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.

A Team to Celebrate

Over the weekend I got a chance to re-unite with my cricket team and share some good moments. Ofcourse it was my treat - returning from onsite. After coming back from US, I have not yet started playing cricket again and was contemplating keeping it that way. I have played cricket through my college and for over 3 years here and even captained the side but now I feel like concentrating on other things that I am passionate about.

My teammates affectionately call me “capi”, which I really like because on one hand that acknowledges my being the leader; on the other it is informal enough that it does not differentiate me from the team. Well!! Things have changed and I would no longer captain right away but I have a feeling that I am still their “capi”; so they tell me. Everyone on the team is like a brother to me and we share excellent camaraderie. We have had our good moments and some bad ones but the journey has been a memorable one. Something that I will cherish for life. I almost feel like getting back on the field right away but have decided to stay away until my applications are done. Sports, cricket in particular have taught me so much about team work and leadership that I could not keep this off my essays. Though I have enough instances to quote off work and tried to keep those, there are mentions of where I got my leadership style from and why I believe in team work. Getting back to the team, we had an amazing run last year and achieved whatever we dreamed of. All made possible through excellent team work and support for one another. On top of that it was such an enjoyable experience.

Well, looks like I’ll be on the ground pretty soon but now its time to concentrate on my future.

2 a.m.

I get in from work at 2 a.m.
And sit down with a beer
turn on late night TV
And then wonder why I'm here
It's meaningless and trivial
And it washes over me
And once again I wonder
Is this all there is for me

I don’t have much to say about the last few days expect for that I am exhausted. I have been staying at work till 1-2 am and reaching home later 2-3 am (accepted - that I come late to Office) and at the same time trying to get up early to make some progress on the application front. In between all this stress and mess, I managed to complete and submit my Tepper Application. I have started with Duke and Wharton Simultaneously.

Overall I am finding the essays easier to write as I already have some practice and had put good thought into selecting the schools. It’s not hard to justify my fit and reasons for pursuing an MBA at any one of these schools. I have my own preference and favorite if it so happens that I get into more than one.

Meanwhile I was also trying to follow the WTO negotiations and these are some stories, I liked from couple of days back

WTO 'star' talks tough

http://www.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/12/15/wto.nath/index.html

Especially Like this comment from our “Trade and Commerce minister” Mr. Kamal Nath”
"What these countries are asking is -- 'If we don't do what we shouldn't be doing, what will you pay us for it?'

U.S. under attack at trade talks

http://cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/12/15/wto.summit.thur.reut/index.html

Need to catch some sleep if possible but looks unlikely that I would have a good one anytime soon.

Home Sweet Home!!

I reached home safely and am enjoying the beautiful weather in Bangalore. It’s been a comfortable 20-25 oC all week, compared to -10 oC at Minneapolis. I had a great flight and in the final leg couldn’t help but notice the excellent service on Indian domestic flights compared to American. India is not well known for the quality of service but the state of airline industry in US should explain the discrepancy.

I got enough time to pack all the gifts I got for my family and relatives and most of my stuff while still limiting my check-in luggage to 50 pounds per bag. I left my three closest friends ‘Thank you’ notes with memorabilia for their help and thanked them for their wonderful friendship. Their support throughout my stay made life so easy for me and their friendship made this trip an enjoyable one. I heard somewhere that if while going to bed you can think 5 friends you can count on, you should consider yourself really lucky. I know I do.

Anyways, I showed up at work the very next day and enjoyed meeting colleagues and friends and sharing my experiences. Chocolates and news from onsite kept everybody happy. The cricket team is very keen to have me back but I am not sure if I would play anymore.

I am still coming to terms with the crowd, the chaotic traffic and pollution. The food, friends and family keep me smiling 24/7 though. Our HQ is now a city in itself (not that it wasn’t when I left). 13,000 people 42 buildings 80 acres and I haven’t seen all of it yet. When I started working for Infosys at Bangalore we had 18 buildings with number 19, 20, 21 being constructed and that was just three and half years back. The office doesn’t seize to amaze you every day you are there and it was no different this time around.

More on the Applications in my next post.

Mama I'm coming Home

Yes. I am going back to India and that too this weekend. I knew this a month back but chose to post it now. My mom and dad were ecstatic when I told them, couple of weeks back. Friends here weren't too thrilled. Looking back, the past 7-8 months were great, both personally and professionally and I had a wonderful time. Learned so many things did so many more.

I will be back soon but when and for what remains to be seen. Hopefully it would be for a MBA.

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go.
Tickets are booked, I fly tomorrow.

San Francisco Trip

Wonderful, amazing, spectacular, fabulous…. I don’t have enough adjectives to describe this unique and diverse city. San Francisco, spread across a large area and a hilly landscape, is a very trendy city and a blend of diverse cultures. The wonderful weather combined with many tourist attractions and innumerable employment opportunities make it not only a good tourist hotspot but also a great, albeit expensive, city to live in.


SFO - Sailor's view 

My trip started with me and a friend catching the 8:35 PM flight from Minneapolis on Thursday night, the 17th. Arriving at SFO the first thing that brought a smile to our face was the late evening temperature of 60F. Pretty soon we were home at our relatives place and in bed for a good nights sleep.

Day 1

As expected we did not get up early and took our time getting ready. I also had my first look of my 10 day old nephew and even managed to hold the tiny little baby for some time. By noon we were of to SFO with the first stop being Pier 39 to catch a ferry to ‘Alcatraz’ or a ‘Bay cruise’. It turned out to be the latter as we missed the last trip to Alcatraz for the day. However the Bay cruise did not disappoint as we were taken under the ‘Golden Gate Bridge’, around the Alcatraz Island and shown the San Francisco coastline, bay bridge and the bay area. The sea wind was refreshing and an hour on the cruise truly relaxing.


Classic Golden Gate view 


Alcatraz 

Next up we headed up to ‘Golden Gate Bridge’ to get a closer look at the incredible structure. Standing on the bridge gave us an idea of how big it really was. After spending sometime on the bridge we headed back to SFO downtown and my friend and I were so thrilled to see the busy streets like the ones back home. We also drove through crookedest Street in the world. Then it was time to head home.


Golden Gate 

Day 2

Another good night sleep and I was ready for another day of travel. With my friend bailing out, I decided to go in on my own and caught a ‘Caltrain’ to SFO which took over an hour. Not that the train is slow, the distance from my place was over 40 miles. I reached King and 4th street and after exploring the area briefly I caught a ‘Muni’ to Fisherman’s Wharf. ‘Muni’ is an electric bus that they have here – quite unique it is a combination of a Bus and tram moves on rails. The ride took me through the lot of interesting places in the downtown area which me a glimpse of life at SFO. After the enjoyable ride I roamed around the Fisherman’s wharf area and to pier 39 which were lined with souvenir shops.


Fisherman's Wharf 

Meanwhile my friend had decided that he would join me at this point I had to handg around had a great time exploring the area and even got myself some lunch. Once we met, next on our agenda was the ‘Cable car’ ride. The steeply inclined streets made for an exciting ride, especially with me and my friend hanging from side of the cable car. I managed to get some good snaps.


Cable car view 

The last stop was somewhere on Powell street and from there we were exploring the down town area street by street. Among other interesting things, we saw a line wait at a new H&M store. Having never heard of H&M before, I was surprised to see a line wait at a store and only next day did I learn from the papers ‘what the fuss was all about’. I would recommend to anyone visiting SFO to go around and walk the streets to get a real feel of the life here. After sometime spent pub hunting, we decided to head back as we couldn’t find one to our liking.

Day 3

We started earlier than the previous two days and headed for Santa Cruz to the ‘Mystery point’. As far as I could tell it seemed like an optical illusion with surroundings exaggerating the inclination effect of the slope. After taking a not so impressive guided tour, we headed to Pebble beach. We took a scenic 17-mile drive around the famous or the hallowed Pebble beach golf course. The drive had many view points, picnic points and beaches. Got a good look at the Pacific Ocean and even felt its cold water. The drive was a good way to conclude our trip.


Scenic drive - Viewpoint 


Pebble beach 


Ghost Tree 

We caught the flight back to Minneapolis in the night and were home next morning. On the flight, as we were taking off from SFO my friend brought my attention to night time view of SFO and I remarked ‘That epitomizes my view of San Francisco - beautiful and radiant’

Simple pleasures in Life

Yesterday I saw my first snowfall. I was outside, getting back from work when it started raining and slowly the rain drops got lighter and I could see a few snow flakes floating around. I was overjoyed at this beautiful sight. By the time I reached home we were having a full fledged snowfall. It was not the cold weather or the chilly winds that grabbed my attention but the small white flakes floating down ever so gently to the earth. Past few days it has been getting dark around 4 pm but yesterday evening we witnessed a bright glow from the reflection of the snow that accumulated on the ground. I was thrilled, excited and felt so relaxed and happy at the sight and its amazing how such a simple natural event can bring a smile to our face.

Past few weeks have been tough for me. Not everything is working out as I planned and few things have taken a drastic turn for the worst. Some events that occurred at work which I cannot talk about here have left me disturbed and restless. Added to the immense work load and pressure at work and the demanding B-school application process, things have been tough. But it is amazing how a beautiful sight can lift your spirits and make your problems go away. These are the things that make life such a wonderful journey. Enjoy it while you can.

Kellogg Interview

With Kellogg interview done yesterday, I have now completed my Kellogg application. According to the Kellogg website, the admission decisions would be mailed by 16th January. I am not sure if I would come to know the result before or only on 16th. Either way its early enough.

Here is gist of the Interview.

The interview was very informal and it went great. The interviewer gave an overview on the Alumni interview process and I felt comfortable from the very start. We started with introductions and covered some standard questions. Every once in a while interviewer probed or asked for clarification. I was pretty happy on the topics covered and the fact that I was able to project the qualities I wanted to. The discussion was broad based but driven by the interviewer. Some of my answers were unnecessarily wordy but I acknowledged from the start that verbal and written communication were two primary areas that I need to work at. I did leave an impression that I was very enthusiastic about my goals and pursuing a MBA at Kellogg. Also, that I possessed good management and leadership qualities. I was able to project myself as proactive and someone who takes initiative to achieve things and is looking to make an Impact. However, I think I left her concerned over my ability to work in teams. My examples were leaning a bit towards my achievements and how I led the team etc and even though I did site instances to substantiate my ability to work in teams, this might not have made the impact I desired.

I must acknowledge the fact that the interviewer made me feel very comfortable and directed the interview really well and I never felt nervous.
I was very pleased with performance and demeanor at the Interview but I suppose that a great interview is the minimum expected of an applicant to a top Business School in the world.

Overall, I think I have done a great job with my Kellogg Application. Whether I get in or not is altogether different matter. The application process is very competitive and there are many applicants who could be more worthy or better 'fit' than me.

Kellogg Application - Done

I completed and submitted my Kellogg Application this week, 3 days before the deadline for Round 1. After 15-20 reviews my essays were looking quite polished, resume wasn’t bad either. I do bring out a complete story through my essays and highlight different skills that I consider important. Overall my application looks reasonable strong. Time will tell. I try to put in my best effort and don’t worry too much about results. I still have the interview pending and that should be done in a couple of weeks.

Based on this experience, I hope that the following applications would be stronger. The Kellogg application has taken a lot out of me and taking into account the work pressure, I am considering reducing the number of schools to 4. Four excellent applications are lot better than 5 good ones. Application process is very competitive and you pay a heavy price for being anything less than extra-ordinary.

I have started my ‘Tepper’ Application and the deadline is less than a month from now!!
So Lets get the Application started!!

Application process – Update

Needless to say, I have been very busy with the application process. My Kellogg application is almost complete. Essays and resume need final edits and review before I can submit them. Both my recommenders have submitted their recommendations. Today I received a mail with my alumni interview contact. I would probably look to complete and submit my application this week and contact my alumni interviewer next week.

Kellogg apart, I haven’t started any other applications and would definitely need to kick off the next one this weekend.

I had also been to Chicago GSB info session and it was good, though not as good as Harvard. There was more focus on the opportunities available after MBA from Chicago GSB. Again the best part was questions and answers with alumni. I did not stay back for the chat later on.

I don’t have Chicago on my list as don’t consider it a good fit for me and my goals. Unlike what happened at HBS info session, my impressions were reiterated during Chicago GSB info session.

Next one on the list is Duke. Look forward to a detail update on that.

Harvard Business School - Information session

I had been to HBS info session on September 12th and it was a great experience. Harvard was on my radar as a potential school but didn’t figure on my final list. I figured based on my research that it was not as a good a fit as compared to others I had on my list. I was hoping that I could get some of the issues I had addressed at this forum.

Here are notes from the session

• Session started with a presentation, a good one, something that one would come to expect that from a leading business school.
• Presentation stated HBS’s mission statement, which I overlooked in my prior research and was surprised to see how much that aligned with my personal mission statement
• Presenter talked about HBS’s focus on leadership and finding leaders.
• There was some stress on the case-method and how students contribute to overall learning.
• Presentation also touched on other aspects of Harvard but they didn’t really stand out.
• This was followed by a video which was interesting but not spectacular
• Next was a Q & A with alumni. They were seated in front of all potential applicants, much like a press conference.
• Many questions were asked about the life at HBS, curriculum, studies, co-curricular activities, requirements etc. Alumni answered questions well and gave good insight on what they had learnt at Harvard. There were some anecdotes quoted. They finished by giving some tips on application and they concentrated on focusing on goals, fit to the school and the overall story.
• After that we were able to mingle and chat with alumni and this was the most beneficial part for me. I got clarity on how HBS could help me achieve my career goals and how MBA at HBS aligned with what I was looking for.

Overall I thought that the info session was very useful and really helped gain a better understanding of what HBS was all about. I also dispelled lot of my doubts and preconceived notions about the school. HBS Info session is must attend for anyone considering applying to Ivy League schools for a MBA.

Kellogg Application - Checkpoint -1

My Progress on Kellogg Application

Done
Obtained transcripts
Registered and opened Application – Started Part I
GMAT (700, Q50 V34, AWA 4.0)
TOEFL (287 R-30, W-26- Essay 4.5, S-30)
Recommendations – Write-ups sent, Registered recommenders, Discussed with one.
Resume – Template finalized, first draft not complete
Essays – 1st draft of 1st essay done. Total of 6 required.

To Do
Complete Essays
Complete Resume
Mail Transcripts
Get recommendations
Pay Application Fees
Interview
Other tasks – About 10% of total application effort.

Overall Status
Kellogg Application 10% complete.
40 days to go for Round -1 deadline

Yeah I know, I got lots to do and am falling behind on the process. I was down with fever this weekend and was really busy over the week; hence the delays. I am also finding it very difficult to write the initial draft of my essays. I have a good idea of what I what to convey but am finding difficulty in expressing it.

As result of the fever I couldn’t step out of the house at all. Was in bed most of the time and watched lots of movies. There was one I really liked – “In America” – it’s a drama – very emotionally charged and it can make you cry!! The movie is very well directed, has a good cast, superb acting and a good story. I think it’s based on a real life story. I would really recommend seeing this i.e. if you enjoy romantic drama kind of movies. Personally, I like movies with good stories and this was definitely one of them.

Long Weekend

And a Long Weekend it was.
After our Las Vegas trip got cancelled, I was wondering what I would do these 3 days. I was falling behind on my applications, so that was top of the agenda.
Before I took up the actual essay questions, I decided that I would write drafts for some standard questions faced by a B-school applicant Like Why MBA, Why now, Career goals, Career progress to date. This apart, I also worked on the write-ups for my recommenders. I put in details such as the schools I am applying to, reasons for pursuing an MBA, reasons for choosing schools I did, my career path and career goals and details about that, long term goals. Also focused some attention on the application process and things that recommender needs to do and what is expected of a recommendation. Hope all this leads to me getting a good recommendation. I have put in a lot of effort into this.

All this work apart, I did have a bit of fun. If I was slogging in the daytime, I was partying all night long. We did visit few different clubs here and that too 3 days in a row. I took my Digi-cam and got some great pictures. Me and my pal got tattoos too, but they are the temporary ones!!

Weekends over, but I am looking forward to another hectic but short work week.

GMAT Tips

Based on my GMAT experience, here are some tips

Preparation time – This varies from person to person. If you can spend lot of time on preparation then 2 months should be sufficient. Else 3-4 months should suffice. It’s a good idea to start earlier and have look at the questions, lessons and GMAT structure and gradually pick up steam to reach your peak on the GMAT day.

Material- OG is a must combined with either Kaplan or Princeton. You can use the lessons and strategies from Kaplan and practice OG questions. I used Kaplan and the lessons were really helpful

By section

Quantitative – The quantitative skills tested on GMAT are pretty basic. Most of the Math required is already taught in school curriculum and requires simple formulas. Solve each question and then look at the answers. Books do recommend you to use elimination and other techniques to save time. However, I think anyone from India or engineering background should be able to solve each and every problem with time to spare. If you are reasonably good in Math, only place you can lose points is data sufficiency. Sometimes you see a question, assume something and jump to conclusion. You can go wrong there. For example there might be 2 linear equations and you have been asked if to find value of one variable. It might seem that you can use both equations to get a unique solution but if you look carefully, both equations might reduce to similar forms.

If you not that strong quantitatively, start your preparation early and read all reference material on math once or twice then practice lots of questions from OG. Lessons are not as important as Math reference if you slightly weaker in this section. If you get your basics right you can easily do well in this section.

Verbal – I had a notion that your verbal score is totally based on verbal skills that you have developed over the years and it is not possible to improve it significantly. By the time I wrote GMAT I knew this was not the case. GMAT verbal follows specific patterns and answers are arrived at following certain rules. Of course your score depends on your verbal abilities but you can improve them significantly. That’s where I missed out.

First thing is to make sure that you take the lessons for each of the 3 sub-sections. Kaplan lessons are great. Take them more than once till you remember all the points mentioned on the lessons.

Sentence correction – From lessons you will find that there are only few variations of grammatical mistakes tested on the GMAT. Lessons takes you through each of them and there tells you how to spot them. Keep that in mind and apply them without exception while practicing questions. Make sure to practice enough, such that spotting errors comes naturally. Finding the correct answer from here on should not be difficult.

Reading Comprehension – Again, lessons help a lot. When you read that passage make sure to think critically and question ‘so what’s the point, what does the author want to convey’ this way you would understand what the author is trying to Imply and get the context and scope. Most RC questions on GMAT are based on these. Also for some questions, wrong answer choice might look more in scope and context of the actual passage i.e. by directly referring material in the passage. If you question these choices by ‘Is this really what author wanted to convey?” you can find flaws in these choices.

Critical reasoning – For this read the question before the text so that you know what you are looking for. You need to concentrate hard and spend some time on these questions.

Overall, the 3 most important factors that determine your final score are – Focus, hard work and self-belief.

TOEFL - Done!

I completed my TOEFL a short while back and as expected it was pretty simple. The writing section (Essay) is yet to be evaluated so my tentative scores are in the range 240-297. I hope I get 290+. It will help offset my GMAT verbal to some extent. I am still awaiting my AWA scores from GMAT hoping I get a decent score there as well.

I was looking forward to a relaxed evening when I happened to check the voice message on my cell to learn that there was package for me from India to be delivered by carrier (sorry can't name) and they have the wrong address. This is definitely the transcript package that they are talking about and I can't afford it being misplaced. They left me a voice message but apparently the tracking number was incorrect. I have been on phone last hour or so trying to find the package. Looks like I’ll have to call home and get additional information.

Coming to the Application essays front, I just had a look at Kellogg essays and am beginning to understand what my fellow bloggers mean by 'Essays are the toughest part'. There are 3 mandatory and 3 optional essays for Kellogg and I am not sure which ones to write and what to put in them. I have a pretty good idea about the 'why MBA', 'why now', 'career goals' part. Others, I'll have to give some thought. I have mailed two of my favorite bloggers (Students, not Applicants) for some advice (you know who you are).

Next few weeks should be interesting.

Thank you

Thank you all for your support, encouragement, suggestions and comments. All of you have been very forthcoming in responding to my queries. Some of you have been visiting my blog regularly and offering comments and suggestions that have proved so useful. I am convinced that I wouldn’t have made it to 700 without your help. So Thank you ALL!!

Even though I am a bit disappointed, and evidently my disappointment was quite visible through my previous blog post, I am not going to write GMAT again for this year’s application process. 700 is a good score and I know that. Things didn’t work as well as I had planned and I’ll try my best to work around that.

My TOEFL is on 24th and I have just started my preparations. I have also started reading ‘How to get into Top MBA programs’ by Richard Montauk. Seems like a good book and is also highly recommended. Let’s see how things go.

I hope that I can be of some help for others too, so if you have a question that you think I can answer, feel free to mail me. My mail id is on the left column.

Its done!!

Wrote GMAT today and got 700 :-) or :-(

Quant SS -50 , %ile - 95
Verbal SS- 34, %ile - 72
Total SS - 700, %ile - 93

I don't know if its a good score but right I am not to happy about it. Verbal score is a bit too low for my liking. I know that this is close to or greater than the median range for schools I am applying to, but that’s just not sufficient. I thought I could gain an advantage through GMAT and most Indians do get 730+. I am angry about the fact that couple of weeks back I realized what I need to do to get my verbal on track, had a plan but didn’t execute it completely. If I had, I am sure I would have been looking at 730-740 now.
My AWA essays were not great either. I haven't got a score yet so can't really say how that affects the situation. My first essay was decent but the second one was crap. I'd probably be embarrassed to read it again.
Right now I feel like throwing my laptop for the balcony!!! But then I wouldn't be able to complete this post. (Also, I know I can’t do that so let me just throw this cushion to the other end of the room. There it goes; thank god I didn’t break anything!)

I am writing TOEFL on the 24th and hope a good score there can in someway counter a poor GMAT verbal.

Feel like I lost an opportunity and in today’s world if you do that, you get left behind.

Whatever!!!, GMATs done and its time to party again, I am outta here>>>

One Week to go

Yes my GMAT is next week - saturday the 13th and I am getting a bit anxious.

I have prepared reasonably well and there has been no lack in effort or commitment, time - perhaps. All said and done I am confident that I can do well. I am looking for a 700+ score which would put me in the a good position for all schools I am applying to.

I haven't been upto much the past one month and looking forward to getting this over with. Yesterday, I even checked out my test center. Its close to my place. I am taking off work on the 12th just to get mentally prepared and focussed.

Last 2 pratice tests I managed 640, which is good considering the fact that they seemed really tough. Most Kaplan tests are. Verbal has improved but not at the rate I wanted it to.

okay gotta go will post the score next week.....

Time has come to close your eyes and still the wind and rain.

Update on GMAT preparations

Work and GMAT are about the only things running in my life right now so here is an update on one of them.

I have been doing reasonably well in quant section but faltering on the verbal.

Here are the results of some practice tests that I have taken until today.

Test Descrp. Quant Verbal Total
Powerprep-1 (SS)47, 31 V (SS)31,22 650
Kaplan Diag. 18/26 22/28 650
Kaplan Paper 34 27 660
Kaplan CAt-1 24 21 560
Crack GMAT-1 33 24 640
Crack GMAT-2 31 23 630

I did write a test today morning and got 710, so I am thrilled about it.
Powerprep-2 SS49 SS37 710

I am pretty confident about my quant skills and feel certain to achieve 95%ile or higher. Though, Kaplan Cat-1 score is cause of concern as I thought I did fine that time too.
Seeing the trend, I have been focusing on my verbal and in course of my studies I realized that English grammar or at least the GMAT grammar is based on set of well defined rules. Until now I used to think that it goes more on how correct it sounds (I learnt that those are called idiomatic) with some rules here and there. So what one needs to do is to understand these rules and remember them while reading the sentences. This helps answer question easily. However ETS is clever enough to disguise and complicate the sentences so that you find it difficult to identify these mistakes. Some Practice should help here.

I did learn from friends that they were also getting similar scores in practice tests and ended up scoring lot more in actual GMAT. However I cannot take this for granted.

Okay, time to go for a swim and then back to GMAT preps...

3 Years Down

Friday 8th July, I completed three years in this company. Looking back there was a time when I was not sure I’d make it this far. I have come a long way and so have all my batch mates.

Friday all the memories from our training days came flooding back. It was a 4 month training and a tough one at that, something we enjoyed thoroughly nonetheless. We had evaluating exams ever so often and we never had any breathing time. But we made it through, each one supporting the other and we did have a lot of fun together.

Of more than 100 of us that started here 3 years back only around 25-30 of us remain. I am not even sure of the exact number. Others have moved on to other jobs, studies, some have got married, both guys and girls and still some others, I just don’t know. They seem to have disappeared of the face of the earth.

Personally I have had my ups and downs but the good thing has been that I have learnt a lot. Every thing that didn’t go my way was an experience that’s made me better and more mature and less instinctive. There are lots of good things that have happened and lot of things I have achieved. All said and done I like the way things have gone. Now I realize that I didn’t want it to be smooth sailing affair and miss out on the experiences that have made me wiser. At that time, however, I may have had a different opinion. If it hadn’t been for everything that has transpired in the last 3 years, I probably wouldn’t have been at this juncture, thinking of bigger things and trying to find my true potential. However there are things I could have done better and still others I regret and would have rather not done, given the chance. Well they say that you learn from your mistakes and I have.

Coming back to our batch, it has always been a very close group of friends. Some of my best friends are my batch mates from work, other being my college classmates and teammates from cricket teams in college and work. Actually of the 25-30 ppl left in the company 6 of us are right here in Minneapolis on the same account. Half our batch is probably in the US right now.

I have really and thoroughly enjoyed the past 3 years at work and having such great friends is what makes it such a wonderful experience. Some of my closest friends, batch mates or others are right here near in Minneapolis. So I am still having the time of my life. Everyday!!

It’s a beautiful life!! Hope it stays that way!

Here is what I am singing –

Time of your Life
– by Green day

Another turning point;
a fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist;
directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test
and don't ask why.

It's not a question
but a lesson learned in time.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs
and still frames in your mind.

Hang it on a shelf
In good health and good time.

Tattoos of memories
and dead skin on trial.

For what it's worth,
it was worth all the while.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

You've Got Another Thing Coming

That's right here's where the talkin' ends
Well listen this night there'll be some action spent
Drive hard I'm callin' all the shots
I got an ace card comin' down on the rocks

In this world we're livin' in we have our share of sorrow
Answer now is don't give in aim for a new tomorrow

Oh so hot no time to take a rest yeah
Act tough ain't room for second best
Real strong got me some security
Hey I'm a big smash I'm goin' for infinity yeah

If you think I'll sit around as the world goes by
You're thinkin' like a fool cause it's a case of do or die
Out there is a fortune waitin' to be had
You think I'll let it go you're mad
You've got another thing comin'
__________________________________________

I have been getting a bit nervous reading posts of fellow bloggers who have already written GMAT and few drafts of essays and still think that they are behind schedule. I am yet to write GMAT, my preparation has hardly gathered any momentum and starting with the application process hasn’t crossed my mind as yet. Most importantly my GMAT is just a month away and I am nowhere near ready. Infact I am not much better than when I first started preparations.

Last Monday I decided that the time to act was now. I was off from work early every day and managed to study daily. I wasn’t able to concentrate as much as I would have liked too but I did make some progress and more importantly I had the long weekend for all the catching up. Unlike other weekends, I decided not to plan any travel or outing just so that I may concentrate on my studies.

Things did not go as planned and we had an all night outing on Friday and I slept through Saturday. I was really pissed off Saturday evening for the time I wasted and wanted to make up for it next 2 days.

Somehow this kind of adventure was exactly what I needed to turn things around. I was able to motivate myself and get some seriousness and resolve in my preparations. I made decent progress next 2 days covering most of the tasks I planned.

One of thing that generally inspires me is music. On Saturday when I was wondering about what I was doing and where I was going with this, I thought that if you want something you have to go and get it. I have an opportunity to do something with my life, better not let that slip away. I remember listening to this song by Judas priest at the time, it goes like this

If you think I'll sit around as the world goes by
You're thinkin' like a fool cause it's a case of do or die
Out there is a fortune waitin' to be had
You think I'll let it go you're mad
You've got another thing comin'

Yes Anand, You've got another thing comin' and you better be ready

Cooking adventures and more

They say “Too many cooks spoil the broth” and we proved them wrong.
We had invited 3 couples for dinner on a weekday and we had 3 hours to prepare a decent meal. I am still learning too cook so I wasn’t much help but somehow me and my roommates got into the kitchen, showed great team work and had the dinner prepared on time. We prepared Chole, puris- lots of them, fried rice, Alu-gobi and Gulab Jamuns for dessert. The food was great, lot better than expected and we managed to surprise our guests not only with the food but also how well it was served.

We got invitations for dinner the following week and enjoyed not cooking for 3 days in a row.

This apart not much is cooking on the GMAT front. I have started solving problems from the OG and have been trying to do that daily. Most questions seem a lot easier as compared to Kaplan. I haven’t prepared much as yet and with only 6 weeks to go for GMAT, I am thinking of putting everything on hold (apart from work) and concentrating on my preparations.

On the application front, I mailed all schools to clarify some specific doubts. Also contacted my University to understand the procedure for requesting transcripts. I am looking to get this part of the application process taken care of as soon as possible.

I have contacted one of my recommenders and set some expectations regarding the same. The difficult part of choosing recommenders has been that my managers have changed ever so often that no-one could possibily highlight all the qualities that I would like mentioned on my recommendations and quote examples for the same. I am hoping that my recommendations highlight my analytical skills, problem solving skills, team-work, leadership and Client-interfacing skills. This would help me make a strong case for my interest in pursuing management consultancy.

Btw I have created my own Radio station. Here is the link if someone wants to check it out.
My station

Trying to get back on Track

I have been getting some positive feedback on my blog and I am glad people are enjoying reading the blog as I love posting to it. That’s all I am going to write about this as I recently saw ‘Devil’s Advocate’ once again and Al Pacino’s Final Remark ‘I love Vanity’ is still ringing in my ears.
I want to thank everyone for the encouragement.

Well! What Have I been up to for the past couple of weeks.

I have been trying to get my GMAT preparation back on track. A difficult proposition considering that work has been picking up of late. Infact, I have put in atleast 8-10 hours of work since I left office on Friday. I could have done a better job over the week and things wouldn’t have been so bad. Anyways some good comments from Business finally way made to my leadership, so good news on that side as well. Business has time and again appreciated the work I was doing but I was wondering when they would communicate the same to my bosses here.
Oh...oh…. ‘Vanity’ …. Again.

I did manage to study almost everyday but wasn’t able to take the practice test I planned as I lost patience less than half way down the 4 hr test. Not a good sign but I am sure this would not be that big a problem by the time I reach the actual test date. I had take Powerprep test -1 earlier where I got 650 and Kaplan diagnostic scoring 650 again. Anything less than 700 on the GMAT would really dampen my chances and is something I can ill-afford. Next step is to start tackling problems on Official Guide. I am trying to get more simulation tests for more practice.

On the other front, I am still working on refining my goals and tried to do some more reading on management consultancy, though not as much as I wanted too. I got a good talk from DivineMissN (LBS Class of 2007) on career goals and essays and she has posted some advice regarding this on her blog.

I have also been trying to get the details of transcript process. I finally managed to get a response from my University but some aspects of the process concern me. My experience with Public Office bureaucracy hasn’t been great( I did my under-graduate from Govt. College) and is one of the reasons I have been worried.

On the lighter side, we have an event called Alive after 5 that has been running in downtown from June 1st and would continue till 23rd. They also have events at noon called Tunes @ noon with some bands/singers playing some blues/soft rock and country for an hour. I and a friend have been catching this daily during lunch time. Even though I am Hard Rock fan, I enjoyed all the performances and especially of talented Miss Joanna James who has a great voice to go with all the instruments she can play. Her music is little bit reminiscent of Norah Jones but lot more lively.

Hope the coming weeks are lot more productive in every aspect.

Not tagged – but I’ll play anyway

Just noticed other bloggers playing ‘Tag’. I saw this on several blogs and even though I haven’t been tagged, I’ll join in and Tag others who are still out.

Directions: Name 5 books you last read and then tag 5 other Bloggers to do the same.

Last 5 books I read

Monk who sold his Ferrari – Robin Sharma – This is a philosophical book gives pointers to lead a better life. Slow and boring to start with but becomes interesting and inspiring later on.

Prison Diary – Jeffery Archer – Archer’s experience of his first 21 days in high security prison. Very biased but an interesting read.

Sons of Fortune – Jeffery archer – Something on the lines of ‘Kane and Abel’ but not nearly as good. However archer does get in his knowledge on politics and business to make this interesting.

Janson Directive – Robert Ludlum – a gripping Novel like most of Ludlum books. Fast paced, eventful and good entertainment. Must read for Ludlum fans.

Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand – Currently reading this and seems very interesting and different. I guess Ayn rand tries to mix philosophy in her stories and that’s why people are still reading her books more than 50 years after she wrote them.

5 bloggers I tag:-

Nivedita
Simba
DivineMissN
Brit-Chick
Metal

Canada trip - Niagara Falls and Toronto

We were going to Canada and I was very excited about it. USA was the first foreign country I visited and Canada was to be the second. A leave on Friday 27th added to the holiday for Memorial Day on 30th gave us 4 days for our trip. We started early on Thursday, renting a vehicle from downtown and we had departed from Minneapolis by 5 pm. We planned to reach Detroit early to get our Visitors Visas to Canada. We were carrying all the documents required with us. The trip to Detroit was uneventful but we didn’t get much sleep either, driving through the night. We were there by 7 AM having lost 1 hour by virtue of time difference. The consulate was right next to GM HQ , and I was delighted to see this magnificent building after having seen so many pictures of the same.

It did not take much time to get the Visa mainly because we had arrived so early and were ahead in the queue which built up by the time consulate opened. I happened to meet a guy from Kellogg and immediately let him know that I was intent on applying to Kellogg next fall. I got some very useful tips and advice. He mentioned that he could help me get in touch with 1st year students and with some other stuff. Its great to meet people from school as you get to learn some inside stuff about the school which also helps with your applications and gives you motivation you need to polish off your essays. Meeting someone from Kellogg was a pleasant surprise and just another perk of this wonderful trip.


Crossing over into Canada 

Visa formalities were completed by 11 am approx and we were on our way and into Canada. I didn’t expect Canada to be much different but there was a visible difference in roads, directions and we were also sensing a difference in terms of standard of living (Canada didn’t seem as well off and everything wasn’t as polished as on the other side) and more cosmopolitan nature. We checked into out hotel room in Brampton at around 2 pm and decided to take a nap as we were exhausted.


Toronto Downtown 

We got up lot later than we had planned it was almost 9 pm by the time we left our hotel and headed for Toronto. Driving into Toronto wasn’t the simplest with huge network of roads and highways with not so clearly visible directions. The traffic was fast moving and dense which didn’t help either. As we approached Toronto, the CN tower and Downtown skyline appeared and we overawed by how big Toronto really was!! (Remember we come from Minneapolis) It took us some time and effort to find a parking space. Once we managed that, we started walking around Toronto Downtown and took some pictures. We walked around the entertainment and Fashion districts and found many clubs there. I wanted to experience how the clubs were in Toronto but my fellow travelers weren’t really interested. So I decided to go in alone and entered a place called “Club Menage”. The music and crowd was good but I was expecting lot more as compared to the Clubs back home in Minneapolis. I had a lot fun and left around 3 am but the Taxi ride home ($62 Canadian) burnt a big hole in my pocket. Another observation about Canada was the people here seemed noticeably shorter than US. Don’t know if this was just a perception or actually a fact.


View from CN tower 

Next day we woke early and got ready even quicker. We headed off to Visit CN Tower and were there at around 9:30 am. After collecting our entry tickets we were taken to the observatory and the Glass floor which was around 2/3rd way up. CN tower is the tallest building the world but I doubt if it has highest observation point among other tall buildings. The view of Toronto from the top was breathtaking and we especially liked standing on the glass floor. We were down to earth after spending some time grasping the view from up there. We decided to eat our lunches at an Indian restaurant in Downtown. (Must mention that throughout the trip we were able to eat some delicious meals at few of the many Indian restaurants in Toronto and Brampton)


Straight Down from Glass Floor 

Next we headed to Niagara which was a 1.5 hr drive from Toronto. Niagara is awesome and I don’t have enough words to describe the view. Anybody in these parts of the world should visit it and preferably from the Canadian Side. Whatever you do, don’t miss the ‘Maid of the Mist’ boat ride which takes you close to the falls and gives you an idea of how spectacular the falls really are. After getting our full and loads of snaps we decided to visit ‘Casino Niagara’. The casino was bigger than the one I had visited earlier but I haven’t visited Vegas so ‘No comments’ on the casino. I played ‘Blackjack’ which I have some expertise at and made some dough on that. (I was to lose more than what I made the next day which was surprising as I am pretty good at Blackjack and it doesn’t favor Casino as much as the other ones)


The majestic Niagara falls 

We were actually planning to Visit Montreal next day but my pals weren’t up for the drive, so we decided to Visit Toronto to cover other places we missed. We had trouble finding Toronto downtown 3rd time in a row and once we got there we were stuck in downtown traffic big time. Toronto traffic is kind of free for all with Vehicles moving in every direction, nothing compared to India though. Finally, we reached ‘Casa Loma’ which a Castle built around 1910 but based on, medieval castles and if any one has played the game ‘Theif-2’ the setting is quite similar. I quite enjoyed touring the castle and exploring all it had to offer.


Casa Loma Blue Print 

We had lunch and headed back to ‘Casino Niagara’. We had checked out of our hotel room and planned to cross over back into US from Niagara. Spending some time at the ‘Casino’ and having lost significant amount, we decided that it was time to head back. We weren’t able to cross over at Niagara (closed suddenly due to some reason) so had to cross at ‘Fort Erie’ to Buffalo in NY. We covered 960 miles in 16 hours including few stops and were back home by 10 am thanks to gaining 1 hr on time difference. Overall, I guess, we drove around 2500 miles.

Great trip and I am especially happy about visiting Canada. Toronto seems a great place to live in and good place to visit. Just wish that we had covered Montréal as well.

My target B-school List

My efforts on GMAT preparation as well as my MBA application have gained momentum. Following my Last post regarding career goals, this time I would be discussing the schools I am looking to apply for. I hope that I would get comments and suggestions from others on the appropriateness of my choices for my career goals, strategies and approach for each.
I would have liked a better response to my earlier post but I am grateful for whatever feedback I got. I have received some useful tips from Dave, Simba, axechick and Sorebrek and really appreciate all the help.

Before I begin I must mention that I have been reading lot of blogs and articles and visiting few forums too and I find that the most common question posted by Applications(including me) is “What are my chances”. I guess the reason maybe that people want some certainty and to figure out whether its worth the effort. The answer is invariably “Nobody can tell for sure”. After being frustrated by the responses, I later found that this is true in its entirety. The Best analogy I can think of for this situation is that a person wanting to walk through a long dark tunnel and he/she cannot see the light at the end of tunnel. He wants to go through the tunnel because he knows that there are better things waiting at the other end, but before he enters he wants to make sure that he’ll get through. So he finds people who made it through and asks them if he can do the same. Whoever made it know that it’s long and winding tunnel and it requires lot of hard work, commitment, perseverance and most importantly risk taking to get through. Whether this person has got what it takes, “Nobody can tell for sure”.
Well I think you got to believe that you’ll make it through and that is the first step into the tunnel.

My B-School list
After lot of research swapping, changing, Chopping etc this is how my B-schools List looks like. I would have liked to have kept it down to 5, but right now I have 6.

Program I am looking at –
As I contemplate a career in Management consultancy, I am looking for a program that stresses on Analytical Skills. I also want to learn lot more about Strategy. I am coming from an IT background with some exposure to financial services and Post MBA my interests in Management consultancy would be focused towards IT, Finance and Strategy.

(Brackets indicate 4 different rankings I obtained)
Outside the Bracket is consolidated ranking, removing the most out of sync
Followed by median GMAT score, Median years of exp, % accepted applications.

Kellogg (NWU)(9,1,8,5) – 4 700/4.5/13%
Reason- Kellogg is undoubtedly one of the best B-schools. It has everything from a good curriculum, diversity, focus of Academics as well as Leadership, ethics and team work. With a wide variety of majors and courses to choose from I am confident that I could tailor the program to exactly what I need.

MIT Sloan (15,9,9,4) - 7 710/5.1/14%
Reason – Another one of the best B-schools and my favorite because of their focus on Analytical skills and academics. I feel this best suited for my career goals and especially of my interest to move into management consultancy. However my maths score in colleges(59,56,91,60%) might just kill my chances. Not sure if I should bother applying.

Duke(22,11,12,11) – 11 710/5.3/22%
It has a flexible program i.e. no concentrations and available courses can be tailored to get exactly what I want. Overall I find that Duke is very balanced in its method but also flexible enough as and when required so if I want to focus more on analytical stuff etc I can. Hence it is on my list.

Stern(13,13,7,13) – 13 700/4.7/15%
Stern is known for its Finance MBA. It’s proximity to the Financial hub of the world is a major advantage. It also has a good IT program and major for strategy as well. All in all, a package that completely satisfies my needs.

Kenan Flagger(UNC)(8,16,11,21) – 16 680/5/30%
It has a concentration focused towards management consultancy. Program focuses on all salient points I consider important for my career and it has a mix of elective that cover almost everything I like to study. More importantly I also feel that I have realistic chance of getting into this program as compared to others that I am applying to.

Goizuetta(Emory)(18,20,16,18) – 18 675/5.5/27%
This is my Backup. But overall, I was very impressed with the school and the program, its curriculum structure and list of concentrations are also great and have everything I need. I’d be happy to go here if I get a chance.

I have made the choices based on what I think serves my goals the best and programs best suited and schools that I would be happy to study in. What concerns me is that all the Schools I have chosen are pretty hard to get in, Minimum Median GMAT score required is 675 which puts me under lot of pressure for my GMAT.
Not sure if I should replace one of the Schools by an easier backup option.
Comments & Suggestions very much required.

Career Goals

After lot of soul searching and thinking process that started more than two years back, my career goals are still at best vague. Things have become clearer, but the more questions I try and answer, more the difficulty I find in answering them and it seems like I am running around in circles. So in this post I am logically trying to evaluate where I am coming from and where I am headed, and hope that experienced bloggers and applicants comment on my goals.

I have been with an IT services company (Indian with >30,000 employess, >$ 1 billion in revenues) for the past 3 years and have worked as a software engineer. I am currently playing the role of Technical Analyst at client location and have had some Team lead experience for past 1-1.5 years. My domain exposure has always been with banking and financial services field, which in conjunction with Information Technology are my primary fields of Interest.

Post MBA, I have been looking at a management role that combines both these e.g. IT program manager for financial services working in either Finance or IT Company. All this while I have felt that this wouldn't truly give me an opportunity to do all I wanted in terms of involvement with Business and strategy.
So I explored further, putting my interest i.e. Information technology, Finance and strategy together with my skills Analytical, communication skills, some basic management and leadership ability (that I have displayed in work and extra-curricular activities) with solution oriented approach and good understanding of Financial services business, I found that a management consultancy position might be a better option. This would give me an opportunity to work in wide variety of projects and put in my cross functional skills (I am a mechanical engineer) IT and finance knowledge, utilize my analytical skills to help senior management take Business and strategic decisions. This is something that I would really enjoy doing and feel that I have the ability to take up such a role.

By working in such a role, over the years I would have gained substantial knowledge, skills and experience to move into a senior management position in a firm and take up a true leadership position. My ultimate objective being to lead an organization to achieve something significant, bringing it growth and respect and also contributing back to society in both personal and professional capacity.

Having said this I am not sure
1. If I could move to a management consultancy position post MBA. Would I get a job of my liking?
2. If B-schools would consider my application?
3. If my story and purpose seems logical enough?
4. How others approach this situation and move into role and work that I am interested in doing?