The apartment is quiet, there is food in the fridge and suddenly I realize where I am. A lot can happen in a few months; more so if you are planning to do an MBA. A cascade of events culminating in my rude awakening in my empty apartment in Bloomington has changed my life forever.
Welcome to the Kelley MBA. Amidst the offers and rejects of the application season, I made a life changing decision to participate in the MBA program at the Indiana University. But before I embark on documenting my journey in this quaint little town let me cut back to a quick review of my last application season.
The Austin interview was by far the best I had given in the season. Apart from the fact that they made me fly over to Delhi from Bangalore for a sixty minute chat, I was very satisfied with it. We really connected in the interview and genuinely exchanged thoughts and opinions on the green consulting industry in the US. Unfortunately, the applications to McCombs is routed thru the central university application system and by the time they had cleared my application for review by the business school admission committee the class was already full! I was thus urged to apply next year and apply early.
I never had a chance to ruminate on that thought as just a few days and a short Pondicherry trip later I received the admit email from Kelley. They also seemed to be very generous this year; not that I am complaining!
So eight applications, seven interviews, four admits and One very expensive business suit later, here I am discussing a very successful and fulfilling application season. All the very best to all those who are about to embark on the journey… it’s a good ride!
The next question to answer is why did I take Kelley’s offer and start my school this year when the actual plan was to reapply to the top few after gaining a fair amount of experience in the process. A very strong motivating factor is that Kelley was very generous. Did I also mention that they were very generous? What you immediately notice upon coming to campus and experiencing it is that it is truly a top twenty program. I may even go out on a limb and say that the administration believes that they are running a top ten school (historically Kelley was a top ten school in the 90s) and that is a good thing. The quality and expectation levels are set high. Very high.
In the coming posts I shall try to encapsulate my experiences in the program and try to provide more insights into the Kelley MBA.
Bring It on!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Simon Says!!
My first admit of the season.
I stared at the email of a good 5 minutes and had a mental montage of the next few months at work. What i saw, I liked!
Dear Ashwin,
Greetings from Simon! Our Admissions Committee has made their decision and I wanted to be the first person to tell you the good news – you have been admitted to the Simon School for September 2008. Congratulations! An e-mail version of your admission letter will be forthcoming in the next day or so. You will be receiving your official admission letter along with other helpful information in an admission packet that will be sent to you via Fed Ex in the next few days. I hope you are as thrilled as we are about the possibility of having you join the Simon Community.
Congratulations again on your admission to the Simon School and I hope to see you in Rochester!
Best regards,
Stefanie
I shall now proceed to proudly wear the T-Shirt Simon gave me!
(Phew)
I stared at the email of a good 5 minutes and had a mental montage of the next few months at work. What i saw, I liked!
Dear Ashwin,
Greetings from Simon! Our Admissions Committee has made their decision and I wanted to be the first person to tell you the good news – you have been admitted to the Simon School for September 2008. Congratulations! An e-mail version of your admission letter will be forthcoming in the next day or so. You will be receiving your official admission letter along with other helpful information in an admission packet that will be sent to you via Fed Ex in the next few days. I hope you are as thrilled as we are about the possibility of having you join the Simon Community.
Congratulations again on your admission to the Simon School and I hope to see you in Rochester!
Best regards,
Stefanie
I shall now proceed to proudly wear the T-Shirt Simon gave me!
(Phew)
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Kelley Interview
I think its high time I wrote about my promised Kelley interview.
The interview was preceded my my first drive in the snow. With chunks of ice falling off the vehicles ahead of me and disintegrating instantaneously into infinite particles on the tarmac before colliding with my windshield at a hundred kilometers an hour, it seemed difficult to determine whether i was on the interstate in Indiana or in war torn Iraq!
However I did reach 10th street ahead of schedule (by almost 2 hours) and Mr Holmen was conveniently free. We decided to go ahead with the interview but only after I had profusely apologized for not being in proper attire (i had not yet bought the suit and the only thing formal on me was the Tie). Thankfully he just laughed it off and brought to attention that he too was not quite dressed for the occasion!
The interview was extremely conversational and brought out the experience in my interviewer as he effortlessly drew out all his required knowledge from me. We talked about the automotive industry and my experiences at Delphi, about the difficulties in living in snow, car cleaning tricks, leadership, about what my teammates would miss about me the most, why an MBA, why now, how I am still far too young and mainly about my plan for my future. I asked him a few questions pertaining to consulting and some activities at Kelley and ended the interview on a very positive note.
There were a few points that he brought up that really made my day. He said that he thought that as I showed great communication skills, have international work ex and have a Huge name like Delphi on my resume, I was already half way thru to my place in the consulting world!
Encouraging.
The drive back was pleasent with me contemplating the interview and how i could have answered certain questions a bit differently.
I gave it a great shot though and for now, thats good enough for me.
The interview was preceded my my first drive in the snow. With chunks of ice falling off the vehicles ahead of me and disintegrating instantaneously into infinite particles on the tarmac before colliding with my windshield at a hundred kilometers an hour, it seemed difficult to determine whether i was on the interstate in Indiana or in war torn Iraq!
However I did reach 10th street ahead of schedule (by almost 2 hours) and Mr Holmen was conveniently free. We decided to go ahead with the interview but only after I had profusely apologized for not being in proper attire (i had not yet bought the suit and the only thing formal on me was the Tie). Thankfully he just laughed it off and brought to attention that he too was not quite dressed for the occasion!
The interview was extremely conversational and brought out the experience in my interviewer as he effortlessly drew out all his required knowledge from me. We talked about the automotive industry and my experiences at Delphi, about the difficulties in living in snow, car cleaning tricks, leadership, about what my teammates would miss about me the most, why an MBA, why now, how I am still far too young and mainly about my plan for my future. I asked him a few questions pertaining to consulting and some activities at Kelley and ended the interview on a very positive note.
There were a few points that he brought up that really made my day. He said that he thought that as I showed great communication skills, have international work ex and have a Huge name like Delphi on my resume, I was already half way thru to my place in the consulting world!
Encouraging.
The drive back was pleasent with me contemplating the interview and how i could have answered certain questions a bit differently.
I gave it a great shot though and for now, thats good enough for me.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
My Final Application
This day was bound to come but after 2 years of dedication towards a singular goal i kinda feel empty now that its here. At 11:59 PM (central time) i submitted my final application to the Red McCombs School of Business. No more trying to put my life into crisp 500 words, no more quirky ethical situation descriptions, no more narcissistic goals to describe!
Shouldn't i be feeling relieved? Its not like the process is over yet. I still have interviews to attend and decisions to wait upon but there is certainly a void.
On another note, i finally broke my vow of never eating in pizza hut again (after they towed my car in UIUC). I guess hunger has made man do crazier things in the past.
Shouldn't i be feeling relieved? Its not like the process is over yet. I still have interviews to attend and decisions to wait upon but there is certainly a void.
On another note, i finally broke my vow of never eating in pizza hut again (after they towed my car in UIUC). I guess hunger has made man do crazier things in the past.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
On a cold and grey Morning
It was 2 degrees outside today (thats -17 C). By far the coldest i have ever experienced but nothing warms the heart like an interview invite! A warm and smoldering email lay in my mailbox from the Adcom of Simon (Univ of Rochester).
"
"
So that mean i have some shopping to do! Have to go and buy my first suit! Hugo Boss? No, really cant afford that (or can I...hmmm). I also have to plan my trip to Rochester now. I mailed back with 18th Jan as the preferred date. Everything sounds really exiting. Its also exiting to know that what i wrote was really worth reading! Yay me!
Just to celebrate the positive vibe i have a crate of 24 Buds in the back seat of my car! That should adequately keep me positive.
"
Dear Ashwin,
Congratulations! The Admissions Committee has reviewed your application and invites you for an on-campus interview. Please review your schedule and let me know as soon as possible of a convenient date for you to visit and conduct your interview with a member of our Admissions team."
So that mean i have some shopping to do! Have to go and buy my first suit! Hugo Boss? No, really cant afford that (or can I...hmmm). I also have to plan my trip to Rochester now. I mailed back with 18th Jan as the preferred date. Everything sounds really exiting. Its also exiting to know that what i wrote was really worth reading! Yay me!
Just to celebrate the positive vibe i have a crate of 24 Buds in the back seat of my car! That should adequately keep me positive.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
My Date
I had an interesting call from Shelloy today. She is one of the adcoms from Krannert. The thing about Krannert is that they really dont care about interviews and grant most of their admits without interviews.
I had called Krannert a month ago when i submitted my application. Since i was in Kokomo, which is about 40 mins drive from West Lafayette, i really wanted to visit the campus and experience the school first hand. I told Shelloy earlier that if there was a chance i could have a one to one with the Director of Adcom that would really make my day! And guess what.. she worked it out! So after Martin Luther King's day i head to Purdue for an exclusive date with the director of admissions! Exiting!
I'll write about my Kelley interview soon...
I had called Krannert a month ago when i submitted my application. Since i was in Kokomo, which is about 40 mins drive from West Lafayette, i really wanted to visit the campus and experience the school first hand. I told Shelloy earlier that if there was a chance i could have a one to one with the Director of Adcom that would really make my day! And guess what.. she worked it out! So after Martin Luther King's day i head to Purdue for an exclusive date with the director of admissions! Exiting!
I'll write about my Kelley interview soon...
Friday, December 28, 2007
My Profile
Ok, let me start of with the lowdown on my professional and academic life till date.
I graduated from NIT Surathkal in 2006 (Electronics Engineer) and work for an automotive electronics giant. In my short career spanning less than 2 years today, i have spent a good deal in the Mid west (read absolutely absurd climate) US. My life took a turn the day i was enlightened about the hallowed portals of the M7s.
My plan starts of with the application frenzy for the fall 2008 season. I wrote my GMAT (710, Q49, V38) and applied to the schools ranked 15-30. I had the phobia of ending up a reapplicant to my dream school. A mild case of OCD that made me take the decision of having a squeaky clean application when i finally do so. Does that seem weird?
So the next question is where did i apply? The list goes:
Kelley, Krannert, Simon, Boston U, Georgetown, Smith, Mendoza and McCombs
As of today, i have given my interviews to Kelley and Boston U. I think i did a fair job on the Kelly interview with some convincing answers to why and why now. The Boston U interview was a race against time and felt like a spitfire round on a C grade game show.
Waiting on the rest to get back after the holidays to hand out the interview calls. As difficult as this wait is turning out, the holiday is giving me a much needed breather before getting to the remaining essays i need to write for McCombs and Mendoza.
All in all, the whole process has turned out one hell of a learning experience (and an absolute daylight robbery). I can write good essays, give a convincing interview and talk confidently about my plans. I believe that its been wort it.
I graduated from NIT Surathkal in 2006 (Electronics Engineer) and work for an automotive electronics giant. In my short career spanning less than 2 years today, i have spent a good deal in the Mid west (read absolutely absurd climate) US. My life took a turn the day i was enlightened about the hallowed portals of the M7s.
My plan starts of with the application frenzy for the fall 2008 season. I wrote my GMAT (710, Q49, V38) and applied to the schools ranked 15-30. I had the phobia of ending up a reapplicant to my dream school. A mild case of OCD that made me take the decision of having a squeaky clean application when i finally do so. Does that seem weird?
So the next question is where did i apply? The list goes:
Kelley, Krannert, Simon, Boston U, Georgetown, Smith, Mendoza and McCombs
As of today, i have given my interviews to Kelley and Boston U. I think i did a fair job on the Kelly interview with some convincing answers to why and why now. The Boston U interview was a race against time and felt like a spitfire round on a C grade game show.
Waiting on the rest to get back after the holidays to hand out the interview calls. As difficult as this wait is turning out, the holiday is giving me a much needed breather before getting to the remaining essays i need to write for McCombs and Mendoza.
All in all, the whole process has turned out one hell of a learning experience (and an absolute daylight robbery). I can write good essays, give a convincing interview and talk confidently about my plans. I believe that its been wort it.
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