Harry Potter's MBA Musings

Epilogue

2006-08-11T23:27:00.002-04:00

Au Revoir

I have recently started working and think that this would be the apt time for me, to move on from this blog.

My MBA dream started in 2001, and I have come a long way since that time. I hope that some of you will find this blog useful, as you research through schools and go through the application process. If any of you need any help during the process, please feel free to email me using the right side link, and I will try to respond on weekends.

So it is Au Revoir time. Good luck to every one.

ps: Based on requests for essay reviews and application advice I have started providingadvice to Applicants. Email me at FuquaMBABlog@gmail.com for any questions that you may have

Classes are over, Its graduation time....

2006-05-10T08:59:00.000-04:00

Classes are over, Its graduation time....

I completed my exams by May 1st week, and am done with MBA. It feels good to be done, but I am sad to be leaving my classmates, the school environment, and the region. It is the last week of Thank you/Farwell events, as few of my classmates start work very soon. In fact, few people started work in Jan or March. Though, I had completed my credit requirements earlier, I didnt want to miss this opportunity to learn and experiment at school.

I have a lot of free time from next week and so I decided to do a part-time internship till my full time work starts in July. I am spending time in finding NY housing, and figuring out what to sell and what to take.

This week is graduation week (and also beach week). There are three days of graduation events on 12, 13th and 14th.

Last week in progress

2006-04-22T15:23:00.000-04:00

Last week in progress

This is the last week of classes, and I am done. Next week, I have three exams ( one take home), and one final project, and thats it. The last few weeks have been filled with receptions, farewell dinners etc. People at school are definitely more relaxed, and already talking about their summer in various places.

My summer plans have been in air for a while. With the visa processing, I am not sure if I would be able to visit India in summer. If I stay back in US, I would use this time to see as many places. So far I have only seen 3-4 states in US. Also, I might probably do a project at school or at local businesses to keep myself busy.

After that I will be in New York. My work starts July end, and I am looking forward to it. I love equity markets and it will be interesting to cover companies as an equity analyst.

I am also not sure if I would continue my blog here after graduation. I have been thinking of moving to theme specific blogs where I could write on areas of my interests -- Technology , Equity markets, etc.

Graduation is just 2 months away

2006-03-11T14:20:00.000-05:00

Graduation is just 2 months away

It was just recently that I started my classes at Fuqua, and now I realize I am just 2 months away from Graduation (Graduation is May 15th)

It is a mixed feeling. On one hand, I feel I have still many courses that I want to take and many activities I would like to take active part in and there is no time. On other hand, there is happiness in being able to reach the next milestone.

Actually, I am done with the credit requirements for my MBA, and could graduate early and join work. But, I want to learn more, and lead a relaxed student life some more time before going back to real world.

Given that I have so many courses on my wishlist, I have decided to overload my last term by 2 or 3 extra courses. That is a lot, I realize, but now I have more time with leadership activies being transitioned to First Years. The term 4 (or 8) is completely run by the First Year leadership. It will be nice to take a back seat for once :).

Some of my last term courses include - Corporate Restructuring, Merger and Acquisition Accounting, Strategic Alliances, Information Management etc.

My work would start in July last week, and that leaves me with complete two months after graduation. I would like to take some time off and spend a month visiting India, trekking the Himalayas and meeting relatives.

East of West, Duke is the best

2006-02-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

East of West, Duke is the best

One realizes the importance of something when you are away from it. Though, I am enjoying my exchange in Europe, I am missing Duke - my classmates, the discussions in the class, the energy level and the learning in the class.

Europe, is very beautiful as well as has a great diversity in culture, and I am thoroughly enjoying my opportunity to go around Europe in a leisurely pace.

Did I mention that I accepted my job offer before I left for India in December. So I am all set to be in New York starting this July ( or possibly June ).

Graduation seems so closeby. May 15th is hardly 3.5 months away. Actually I would finish my credit requirements for the MBA earlier, but given the amount of courses I still want to study at school, I will probably have to take 5-6 courses in Term 4 (8). Lets see what happens. A good thing about term 4 is that one transitions all the leadership positions and so one may have more time.

ps: Sorry to all those whose Essays I couldnt review while I was away travelling. Good Luck to all of you.

Happy New Year

2006-01-08T18:04:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year

Wish you all a very happy new year!! It has been a long time since I have been away from the blog. The term 2 (term 6) got over in Dec, and I had an opportunity to visit India and spend some time.

Right now I am in Europe on an exchange program. It is challenging as well as interesting to learn a new language, as well as be part of a new culture.

More about my school experiences later, as I start my school tommorow.

Offer for Essay Reviews

2005-11-06T22:58:00.000-05:00

Essay review offer

Like last year, I am offering again free essay reviews to any interested B-School applicants. Shoot me an email, and I will try my best to give my 2 cents.

Term 6 updates

2005-11-06T22:47:00.000-05:00

Term 6 underway

Sorry for the long silence here. As always, things are hectic. I think I had more time for myself during the summer, than now. With my course overload of monitored Study where I work a day a week (at Technology VC in the region) and recruiting for full time, have made things busier.

Term 5 silently went off, and the only significant thing I did during the 1 week break was to sleep and prepare for second year interviews. And yes, my American miles are increasing as my trips to NY and other cities are increasing . In last 6 weeks alone, I have made 7 trips. I definitely have a better sense of consulting life style :)

Did I share, that I am excited to do an exchange in Term 3 in Milan at SDA Bocconi. I am looking forward to an unique opportunity to explore Europe.

Term 6, I have decided to move away from making my MBA a Finance MBA alone, and am doing an interesting Marketing Strategy course. This course involves a live simulation based project ( StratX), which shows the nuts and bolts of managing products and brands very well.

Also, during December, I will be visiting India. One more thing, I am conducting a student led session in Mumbai around Dec 19 or 20th, for prospective interested in Fuqua. I hope to see some of you readers there.

Some Good News

2005-09-03T14:37:00.000-04:00

Week 1 of Classes, Some Good News, Labor day weekend

Now we are into week 1 of classes. After a week of FY orientation, ILE and Orientation for us, the classes are in full steam three courses this semester and a Mentored Study ( at VC), this semester promises to be packed and lot of learning. The mentored study is a flexible arrangement and a tremendous learning opportunity. One can take on as much work as one likes. Right now, I am working two deals and doing due diligence. It is exciting to be able to interact with CEO's of tomorrow's Google, Sun and Microsoft.

Now the good news. My summer employer, got back to me, and made a full time offer. This news made my long weekend. My summer was very enjoyable learning experience. But at the time, since, last few months, I have been introspection, and trying to answer what is that I want to do full time. I feel I am like a First Year, who is back at the White board trying to answer these questions from the basics -- my long term goals.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Katrina -- I couldn't stop from posting about what is happening in New Orleans. I was really shocked and moved to see the state of affairs. There definitely is going to be a political storm because of the way things moved initially.

From my friends I learned that Tulane University is under water. I pray and hope that things could be quickly brought to normalcy and kids can go back to school, families have food and shelter.

We at Duke, are trying to help out by doing fundraising, accepting students from the region at schools and several other initiatives by students.

Back to School

2005-08-18T14:07:00.000-04:00

Back to School

I am back to school !!! After landing here on Sunday, I have been working on the Orientation for FY's(first years). Our classes(orientation and ILE) start next week. Till then it is a lot of parties, settling down, answering tons of questions for first years and catching up on lost sleep.

To update you on my summer, the last few weeks were really busy. Thats when I got fully integrated with the team, and got involved in day-to-day stuff. The final review went well, and I am waiting with crossed fingers for that offer in September.

My summer, made me realize keeping in touch with real world work, while studying would be valuable to my learning. Since last few months, I have been interested in PE/VC space and I recently landed a "Mentored Study Internship" at a VC firm. Mentored study is a unique course, where you work at a firm, for around 8-10 hours a week and recieve course credit. This is very useful for people trying to get into PE/VC space. I am looking forward to my work with this Technology VC firm

Week 8

2005-07-26T16:19:00.000-04:00

Week 8

of the internship... and I am full of new ideas, exploring ways to read and dissect a 10-k, a 10-q and a earnings call. The initial days were slow, but the work has really picked up a lot in last few weeks. The regulations prevent me to speak about specific things ( and also any stock trade :(), so will leave it at that. But, all in all I am hoping to achieve a lot in the last three weeks of my internship.

In NY, I am spending time meeting old friends and make new friends. My internship buddies are awesome, a mix of MBA and some undergrads. Nice vibrant mix to have in a group and we are having a blast.

There are quiet a few MBA type mixers, Banking events, etc. But, whatever said and done, I miss my school life. I know why i must make full use of my Second Year and enjoy every moment at school. My to-do list for Second year has grown beyond proportion, and I am already thinking to myself that I didnt do enough in first year, even though I pushed myself a lot.

The Summer Internship Experience

2005-07-04T18:04:00.000-04:00

My New York Days

are turning out to be full of activity. This place is really a hub of financial activity, vibrant life style, happening places and tons of people. NY lifestyle reminds me of Mumbai. Well, this summer has become an opportunity to meet my old friends, some after 13-15 years.

I stay in Jersey city, by the riverfront and am loving the area. This place has hep surroundings, less crowded and a starbucks close by :). I love my starbucks while listening to the waves of Hudson. Besides, every third person in my apartment complex is a Ivy league MBA, and working in Wall Street.

The summer internship is picking up steam, as I am midway through the project. The colleagues and some of the people I have interacted with are sharp and fun to work with. Summer is a long 10 week interview and also a honey moon period for us.

Happy Independence day!!

2005-05-18T02:03:00.000-04:00

Summer Vacation

It is a nice, hot summer out here in India. I guess, am making up for all the sunshine I missed last year. These days are spent just being lazy, reading books from my wishlist and meeting friends. A very different routine with no deadlines, and I am trying to get used to it :)

Recently, I recieved some reading material for the summer internship. I am all excited, to be there at Wall Street, witnessing action in reality, after learning finance for an year now.

BTW, I realized this blog completed its 2 year few weeks back. This blog will retire when it will be "lucky 3" :)

2005-05-05T17:28:00.000-04:00

Exams are done and so is First Year

Finally done with all my exams, and I have one project due in Forecasting in next 12-14 hours, and after that I will be all done !! Time moves so fast, and I am not ready to be a SY yet :(

Now is the time for me to pack up things, vacate my house and then go for few weeks to India. Shifting is always a pain, but I am hoping to get done with it early ( 24 hours early is an improvement for me), to keep room for last minute things.

Next three weeks should be hot in India, where temperatures will be upto 110-115 F. Anyways, I hope to catch up with my friends, and sleep.

Back in June, is the starting of my internship. I was lucky enough to get my first preference PC Hardware. I am looking for exciting time in New York. New York will be fun with over 60 Fuqua classmates doing summer internships. We wouldnt be missing any Fuqua Fridays.

And before it is too late, let me rush for the end of year celebration, the Fuqua Thursday, Fuqua Vision and the party tonite.

2005-04-24T22:44:00.000-04:00

2 more weeks before finals are over

As expected Term 4 is a tough one. And besides, I have overload this term to make things more hectic for me. For example, Today I started in morning at 9:00 AM and continued non-stop till 6:00 PM in team meetings for different subjects.

Exams are in 1st week of may and after that it is time to take break and head home to India. I start my internship in June 1st week, so I will have a long and relaxing break. :). As you can imagine, I am looking forward for my exams to get over.

Despite the hectic times, I have learnt to take time out to party or go out. These days I have become a movie buff, Thanks to the DVD's in our Library and the special student ticket in theatres, on average, I manage to see two-three movies a week :).

2005-03-20T22:50:00.000-05:00

Term 4 begins tommorow

So the spring break is over, it just disappeared in no time. I have a really full term 4. I am doing a overload, and so am doing four courses - Corporate Finance , Economics of Health Care, Strategy and Forecasting. Beside this, we need to wind up our Small Business Consulting (SBC)Practicum. As always, we still need to do quite a bit to finish the SBC practicum.

With three classes on Monday (Thursday), I need a lot of caffiene to keep me active for the 6.45 hours of teaching. At the same time, I am happy with my load, cause the more busy I get the more efficient I am.

Term 4 is also the time when we FY's start transitioning into SY. It feels very different to be called a SY. I have also been involved in few leadership positions, and this is the time for preparing budgets, and planning for next year for our club.

Exams are Over!!

2005-03-07T18:00:00.000-05:00

Exams are Over!!

Done... Over... Feels good :). Now its time to enjoy the long spring break till 20th March. This break is longer, as the school has planned time for the GATE trips.

I will be off to visit my old time classmates in Dallas. Nothing much just time lazying around, and I am so glad that I am having a change from daily routine.

The next term will be busy with four full courses -- considering I did only two courses ( and 1 Small Business Consulting Practicum) in third term. So all the more reason, I should relax more and put on some more pounds ;).

Last week of Term 3

2005-03-01T14:44:00.000-05:00

Last week of Term 3

I just finished my last class of term 3. The exams are this weekend and next monday. In no time, we are at the end of term 3. After this term, is the long spring break till 20th March. Good time to visit friends and relax. After the internship search is done, life looks very different.

Welcome Class of 2007

The yahoo group and boards are buzzing with Class of 2007. I spoke to a lot of new admits and it looks like the class is very talented, diverse and enthusiastic people. For people who are in middle of making decisions between schools, read my friend "Tagad's writeup "Choosing a Business School"

I strongly recommend all ( international or domestic) students visit the admit weekends at schools [ Blue Devil Weekend etc]. Even if it is a matter of spending another $3-4k, think of the $100k investment you are making, that too which is lifelong. Think of how much time you spend while purchasing a car.

To get a fair understanding of a school, speak with as many people as you can. This will eliminate subjective opinion people have. Once you have all the information, and your feel on where you fit is , you will be in a better position to make an informed decision.

My 2 cents.

2005-02-17T20:46:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Round 2 admits

The yahoo board for new admits is buzzing with action. Congratulations for all those who made it in. Enjoy your moments.

Also, for those on WL, there is still hope, and if you keep showing your passion you will be part of Team Fuqua. Good Luck to you.

2005-02-15T18:11:00.000-05:00

Internship decision is made

After speaking with couple more alumni and SY, I have nearly finalized my decision on internship. It feels good to be done with it.

Now is the time to catch up with classes and focus on the new leadership opportunities for next year in the school.

Good luck to all Round 2 applicants!!

2005-02-10T19:25:00.000-05:00

Recruiting updates

I did few more final round interviews this week.So hopefully, my decision about where to go this summer would be made within a week or two. BTW, it feels very different once you have an offer.

I have been reflecting on how the recruiting process started when we arrived at the school. There have been quite a few lessons , during this process.

I recognize, networking can get you the interview invite but not the job offer. Seems obvious...But sometimes in our own style of networking we over do the passion for a firm. I realize that one needs to maintain the balance. Just like B-school application or dating, recruiting is about fit, and showing the right amount of interest.

My belief in maintaining long term focus, while networking has helped. No one likes to be asked for the job directly. Also, it is not essential to only speak to direct stake holders ( or recruiting team). The other people in the firm give neutral perspective, as well as can help your candidacy.

Anyways... let me get back to preparing for tommorow morning interview.

2005-02-04T22:39:00.000-05:00

2nd Round interviews

I had an great second round interview today morning and met lot of nice set of people. I am keeping my fingers crossed for results next week.

I also have few more second rounds coming up next week. As expected, the second rounds are more intense and require a lot of preparation. This quarter, I am glad that I could exempt one course so that helps me a bit. But job search is really time consuming. On the other hand, it is very interesting and a great learning experience too in the area of your interest.

Good luck to all of you searching for internships/full time jobs.

ps: Good news, Got an offer from the firm I interviewed last week. :)

Term 3 underway

2005-02-01T22:01:00.000-05:00

Term 3

Term 3 is underway. This term though has one less course, but with the internship search on it looks a lot more hectic.

The Round 3 deadline was yesterday. The Round 2 decisions would start coming out on Feb 17th. I am planning to make few phone calls to admits myself.

ps: Sorry I mis-spoke about the admit decisions coming out. They will indeed come out on Feb 17th.

2005-01-13T00:54:00.000-05:00

Updates from recruiting week

Fuqua looks different these days, with every one in formal suits. I have had couple of interviews. On campus recruiting is no doubt very competitive, with every one being very qualified. That being said, all of us prepare together, do mocks. The SYs are very helpful and some of them have been working with us for several hours daily. I owe a lot to my classmates, who helped me in my job search, which I started a little late.

I have few second(final) round and a few first round interviews coming up next week. In the end, one's degree of preparedness, the passion for the job decides your fate. Am keeping my fingures crossed and trying to maintain focus. Let's see how things shape up.

2005-01-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

Internship Interviews next week

Today, we came to know the final list for all the interviews next week. It looks like a busy and eventful week for me. I have been speaking with my friends in other schools, and one thing which I like about Fuqua, is the timing of Internship interviews.

Our classes start on 21st january, after full 2 weeks of recruiting. This is a boon, given the amount of work one has during classes. Also, we have only 3 courses this quarter, as opposed to 4 courses.

I am keeping my fingers crossed, for my interviews. The preparation reminds me of MBA interview preparation. A large part of round one interview is behavioural - STAR format. Good Luck to all for internship interviews and internship search.

2005-01-02T03:17:00.000-05:00

Sufi Music - Rabbi Shergill and more
(This music is exceptional so will deviate from the blog theme :)

The new album by Rabbi Shergill, based on Sufi Music of 18th century is very soothing. Even though most of the people who have heard this album, dont understand the meaning, they find it uplifting. Here is a link to the song "Bulla ki jaana maen koun"

And here is the one of the "good" translations of the song. However, as we all know, any translation can achieve only so much. I find the original text to be much more intense and full with feelings

Not a believer inside the mosque,
am I Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not in the holy Vedas, am I
Nor in opium, neither in wine
Not in the drunkard`s craze
Niether awake, nor in a sleeping daze
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
In happiness nor in sorrow, am I
Neither clean, nor a filthy mire
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not an Arab, nor Lahori
Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri
Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari
Nor do I live in Nadaun Bulleh! to me, I am not
known Secrets of religion, I have not known
From Adam and Eve, I am not born
I am not the name I assume
Not in stillness, nor on the move
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
I am the first, I am the last
None other, have I ever known
I am the wisest of them all
Bulleh! do I stand alone?Bulleh! to me, I am not known

2005-01-01T02:30:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year 2005 !!

Wish you a prosperous and Happy New Year. Reflecting back, 2004 was eventful, with admission and start of MBA.

2005 has even more excitement packed in. Internship search, Internship, Full time job, 4 quarters etc etc... Looks like a start of yet another decisive year.

2004-12-28T15:27:00.000-05:00

Tsunami Disaster

The disaster has taken a huge death toll, and the reports from the field are heart wrenching. Most of my friends and relatives are fine, but a disaster this magnitude requires quick relief work on the ground.

We at Duke have been shocked and are trying to help by donating directly to the organizations working in affected areas.

Personally, having worked in few of the organizations here is a list of organizations that I would trust :

a) AID India : http://www.aidindia.org/
b) Red Cross - http://www.ifrc.org/helpnow/donate/donate_response.asp
c) Share & Care Organization - http://www.shareandcare.org/

Happy Holidays

2004-12-27T11:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays

Wish you a happy holidays and Merry Christmas!!! I just returned back from meeting my undergrad buddies, for christmas. I guess this vacation was much needed :)

I have made it to a few closed lists for Equity Research. The interviews are on 10th January, hence I need to spend some time preparing for stock-pitches for the interview. The good news about Banking internships is that before the classes start on 21st January, one knows the result of internship search.

ps: Congratulations to all the Wharton admits!! Enjoy your holidays.

Congratulations to all the Admits

2004-12-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

Congratulations !!

Fuqua results were announced this week on 16th. Congratulations to all the admits and WL!! Let me know if you have any specific questions. Look forward to meeting you in Blue Devil Weekend.

ps: Since I was in NY, I couldnt be present to make phone calls to admitted students. I plan to be there for R2.. It feels very good, sharing such an escatic news with admits :)

Longest break from the blog is over

2004-12-18T14:38:00.000-05:00

Long Break

So last one month was the longest break from my blog. The last month was also one of the busiest months at Fuqua. We finished our finals on 13th Dec, amidst all the deadline for submitting resumes and cover letters for various companies.

Earlier this week, I visited New York to talk about my new love - a career in Equity research. After I took my Macro-economics course in Term 1, I enjoy forecasting the way markets move based on macro-economic news. When I got first exposed to Finance, I liked the part about valuation of a firm. Thats when I started thinking and understanding about a career in Equity Research.

So, I have my hands full, now that I need to prepare for internship interviews ( starting 10th Jan) for consulting and equity research.

I plan to take a break and visit my friends for few days during christmas. Sometimes, when there are no classes, it seems so quiet to me :). Guess I had been running so much, that standing still is no longer a fun :).

Term 2 , the most hectic term at Fuqua

2004-11-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

Term 2 , the most hectic term at Fuqua ........

The most hectic term is here. That explains my long absence. With Marketing, Accounting, Finance and Management communication, there is a lot new to learn this term.

The deadlines for resume drop for on-campus recruiting is approaching. That will add to the entropy :)... Honestly, looking for an internship is more than a course. I plan to write the cover letter and changes to resume during the Thanksgiving break.

The school is very thoughtful, and has only 3 courses in term 3. This is the term when we have interviews for internship.

I am already counting my days backwards.. Dec 13th, 5:00 PM and I am done with my term 2 exams. What follows is a long long break.. Term 4 starts on 21st January. However, I know I will get to enjoy a part of the vacation. Its time to prepare for consulting case interviews, and there will be lot of practice sessions during that time.

Week in Atlanta

2004-10-24T23:36:00.000-04:00

Week in Atlanta

I returned this saturday from the Week in Atlanta visit to the consulting firms. It was a good trip, as we got to meet firms in their offices and meet more people. We had a chance to meet firms that dont come to campus as well.

Besides, the 38 of us who went there had a good time. It felt good, with no time pressures for studies and just chilling out in Atlanta.

Well, all the fun part is gonna be less from tommorow, the start of Term 2. This term is one of the toughest I believe. We have Finance, Marketing, Accounting and "Informing and Influencing Business Audiences". I exempted out of Basic Accounting course and am enrolled into Corporate Financial Reporting.

Term 1 is done

2004-10-19T08:34:00.000-04:00

Term 1 is over

In no time, Term 1 got over. Now is the time to sit back and work on job search. As I mentioned earlier, I start for Atlanta to visit consulting firm offices. Networking is crucial in any type of job-search. Its degree of importance varies on job by job.

In consulting, it will get the foot in the door. It helps to show firms your interest in their firm, and will help in making to the "closed list" ( people who are invited for interviews). After that it is all case interviews.

Whereas in Finance, Investment Banking type of job, networking is more than a foot in the door. The firms usually make up their mind based on the networking.

Term 2 begins next week.

Week 6 arrives and so do Finals

2004-10-10T22:33:00.000-04:00

Week 6 arrives and so do Finals

Its like sitting in a supersonic Jet plane. The time flys by at Fuqua. It was just recently, that I started the classes and its already time for finals. Here are some of my early impressions .

I love the fact that Wednesday is an off-day for us, so we can catch up with classes and homework. The Fuqua Fridays are a great time for all of us to relax with beer and food. We get to spend a lot of time in late nights parties and other club activities all through the week.

Like all MBA courses, we have a lot of breadth to cover in our courses. The workload is average for all of the courses. Most of the faculty are very friendly, and lot of them participate in our fun activities. We had our Managerial Effectiveness professor singing 'Baby got Back' at the First Year Karaoke Night. :)

I have my exams on 13th, 14th and 15th October. After that I have plans to go to "Week in Atlanta" and meet up with Consulting firms.

First 3 weeks of Classes

2004-09-18T21:23:00.000-04:00

First 3 weeks of Classes

It is week 3 of classes and the Midterms are due this weekend and early next week. With a 6 weeks quarters, the time moves very fast. Apart from classes the corporate briefings or SIP (Student Interest Presentation) as we call here have started. Every day, we have around 2 companies come to the campus and present about themselves and what they are looking in summer internship positions.

Given that MBA gives a lifetime opportunity to switch careers and take bigger steps, I had been toying with the idea of Investment Banking as an career option for me. After lot of serious thought, I decided not to take that route. This decision has made me more focussed , the need of the hour amidst so much activities.

The student clubs have also been drumming up the pace. I got into few clubs as volunteer and few places as Cabinet member. So it will be lot of fun , lot of job search and lot of studies this year.

Come next 3 weeks and we will be done with term 1 ( by Oct 14th). After that we have the week in a city to meet up firms in area of one's choice. I will most likely head to Consulting firms in Atlanta.

PS: I won the basketball season pass at the Campout last week.

Are you a B-school applicant who needs help

2004-08-24T01:32:00.000-04:00

Are you a 2005 applicant who needs help ?

Since, I have not been able to completely fulfill my promise to write more on re-applicantion and general strategy for the Indian/International applicants , let me make up some ground.

a) If you have any questions regarding Fuqua School of Business, Duke , you can ask me here.

b) I will be happy to help you with an essay review on the weekend .

So if you are looking out for help, send me a mail.

All the best

First few crazy days

2004-08-20T21:35:00.000-04:00

First two crazy weeks

It has been nearly two weeks since the I started by HSM(Health Sector Management) boot camp, and the times have been crazy ever since. The first week of HSM camp was phenomenal. We had a series of esteemed speakers talking about various aspects of Health Care in US. For some one who was totally new to the system, it was interesting to learn the new system. Though, I felt at times, if I had some more time, I could do a bit of more readings for the day. On average we had around 6-8 articles to read per day. We covered topics from the Medicaid, Medicare , the new MMA act to ethics in medicine , trends in biotech.

After that week, we had the orientation week ( the current week). Full of fun, games and loads of information about the Career search, classes , clubs etc. We had a faboulous treasure hunt ( scavenger hunt) , which I thoroughly enjoyed. I dont remember, how many parties we have had since last 3 weeks. Several days it is a back to back parties. It is great fun..

However, I havent written some of the exemption exams so far, hence I need to get some time to study. Now there is only small window this weekend and next friday. So will try to make the best out of it.

The first week at Duke

2004-08-08T11:25:00.000-04:00

The first week at Duke

As expected the first week was hectic and all the time spent in settling down. I bought my car, cell phone, opened new bank accounts, furnished the house etc. and then get ready for the HSM program which starts today evening.

Now, that I have my things at home in place, i hopefully wouldnt have to run around when the classes get in full swing from tommorow. I had opportunity to meet some wonderful people this week, though I couldnt spend a lot of time with them. I hope as we are closing in to our orientation ,I will have a chance to know more of my cool classmates.

Arrived at Durham - Duke

2004-07-31T05:51:00.000-04:00

Arrived at Durham - Duke, Fuqua School of Business

So I finally arrived at my dream place where I would spend the next two years. The long journey was just fine, though marred with delays and other baggage difficulties.

When I visited Duke, I liked the place and it reminded me of my previous school where I did my graduation. Things seem to moving fast in the next gear as I catch up with settling in.

I hope to set up my home , furniture and other essential items before my class start on 8th. Now, is also the time to do some more introspection about career choices, so I will work on that as well. BTW, a good resource for researching your careers is CareerLeader. Also recommended for prospective applicants.

Leaving for Durham this week

2004-07-25T14:54:00.000-04:00

Leaving for Durham this week

I will be leaving for Durham this week. Hence the last week saw a spurt of shopping, packing up, preparation for the next 1 year.

This coming week and weekend will be hectic in Durham.Also I wouldnt have a car for couple of days and I need to movein to the new apartment this weekend and set up things. I am keeping my fingers crossed for interesting times ahead.

Best wishes to all of you travelling to your dream schools :)

I am back in town

2004-07-17T23:28:00.000-04:00

After the long vacation for last 14 days, I am finally back in town. I had the opportunity to travel for over 96 hours in Train , visit 4 places and meet lot of friends and relatives. Unfortunately, I had bad connectivity in the boondocks, so it helped me to stay away from net :).

Now, that I am back, I am trying to catch up on things and prepare myself for the flight to Durham this month end.I also recieved the Health Sector Management packet , so I have some pre-reading to do on this new topic.

My first stop

2004-07-02T11:27:00.000-04:00

My first stop

After a long train journey, I have reached my home (parents place) today morning. The last day was hectic to the last minute with few hiccups and twists. In the end, things went fine and I was able to shift around 80kg of my luggage back home.

In the long journey , I had the chance to finish "The Goal" which is related to Operations Management -- Theory of Constraints to be precise. I have done a basic course in Operations and have liked the subject. hence, this this book was an excellent read for me. Even for people with no knowledge of Operations this book is a novel.

Like any of my first read, I ran past the operations problems with a rough hunch -- a bit like a novel. I think I will need another reading of those sections to appreciate the book.

My next train trip starts exactly 26 hours from now... In the meanwhile, I have finished work on Duke Opportunity Loan and Immunization.

So now it is time to work on application for Exemption for few first year courses, ordering Laptop and my BWeek Journal. Yes, I managed to take an extension for BWeek Journal, since my essays werent good enough. :) Like all last minute things, I hope I can sneek this in time as well.

Last day in Bangalore

2004-06-29T15:15:00.000-04:00

Last Day in Bangalore
Today is the last day in Bangalore. A sense of mixed feelings as I have been here for 6 years in the last 8 years.

Even though, I planned a lot of activities so that moving from an house load of luggage to 2 suitcases is easy, but the last day looks extremely hectic for me.

I will have limited access to mail/blog, as I will be travelling around India starting tommorow.

Last Day at Work

2004-06-25T05:04:00.000-04:00

Last Day at Work

Today is last day at work :)... I am not sure, how I will feel on the coming Monday morning. The coming one month vacation is something I know I wouldnt get in a long time, so planning to make the best of it.

And yes, no studying the courses beforehand.:). May be a little bit of time on HSM , but I need to just enjoy.

Count down begins

2004-06-23T07:23:00.000-04:00

Count down begins and the IMN meet this weekend
7 days before I leave Bangalore... Hectic times ahead.

BTW, all the students from South Zone - Indian MBA Network are meeting again in Bangalore before we disperse. The meet is this Saturday June 26th at 7:30 pm, at Oblivion.

So, if you are an student from any of the listed schools below, please do stop by.
The schools list as of now are :
Berkeley (Haas), Chicago, CMU (Tepper), Columbia, Darden, Duke (Fuqua), Harvard, INSEAD, Ivey, Kellogg, LBS, Michigan, MIT Sloan, Stanford, Stern, Tuck, Wharton, Yale

To all prospective applicants

2004-06-20T03:42:00.001-04:00

To all prospective applicants

If you are applying this fall to B-schools and have questions on your application feel free to ask them at IMN_Help yahoo egroup.

Quoting from the egroup page
"This is the Indian MBA Network (http://www.IndianMBANetwork.org) help chapter for answering questions from prospective Indian B-school students "

The group is run by few of us - Class of 2006, 2005 and 2004 students.

Last few days in Bangalore

2004-06-20T03:15:00.000-04:00

Last few days in Bangalore

These are my last few days in B1angalore, which has been my base station since 1996. Another week of work, and then I have a month to relax .....wohoo. After that, I have planned for an 15 day trip around India, visiting relatives and places I wanted to see.

At this stage, I need to finalize on my Air tickets, Laptop, Insurance ( Duke or Private) besides shifting my things home and to US. I have already reserved an apartment complex in Durham, so have one less thing to do.

We plan to have another Indian MBA network meet on 26th June in Bangalore. It would be fun to meet friends again before heading for our schools.

Of housing, air ticket and shifting

2004-06-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

Of housing, air ticket and shifting

Last few days have been spent on finalizing the housing in Durham. I am looking for a 2 bed/2 bath apartment and have finalized on my future apartment mate. Within this week, we should be able to book a nice community .

I have taken quotes from few Air Travel agents.. and the tickets vary from Rs 32,000 ( $711) to Rs 36,000 ($800). I have close to 60k miles FF miles on United Airlines and so my decison to buy which tickets will depend on that as well. With 80k miles, I get a round trip to India free.

And all this while, I have been able to sell all of my items on sale. Now, what remains is my big collection of books, packed in 4-5 boxes and clothes. I have decided, unlike earlier days, that it is better to donate my technical books, which I wouldnt be reading in foreseable future.

I also have a set of Management books, since I have spent time doing couple of courses part time, in last one year. Should be couriering them to US straight or carry it along with me.

Am happy, that I have only 9 more working days left. 25th June is my last day, and 30th June is last day in Bangalore. After that I have a hectic India tour from 3-16th July. Plan to be in Durham by July 31st.

Duke Opportunity Loan update

2004-06-10T16:14:00.000-04:00

Duke Opportunity Loan update

From the Duke website...
Special note for our International Students:
Effective immediately the terms of the Duke MBA Opportunity Loan have been changed for the 2004-2005 academic year as follows:

The interest rate is Prime + 2% with a 4% loan origination fee.

The annual maximum loan amount International Students can borrow has been increased to $50,000, per academic year. ($39,329 for educational expenses + $10,671 for miscellaneous expenses)

Total educational expenses include tuition, student health insurance, books, and all required fees. Miscellaneous expenses include laptop computer, GATE, Exchange, child care or living expenses. Please be reminded that the amount students are eligible to receive from the Duke MBA Opportunity Loan cannot exceed the Total Cost of Attendance less any other financial aid.

Students will not be required to make interest loan payments while enrolled.

Admitted to HSM

2004-06-10T15:15:00.000-04:00

Admitted to HSM ...

As I had mentioned earlier, I decided to enrol to the Health Sector Management... I was asked to submit a seperate essay on Why HSM and my future career plans.

After submitting my essays, I got the following within an hour....

"...... Based on your education and previous experiences I feel you would be a welcome addition to the HSM program! As a result I am going to notify Admissions that your file should be updated to include the HSM indicator and I will also send you an official HSM admit letter.
Congratulations again on your admission to Fuqua and now HSM!! Please let me know if I can answer any other questions ~ see you in August!

Regards,
Nichole Berke
Assistant Director .........."

Woohoo, so I have my classes from Aug 8th. Medicine is an interesting topic that I had always wanted to study. Now is the time... :)

BWeek Journal Writing deadline extended

2004-06-07T05:26:00.000-04:00

BWeek Journal Writing deadline extended

Wow!! Glad that I checked up the BWeek website and the deadline for Journal writers has been extended to 28th June. This will help me from submitting my article/essays in last moment like my application.

BTW, yesterday's Sankalp - Indian MBA network meet was fun. Hope we continue the trend and increase the span of activities.

The hectic period....

2004-06-05T08:49:00.000-04:00

Hectic times ahead and even now

After speaking with few students and introspecting, I am planning to do the Health Sector Management(HSM) concentration at Duke. It is a great specialization to do from Duke, if you have had any inclination in Health Sector area. Since, I had missed mentioning this on my application, I need to submit a set of essays to the HSM coordinator, discussing why I want to pursue that.

The things are hectic at this time for me. Everything in my house is for sale. I am serving my notice period at my company. Then I have to work on Immunizations, housing, loans and the list goes on.

BTW, the deadline for BWeek Journal writers is this weekend. I have little time to assemble my ramblings... Let me see how this turns out.

All these while, I have been wondering if I should reveal my true identity on the blog like Future MBA Girl. Like all things, there are pros and cons to this. Besides, there are many friends who met me and know who I am.

My second admit Package arrived

2004-06-01T07:03:00.000-04:00

So finally my second admit package with my Duke email id arrived. Feels great to use my Duke id.

So far the Bangalore gettogether has good number of people registered for the meet. I hope we will have great fun in this unique cross -school gathering.

India MBA network meet in Bangalore

2004-05-27T12:39:00.000-04:00

Posting from Bweek thread

The India MBA network meet at Bangalore – Start networking even before you go to the school.

Calling the new admits current students and alumni of the Indian MBA Network for a meet on the June 6th 2004, in Bangalore.

Indian MBA Network is a non-profit organization comprising of Indian B-school students and alumni from select premier business schools worldwide. As of now, the community comprises of the following schools:
Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Kellogg, Chicago, MIT Sloan, Fuqua, Michigan, Stern, Columbia, TUCK, Darden, Berkley, Yale, CMU Tepper, LBS and INSEAD.

Visit http://www.indianmbanetwork.org/ for more information on Indian MBA network.

This summer, the new admits are making preparations to enter there dream schools and the current students are starting their internship. This is a good time for all of us from various schools, to meet and know each other. We eagerly look forward to meeting our alumni for mentoring students and networking with business leaders.

Please RSVP me before 31 May at ravi_trivedi@yahoo.com.

This meet is brought to you by India MBA Network – Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai chapter.

India MBA network

2004-05-27T09:38:00.000-04:00

About India MBA Network

Posting from the India MBA network's Yahoo group page :

This is the group intended for keeping in touch with the fellow Indians studying in top MBA schools.

The group homepage is at: http://www.IndianMBANetwork.org

The group message/discussion board is at: Indian MBA Network message board . The passwd for the message board is listed in our charter document that you receive upon subscription. The document also contains links to several professional, geographical and special subchapters that you may want to take advantage of.

In order to keep our group focused and managable, we have limited ourselves to Indian students from the following schools only for now

Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Kellogg, Chicago, MIT, Fuqua, Michigan, Stern, Columbia, TUCK, Darden, Berkley, Yale, CMU, LBS and Insead.

If you are an alumnus or a current student or if you have got an admission from one of the above schools , then you are most welcome to join this group.

Read more

Winding up

2004-05-27T06:49:00.000-04:00

Winding up

I have started winding up things in Bangalore. My boss was surprized to hear the news of an full time MBA. Well, he mentioned " Oh, so you are getting into the big league". Anyways, I expect the transition to be smooth and be relieved within next 4 weeks.

Everthing in my house is on sale now :). I have told my landlord about my shift as well. I hope to get back my deposit in time so that I can visit my parents for a while, and visit some places in India before heading to Durham.

More on F1 Visa process

2004-05-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

More on F1 Visa process
I read Luvshack's experience of getting a F1 visa (in India). I am glad you managed despite so many hurdles.

From my experience, it helps to
- Be thorough. Understand the process from FAQ's on Consulate page.
- Provide as much information as possible. Dont hide information.
- Be frank and honest.
- Be confident.

I did not use any visa consultant, though used some advice from f1visa2usa yahoo group. The files section of the yahoo group contains a good set of FAQ's and sample formats for affidavit. I have posted another detailed post on this earlier.

If you have any other questions, feel free to drop me a line.

ps: And yes, my passport arrived yesterday with the stamp. They gave a 5 year F1 visa... enough for a PhD I guess :)

Got my Visa

2004-05-24T05:03:00.000-04:00

Got my F1 Visa

I just returned from the American Consulate in Chennai, and the news is that I got my F1 Visa without any hassles.

The officer asked me few questions :
- Which School? Why Duke
- What do your parents do?
- Post-MBA plans.
- How many times, I have been to US

No questions on funding, or questions on show me why you will return to India after your MBA. Guess my visits to US ( on work permit and business) helped to answer that.

Now the ball starts rolling. Notices, Notices, everywhere... Time to pack up.

ps: It didnt take long for the Visa interview process. I was there for around 1.30hrs only. Now that I have around 7 hours in hand , before my train departs. Its time to see a movie, and meet some MBA friends... :)

Visa

2004-05-21T08:30:00.000-04:00

Visa
Finally the D-day for Visa interview is around the corner. I will be leaving on Sunday night and my interview should be over by Monday late afternoon (24th). Everything is kinda on hold till that time. Am going with fingers crossed.

See you all on Monday then

Of Visa, housing and Loans

2004-05-19T07:06:00.000-04:00

Of Visa, housing and Loans

The Visa application is getting done and I have most of the documents for my application. It is a big pile of documents, most important one's are :

a) DS-156, DS-157, DS-158 forms, Photograph, Draft.
b) I-20 from University
c) Proof of sufficient funds
{ Huge list - IT returns, CA forms, Letter of support from parents, Bank Balance from 6 months, Property documents}
d) GMAT, TOEFL scores
e) Transcripts from colleges. Degree Certificates.
f) Worked out loan repayment schedule and a summary sheet of how I will sponsor my education.

I am also looking at various housing options and would book an apartment as soon as I get my Visa through.

And the most important is the search for a loan. With out a co-signer the interest rates are pretty high for Duke Opportunity Loan ( Prime + 2%). The other loans I am evaluating are the Paras Foundation and Access Group. Most of these again require a US co-signer.

I-20

2004-05-13T23:33:00.000-04:00

I-20

Finally I could sort out the delays in my I-20. It has been dispatached from Durham. I am glad that I can have my visa interview on May 24th.

Update: Tracked my documents, and they have reached home today afternoon. Now back to getting other documents in place

Scholarship update

2004-05-12T15:23:00.000-04:00

Scholarship update

Most of the scholarships in India are 0% loans for a small amount (upto $5000). However, there are few "gift scholarships" available. I was terribly late for JN Tata Endowement, did not apply to the Paul Foundation due to a long list of documents, and few more since they were loans.

However, I believe my application is active at INLAKS scholarship and with some luck I may be able to apply at Godrej foundation. Apart from this I am thinking of trying for the Travel Assistance from American Alumni association.

Later this summer, I plan to share my spreadsheet where I tracked couple of scholarships. I had run a small postal mailer campaign and learnt that a lot of addresses were wrong.

I-20

2004-05-12T15:20:00.000-04:00

Waiting for my I-20

I am anxiously waiting for my I-20 to arrive. My Visa interview is on the 24th May, and I hope atleast by next week I get my I-20. Though, I had kept a 2 week cushion, still we might cut too close. I would hate, if I had to reschedule my Visa interview at Chennai... The current delay in scheduling interviews is 5 weeks !!

Any such delay at this stage would upset my personal plans to a great extent. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Kellogg Feedback

2004-05-11T10:55:00.000-04:00

Kellogg Feedback

I just finished my Kellogg feedback session. I am glad, that I could get a feedback on an application where I spent a lot of time and energy. This gives me an idea of where to focus on while interviewing this fall for internship.

As expected , I was told it was a tough year, and I come from a very competitive pool. The decision was tough for them, and they hoped that I didnt feel I had got nothing out of the feedback session.

The key points that came out in the feedback were:

a) A Lot of progress/improvement since re-application. Good contribution to my company. [above par]
b) Very clear Why MBA, Why Kellogg. [ above par]
c) The academics and GMAT were [on par, but not stellar)
d) There were good extra curicullar activities, several of them , but the depth of involvement not clear. [par to little below par]
e)There are lot of success points mentioned , but the leadership experiences needs more explaining. Same for Team work [ at par to little below par]

That was it... . Well, the feedback was in informal tone like last year and the ad com was frank and friendly. However, as expected, I couldn't get more information on the Interview feedback this year as compared to last years. ( May be I will write to the kellogg interviewer for his feedback)

I guess, there was still room for improvement in my essays. So folks out there applying to Class of 2007, focus on your essays, this has been my learning since last 2 years.

Visa updates

2004-05-10T05:35:00.000-04:00

Visa updates
On the Visa front, I am making slow and steady progress. Couple of you have asked for my experience/insight on F-1 visa. Here are few of them :

a) Read the information about Non-immigrant visas on the US consulate website carefully. Understand what is the primary purpose of the interview etc.

b) I also posted a good detailed post by Hitesh about Visas on this blog. Be confident and prepared with how you plan to fund, and REPAY your loans. [Minimize "US loans" as much as possible.]

c)I prefer preparing my documents myself. This helps me being thorough with all the nuances.
Only in exceptional cases, where I need advice, I would speak to a Visa consultant. There are couple of yahoo groups on F1 visa for example f1visa2usa.

Second Blue Devil Meeting in Bangalore

2004-05-10T05:17:00.000-04:00

Second Blue Devil Meeting in Bangalore
We, the Blue Devils had a good meeting on the weekend with a current student, who had come down to Bangalore. Learnt a couple of do's and don'ts. Well, I plan to make arrangements for housing, furniture etc. before I land up in Durham.

On the job scene at Fuqua, I believe things are better. But as an international one needs to be perseverant. So, here I am eagerly awaiting my detailed admit package, with id to Fuqua World. This will give me access to several databases and student boards ( useful for networking).

ps: On May 8th, this blog became a year old :). Looking back, it has been a long journey from Kellogg waitlist.

2004-05-05T05:28:00.000-04:00

Have Been away from my blog since a long while. I am waiting for my I-20 to arrive and then the visa interview this month. Visa is a gating factor for me. Just after that i need to give notice to several places. I can not tell my manager of my plans now, due to the flux in our organization currently. Last year, it was very different, my manager was with me all the while we waited for results.

Also, I have been taking some time off to relax on weekends. This weekend we the Blue Devils from Bangalore region will meet a current Duke student who is coming to the city.

I also need to start working on my BWeek application for journal writers.

2004-04-28T11:11:00.000-04:00

Feedback interviews

I do plan to take feedback from all schools, where I can manage to get feedback. If not anything, it will act as a feedback on my interviewing and presentation skills. This year only Kellogg is offering feedback. I am trying at Sloan and Michigan if they will give me feedback.

2004-04-28T11:08:00.000-04:00

Part-time MBA Vs Full time

I got pulled by a Marketing Research group who was working on Part-time MBA VS Full time MBA research. Quiet and interesting discussion :).

Even though I expected that I will be a little free after my admission decisions, I realize I am swamped... Too many things. I guess I am learning about how things would be a little later this fall.

2004-04-26T10:41:00.000-04:00

Gmail

is offering free beta service to all bloggers. Cool , I have a 1GB mail box :)

2004-04-26T10:40:00.000-04:00

Scholarship updates

After doing a search on scholarships and running a mini-mailer campaign I realized that the time and energy simply isnt worth it. Except for 1-2 scholarships rest all trusts are interest free loans of order of 2000-5000$ ...

In the past, I have been a regular writer of technical articles/book. With MBA application, I had put my hobby to sleep. Now is the time to start again. Though, I never made too much money and have written for free for a long time, I believe this is the right time to start again. I think it will be worth it, if I spend some time on writing (for $$'s) till my classes begin in Mid-Aug. I have been thinking of writing business-cum-technical articles.

2004-04-21T07:10:00.000-04:00

Scholarship Hunt

Though I realize I have been late, I am trying to get in touch with Trusts and Foundations, that may offer scholarships/zero interest loans. This has been one area, where I wish, I had focussed a little earlier. I missed lot of deadlines around Jan end, mid-Feb.

The basis of my search is the excellent Wharton's compilation of WW Scholarships... and this wonderful document prepared by a Doctrate student for Indian scholarships.

2004-04-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Blue Devils gettogether

We had a great evening last saturday with couple of admits and their families. The event was graced by the presence of an alumni ( interviewer too). The alum shared lot of interesting stories and tips, shared his year book and other documents he cherished from his Duke days. This alum has been my favourite alum among all the alums of the schools I have met .

I also had opportunity to meet interesting people joining my class. Though being in Bangalore, most of the crowd consisted of IT folks, but I saw a lot of varied activities/paths.

ps: After I gave my introduction, my future class mates guessed that I was Harry Potter :). Well, I am not planning to keep it a closely gaurded secret anylonger

2004-04-16T14:48:00.000-04:00

Notebook recommendations

I have been looking at various options to buy a Notebook.

a) Couple of us going to Duke, are trying to negotiate a group purchase agreement with retailers at low rates.

b) The Duke Store offers very good discounts.

c) One can buy through a friend at HP, Dell or IBM using the Employee Purchase plan.

One of my classmates has summarized his research on laptop here... Very useful link for all

2004-04-15T07:52:00.000-04:00

Smart Manager

This magazine started by Gita Piramal ( worked with Sumantra of LBS fame), provides a good read into India's Businesses.

Read this weeks online edition here

---------
From their website

The Smart Manager is India's first world class management magazine. In the second anniversary special issue (Jan-Mar 2004), out now, The Smart Manager discovers India's truly world class managers. In-depth profiles look at their strategies and leadership styles to understand the secrets of their success.

2004-04-15T04:58:00.000-04:00

Blue Devils get together in Bangalore

A couple of us are planning to do a small get together for people heading to Durham, from Southern India. I am sure it will be exciting to know couple of my class mates before hand. We are also planning to invite couple of alumnus, who can offer some advice for coming days.

Plans ahead
I sent in the documents needed to request for my I-20 yesterday. Hopefully I should have the I-20 in next 3 weeks. Since I had to apply to the Chennai consulate, where the average wait for Visa appointment is 5 weeks, I decided to book a slot now. I have got an date for the last week of May.

If things go as per plan, I should be able to leave by Job by mid/end-June and take a break of a month before heading to Durham in July end/Aug 1st week.

It is going to be pretty hectic to wind up and sell off household items before I leave Bangalore.

2004-04-12T09:15:00.000-04:00

International Students and MBA

I read the interview of Margaret Andrews, Executive Director of MBA Program at MIT Sloan, in today's Economic times. Interesting read for an prospective international applicant... For more.....

BTW, Margaret was my interviewer :)

2004-04-12T07:33:00.000-04:00

I am back

I finally recovered over the Good Friday weekend and am back in action. Things are progressing on sending in the Temporary Visa request form to the Duke International office. Within next few days, I should have all the financial documents and paperwork done and sent to Duke. I will piggy back my $ 1000 check in the package as well.

Laptops
A group of few students at Fuqua have been trying to negotiate low prices for laptop with Retailers like Best Buy, etc. I hope we have a good deal done. I am thinking in favour of IBM T40 series of a lightweight Fujitsu/Toshiba. We also discussed the option of having Desktop, and I was infact surprised to learn that quiet a few folks, prefer a faster desktops at home. Well, I guess I am used using computers, so would just love a Wi-Fi and a Laptop... My office in Bangalore , is still not Wi-Fi :(.

I miss my days in Bay area... A cup of coffee, a Wi-Fi connection, fast internet ... what more one want's in life :).. Ok, that was the computer geek in me :)

Sick and away from blog for a while...

2004-04-08T06:33:00.000-04:00

Harry is sick and will be away from blog for a while.

2004-04-06T08:39:00.000-04:00

MBA Advice blog

has been gaining reputation. Clear admit mentioned about our MBA Advice blog on his site. Thanks Mark for noticing that.

Well, I do plan to write on this blog. Have a lot to share on -- waitlist, re-application, Indian Applicants, IT Applicants .

2004-04-06T08:36:00.000-04:00

Hits from MIT.edu, Northwestern.edu, Umich.edu

I have been tracking visitors to this side, and I must say that ad coms do moniter the BWeek forums and also the blogs. I have seen a lot of hits from Northwestern.edu , MIT.edu ... ( including yesterday). I am sure they would have figured out who I was, given that I have shared a lot of information about me.

ps: No I am not complaining, but I do know that the ad com use this information. For me, I dont suspect that it was used against me. :)

2004-04-06T08:15:00.000-04:00

Home work for Duke

I will intensify my research to know more information about Duke namely :

a) Hiring scene for internationals. Especially for Tech Marketing/ Tech Consulting Careers.

b) Any other available scholarships and where I can apply.

Please share your thoughts on these two aspects...

The usual Visa procedures etc are pretty much clear for me. BTW I had posted a great post from hitamba, who also happens to be at Fuqua :).

2004-04-06T08:10:00.000-04:00

Life goes on......

Though I had put in a lot of effort for Sloan, last few days, I was getting indications, that all may not be well. My last two year's experiences has taught me a lot about how to deal with failures. May be I was lucky to see a lot of success in my life so far.

The key to dealing with failures is quick recovery and learning from the failure. The personal up's and downs taught me Quick recovery. Now, I am picking up on how to learn from failures and not make the same mistake. Also, it teaches me to make alternate plans so that even if my Plan A fails, I am well covered.

Any ways, as I said life goes on... I am back in full gear mapping people at Durham.

2004-04-05T13:08:00.000-04:00

Sloan Result

Dear Mr Potter :

The Admissions Committee of the MIT Sloan MBA Program has considered your application and has regretfully concluded that we cannot offer you a place in the incoming class.

As you no doubt realize, the MIT Sloan School is comparatively small, with approximately 325 MBA students entering each year. While our size offers advantages to both our students and faculty, it also creates an extremely difficult selection process––this year, well over 3,000 candidates will compete for the 325 places in the class. I think it is no exaggeration to say that the majority of our applicants would be good students for our program. Since we have so few spaces to offer, the problem is not only choosing academically and professionally qualified applicants, but also choosing the very strongest candidates from a field of extraordinarily talented individuals.

We realize this news comes as a disappointment. I do hope, however, that you will accept our best wishes for your success.

Sincerely,

2004-04-04T10:59:00.000-04:00

A long weekend, I must say... So I decided to take some time off and head out for some outing.

Some of the fellow bloggers have been busy making decisions about schools. FMG decided to go to Wharton, Mark and Jie to HBS, Joey to HBS. Good luck with your decisions folks. HBS/Wharton are great schools. Congratulations to Power yogi for his R3 Wharton interview invite.

Good Luck to you 3app, for your Plan B.

Lets see what's in store for me tomorrow ... It will be a long Monday.. :).

2004-03-31T10:33:00.000-05:00

Sweet and Sour news

The sour one. Got an mail from Duke adcom about the scholarship and I have $0.00 :(.

A minor good news. I have been trying to upgrade my Yahoo a/c to increase quota -- got an error few days back. And today I get this mail

Dear Yahoo! Mail User,

We've made changes to your Yahoo! Mail account -- we've upgraded your email storage quota to 100MB, at no cost to you. As a loyal Yahoo! Mail user, you've been randomly selected to receive this free benefit effective March 31, 2004. You'll also be able to attach up to 10 files to an outgoing email message (increased from 3); and your outgoing message size can be up to 10MB (increased from 3MB). It's just our way of saying thanks!

You can keep these benefits as long as this Yahoo! Mail account remains active. For your email account to stay active, you must sign in to your Yahoo! Mail account at least once every four months and comply with all applicable Yahoo! Terms of Service and guidelines. If your email account becomes inactive at any time, you will no longer have the increased storage capacity.

ps: I started using Yahoo since 1998-99 :).

BTW, Sloan news is round the corner... I am waiting for the 5th... It is 5 days to go.

2004-03-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

Visa advice
Excellent Post from "hitamba" for International applicants on how to get F1.

You will need to show liquid assets for your tuition and ties to the home country for the visa. Financial evidence that shows you or your parents who are sponsoring you have sufficient funds to cover your tuition and living expenses during the period of your intended study. For example, if you or your sponsor is a salaried employee, please bring income tax documents and original bank books and/or statements. If you or your sponsor own a business, please bring business registration, licenses, etc., and tax documents, as well as original bank books and/or statements.

Visa issuance is a very objective decision, and is not subjective: Every visa official has a list of requirements (s)he looks for in a visa application. If they are met, then (s)he issues the visa. If not, (s)he doesn't. It is how these requirements are met that makes a visa decision seem subjective. For instance, take the requirement of showing that you will return to India. If you provide unambiguous pragmatic evidence pointing to reasons for return, he will have no reason not to grant a visa. US Visa Official Quote: "Give a rational, objective reason that even a banker would believe". If, on the other hand, you only play with words and have nothing substantial to show, it looks like a subjective decision, since it is based upon subjective evidence.

Proper documents are only half the story: Visa officials know that documents in India can be easily forged. So what is on paper is not enough. What you say, how you say it, matters a lot. Sometimes it can even make up for inadequate documentation. US Visa Official Quote: "Some people complain that we did not see their documents. Remember, if we go through your documents when you are standing there, then that is a negative sign. It means we don't believe you and are checking the documents for proof or for grounds to reject you. So not seeing your documents in front of you is a good thing for you."

Read More

2004-03-26T06:39:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to FMG for the Wharton Admit.

Felt sad for most of my Wharton Jollies buddies, who didnt make it to Wharton.

2004-03-25T08:13:00.000-05:00

Blue Devil Weekend and Fuqua

A good 3 minute video on what Blue Devil Weekend (BDW) is available here. Dont miss it , even if you miss BDW :).

"Fuqua Momentum Video". How Fuqua evolved so far ... 2.5 minutes

About Fuqua International center .. Welcome video 4.1 minutes

Chat transcript with "Career Management Center" -- The inside story about MBA students and the job hunt.

Other Chat transcripts are here

2004-03-25T07:48:00.000-05:00

Whartonites R2

All the best... Its 1.5 hours to go... All of you on "The Wharton Jollies" thread, I am rooting for you.

2004-03-24T19:30:00.000-05:00

Wanna be a BWeek Journal writer

It's time for BusinessWeek Online to start planning a new series of MBA Journals. Here's how you can become part of this select group of MBA student-writers

Read on

2004-03-24T19:04:00.000-05:00

The ever evolving MBA's

Sandy posted this interesting article on how MBA courses have evolved around what has been in vogue...

----------------
Compromising Academic Priorities?

This is not the first time that business schools have offered niche-oriented M.B.A.'s. For a while in the 1990s, programs in "supply-chain management" were all the rage, and at the height of the dot-com craze, programs in e-commerce were springing up across the country. Many of those with a high-tech or entrepreneurial focus have since struggled to maintain their enrollments.

Read on

2004-03-24T18:30:00.000-05:00

Kellogg

Got the regret letter from Kellogg. Dont know what kept the application for so long (interviewed mid-Dec, complete mid-Jan). Dont know what got me the ding :). I did address my weeknesses mentioned in last years feedback.

My hunch is that the competition was stronger this year. Another possibility is they really hate yield... ( Long story short, they were aware of my Sloan interest ).

Some one was asking me how did you find the energy to re-apply. I think the last years waitlist at Kellogg and interview invite from Sloan, gave me the energy to try again. So thank you and Bye Bye Evanston.

ps: And yes folks, having an admit, makes the ding sting milder..

2004-03-24T09:06:00.000-05:00

New MIT Sloan Site

Sloan's MBA website has a new look and feel ( flash based content).

I didnt realize Sumantra was Sloan PhD. Here is an newsitem, remembering Sumantra.

2004-03-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

Kellogg

This week is the final decision week for Kellogg. Last years Kellogg WL exposed me in great details about the school. I have been trying to search down last years thread to see what pattern of Ding/WL was observed. Well , as per Kristen, a lot of results are still to go. Lets see what is in store for me this year. Will the magic wand work :).

Having recived a Duke admit, makes me relaxed and at this time I am just sitting back to hear the result.

2004-03-22T15:06:00.000-05:00

Recieved my Fuqua admit package !

Duke folks had fedexed my admit pack on 18th, which reached home today. I was happy to open my admit package. I am still going through the information present in the package.

I am still deciding on whether to show :
a) Duke International Loans on my I-20 or b) Use money from my friend on my I-20, besides my families funds.

So far I havent spend enough time on type of Loans, the numbers behind them and other stuff. Now I am putting this task on top gear.

Notebook
Which one to buy ? I personally prefer the lighter one's that Toshiba has. However, I am doing a survery of the laptops and figuring out what all is available. I intend to buy them when I am in US, as there is more variety and it is cheaper.

2004-03-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

Blue Devil Weekend

Fuqua's Blue Devil weekend is on 2-4th April. Although, it is a great time to know more about a program, I am wondering whether I can make it .

I would not like to disclose this news in my work place, till I secure my Visa. Considering there is a major event in 1st week of April, I cant make my absence inconspicuous.

On other hand, as an international the trip would mean an expenditure of 2500$. This is a lot of money, from where I come. And I need a lot of money for showing for my Visa .

Hence, I am tending towards not attending the event.

2004-03-20T06:55:00.000-05:00

Plans for coming weeks

- Start working in getting Finances in places for the Visa. I may manage good amount from a very close friend in US, so that should be fine.

- Work on getting FinAid from Duke. See if I can atleast get something. :)

- Ofcourse wait for results from Kellogg and Sloan. These should be in in next 2-3 weeks. Anxious weeks, but not so much as earlier .:) Lot of buying and personal decisions are now made, as I am sure of doing an MBA now.

- Write on my re-applicant thoughts in MBA Advice. Also write by thoughts for Indian IT or any extremely competitive category.

2004-03-19T09:35:00.000-05:00

Financial Aid, Visa

Would appreciate any tips that people have on Financial Aid and Visa. I heard Duke is generous in giving away scholarships. Should know about that in next 4 weeks. I am planning to send an update since my application to be added for the Fin Aid consideration.