The roller-coaster b-school ride

Adieu

2006-11-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you all who have been visiting my page despite me discontinuing writing. It surely feels good. I have enjoyed blogging all along. We have lots of encouraging people here and it surely is fun to blog. How can I ever forget the constant support and genuine advice that I got all throughout last year, be it about taking a decision to not attend a BSchool, or about a sick friend.

But then, why am I not posting now? Valid question, but I am sorry to disappoint you; I have no clear answers. Perhaps, I because I am in the BSchool race a second time, I find it too confusing and self-demanding that not posting about the experience eases off the pressure in a way. I would have loved to share my thoughts, my own strategies all throughout, but I want to be more sure before recommending something to all of you out there. Again, like Forrest would also agree, writing a second time is a lot tougher. I definitely don't want my blog to be a frightful, worrying chronicle. So till I have some definite success on the BSchool front, let me just take a break. Perhaps, I will return back to this page someday.

Till then, I hope your zindagi continues rocking. Bye and all the best.

OG 11 vs. OG 10

2006-05-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

The most salient changes involve a rehashing of the explanations (NOTE: the following changes apply to all three books). On the quantitative side, problem solving questions are illustrated with more step-by-step solutions. While there seems to be little change as far as the approach taken (i.e. how to solve), the Guide now categorizes each problem by topic (e.g. properties of numbers, geometry area, etc), and the physical layout of each problem is much easier to read. In the data sufficiency section, the solutions are also more logically organized by statement. Statement (1) is addressed, deemed sufficient or insufficient and then statement (2) is dealt with similarly in a separate paragraph. This makes the process of solving data sufficiency much clearer.

On the verbal side, the explanations were overhauled to even greater extent. It seems that the authors have recognized the student's need to clearly understand why each wrong answer choice is wrong because the explanations are now organized by answer choice. This much welcomed change allows the student to practice the systematic elimination of wrong answer choices that is so vital to success on the verbal section of the GMAT.

Topic categories are also assigned to each question in all three verbal question types. To this end, reading comprehension questions are officially divided into six types: main idea, supporting ideas, inference, application (of information), logical structure and style/tone. Likewise critical reasoning questions are separated into one of three categories: argument construction, argument evaluation and evaluation of a plan. Perhaps even more noteworthy, are the situation and reasoning sections included in each critical reasoning explanation. The situation section recaps the argument in fewer words and the reasoning section highlights the logic involved in solving the question. Lastly, in sentence correction, there are eight grammatical issues by which the questions are identified (many are tagged with more than one issue). The explanation begins with an overview of all of the errors that occur, not only in answer choice A, but also in the other four answer choices. Then the answer choices are listed one-by-one with their respective errors. The new format offers greater readability and utility.

How many of the questions in the 3 new Official Guides are the same as those in their predecessor, The Official Guide to GMAT Review, 10th edition? On the math side, the 10th edition included 441 problem solving and 274 data sufficiency. Of those, 328 of the problem solving and 215 of the data sufficiency show up in either the 11th edition or the Quantitative Review. In addition, the 11th edition offers 121 unique problem solving and 82 unique data sufficiency questions. This amounts to a net gain of 8 problem solving and 23 data sufficiency in the new editions. It is worth noting that The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review contains no new questions; it is completely redundant to the 10th edition. All of the unique questions in the new guides appear in The Official Guide For GMAT Review, 11th edition. On the verbal side, 201 of the 10th edition's 268 sentence correction questions appear in the new guides, along with 67 new questions in the 11th edition. In critical reasoning, 160 of the 205 questions in the 10th edition appear in the new guides, along with 63 new questions in the 11th edition. This amounts to a net gain of 18 critical reasoning questions. Lastly in reading comprehension, 33 of the 48 passages from the 10th edition are represented in the new guides, along with 11 new passages. This represents a net loss of 4 passages in the new guides.

In terms of the difficulty level of the new questions the 11th edition, it seems that the 11th editions are comparable to the 10th. While a few of the hardest questions from the 10th edition have disappeared, they seem to have been replaced by a fair number of difficult questions at the end of the 11th edition's data sufficiency and problem solving sections, as well as in the new 100-question diagnostic section at the beginning of the book. A significant added benefit to the 11th edition and the two supplemental books is the GMAC's claim that the questions in each section are arranged by increasing level of difficulty. The cautious student should keep in mind, however, that this is only an assertion made by GMAC. As a final note on the new materials available from GMAC to prepare for the GMAT in 2006, the GMAC has made available new software to emulate the test-taking experience. The software includes five 15-question practice sections and 2 adaptive practice exams. There appears to be no overlap between the questions for the two exams and the questions contained in three new Official Guides. The software also matches the format of the new exam, administered by Pearson Vue testing centers, in terms of font, color scheme, and screen layout. The GMATPrepTM software is available for free download at www.mba.com.

Erasable noteboards on the GMAT?

2006-05-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

How awkward would it be to right on a whiteboard? How thick would the pens be? How would the erasing process work? Well a couple of weeks into the new year, with the transfer of powers complete, it seems that the concerns were mostly for not. The scratch paper change is not such a big deal after all.

The "erasable noteboards" are nothing more than a spiral bound packet of 5 legal size sheets of yellow laminated paper. The pages are numbered from 1 to 10 (front and back). The cover page (page 1) contains a disclaimer and information about how to adjust the test center chair. Pages 2 through 10 are blank sheets of laminated graph paper. Each of the pages has a 1 inch blank margin at both the top and bottom of the page. The graph paper has 33 rectangular boxes across the page horizontally by 71 rectangular boxes down the page vertically.

The writing implement is a special black pen with a tip that is finer than a Sharpie. The ink is erasable, but the test center does not provide a wiper or an eraser. This isn't a major issue since if you have filled up your notebook, you may raise your hand and a proctor will provide you with a new 10-page booklet. Based on our own experience and those of our students, the pens typically don't run out of ink but the head does seem to flatten a bit by the end of the quant section. The proctors, however, are more than willing to provide the student with a new pen upon request. So what effect will the new "scratch paper" have on the GMAT test taking experience? The short answer is not much. Nonetheless, students preparing for the GMAT would likely benefit from practice with graph paper. Graph paper has some obvious advantages on the quant section - for creating tables, for geometry figures, and for organization in general. On the verbal side, the columns can be used to set-up A,B,C,D,E options for eliminating incorrect answer choices on each question. The laminated paper and special pen take a bit of getting used to so, if possible, using similar materials during practice can also help.

Overall the new materials feel more like the old scratch paper then some newfangled whiteboard as was initially described on the GMAC website. You can rest easily knowing that not too much has changed in this department.

New 2006 GMAT by ACT - Track the changes

2006-05-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a list summarizing the major changes to help you if you intend taking the GMAT. Note that the list is organized in order of decreasing importance.

1) THERE ARE NO CONTENT/SCORING CHANGES TO THE EXAM. All the changes are related to the test-taking experience and the administration of the exam.

2) NO MORE SCRAP-PAPER! INSTEAD THE TEST-TAKER WILL RECEIVE ERASABLE WHITE BOARDS, though it appears that NO ERASER is provided to the test-taker. To quote from http://www.mba.com/: "The test administrator will provide you with a booklet of five (5) noteboards. If you fill up your noteboards during the test, please raise your hand; the administrator will collect the noteboards you have and give you replacements. You may not remove the noteboards from the testing room during or after the test and you must return them to the administrator after the test."

3) YOU MUST NOW WAIT 31 DAYS BEFORE RETAKING THE EXAM. A test-taker can only take the exam ONCE in any 31 day period. Thus, if a test-taker takes the exam on Jan 5, 2006, she will not be able to take it again until Feb 5, 2006. This is a significant change as the rule used to be that one could take the exam once per calendar month. This allowed a test-taker to take the exam on Jan 31 and Feb 1. No more! Note that test-takers can still only take the exam 5 times within any 12 month period - this remains unchanged.

4) SCORE REPORTS WILL NOW CONTAIN ALL EXAMS TAKEN IN THE LAST 5 YEARS (including cancellations). Previously, score reports contained only your last 3 exams/cancellations. In addition, if a test-taker retakes the exam and wants to resend his/her scores to programs that previously received the score, the test-taker must RESELECT those schools at the time of the retest.

5) OFFICIAL SCORE REPORTS WILL NOW BE AVAILABLE ONLINE INSTEAD OF BEING MAILED TO THE TEST-TAKER. Official Score Reports will be available online to test-takers and the schools they've selected approximately 20 days after the test. Official Score Reports are now mailed to the student by request only.

6) DON'T SKIP THE AWA ESSAY SECTION! Official Score Reports will only be provided if the test-taker has responded to BOTH essay questions and completed the Quant & Verbal sections. This eliminates the possibility of "skipping" the essay section and just doing the Quant & Verbal.

7) IF YOU SCORE AN 800, YOU CAN'T RETAKE THE EXAM FOR 5 YEARS. (Not that anyone who gets an 800 would want to take the exam again!)

Side Note: I just made changes to my template and lost all the links I had in the earlier version. (How much not having a back-up can backfire?) I especially miss the varied helpful admission links like mbabuzz, clearadmit blog, accepted blog, biz deans talk etc. If anyone amongst you can send me some of those helpful links, I'll be obliged. My email id is 4chillpill AT gmail DOT com

Selecting a school

2006-05-13T04:39:00.000-07:00

Finally I have something to say which doesn’t talk about GMAT; thanks to median2k9’s post on School Selection.

While the confusion on school selection seems justified, having gone through the ordeal once, I would suggest that it is important to stress more on the fit factor than on the available rankings to find the target schools. I know the task sounds daunting but perhaps how we can come up with an initial narrow list is by initially gathering some general information about the school and then speaking to fellow students. More often than not, an initial interaction with the school staff and students gives you a hunch whether you really belong to the school or not. In fact you can even question these students about how many students take up your intended major and what major firms recruit from the career field you are interested in. Of course, there are lots and lots of questions you can ask these current students, but your idea is feel the ‘feel’ of that school. Don’t commit any avoidable blunders by asking obvious questions, and do speak to many people to get a fairly accurate idea about the school. This initial interaction saves a lot of your time and energy to cut through the information clutter pasted on the websites. If you are humble and courteous enough when you speak to the students, most of them will return the favor and be candid in offering you their advice about how a particular school can or cannot help you in your goals. Additionally, sometimes a school’s environment might just not excite you despite its achievements or reputation, but if you talk and explore, you have more probability of being on the right track.

A little later, when you have a smaller target list ready and you are roughly informed about the various opportunities, you can visit the school sites, research the courses, find about the career development centers etc. You can now ask the Adcoms if you have some specific questions, start speaking to school alumni and get closer in finding your fit. This time you can cut through the information overload; all you are doing now is finding a stronger answer to WHY School A. School visits and information events can complement this research all along. With patience and persistence, you should really be able to find YOUR schools.

Well, that is going to be my method, but if you have more inputs to share, please feel free.

Cheers
Chillpill

More thoughts on GMAT

2006-05-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

GMAT occupies more of my time than I would like to admit. With both office and other extra curricular activities, even if I appreciate the fact that GMATting is less nerve wrecking than the application process, the test still feels very much like a test. So yeah, the standardized test occupies my mind more than I would gleefully like to admit.

The test has become my mood predictor. The day becomes good if I answer more of my practice questions correctly, and not so good if my performance goes low. And, it has also become my schedule organizer, for it gets utmost priority in almost all of my work. Talk of the fun weekends, but at least for now, long hours of masti elude me. I'll need to grant myself some days off after the test; for now, the plans only get a position in my diary.

How is my preparation otherwise? Well, my silly friends still manage to hang on with me, and though I try to drop them often, they just somehow know how to cling on to me. Uff, when did 1/2 become an integer? LOL, when it comes to these dumb errors, I top the list. I have a feeling that just by minimizing these careless mistakes, I can push my scores significantly. The new strategy that I have come up with is to cross check at least my first 10 questions in each section. I believe that they set the pattern for the type of questions that are thrown, and hence getting the initial few right is more important. However, this method involves a risk of running short on time, and so I am trying to work a little faster during the test. Presently, I manage to finish just on time; I guess I need to work on speed as well.

Easier Game?

2006-05-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

I long of the days when I will be able to think outside GMAT. Even if I devote only 2-3 hours of concentrated attention to the study material, I still can’t seem to get it out of my head at any point of time. All this makes me wish I was giving it earlier, not because I am too prepared but because I honestly think that GMAT is ruling my daily routine. Why, it even creeps into my dreams…

That said, however, the GMAT is a far simpler than cracking the applications. At least we have fairly defined testing content, numerous help-books and discussion forums to take help from. Why, we even have an approximate idea of the score we can expect?

But as for the applications, you simply have no idea. Amongst the thousands of talented people applying from all corners of the world, you story has to stand out. You wonder how strong your strengths are, how weak the weaknesses are, and you struggle to make a fine balance between the two. While finding the answers to the standard essay questions – What sets you apart? What leadership skills do you have? How does School A help you in your ambitions? – you are a lost person. Sometimes you have lots of people to offer an advice, and sometimes you are completely by yourself. While you might have had an extremely successful journey so far, you fret over what the Adcoms will make out of your package. Your result remains a mystery till the very end. You might be feeling super confident after a fantastic interview when you learn that a fellow applicant has been offered an Admit, and all your hopes dash to the ground. You spend sleepless nights re-assessing your online submission, and checking that decision deadline date time and again.

So, isn’t the GMAT an easier game?

Have I been caught?

2006-05-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

You know how it is when one of your friends rings you and asks, “ Oh hey, do you blog?” And between whatever conversation that follows, your head keeps reeling back and forth, “How did he know?”

In my case at least I can say with some surety why people can guess my identity - plainly because, I haven’t camouflaged myself. Except for becoming Chillpill, there is nothing else that has been hidden. And hey, almost everyone who writes to me also learns my real name (read off-screen name) from my signature ending. I believe in honesty, and I guess that shows. I simply don’t feel the need to be too anonymous.

Yet however, being anonymous has its own advantages. For one, I don’t want people to recognize me by what I blog about. The blog is MY blog, yes, but I am beyond what I am in this blog. I exist beyond the MBA struggle as well…

Second, this page is a chronicle of some daily events in my life, and although I have refrained from making it a personal saga, it does talk of my roller coaster business school ride in ample details. Are you getting what I mean? This single archive reflects more about my passion and current interests than may be even my very close ones would know, and hence, even if it is not very personal, it is in its own way, personal. So yeah, Chillpill looks better, at least on this computer screen.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

2006-05-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

Alright, this is a Robert Frost poem. Here is the full poem as given by Neha:

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Now the question is how is Nehru associated with this ??? Any answers?

Slowing down

2006-04-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep…

Lt. Pandit Jawahar LaL Nehru

Well I am not a political person and shave no promises which I need to fulfill. I am just a simple girl preparing to give her GMAT and that is what keeps me engrossed.

The test date has been fixed for 14th June, 2006. But I have finally decided to not let the GMAT trouble my daily life. Devoting 2-3 hours each day should be sufficient. Rest of the time, I have kept for my socializing activities and of course, for my first love, reading. I have a feeling that diligent practice should yield better results than long hours. Let me not burn myself this time. I’ll only try to do questions of each type every day to make sure that I stay in form. Wish me luck

GMAT - ask your questions here

2006-04-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

I'm bit confused now whether I should go for GMAT or not.........Can u advise me for the same ..... Mayur, India

Taking the GMAT depends on you. Take it when you are prepared for it. Mostly all US schools have a policy of accepting a GMAT score upto 5 years old. So even if you are not clear about not doing an MBA now, you might consider opting for the test whenever you feel prepared provided you do plan doing an MBA in the near future from a school in US.

Indian schools, and most schools from UK, Canada, Australia will not ask for a GMAT score. If you want to do an MBA from one of these places, you are better off spending your time and energy somewhere else. But again, remember, education from these places will not be a world class level barring a few schools. I would advice you to research and make your decision.

Haven't blogged

2006-04-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

Haven’t blogged since a couple of days because of a troublesome net connection. But thankfully everything is back in shape now. With a new broadband connection now working, I can hope to be more regular with my posts but let’s wait and watch…

Thanks to all those who have personally mailed me. (I generally have queries about solutions to the GMAT quiz). Please give me some time and I’ll get back to you.

I am busy bee

2006-04-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

With GMAT test coming up soon, I have been having scary dreams. But the good news is that finalizing a test date makes me more focussed, only though ot add up to my nightmares. DS are getting on me, and RCs drive me crazy. As if that wasn’t enough, I am a super-genius, super-efficient at my calculations. Why do stupid mistakes want to be my best friends during the test when I can do much better without them? You know, only yesterday, I added up 3 and 3 to make 9. (Aryabhatta must be grumbling since then) Awwwwww, how can I do it right?

I am yet to complete even half of OG, but the good part is started each section from the end and so I am doing the tougher questions initially. Lets hope I do get more time in hand to produce some worthy output. Iam still very optimistic, I can and will do the best.

And yes, as per the advice of my fellow bloggers – Marina and B-school diva, I have started giving short pitches of better concentration to GMATting. I feel this helps. One, I can give shorter hours much more easily and second, because the results are better and I feel better about my performance. Yes, I had an even lousier testing outcome till yesterday. Thanks for your tips; I appreciate them.

GMAT quizzing…

2006-04-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Talking about the questions I have posted, these questions are a random set of questions that I have generally found ‘not easy’ in the first stance. In fact, some very few of them might also have completely bowled me over during the timed testing. Hence, if these questions or some similar questions do come up on the GMAT, I feel they should belong to the hard bin, or at least in the average bin.

I have tried to get all these questions from reliable sources so that you can believe the answers. None of these questions is my own creation. On a side note, I just hope I am not breaking any copyright laws. C’mon if you think of it, I am neither earning any profit nor hampering their sales.

Perhaps you’ll think that I am doing some kind of a social service by coming up with these weekly tests, but I am not. These tests make me go through my self error logs in more detail to produce a good quiz. Though I do GMAT religiously, I feel that redoing any of my earlier mistakes requires some more force form my end. Let’s hope that this weekly exercise helps you as much as it helps me.

Oh yes, here are the answers to yesterday’s questions
Quant 1D 2C 3B 4D 5A 6E 7A 8E 9A 10B
Verbal 1 A 2D 3E 4B 5A 6E 7B 8C 9A 10B

Best,

Saturday GMAT quizzing - quant

2006-04-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am posting some GMAT questions here for practice. The answers will be posted tomorrow.

1. Machine A can produce 50 components a day while machine B only 40. The monthly maintenance cost for machine A is $1500 while that for machine B is $550. If each component generates an income of $10 what is the least number of days per month that the plant has to work to justify the usage of machine A instead of machine B?
A. 6
B. 7
C. 9
D. 10
E. 11

2. There are positive integers P, Q, and R. Are they all equal?
(1) P = Q
(2) Q^2 = R^2
(x^y denotes x raised to the power of y)

3. There are four distinct pairs of brothers and sisters. In how many ways can a 3 person committee be selected so as NOT to have siblings in it?
A. 24
B. 32
C. 48
D. 60
E. 80

4. In how many ways can the letters of the word ARRANGE be rearranged so that neither the two R nor the two A come together?
A. 5040
B. 1260
C. 830
D. 660
E. 540

5. What is the remainder when the +ve integer n is divided by the positive integer k, where k>1?
1) n=(k+1)^3
2) k=5

6. A straight picket fence is composed of x pickets each of which is ½ inches wide. If there are 6 inches of space between each pair of pickets, which of the following represents the length of the fence in feet?
A. 13x/2
B. 13x/2 - 6
C. 13x/24
D. { 13x + 1 }/24
E. {13x – 12}/24

7. What is the smallest possible common multiple of two integers which are both greater than 250?
A. 251
B. 252
C. 502
D. 750
E. 884

8. If the market value of a car was $6000 exactly 3 years ago, what is its current market value?
1) Since the time of purchase, the market value of the car depreciated by 20% of its purchase price per year.
2) The current market value of a car manufactured in the same year is $2400

9. Does p^2 = q if p is a prime number?
1) q^2 – p^2 = 0
2) p^2 = 49

10. The probability of pulling a black ball out of a glass jar is 1/X. The probability of pulling a black ball out of a glass jar and breaking the jar is 1/Y. What is the probability of breaking the jar?

A. 1/(XY)
B. X/Y.
C. Y/X.
D. 1/(X+Y)
E. 1/(X-Y)

Saturday GMAT quizzing - verbal

2006-04-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

1) In three centuries - from 1050 to 1350 - several million tons of stone were quarried in France for the building of eighty cathedrals, five hundred large churches, and some tens of thousands of parish churches
A for the building of eighty cathedrals, five hundred large churches, and some
B in order that they might build eighty cathedrals, five hundred large churches, and some
C so as they might build eighty cathedrals, five hundred large churches, and some
D so that there could be built eighty cathedrals, five hundred large churches, and
E such that they could build eighty cathedrals, five hundred large churches, and

2) During the SARS days, about 23,500 doctors who had treated SARS sufferers died and about 23,670 doctors who had not engaged in treatment for SARS sufferers died. On the basis of those figures, it can be concluded that it was not much more dangerous to participate in SARS treatment during the SARS day than it was not to participate in SARS treatment.
Which of the following would reveal most clearly the absurdity of the conclusion drawn above?
A. Counting deaths among doctors who had participated in SARS treatment in addition to deaths among doctors who had not participated in SARS treatment
B. Expressing the difference between the numbers of deaths among doctors who had treated SARS sufferers and doctors who had not treated SARS suffers as a percentage of the total number of deaths
C. Separating deaths caused by accidents during the treatment to SARS suffers from deaths caused by infect of SARS suffers.
D. Comparing death rates per thousand members of each group rather than comparing total numbers of deaths
E. Comparing deaths caused by accidents in the United States to deaths caused by infect in treating SARS suffers.

3) Since 1999, the number of internet websites with the domain name ending with .com have grown from 62 million to nearly 78 million.
A. have grown from 62 million to nearly 78 million
B. are growing from 62 million to nearly 78 million
C. grew from 62 million to nearly 78 million
D. grow from 62 million to nearly 78 million
E. has grown from 62 million to nearly 78 million

4) Eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States last year were manufactured in China, a country that has the largest population in the world.
A. Eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States last year were
B. Eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States last year had been
C. Eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States last year have been
D. Last year eighty percent of notebook computers were sold in United States that have been
E. Last year eighty percent of notebook computers that were sold in United States had been

5. Bill earns more commission than does Sandra. But since Andrew earns more commission than does Lisa, it follows that Bill earns more commission than does Lisa.
Any of the following, if introduced into the argument as an additional premise, makes the argument above logically correct EXCEPT:
A. Andrew earns more commission than Bill
B. Sandra earns more commission than Lisa
C. Sandra earns more commission than Andrew
D. Sandra and Andrew earn the same amount of commission
E. Bill and Andrew earn the same amount of commission

6. The best way for an IT professional to protect data is to periodically back it in a pre-formatted disc.
A. to periodically back it in a pre-formatted disc
B. if it is quickly backed in a pre-formatted disc
C. for it to be backed periodically in a pre-formatted disc
D. if the data is periodically backed in a pre-formatted disc
E. to have them periodically backed in a pre-formatted disc

7. Something must be done to stop spam. In early days, people seldom received unsolicited email advertisement; but now that numerous bulk email software and email address finders are developed to collect email address all around the world. Advertisers use email addresses to market their products and even sell such email lists to other advertisers. As a result, almost everyone ever get junk email, and sometime several and even tens of annoying emails a day. So, relevant anti-spam regulations should be framed to stop unsolicited advertising.

The two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

A. Background that the argument depends on and conclusion that can be drawn from the argument.
B. Part of evidence that the argument includes, and inference that can be drawn from this passage.
C. Pre-evidence that the argument depends on and part of evidence that supports the conclusion.
D. Background that argument depends on and part of evidence that supports the conclusion.
E. Pre-evidence that argument includes and a method that helps to supports that conclusion.

For questions 8 to 10

The cutting-edge science is ringing alarm bells. Avian flu virus picked up by pigs can swap genetic materials with another flu virus already in the pig and become a new, hitherto unknown flu virus for which no person, no animal has preexisting immunity. The kind of virus causes a pandemic because it spreads from human to human.

If you took a peek into history, it turns out that previous influenza pandemics have similar scenarios. The greatest influenza pandemic in 1918 caused more than 20 million deaths of soldiers stationed in France. The last influenza pandemic was in 1968, known as the Hong Kong flu (H3N2). Thousands of deaths and millions were infected worldwide.

The other examples are the Nipah virus and Japanese Encephalitis virus, which find pigs to be good hosts. With JE, the virus circulates in the blood of infected pigs. When infected pigs are bitten by Culex mosquitoes, the virus replicates in the mosquito's gut. The next time the mosquito bites a human, the virus is passed on. The pig doesn't get sick as such. The Nipah virus causes pneumonia symptoms in pigs. In humans, it causes encephalitis, and humans catch it only with direct contact with infected pigs. Symptoms range from mild headache to permanent brain damage, and can be fatal.

It's merely a phenomenon of nature that the pig is the "mixing vessel" for the new germ. But make no mistake, the pig is not the villain, neither is the chicken. It's actually us, and our horrible farm practices, outdated agricultural policy and, most of all, reckless disregard of our ecology and environment. "Hygiene and management can control what eventually happens," says Lam. "Good farming practice will prevent serious outbreaks and infection to humans." Despite knowing that, animal diseases and the possibility of transmission to humans are becoming quite alarming. Of the 35 new emerging diseases in the last 20 years, more than 70 per cent involved animals.

In fact, what we may have done is unwittingly create the perfect launch pad for an influenza pandemic that will likely kill large numbers of people across the globe. Although scientists say it's impossible to predict the odds that the virus will alter its genetic form radically enough to start leaping from human to human, the longer H5N1 is out there killing chickens, the higher the chances are.

8. Which of the following best describes the topic of the passage?
(A) What causes the Nipah virus and Japanese Encephalitis virus to happen?
(B) Does Hong Kong flu originate from pig?
(C) From fowl to pigs to humans?
(D) Is influenza pandemic horrible?
(E) Shall we eat chicken?

9. All of the following situations are similar to the spread of avian flu virus described in the first paragraph EXCEPT:
(A) The BT2 spread from a pig to another pig, and thus causes significant disease in pig.
(B) The AIDS viruses transferred from monkeys to man and spread across the world.
(C) The SARS virus originates from some wildlife and is picked up by civet cats from which humans got it.
(D) Nipah virus circulates in the blood of infected pig, which is bitten by Culex mosquitoes, the virus replicates in the mosquito's gut. The next time the mosquito bites a human, the virus is passed on.
(E) H5N1 starts in chickens and leaps from human to human.

10. What does the author mean by describing the pig as "mixing vessel”?
(A) Pig is the place where various viruses reside.
(B) Pig is the pot in which viruses swap genes and become new, deadly germs.
(C) Viruses are mixed inside the body of pig.
(D) New germs come to the body of pig and reside there.
(E) Pig attracts viruses.

Discipline

2006-04-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

Discipline, I wish I could purchase it at the departmental store.

I was recently questioned me about my test date by B School Diva. Damn, how I wish I knew the answer myself! Most GMAT top scorers will stress emphatically that one of the best strategies to performing well is knowing the test date well in advance because it defines a target date. You have a deadline, and you can plan and practice accordingly. Otherwise, you might tend to postpone your efforts and not be regular in your preparation.

So shouldn’t I have the test date ready? I should, obviously. But somehow I can’t. Even though I have a fair idea of the time I would need to brush up on the topics which fail me (yeah, one failure lets you truly appreciate your true worth), I have no surety about an important variable in the coming days - time. How do I guess how much time I’ll be able to spare for GMATing? Time is a constraint, especially a non-stop stretch four-five hours as I would prefer. I believe acing GMAT requires one to attune himself/herself to the tests’ long hours. If I only test myself in short breaks, I am bound to overestimate my performance. So you see, my actual level eludes me as of now. I do want to give the test at the maximum by this June, but before finalizing a date, I need to fix a routine for myself. Yeah, I wish I could purchase discipline at the departmental store.

Let’s GMAT baby

2006-04-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

It is a funny thing how this one test can make me respect it. I mean, talk of what it tests – AWA and quant and verbal. Shouldn’t all this be easy for me?

I am a freelance writer, essays and verbal section should be a cake walk; I am an engineer, quant should be my strength. Shouldn’t that be so? But no, no and no. This is one perfect test to put all my testing abilities to shame. It only makes me more and more humbled each day. God damn it. These four hours need helluva patience and concentration. As yet still trying to get into the GMAT mould. Wish me luck.

I feel that many people feel the samw ways during there preparation. Hence, I plan to start posting weekly quizzes every Saturday. You can then look up for the explanations on Sunday. I feel this should be a good way of getting everybody develop some confidence. So yes, if you have some questions to contribute, or even some of your own doubts to clarify, you know what to do… just mail me.

The Mess is Cleared Finally

2006-04-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

I have been quiet on the blog lately but recent happenings at home have kept me occupied. After long ponderings and discussions on my giving BSchools another attempt, I have finally had my way. Call me a tad too traditional, or may be more than ‘just a tad’, but family does mean a lot to me, and even if I dearly want to do something, I know I enjoy it a lot more if I have support. Your help has been wonderful readers. All of you really made me belief in myself much more. May be some people get a second chance more easily, I am only fortunate to know fully well how much this second inning means to me. This time the stakes are higher. What if I don’t make it this time? I don’t even have a back up plan ready… phew :(

To minimize the risks, I am thinking of keeping one side thing ready to jump in, but this ‘new venture’ will come with its own drawbacks – juggling between altogether different tasks efficiently and magically getting time for everything. God, why did they give us only 24 hours in a day, and why do I want so much from my life? Probably if I had been the laid back kinds, I would have been blissfully content, but c’mon my life wouldn’t have had its ups and downs, it would have been plain bland. I believe I am better off with the spice in life even if it spices up my life.

Another Waitlist Strategy

2006-04-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

As for getting off the waitlist, it was honestly just me providing the Adcom with updates regarding projects I had discussed in my application essays, new initiatives I was working on and the developments that had taken place in the months since the waitlist. I also had numerous other people within my network send in recommendation letters. Of course all of that requires a strategy and a story, the base for that was already placed when I wrote essays for other schools. Chicago did become my top choice after I got a chance to speak with professors and evaluate course outlines at the various programs on what i see as requirements for me. I currently have about 2 yrs exp as an economist, and am looking to make a career change. So with that in mind I really like the idea of having a MBA program where i can weave my own personally styled MBA.

Thanks Rupin! Wishing you success at Chicago. You'll make it big in the business world

Counseling and more counseling…

2006-04-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

My life has almost the same routine these days with everybody (read my parents and friends) around me trying to get me change my mind, sometimes it seems as if they have no better work to do. My Lord, their perceptions about my life are their perceptions, not mine. I listen as they will tell me that the competition is increasing day by day, and will only be tougher in the days to come. Moreover there is no specific set of guidelines which can ensure an admit, even if I get a better GMAT score or if I put in still better essays. Yet somehow their ideology only makes me more focused and aware about my desires though secretly somewhere, I also fear that I might just be acting stubborn.

I can’t seem to answer their concerns because from the way they look at the process, their reasoning is justified. However, an MBA is not only a graduation course for me, and sorry, much to the disappointment of many, it is not even a gateway to the US. An MBA is a learning process which provides me crucial business skills in finance and accounting, enhances and improves upon my understanding about the global world, increases my human network, basically provides me the tools and knowledge to achieve my goals. It instills the vital perspective needed to create, plan, execute and manage my future endeavors. It is hence important that I get into a school which feels a great fit to me. I feel I did not perform my level best this time, my research was wrong and my application could have been better. I trust my potential; I must give myself a fair chance. Schools in India do not give me an international platform which I feel is necessary for the future consulting company that I intend creating; they do not give me a real time experience that I crave for, nor can I research my interests unquestioningly; and, they are much more theoretical than I would like them to be.

I know my mind, but the question is how do I get the point across?

Some musings

2006-03-29T04:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I find the world around me really amusing. It seems that not just me but rather all people, including the many I look up to, are searching for elusive answers. May be they are as unaware, as unsure even as skeptical as I am; the only difference being that they are elder to me and hence feel a greater responsibility to guide me on the correct path.

For the past few days people have been counseling me and trying to change my mind about not joining a B School this year. They start speaking by restating that they have ‘seen the world’ and so they know that I should finish with my studies ASAP. Read - I am a girl after all. I should get married at the right age.

Yet however, as I start to understand their psychology, I have stopped feeling hurt by their deeper concerns and have stopped arguing my passion across. These very people also love me too much. They want me to pursue my interests aggressively and to achieve professional success, yet at the same time they also want me to be a homely daughter - happily wedded and confined to family. Or wait, perhaps they ask for more. May be they do not want me to be the subservient and docile girl, they want me to be independent and self-reliant, but not ambitious about my career prospects. Or a bigger no again, may be they want me to fly high and reach for the stars and be very proud of my success, but they only wonder how my family life will prosper then?

Well, you guessed it right; they themselves don’t know… and they never knew. Back in the early days when I just started my education, when I was a child, they told me to study hard so that I could grow up to become a self-respecting lady making the nation proud of me. They had ideas about women awareness and liberation, only the definition was hazy and too distant to seem threatening. Meanwhile, my expectations soared and my demands from my own self became even higher. I enjoyed exploring whatever learning experiences life had to offer. The seed of inquisitiveness and challenge was thus sown pretty early. It became a firmly rooted tree. The problem only became significant when suddenly no clear picture of the future was available. They wish the best of both worlds, yet the balance is a fine one to maintain. They only fear the unknown.

This story is not just my story, or that of my country; it is a story of every girl and her parents in every nook and corner of the world. Heck, I was asked a question on similar lines during the Chicago interview. But alright, going back to the point - as a women’s role in the society becomes more progressive and hence demanding in terms of career and family, it also becomes more undefined and different than ordinary. There is no inherent fault nothing needs a Herculean change. The system in place will gradually evolve itself, very much like our ancestor civilizations, and hopefully when we become the worldly wise at eighty-six, we’ll know what intersection of work and home to expect in our grand-daughter’s life.

Strategy Consulting – Strategy Planning

2006-03-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

I have officially put a stop to my whining time over this year’s performance. It is now time to only strategize, write the mistakes and learn from them. I have gathered information (mainly from Dave's blog), and here are the timelines I intend to follow:

March and April:
- Start researching the schools you want to get into.
- Take the GMAT and TOEFL tests.
- Try and unveil the mysterious “your goals” destination. Determine WHY and HOW you achieve your aims. Be honest, you don’t want to cheat yourself.

June and July:
- Address your weaknesses. You might want to retake the GMAT, or join some additional classes to improve your quantitative skills or increase your extra curricular involvement.
- Identify your target schools, and determine how each school you choose will help you in your career. Sign their online news mailing lists.
- Request college transcripts.- Approach potential recommenders.
- Figure out people who can critique your essays. Ideally, try and include people from varied backgrounds, both who know and who do not know you well.

August:
- Develop a one-page resume appropriate for the MBA admissions process.
- Sign up for interviews at schools that allow you to do so.
- Meet with your recommenders again - provide them with your resume, career goals essay, and other materials, and discuss the letter they will draft on your behalf.
- Begin to write your essays.
- Sign up for school information sessions and try to attend them.

September:
- Write and carefully revise your essays in order to produce the most polished responses possible.
- Visit target schools and interview.
- Complete application forms with attention to detail and accuracy.
- Maintain contact with recommenders to ensure that they will finish their letters on time
- Sept - MBA Tour & World MBA Tour Start (Register online)October: - Make your final revisions and put the finishing touches on your application materials.
- Submit applications.

Right now, I’m on the first step, trying to let the CAT slip out of the bag. You'll see more posts on the GMAT preparation coming up soon.

BTW, can anyone advice how to upload stuff on the blog so that viewers can download it directly without having to go to a particular link?

Turning a Waitlist into Admit

2006-03-26T04:10:00.000-08:00

Some words of advice from greycells who was successful into turning his WL into an acceptance.

When I got waitlisted at Chicago and Columbia, I decided to look back at my application once more and see how could I improve certain aspects of my application. A few things quickly jumped up at me and I realized that I needed to strongly emphasize/substantiate a few facts on which my whole application was based. To do that I decided to get additional recommendations - one to emphasize XC and other to emphasize my entrepreneurial experience. I also contacted 5-6 current students andan Alum, talked to them about my career plans, how Chicago fit in with my plans and one of them was good enough to send out a support letter for me. I also contacted my interviewer and emphasized how important the school was for me and my future plans. I also figured that somehow I had not personalized my essays for the school. So I decided to do really heavy research into the courses and the faculty and sent out a two-page essay about updates in my career and about 'Why Chicago' - listing out courses I'll take, profs I'd work with and students I learnt from. I also had plans to visit the school, but could not do that due to some personal problems. One more word of advice - if you belong to a competitive applicant pool (e.g. Indian Engineers) you need to work extra hard to distinguish yourself from the rest of the pool - probably just because you're in the pool, you've been put on the WL.

Great tips dude. Thanks a bunch and we all wish you success at Chicago. You rock!

The Earth is Round

2006-03-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

How?

Coz my past travels and comes back to me!!!

Just realized how true this is with my last year comes knocking at my door. The application and everything needs to be done all over once again. I am even wrestling with the idea of retaking the GMAT. Aaawww!!

Doesn’t feel very great really :( At least not with so many people counseling me... I am forced to rethink on my decision to not join school again this year. Sometimes I believe one should not have too many advisors/well wishers.

I should probably buckle in to keep all of them happy, and may be also save myself a second tough year, but how effective would that be on the long run? In another five-ten years or may be even later, I do not want to look back at my life and say, “I wish I had…”

Isn’t it better to slog and sweat it out yet again to achieve my dreams? May be, I am not a leader, but I sure can act like one. It is my life, why not care about it?

Moment of Truth, courtesy Chicago

2006-03-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

For all those who have been contemplating my sudden disappearance from the blogland, here are the inputs. Be fairly warned though, the post is lengthy and I think introspective, so you are advised to sit down with a cup of coffee or two.

I was awaiting my Chicago result, and did not want to post any anxiety, yet that was one trait that did not cease to give me company and so you know, the result was no blogging.

As my worst fears expected, I have been dinged by Chicago; I am finally not awaiting any more happenings. I can probably work on Tepper, but I don’t want to matriculate from the school, hence am not struggling with the waitlist. I have the sweet dollars from Georgetown beckoning me, and though they provide me a much needed consolation and also another way to my destination, I still plan to abide by my hunches.

I obviously do not feel delighted, but what makes me feel ok is a self benefit analysis. I do not pray daily or even occasionally; my God and I acknowledge each other’s existence only via silent messages. So, I believe that the Almighty must have had some better meaning behind the outcome of my application year. Here is a peek-a-boo

Benefits of being admitted this year:

1) I feel super proud – I have had one perfect shot at these great schools despite their selectiveness. Isn’t that more than just a WOW?

2) I can start heading towards my goals immediately

3) I get a pleasant break from my current job which has ceased to challenge me

4) I have no public face saving to be done

Benefits of being admitted the next year

1) I know it wasn’t a very bad first attempt, if I do my work properly, I can have a better second one to have good choices a next year.

2) I can also aim for a scholarship from these top league institutes - I can do a superior homework at researching my schools which I believe was very wrong for the present application year. Also, I am better of than most people applying for fall 2007 because I have had gained from a personal experience, and more of the ‘time’ advantage.

3) I can find a more specific destination for myself. I can be more aware of business scenario in India (I plan to settle in my own country itself) and also shortlist some target final companies.

4) Since I have zero finance understanding at present, I can develop that before getting into school.

Of course, there can be some other factors which I might have missed out on, but presently these are the only ones I can come up with. My conclusion from this list has been that there are no ‘real’ good advantages of getting into school this year over waiting for another year. I can only be more prepared.

A tremendous thanks to my family and friends and recommenders who have unquestioningly supported me throughout this crazy last year; I guess I have leaned heavily on them and yet they have carried my weight with a smile. Without your help I probably would never have come this far, and without your help again, I would not have thought of doing it all over again. How can I ever thank you all enough!

For now, it is back to square one, back to filing the application again next year. The worst that could have happened has already happened, now I have only one way to go – up and up. I am back to my life again, no more sad, no more waiting; only preparing.

Currently Reading

2006-03-19T06:48:00.000-08:00

“Inside the Kingdom” by Carmen Bin Laden.

You are right, the writer’s name was enough to make me pick up this book. I thought this book would tell me something about the Bin Laden family. And yes, to an extent it does. It talks of how life has changed and not changed in the desert country, and it talks about their religious beliefs. But if you are looking for any September 9-11 details, you’d better go elsewhere. Hence, don’t associate the contents with the author’s name, but expect to learn about some teachings of Islam, its oppression and fanatism. As the only lady who has been a part of the Bin Laden tribe, and publicly criticized Osama, the book provides candid details of a male dominated community where women are treated like house pets and the freedom of thought and expression is continuously repressed.

Some "Stern" Introspection

2006-03-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

Since some great amount of time has passed after the Stern news (read ding), and I have some better sanity now, I thought I'll revisit my Stern application and do some analysis for myself. So well, I recollected all what had transpired during the admission process and tried to figure out what might have bothered the school Adcoms.

As far as the clues go, my application did rest in their office for a good many days from Dec 1 to March 8. Then I also received an offer to submit their Reynold's Application for Scholarship. Hence considering that the school informs the students as soon as it makes its decisions - interview invites, acceptances, dings and waitlists - I believe that my application did get some serious thinking.

OK So far, good. But then what happened, and here is where I whack my brain and search for some illusive answers.

Alright, my essays define my aims, define my achievements, my strengths and expectations, and they also tell what I bring to the school, but then they do not answer precisely how Stern can help me achieve my goals. Yes, location and community and faculty and alumni are mentioned, but that is pretty vague. I admit it myself. It doesn’t really answer why only Stern fits the choice. Regretfully, it comes across as a pretty generalized answer. What I have written is almost what any other school can offer to me. The answer shows no long research and dedication, and may be that is why I lost the game. A reject despite a long and regular interaction with Stern’s students, when I found them absolutely awesome – truly helpful and concerned and not nerdy.

So hence, my one cent offering to anyone applying to b-schools is that the goals essay is one of the most critical part of the application. If the school asks "Why this school?”, tell them exactly why that school - exactly why that faculty, exactly why their courses, exactly why their location etc. You may just make or break your chance

Best,

Doesn’t feel right

2006-03-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

I thought I would be in Delhi by Tuesday to attend the Welcome dinner hosted by Georgetown’s alum on Wednesday. But I didn’t leave on Tuesday. I only postponed my leaving to Wednesday afternoon. Hence, I needed to leave on Wednesday at about 1 pm to board a Volvo. But again, I didn’t. Reason - it was raining cats and dogs, and my favored Volvo wasn’t ferrying till 4 in the evening.

So, dear all, I finally didn’t go, I didn’t travel to attend the event. I got my hotel bookings done, arranged for my commute in the city as well, and then ultimately cancelled it all. Can this be just because of the rain, can this be just because of Holi, can this be just because of the four-five hours of travel, can this be just because of the non-availability of Volvo or Shatabdi, or, can this be just because of all of these reasons put together?

So, yes, I make good stories, but c’mon behind these stories, what is the real reason?

Well, the fact is that the school just doesn’t feel right to me. It gives me what I’ll want an MBA to provide me with. It can be the launch pad to what I aspire for in another 3-5 and more years. It gives me the international understanding, and the long term student-mentor relationship that benefit my career. I know the students and faculty would be great people to be with – helpful and concerned, and minus any cut throat competition, just like what I would want. But no, something doesn’t feel right.

Not to mention, it gives me the $$ as well, so I know I must be important to the school, I can actually be among its better lot of students and shine apart, something which may not be possible in other top-tier schools. But you know what, despite all, it doesn’t feel right. Yes, it can pretty much take me where I want to go, but I have to persuade myself to like it, and it doesn’t feel right.

I know, I know, I have not been accepted by any other school, all the more reason for me to hold onto my only Admit. But my record plays again - what doesn’t feel right to me doesn’t feel right.

So, please don’t get up from your chair and stare at me in disbelief when I say I am not matriculating from this school. Simply accept that it doesn’t feel right to me because it doesn’t feel right.

Disclaimer: I have not gone mad and I am not constipated. My doctor will certify the former, and my toilet, the latter.

Welcome Dinner – Georgetown

2006-03-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

Georgetown is holding a Welcome Dinner for Admitted Students on the 15th March this week in New Delhi, India. The event will be hosted by a 2005 Alumni and after deliberating for a while, I have decided to go there finally.

Though I am still waiting and deciding on what I will be doing this coming year – joining some school or settle down for Plan B, I just thought that I should take in as much information about the schools as possible. I hope to know the fellow classmates, interact with the alumni, and then make an informed decision. However, it is going to be Holi Eve and my parents can not actually appreciate why I need to travel outside my city for a simple dinner, but isn’t it only pertinent that I know what I am getting into before I invest my time and money? As they say, the saddest words are ‘It might have been…’ I'd better attend the event and then decide whatever about the school. In the least, I'll have the satisfaction of exploring all possible information sources within my reach.

Yet, the same event also makes me dwell on the school’s understanding of national culture despite its greater percentage of international students. Holi celebrations go on till late afternoon and sometimes the colors on the body will not go away for days. Doesn’t it make more sense to hold a Welcome event on some other day when more people can attend?

Consulting at Chicago

2006-03-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

Thanks all for your sincere wishes for my friend; I am touched. Of course, Mono or any disease for that matter,means trouble, but I am only relieved and glad. Thank you God and thank you everyone.

Now am back in that frame of mind where I can talk about BSchools again. So, here goes...

This compilation has been taken from the BSchool forums. Some of you may be already aware, but since I am trying to cover details on my four schools, I thought this information needs posting.

The GSB is a terrific preparation for consulting. It's marketing and strategy classes are excellent. We have great marketing professors, e.g. Ann McGill who used to teach at Kellogg for a long time, Sanjay Dhar who's one of the most popular prof. in the school. We have a former dean of Northwestern's engineering school who's now teaching decision models at the GSB. The strategy classes are solidly grounded in economic theory (industrial organizations) and will give you powerful tools for consulting. Moreover, I think our entrepreneurship program is top-notch and serves as an important aspect in prep for consulting. A couple of entrepreneur profs, Kaplan & Meadow, are rated among the best b-school profs. in the country.

The reason Chicago is good for consulting is because it has a very good reputation for the quantitative approach to business. Consultancies love numbers and quantitative people. Maybe if you talk about a broader understanding of consulting it's different but if you talk about the top 3 firms they love quant nerds and they are full of them. McKinsey was the largest recruiter in 2005.

While most people here take academics seriously and many actually live up to the school's quant-jock reputation, most people that I know are pretty sociable and come from diverse ethnic/national/professional backgrounds. Not only you'll see career-oriented student groups (IB group, MC group, etc.), you’ll see ski club, blues club (who regularly visit Chicago's famous blues clubs), tennis club, outings to Bulls game, regular drinking/partying groups, etc. Moreover, you'll be living in Chicago, a dynamic city where in terms of diversity and meeting new people, it's probably second only to NYC.

Having said all of these things, I’m not arguing that you won't find these at Wharton/Tuck. I think they are excellent schools too. What I'm trying to do is to correct your notion on what kind of place the GSB really is. In short, it's excellent for consulting and the student body is a dynamic one. The numbers for this year's placement at the big companies has been:

Chicago: McKinsey 38, BCG 16, Bain 8, Booz Allen 10

Chicago Interns: McKinsey 12, BCG 10, Bain 8, Booz Allen 12

Yippie, Good News

2006-03-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

The best news that I wanted to hear now was about my friend's health. This dodester, it turns out suffers from what is also known as the 'Kissing Disease'. Howzzat and what has been cookin?? After my worst fears, I am just so glad that he should be alright in some time, knocking and teasing me again.

And now looking back, realizing that he just scared the hell out of me... What a pain he can be? Huh...He's such an adorable fool; I am sooooo glad for the news.

Read on if you want to know more about the disease.

Infectious mononucleosis or Mono or Kissing disease or Epstein-Barr viral syndrome is a viral disease that affects certain blood cells, and is common in adolescents and young adults. Although the syndrome is most often associated with Epstein-Barr virus, several other organisms can also cause infectious mononucleosis.

What are the symptoms of infectious mononucleosis?
Signs of mono include fever, sore throat, headaches, white patches on the back of your throat, swollen glands in your neck, feeling tired and not feeling hungry. Sometimes, the liver and spleen are affected. Symptoms appear from four to six weeks after exposure. Duration is from one to several weeks. The disease is very rarely fatal.

When and for how long is a person able to spread infectious mononucleosis?
The virus is spread by person to person contact, via saliva (on hands or toys, or by kissing). In rare instances, the virus has been transmitted by blood transfusion. The virus is shed in the throat during the illness and for up to a year after infection. After the initial infection, the virus tends to become dormant for a prolonged period and can later reactivate and be shed from the throat again.

What can a person do to minimize the spread of infectious mononucleosis?
Avoid activities involving the transfer of body fluids (commonly saliva) with someone who is currently or recently infected with the disease. The mono virus is found in saliva and mucus. It is usually passed from one person to another through kissing, although it may rarely be passed in other ways, such as coughing. People who have had mono can continue to shed virus particles in their saliva during reactivations of the viral infection throughout their lifetime.

However, no special precautions or isolation procedures are recommended, since the virus is also found frequently in the saliva of healthy people. In fact, many healthy people can carry and spread the virus intermittently for life. These people are usually the primary reservoir for person-to-person transmission. For this reason, transmission of the virus is almost impossible to prevent.

Does mono have any complications?
Sometimes. The main serious concern with mono is that the spleen will enlarge and even rupture (tear open). The spleen is like a large gland. It's located in the upper part of your abdomen on the left side. It helps filter your blood. Although a ruptured spleen is rare in people with mono, it's wise to be aware of the signs and call your doctor right away if you notice any of them. Signs of a ruptured spleen include pain in the left upper part of your abdomen (under the left chest), feeling lightheaded, feeling like your heart is beating fast and hard, bleeding more easily than usual and having trouble breathing.

Can mono be cured?
No. But mono will go away on its own. There is no specific treatment for infectious mononucleosis, other than treating the symptoms. No antiviral drugs or vaccines are available. Some physicians have prescribed a 5-day course of steroids to control the swelling of the throat and tonsils. The main point of treatment is to relieve your symptoms. The following list includes tips on treatment.

· Rest.
· Drink plenty of fluids.
· If you have a sore throat, gargle with salt water, or suck on throat lozenges, hard candy or flavored frozen desserts (such as Popsicles).
· You may want to take acetaminophen (one brand name: Tylenol) or ibuprofen (some brand names: Advil, Motrin, Nuprin) to relieve pain and fever.

Do not give aspirin to children. Aspirin should be avoided because it has been associated with a disease called Reye's syndrome in children. Reye's syndrome is a serious illness that can lead to death.

Do I need an antibiotic?
Antibiotics like penicillin are of no help in mono. Mono is caused by a virus, and antibiotics don't work against viruses. If you have a bacterial infection in addition to having mono, your doctor may give you an antibiotic.

What about sports and exercise?
Avoid sports, activities or exercise of any kind until your doctor tells you it's safe. Moving around too much puts you at risk of rupturing your spleen. You need to avoid physical activities for about 3 to 4 weeks after the infection starts.

My friend

2006-03-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

Thanks all for your good wishes. I feel I need loads of them. The doctors have detected some blood infection and now want to check out the knots. Lets just hope that they are not cancerous, but though my knowledge on biology is below average, I fear there results.

Yet, my friend is an amazingly positive person and he keeps on making some good and some not so good jokes time and again. I have decided to take whatever news comes in, coz I feel there is nothing much I can do against destiny. (I am being philosophical, I know, but yeah, I get in this mood sometimes.) No matter what, I am not going to let his spirit go down in any case. Even in the worst case scenario, I wish to keep him as happy as possible and be there by his side.

That reminds me, since I am not a movie buff myself, can you please post in the names of some good comedy movies or some other great movies wherein the characters overcome some major personal trauma etc? My friend loves Hollywood flicks but I am more into books.

My sincerest thanks,

A day full of surprises

2006-03-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

It is amazing what all life can come up with. Only yesterday, I was mesmerized by the breathtaking scenery around me, and later at night I received a big jolt when I learnt of about the critical health of one of my dearest friends. And then early morning, I check my mailbox only to open the ‘DING’ Stern letter. I am only thankful that they gave a final decision. I didn’t want to sit in the waitlist pool a third time.

Yet however, the toughest news for me is the developments in my friend’s life, one of my best buddies. I have loved every moment that I have ever spent with him. It turns out that he has developed some numerous small knots in the collar bone area, and also inside his head and neck. What is more surprising is that all that his body complained of earlier was a headache! Only a headache! The doctors are still to come up with their reports, but they are worried by whatever results they have confirmed till as yet. I am only too shocked to absorb this news. We spent the last weekend together at my home, and he surly seemed perfectly fine. I still can’t believe the reality. I am only too overwhelmed.

Stern keeps up to its mystery again, but finally answers

2006-03-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

Dear _________:

There has been an update to the status of your application to the NYU Stern MBA program. To view the current status of your application, please visit the Application Status Check Website at http://applicant.stern.nyu.edu/statuscheck/

As a reminder, your password is _____.

Sincerely,
NYU Stern MBA Admissions

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****

Dear ______,

The Admissions Committee has made a decision on your application. To view your online decision letter, scroll down and click on View Status Letter.

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****
Dear _________,

The admissions committee has completed its review of your application to the NYU Stern MBA program. After careful consideration, we are unable to offer you admission.

While the committee recognizes the high aspirations and unique qualities of all of our applicants, we are in the difficult position of being able to offer admission to only a small percentage of the many individuals who apply to our program. Our decisions are based on a holistic process in which we evaluate academic potential, career history and goals, and professional and personal characteristics.

We appreciate your interest in NYU Stern and regret that we are unable to offer you a place in the class. You have our best wishes for your future success.

Sincerely,

Paula Steisel Goldfarb Director,
MBA Admissions and Financial Aid

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****

Rain rain don’t go away...

2006-03-07T01:24:00.000-08:00

Isn’t it great if you get up from your bed to discover little droplets falling from the heaven above, smell the flowers and refreshing wet sand, see the full bloom, simply watch God washing everything around you? If you want to feel it, you feel the excitement in the air and you can read the smile on people’s faces.

How much I adore my little paradise – I must be a romantic at heart!! I am only very happy to just be able to take this beauty all in me.

This reminds me of the song I learned in my junior school, the chorus of which is something like this:

Every tiny star that twinkles in the night sky
Every drop of morning dew
Every ocean wave that breaks upon the mountains
Every little new born child
Every eagle flying high
Every worm that wriggles by
Tells the fascinating news to those who dare to hope…
And the message is God still loves the world, God still still loves the world
So throw your life into his hands,
Day by day discern his plans
God is passionately busy loving you and me
God is passionately busy loving you and me

I might have made some mistakes on this one though, so don’t take these to be any final notes. What is important is realizing that such small wonders that we otherwise tend to ignore in our very busy lives should rather be cherished and celebrated, for despite all that we feel is going wrong around/with us, aren’t we lucky enough to be blessed with all that we have?

Consulting at Georgetown

2006-03-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

The Consulting Club is the 2nd largest club on campus and the students are very active. The "Consulting Day", hosted every year is an all day event that provides a glimpse into several different types of consulting tracks or career paths in which students, alumni and professors come together. Additionally, the consulting club works with Career Management to be sure interested students are well prepared for the consulting job search. Of course, case interviewing workshops and consulting resume workshops are also offered.

The consulting companies that recruited on campus this year- 2005-06 include Adjoined Consulting, Advisory Board Company, BearingPoint, Booz Allen Hamilton (public sector), Corporate Executive Board, DHL, ECG Management Consultants, Gallup, GAP International, Gartner Consulting, IBM Consulting, KPMG, and RGS Associates. Additionally, the school received targeted job postings for Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte Consulting, First Annapolis, Kaiser Associates, Mars & Company, McKinsey, and SRA-Touchstone. However, none of the "big" strategy-consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, Deloitte, BCG, or Accenture come to campus, and students have to network with alumni at these firms to gain access and get an interview.

Applying for an MBA (Series ends - Part 5)

2006-03-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

Most business schools ask for any combination of application materials, including transcripts, GMAT scores, personal statements, resumes, and letters of recommendation. Depending on where you're applying and how prolific a writer you are, a b-school application will take anywhere from fifty to one hundred hours to complete. Sound excessive? Go ahead and try it. You'll probably scrap and rewrite an essay many times over. It takes time for thoughts to gestate. Indeed, it might feel like a fine wine ages faster than you write an essay.

To separate your application to business school from the thousands of others being considered during any given application period, you must craft it into the "story of you." You need to know why you want to go to business school, and then spend the time and effort to translate that self-awareness into a compelling story that not only highlights your strengths, but also demonstrates an awareness of your weaknesses and a plan to improve them.

The essays capture in essence the mission of your effort on the application. The essays do more than give answers to questions. They create thumbnail psychological profiles. Depending on how you answer a question or what you present, you reveal yourself in any number of ways--creative, witty, open-minded, articulate, mature-to name a few. Likewise, your essay can reveal a negative side, such as arrogance, sloppiness, or an inability to think and write clearly. In essence, the essays don't just complete the picture. They are the inside picture.

For the best possible essays, spend the time on them that they deserve to communicate your self-awareness of why you want to go to business school. Try also to approach each one individually. You may choose to "cannibalize" your essays and remold them to fit the different questions phrased by each school, but do so carefully. If you start to feel like your applications are running on an assembly line rather being borne from a one-of-a-kind mold each time, the chances are greater that the admissions committee will feel the same way.

The resume will be the next important aspect of the application; as with any job you've ever applied for, you're encapsulating hours of toil and sweat into a few lines and you're expected to make each experience stand out. Use action words such as "organized" and "created" to describe your achievements, and where it's possible (and appropriate), use quantifiable terms to describe the progress you've achieved, such as money and man-hours saved, percent increased, and revenue earned. Highlight the ways in which you've surpassed the expectations of your positions and the arc of your career as a result; after all, one of the best things about returning to school later in life is that you're able to show how you've risen throughout the years.

Even when a school does not require a letter (or letters) of recommendation, you should still send them. As far as you're concerned in the application process, "recommended" should be as good as "required." Recommendations should almost always come from someone with whom you have a professional or academic relationship. Find someone who has seen you in a role as a team leader, and ask them to speak of your strengths in that area.

Finally--although it seems obvious--don't be afraid to sell yourself, and sell it loud. Business students come from a variety of backgrounds and educational areas, so any aspect of your past that you can relate as being an asset in a business environment is one more unique quality to set you aside from the rest. Unlike some academic fields, where time only succeeds in dulling your familiarity with the material, business is a practical field where time and experience bring life to your studies. As long as you're able to convey both the breadth of skills that you've learned and the significance, you'll look pretty nice on paper.

Applying for an MBA (Part 4)

2006-03-04T06:48:00.000-08:00

B School Applications

You thought you sweated it all out at your GMAT and got your target score. Now you are ready to file in your applications to the B-School and get that coveted admit letter. Right? No, wrong. The GMAT is, but only a part of your application. As you’ll soon learn, the battle has only just begun. But don’t despair, for if you are really determined and focused, nothing can stop you. Read these directions and you should be on the right track.

Start with developing criteria such as geography, recruitment, school reputation, tuition, faculty, student body, etc. of where you actually want to do your graduation. You might want to start with the largest number of schools and then apply your criteria and narrow down your choices. Although the schools you are currently considering will end up in the narrowed down list, you may be surprised to uncover some other schools as well. Keep in mind that you don't want to undersell yourself and automatically exclude the top schools. If you're even close to borderline for admission, there are things you can do to increase your chances. Know about the courses offered, companies that recruit at the school, opportunities for internships, study abroad, etc. This should tell you why you are leaving your job or why you want to pursue an MBA right out of undergrad. You're about to make a major life decision and tens of thousands of tuition dollars and years of your life are at stake, not to mention future career paths. Have a rational reason.

While exact admissions requirements vary from institution to institution, most rely on some combination of the following criteria: GMAT score, undergraduate grade point average, work experience, letters of recommendation, interviews, and extracurricular. Additionally, you will need to write essays on topics varying from simple personal statements about your reasons for pursuing an MBA to a whole slew of subjects such as "describe a personal failure," or "explain how you will bring diversity to the class." Don't leave these until for last as they will invariably take a lot longer to write than you anticipate.

Of these criteria, the first four are usually the most heavily weighted. As a general rule of thumb, the more competitive the school, the less room there is for weakness in any one of these areas. Most applicants suspect that the GMAT score or GPA pushes their application into one of three piles: "yes," "no," or "maybe." But that's not the way it is. Unless one or more of your numbers is so low it forces a rejection, the piles are "looks good," "looks bad," "hmmm, interesting," and all variations of "maybe." In MBA admissions, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Each of the numbers has an effect but doesn't provide the total picture.

Your scores, work experience, and essays should give the admissions committee a clear idea of your capabilities, interests, and accomplishments. Any particular weakness can be overcome by a particular strength in another area, so make sure you emphasize whatever strengths you have and don't take them for granted. Even more important than how much experience you have is the type of experience you have. Internships and part-time employment are not perceived as valuable as full-time employment because they don't provide the same level of responsibility, experience, or accountability. Employers are looking for candidates who have the requisite experience to be senior managers upon graduation. Work experience is typically evaluated based on the reputation of your employer; your advancement or progression; your professional and interpersonal skills; your leadership potential; and the diversity of your work experience relative to that of other class members.

Schools look for well-rounded students who are not just going to do well in class, but will participate in other school activities. If you ran a marathon, hosted a popular radio show, played Olympic-level badminton, collected funds for Tsunami victims, or have a collection of vintage leather jackets, then let them know. The school wants to accept a person, not a machine.

The bottom line: admissions committees look at several factors, including academic record, work experience, and GMAT scores. The "ideal" candidate is strong in all three areas; however, it is possible to make up for shortcomings in one area with strong showings in the other areas. For applicants with limited work experience, academic record and GMAT scores play a more prominent role.

Yups, I am blogging again

2006-03-04T06:37:00.000-08:00

My faulty notebook was replaced after a long battle, and after laborious attempts the internet connection works too finally. So, here I am back again, happy to be blogging.

Thanks everybody for visiting my pages, sending mails and posting your comments all the while when I have been away. It is encouraging to know that this column is missed even if not updated regularly. I’ll try and make this page as informative as possible, and as always if you have some tips or questions, just let me know. I’ll share whatever knowledge I possibly can.

Applying for an MBA (Part 3)

2006-02-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

Acing the GMAT

The GMAT is a challenging hurdle to just about anyone contemplating business school. A computer-based, three-and-a-half-hour exam, it provides admissions officers a standard measure of prospective candidates' math and verbal skills. To seasoned professionals, many of whom have been away from the classroom for years, it may look like an intimidating barrier standing between them and an MBA.

That's part of the reason many experienced managers apply to business schools that don't require the GMAT. But that strategy is a mistake. A program that admits students without considering GMAT scores may have an impressive roster of professors and an intensive workload, but that is only one-half of the educational experience. The other half comes from the students, who will be working with you on group projects, chiming in during class discussions, and forming the basis for your professional network in the years to come. You would want these people to be quality people. A school requiring the GMAT provides some quality control over the people you will be interacting with in the classroom.

So how do you prepare for such an important exam? For starters, study the actual test. Take some time to become familiar with the format of the exam and the types of questions that are frequently used. The GMAT is a computer-based test tailored to your performance level and provides precise information about your abilities. At the start of the test, you are presented with a test question of average difficulty. If you answer this right, the next question will be more difficult. But if you answer this wrong, you get an easier question and so on. It is very important to understand that the questions in the very beginning affect your score more than those towards the end. Once you have progressed into a test, it is very tough to raise your level and get a better score. So take your time and answer the first few questions to the best of your ability.

Once you have an idea of which areas you need to work harder through the diagnostic test, you can accordingly streamline your efforts. A good way is to review the textbooks of the school level, without going into too much detail. Both grammar and math work on the basis of a fairly well-defined set of rules. It’s important to be familiar with these rules. Work on the basics for a couple of months – get the concepts right, clarify all your doubts, work through solved and unsolved examples.

Typically, I recommend that you start preparing at least 3-4 months before your test date. During this time period, your preparation will be divided into two parts – the initial 1½-2 months when you concentrate on strengthening your foundations by delving into the topics of the GMAT syllabus, and the final two months or so when you will focus on sample GMAT tests that give you a feel of the actual computer adaptive GMAT.

An invaluable resource for all GMAT test takers should be ‘The Official Guide for GMAT’, designed and written by ETS. These questions have already appeared on the GMAT, and you may see some modified versions of these questions in the actual test. However, this book is not adequate does not have many lessons or tutorials and you can consider using ‘The Unofficial Guide for GMAT (Arco's)’ or ‘The Princeton Review’ for the same. The Kaplan preparation material is ideally suited for high achievers, with a tough pool of questions in both verbal and quantitative sections.

The internet also offers amazing study material to boost your performance. Some particularly helpful sites are www.syvum.com/gmat/, daveformba.blogspot.com and, www.gmattutor.com. Before purchasing any material for the test preparation you can benefit by checking out if it is available free at scoretop.com. Active discussion forums at urch.com and sentencecorrection.com are also indispensable tools to acing the GMAT, which not only help you with your daily doubts, but also keep you focused.

Face the GMAT as a challenge – a challenge that should get your adrenaline flowing, and bring out the best in you. Follow the mantra of regular practice and concerted approach, and you should be able to bell the CAT with your target score.

Applying for an MBA (Part 2)

2006-02-27T15:47:00.000-08:00

The GMAT

When it comes to getting into the business school of your choice, it is never too early to start preparing since you will quickly know that there is too much you need to do. An MBA will be a crucial investment of not just your money, but also of your time and hard work. Most of you will also be sacrificing your present job, and moving into an entirely unknown territory. Expectations will abound and in all probability, you will want your MBA to be the final launch pad in your career, the ultimate bridge to your goals. Definitely, you don’t want to go wrong on this step. Starting from the school location, to the teachers, to the course content and facilities, to the students and alumni, your school should be your fit and your answer to your aspirations in the business world.

It therefore becomes imperative for you to be exploring your options extensively in your journey to B-School. Visit the school sites and browse through discussion forums to shortlist some ten-fifteen schools which could be your probable destinations. Depending on your zeal and dedication, this will also give a right direction to your management pursuit as you learn about the various available opportunities. Apart from making you more specific in your goals, it also gives you a general idea of the manner in which you will need to approach the school applications, and of a target GMAT score. Moreover, you get to send your score to any five schools free of cost, before you take the exam. Any schools that you need to send to after the exam will require extra payments. A good strategy would be to consider two schools for a high score scenario and two schools for a lower score so that you are covered in either case. You should target finishing the GMAT by June, so that you are prepared to submit your applications by the first week of October, which is when the first deadline date for most reputed schools generally falls. By January, you will have the admission decisions rolling in, giving you enough time to arrange the necessary funds through scholarships and loans, and also to complete the visa formalities. (Caution: I followed these guidelines myself too, but am still in Wonderland. BSchools can be mysterious, but you are safer with having more time on your hands)

The GMAT test will award you four scaled scores - a quantitative ability score (on a 0-60 scale), verbal ability score (on a 0-60 scale), a total score (on a 200-800 scale), and, an analytical writing assessment (AWA) score (on a 0-6 scale, in half-point intervals).

The GMAT AWA test is designed to assess your ability to think critically and to communicate your ideas. The GMAT test expects you have to complete the Analysis of an Issue in the first 30 minutes and take another 30 minutes to complete the Analysis of an Argument. The topics are of general interest related to business or a variety of other subjects. Your capacity to write analytically is the only skill that is assessed and therefore, you are not required to have prior knowledge of the essay topic presented to you.

The third section in the GMAT test is the Quantitative section and comprises 37 objective type multiple choice questions. Each of the questions in this section has a question followed by 5 answer choices. You will be provided rough sheets to do all your workings and calculations. As the test is a computer adaptive test, you will not be allowed to skip any question or revisit a question. Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency questions are intermingled in this section. About one-third of the questions that appear in the GMAT quantitative section are of the data sufficiency type and the balance two-thirds are of the problem solving type. Questions that appear as part of both the problem solving and the data sufficiency type test your understanding of basic high school math. Main areas within Math that are tested include basic arithmetic, algebra, elementary geometry, modern math, basic statistics and topics such as permutation - combination and probability. As the GMAT test is administered to MBA aspirants from different streams of education, the test does not include any specialized math topics.
The fourth and final section of the GMAT is the verbal section. This section has 41 objective type questions and is almost equally divided into three types of questions - sentence correction, critical reasoning, and, reading comprehension. Sentence correction questions test an aspirant's proficiency in standard structured English. Though the rules that govern structured English writing are aplenty, being aware of the most commonly test 20 or 25 common errors will help you get most of the questions in this section right. In the critical reasoning questions, a small passage is given that is followed by a question intended to assess your ability to construct and evaluate logically valid arguments. There will also 3 to 4 questions reading comprehension questions on topics varying from arts and humanities to science and technology to economics.

Aside from testing your math and verbal skills, the GMAT is also a test of your time management skills, confidence, ability to prioritize, and ability to perform under pressure. A calm and positive mindset on test day will allow you to comfortably move through the questions using the strategies you learned for every topic on the exam.

Applying for an MBA (Part 1)

2006-02-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

Since many of my friends and friends’ friends have at different times asked me give them some advice on the application process, I just thought I’ll compile all my thoughts and post them on my blog from time to time. Your comments are invited.

Pursuing an MBA

Going back to a business-school. The thought conjures up picturesque campuses, summer vacations, and a laid-back lifestyle. After years of overstretched workweeks, heading back to class sounds like a much-needed break. And, more importantly, MBA graduates command six-figure salaries. So what's there not to like about an MBA?

Well, if this powerful authority fires you, an MBA will be a great experience, but it will be by no means, an easy picnic. Between academically rigorous programs, challenge competitions, and, recruitment drives, you should be surprised if you get time to eat your meals leisurely. Yes, I know what I said, and I am not kidding. By the way, your holiday plans can make it to the trash can too, for you’ll spend your break interning. And, one last thing, by the time you get this ‘coveted’ degree, you’ll also be having a new friend to please - some few kilos of debt weighing on your shoulders.

So, is an MBA good for you? Only you can decide that, but I am giving you some points to ponder over.

Decide where you want to be in three to five years. Figure out why you want an MBA - Do you want to get into investment banking, but are a lawyer by profession? Do you want to start your own company? Are you looking for increased responsibilities and impact in your present work profile? Your reasons could be any; it is important that you set clear goals before you make any final decisions. Evaluate the ROI (Return On Investment). An MBA is probably the tool that's most expedient for creating a transformation. It polishes your existing managerial skills, increases your theoretical knowledge, expands your human network; but it still is no ultimate means. Even that Harvard MBA might not get you the job you desired.

Therefore, thrills are part of the allure. Once you’ve made your decision, determine whether you need to go abroad for a business degree. Going to school overseas is a good way to gain the international experience necessary to land a plum job in New York or Hong Kong or London. You should consider which part of the world you’ll want to work in, and the student body of the overseas schools. At Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, for instance, international students make up roughly 35 percent of the class. Compare that to the breakdown at the London Business School, where 80 percent of the students come from outside the U.K. Schools with a global focus offer a great opportunity to re-launch your career in a more international context.

If you think you have the caliber to get into the top B-schools like Harvard and Wharton, the choice is easy. In addition to the top US B-schools, you can also consider the best European schools like London Business School and INSEAD, France. One major advantage of U.K. MBA is its duration which is one year as compared to the two years system in US and Canada. Also, unlike those in other countries, most UK universities recognize the system of 3 year bachelor degree. A mid-tier B-school in the US is still better than most mid-tier B-schools in other parts of the world. So if you consider yourself to be above average but not top of the league, the U.S. should be your first choice. If you're just average or slightly below, and keen on getting a global MBA degree, it'll probably make more sense to look at options other than the U.S., viz. Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.

All in all, doing an MBA is a momentous decision in your life. How realistically you can assess yourself counts a lot. With some introspection and self-analysis, you should be able to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, and decide where you're headed for.

Random thoughts

2006-02-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

The scene at the business school land is just the same - quiet and calm. Nothing visible happening, just endless waiting. I have talked over with some of the students in the schools and with fellow applicants as well. I have tried to research all these four schools as best as I possibly can, and the only decision that I am very sure about till now is that I cannot have a clear decision as of now.

Trying to more productive with my time, I have caught with my reading. Last two days, I have digested Callgirl by Jeanette Angell (read review), Every Second Counts by Lance Armstrong (read review) and presently I am feasting on Saddam’s Bomb by Shyam Bhatia and Daniel McGrory (read review). Talk of variety! Writing those numerous essays, I have surmised that I am clearly someone with a short attention span. I need to learn a lot and about lots of things but quickly enough, with a fair amount of action. I’ll relax watching the sunset, or simply walking by the lake, but late at night when I hit my bed, I need the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve spent the day usefully.

Finding The ‘Fit’ Factor

2006-02-22T18:34:00.000-08:00

After what I learned about my previous schools, I have been doing some serious thinking about if I need to go into a school which I do not feel 100% committed to. It is not that there is something wrong with these schools, they are great. In the very first place, they were one of the only four schools I did apply to and that means that I did really think of getting into them. Even now I vouch by their learning, facilities, students, and even the location advantage, and yet I am still deciding.

All I have finalized as yet is this list of questions one could probe oneself with to find out the fit factor. ;-> Alright, alright, even this list is not a final list. Ok so let me restate it. An initial list. Is that alright now?

As a first step identify what you expect out of the school in terms of knowledge, career, alumni, student community and overall activities. This step should be easy and you should probably find that the school website is enough to give you these requisite details

Now, the step two. Let’s assume you want to pursue your career in field ABC. So try finding out how the school can benefit you reaching your goal. I believe this is a more expansive list, and you’ll find more honest opinions and details directly form the school students. Here are some sample questions you could ask them.

1) What percentage of the class usually works in the ABC field after graduation? (any rough estimate)
2) How much interaction is there between the school students and top ABC field recruiters/leaders?
3) What are some of the ABC field firms that recruit on campus?
4) How active is the ABC club at school? How many students are its members? Does the club provide opportunities for visiting ABC field firms?
5) How do the alumni working in ABC interact with current students?

There are no wrong or right answers here. It is after all your choice, so you should know what is being given to you, and like what you are getting into ultimately. There is no fun knowing the limitations and heights after you have invested your dollars and time; you'll be better off knowing them before you get into the school

Hope that helps

Best Wishes
Chillpill

Consulting

2006-02-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

After my talk with students at Tepper, I thought I should be doing more research on possibilities available after MBA, and which schools would be the best bridge. I specifically want to know more about Consulting and other related opportunities. In the coming days, I will be posting some screened information that I find on the net to help all my readers and of course my own self. Please feel free to suggest some good reading materials, sites etc which you believe could help one decide between the vast myriad of options.

Here’s a beginner’s guide on Consulting.

Consultants are people hired by companies to give advice about how to do stuff. There are many kinds of consultants out there; for instance, "technical consultants" give advice on technological issues and "financial consultants" give advice about money. But the biggest branch of consulting is called "management consulting."

Management consultants are typically organized into teams, specifically chosen for a given project. The average team consists of three to six people, depending on the job specifications and the clients' needs. There are all kinds of tasks that the team tackles in order to solve the problem, including employee interviews , computer analyses and projections, industry/competitor comparisons, historical trend research, and, market research etc

The Big Five (traditionally accounting and tax firms) consist of:
Arthur Andersen - now Accenture (as suggested by sghama.)
Deloitte & Touche
Ernst & Young
KPMG International
PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Besides the Big Five, there are a few strict management consulting houses. Firms in this class (McKinsey & Co., Bain & Co, Booz·Allen & Hamilton, The Boston Consulting Group) are considered elite in the management consulting field. Hands down, the largest consulting company is Andersen Consulting (spun off from Arthur Andersen when it became the most profitable branch), with over 65,000 employees in 48 countries. Other consulting houses function as specialty houses, or boutiques, and only handle particular types of work. Recently, this has focused on e-commerce opportunities.

McKinsey & Company is the most selectively elite firm in the field and possibly across any given industry. Booz·Allen & Hamilton is a "management and technology consulting firm focused on business strategy and transformation." This means that they do other consulting besides strictly strategy work. Bain & Company is a global strategy consulting firm, a younger-oriented firm than Booz·Allen. The Boston Consulting Group is similar to Bain in many ways, notably the similar age of recent-hires. BCG brands itself as a bit more creatively-minded, however. Eccentrics can stand out here, as long as they have some structure and precedent for backing up their crazy ideas. Andersen Consulting, the biggest firm in the industry brings with it a lot of structure and training and Andersen has often been lambasted for overtraining (brainwashing) its employees (droids) with the company's ways of handling given issues and problems. PriceWaterhouseCoopers is one of the largest firms in the field, but management consulting is only one part of their service and industry offerings.

Consulting brings with it the opportunity to fly all over the world in business class stay in the nicest hotels, and eat and drink at the finest restaurants. Most consultants work on remote assignments, typically flying out on Monday mornings and returning on Thursday evenings. It's all flashy and new going in, but after a few weeks of jet lag, it can grow tiresome. Most consultants work about 60-80 hours a week, depending on which point of the project they're currently at.

More material to come, stay tuned.

Strategy Consulting at Tepper - Students Speak

2006-02-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

There are lots of opportunities at Tepper to hone your skills for a Stategy/Management consulting career. You can join various clubs like Consulting club, Operations club and Business and Technology club. They usually conduct case interviews, faculty discussions, speaker series and special events. Apart from that, you can also take part in case competitions that are regularly organized at Tepper.

However, Tepper is not a strategy consulting school. Pure consulting schools include HBS, Kellogg, Wharton (although equally good in finance) and Insead. The way you can get this information is by going to businessweek site and checking top MBA recruiters. There are a fair number of firms that recruit on Tepper campus. This list includes McKinsey, Booz, ATK, IBM, Deloitte, Diamondcluster, Bain, PRTM etc. Booz, Allen, Hamilton, A. T. Kearney, Inc, and DiamondCluster International make multiple internship and full-time offers. McKinsey & Co, Deloitte, and, Bain & Company make relatively fewer offers.

You may want to visit the websites of above companies to get an overview of the kind of work involved in management consulting. Some articles at http://www.strategy-business.com/ and http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/ will be helpful as well. You can also benefit by checking out http://www.hbr.com

The numbers for class of 2007 are
McKinsey – 2
Booz – 10
Bain-0
BCG-1
IBM-4
Deloitte-1
Diamond-4

You will probably be better off at HBS, Kellogg, and Wharton if you are really interested in strategy consulting. These schools are top league as far as consulting is concerned. When you look at stats for other schools, McKinsey recruits like 75-80 people against 2 from here.

It's not that students here lack any skills; it's the fact that those schools have a bigger alumni base and that makes all the difference. But, if you are looking at overall experience, Tepper would give you a standing. It's a great school without doubt.

And Stern answers…

2006-02-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

After the deadline to announce decisions on 15th February, Stern writes back.Yes, yes, yes, after I asked them to.

Dear ______

Thank you for your message.

If you submitted a complete application bythe deadline, you should have received a decision yesterday. If anypart of your application was missing, your decision will be delayed.

Best Regards,
NYU MBA Admissions

Well, so what do I say to this? I guess I am God’s chosen one this New Year so he never ceases to surprise me. Ha Ha !! Now some more waiting to be done.

Wondering by the way, couldn’t all these little trivialities tell the schools how much diversity I can bring to the class? I mean, if in four applications I can have four special experiences (read reactions), my application must be verrrrrrrrrry different from the rest. Whatsay??

The City Beautiful

2006-02-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

This post is in response to qzoink’s curiosity about what the city beautiful is. A very good question and one that I’d really enjoy answering :-)

The city beautiful stands for the city Chandigarh located in India, because it is actually a verrrrrry beautiful city. One of India's youngest cities, Chandigarh derives its name from Goddess Chandi Devi whose temple is located 15 kms away from Chandigarh. Designed by the famous Le Corbusier, the first planned city of Chandigarh has its own shops, schools, hospitals, places of worship, open spaces, parks and residential areas in each of its sectors. Some places worth visiting are Nek Chand’s Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, Sector 17 Capital Complex, and the International Dolls Museum.

With artfully done roundabouts and tree laden roads, and lots of students and senior citizens, the city needs to be seen to truly appreciate its picturesque beauty. It has its own distinctive culture and you’ll need to appreciate it only as Chandigarh to truly feel the city vibes within you. Don’t compare it with any other place, just relish the early morning sun rise on the lake horizon, or breathe in the wet earth as rain washes the luscious greenery, or simply let the evening breeze rub by you, and you’ll understand a bit of why the city gets its nickname.

Disclaimer: I do not work for the Tourism Department though I’d be happy to take credit for any new visitors to the little paradise.

More on Georgetown…

2006-02-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

Alright people, the much awaited updates on what Georgetown sent to me.

The brochure
This was their fall/winter 2005 view book, I finally reminisced. Nothing much in here except for some random notes and I guess it is probably available on the school site as well, so I’ll skip this information.

The chat scripts
IT turned out that one could visit any of the three chat "rooms" organized by topic: Admissions, Career Management, or Current Students. Here are some random information points summed up for you:

Georgetown has a relatively small class size (approx. 250-270 per class), has a good amount of merit-based scholarships, and grads go into banking (my field), consulting, non-profits, public sector, and marketing, among others. As per strategic consulting, the school is still emerging into this field but the DC area is big in that field, especially into the government related, Booz Allen being one of the strongest employers. It is recommended to go through McKinsey's Guide to Valuation before you come to school and to join a networking group (eg washingtonnetworkinggroups – I am yet to figure this one out though ;->) to start talking to people in the field that interests you.

Average housing costs can vary from $450 - $600 depending on how and where you would want to stay. The school is generally accessible by bus both from both the Arlington and Dupont area. Paid parking is available but it can get expensive.

For further information you can click on the following:
Housing: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com, http://washingtondc.craigslist.org

Financial Aid: http://finaid.georgetown.edu/formsgr.htm,

I am still trying to figure out what most of the financial terms mean, so expect some more posts on them after I get some clues myself.

International Students: http://www.georgetown.edu/programs/oip/isss

Hope that helps
Best
Chillpill

Here's To India

2006-02-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

Just thought there was so much talking about B Schools in this blog, I should put in a few words about my motherland too.

Who is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems?

Vinod Khosla

Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it)?

Vinod Dahm

Who is the third richest man on the world?

A. According to the latest report on Fortune Magazine, it is AZIM PREMJI, who is the CEO of Wipro Industries. The Sultan of Brunei is at 6th position now.

Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based email program)?

Sabeer Bhatia

Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?

Arun Netravalli

Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard?

Rajiv Gupta

Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems?

Sanjay Tejwrika

Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart? Victor Menezes,

Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar.

We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even faring better than the whites and the natives.

There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET,

38% of doctors in USA are Indians.

12% scientists in USA are Indians.

36% of NASA scientists are Indians.

34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.

28% of IBM employees are Indians.

17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.

13% of XEROX employees are Indians.

You may know some of the following facts. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with

WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA.

01. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.

02. India invented the Number system. Aryabhatta invented 'zero.'

03. The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

04. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.

05. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.

06. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.

07. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.

08. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works dates to the 6th Century, which is long before the European mathematicians.

09. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as: 1053.

10. According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896, india was the only source of diamonds to the world.

11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.

12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.

13. Chess was invented in India.

14.Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India.

15.When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in SindhuValley (Indus Valley Civilisation).

16.The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.

Quotes about India.

We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made ---

Albert Einstein.

India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition ---

Mark Twain.

If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India ---

French scholar Romain Rolland.

India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border---

Hu Shih. (Former Chinese ambassador to USA)

Howzattt for thoughts??? :-))

My God, I'm Back Again

2006-02-15T18:19:00.000-08:00

Back from my sister’s wedding and here I am blogging again. Thanks for checking this site and staying with me in my journey. Won’t keep you waiting anymore and here are the updates…

Georgetown

Finally the package arrived FedEx ed… Too glad. Here are the contents
1) Congratulatory letters from the Director of Admissions, the Student Body President, and, a Professor of Strategic Management (You are raising your eyebrows on the last one. Well, don’t. I plan to become a Strategic Consultant two or three years down the line, that’s why this special letter.)

2) Another brochure, not the admissions one, but something talking about the recent happenings in the school, the new faculty and Dean, some famous alumni etc. Can’t talk on this much as of now as I haven’t gone through the entire content myself. So, just hang onto the blog. I’ll update soon enough.

3) A token gift – A blue pen with Georgetown written on it.

Yes, the transcripts of the admitted students chat arrived too, but here again you’ll need to wait.

Stern

This is one school which believes in live exciting sessions with me. Wondering why I am saying these words? Read this. So the latest is that I haven’t had the application status hasn’t changed even though 15th February(decision deadline for Round 1 applicants) has come and gone. So, I’ve written to them, and I should be hearing something soon. Till then it is more waiting time.

But guess what? I had met one of the school students this January in person, and I just received his mail asking me about the status so far. And then when I did write down my story to him, he offered to go answer any questions that I might have regarding Stern or other schools, and also to review my applications to find out what could be done on the ‘Waitlist’ status. Howzatt? Talk of individual concern :-) I must confess here that Stern’s brochure never excited me sooooooo much, but its people do, they really do. You need to actually interact with them to understand what the school means to say when it refers to its 'Stern Community'.

Three cheers to the Stern community who must be making wonderful compassionate managers.

If I could, I would…

2006-02-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Change the impression most people have about applying to business schools...

Although lots of people are aware of the strengths these top programs have, many still wonder why the application process is too long, or why it is difficult to get in, thanks to the abundance of other MBA programs. Many will suggest Harvard or Wharton blindly, because these are the names that they know. Why each school is different and how it could affect each applicant differently is simply not known or not thought about. I believe there is a lot that needs to be done to increase this basic awareness, to build a general concept that schools - be it business schools or medical schools or law schools or … - are not a one size fits all thing. Every individual is unique, and hence his/her requirement is unique.

Why Georgetown?

2006-02-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

Alright folks, I had promised earlier that I would be sharing my inputs on Georgetown soon and here they are, even if I missed the admissions chat. But before you go further on this, please note that the views are mine and hence biased. Ideally, your choice of school should depend on what you want to do in your life ie which industry you want to join, which place you want to eventually settle in, what method of teaching suits you etc. That should be your decision

Here is to Georgetown …

Perhaps one of the key attractions to the school is its global curriculum. The school is truly international, not only Europe or Asia, as is also evident by its electives eg global marketing, global logistics, international finance etc. And then there is the very famous Global Integrative Program where you solve real issues with real clients in real time ;-> reality bites ;-> This means that you can try, test and learn during your second year itself and that too the part of the world where you will want to be – Vietnam, China, London, India etc

I haven’t visited the school but I can vouch by my own interactions that the students are helpful, and minus a tight cut throat competition. Lots of classes are team based, in fact much more team based than the elite top of the top category, and that makes for a strong student community. Also, the school has a very responsive alumni network and ‘mentor’ program. So, if you are looking for a lifelong relationship, McDonough might be the perfect place.

One wonderful aspect about the school is its location –Washington DC. Need I say more on this? Imagine being minutes away from national centers of finance and management consulting, participating in regular corporate visits and workshops, particularly when you are extremely time constrained during the two graduation years.

However, the school has more of a reputation as being political and having an international focus, and you might not get very many other elective subjects you’d want to specialize in. Again, the new Dean from Stern, Dean Daily, has some great positive ideas. So you can expect some fabulous changes in the curriculum and more publicity campaigns improving the brand name of Georgetown in the years to come. The only minor hitch that I have at present is the somewhat lacking facilities. The school is coming up with a great new building, but that won’t be ready by 2008.

All in all, Georgetown is still a great a place I’d love to do my MBA from. It does offer me what I would want from my MBA but that is a different chapter, so let’s discuss that some other time.

And they say cold is a minor ailment…

2006-02-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

Yeah it was just a minor ailment. Yeah the normal small pinprick – a running nose, common cold as the doctors call it. And it was actually a minor ailment till I took the medicines and dozed off to sleep.

And missed the admissions chat at McDonough, that is, just after I had spent all these days anxiously waiting for this very day. LOL But anyways, I hope the Admissions staff will be kind enough to post the chat script to me. I am quite sure why I like Georgetown, so I guess it is not verrrrrrrry bad. But, I believe I’ll need to ask the Admissions Committee about whatever individual concerns I have.

Looks, like I should try attending their admit weekend now to get to know my fellow classmates.

:-P I know, I know, it is my responsibility to take medicines sensibly and that cold is not to be blamed. If there is a person called “Common Cold” out there, please don’t mind. I was just ranting

So, you’ve been waitlisted too?

2006-02-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

Well, first take that as good news. I know you haven’t been taken in but then you haven’t been thrown out either, correct? That means the admissions committee really likes you, just that there is probably some glitch which they need to be assured of to take you in. So here is what you do…

As a first step, don’t panic. Think of the many who have been handed reject letters. Just thank your stars and start working.

Second, you might want to reconsider if you really want to stay on the waitlist. If you have offer letter from another good school, and you don’t think you’ll actually be going to this school (which has waitlisted you), it might be a good idea to take your name off the list completely!! I know that sounds bizarre, but then why stand in a queue when you never want to board the train? Let other’s be offered a seat. This is also helpful, because if you really want to get into the school, you can analyze how realistic your expectations from the school have been. For all you know, you might have been too ambitious in your aims and that could have been the weak link of your application. Confirm your interest to be a student accordingly.

Third, revisit your application, but caution, not in that anxious mood. Get into a state when you can actually tuck your own emotions and other mental paraphernalia about the application to the remotest corner of your mind. Now read your application sitting in the AdComs chair. Where do you think you have let that doubt creep in? Do you think you have put in all about yourself? Do those pages reflect your passion and leadership accurately?

These questions are some of the starters. When you can brainstorm that 2-5 kilos of load on your shoulders enough, you know what to do next. Simply address the weakness(es) in whatever way you feel possible ;-> That simple really. If you get this far, and you can correctly present yourself thereafter, I would be surprised if you do not get the coveted ‘admit’ letter from your top school.

Best,
Chillll

What’s happening at Stern?

2006-02-03T21:14:00.001-08:00

For those who don’t know here is my application story for Stern. Read that, it should be fun and if your are an applicant for 2008 yourself, I think it’ll ease your nerves

1 Dec – I press the ‘SUBMIT’ button for the online application submission. This was the first round submission deadline. Was soooooo glad that my application went in for the first round. The notification deadline for the school is 15th Feb. So, keeping fingers crossed

4-7 Jan – Am out to Delhi attending some student events hosted by schools – Tepper, Stern and Georgetown. So, don’t check my mailbox. But then, here it comes - Additional Materials required mail – An e-mail stating that a copy of my final degree certificate is required from the Admissions Committee.

9 Jan - Fedex the required copy and check the school status site change regularly to see if it has changed to application complete, but no, nothing happens

20 Jan - Finally write to the Adcoms again, and learn that they are still in the process of compiling my application, whatever that is supposed to mean (On the hindsight, I understand that they were just trying to make the process a little less pressurizing for me. But then, with an incomplete application, who feels great, especially if you really want to be in the school and you have no other admit to bank upon?)

24 Jan – Online application status has still not changed. Finally, a friend comes to rescue and asks me track my courier. Wow!! Why didn’t I think of that, btw? Anyways, I find that my packet has in fact been delivered on 20th signed by some Benjamin. Lol!!!

27 Jan – Receive a proof of delivery from the US Postal Services department. So well, Dear Admissions Committee, here comes my e-mail again. And guess what I learn??? Surprises of all surprises… there in no such person at Stern. But thankfully, the Adcoms are extremely responsive again. Now I can fax my copy of the certificate

28 Jan – Copy faxed and the admissions committee confirms that it has received my copy. One big thanks!!!! (For those who didn’t realize, I am an Indian and I’d to fax this copy during the office hours. So, one delay by another day)

Crux of the story – LESSONS LEARNT

1) It is no wonder that Stern banks on its community strength so much. Yes, my application submission was unusually long, but these guys have one hell of a wonderful support group. They were quick in their responses and after I faxed my copy, they themselves wrote to say that the copy had been received. And more than once, they sent me letters thanking me for my patience.

2) Panic doesn’t help, really it doesn’t. I possibly can't stress that much, but try thinking how could it have benefited me at any stage?

Georgetown – Here I am

2006-02-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Am so glad to get into Georgetown. Finally, I know I am going somewhere. Hosted a small party at my home yesterday, and boy, it is fun to listen to everyone congratulating you…

Georgetown is now holding a chat event on this 7th February for admitted students, and I am looking forward to it. The admission packet arrives in about two weeks. Looking forward, can’t wait. And yeah my dear reader, stay posted and I'll share whatever information I possibly can about the school.

I'm in, I'm in

2006-02-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

Alright guys and gals,

I'm in at Georgetown, plus with some good $ thrown in. I finally made it.

The status till as yet

2006-02-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well...........I belong to the waitlisted land - you where they don't take you in, and they don't throw you out, so where you are just at the gate and waiting, sometimes hopeful and sometimes not very hopeful. It is like that train ticket which is very simply not confirmed, so you just don't know whether you'll be going or not maybe till the very last day.

Ok I won't keep many of you guessing. Let me try to put in as much information as I possibly can (Buddy, I'm a little superstitious, if you may permit, so let me know a final status and I promise to tell you)

I have applied to four schools till as yet. Heard from two of them - GSB Chicago and Tepper, and well both put me on hold. I was kinda flustered initially, but now I beleieve this to be a good sign. Though I am not very happy with the wait, atleast, they didn't outright reject me. So, they are still considering my candidacy.

And, anyways, as far as these schools are concerned, they habitually spring surprises as the BSchool forums will tell you. Try checking the following at business school forums:

http://forums.businessweek.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&tsn=34&tid=67718&webtag=bw-bschools

My First Post

2006-02-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

All right people, I'm in this blogland too, wishing to give you company in your MBA travel. I'm still travelling, still to reach a destination as of now, but do wish you the very best.

Off and on, I intend to write about whatever happens to me or my applications. Please feel free to offer your comments and suggestions, and to ask me anything if you feel I can help...