the weekend. :) posted by Ravi Trivedi | 6:50 PM | Weekend updates My interview went well. I was asked to share my views about the services sector in India. The services sector is undergoing commoditization just like the FMCG sector. The profit margins are reducing and the companies no long can sell just because they are cheap. They need to move from Cost Plus model to Value creation model. Need to move up the value chain and rather than billing for cheap resources need to bill customer for the percieved value to the customer i.e you need to move up the value chain. Do more of business process consulting etc. Such transformations are already in place for leading services company Infosys and Wipro. With players like Accenture, IBM Global services and Hewlett Packard actively entering this area, this has made Indian MNC's re-visit their strategies. The Wedding It was a gala function with lot of dance, music and food around. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, after having done well in the morning interview. Personally, I have never been a person who did a lot of contingency planning for personal or professional goals so far. Infact, my MBA application was a kinda "decently planned" activities , as per my levels.. Yes, there was an exception when I wrote Engineering enterance. This has been partially because I have had a fairly successful streak of career and personal life. Well, the whole MBA excercise has made me realize the importance of Plan B . But, always their is some resistance in my mind, when I work towards Plan B. My mind says, hey you why are you being so negative, that K would work out for you.. It also brings out another related thought, if you think a lot negative about something it happens.... So I am kinda superstitous. Well, what can I do besides praying for K :). posted by Ravi Trivedi | 6:49 PM | Saturday, May 24, 2003 Some more on Michigan Feedback I revisited my notes from Michigan feedback and was glad to note that I did not have any "traditional" weekness , why MBA ? , why Michigan, GMAT or career progression. My inability to schedule (long story) Michigan interview was mentioned first to me, followed by few more points. The adcom then mentioned, that these weekness may sound trivial. Well, in the end it came out as with the competitive segment you belong to even one or two of the weekness mentioned becomes significant. An important lesson for all (re) applicants. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 11:50 PM | Weekend Have an interview lined up this weekend as part of Plan B. Am reading and preparing for that. I also have to attend a wedding after that. Its been a while since I attended a Church wedding. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 7:53 PM | Thank you for visiting my blog I am seeing hits from many countries and several corporations and educational institutions. Thank you for visting my site and I hope to share some interesting information with you. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 7:49 PM | The Matrix personality fever is catching and few of the weblogs (Tad, Lucky) mention their character on the web site. I also forwarded the Quizilla link to couple of collegues and I found majority of them to be Trinity posted by Ravi Trivedi | 9:25 AM | Does Kellogg offer an deferred admission to a waitlisted candidate ? YES This post from Kristen, a Kellogg admission committee member mentions that it is a possibility. "Yes, deferral offers are a possibility--in the past, we've offered deferred admission to a couple of waitlisted candidates each year for whom we just couldn't find space. (However, we don't grant these offers by request, only by invitation.)" Kristen posted by Ravi Trivedi | 9:19 AM | Friday, May 23, 2003 Matrix Reloaded What character from Matrix are you? Check it out here I am the ORACLE :).  You are the Oracle. Grandmotherly (you HAVE been with the Resistance since the beginning, after all), you tell people exactly what they need to hear in order to get them to follow their destinies. Although not a combatant (as far as we know), your knowledge is just as powerful as Neo's arsenal of guns."What's really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything." What Character From The Matrix Are You? brought to you by Quizilla posted by Ravi Trivedi | 12:33 PM | Thursday, May 22, 2003 India Business Club conference at Kellogg Kellogg's Indian Business Club is organizing on 24th May, an yearly conference : "India: A billion person opportunity" . The speakers include several of my favourites Prof Prahalad, Prof Sawhney. You can check out the details here http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/conference/ibc/index.html ps: Yes, I am an Indian :). posted by Ravi Trivedi | 8:54 PM | Work Things at work are geared up, thanks to a deadline next week. It is good for me as helps me keep my mind away from Kellogg W/L. Have been wondering what more I should do to get off the waitlist. I have had two out of box ideas, but shot one of them , as it was a very bold step. As you would recall, I have so far sent in two updates and send one recommendation from a famous current student. Well, I should wait now I guess. These days I enjoy reading Lucky's blog (current INSEAD student) where he is discussing about negotiations. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 7:12 PM | Wednesday, May 21, 2003 Joined the League of MBA Bloggers I was pleasantly surprised to see my blog being listed at the League of MBA Bloggers. Thank you !! and I hope to keep my promise of sharing information and my MBA experiences. I also found two new interesting blogs, one from a current student from INSEAD and another a prospective student of IIM Ahmedabad. Now, all of you reading this blog send me a lucky Charm for Kellogg :)... posted by Ravi Trivedi | 12:18 AM | Tuesday, May 20, 2003 Kellogg Update I have nothing much to report except that I have been waiting. But, I am growing more realistic and after reading this post at Bweek by Kellogg Adcom, making my mind set for Plan B. The jist is : the majority of decisions are over and the results will just trickle now. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 5:54 PM | Michigan Feedback I recently finished my 15 minute feedback with Michigan. The feedback session was crisp and they listed clearly some of the weekness in my application, and even pointing at a essay which could have been improved. In my case, the person giving the feedback had not read my file so he/she was reading from the comments on my file. I had prepared by going through the application once again and looking at it with a critical eye. Being my first application, I could figure some of the key weekness in my application. I used this opportunity to ask if some other area needed improvements like GMAT, career progression etc. I showed enthusiasm about their program and asked about re-application process. Their is a likelihood that Michigan may come up with a new set of essays and I like that. I would really like doing the whole set of application once agin. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 5:54 PM | Saturday, May 17, 2003 For MBA applicants from India and China If you belong to this extremely competitive category, there are good articles on how to differentiate yourself at accepted.com. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 12:39 PM | I like Sumantra Ghoshal On couple of ocassions I was fortunate to hear Sumantra, the Strategy professor from LBS (London Business School). I like him and can make sense of what he is saying. This makes me feel good and confident that I can probably make the best of my MBA education now. My earlier education was in engineering, so I have been trying to pick up some fundamentals. Currently, I am reading his book titled "World Class In India", which has 20 case studies of Indian MNC. I believe there was a series titled "Lessons in Excellence" by him on CNBC India. India is an developing market and I am interested in learning more about this region. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 12:32 PM | Re-applicant thoughts I have been thinking along what should I change in my application to make myself a SURE admit. From the few people ( current students, alumni and ex ad com) whom I have asked feedback, some say the application is solid, whereas few say I need more polished application to get me in. Yes, one of the weekness in my application is related to my essays. They are not as forceful as I would like them. Considering I started late in the application process my first three applications were hurried. If not for my excellent reviewers and critiques, I wouldn't have reached so far. I certainly hope to do well next time , if needed (hope I dont need to). I also am planning to work more agressively towards my functional transition. In a sense this career transition is an intermediate step towards my ultimate career goal. It took me a lot of constant convincing to make my manager move me to this new opportunity. I also had to convince several levels higher than my boss. I believe my asking for recommendation also had the much needed affect. I believe this new role is very crucial as I can test and feel for myself how I like this new area and how I will fare. So far my experiences in this area have been indirect and I do not want to be a victim of "grass is greener on the other side" syndrom. Further setup for the site I plan to make this site more user friendly and readable. Please send me suggestions or feedback if you have by clicking the email me link in the right tab. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 8:43 AM | Plan for the weekend Not much is planned for MBA related work. All I can do is wait :(. I have scheduled a Michigan feedback appointment next week, so I will prepare a bit by looking at my application again. Then, I plan to use the feedback to find weekness in my application. So far, I havent been able to address weekness in my application, as I couldnt figure out. Besides, Kellogg decided to put me in the category of applicants with no major weekness i.e. I didnt have any hand written notes. May be I am just an average applicant with few good achievements. No doubt MBA application experience is very humbling. Since I have been in the top 0.x% of my academic and work life, I felt that I had a great chance. Only later I realized the competition faced by an international applicant. I belong to one of the heavily represented groups. When I called up Kellogg admissions about the weekness they said usually people dont have any specific weekness. And international waitlists are usually to manage diversity. While on diversity, I remember when people ask do you have quotas for a country, the diplomatic answer is NO. But , we all know what it really means... posted by Ravi Trivedi | 8:40 AM | Friday, May 16, 2003 My situation at work One of the problems faced by the b-school applicants is whether to contact your current boss for recommendation. Well, AFAIK bschools really like current or ex-supervisor recommendation. I am working for my manager since a long time and was bold enough to go and ask him for recommendation. My manager is a nice person. But once a manager knows you may not be there for long , they do change. Well, so far I have been holding my ground. Luckily there are no lay-offs in my organization here. I have heard stories of my friends and their collegues being layed off, on account of getting accepted in b-school, despite being a Star performer. This really scares me off Few months back, I also made a functional change in my job. This was in alignment with my Post-MBA plans but my manager is now even more loosely linked in managing me. Now, a lot Plan B depends on what K has to say. My plan B has many personal and work related decisions and its all waiting for Kellogg's decision. This has been a big cross road for me in my career and in my personal life. Each direction has a potential of completely changing my "destiny". Well, I am trying to not stress too much about it, and hoping I can control more of my destiny. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 7:27 PM | Planning for future I am readying myself for the worst case scenerio of re-applying, though, I sincerely hope Kellogg takes me in. I am contemplating making aggresive changes in the nature of my work and do more pre-bschool preparation to make my self a better suited candidate. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 4:19 PM | Testing the new template posted by Ravi Trivedi | 4:07 PM | Kellogg updates After my waitlist I have sent two updates , spaced with a gap of one month. In both the updates I have mentioned about the new activities I am doing besides mentioning my deep inerest in the program. I also had one of my good friend at Kellogg , who is a current student, write a small reco for me. I guess this is pretty usual thing, nothing out of the box. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 3:41 PM | Scheduling feedbacks : Hope all you re-applicants have scheduled their feedbacks. For Michigan the online feedback booking has just started at http://www.bus.umich.edu/Admissions/Feedbacks.htm. I managed to get an early appointment for Michigan feedback. One problem I faced was in selecting the Round for Day time MBA, as the interview showed only one Day 3 option. I believe Michigan has re-used the interface it uses for setting up alumni interviews and hence has only one option of round in Day time MBA. I also got an Wharton appointment by calling admissions office posted by Ravi Trivedi | 3:39 PM | Writing after a long time A long time since I wrote last. Things are personal and work front caused me to write little. Part of the reason is my inability to manage my anonymity. I am used to write personal diary and when I start writing here I get more personal that what I would like to be. Besides nothing much has been moving on the Kellogg waitlist for me. There have been one big movement in waitlist of Kellogg, with a mix of R1 and R2, domestic and international students. I have heard that the % of international applicants selected from Kellogg waitlist is less. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 3:35 PM | Thursday, May 08, 2003 My inspirations I derived inspiration for writing this blog from fellow MBA applicants and a MBA professor: Where am I in the application process ? I went through the gruelling application process last year. I wrote GMAT in Nov and started my essays in Dec. This was very late in the application process as I did not plan well and wasnt well informed about a lot of facts. What was the result of my applications ? I have only ONE HOPE :). Kellogg. I am on Kellogg's waitlist for the 2Y program. I recieved three dings . Considering I started my essays very late, my first two applications , Wharton and Michigan, were not polished. I recieved a straight ding there. Wharton did not invite me for an interview. Kellogg, my third application, waitlisted me. And the fourth MIT Sloan called me for an interview and dinged me after interview. So thats my story in brief posted by Ravi Trivedi | 8:26 PM | Welcome all !! Let me introduce myself. I am an International applicant with MBA aspirations. I plan to write back to share my MBA experiences. Although, I have tried blogging couple of times to write my experiences but I was unsuccessful. One of the reasons : Sometimes I get too personal which I am hesitant to share on this ubiquitous Internet. Hence, I decided to write with an anonymous handle. Why Harry Potter ? Simply, because I like Harry and his movies. posted by Ravi Trivedi | 8:19 PM | A Test message posted by Ravi Trivedi | 8:12 PM | |
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