2012 Last Post - Hello 2013

So moments ago, I just submitted my Wharton’s app. I feel good about this app, mainly because I think Wharton really allows the applicants to express their individuality through the essays. I’ve also grown rather fond of Wharton and its many Venture Treks are really something that I look forward to the most – hello Antarctica & Cotopaxi!  

Looking ahead, I have just one more application to be submitted – Stanford GSB. Now, applying to the most selective MBA program in the world comes with its fair share of anxiety, self-doubt and many sleepless nights. If Wharton lets its applicants to shine through its essays, GSB really forces us to dig down and deep, on our motivations, passions, and goals for life. It ain’t easy, but I managed to get there. I’m surprisingly happy with how the essays turned out to be, and this is another application that I’m proud to submit and regardless of the outcome, I know I’ve done my best (barring silly last-minute typo errors).

So what next?

Actually, I went into my MBA cave to finish off my Wharton and GSB essays knowing that come July 2013, I may well be enrolling in one of top US BS. On 17^th Dec, Kellogg was nice enough to put me on their waitlist.

Now, waitlist may not be everybody’s favourite response but considering double rejection from HBS, I’m willing to take anything that these prestigious BS are willing to dish out to me.

Let’s talk about Kellogg

I’ve also grown fond of Kellogg over the course of this MBA application season. It’s the no.1 school in marketing (which is supposed to be a big deal) and McKinsey and its other MC siblings seem to love Kellogg grads (so that’s a huge plus). One of my bosses just came back from Kellogg’s AMP and she seemed to really enjoy her experience.

Now, the thing that really excites me about Kellogg is how everything the students do seems to revolve around groups. The last thing that I’m willing to put up with at this age is sharky, snarky type-A jerks (who seem to go to BS to “transform” themselves). So on that merit alone, I personally think Kellogg sounds like a really good place to gain some crucial business knowledge and skills and build lifelong friendships that are based on genuine mutual interest.

The question now is, how do I get off the waitlist and into Kellogg MBA Class of 2015?

I love me a good challenge!

 

It’s probably not a good idea to watch an action movie whilst trying to draft your MBA essays…

True story, but me being me, I’d have 10 thousands things opened at the same time, cluttering my screen, just to get things done. Some people need order to focus, some thrive in chaos, I seem to do best in orderly chaos…

A quick update on my Rd 1 application…

I tanked HBS again and interviewed at Kellogg. But then again, Kellogg interviews anyone who requested to be interviewed, so it was really not an indication of how strong my application was. I have mixed feelings about tanking HBS for the 2^nd consecutive time. On the other hand, I should’ve learnt enough from the previous experience to submit a better application but the application pool itself is super hyper competitive – HBS is a stretched to everyone (unless of course, your whole family goes there and made tons of donation to the school…). And because of the hyper competitiveness of their pool of applicants, a rejection from HBS does not automatically mean that my application was weak (at least, that’s why I’m telling myself to mend this broken heart!).

An interview with Kellogg…

I thought it went well. I clicked with my interviewer. It helped that we both came from the same industry, so the lingo was not lost and I don’t have to de-jargonise my resume all that much. At one point, I thought I was doing the interviewing since we were trading questions, back and forth – he asked me why Kellogg, I asked him how was his Kellogg experience etc. All in all, it felt more like a conversation between 2 people who shared the same passion (for Kellogg).

But here’s the thing; being too comfortable during the interview could also give you false signal. Maybe, just maybe, he was such a great interviewer that he immediately put me in such comfortable state that my answers came unfiltered. I knew that I could’ve answered some of this questions better… but alas, what’s done is done.

Round 2 strategies…

I guess not getting in HBS was actually a great thing – I wouldn’t have researched Wharton at all, had I gotten an interview invite with HBS. Initially I was a bit put off by Wharton, mainly because the school’s reputation as the “finance school”. I did not see myself slaving away at any financial institutions in the near future.

But that all changed.

After all the research, reading student’s blogs, the s2s boards, watching the available lectures, seminars etc, I finally GET Wharton and ironically, Wharton is the school I felt most connected to now.

I personally feel that the fit come from the fact that Wharton, out of all the other schools (that I’ve researched), is the most quant-driven, in a good way. I think a lot of people get easily intimidated by any quant-heavy subjects, and Wharton makes no qualm about how quant-heavy their program is. But here’s the thing, they make it more than just about crunching the numbers but giving greater emphasis on what the data tell you about a problem. This mind-set, this way of approaching a problem, so analytical and methodological – speaks highly to the engineer in me. I guess that’s why I’m gravitating more and more towards Wharton!

Plus I now find a newfound appreciation for PE… ha ha ha. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll write about a PE specific goals in my career essay for Wharton.

I’m still applying to Stanford’s GSB…

As off now, I’m searching my soul to find what matters the most to me. There are many things that matter to me, some matter more than others but to nail what matter the most and why – let me tell you my friend, it’s gonna be a long and arduous journey (till new year).

But right now, let me enjoy The Expendables 2 first!