Pretty Vegas

Should have posted this a month back, but anyway here it is
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They say “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” and I have to stick by the code. However, I thought I could share some of it and leave the rest to imagination. Enjoy reading!
It was a fun trip. You cannot “not have fun” in Las vegas. There are just too many things to see and too many things to do. We had 4 days on the long weekend; we were thinking one too many but as it turned out one too less.

It all started on Saturday morning when we caught the early morning flight to Las Vegas. We woke up in time to catch breathtaking views of the lake, canyon and the desert just before landing. Once we touched down we headed directly to our hotel Circus-circus and checked-in. The place was hot, the temperature. It was close to 100F and the sun was beating down with vengeance.


Gorge-ous

Quickly refreshed, we caught up with my friend’s friends and headed over to Hoover Dam. I couldn’t figure out why we were going there but not everything in this world is based on reason. The view was good, and we took the usual pictures, you know; the ones you put on ‘myspace’. With that over and done with we were soon back in Vegas and it was time to explore. Ofcourse we had to start with a sumptuous meal, and the buffet at ‘Aladdin’ was just about the perfect start. We decided to walk around and explore the hotel before stuffing ourselves. All hotels in Vegas are built on some theme or the other and if you have ready the fairy tale you can picture exactly how ‘Alladin’ would look. So I thought, but they did one better. With sets and artificial blue sky the place was fascinating. Pictures say more than thousand words so have a look.


Hoover Dam


Alladin - blue sky


Alladin - Desset passage



Done with exploration we sat done for our buffet lunch which though expensive was incredible. There were servings from various continents and I guess over 100 items to choose from. Add to that complimentary champagne which we gulped down with satisfaction. My friend and I were determined to dig into as many courses as possible, so we ended up eating for 2 hours. Expectedly, once done and through, there was nothing left to do but go to bed and crash. We headed back to our hotels.

We woke up around 9 PM and next on our agenda was clubbing at the ‘RA’ nightclub at the ‘Luxor’. Luxor hotel is built on the ‘Egyptian’ theme and we reached early enough to explore the hotel and loose some money to the casino. Even though we were at the ‘RA’ before open, we had to wait for almost an hour before we got in. The place was huge, interiors amazing and appearance glamorous as one would expect. Our friends joined us later and we had a great time all night.

Next morning we headed to the stratosphere, one of the most popular attractions in vegas. We headed to the top and the view was breathtaking. The joy rides at the top looked really frightening so we were quick to get on board. The first one was the ‘Xscream’ which took you on inclined plane over the edge of the stratosphere and left you dangling in mid air. It was not as scary as it looked leaving us disappointed. The second one we took was the ‘Big Shot’. You are shot up from the top of stratosphere like a rocket and it really hits you. Then you freefall for a second or two and this is repeated couple of times over. This one was thrilling. After some time enjoying the views and exploring, we continued on.


Xscream


The strip


Stratosphere

Next stop was the Sahara and the “speed ride” This was one amazing rolling coaster and its over before you know it but really thrilling. One second you are stationary and the other zooming across.

We had to change hotels so we headed back to our room, checked out and settled in to our new hotel ‘Riveria”. After a quick break and lunch we headed out again walking down the boulevard. We covered the ‘Venetian’, ‘Mirage’ and the ‘Treasure island’. ‘Treasure island’ had some fun stuff to do and we especially loved the “Party Bar” where we saw juggling acts by the bartenders and even managed a free shot. By now the strip was glittered with flashy lights and it looked absolutely wonderful at night. We also managed to cover the famous ‘Ceasar’s palace’. The place was huge and aristocratic as one would expect. I headed to the casino to make me some money which surprisingly I did, while others headed for bed.


On the Strip looking south


On the strip looking north


Inside Ceasars

Next day we headed to the ‘Zion canyon’ about 2 hours drive from Las Vegas. We loved the drive and the scenic views that kept getting the further we went. There were so many things to do at Zion that we didn’t have time for. We took the shuttle ride to place that allowed us to hike. We followed up a long trek with a dip in the cold water in the stream.
The ride back equally relaxing. Once back, we had to change hotels again and this time we checked in at the “Hilton”. After settling into our posh hotel room and catching a quick nap we headed out to “The Beach” night club. This was Latino style club and I loved the music. Again the place was huge in keeping with everything else in Vegas. We got bored pretty soon and I headed back to the casino while my friend went back to the room. I was at the casino till about 6 in the morning.


Enroute Zion canyon

Expectedly the day started late, and we had a few things to see on the strip. We explored the Hilton to get the “star trek” experience. I managed to lose some more money to the casino. All this while I was playing ‘Blackjack’ which I am supposedly good at. We did spend some time in the poker room to get few tips. All in all we didn’t cover much on the final day as we were very tired.

It was a great trip, very exciting and eventful. There are so many things to do in Vegas that you cannot get bored, in fact it’s hard to find time to sleep. Later that night we caught the flight back singing

The party's over and the road is long The party's over and we're moving on

School list

I am ready with the list of schools i am going to apply to this year. The process was quite similar to the one I did last year. With the added experience and knowledge about various schools and programs, this year's list appears to be better suited to my needs and hopefully I stand a good chance to getting into one of these schools.

Kept these in mind while selectiong schools –
1. Career focus – management consulting, long term – entrprenuership
2. General management curriculum
3. Placements in consulting
4. School reputation and specialty
5. Culture and fit

So I ended up with 6 schools, plus 2 that I am re-applying to. I might apply to all eight(that would be very difficult) but if I cant, as many as possible.

Stretch schools

Harvard Business School – One of the best business schools in the world, great reputation, excellent alumni network, teaching methods are very practical and more emphasis on case method, excellent placements in consulting.

Tuck, Dartmouth– Another top business school, is a favorite for Management consulting firms. Has a general management curriculum, good alumni network that facilitate lot of placements.

Good Schools – reasonable chance of getting in

Darden, Virginia – Another feeder for MC firms. Has a general management curriculum and excellent placements on consulting.

Ross, Michigan – Good school for consulting and technology. Good placements. Fits in to the top 10 and has good reputation.

McCombs, Texas – More known as a technology school but good curriculum and consulting placements.

Re-applicant – Good chance

Fuqua, Duke – Good curriculum and strong in all areas. Good consulting placements. Love the Fuqua culture.

Tepper, CMU – well structured curriculum. School’s been on the rise. It is known for Technology, finance and consulting. Ranks amongst the best in technology. Focus on analytical skills which result in good placements in Consulting

Safety School

Owen, Vanderbilt - Fits into top 25. Like the curriculum and structure. reaonable consulting placements.

How many I end up applying to is still an open question but its going to be tough few months for me.

Kellogg feedback

I received my first feedback on this year’s application from Kellogg. I had scheduled a feedback session for yesterday i..e Friday June 16th. This was very important for two reasons. One obviously to understand my strength and weaknesses and how I compared to the application pool and second to determine whether I should reapply to Kellogg. I have more or less decided to reapply to Duke and Tepper, not to reapply to Wharton, Kellogg remains a question mark.

Here is the gist of the feedback –
Adcom felt that my career goals were not well defined. I was comparable to average on work experience, leadership, GMAT score and academics. They had no concern on my GMAT score even though verbal score is a bit low and do not recommend re-writing GMAT. From what I got out of the conversation, the biggest concern for the adcom was that my career goals were not clearly defined and I was not specific enough on where I wanted to go post MBA and how Kellogg could help me get there. Also, that there was no distinguishing factor in my application.

This was very surprising for me especially the part about career goals as I thought that I was very specific about that and mentioned that even in my self assessment essay. Another thing I was surprised about was career progress which they mentioned compared with the average. I have really progressed a lot quicker than my peers in my organization and handled lot more responsibilities than others with similar experience. That goes for other companies and geographies too, as growth seems to be quicker in Indian IT companies these days. Maybe, I did not get that across well enough. Certainly something I can work on for this year’s application.

The feedback has given me some good pointers on which areas to work on and how I can restructure my full application. Waiting in anticipation for my Duke Feedback session and I am guessing that would be very useful as well.

Yellowstone trip

3 pm on Friday and we were ready to move. Yellow stone, wow! , I had heard so many things about it, read about in school books, on how scenic and beautiful it was. I was looking forward to a nice long relaxed weekend away from the hustle-bustle of the city.
We had rented a mini-van, had our dinner packed and were on our way by 4 pm. Our Van was all setup for luxury with lots of space (we planned to play poker in the van), DVD unit, GPS etc. The trip was going to be a long one, 1100 miles/16 hours, we started by watching a movie.

Dinner was picnic event somewhere in South Dakota and we thoroughly enjoyed the packed lunch we got from an Indian restaurant. We got underway quickly only to find that our GPS had gone dead and several calls to the help desk didn’t help either. It was pretty much heading west on I-90 and the maps would have to guide us rest of the way as we had already deviated from the directions we took.

Later that night or should I say early next morning we entered Wyoming and passed through scenic mountains of the “Big horn national forest” We had made good progress speeding our way all the night and thus managing to reach at 8:30 AM only to find we couldn’t check in till 4 Pm. We had booked a cabin and were look forward to a rest. It was real cold by now I guess close to 32 F or 0C and none of us were in mood to do anything else but sleep. Nevertheless, in the interest of time we decided to freshen up and head into Yellowstone. After a hearty meal of two slices of toast, cajoled by several pleading request (Breakfast menu was closed, lunch not yet open) at the restaurant nearby, we found our self at the western gate at around 11:00 AM.




On our way 

Our first stop was to be the fishin bay and it took us some time to get there. Firstly due to ‘under construction road’ and secondly owing to many breathtaking views which we couldn’t help but stop at. We passed several spots where you could admire many a different types of geysers in variety of shapes. The odour of H2S brought back memories of our chemistry lab experiments that went horribly wrong, and it was generally agreed that we had spent considerable effort in our younger days trying to avoid it, no, not just the odour but the chemistry lab as well.


Semmly geyser 


Scenic lake view 



Wildlife 

Fishing bay was nothing spectacular and in a few minutes we were headed to the 2nd point ‘Old faithful’ only to find that the weather gods were not happy with us. The temperature was almost freezing and it had begun to drizzle. While my friends tried to find rain jackets, I and another one parked in front of the fireplace. I was still in shorts, T-shirt and slippers that I started with from Minneapolis. We headed out on hike which was a long one that took you and across more geysers. Lets see apart from the some great scenic points, what had we seen in Yellowstone till now hmmm… Geysers….. Geysers… geysers of different shapes…geysers of different colors. My chain of thought was broken by light white thing hitting my face sending a buzz through my entire body, SNOW! It was snowing, its end of may, whats wrong with this place. We were half way across and three of us were in slippers and shorts. We hurried along enjoying as many geysers sights as we could all the time wondering if we had frostbite in our toes. We did stop for some really fun snaps.


Geyser of another kind 


A Blue one 


This ones from Mars 



Old faithful 

We were back at the lodge after what seemed like eternity but it was actually only 15 minutes and again I parked myself infront of the fireplace. The rain and snow had subsided outside and we wondering on the coincidental increase in its magnitude immediately upon our stepping out under the skies. Once we were dry we just had a small matter of a 5 minute walk to our car in the parking lot, which would not be a problem as it had stopped raining, or had it! As soon as we stepped out, there it was again. We had no option but to get drenched again and we could do no more that curse the weather gods again.

As expected, rain subsided as we got seated in our car and continued on the first loop that would now take us to point where we could go hiking. We were really looking forward to a hike in the natures midst to enjoy the spectacular scenery when there it was again. No not the rain, the snow! And yes it was back in all its glory. It was snowing like mid winter and soon our vehicle was skidding all over the place. We crawled our way back to the lodge and checked in. On the way we made sure we got us some vodka. We settled into our cosy rooms took out the vodka and our game of poker began. It went on for a while till we finally called it a night (or day).



Then it started snowing 


View from our lodge 




Ouu cabin 

Next morning we arose to beautiful sunshine and enjoyed our breakfast and an early morning stroll. However, in keeping with the theme of the trip, no sooner did we get ready, there it was again, snow, out of nowhere. We did want to give up on our plans so we headed to Yellowstone again. At the entry gate we found that the route we planned to take was closed due to heavy snow and the forecast in the exact words of the lady at the gate “now.. snow!, later – snow! evening – snow!, tomorrow – Snow!!” we entered turned around and exited. We had to think of an alternate plan! We decided to drive back and maybe try a hike or some adventure stuff in the big horn forest on our way back.


The long drive back 


Scenic pass 


heavenly sights 


On the way snow turned to rain and it seemed it used to get heavier whenever we tried to get out of our car. That didn’t deter us from taking some wonderful snaps on the way though. We reached a scenic point and could see a stream flowing in great force. Sun was just peeking through the clouds and we decided it was time we did something interesting so we decided to find our way on the rocks to the middle of the stream. Couple of big jumps and few bruises later all of us did manage to reach the centre, it was more difficult than we anticipated. We got on our way again and out next stop was a hike. Not a regular trail but we found us a mountain that we wanted to climb. An hour later we were on the summit eating chips and salsa. It was again a bit more than we had bargained for; it took some effort but the view was breathtaking!!


Rapids 


Top of the world 

After enjoying a couple of adventurous excursions we were in better spirits and we were already making plans for our next stop, yeah we decided to cover Mt. Rushmore too. I had already been there but nevertheless I could still have another glimpse in the night. By the time we reached there, it was raining cats and dogs. We, hardened by similar events in the past 2 day, were not the ones to give up on our plans. We walked in pouring rain to get a glimpse of the presidents and got more satisfaction of our accomplishment rather than the view. Drenched and tired, it was time to head home!

We were back in Minneapolis next morning and were greeted by pleasant sunshine. Looking back we realized that its good if things go as planned, but even better if they don’t. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Lets do it all over again

After considerable thought I decided to withdraw myself from the waitlist. I am sure many of you would be surprised with the decision, especially ones that were suggesting that I wait out till the end. However, I was wary of the time left to raise finances and arrange visa etc. At the same time I do entertain hopes of making it to the Harvards and Whartons of this world. At 25, I do have time on my side!

So, this means that I have to do this all over again. I am not that big a fan of the MBA process and I have first hand experience of how painful it can be. Having been through this once would help me plan it out better and also be more focused with my essays. A good successful year at work with more extra curricular activities should also help my candidature. Let’s see how things work out.

As always suggestions and comments are welcome.

Questions on my mind right now –

Which schools to target? (Primarily looking at Management and strategy consulting Should I write GMAT again? (First attempt – GMAT 700, Q50 V34, AWA 4.0 )
What should be my strategy/approach?
How many schools should I apply to?

Minneapolis Downtown Pictures

From Home to office


Minneapolis downtown


In from North


In from South


Night time approach



From across the river

New Look

Changed my Blog template. Got bored with the earlier one. This one is under works. The font colors need to change for sure. Feel free to comment and give suggestions.

Back in US

Well!! I am back at our client location in Minneapolis. I had to fly on short notice and am suffering the after effects of such a long trip!! Flew in via Paris and New york this time around.
4 flights, 23 hours flight time, 34 hours journey time!, Bottomline - I need rest.

In other news
- Still on waitlist at Tepper
- Considering dropping out and re-applying next fall as its already 'may' and I would need time arranging the finance and Visa. US Visa procedures are especially arduous. Plus it would be even harder doing it from US. And with this years experience and another year work-ex, my application would definitely be lot stronger next year.
- My friends in US are excited that I am back
- Our cricket team was especially distraught on my departure
- Family supportive like always. My younger brother is passing out from college soon and would be joining the same company. So I am really looking forward to that.

Still waiting

"All you need is just a little patience"

I am still waiting to hear from Tepper and as per them waitlisted candidates are informed of their decision only by end of May, final date being Jun 13th. That seems very far away right now.

I read the tepper waitlisted chat a saw a comment from the adcom "we like candidates who keep interacting with us" After the update, only thing I can think of is asking - when? How can I arrange finances at such short notice? When will I get my I-20, what about the US visa? – Ofcourse, all this considering that they choose to accept me. However, I am sure this not what they are referring to. At the same time I am sure, they do not want to hear about every little thing that is going on in my life. So what do I tell them - "Hi there, I am still here, happy to be on waitlist, just checking incase you have forgotten me"

On a more serious note, I would like to hear from other applicants/students who were waitlisted earlier on the best approach to the situation.

Bangalore Buzz??

Continuing on with my previous post and looking at the responses to the same, I realized that not much information is available about Bangalore’s hot spots. Even the localities, me included, seem to have little clue on where to go and what to expect there. So I have decided to compile a list of hot spots with reviews and would keep updating that based on feedback. I’ll add a link to the post on the left frame. I’ll start something based on my knowledge and hope others can pitch in. Please feel free to post a comment and mail me.

Next post will have the details but to start with, here is what I am hearing –
‘Purple haze’ seems to be history
‘Styx’ is shifting towards mainstream. It doesn’t resemble a gay hangout but definitely a strictly guy hangout!! Fairer sex is outnumbered 50 to 1, as in some of the other Pubs in Bangalore.
‘Bunkers’ has gone underground
Few new places in Koramangla area

Ppl who have visited other places do give the ratios for them as well. Guys here are wondering where all the women went?? It would be easier if some of them came and posted it here themselves.
Some clubs draw lots of the good crowd but most of them are couples entry only.
Have heard of some all night rave parties in outskirts of bangalore but most of them are very hush hush.

Overall - 11:30 PM rule has dampened and strangulated the night life in Bangalore!!

Just chillin'

Styx

Visited Styx and Purple Haze (Popular Pubs in Bangalore) over the weekend. Styx has definitely changed since my last visit over 2 years back. Music is not as heavy as before but it was still as fun as ever to “head bang” on some hard rock/heavy metal. I especially love the wooden benches on one end where you can feel the reverberations of the music passing through your body.

Purple haze has been one of the most popular pubs in Bangalore for a long time but it was my first time there. Somehow I didn’t like it much. Neither the music, nor the ambience.

In other news and earlier in the day we lost the first match of another tournament that we are playing (yes! – Cricket). We didn’t play well and my captaincy left lot to be desired. It was my first loss as a captain in 18 matches. It had to come sooner or later!! We have some really tough matches coming up in our own tourney and my focus has totally shifted to that and away from work and applications. With nothing more to do on application front but wait, it’s good that I have something to divert my attention.

Be Quick or be Dead

And I hope that I was quick. Quick in providing the supplemental material to my Tepper application. What would admission committee think of a waitlisted candidate who takes lot of time coming back with an update? – Not really interested!! Also, longer you wait lesser the chance of getting in as more and more seats get filled. I tried to get back with my supplement as soon as I could ready a decent write up.

I managed to cover the following
-Performance rating
-Promotion
-An exciting project at work
-Couple of certification courses in banking and securities that I have taken up
- My toastmaster’s progress
- reaffirmed my interest in tepper

and managed to keep all this to one page (approx 500 words). Whether my update went quick enough or was good enough, time will tell.

Tepper - Waitlist

I had all but settled for the final ding but instead I got a waitlist. This is Cruel. You would think that waitlist is one better than a reject but I am not too sure.

I do intend to stay on the waitlist and would appreciate if folks and provide me with strategy or comments to make the most of the oppurtunity.

Past couple of months and post application submission, I have managed to get rated in the 'best lot' in our annual appraisal cycle and also rewared with a promotion. These things I can definetly add as supplement to my application. What is the best form - e-mail note or doc with details?

Waitlist decisions are out only by June which would definetly cause me problems in terms of finances and Visa. So I am also contemplating dropping out and doing this all over next year.

hmmm why couldn't they just...

Strike Three

Ding from Duke :-((( don’t know what to say really, expect that I am very disappointed and this one's much harder to take than I had presumed earlier. 3rd one in a row, following Kellogg and Wharton, its certainly hard to digest. Just "Tepper" to go and I'll hear from them next week. Till then I have lots to think about.

Anxious

Duke results would be out in a couple of days and Tepper the following week and I am beginning to get anxious. Waiting was easy till about a week back. I kept myself sufficiently occupied so as not to think about the results. The past week I have been counting the days and "D-day" has lingered on the back of my mind.

I did keep myself busy with work and other activities. I played another match (which we won) over the weekend. We were planning a “celebration” for moving on to the next round, at “STYX” one of my favorite pubs in Bangalore but it was a non starter, everyone being so tired. For people who have not been to Bangalore, other than being known as “IT capital of India” and “Garden city” it is also known as the “Pubs city”. Maybe we should have a Bangalore version of the Bay Area "Beer challenge" for MBA Bloggers!!

Back to Duke, results would be out by 7th, let’s see how that goes. At the cost of sounding pessimistic I must say that I have planned out what I am going to do for the next one year, incase I don’t make it to any school this year. Though it would be disappointing, it wouldn’t be all that bad overall. Good things are in store for me either way.

Enough blabbering, wish me LUCK.

Dream a Dream - Sports day

Last Sunday I was part of an amazing event – The dream a dream Sports day. Dream a dream is NGO that works which children from underprivileged background, providing them the necessary tools and opportunities to help them develop further and hence make a positive impact to the society.
You can learn more about the organization here - http://www.dreamadream.org/.

We had around 250 children from 7 NGOs for the Sports day and it took us about a month to plan and organize this. Getting the kids to the venue, arranging individual events, ensuring participation, sponsorship, food, first aid and organizing the volunteers, all in all was a very challenging task. I planned on being part of the core group but had to back down due to work pressure. However, I was determined to be present at the event and contribute my bit. I am glad I did as the event was a great success and it was an enjoyable and satisfying experience for me.

I got up early morning and reached the first NGO where we took the roll call of children there, and made the necessary adjustments and pinned name labels on each kid. Once the kids were boarded we drove to the second NGO where we repeated the same exercise. From there we headed to our venue and kids being kids, it was an exciting ride. At the venue we had to get everyone registered and allocated to one of the games. Guess what - this and manning the registration desk was one of my responsibilities. Attendance list was handed over and participant list for each game was adjusted. All volunteers reporting to the registration desk had to be informed of their roles and responsibilities. As the event got underway, enthusiasm of the children was reflecting in the volunteers and we were enjoying participating, playing and communicating with the children. The individual events were a big success and later in the day I conducted one too. Following this we had some added entertainment for the kids with fun games, dance etc. Once the exciting part was over and done with, everyone settled down for ‘Thank you note’ to the organizers & sponsors and prize distribution ceremony. In keeping with the theme of the event “Co-operation NOT Competition.” all games were team building ones and everyone went home with a prize.

At the end of the day the most satisfying thing for us all and me in particular was to see the smile on the face of the children who thoroughly enjoy their day out in the sun. It felt so great to be there and be part of something significant. I hope to be involved in many more such events in the future.
What a great Sunday. DREAM A DREAM ROCKS!!

DWI

Mail

Wharton MBA Admis... Your Application Status 16 Feb 4 k

Your application status for the MBA & MBA/MA - Lauder Programs for the Fall term of 2006 has been updated.

Please log into our website at https://admissions.wharton.upenn.edu/admissions/ to check your status.

Application Status
Status DWI
Message
The MBA and Lauder Admissions Committee has completed its evaluation of your application. Click Here

DWI
Dear Anand,
Thank you for your application to the Wharton MBA program. I regret that the Admissions Committee is unable to offer you an interview or a position in the Wharton MBA Class of 2008.
As you may be aware, the Wharton MBA program receives as many as 7,000 applications annually. In a pool where virtually every candidate offers significant work experience, demonstrates leadership ability, and submits persuasive recommendations, the Committee's job of selecting the entering class is extremely difficult. We are left with the unpleasant task of denying admission to many fine individuals who would, no doubt, succeed academically at the University of Pennsylvania and contribute to Wharton's standard of excellence.
Let me assure you that your application received a thorough review by several members of the Committee. As a policy, we do not pre-screen applications, but give each candidate full consideration. The fact that we have not offered you an invitation to interview or admission is not a reflection of your intellectual abilities, personal achievements, or potential for a successful career.
The Admissions Office will keep your application on file for two years. If you plan to re-apply during this period and would like feedback on your application, kindly contact our office at (Number) beginning the week of (Date) to schedule a feedback session. Sessions are conducted by telephone; appointments fill up quickly and are offered on a first come, first served basis. For instructions on the re-application process, please follow the procedures that will be included in next year's application (available online in August 2006). All reapplications will be reviewed within the context of the overall applicant pool at that time.
Thank you again for your interest in Wharton. I wish you success in your graduate studies, as well as in your personal and career endeavors.

With best regards,

Wondering about Wharton

I have seen many updates from many applicants recently on DWI (Denied without Interview) from Wharton. I also came across information on the cut off date of 16th Feb for interview calls. I submitted my application on 3rd Jan and have not heard from them since except for “your application is complete” couple of weeks later. I browsed through s2s boards and found that many R2 applicants got their calls quite sometime back. I was wondering if my DWI is inevitable with only a day to go till 16th. I was also wondering if there was a cutoff like that cos I could find no such thing on their website

Nevermind the Nuisance

This is an account of events of the past few days leading upto my Duke and Tepper interviews.

Disclaimer: Readers are advised that any attempt of re-enacting the sequence of events could be disastrous and should do so at their own risk.

Last week around this time I was down with cold and fever and contemplating taking couple of days off to recover. But that was not be!! I had to struggle to office to resolve ‘critical’ issues on couple of projects I was managing. Needless to say I was irked at the prospect and gave every indication that my colleagues were to keep distance from me if they had no wish to be innocent victims of the confrontation.

I had already received interview invites from Duke and Tepper and was working to schedule them appropriately to allow time for some preparation. Duke was scheduled for Monday with Tepper still undecided. At this point I learnt that one of my projects was in deep shit and we would have to work the weekends to cover that up. Not surprising considering that we were trying to fix a problem in 2 months that another project was fixing spending millions of dollars in one and half year just because a 3rd project had almost completed their work and were looking to implement in march/April but forgot to analyze one system altogether. But we had to commit to this didn’t we; after all we have people (as me) who have nothing to do but to spend days and nights in office.

Anyways I already had my calendar full for the weekend as I was to play back to back cricket matches for our company in our home tournament. No question of missing these matches but first I had to recover and get fit. I was beginning to wonder how exhausted I would appear for my Monday morning Duke Alumni Interview. Well I had to make sure that I got a good night’s sleep on Sunday.

Oh, just remembered Saturday evening I go for volunteer work and there is no question of skipping that. So, that left Sunday for getting my project back on track and that would have to do for now. By Friday fever had subsided but was replaced by a headache courtesy our business partners on my 3rd project. Late on Friday I learnt that my Tepper Telephonic interview was scheduled for Tuesday. Not what I had in mind, it would not give me enough time to prepare. Prospects for preparing for the Duke interview were also getting slimmer by the hour.

Cometh the weekend and I braced myself for a disaster. No... not today. We won our match, I played well. Was able to take a quick shower, head for my volunteer work and reach home in one piece. The fever had returned but couple of medicines ensured that it beat a hasty retreat. To bed then….

Next morning was up and ready early for the match but we lost this time around. I shelved my disappointment temporarily as I had to get back to work. Surprise, Surprise, my team decided not to show up!! There was nothing that I could accomplish on my own, so decided to postpone it till the next day. Headed home early and managed a quick preparation for my Duke Alumni interview the next day. Slept early and thankfully and unlike experiences of other applicants there were no disturbances – no young kids partying, no dogs barking no robbers, no music… was so looking forward to these..

Up early again and got ready for my interview. I attired in formal wear, Dark blue suit, white shirt and polka dotted tie. Was at the interview location half an hour before time; I have a good habit of reaching early for all appointments. The interview went well from here on expect for the fact that my sore throat was preventing me from speaking clearly. The fact that I am very clear about my goals and need for MBA really helped and the standard questions were cakewalk. I’ll put a detailed account of the interview later. I guess I was able to create a good impression on the interview; in spite of the fact that I looked exhausted and my face was bore a reddish tinge thanks to 2 days in the sun and a light fever.

With the interview done I had to reach home quickly change and get back to work. Rest of the day is not worth mentioning.

Any hopes of making a recovery were squashed early morning as I woke up running a high temperature and my throat was equally bad. The good thing, atleast I thought so at the time, was I couldn’t possibly go to work and I didn’t. However, I had to coordinate and handle so much work from home that I wished I had gone to office. This didn’t help my throat one bit. I was hoping that I could get that in order before the Telephonic interview. Only option was to visit a doctor and get a prescription of heavy dosage of antibiotics. This did work but it made me really drowsy and I spent most of rest of the day sleeping. I did manage a quick preparation before the interview. Against the run of play my interview went great. Probably the best interview I have ever given. I’ll post the detailed account of this later.

At this point looking back at all the things that transpired, I said to myself with a smile “All’s well that ends well’ – “Nevermind the nuisance”

There was time I believed that so many things were happening at the same time that my interviews were more or less doomed from the start. But it’s funny how things tend to work out if you keep at it!!

Getting on with Life

So what have I been upto last couple of weeks. A lot.

Firstly, my work has been killing me so I decided to do something about it. I had approached my Manager(s) (Yes, I do report to 3 of them) couple of times before, about the work load and the responsibilities that were causing me to stay back so late in Office. The response merely stated that I should learn to delegate work efficiently. With the work Increasing further I had to come up with some action plan and spent some effort on trying to be more efficient and productive and also tried to figure out what could be delegated and which things I need more control on. With a self productivity plan and delegated tasks and responsibilities and list of all tasks on 3 projects, my claims had substantial backing this time around. I was able to convince them that all this was impossible for one person to handle and some of it had to go away. I always felt that I was good negotiator but this was my first success on the work load front, that too since I started working. Their action plan, though a left lot to be desired and even though the intentions are truly to rationalize my work load, its having quite the opposite effect.
I guess I was celebrating too soon and need to get back to the drawing board again!!

In spite of busy work schedule I did manage to involve myself in other activities.

Firstly I am back volunteering with ‘Dream a Dream”, an NGO that works for the cause of underprivileged children. I would be reading stories to kids (5 to 7th standards) from a Govt. school stories and help improve their English. I was surprised at the fact the English in Govt schools start only from 5th standard. Understandably their English left lots to be desired. Also since this was an “Urdu” medium, it was harder for students to pick up basic words and that did not help either. The medium on instructions in most schools in India are either English, Hindi or the regional language. There is quite a lot to do here. I felt great and teaching students always gives me a satisfaction that is unparallel. I really relate with this cause and the ‘Dream a dream’ and believe it the right medium for me to make an impact. More on this in a separate post.

I was also back on the field, playing cricket representing my organization. And yes, this was great feeling too. Our current captain was not playing today and so I got to lead the side again. Though I didn’t do much with the bat, I led the team to victory and this was my 14th as the captain that too unbeaten. My essays are loaded with how my sports have taught me so much about leadership skills and team work and I truly believe they have. More than thrilled to see myself put that to action.

Finally, I decided that my Public Speaking skills can improve further and hence I joined the Toastmaster’s club. I would be starting my projects soon. Let’s see how this one goes.

I managed to take some time out for reading and am currently reading “Sense and Sensibility” I’ll post a review once I complete.

And yeah, one more thing……I managed to take time off to write this!!

Kellogg - Ding !!

________________________________________________________
January 5, 2006

Dear Anand:

The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application for the Kellogg School of Management and Two-Year Program. Despite your many merits as a candidate, I regret to inform you that we are not able to offer you a place in the entering class.

The Admissions Committee carefully evaluated your application in the following areas: work experience, career plans, academic ability and performance, extracurricular and community involvement, leadership and interpersonal skills. Decisions are based upon a thorough evaluation of your individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as your qualifications relative to all others in our applicant pool. This decision is not a reflection of your personal qualities and achievements or your potential for success in management, but merely a reflection of the limited number of places in the class.

We certainly wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors, and thank you for your interest in the Kellogg School of Management and Two-Year Program .

Sincerely,
________________________________________________________

Some things don’t come easy in life and I was under no illusion that an Admit to one of the best B-Schools in the world would. Kellogg was my first application to a US B-school and the first time ever at this process including essays etc. We do not have a similar process here at any level. I worked very hard at the Kellogg application and needless to say that I am very disappointed. It hurts and it should as that is what would make me more determined to succeed next time.

I needn’t despair too much as I have three more schools to go and maybe one of them (or more) would turn out favorably. I would do some analysis on Kellogg application, maybe even ask adcom for feedback but only after I am done with Duke. That should be done 24 hours from now.
__

"Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger"

Wharton -Submitted

Happy new year everyone and good beginning for me as well. After some struggle I managed to complete my wharton application - full 75 hours before the deadline. I was waiting for my 2nd recommender to complete his bit and he did so a few hours back. I managed a final review and submitted the application. I know its 1 AM here but I am not complaining :-)))

Just one more to go(Duke) and from then on it would be time to bite my nails and keep fingers crossed for results.